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Leaving the ground bare and open to bank erosion is nothing different to what the EA do in raping the banks of vegetation and trees every year. HB is generally a late bloomer thus giving the bees and butterflies etc that longer feeding and survival window. The point is, if the banks and the...

Stephen...You have a PM for your interest

Interestingly, as you probably know Joe....Himalayan Balsam which anglers and the public are led to believe is bad for the river and land environment and then hoodwinked by the EA etc to go out and smash it up, it's existence is probably why the remaining UK bee population are still surviving...

I would be very careful on what we wish for. If DEFRA had their way and they often do, to try and get rid of it/alien species, they may get the EA to wipe out certain stretches where it is found with Rotenone poison, like they do to the top mouth gudgeon/sunfish etc whichare said to be carrying...

Joe...Now that never crossed my mind regarding polluting our rivers and killing other things. I was of the thinking that it only related to Bees, Butterflies, beetles, possibly birds and all other land based insects. Thanks for that info Joe. Enlightening stuff.

They may do that on some Damian, but tell that to the anglers on the River Colne like Martin Lydon and others who have been watching, photographing and complaining to the EA regarding a Thames Water sewage works discharging raw sewage in low flows in summer which is killing their river. The EA...

Not quite sure nowadays Alex...but it was like as you say back in the 80's/90's in my opinion. Today, i would say that the government relays the shots to the EA on what they can and can't do regarding water and sewage companies.. and it has always been my belief that the EA are pro-water...

Good post Graham...I think the EA will never address the root cause of river fish population declines and problems with natural recruitment, just as long as they have Calverton Fish Farm and other contacts to re-stock everywhere with 6"inch fish or smaller of all species. They don't fret or care...

I see your point and it is probably the combination of factors including your beliefs above. As you might know, the sex change in fish especially Roach, was known about in the 1960's in Thames Water studies but kept well quiet and not public Knowledge. Later in 1990-1 or thereabouts, it was...

Stephen...Personally speaking i would say, considering the EA have been re-stocking coarse fish in virtually every river in the UK, is that the eggs or young of some or most species are not surviving even if they do spawn. There are a combination of other things relating to pollution and...

Graham...I remember the Lea, Hampshire Avon and Kennet back in the 1970's and 80's to where there were loads of barbel between 3-9lb. A double was quite rare on all 3, including the Royalty. The anglers basic traditional baits were going in virtually every day on some stretches, but the barbel...

Fair observation Stephen in my opinion. Mark....It is said there was a slaghterhouse that dumped offal at the bottom end near the town bridges.... and ...Knapp Mill/Parlour was a corn grinding mill at one time. Not sure of the dates though.

It seems there is date change to when i last looked and was not aware off, regarding when they were stocked into the Dorset Stour at Iford Bridge...It is now 1899. Interesting...words taken from an old Peter Wheat article which makes the stuffed fish/date a bit questionable. Quote: "As far as I...

Mark...The Medway barbel were on the radar long before they were fattened up to become record fish. A few of them were very long fish at the time but just low doubles. Pretty much the same with the Ouse fish. Graham...Interesting that the first barbel is marked as a Royalty barbel. It is well...

Quite interesting that Mark. When you go back a bit further like the 17th-19th century you will find that there were barbel reported in the Trent to 16+, Lea 18+, Thames 23 and Kennet 18+. Although the later 20th century 14.6 Hampshire Avon joint British Record stood for around 50 years, there...

I've sort of learnt that a barbel possibly fulfills its skeletal growth/length at around 12-13 years, so it could be long with a skinny girth at that age and not weigh that much as you may think. Depending on its built in potential/genes, it will begin to fill out in the girth more so according...

I don't doubt it at all Mark. They can eat a lot of bait and some barbel can put on weight quickly and then switch off. However, it's intestine always eventually empties again so hence the fluctuation in weights from possibly one week to the next, by ounces or pounds. Seen that happen on the...

I would say that if it was caught in summer after spawning at around 18lb+, then possibly every chance it would be near to breaking the british record the following year, if the barbel is still healthy, eating, recovering ok and not too old. If the barbel was/is caught around this time in winter...

Agree Dave. Not sure if 2 similar shops close together creates a conflict of interest unless they sell different gear, but it does allow the angler to make a choice. Interesting that it has been there for 30 years. I remember it being listed it on the Wimborne DAC venue features in Anglers Mail...

Dave...There is already an established tackle shop in Wimborne...Minster Sports...who sell bait and tackle amongst other sports equipment... http://www.minstersports.connexusweb.com/pages/sports/fishing.htm