Tips on fighting barbell

[Gerrit Viljoen]

Hi,

What sort of tecnique or manuvre would u guys reccommend using when fighting and actually landing humangous barbell?I'm talking 10kg plus here.

I'm gonna try and catch,then land one of extreme weight by using my 5wt rod come this weekend.

My immediate concern is bringing the fish up to the surface.Then how would I handle it once I got it to landing territory?Use my hands and hope I don't injure myself?

Any experiences out there?

Ps.Leave the windgat comments for next week

[Byron]

Use a heavier rod. Then crank it hard, don't let the bugger get near a rock.

[Herman Jooste]

Gerrit, on a 5# take your time, be prepared to run after the fish, once you have played it to the surface, lip land it as you would a Bass or LMY.

Don't forget these buggers can breathe out of water,

[Gerrit Viljoen]

Gerrit, on a 5# take your time, be prepared to run after the fish, once you have played it to the surface, lip land it as you would a Bass or LMY.

Don't forget these buggers can breathe out of water,

Thanks Herman and Byron

Ps.Did u see my post on flies for OV1?It took some time typing you know...

[Herman Jooste]

Thanks Herman and Byron

Ps.Did u see my post on flies for OV1?It took some time typing you know...

Yup, did see it. Nice post. Now all we need to do is tie 1000+ flies in 5 weeks.

BTW as a self employed man of means, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NOT JOINING US.

Your knowledge of the area, wit, and ability to carry OMR/Myself/Jasper through the deeper runs will be sorely missed.

[Michael]

What sort of tecnique or manuvre would u guys reccommend using when fighting and actually landing humangous barbell?I'm talking 10kg plus here.

On a #5 rod...with a 10KG plus barbel...say bye-bye to the fly line and backing, or hello to a broken rod. It really is not worth the risk, what for? use a #7 rod minimum.

Sure you could hook a 10kg plus barbel, and land it by running up and down the river and fighting it forever...the question is, why? Just wasting fishing time. It's the same as...fighting a 600lb marlin in a fighting chair with the rod strapped to the chair, for 6 hours...why?? I'd rather catch 20 10KG Kingies on fly than one one those marlin.

On landing the barbel...if you stick your hand in his mouth...get a good grip, and be prepared to lose some skin. They have rough teeth in their mouths. And if he slips out of your hand, be prepared to lose a lot of skin off your fingers!

[Gerrit Viljoen]

Yup, did see it. Nice post. Now all we need to do is tie 1000+ flies in 5 weeks.

He he he,like I said way over kill IMO.Fish ur go to patterns,come back from down under,tie and fish the new flies,gain confidance and be ready for OV2 in 2009.

BTW as a self employed man of means,WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NOT JOINING US

2 new ventures need my input unfortunately.Been going at it since October last year.At least the end is in sight.This is a building year for me business wise.I am so sorry,would have loved to join.

Your knowledge of the area, wit, and ability to carry OMR/Myself/Jasper through the deeper runs will be sorely missed.

U'll be fine with ou Jacqie,he lives and fish there.He knows way more than me about those waters.

Get old Doka(brak) to drag u over the current.I hear he is quite the kudu jagter or is that Klipspringer?

No seriously Herman,very disappointed in not being able to make it. I'll make up for it by showing u some new Largemouth creations once ur back.

[Gerrit Viljoen]

On a #5 rod...with a 10KG plus barbel...say bye-bye to the fly line and backing, or hello to a broken rod. It really is not worth the risk, what for? use a #7 rod minimum.

Sure you could hook a 10kg plus barbel, and land it by running up and down the river and fighting it forever...the question is, why? Just wasting fishing time. It's the same as...fighting a 600lb marlin in a fighting chair with the rod strapped to the chair, for 6 hours...why?? I'd rather catch 20 10KG Kingies on fly than one one those marlin.

On landing the barbel...if you stick your hand in his mouth...get a good grip, and be prepared to lose some skin. They have rough teeth in their mouths. And if he slips out of your hand, be prepared to lose a lot of skin off your fingers!

I agree,a bit crazy I know.I just wanna be different

I'm already a sicko with my sister,today I heard I might be gay or is gay,what's next? The turkey who loves fruitcake with nuts and a fruitsalad for desert

[Michael]

today I heard I might be gay or is gay,what's next?

You mean you didn't know you were gay?

[Scythe]

On a #5 rod...with a 10KG plus barbel...say bye-bye to the fly line and backing, or hello to a broken rod.

Not necessarily. Coop got a monster of over 20Kgs on his 5WT TiCr-X (If I didn't get the arse end of the story, it could also have been on his 7WT) ... see it helps to fish proper non elitist equipment It's a very real 'risk' when you're fishing for LargeMouth, it's undeniable that in a lot of occasions LM and Barbel occupy the same spaces.

I agree,a bit crazy I know.I just wanna be different :

You know what they say, as jy vir k@k soek gaan jy dit kry. If you WANT to catch a big barbel, rather use the right tool, rather use your slightly heavier rod.

You can however land a barbel of 10Kgs on a 5WT (depending on the 5WT) but it's a waiting game and you have to change your tack. Proof of this is TJB's 22Kg boytjie on a 4WT, and he had landed a huge number of similar calibre specimens over a few years before the rod eventually snapped. (go read his barbel stories on the Fishing Owl WebSite.

Fight the fish at angles parralel to the water's surface, if you lift the tip you're sure to snap the top segments. The big fish usually don't consider the hook in the mouth as much of an annoyance untill you start yanking on it. It's unlikely that you will end up losing a line, barbel simply aren't that fast or energetic and usually stick to fairly slow sustained runs, this works to your advantage in that through application of parralel pressure exerted from the butt of the rod, you can effectively steer the fish in a big cirle around you as opposed to having it run off with your line.

Remember the most power is to be had from the butt section of the rod, so keep your rod fairly straight (ie don't let the rod bend too much or even worse fold the rod double) and pull with the butt section. Your rod should be able to bend all the way down to the butt to varying degrees.

Your biggest risk will be with the landing, for my money grab the chucker and ride him like a mechanical bull as he tries to get away. Just remember the teeth, though flat and blunt, make a huge amount of small cuts to your skin. You will bleed like a blonde virgin on halloween. Barbel have the 'double lip' at the bottom of the mouth, a soft leathery patch that you can easily grip in addition to putting your thumbs over the top of the mouth. They're very easy to manage in that maneuvre.

today I heard I might be gay or is gay,what's next? The turkey who loves fruitcake with nuts

Definately gay. See ... you can't stop obsessing about NUTS !

Bumper Sticker on Gerrit's Bakkie : "Cowboy's butts drive me nuts"