I was handed some of the key components of the Barbus range to try as I take a lot of anglers on the River Wye each year and many of them are hooked after landing their first barbel.
Some of these people will only go a few times a year, others are youngsters on a small budget, but all of them have one thing in common – they all need great value gear that’ll put a few fish on the bank.
And the Barbus collection from Dragon Carp is now my recommendation… but that’s not before I used it myself to check.
Barbus Pellet Feeders
These come blister-packed in sets of two and are very strong – that’s important when you are constantly loading and casting into swims that might contain gravel and rocks. They are open-ended, have a durable mesh body, and strong arms that lead to a quality swivel. They come in all the important weights – 1-5oz, so when there’s a good rip through you can still fish the pellet feeder.
And here’s the winning factor – they’re only £2 per pack. And when you’re going through a lot of tackle in a day, that makes a session much more affordable. Ideal for any level of fisherman.
Barbus Severn Barbel Freespool Reel
This is essentially a small carp reel and about right for fishing rivers as you don’t want a heavy piece of metal hanging below your rod. Again this is about performance versus price. On the Wye, I load everyone’s reels with 12lb line, which is enough for many different weights of feeder. This reel does come with spare spools so you can drop down to 10lb on a low, clear venue. Line lay is very even.
Considering the price, the front drag is exceptionally good and gives line on demand – when those fish surge it kicks into action stopping hook pulls or line breakages. On the back, you’ve got the freespool facility, handy for young or tired minds when they drift off and a savage take comes out of the blue. Amazing for just £10.
Barbus Landing Net and Handle
This is one piece of kit I won’t be handing over to my visitors to use, as it’s now in my tackle collection. It really is a cracker. The net is a large, deep pan that actually folds in half, making it easy for storage and transportation. The mesh is strong and soft, and I like the styling of the ‘Barbus’ rim. The pole is super-lightweight, and double extends beyond its 6ft length. At a tenner, it has to be an absolute steal.
Barbus Black Steel Line Pack
This is a nice idea – a quality bulk spool mainline and hooklink material in the same pack – and another value product at £4.
Line is very important as it needs to perform in testing big river conditions, but I’m very happy with this kit.
You get 200m of 12lb in a black colour and coupled with that 50m of 8lb mono hooklink that makes very nice traces – either knotless knot hair rig style or direct to the hook. It straightens nicely under a stretch and has low memory.
Avanti Blue Emerald Barbel Rod
Not a ‘Barbus’ product, but the cheapest barbel rod in Britain today costing the angler just a tenner. Yes, ten quid.
At that money you’d expect it would be barely possible to grow beans up it, but let me tell you this, it catches fish. Provided you don’t want to launch a heavy weight and bait across the tidal Thames and land it on a sixpence, it’ll do an honest job. It’s strong enough to lob out a heavy feeder loaded with pellets, and with a through-action, capable of putting barbel to double figures on the bank. It is an 11ft two piece construction with a strong winch reel seat and duplon handle. All the guides are fully lined. For a youngster; anglers working to a budget (don’t we all these days); or someone just looking to try barbel fishing to see if they enjoy it, £10 isn’t even a gamble. You could even use it for carp. If you don’t believe me – just check out this video…
Terry Knight
