John, i love to see ( and catch )the smaller fish,to me they`re the future of the river.
Most of my fishing on the Chelmer is done on a roving approach,loads of Chub,usually twenty or so every session,but over half these fish will be under 1lb 8ozs.
Also having some good roach with the odd fish nearing the magic 2lb mark.
Fished the Ribble 3 - 4 weeks ago ( had 8 days up there )with a pal of mine from Preston,had over 80 fish between us,half a dozen doubles but loads of Barbel under 2lb.
I`ve fished the Ribble ( 3 or 4 visits a year) for the last 10 years now but had never caught Barbel this small on any previous visits.
Really great to see.
Have you caught any Barbel on tares since?