Stocking small barbel in rivers

[keora]

From my experience, barbel I've caught in rivers have a minimum weight of about 2.5 lbs, I've rarely caught any that are smaller.

So it might be some years before a young barbel reaches a size in which it starts eating anglers baits.

If small barbel are stocked in a river, how long does it take before anglers start catching them?

 

[Bob Hornegold]

Caught loads of small Barbel on Maggot feeder and small hooks ?

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Bob

 

[binka]

Same here, I catch a fair few tiny barbel each season and usually in the summer.

I'm led to believe by the EA that these have bred in the river and aren't stocked fish, whether there's a distinction in feeding habits between the two I don't know.

Maybe the general lack of fish being caught below a certain size has more to do with the bigger fish hoovering up the baits first?

 

[theartist]

I get loads of them mostly in the summer too, the thing with small barbel is they have quite small mouths. A gudgeon sized barbel will have a smaller mouth than a gudgeon. They do take baits just small ones.

 

[tigger]

I don't get loads but I do get odd ones, I think three little ones is the most i've caught in one session. I have caught them from an ounce or two, to a pound and so on up to doubles. I've caught them on bunches of maggots, corn, corn and maggot cocktailes, meat and even pellets.
Since most of my fishing is trotting I probably don't catch as many as the anglers who spend a lot of time feeder fishing.

 

[john step]

I was a member of Veralum when the upper Lea was stocked with barbel about 6 inches long. It seemed in no time they were 3lb and then pushing 5lb before I moved.
I can't remember exactly how long that took but I would guess about 4 years.

 

[theartist]

I don't get loads but I do get odd ones, I think three little ones is the most i've caught in one session. I have caught them from an ounce or two, to a pound and so on up to doubles. I've caught them on bunches of maggots, corn, corn and maggot cocktailes, meat and even pellets.
Since most of my fishing is trotting I probably don't catch as many as the anglers who spend a lot of time feeder fishing.

I would say small barbel actually come out more to trotting than feeder as they are more inclined to feed off the bottom than on it. Had twelve once in one day on a Thames backwater that were coming up in six feet of water to take the bait just below the float. Usually get around 10-20 a season on various rivers which is always a good sign.

 

[keora]

Thank you all for your comments.

I wonder if the rivers I've fished - Swale, Nidd, Ure, Wharfe - are anything to do with the fact that I don't catch small barbel?

 

[steve2]

In all the years I fished them I don't remember ever catching small barbel in the Hampshire Avon or Dorset Stour. So maybe they spawn and survive
better in some river than others.

 

[tigger]

I would say small barbel actually come out more to trotting than feeder as they are more inclined to feed off the bottom than on it.

They don't on the rivers I fish, that's to me and the other anglers I know who regularly trott.
As far as i'm aware smaller barbel stay mainly on the bottom out of harms way. When i've caught them i've been gragging or tripping bottom targetting adult fish.

 

[chub_on_the_block]

Only once caught small barbel and on that occasion on Kennet at Aldermaston in mid 1980s i had four from about 4oz to 8 oz trotting with maggots.

When small they have blotchy pattern which looks like a different species that was called a "Mediterranean barbel" when i saw it being sold in the aquaria trade back in the 1990s, although not come across them since.

 

[tigger]

When small they have blotchy pattern which looks like a different species that was called a "Mediterranean barbel" when i saw it being sold in the aquaria trade back in the 1990s, although not come across them since.

Yeah, they have blotchy barrs on their bodies when young but when you catch them they soon change colour and the blotches vanish....much like a perch goes pale when you put it in a bucket.
The younger the barbel are the better the barring pattern.

 

[flossy]

A weir pool i fished on the Ouse a few years ago ,held quite a few small barbel and i readily caught them on the maggot feeder ,I'm sure Bob knows where i mean.

 

[barbelboi]

Like others I've had many from a number of rivers - here's the last from the Gt Ouse towards the end of last year caught on a 14mm pellet.............

 

[theartist]

They don't on the rivers I fish, that's to me and the other anglers I know who regularly trott.
As far as i'm aware smaller barbel stay mainly on the bottom out of harms way. When i've caught them i've been gragging or tripping bottom targetting adult fish.

Depends on the river I suppose. Some rivers I've had no small barbel in them others are full of them. Of the 90 odd rivers I've fished only a small percentage of them are proper barbel rivers, but in them the small barbel are competitive make no mistake.

 

[tigger]

Depends on the river I suppose. Some rivers I've had no small barbel in them others are full of them. Of the 90 odd rivers I've fished only a small percentage of them are proper barbel rivers, but in them the small barbel are competitive make no mistake.

The larger of my local rivers is pretty much stuffed with barbel, infact they've taken over it, and small barbel are infrequently caught by any method.

 

[Philip]

Only once caught small barbel and on that occasion on Kennet at Aldermaston in mid 1980s i had four from about 4oz to 8 oz trotting with maggots.

When small they have blotchy pattern which looks like a different species that was called a "Mediterranean barbel" when i saw it being sold in the aquaria trade back in the 1990s, although not come across them since.

My first Uk Barbel was also from Aldermaston and weighed about 4oz as well although mine was on a chunk of meat.

Interesting as well you mention the Mediterranean Barbel as my first ever Barbel was actually one of those..during family holidays I fished a small mountain river in italy allot as a kid that was stuffed with them and I used to catch them on float fished maggots, most where usually just a few ounces in weight. I also had that variety from a backwater of the Ebro in Spain and in Southern France as well but never had one further North.

I might be wrong but I get the impression that catches of smaller Barbel have become more common in recent years...i recall forum threads in the past with people asking why they never caught small ones but now it seems most people are catching them. I wonder if its because there are more small Barbel about or perhaps simply because more people are fishing for them and they are more wide spread than before ?

 

[greenie62]

The larger of my local rivers is pretty much stuffed with barbel, infact they've taken over it, and small barbel are infrequently caught by any method.

The OP referred to waters stocked with barbel - rather than those with an existing stock of mature, breeding, fish.

Perhaps the variation in small barbel caught in rivers reflects the population characteristics and the success/otherwise of breeding cohorts.

Having been years-ago renowned for catching a rivers smallest barbel - Severn, Kennet and Ribble - all of which have an established population - I don't think they have been supplemented by stocking juveniles - I always take it as a good sign that there is a successful breeding population.

If none are showing up nowadays - I would take this as a sign that there may have been problems within generations' fertility - similar to the peaks and troughs of chub v. barbel populations that have been commented about before on the Ribble.

How much actual external stocking of barbel is there on rivers - which already have a successful barbel population?

 

[robtherake]

Thank you all for your comments.

I wonder if the rivers I've fished - Swale, Nidd, Ure, Wharfe - are anything to do with the fact that I don't catch small barbel?

I've had baby barbel - down to 4" or so - on floatfished maggot on the middle Swale.

 

[theartist]

How much actual external stocking of barbel is there on rivers - which already have a successful barbel population?

I'd hazard a guess that barbel are one of the most stocked fish by the EA in rivers, certainly the soundbites you get from them on regular basis would indicate so. If the river already has a breeding stock one would also assume that these rivers would be omitted from restocking whilst healthy