Starting with what is a very important item of tackle, there is a whole range of specialist barbel rods on the market, and it seems the number grows by the month. Now whilst this may be considered confusing, another way of looking at it is that the beginner is being pointed in the right direction. And with rods starting at very reasonable prices, you can certainly get something decent for less than £100 – and even more so if you shop around. Rods that I personally use range from a Harrison’s Interceptor through to the Wychwood barbel range.

A good starting point when considering a rod is the test curve. This isn’t the only factor though, but certainly for the beginner a test curve somewhere in the region of 1.5 and 1.10 is a good start and will cover most aspects of barbel fishing. In some very specific instances I use 2.5 test curve rods – but the novice is not likely to need that sort of power in general situations.

When considering a reel, you need to bear in mind that you are pursuing a hard fighting species and so the average match-type reel is out of the question. For several years now I have been using Daiwa 4050 reels and they are sufficient for my angling. They also double up when I pursue bream and carp, and so if you are on a budget (like most of us are) then you can get maximum use out of your purchase. They are also cheap reels – you can pick them up for about £30-35 each.

With line - just like rods and reels - ask twelve barbel anglers what they use and you will probably get a dozen different replies. Not that I am implying that some of them would be wrong, far from it. I am merely pointing out that tackle choice is very subjective, which is why although I am including my own preferences in this article, I want to stress that it is simply a guideline.

Regardless of the brand of line you opt to use, the most important thing is to use something that is up to the job. I’ve heard anglers boast of how many fish they have lost on 4lb line. Not only is that not good for the fisherman, it’s almost not good for the fish. With the general increase in barbel weights in recent years, combined with the fact they are hard fighting fish and will instantly head for snags when hooked, I would personally not recommend anything below 10lb breaking strain.

In fact on some stretches I fish – due to the size of the barbel and the number of overhanging trees or other snags present – I even fish with 15lb line. That may seem over the top to some, but when you have had fish snap you regularly on 10 and 12lb line, you see that it is a ‘must’ rather than an option. But back to the beginner – 10lb should be more than suitable for the type of fishing that you will encounter.

Confidence plays a major part in choosing the brand of line that you fish with, and for this reason I have used Suffix Synergy for some years now. It’s never let me down and although there may well be ‘better’ brands on the market, my philosophy is ‘if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it’. As a beginner, although it’s good to see what experienced anglers are using, ultimately you will have to settle on something that you are confident with yourself.

Concerning hook length I usually (but not always) go for braid. When using mono a particular favourite has been Drennan Double Strength and for braid either Carp Dacron or Microbraid (both by Drennan). And sticking with Drennan, hooks are either Boilie Hooks when fishing hair rigged bait or Super Specialist when presenting bait in a more conventional way.

To conclude the article on tackle you will need an unhooking mat, forceps and a good-sized landing net. I’ve not gone into detail on things such as leads, swimfeeders, floats, swivels etc as it is a general article rather than an in-depth guide. But one item of tackle I would like to comment on is the keepnet, and although I will go into details elsewhere in the series, at this stage I would simply say that it’s best to not put barbel in nets. The reasoning why will be explained in due course.