R
Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)
Guest
With all this talk about big barbel, I have often wondered how big the common barbel can get. We must of course discount the various other varieties of Barbus such as the Mahseer or some of the African species and concentrate on our own European fish.
As far as I have been able to discover, the biggest barbel are found in the rivers of the Ukraine where they can reach 15 kg (33lbs). But local people have no interest in them as they claim the flesh and the roe is poisonous.
The Vistula River in Poland also has a reputation for big barbel. But here again, the locals hardly fish for them.
What else do we know about the barbel of Europe?
As far as I have been able to discover, the biggest barbel are found in the rivers of the Ukraine where they can reach 15 kg (33lbs). But local people have no interest in them as they claim the flesh and the roe is poisonous.
The Vistula River in Poland also has a reputation for big barbel. But here again, the locals hardly fish for them.
What else do we know about the barbel of Europe?