Whats a big barbel ?

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Dave Pratt

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After reading RON Clays Thread on bagging up, i was intrested in Rod MacAskills story of catching two doubles plus 7 big Barbel and wonded what people class as a big barbel these days.At the moment the Trent fish are on the up and it seems everybody wants to catch a double and thers plenty to be caught.But to me an 8lber is still a big fish and puts a smile on my face what do you lot think?
 
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Ron Troversial Clay

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Nice to see you on FM Dave.

Us Rotherhamites have to take a great deal of flack from the East Enders these days.

I agree with you fully Dave. An 8 pounder is a darned big barbel on any water. If I was fishing Yorkshire rivers I would tend to say that anything over 6 lbs is a biggy.

And anyone who is bored by catching this stamp of fish should give up angling and take up stamp collecting

As a few words on introduction, Dave is one of South Yorkshire's most successful all-round big fish hunters.
 
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Fred Bonney

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A big Barbel to me would be one exceeding 8lb9ozs,my pb caught in November1972!!!!
 
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Phil Hackett 2

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Dave
Here’s my definition of what constitutes good, big, call it what you want for a particular piece of water, be that still or running.
Others will have their own definition and that’s there right, but this is mine.

A good fish – any fish that is half the size of the water record.

A special fish – one that is three-quarters of the water record.

Exceptional special fish – within a 5-10% of the water record.

Lifetimes fish – one that equals or surpasses the water record.

I personally don’t think it worth talking about national records if you fishing a water that is unlikely to produce a fish anywhere near the National record.

Example
I fish the Ribble and love fishing it, but the best-known (Barbel Society’s Records) fish to come off it is 14. 05. This may be a few ozs incorrect now, as I’m almost certain someone mentioned a large fish than this coming out in the last month of the season. There also may have been one or two bigger but they’ve not been reported as yet. Effectively, at the moment the Ribble is probably doing fish up to 15.
You can work out from my list above what constitutes what.

I have no desire to go chasing nationally recognised “big barbel” on the Circus water, it 3 ? hours drive away. Whereas, the Ribble is 40 mins. With far more spectacular scenery and wildlife and I would suggest more challenging river conditions.
 
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jason fisher

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think i'd have to agree with dave there except for 2 things if it's over 90% of the national record then it's a fish of a lifetime. you might just be lucky enough to be fishing on a river that produces the record.
and if it's bigger than you've ever caught before it's a big fish.
 
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Matthew Black

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I think some of you may be missing the point but then I could be wrong as I usually am.

A big barbel is in the eyes of the beholder, like a snotty-nosed kid who once landed a 3lb specimen and fell in love for the very first time, as he gazed at its bronze flanks and fantastic scale pattern and fins and barbules and tail and eyes and, and , and, and ...... I thought I had broken the gudgeon record!!!

Does size really matter?

My mistress seems to think so!
 
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john conway

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Matthew, “does size matter” the answer’s got to be yes. However, one could argue at what price? I’m sure we would all like to catch a big fish, the fact that we would like too means there is an element of it matters. There’s always an element of luck in catching a big fish, we’ve all read of the little lad on his first fishing trip pulling out the record for the water, different ball game entirely to be able to do that on a regular basis and even more of an achievement across the species and venues. At the end of the day it’s a personal thing, but I don’t like to see those who don’t aspire to great achievements dumbing down the desire to achieve in others.
 
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Stuart Bullard 3

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Well its easy for me. I still get a kick out lf landing a 2lb chub, even though I have had several at 5lbs. A six pound tench would make me very happy, even though I have had bigger.

Trouble is, even though I have only been fishing 5 years, will this stay with me?

All I can say is that I hope so.
 
GrahamM

GrahamM

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It's stayed with me Stuart, and that's the god's honest truth, and I've been fishing for a few years now. Like Matthew says, big is in the eye of the beholder.

To me, fishing has always been a case of it being more important to enjoy the lead up to catching the fish, rather than the actual capture. After all, the former lasts a hell of a lot longer than the latter.
 
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john conway

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Graham, your right about the planning bit, even after a bad run; after a good nights sleep I’m back to scheming, planning and dreaming. Even during the times when I didn’t fish, due to being occupied with other activities, I’ve always dreamed about fishing. Even now I dream about a lodge in Accie, that I’ve never fished, as a young lad I once saw a chap catch a beautiful tench. It was the first tench I’d ever seen and although it was probably only a couple of pounds it looked absolutely huge compared to little boy perch and roach.
 
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jason fisher

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stuart my next fishing aniversary is 30 years behind the rod man and boy and a 6lb tench would still make me smile, big cheesy grin one too.
when that stops i'll know it's time to give up.
 
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Les Clark

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Matthew is spot on,on the day if your catching 4 oz roach and you hit a 1lb, you are going to be over the moon,1lb tench then hit a 4lb ,same,everything is relevant if you see what i mean.
 
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Nick Austin 2

Guest
i have to disagree with phil, and his scientific percetage definition of what constitutes large,big, special etc

My FIRST ever barble was over 10lb, probably nearer 11. it took planning, reading up on the subject etc... i was gutted when someone said to me "do you realise it could take you years to catch another that big again!"...

But it was a fantastic fish!.. and there was no-way i was gonna muck around weighing it EXACTLY for my own personal grafification when i was shaking with excitement over catching it! THATS SPECIAL!
 
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jason fisher

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nick i refer you to my definition of special, if it's the biggest you've ever caught then it's a special fish.
 
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Phil Hackett 2

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Nick disagree all you want mate it your right to do so. Like it mine to set my own personal standards soley for me. What I've wrote is my standards, its up to people to make their own. The question was What's a big Barbel?
As with all questions like this they’re never objective, because the whole premise is subjective.

It took me thirty years to have double figure barbel and then I have 3 in 3 weeks. That’s fishing and what make me go fishing, as you never know what your next fish or its weight is going to be.

And the day I stop shaking when I have a good fish, is the day I’ll stop fishing
 
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Ron Troversial Clay

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Both Graham and Phil have said it in a nutshell.

Let's all get the satisfaction and pleasure out of fishing that we want individually.

And Phil, I had four of them in one session.

I will never repeat that session of course, although if I spend as much time on the Trent as my friend Dave Pratt does, I do expect to beat my own PB of 11lbs 6 oz.

Trouble is with me, I just love in a year's fishing, to try for many other species using many other methods. I'm too old and too long in the tooth to worry about what others might think any more.

Last year I lost a bloody great mullet in Christchurch harbour. Peter Jacobs was there. It fought like stink.

And I want another, but this time I want it in the landing net and on the scales.
 
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Phil Hackett 2

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Thanks Ron
I wish I'd had four doubles in one session! Alas, it was four fish, 3 barbel and a chub.
Two of the barbel were doubles 10.2 and 11 lbs. The third came on the last cast on my last day of season, and that was 10.8. Very smiley face coming off the river though!:0) :0) :0) :0) :0):0)
 
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Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)

Guest
Ron,

We are hoping to have another bash for the mullet at the beginning of next season.
 
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Mick Andrews

Guest
A BIG barbel is one that is bigger than you have ever caught before. A HUGE barbel is bigger than you have ever seen before!! It can all be a bit subjective really....

I would probably agree with Phils approach here if we are looking objectively at what is a big barbel maybe tweaking the numbers a bit. The recognised Ribble record is actually 14lb 7oz and despite the secrecy on the grapevine, I have yet to hear of one bigger, that I can believe. There are a few pushing very close though ;-)

Based on that using Phil's definition. For the Ribble
Good fish 7lb 3oz
Special fish 10lb 13 oz
Exeptional fish 13lb

Looks OK to me, although 7lb is a bit average really on most stretches
 
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