What is with the downer on barbel anglers

bleak · Feb 6, 2011

I keep reading snide side swipes at barbel anglers, why is this? I fish for anything including barbel. Is there some kind of class system still in existance? should I wear appropiate clothing.
I have been abroad for ten years ,what am I missing apart from the traffic? ,,,so many questions, please help a lost yokel.

Bluenose · Feb 6, 2011

Where have you read these snide side swipes?

richiekelly · Feb 6, 2011

there are comments on some forums about carp anglers by pikers and even comments amongst barbel anglers about barbel anglers,your not using the correct rod/reel or fishing in the wrong way or wearing the wrong clothing, i dont care what anyone fishes for, its each to their own and all of us fish for fish no matter what method or tackle we use,thankfully i havent seen any snide remarks about barbel anglers on here.

dannytaylor · Feb 6, 2011

the blanker said:
there are comments on some forums about carp anglers by pikers and even comments amongst barbel anglers about barbel anglers,your not using the correct rod/reel or fishing in the wrong way or wearing the wrong clothing, i dont care what anyone fishes for, its each to their own and all of us fish for fish no matter what method or tackle we use,thankfully i havent seen any snide remarks about barbel anglers on here.

Well said Blanker, there is too much of this **** going on in fishing. Dosen't matter if its a gudgeon or a mullet, if its got fins i like to catch it

bleak · Feb 6, 2011

I didn,t take notes, so I must have imagined it. Thats good I can carry on and join the Barbel society with a clear consience.

Lord Paul of Sheffield · Feb 6, 2011

bleak said:
I didn,t take notes, so I must have imagined it. Thats good I can carry on and join the Barbel society with a clear consience.

not that bunch of idiots

bleak · Feb 6, 2011

LOL thanks the tears are rolling down my thighs.

---------- Post added at 17:24 ---------- Previous post was at 17:15 ----------

Lord Paul of Sheffield said:
not that bunch of idiots

What I meant was thanks mlud

mark halsey · Feb 6, 2011

I would hazard a guess as follows.

They became in vogue as they became more widespread and went up in size (due to hnv baits?).

They are great sporting fish and a refresher from carping (same gear, rigs) carping which was becoming a bit of a circus and there was a bit of an exodus over to fishing barbel in the winter.

The barbel respond to a kind of unthinking approach (mass baiting, self hooking) whereas time and bait money is subsituted for skill and became even more popular.

"Cod fishing" gear and tactics witnessed on hallowed river banks, with more anglers about where previously, the anglers went quietly about their business.

The old traditional type of angler did not really appreciate or like the newer type of "mechanised" fishing and were vocal about it.

Certain antics by greedy types whom moved in on established club waters and syndicated the fishing for themselves.

Small rivers having just about round the clock angling pressure in the going swims with anglers fishing for the same few named fish.

Old, quiet venues suddenly became very busy leading to competition for swims from "outsiders".... old guard dismayed.

Over publicity with angling mags jumping on the bandwaggon and loads of articles, regurgitation of articles and even books - possible over exposure leading that jadded feeling.

Certain venues stocking stillwater with barbel leading to public arguments amongst the various interests bringing out such terms as "barbel police" to try to justify their positions.

Bait companies jumping on the new demand and the associated<over> publicity.

I could be wrong but there may be some truth in the above.

Mark

mol · Feb 6, 2011

Probably on the money there Mark.

Personally I think the big issue for alot of anglers in bolt rigs. I've seen many debates on here about weather it's proper fishing to use a self hooking rig. Always found it puzzling, fishing is many things to many people and who am I to say they've got it wrong?

Dicky (Angling Trust PAC) · Feb 6, 2011

Barbel anglers seem to be the most vociferous when it comes to knocking other barbel anglers...

dezza · Feb 6, 2011

"The Barbel Police" are ever vigilant on some waters, even on the mighty Trent, where you do on occasions have to fish with what a few purists might percieve as sea tackle.

And yes, certain swims do get hammered day and night by just a few selfish sods who would be better off leaving our sport altogether.

bleak · Feb 6, 2011

notes not needed...............................

chris_fox · Feb 6, 2011

Funny, I thought things were mostly going the other way ............... look at young Mr Arthur match man, feather chucker, sea angler, roach angler etc.

I am very much an angler. Do I want to spend a weekend waiting for my boilie to be nibbled and the bait alarm to go .... not particularly, But I can understand why an angler would love it.

Myself I love many many types of fishing and I would never look down on any ones fishing - a man in a bright blue suit on a box at a commercial, a man wearing tweed on a chalk stream, a man wearing camo at a gravel pit ..... personally I wish I had the time and money to do all of them.

richiekelly · Feb 7, 2011

i think a lot of it is down to jealosy and it doesnt only happen with barbel,i ave seen it in lots of other branches of angling, carp fishing far one,tactics used on the trent are ones sometimes needed and tatics anywhere have to be tailored to where your fishing , lets face it barbel can be very easy to catch once found but they can also be very difficult on pressured waters but the same can be said of other fish,i fish mostly for barbel carp and pike so wouldnt call my self a one species angler and i dont know many that are.

right im off to try and catch that double figure zander guess that makes me a zander angler but just for today.

Alan Tyler · Feb 7, 2011

I think a case can be made that of all the single-species cults, only chub-fishing remains free of this tragic jealousy/snobbery.

This may be because, once a chap has crawled through enough of the nettles and cow-pats of outrageous fortune to assemble a good portfolio of chub trophy shots, he has no dignity left for snobbery, and has suffered too much to be envied.

904_cannon · Feb 7, 2011

Its not only reserved for barbel anglers. Only recently I had a chap telephone me enquiring about coarse fishing on the river Wear. He'd recently moved from the midlands up to a small village in Weardale and he told me of the reception he'd received in the local tackle shop after he asked about coarse fishing on the river; very much like a Chelsea supporter would find in Liverpool at the moment

Same for another angler (a retired police officer) who moved from the Herts area to north Northumberland when he made a general enquiry about barbel fishing up there. He's now taken up sea fishing in a big way, at least some sea species have whiskers

He should have known better though, a bit like asking about the local salmon fishing in Leigh

"Unity" in angling

dezza · Feb 7, 2011

john m h said:
Its not only reserved for barbel anglers. Only recently I had a chap telephone me enquiring about coarse fishing on the river Wear. He'd recently moved from the midlands up to a small village in Weardale and he told me of the reception he received in the local tackle shop when he asked about coarse fishing on the river; very much like a Chelsea supporter would find in Liverpool at the moment
Same for another angler (a retired police officer) who moved from the Herts area to north Northumberland when he made a general enquiry about barbel fishing up there. He's now taken up sea fishing in a big way, at least some sea species have whiskers

"Unity" in angling

I never found any such hassles when I moved to Warwickshire from South Africa in 1995. In fact I was welcomed with open arms from the local tackle shop to the chairpersons of several local angling clubs. In fact Peter Stone, Tony Miles and Phil Smith went out of their ways to point out good fishing spots on the Oxon gravel pits, Warwickshire Leam and Upper Great Ouse, waters which I spent a great deal of time fishing when I lived in Warwick and Leamington Spa.

mol · Feb 7, 2011

Alan Tyler said:
I think a case can be made that of all the single-species cults, only chub-fishing remains free of this tragic jealousy/snobbery.

This may be because, once a chap has crawled through enough of the nettles and cow-pats of outrageous fortune to assemble a good portfolio of chub trophy shots, he has no dignity left for snobbery, and has suffered too much to be envied.

I'm not so sure I agree, taken from the Chub study groups website

'We are definitely not a group of ‘secret squirrels' but we do ask that all information obtained from other Group members and or the magazines etc, is kept within the Group.'

Seems a little elitist and snobbish to me.

sam vimes · Feb 7, 2011

****y (Angling Trust PAC) said:
Barbel anglers seem to be the most vociferous when it comes to knocking other barbel anglers...

Spot on, Judean People's Front and People's Front of Judea spring to mind.

I can't say that I've ever seen any abuse of barbel anglers that hasn't come from other, ever so slightly different, barbel anglers.

The bottom line is to do what you do as long as it's not illegal and causes the minimal harm possible to the fish.

dannytaylor · Feb 7, 2011

john m h said:
Its not only reserved for barbel anglers. Only recently I had a chap telephone me enquiring about coarse fishing on the river Wear. He'd recently moved from the midlands up to a small village in Weardale and he told me of the reception he'd received in the local tackle shop after he asked about coarse fishing on the river; very much like a Chelsea supporter would find in Liverpool at the moment
Same for another angler (a retired police officer) who moved from the Herts area to north Northumberland when he made a general enquiry about barbel fishing up there. He's now taken up sea fishing in a big way, at least some sea species have whiskers
He should have known better though, a bit like asking about the local salmon fishing in Leigh

"Unity" in angling

Like the last comment. Believe it or not the river Mersey and surrounding tributies now get a fair few salmon running up and it isnt that far from Leigh :j:j:j

What is with the downer on barbel anglers

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