Rather supports my theory perhaps? To me it seems crazy travelling many miles to seek out Barbel when there are perfeclty adequate Rivers near to most that with a bit of sensible management would provide good sport.
I initially opted to say nowt on this thread but sorry Neil, while I sympathise with your declining standards of sport.
You need to fully establish and understand the reasons for this and not just grasp at any/every passing bandwagon.
The Teme (above Powick weir) is a relatively newly established population of barbel and in a seemingly unchallenged environment.
So a balance has yet to be struck, food availability etc
By introducing a prey species with a high individual biomass, this will effect the prey - predator relationship within an ecosystem; so again this goes back to a balance needing to be re-established.
As for traveling long distances to fish waters in other areas, as I have pointed out before, many (myself included) do so because our local waters don't have healthy numbers of barbel.
As for your "sensible management"
Great idea but who is going to manage our rivers in this "sensible" manner?
In my locality:
Cherwell barely flows due to unquantified and fully legitimate abstraction by British Waterways, then there is the 100% subscribed abstraction licences before BW want there share.... Work it out.....
Windrush in summer, well here's alittle story (true) to put its state into perspective.
Last summer while carp fishing on a pit that runs parallel to the river, I was woken up at 2.00 am, not by my bite alarms but by a flock of bloody sheep.
They'd crossed the river, not by wading across, as the riffle which is 1ft deep today was not even deep enough for me to get wet feet when returning 'mint sauce' and her mates to there side of the gully, despite me only wearing trainers.
Thames, dumping ground for probably a third of Englands sewage and has its flow so regulated, you can fish a swim one day and half an ounce will hold bottom, next day 4oz is needed, with the river only rising 6", though most often its the first scenario.
Upper Thames is more your manor than mine, so you can tell me about the problems up there, though I suspect Cotswold water park may have an impact there.
So if you want us outsiders to leave your rivers alone, here's a suggestion, help improve ours...
.
