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1995-2000, Approaching the Millenium

1995-2005, The First Ten Years - The Beginning

2000-Present, The Millennium and Beyond

A Fish Called Mavis - Dave Johnson

A Floppy Hatter at Pewsham – Jon Berry

A GOOD INTERIOR DECORATOR

A Very Special Barbel

Anything two can do, one can do better - Fred Crouch

This article is not intended to be a condemnation of the use of multiple rods from an ethical or moral standpoint – it will however, beg the question WHY?

Whether the angler realises it or not, there will always be a distinct difference in attitude between the single rod approach and that of more than one rod.

You only have to consider the behavior of a tennis player about to serve The difference between the first unsuccessful attempt – a cavalier l40 m.p.h. blast – and the second, almost school boyish plop over the net – stems directly from the fact that he has two chances. How different the first serve would be if it were the only one he got.

I don’t think many people would argue that when barbel fishing, the single and most important element is confidence. My utter conviction that my rod tip is going to fly round any second keeps my concentration at a peak the whole time my bait is in the water. It is just how this concentration is established that lies behind my approach and leaves no place for additional rods.

I would never criticise the angler’s choice and right to just be beside the river and enjoy the relaxation that fishing can bring. You don’t need to be skillful or deeply dedicated to appreciate the pleasures of just being there. If, however, your desires are further fulfilled by being consistently successful at hooking barbel there are certain steps you must take.

Just use your imagination as I describe the following scenario. It’s 10 a.m.; conditions are good, as an angler arrives at his swim. The swim is a good one and often yields a number of barbel. He tackles up two rods, baits them and casts out. Three or four handfuls of corn, hemp, chopped up meat etc go flying out into the clear, turbulent flowing water. Our angler sits down, slips off his coat to reveal a designer sweatshirt – white, of course, with a colourful motif – and watches each rod tip in turn for at least half an hour. Then out comes a can of lager and the current angling weekly, which he reads cover to cover before starting at the beginning again. His attention to the written word is so intense that only when the butt of one of his rods hits his leg does he leap into action. He throws the paper, drops his beer and grabs the rod.

The air turns blue as he realises that the rod’s somersaults were caused by a great mass of weed wrapping round the line, almost dragging the lot in. To add insult to injury his end tackle is now snagged and he pulls for a break. He tackles up again, swapping the lead for a feeder, which he hurls as far as it will go. And so the day goes on until the sands of time for this particular session begin to run out.

If you think that little account just isn’t realistic, then let me assure you I’ve seen it enacted on many occasions as I have sat at my local water – King’s Weir. The fact that this approach invariably leads to a blank doesn’t surprise either me or you, but that’s not quite the end.

What never ceases to amaze me is that these misguided anglers always make their way over the weir to where I have been sitting diligently catching a few barbel, and they give me their opinion as to why I have succeeded and they have failed. And it’s never that they have fished like prats. It is always any reason but the true one.

I know that this example is extreme, but the truth is that any failure to observe the basics when barbel angling can, and often does, result in less success than might be expected. Anybody who has ever fished with me will know that I use whatever skills I have developed to the best of my ability. This is made up of acquired knowledge, river reading, bait choice and presentation. If all of this is carried out thoughtfully and correctly, confidence will automatically follow.

When I cast out and settle down by my rod it is never a case of will I get a bite.” but when’! If I were to put out a second rod l would be automatically casting doubt on all that I believe in.

lt is interesting that when I ask my fishing mates why they choose to use two rods they struggle to offer a genuinely sustainable reason. Think about it. It may be suggested that two different baits can be used. On many occasions I have used different baits, but at different times on the same rod. Perhaps they claim that they can fish two different areas. Well, that can also be done with one rod, by alternating.

I believe the real truth is that they feel they are increasing their chances of catching. But consider this. A golfer only gets one shot off the tee and a footballer only the one chance from the penalty spot. Both need to concentrate their abilities on that one chance. Now, this is the important bit. The satisfaction gained by success under these terms is total, but it would be greatly reduced if either knew that if they failed the first time they could try again. It is this fact that is at the centre of my philosophy.

We all know that if we cast out a hookbait that could stay undisturbed indefinitely, a barbel would eventually find it and take it. Given reasonable circumstances, my aim is to induce a barbel to pick up a bait of my choice, and at the time of my choice.

Next time you are on the riverbank and you encounter a barbel angler using two rods ask him this simple question. If the rules only allowed the use of one rod, which one would he choose to remove? I guarantee he would be able to decide very quickly which one he would dispense with.

That would be because although he is using two rods one would always be favoured over the other. My attitude to this would be to remove the rod you least favour; direct all your skills to the one you most favour; and your confidence will be rewarded.

Confidence increases as you `fine tune` your efforts until you are on the edge of expectation. Then the desire for a second rod – which will undoubtedly interfere with your concentration – will totally disappear.

I couldn’t possibly handle the distraction that a second rod would surely bring, while I’m expecting my rod tip to take off at any time.

If the expectation of an impending take wasn’t present, I would make adjustments until it was. I will never, ever, sit beside my rod without this excited anticipation. Even when I have left home knowing the odds against catching a fish are a million to one, I still put everything into my efforts, believing I will defeat the odds.

When an angler uses two rods, and could have a bet on which one is likeliest to catch a barbell first, I don’t think he would have too much trouble deciding on which one to wager. This would again indicate that in his judgment one would be shorter odds than the other. If he couldn’t decide, he would have to say the odds were 50/50.

It would be naïve but understandable miscalculation that two rods at 50% = 100%. It doesn’t and it never will. It would always be two rods with a 50% chance of either catching, and what’s the point of that?

The bottom line is tat you can only give 100% to one rod. If you try to split this in two you can only reduce the chances on either as a consequence.

I have never been a `big fish` angler; my aim has always been maximum numbers from any chosen situation. I select a swim, which on many occasions might be the least obvious, and fish to suit. This approach keeps my mind extremely active for a whole session and I savour the rewards.

If I blank, and of course I do at times, it is totally irrelevant. I would have spent the session with the highest degree of expectation. The fact that I failed to catch would only become apparent when I lifted my bait from the water for the last time. I so enjoy pitting my wits against the barbel’s instinctive caution that it occupies my thoughts and absorbs my concentration throughout the entire session. That is why it is irrelevant if at times I fail to catch.

In over forty seasons of specialized barbel angling this analysis emerges. 95% of my days have produced fish, 5% haven’t. But 100% of them have kept me on the edge of my chair in the constant empowering belief that my one rod is going to sweep round at any time. When it does, my adrenaline speaks to me. It says “Barbel nil - Fred one”, and I love it. It is all the more pleasing because I demanded from myself the utmost in confidence. This confidence was spawned from a deep understanding of the fish and developed by a constant reappraisal of the measures I take to bring about their downfall.

Always remember that for the most of your angling time you will be trying to catch barbel that have seen it all and worn the tee-shirt. Give yourself great credit when fish that live their lives constantly aware that every morsel of food could be a trap, fall for your tactics when other anglers have failed.

Try - even if it is for only one season - to direct all of your skills into one rod. Don’t be like the angler who once said to me, “Sometimes I get the distinct feeling that I’m going to get a bite” SOMETIMES? I want that feeling ALL of the time, and if I’m not getting it I soon work out why and change things to that end.

If you were an artist and really enjoyed painting, the last brush stroke of a picture is just the icing on the cake. What made that final application of paint possible was all that went into the work from the outset. You would not have increased your creative pleasure by using two brushes at the same time in an effort to reach the final joyous moment more quickly!

As a barbel angler, you and you alone are in control of your achievements. Reflect on the occasions when you have drawn upon your abilities, made little changes, responded to intuitive feelings, done just one small thing differently, and as a result a beautiful bronze barbel fill the bottom of your landing net.

I know you will be entitled to congratulate yourself on your skills. I also know you can say to yourself, “I thoroughly enjoyed that”. BUT, there is one other thing you can say to yourself. It is that whatever you did to bring about the barbel’s mistake you can do again, and what’s more, you won’t need two rods to do it.

Fred Crouch

At the water's edge: 20th January 2011

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