Birmingham Anglers Association

Hi Mr Chub and party. Not sure that my views are particularly "informed", but can offer my perspective on middle Severn. I'm not sure the barbel are still there in their previous numbers, whether down to predation, floods, angling pressure. Anecdotally, many anglers have struggled all summer when fishing exclusively for barbel. My advice would be to find some fairly shallow, quite fast flowing pegs and fish the float, ideally with some waders to get out into the water. You will catch perch, chub and dace and always the chance of picking up a barbel or two, which is a great way to catch them. Bearing in mind you could hook some good fish on the float, leave your match rod and light stick float gear behind. I use an avon 1.5tc rod (almost a feeder rod) with 6lb reel line to a 16 hook with 4lb hook length, with a big stick or avon style float. This is really well balanced, giving you enough power to get out the bigger fish whilst no being too heavy. Use maggots and casters but take some worms and use these as hook bait if small fish become a nuisance. There are some great pegs for this style of fishing at Trimpley, but access is difficult with parking. However, Arely and Highly offer lots of similar opportunities. Better than staring at a rod tip for hours! Good luck and hope that you enjoy your visit.