River Severn Barbel Fishing - With Phil Spinks

This entry was posted on 8th November, 2022 by Anna Cooper

In this article, Angling Direct’s Specimen Series angler; Phil Spinks, travels to the River Severn in the search of barbel. Phil shares how to catch barbel fish on this beautiful river which runs through a stunning valley in Worcestershire.

The River Severn is a place I have enjoyed barbel fishing for a long time, although rivers such as the mighty River Trent hold more barbel and some of the enormous size! The River Severn is a much more scenic venue.

The River Severn flows through beautiful rolling hills. It is full of features such as riffles, fast glides, deep bends, islands and many more perfect barbel holding areas.

Enjoying my surroundings and visiting beautiful places has become a huge part of my angling journey. It’s not always about targeting huge fish.

The plan was to cover as much of the river as possible during my trip. There are two reasons for this:

Firstly, I’m super confident if a barbel is present in the swim that I will receive a bite fairly quickly, similar to when I am roaming for winter chub.

The second reason is that I like to explore as much of this stunning river as possible. I’m always wondering what is around the next bend.

What Fishing Tackle Do I Require For Rivers?

My approach to barbel fishing on the River Severn is very different to some other rivers that I have fished. I fish the River Severn with a very minimalistic fishing kit. I keep it to a bare minimum.

Barbel Rod:

The fishing tackle I used for this barbel river fishing session was the Advanta RVS specimen rods with a 2lb test curve.

What Size Reel for Barbel Fishing?

I used a 6000-sized Shimano baitrunner reel.

Fishing Line:

The reel was loaded with 10lb of fishing line.

Barbel Fishing Rigs:

Barbel fishing rigs couldn’t be simpler. I used running rigs with long 4–5-foot hook links of 8-10lb line and with a hair-rigged size 8 hook. The reason for such a long hook link is that it keeps the bait away from the mainline which might potentially spook the barbel.

Best Bait for Barbel:

This is where my approach might seem different. I will happily spend an entire day with just a tin of meat. Most barbel anglers will use feeders and pellet or boilie hook baits.

I’m so confident that a piece of smelly meat cast in the right swim will attract a barbel that it’s all the bait I often take. This is fished on a straight lead, the weight depends on the flow but is usually around 3oz.

One very important tip is to use an extender-style stop to secure the meat on the hair. A combination of fast flow and small chub plucking at the bait can mean the bait comes off very easily without these stops.

Time It Takes for a Fish to Bite?

If a bite doesn’t occur after around 20-30 minutes, I move to the next likely-looking spot. It’s usual to receive a bite from a river barbel within 5 minutes.

The only time I would swap to feeders, and perhaps use a Korum bopper to bait up is if I was confined to one swim. Either the river was very busy, or on occasions, I’ve stayed in holiday cottages that have their river frontage.

3 Features That Make a Good Fishing Swim for Barbel:

There are a few features to look for that attract barbel.

1. Fast oxygenated water is the first thing I look for, especially if the river is low. This is normally caused by a fast change in depth.

2. The right place within it to present my bait: creases. Creases in the flow are caused when fast water meets slack water and barbel (and other species) love these.

Although crease would be my first choice, don’t be afraid to search around the swim by recasting the rods regularly. I’ve had several barbel fishing in the main strong flow.

3. The tail end of the fast flow where the river calms down into a steady glide is also another great feature. These steady glides can be a great place to target both barbel and chub on the float, but that’s another story.

Fish Care for Barbel:

Another important barbel fishing tip is when you're lucky enough to catch a barbel make sure you let the fish recover when releasing it.

Barbel fight so hard they often exhaust themselves. When returning them, hold them so their head is facing into the flow and don’t release them until they are ready to swim away strongly. This may mean you need to rest them in your landing net for a few minutes to get their strength back first.

The River Severn is an amazing place to spend a day fishing for barbel, so good luck to anyone that visits this beautiful river. Don’t forget to enjoy the entire experience and not just the fishing!

Good luck,

Phil Spinks.

If you wish to watch Phil in action on the River Severn, be sure to watch his latest episode in the Specimen Series on Youtube where Phil is catching some great barbel.

Phil Spinks Specimen Series - River Severn Barbel