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Sorry in advance if this is a longer post than usual. It is prompted by Chris Turnbull's article on the Wensum, in the September issue of Coarse Angling.
CT explains in detail the decline of the Wensum and the sterling efforts made by NACA to restore parts of the river to its old glory, and to create attractive barbel habitats. He also speculates about the existence of barbel throughout the river, downstream of the famous Sayers Meadow stretch.
There are a few big barbel at Lenwade (a 17 caught recently) and he is of the opinion that it would be surprising if a few solitary barbel are not in residence further downstream, maybe all the way to Norwich. If so, there is every chance that they could be very big fish indeed. He goes on to say that it is very difficult to establish if this is true, as access to the river is very restricted.
Well, I happen to have access to about 1 1/2 miles of the Wensum, not at all far downstream from Lenwade. It runs through farmland owned by a bloke I used to work with, and he lets me fish there from time to time. It is the sort of thing where I am uncomfortable asking him for permission too often, but 4 or 5 times a year is fine.
It is a stunning stretch, and to look at it you would think it was barbel paradise. There are deep pools, steady glides, shallow fast riffles, streamer weed, a gravel bottom, no silting etc etc. The only thing missing is much in teh way of bankside cover.
I am convinced that there just has to be a barbel or two living there. If so, they probably have never seen an angler's hook.
Trouble is, I've never seen one, let alone caught one. Plenty of chub, a few good pike, shoals of roach and dace and the odd trout, but no barbel.
I know that if it were possible, I ought to spend hours and hours there with my polaroids, but this is not really on, bearing in mind my limited access.
What I would like to know from you barbel experts out there is, if you were faced with this situation, how would you fish the stretch?
CT explains in detail the decline of the Wensum and the sterling efforts made by NACA to restore parts of the river to its old glory, and to create attractive barbel habitats. He also speculates about the existence of barbel throughout the river, downstream of the famous Sayers Meadow stretch.
There are a few big barbel at Lenwade (a 17 caught recently) and he is of the opinion that it would be surprising if a few solitary barbel are not in residence further downstream, maybe all the way to Norwich. If so, there is every chance that they could be very big fish indeed. He goes on to say that it is very difficult to establish if this is true, as access to the river is very restricted.
Well, I happen to have access to about 1 1/2 miles of the Wensum, not at all far downstream from Lenwade. It runs through farmland owned by a bloke I used to work with, and he lets me fish there from time to time. It is the sort of thing where I am uncomfortable asking him for permission too often, but 4 or 5 times a year is fine.
It is a stunning stretch, and to look at it you would think it was barbel paradise. There are deep pools, steady glides, shallow fast riffles, streamer weed, a gravel bottom, no silting etc etc. The only thing missing is much in teh way of bankside cover.
I am convinced that there just has to be a barbel or two living there. If so, they probably have never seen an angler's hook.
Trouble is, I've never seen one, let alone caught one. Plenty of chub, a few good pike, shoals of roach and dace and the odd trout, but no barbel.
I know that if it were possible, I ought to spend hours and hours there with my polaroids, but this is not really on, bearing in mind my limited access.
What I would like to know from you barbel experts out there is, if you were faced with this situation, how would you fish the stretch?