And Now For Something Completely Different By Jon Berry

The slow glidebeneath a weirpool- fly water!

Those immortal words from Monty Python will doubtlessconjure up images of dead parrots,. cheese shops and nakedpiano players, especially if you're as old as our chairman,but my early attempts to catch a barbel on the fly wereevery bit as farcical as anything from Cleese, Gilliam et al.

I'dread that it could bedone, and was awarethat John Bailey was

running barbel-on-the-flyguided trips on the Wye, butcouldn't find out how itcould be done. Being a fewpennies short of booking aday with angling's tousled-haired Adonis, I had to findout for myself. What followsis a simple guide to what I'velearnt so far - success wasn'teasy in coming, and I won'tpretend to have perfected ityet, but this summer didyield a few barbel to thisunconventional approach.Here's how.

FliesGiven the biologicalreluctance of barbel to gettheir noses out of the silt torise to a Greenwell's Glory,it's sinking nymphs all theway. A small box of weightedgoldheads will suffice, inolive, black, brown and gold-ribbed hare's ear varieties.De-barbed hooks in sizes 6-8have proven most effective todate. This is not match thehatch fishing, but rather anattempt to offer somethingapproximate to the assortedbugs that barbel gorge onwhen there are no halibutpellets around. I'm sure thatpatterns will vary from water

trips slowly along thebottom. I've used tiny shot,olivettes and sinking putty(Loon Deep Soft Weight) onthe eye of the hook. Thelatter does get bumped off,but seems preferable interms of presentation andsnag-avoidance. It castsbetter too. Do also coat thelast few feet of your leaderwith a sinking agent -permasink or similar.

LinesI bought two - a floating linefor fishing the shallows witha long leader, and a quicksinking line for deeper water.Once again, hindsight is afine thing; I've rarely neededthe sinking line, and couldinstead have used one ofthose braided leaders tocreate a sinking tip.

LeadersI've used two types; a Leedatapered leader with a ten-pound point, and straightmono right the way through.The former cast and turned

Where?Look for gravels, shallowbends, deepening pools andthe like; all the usual hauntsof our favourite quarry, butpreferably not somewhere

Rods and ReelsI started with a cheap 8-weight rod, a ten-footer I'dkept in the attic for thosedays when only a brain-deadrainbow trout will bite. Itwas sloppy in the action, andcasting was a chore. A trip toSportfish at Theale with amuch-abused credit card didthe trick, and I left with a rodand reel outfit that would, Iwas assured, be ideal forboth pike and barbel on thefly; I bought a Hardy Sirrus,the nine-foot 9-weightmodel, and a Redington CD9/10 disc reel. When you dohook a barbel on fly gear,you'll want a clutch you cantrust, and the Redington hasproven itself very reliable.The Sirrus is quick-actioned,perhaps slightly too quickfor the nymphs I'vebeen using, and if Ibought another rodI'd go for somethinga little moreforgiving. It hasbeen superb forpike, though, andalso for grilse in .Scotland (I do like

"What follows is a simple guide to what I've learnt so far -success wasn't easy in coming, and Iwon't pretend to haveperfected it yet, but this summer did yield a few barbel"

over far more easily, as onemight expect, but both wereequally as good in terms ofpresentation and fish-playing. I found a longishleader to be necessary, giventhat I was fishing clear,shallow water to fishunaccustomed to fly lines.About nine feet seemedadequate.

to water, and I've only fly-fished the Bristol Avon, sohave a root about in themargins of your own riverand see what's lurking.

too deep or too fast. It'simportant that your fly getsdown to the noses of the fish,and trundles along thebottom rather than whipsthrough. I chose a beat of theBristol Avon absolutely stiffwith medium-sized barbel,so that I was confident ofcovering fish. Of course, thissort of nonsense might not

RigsThe only variation on theusual fly-fishing rig has beento add weight to the fly /leader to ensure that the fly

apply to the tidal Trent orother big rivers, but in moreintimate surroundings, youmight surprise yourself.

MethodsThis is essentially nodifferent to deep-waternymphing for trout, so don'tworry if you're fishingupstream, downstream oracross; just make sure you'recovering the area you wantto fish ...and slowly. In myfavourite weir pool I had tocast directly upstream to getthe fly down; elsewhere, Iusually fished 'across anddown'.

Why bother?Good point! Sport is unlikelyto be fast and furious, butthere is unquestionably somepleasure in catching with anew method, and the fighton fly tackle will beextremely satisfying. I've had

nothing over six pounds onthe fly, but I remember eachone very dearly; the samefish on my usual twelve-footers might not have madeit in to the diary. Pike, Carpand Chub anglers have allcaught on to using a fly-rod,so there's no reason why wecan't follow suit.

So there you have it; nothingrevolutionary, but hopefullyenough to get you started ifyou want to give it a try. As Isaid earlier, I'm in the earlystages with this, and it'sunlikely to ever replace mymore usual methods. But, forsheer enjoyment with smallshoal fish, it really is a joy.Perhaps some readers havebeen trying this themselves?If so, do write in and tell all!And, if you have a good fly-pattern for an elips pelletimitation, I'd be verygrateful...

Some Cautionary words:• Do check your license to ensure fly-fishing is allowed on

your water.• Don't go below ten-pounds breaking strain for your

leader; thefight should last no longer than it would onyour usual outfit.Fly-fishing by its very nature does cause more waterdisturbance than conventional barbel methods, so beaware of other anglers' personal space.Don't expect too much too soon - you'll need to becovering fish, with an effective pattern, at the right peedand with no drift to get atake.

• Feel and watch carefullyfor takes; I've had some'slams', but more usuallya flash from the fish isthe best indication -tighten up and enjoy.

• Check your leaderregularly for wind knots- they will weal<en it.

• Always wear glasses orsunglasses when flyfishing.

.' If you're fishing theshallows, please watchthem to ensure they'renot spawning.

• Take care on the back-cast, and NEVER whip acow's backside in theprocess. They really don'tlike it.

Peregrine

56 Haydon Industrial Estate, Haydon, Radstock, Bath, BA3 3RD

Tel: 01761 436900 Fax: 01761 434866

Peregrine Barbel RodsFor the last ten years our core business has been to

build high performance fly fishing rods for thediscerning. However, as barbel anglers ourselves, we

have recognised the need for true specialist barbelrods for some time.

The market place has been flooded with 'off theshelf' rods many of which are lacking in one respector another and the real specialist demands the need

for p.erformance without compromise. Hence thedemand for our custom built rods.

The Peregrine GTi 11 ft, 2 piece, lib 120z T.e.This rod is certainly one of the best all rounders money can

buy. Sensitive, yet at the same time powerful enough tosubdue any barbeL Price: £175

The Peregrine SU Avon 12 ft, 2 piece. lib 10oz. T.e.he SU has a powerful, smooth, progressive action that make

"" 'playing pig barbel a breeze. This rod is at home on virtuallyany rixer, big or small and will hanClleleads from a single

- • 'Swan shot up.!o and over 30z. Price: £175

~ The;Peregrine Flood Rod 11ft 9ins, 2 pieceNo test curve on this one! This is a real floodwater specialidream come true. A soft (?) top to allow the build up of debri'without prematurely displacing the lead, but this is no quivertip! This rod will cast up to 8 ounces! Yet again, by choosingthe right materials the rod, is powerful yet still has the right'feel' for playing barbel. We are indebted to Chris Ponsforc

for his help in developing this unique rod. Price: £185

11ft 4 piece Avon, lib 80z T.e.Slightly more powerful than its 2-section counterpart, but sri'"retaining that lovely sweet "Avon" action. Versatile, smoothpower, four section portability and not a flat spot in sight~

Price: £175

GTX 12ft lib 80z T.e., 2 pieceMade from woven graphite, this rod is as stunning to look atas it is to use. Power, sensitivity and lightness all add up to

this new concept in rod design for the specialist barbel angler.Finished in black with subtle gold trims and available with

full cork handle or abbreviated style.Price: £185

The rod fittings described below are incOlporated 011 our'stock'rods, but we can finish your rod to virtually any

specification.

Full cork handle with Fuji DPS reel seat. Seymo 247s threeleg lings tied in black, tastefully trimmed in gold.

Hook keeper fitted as standardBlack Aluminium Wye Button fitted as standard.