Since the clock ticked past midnight into June 16th, my thoughts have been absolutely bombarded with barbel. With a recent history of rare catches along my local stretches of the Warwickshire Avon, this has only inflamed the obsession. June 16th was not just the start of the season for me this year, it also marked nearly a year without landing a barbel, which in my book is plain unacceptable! So, the 2026 Spring campaign began, with regular Wednesday trips to various stretches of the Avon planned after work. SESSION 1: A beautiful and quiet spot off the beaten track with the river running (as you would expect) a little low and clear. Landed a rare and random lone 6lb 8oz bronze river bream which beat my Avon PB! As late evening developed, entering the primary ‘catch zone’, the farmer showed up and turned a VERY NOISY generator on next to me to pump water from the river to spray his fields a mile away. Peace and concentration gone – no more bites. SESSION 2: 35 degrees Celsius. Sun RIGH

The end of May saw me and my family take a short break away to the coast; time for fish and chips, a bit of sun, and some much-needed relaxation by the sea. As always, on any trip, I was compelled to sneak some fishing gear in to the car as the beach was literally yards from the front door and it would have been rude not to have a go! Having never beach fished before, I did a bit of research and bought a few basic bits of tackle to give me a reasonable chance of catching something. Fortunately, on the first day walking along the shore, I met a fisherman who was happy to share some local knowledge on baits and tides, which set me up for a couple of short session over the next few days. With my son having his nap, and my wife having a rest too, it was time to head over to the beach with my gear and have a dabble, catching it perfectly an hour before low tide so I could get a couple of hours in. My nephew, who is a keen angler, joined me for the session, which was great, and my parents, s

Pole fishing has long been a fundamental part of coarse angling in the UK, and the development of pole rigs has experienced much change in the materials and techniques adopted, and indeed the angling culture that demands that we use the best rigs if we want to be competative. The origins of pole fishing in the UK stretch back a very long way, right back to the use of roach poles seen lining the banks of rivers such as the Thames and Lea over 100 years ago. In present-day angling, pole rigs come in endless variations, nuances, and complexities. When an angler thinks about making pole rigs, there is so much choice to be considered, and the importance of getting it right may be the difference between gaining (or losing) the edge when targeting a certain species, or making efficiencies that give you that first place on a match. In this article, I'll take you through some of those considerations, and share a few of my own thoughts on the pole rigs I make. Floats: With sooooo many on the mar

The Angling Trust is an essential organisation for fishing in the UK, with a plethora of social and environmental projects that continue to advance and enhance our sport. As of April, Sean Simms Fishing Tackle is now officially a Trade Supporter in partnership with the Angling Trust, which means that as a customer, you will get a 15% discount on all products as a member of the Angling Trust. If you are not already familiar with the Angling Trust, take a look at their website and socials, which will give you a feel for what they are all about; and if the shoe fits, it's certainly worth the few pounds to join to become a part of this important angling community and gain access to many other amazing discounts with some great angling organisations!

I set my gear down by a very clear stretch of the River Avon at the start of the winter season, with a five-hour match ahead of me. The week leading up to the competition saw some hard frosts – plummeting the water temperature – setting us up for a pretty tough morning. My initial tactics for the day involved using very little bait, casting all over the swim to find a match-winning bonus fish – switching between a tiny maggot and groundbait feeder with big baits like lob worm and luncheon meat on the hook. Two hours in and I'd not had a single bite... It was now time to completely forget chub, bream, and barbel, and go super light for something a bit smaller. I made up a lighter feeder outfit with a 1oz tip, 3lb mainline, and 1lb 7oz hooklength to a size 20 river hook. With a few old dendrobenas in a pot on my tray, along with some caster and pinkie that I could offer through the maggot feeder, my new goal was to try and find a rogue perch. No sooner had I chucked in on the lighter out

Having started my barbel fishing journey around 15 years ago – when the allure of specimen hunting started to edge out match fishing – I’ve seen many changes in my local Warwickshire Avon. This venue has always been my regular choice when chasing barbel; and while I have never experienced days of 10+ barbel in a session there, I have been lucky enough to enjoy a few days where select stretches have delivered multiple good barbel in a single session, including the odd double-figure specimen. Taking you back over a decade, I targeted barbel for around 15 to 20 sessions a season. Of those sessions (all on the Warwickshire Avon, split between 4 or 5 stretches) I’d expect a couple of red-letter days where I’d catch between 3 and 5 barbel. Just under half the sessions rewarded me with 1 or 2 fish, and the remainder (approximately 50% of sessions) were blanks. While this many blanks does not read well, those days always taught me way more than days where I caught, and certainly heightened the