Barbel days and ways, anygood ?

[mark brailsford 2]

hi,
I am thinking of treating myself to a couple of barbel DVDs and I have read that these are the ones to watch!
I have had a couple of the Matt Heyes ones but I thought they where a waste of money (why is this guy famous?) Just wondering are these films worth the money or am I better off sticking with books?

thanks

mark

 

[quickcedo]

Without wishing to knock Bob or his video. Go with the books.

 

[Fred Bonney]

I think the DVD's are well worth getting Mark, you will be surprised by the content and quality of them.

 

[mark brailsford 2]

Thanks Fred,
I have always been a big lover of books and have a vast collection from angling to wildlife and I never tire of a good read. the thing is with DVDs is that after you have watched them a couple of times they just get left in a corner gathering dust (except for passion for angling of course!) and I just wondered if I would be wasting my money buying more.
thanks for the input.

mark

 

[darren rosie]

brilliant, get all 4, great footage and loads of tips

 

[alan whittington]

Ive got the four and i found them interesting,with a few very interesting tips and facts,even though i know Marks not keen,i wonder if he's watched em.

 

[quickcedo]

I've actally got them all Alan. I just didn't think they were as good as Stuart Morgan and Guy Robbs 'up close' series.

 

[alan whittington]

I found them both good,i mean,there's some things that dont ring true in both,but thats personal opinion,the part in 'even closer' where they are fishing above Watersmeet on the Royalty and they say that you have to fish heavy because of the amount of weed(streamer)is rot imo,as the swims in question allow you to get downstream of the fish,which allows relatively easy extraction,dont matter though,still enjoyed every minute(shows me what fish look like mate).

 

[thames steve]

Also got them all and can confirm Days and Ways definitely worth buying if only for all the underwater footage.

If you have to choose though, the Up Close DVDs would be the ones to get first. More entertaining and bigger fish.....some massive fish, in fact.

I don't remember in all the Days and Ways DVDs them catching anything really special, size-wise.

 

[quickcedo]

I found them both good,i mean,there's some things that dont ring true in both,but thats personal opinion,the part in 'even closer' where they are fishing above Watersmeet on the Royalty and they say that you have to fish heavy because of the amount of weed(streamer)is rot imo,as the swims in question allow you to get downstream of the fish,which allows relatively easy extraction,dont matter though,still enjoyed every minute(shows me what fish look like mate).

Alan remember they have to say this or else the royalty would be stuffed with fish towing line around. They have to cover the fact a lot of viewers will be novices.

 

[alan whittington]

Possibly true Mark,but i would say the average barbel on the Royalty is probably smaller than the rest of the Avon and plenty of anglers floatfish with much lighter tackle,landing some barbel,its all relative.

 

[thames steve]

Also got them all and can confirm Days and Ways definitely worth buying if only for all the underwater footage.

This thread prompted me to watch Vol 1 and 2 again this evening. The filming out of the water is good too. Very watchable.

 

[keora]

I bought the first tape of Barbel Days and Ways. I thought it was good value at £14 for 80 minutes of viewing. I've watched it perhaps three times, but there seems to be a limit to the number of times I can watch a fishing film. Perhaps it's because angling not really a spectator sport.

 

[Dicky (Angling Trust PAC)]

I've actally got them all Alan. I just didn't think they were as good as Stuart Morgan and Guy Robbs 'up close' series.

I haven't seen Bob's series,

But as Toddy says Stu and Guy's 'Up Close' series is a bl**dy brilliant.

 

[alan whittington]

****y,can you tell me what makes it brilliant?Its a serious question as ive both sets and find them both interesting and in the scheme of things,the size of fish caught on the dvd's,matters not a jot in my view,particularly as doubles were caught in both and tips,with interesting info were equal i thought.

 

[sundown]

My mate lent me one of these and I thought they were worth a watch once or twice.

 

[quickcedo]

****y,can you tell me what makes it brilliant?Its a serious question as ive both sets and find them both interesting and in the scheme of things,the size of fish caught on the dvd's,matters not a jot in my view,particularly as doubles were caught in both and tips,with interesting info were equal i thought.

Alan, as ****y hasn't answered I thought i may be able to say why I think the 'up close' dvds were 'brilliant'. Mate to me they were truely groundbreaking. Both with the way they were filmed and the openness with which rigs and tactics were shown. For me, and speaking very personally I thought 'days and ways' (although very well filmed) bought little new to the table.

 

[thames steve]

Mate to me they were truely groundbreaking. Both with the way they were filmed and the openness with which rigs and tactics were shown. For me, and speaking very personally I thought 'days and ways' (although very well filmed) bought little new to the table.

Agree with all that.

Rewatched all 4 episodes of Days and Ways now - stunning photography but.....there isn't a big fish in all 4 programs. Lovely nick, good for the river they're on etc etc but nothing truly big. That guide on the Teme going nuts about them being Teme Tigers...sorry mate, gorgeous river but those were small fish. Trying too hard to sell his river I think.

I know it's not all about size etc but the Up Close/Even Closer DVDs show out and out beasts - record fish on several rivers.

Alan - I know you say the sizes didn't matter a jot but surely it was reassuring to see in Even Closer the 18.02 Thames record come from the upper reaches you always say there's no fish in? :wh

Having said all that, I'd still recommend buying Days and Ways as they're a good watch.

 

[alan whittington]

Agree with all that.

Rewatched all 4 episodes of Days and Ways now - stunning photography but.....there isn't a big fish in all 4 programs. Lovely nick, good for the river they're on etc etc but nothing truly big. That guide on the Teme going nuts about them being Teme Tigers...sorry mate, gorgeous river but those were small fish. Trying too hard to sell his river I think.

I know it's not all about size etc but the Up Close/Even Closer DVDs show out and out beasts - record fish on several rivers.

Alan - I know you say the sizes didn't matter a jot but surely it was reassuring to see in Even Closer the 18.02 Thames record come from the upper reaches you always say there's no fish in? :wh

Ha ha,touche Steve,but i have to reply to that,the Thames has still got fish in it,but populations are well down,especially on the barbel front,the
upper river,although ive fished it a fair bit,not in ten years or so,so i bow to Mark Todd's knowledge(and others),i fish the river below Oxford and i know of a 15 and a 16 lber in the last 3 years,but if you can seriously target barbel and catch ten a year(of any size)from where ive been fishing it would be newsbreaking material,i think that Guy's fish was brilliant,as he'd been chasing such a fish for some time...but the timing of the capture fell ideally for the dvd,if days and ways would have coincided with such a capture it also would have been included

 

[thames steve]

Ha ha,touche Steve,but i have to reply to that,the Thames has still got fish in it,but populations are well down,especially on the barbel front,the
upper river,although ive fished it a fair bit,not in ten years or so,so i bow to Mark Todd's knowledge(and others),i fish the river below Oxford and i know of a 15 and a 16 lber in the last 3 years,but if you can seriously target barbel and catch ten a year(of any size)from where ive been fishing it would be newsbreaking material,i think that Guy's fish was brilliant,as he'd been chasing such a fish for some time...but the timing of the capture fell ideally for the dvd,if days and ways would have coincided with such a capture it also would have been included

From everything I've read Alan I'm sure you're right...was just gently pulling your leg (Interesting by the way to see from the underwater footage there were more carp about up there than barbel). They were indeed lucky to get the Thames record on film.