Bob's response

Graham Whatmore

Graham Whatmore

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2003
Messages
9,147
Reaction score
9
Location
Lydney, in the Forest of Dean
A very succinct article Bob if I may say so, it will be interesting to see if it elicits a response.

I am in total agreement about having a code of practice for captured barbel but I have a feeling it might degenerate into a 'for and against keepnets' discussion that we've had a few times on here. Personally I never use one these days but as an ex matchman then obviously I have in the past. Its a difficult proposition to enforce a no barbel in keepnets practice unless you make it a rule that barbel don't count in matches and though I could live with that I think what few river matchmen are left might not be in agreement.
 
D

Dave Burr

Guest
The great difficulty with educating the average angler is actually getting them to see the information. Despite what you may believe very few anglers buy the weeklies, monthlies, books etc. I despair when I bailiff the Red Lion stretch of the Wye at the inadequate tackle so many people use, light feeder rods, inadequate lines and landing nets not much larger than tea strainers!

Yet when we make comment on this or the general poor practice shown by some, we are accused of making the barbel ?precious?. Well it damn well is precious and if you don?t agree then I suggest that you are wrong. They need extra care when compared to a carp or chub or whatever, that makes them delicate, an adult barbel takes about 10 - 15 years to replace, that makes them precious, accept it and deal with it.

I?ve posted on your original thread Bob and I suggest that we should seek to prosecute the perpetrators of this act, I know that there is no law against retaining fish in a net, nor is there one against putting a dog in a car but when you leave it there in the heat of the day it becomes unacceptable and illegal, what is the difference? A prosecution would make headlines and get the message across to the masses.
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

Guest
So according to you it is only barbel that are 'precious'
A carp or chub need just as much care as a barbel--or indeed a 2oz roach---they are ALL fish

You are giving out the wrong impressions by your statement ---what you seem to be saying is if you happen to catch a chub or carp or whatever whilst barbelling there is no need to care for them as much as barbel
 
D

Dave Burr

Guest
Ed

What I am saying is that a barbel is more likely to suffer as a result of unsympathetic handling than most of our coarse fish.

Compared to a barbel, carp are pretty resilient fish and can withstand being kept longer out of water whilst being weighed and photographed.

However I am not suggesting for one minute that you should abuse ANY fish be it a small roach or a large chub, they are all beautiful creatures that deserve our respect. I pride myself in the way that I treat all fish.

However, treat a barbel badly and it is far more likely to die than a carp or tench, therefore they are vulnerable and not easily replaced which makes them precious.
 
L

Les Clark

Guest
Firstly I wouldn`t fish from that wall in daylight let alone at night !
Useing dropnets and then unhooking the barble (were unhooking mats used ? )and then cramming them into keepnets and then legging it back to their rods x amount of yards away on the wall ,with no concern for the barbel in the nets .
Dropnets should be banned by the club as should keepnets .
Is the same going to happen if they find out there are big carp or pike in there ?
These guys should be ashamed of their selfs ,they are not anglers ,they are glory hunters and should be barred from every water within 200 miles .
For the record ,I don`t fish for barbel ,im just a very pissed off carp/pike angler who feels that these people have put our sport back 50 years .
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

Guest
Dave
The message you should be giving out is that ALL fish need to be treated with the greatest care-- ALL fish are vulnerable,barbel no more so than any other...


"Compared to a barbel, carp are pretty resilient fish and can withstand being kept longer out of water whilst being weighed and photographed"

How long is longer???
5 mins ?? 10 mins??
Any youngster/beginner reading what you said above would think it was ok to keep carp out of the water and not be too worried ....
 
D

Dave Burr

Guest
Ed

I really think that you are missing the point of this thread. I am condemning the actions of somebody that has mistreated fish and you are trying to make me the bad guy.

For the record, barbel are more vulnerable than most fish - fact.

Pike, grayling and bream are also delicate when compared to some species yet we only have a handling guide for barbel and pike.

I do not believe that anything I have written is likely to encourage the mishandling of any other species of fish whether read by a youngster , beginner or whoever but if it will get you off my back and focus this thread on its intended subject, I always return every fish to its natural environment as soon as practicable and have avoided weighing or photographing fish if I have felt that to do so could place them in any danger of an immediate recovery once they are returned and I heartily encourage all anglers to do likewise.

Happy now?
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
We have to accept as sporting anglers that barbel are not the greatest fish that swims.

I have caught many thousands of them in my life on 13 rivers in England and I can tell you that they are one of the easiest fish to catch of all.

In 7 years of fishing the Trent for barbel I have only had 4 blanks.

Sure they are vulnerable and must be treated with care, but they are no deity amongst fish.

I would rather catch a 1 pound river roach these days than a double figure barbel and that takes some saying. Because one thing I can say is that it takes a great deal of skill to catch river roach regularly in excess of 12oz, let alone 1lb.

So let's keep the barbel where it belongs. It's a great species and I love them, yet catching lots of them is no big deal.

As far as I am concerned the ability to catch big river roach is a skill which is streets ahead of those possessed by any of the top barbel anglers.

And a few of the top barbel anglers would probably agree with me.
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

Guest
Well said Ron !

Yes I'm happy now Dave :)


But, if barbel are SO vulnerable as everyone keeps saying ,isn't it a bit hypocritical to fish for them at all ???
 
N

Nigel Moors.

Guest
Surely Ron this thread is not at all about the skill involved in catching any one species of fish over another. I feel this is slightly off track - the question is more about the skill involved in how to look after ANY fish correctly once out of the water.

I do agree somewhat with your stated preference of quality fish to catch ie: lovely roach over barbel but I also feel IMHO that you and some of our fellow FM members with access to rivers like the Trent have become somewhat inured to the appeal of the barbel. You've caught thousands as you say, I've caught less than 20. My attraction to them is enormous although not to the exclusion of all other fish.
 
M

Matt Brown

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Ed, it is a fact Barbel are more vulnerable than most other species.

If an angler lands a Barbel and releases it immediately it is quite likely it will go belly up. Unlike many other fish they don't 'right' themselves.

Add hot weather, low oxygen levels and/or a prolonged fish on inadequate tackle and problems can be more a probablilty than a possibility.

The only other fish that need to be treated extremely carefully are Grayling and Bleak.

All fish need to be treated well but most fish will be fine in a keepnet if the keepnet code is adhered to.
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
Ed, the barbel has become a fashion fish, and quite honestly I find this rather sad.

I hate to say it, but I also find that the single species groups such as the BS and the CS, rather sad.

If such organisations exist, I often wonder why? In fact I often wonder why single species association actually exist at all. Such organisations give me the impression that other species do not count!

And quite frankly we do not need such attitudes in this day and age.

OK I am an old fart and grew up in the 50s and 60s when such associations were never even thought of. As "specimen hunters" we all set out to catch good fish of all species. And if the DVSG tries to bring that ethos back to angling then good bloody show! Maybe will will see an end to the single species groups - I hope so, which quite honestly, in my heart of hearts, I see as the wrong trend.

Single species groups are NOT a good idea -Period!!

All the species have great value.

Tell me if I am wrong.
 
M

Matt Brown

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
I'd like to see two precise issues targeted here;

Firstly that pleasure anglers need to enlightened as to the risks involved with keeping Barbel in keepnets.

Secondly I like to see a campaign regarding the rules governing the retention of fish during a match and the subsequent weighing process tightened up and enforced.

Why not make it an NFA match rule to comply with the Keepnet Code?

I'd especially like to see a campaign to change the matches are weighed in, but it's difficult to see how a bunch of specialist anglers, or the BS would be listened to without critism from match angling.
 
B

Baz

Banned
Banned
Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Messages
544
Reaction score
1
Location
Warrington
It is really amazing how easily these threads can be taken out of context.
Dave Burr and Matt have it spot on.
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
Well come up and fish the Trent Nigel.

Spend a week with me on this great river and you will probably double the amount of barbel you have caught and have a few doubles amongst them.

And September is on its way.
 
M

Matt Brown

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Ron, I can't speak for the Carp Society but on the whole the BS does a good job. I'm glad I'm a member.

If people want to fish for the one species that's fine - leave them to it. Each to their own and all that.

I've been fishing for Barbel every trip bar one since the rivers opened. I can feel a Roach trip or two coming on though.

I'll definately be after Chub and Perch when the frosts come.
 
M

Matt Brown

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Nigel, don't listen to him. It's full of Bream. He'll put you in a Bream peg!
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

Guest
"Ed, it is a fact Barbel are more vulnerable than most other species.

If an angler lands a Barbel and releases it immediately it is quite likely it will go belly up. Unlike many other fish they don't 'right' themselves."

I don't dispute the fact that they are vunerable,I was probably fishing for barbel long before you..... but if you feel as strongly as you do, the answer is easy --- Don't fish for them .....
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

Guest
He He He!!

Just the same as I did with Barney..... :eek:)

But seriously, I would like to hear from luminaries like Steve Pope about his attitude towards roach, or dace, or chub for example. Does he and the members of the BS only ever see barbel as the species that really counts?

It's a silly question I know, but I thought I would ask it.

And this question has nothing to do with the fact that the BS have done a great deal of excellent work regarding the conservation of the species.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top