These
are the most commonly caught species and can be caught on just about anything
when you are NOT trying to catch them. (If
you know of any dams in Zimbabwe that do not have these in, then please
drop us a line and let us know)
Mostly caught on Plaaties, fish fillets or fish heads, (Imberi
and small bream heads are good) and kapenta, with a few being caught
on Chicken Liver or Chicken hearts, and sometimes on meat by the local
fisherman.
Day old chicks, unhatched embryos and small birds, are used by some
of the "Pros" and the locals in the know, especially during the birds breeding
season around bird nesting areas, and anthills with quite some success.
When using Plaaties, it is often better to cut them open so they
bleed a bit (then called a Splaatie), this seems to get them biting a bit
faster.
I am told that their whole head is covered with taste/smell
organs and they have incredibly sharp senses for food location.
Some anglers buy the Berkeley Catfish scent and put it on their
plaaties and others put it on their hands. I believe that the main reason
for this is that when the fish are very skittish, any strange scent may
put them off, and the catfish scent just masks your scent on the bait.
At times they will give a good pull, and other times they will just
sit there and play with it, and as soon as pressure is felt they will drop
the bait.
Generally drifting is better than sitting in one spot, so long as
you know where the snags are. If there are lots of fish, but also a lot
of snags then try anchoring quietly and fishing. This is generally slower.
One thing to note about Barbel, is that they feed better during the
early morning and late afternoon (and evening), especially as far as the
angler is concerned, and they do not like a lot of
noise, it seems to put them off.
You will generally find that if several boats suddenly move into
your area on the plane or noisily, the fish appear to go "off the bite"
and fishing gets slow and sometimes even stops completely.
They seem to be more numerous and feed better in the creeks and rivers, where they can dig through the silty bottom looking for food. During the time when dams are rising, they will often be seen in the shallows spawning and feeding. This can be very exciting when you get a bite, but take strong line (and a strong pole,) or you may be disappointed when they get stuck in the grass and weeds. (Try a Spinner bait here for a bit of fun)
In fairly shallow water where they can be
seen "plopping" around in fair numbers, a Rapala Mini Fat rap is very successful,
especially in fluorescent orange. (You would be amazed at how strong those
little hooks are.)
Just because you do not see many "plops" does not mean that they
are not there or not feeding, you must try and persevere if you believe
they are around.
Many boat anglers drift their bait through these quiet areas, and
the results are normally quite good.
Occasionally they can be seen moving around on the surface and appear to be feeding. Do not get your hopes up too high. Yes they are feeding and you may catch one or two, but they seem to "spook" after a couple of fish or they just move on leaving you behind, and if you try to follow them they simply disappear. Just hang around, they will often come back that way.
The best rig to use for this is a sliding sinker (fairly large) with a small split shot and 2/0 to 4/0 hook on. Make sure it is sharp. some anglers use traces on their rigs as it has been known for Tiger to pick up these baits occasionally.