Travellers.

Neneman Nick

Neneman Nick

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When the river season starts again,i plan on fishing stretches of the Nene and some backwater type places connected to the Nene,that i know have barbel present.Although i know of certain swims that have produced,i am the sort of person that likes to find his own way as it were and try different spots and see what happens.

I was wondering though if barbel are renound for travelling distances up and downrivers etc... that are known to have them present??? Do they tend to stick to certain areas that they know are safe and contain food ??? Do they only travel when it comes to spawning ???

Has any research ever been done regarding this,with perhaps marked or tagged fish ???
 
Mark Hewitt

Mark Hewitt

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Not sure Nick.

My guess would be, as with other spieces, there will be examples of individual fish moving large distances and examples of 'resident' fish being in the same stretch or swim year in year out.
 
Neneman Nick

Neneman Nick

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I`ve noticed that with some of my fav chub hotspots mark......resident type fish being there year in year out and in particular,one chub which has an orange circular mark on it.You couldn`t mistake it for any other fish.

I`d of thought the barbel society chappies might have done some possible research on it ???
 
F

Fred Bonney

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Nick, if you get hold of any of Tony Mileswritings he certainly reports travellers on the Upper Ouse.

I don't think there has been specific BS research,but many individual members do carry out their own, I'm sure.
 
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Bryan Baron 2

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I know fish on the ribble can travel over a mile during the coarse of the season.

I this is down to natural movements or angling pressure i dont know. If the stretch you fish is quite just bait up a few unknown swims quitely and fish them when nobody is around. If they ind a new source of food in there area they will check it on a regular basis.
 
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Dave Slater

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I have known individual fish, both barbel and chub, to move a few miles during the course of a season then, for no apparent reason, to take up residence in their original swim. I have also known them to travel for a few years and then return to their original swim. I have also known fish to never leave a particular swim and others to keep travelling and never be in the same swim twice.

Funny thing fish. I don't think there are any rules but usually if a swim is good then fish moving on will be replaced by others of a similar stamp.
 
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Dave Burr

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Nick

I have found that some barbel will remain in a swim for many years despite angling pressure, floods etc. Others are nomadic and will move about. Its like humans, some never fall far from the tree whilst others seem to have permanently itchy feet. It is a natural way of ensuring that the shoal, herd, group or whatever find new territories as well as spreading the gene pool about.

Many of our river species will migrate great distances to spawn each year. I'd love to tag and follow some of the roach and dace on the Wye. The dace on the Red Lion stretch disappear in the winter to spawn below Hereford (15 miles away) only to return (are they the same fish) by next season.

But like others have said, put a bit of feed in and once you have found some barbel keep feeding that spot, they won't go far if there's a free meal to be had.
 
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Ray Daywalker Clarke

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Nick,

fishing Adams Mill, a number of the Barbel would be caught there, then down stream and also up stream.

I was alsofishing Tyringham Hall, one of the known AM fish at that time, had a large white patch next to it's dorsal fin, I caught it at 11lb 9ozs from AM, it was caught at TH, 12lb 7ozs, The following season it was back at AM caught at 12lb 2ozs, never saw it or heard of it again. The distance was a good few miles of river, and many say the fish a trapped at AM, Rubbish.

I am sure all fish move, hold up for a while. then move again, hold up and move back. That is only what I think, but from what I have seen, that seems to be the case.
 
preston96

preston96

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Bobs is a great link....and matches my own findings over the years,Barbel can be very contradicting........both well travelled and residential!!.......all the residential areas i have know have held the "pool" and faster water as Bobs link suggests.............in fact they can be real suckers in such areas for years under moderate angling pressure.

Some of the known lower Severn fish have been know to move very large distances between capture.

Dave....Wye dace, ,spawning below Hereford,i wonder if we have the same area in mind?i have never thought of them travelling from the Red Lion tho.

You are right,electronic tagging and finding out exactly what happens would be...almost....as good as fishing.
 
W

Wolfman Woody

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Good article Bob!

Nearly ten years ago now the EA released some 3000 barbel into feeder streams and parts of the Thames itself. All of the fish were dye marked with an elastomer resin in either the front fins or on the head, the practice is still carried out today.

After release, many of the fish were caught well away from their release sites, up to 1½ miles in some courses and there have been one or two reported that have navigated their way either through the locks or the fish ladders/weirs installed for the salmon.

We do know from the boatman, who takes customers out fishing, that he catches fish from well downstream that he has seen before in our weir. This has been partciularly noticeable this last 18-20 months since the floods of July 2007 when all of our weir barbel disappeared. He's been catching them ½ mile away downstream.

/forum/smilies/sad_smiley.gif

But they might be returning now!

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Cakey

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they marked some on the Lee ,never to be seen again if I remember right
 
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Ray Daywalker Clarke

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<blockquote class=quoteheader>Cakey wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>they marked some on the Lee ,never to be seen again if I remember right</blockquote>

Correct Cakey.
 
A

alan whittington

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A really interesting bit of info Bob.The info that i had read somewhere was that barbel move around at times other than for spawning,so as to reachswims that are habitable to their criterior ie depth,food,cover,security etc,which could mean travelling some distance because there arent many rivers that are one long barbel swim especially the nene eh neneman/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif
 
Neneman Nick

Neneman Nick

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Very intresting ****y....many thanks.

Although i`d never claim the Nene is one long barbel swim,it does definately contain them.Indeed the Nene record was broken reccently (pic wasin angling times) by a fish weighing over 15lbs.A large amount were also stocked into the river last year and in an area i know pretty well,it`s a tad unfortunate that an otter has also been spotted here or thereabouts.

I could go to specific swims that i know have produced them but it just doesn`t seem right to me,i`d rather find my own swims/areas and see what happens.I know of one particular stretch of backwater,that none bothers with because because parking can be a tad awkward and it involves walking.Barbel are there 12lbs+ and also chub 6lbs+ are a good possibility too.

Guess where i will be this coming riverseason.
 
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