Went to a friends house this afternoon,  he had Fishomania on and I watched all those barbel being caught and every single one in absolutely prime condition and fighting like only barbel fight.  God awful looking match lake though, featureless, round,  with an island in the middle, not my cup of tea at all.

Apparently they are thriving in the Cudmore lakes and lots of other match fisheries too, what I didn't realise was just how many fisheries have stocked them over the last few years and nary a sign of problems.  They are putting on weight and no sign whatsoever of mouth damage, or fin damage from being in keepnets, it makes you wonder doesn't it.

I bet the purists watching were fuming.

Graham,

That lake was a disgrace, didnt watch it as i think its an awful event, and at this venue now even worse.

Fill it in and turn it into a car park, few white lines for parking bays ,and it would have more features and be better looking than the lake.

Not!!!!!!!!!!!

Stock a puddle with fish that need to eat.....................then catch em!

What a load of pants!

Get on a river and try and do the same!

It's an artificial money spinner for lazy gets who don't like blanking and the anglers think they are the dogs nuts...........

Was  it me, or did the majority of the barbel look like "peas in a pod"? There were hardly any carp caught, and I don't remember seeing any other species getting caught?

The supposed reason for moving the final from Hayfields was it's too peggy, well if end pegs are peggy why did they have four of them in this years final? Why not space the finalists out more? 

Cakey, it gats odder mate, I've just looked on tyhe Cudmore fisheries site, and the lake that was used has.........32 pegs

Now I know it's been a while since I went to school, but would it not have been possible to just use every other peg?

LOOK AT ARENA LAKE

I know of 2 lakes that are stocked with barbel Graham and as you say they are in prime condition and scrap like the devil. While I only fish them under severe protest (when my mate wants to go there) when you do its certainly one in the eye for the purists who think that only barbel from running water deserves recognition or merit.

As regards the "Fishomania". Do you think that angling can ever be a spectator sport? Personally I wouldnt give tuppence to go and watch a match like this even were it on my doorstep and as a very keen angler I think that says a lot and I doubt I am on my own with that opinion.

To me the more they try to inject bigger and bigger money into it (which after all is the sole motive) the more gimicky it becomes and the less it looks like the sport most of us know and love.

I did not say anything about the fish, i did not watch it.

It seems that the fish were in good nick, but this is like fishing someones garden pond.

One mans meat, sorry that was a Mcdonalds, cold, soggy and tasteless, as always.

The reason there were end pegs was they had to rope off the end of the lake to give access to and from the island for the cameramen so they could have a "comfort break."

Not my cup of tea as I said but only because of the appearance of the lake, nothing to do with the quality of the fishing.    Regardless of the anti brigade and their opinions no one can deny the fact that that those barbel are thriving.  They are putting on weight, they have no lip damage whatsoever and no apparent fin damage as a result of being in keepnets and that isn't the only lake that has a thriving barbel population. 

Anti commercial anglers are a bit like the anti angling brigade, its nothing to do with the fishing its the fact that they exist and therefore must be opposed at all costs and the majority have no real knowledge of commercials in general. I have lost count of the times I've heard and read "I went to one once and I was disgusted with the state of the fish and I will never go again."  One or two experiences and on the basis of that all commercials are bracketed as the same - yeah! right, very logical. 

 I have fished rivers most of my life and prefer them to lakes but that won't stop me using a commercial if it is convenient providing it has the appearance of a naturalised lake.  In fact I am fast approaching the age that trudging over fields and up and down river banks is getting a bit too energetic for me and I may well resort to fishing lakes and commercials exclusively, but I will enjoy it just as much I am sure.

Time to pin my colours to the mast.

In recent threads to do with the close season and other things, the following questions have been asked:

Are rivers more special than stillwaters?

Are barbel more special than other species?

Well, hang me for heresey if you like, but my answer to both questions is yes.

I've just come back from a short (and wet) session on my local Wensum. It really is the most beautiful spot I know. I saw barbel porpoising, trout rising, kingfishers fishing and bats hunting.

I did not see any blokes perched on seatboxes, armed with £1,000 of carbon pole, dressed up in glorified tracksuits, catching stocked fish that know nothing but angler's baits.

If that was the only type of fishing left, I'd pack in. Still, hey ho, no doubt someone will be along in a minute to tell me that I am an eliteist. 

I wonder if they are scooping out the "belly uppers" as we speak, by candle light so no one sees?

Or do the anglers hold each fish in the water after the weigh-in until it has recovered before they let them go?

bb for what its worth to you mate I agree with a lot of what you say but surely its whatever turns you on to a point. Personaly and just for me I dislike commercial carp puddles intensly and like yourself I would give up fishing before I would fish them myself by choice.

Occasionally I do fish them but only when my regular fishing mate fancies one which (Thank God) is once in a blue moon. He would tell you himself that on those days 99 percent of the time I take my book, sometimes I dont even tackle up and if I do then 50 percent of that time I will either read ,go to sleep on my chair or both.

I dont decry other anglers for fishing them and I know several of my old mates that fish nothing but and win a lot of money on them and I would be the first to say that of these lads Im thinking of several are better anglers than myself.

I dont agree (again for me personally) that barbel are more special than any other fish and when I hear others (and Im not saying yourself at all) ripping lumps out of someone because they have caught a barbel from a lake and coming out with all sorts of claims that are by and large codswallop, then they do tend to annoy me.

Personaly I would take crucians and tench any day of the week to barbel wether in the river or still water. Its just down to personal taste though isnt it.