Wonder Of The Wye Breaks - 2010 Staying at the historic Caer Beris Manor Hotel at Builth Wells, we will explore the river together targeting both chub and barbel on four quite different stretches. You will learn how the character of this fascinating river changes as we work down the valley. Each c...

Happy New Year Everyone! Belated New Year greetings to everyone who enjoys this blog, and I even include Whiskerton, who finished the old year with another threat to sue me. Mike, talk’s cheap. Put up, or shut up. Otherwise go away and play on the dark side! I came back from London on the tra...

Hey ho, but if you’re a barbel fanatic and no-one sends you a fishing calender then feel free to print off this one:   2010 Calendar Each page is in a seperate PDF file so you can adjust the size to suit. For best results just click through the link above each page or from the summary at th...

The channel’s being run on a shoestring right now and I waived all rights to expenses and an appearance fee on the grounds that we really need to get some angling footage on TV. This programme and those in the rest of the series were made to broadcast quality and you never know, at some distant p...

Greetings folks. I’m going to keep this blog mercifully short as I’m rushing to get ready for another filming trip. The next installment is written but it’s the resizing and laying out of pictures that slows down the whole process so it’ll keep till I get back. So what’...

Carbology Explained - by Lee Swords. Part 1… (of several…) Carbelling: The fusing of barbel fishing and carp fishing Carbology: The science of catching barbel using techniques evolved from those used in the carp fishing fraternity. Carbologist: One who involves themselves in the science ...

In four trips based around match hours I’ve bagged up. Not once have I started fishing before 10am and most days I’m home for tea yet 46 barbel have graced my net. Sometimes it’s been hard to keep two rods in the water. Take last week. I decided to fish an afternoon session, just ...

I’ve gone mad, it’s official. A year ago I gave up the day job and put together the kind of early retirement plan I’d been dreaming about for more than a decade. It was going to be a life full of indulgence with three days fishing in the week and lots of weekends away with the better half. A y...

Some Like It Hot… Work on the next volume of Barbel Days And Ways continues apace and the schedule is becoming demanding. It’s also pretty punishing in the heat. Stu and I slipped down to the Welsh borders hoping to fill our boots on the Wye but to say the conditions were against us woul...

Isn’t it great to be back on the rivers again? Right now I’m filling my boots with barbel and chub, just because the novelty hasn’t quite worn off yet. I’m also inspired by the fact that they’re just so obliging and happy to feed in what some would have you believe are ...