Search results

Which reminds me of a frequent poster that claimed his local was soon to be devastated by otters a season or two ago - done a new river record 17lb+ last March! Anyone tuned in to the vine will be well aware of a fish knocking on the door of the national record - don't expect it's location to be...

I agree - predators in action make great TV and the general public aren't really bothered about what they eat. Unless they're domestic cats eating song birds as was suggested by Mr Packham on spring watch last year. Cheers Chris - now frowned upon because I own a Cat! To be honest, He owns me...

Quite so Rhys - a point raised in the report Shaun linked - some rivers are suffering, others are not despite the presence of Otters. Seams logical that those with poor fry recruitment will suffer most. I disagree on the Fur thing though, perhaps originally yes, but in recent times I imagine the...

If you want meaningful evidence that Otters are devastating our rivers surely you would need accurate data regarding fish stocks to prove the decline? Otherwise you are just gathering evidence that Otters eat fish and that was proven some time ago.

Pretty much the same for me for exactly the same reasons! :) Bit of stalking river Carp for me if conditions allow as the Barbel fishing can be patchy early season and the Carp are 'off guard' making them easy targets! ;)

Wonder how this applies to dual bank fishing where the fishing rights extend from the near bank to the halfway mark - if you find someone opposite the peg you fancy, chucking over into your water could you call the police and have them removed/charged? If that's the case I predict a major spike...

Great stuff Mark. Look in on BFW almost every day because despite the riffs and tiffs and the endless Otter drivel it's still a great place to be when we're talking Barbel fishing. Not knowing any Luton fans in person the first thing that crossed my mind when I herd they were back in the league...

Not sure if it's still the case but they used to collect the eggs and milt from spawning Trent Barbel then hatch and rear them at Calverton.

Maybe they do and it's simply that the Stillwater Barbel specialists are even more tight lipped about the capture of a big un than the river men! After all, a 22lb Barbel from the Thames or Trent would be pretty hard to track down compared to a similar sized fish in a commercial puddle. Anyway...

Get it back on now Dave - the housing market is buzzing at the moment! Relatives in the in the industry say they have never been as busy. A house opposite us went on the market recently and sold within a week! With regards to the op - take the plunge! Can only be a good thing to be closer to...

How big are these patches Karl? One of the rivers I fish is almost entirely rocks and gravel and clean patches are a reliable pointer to locating fish. Large patches indicate a group of feeding fish grazing over an area. Small patches could be a solitary specimen feeding or perhaps spawning...

I love that phrase 'controlling predators' - the politically correct way of saying 'kill 'em all'! I'd like to know how many Otters they would allow on a stretch of river before they felt the need to control their numbers. I have a feeling that those you speak of Graham feel that 1 is too many.

Easy one that Dave! They were all rolling around in romper suits spreading porridge all over their face and soiling their nappies! ;) Let's start it here - Equal rights for otters and barbel!

Great post Howard! :D If I had 40k spare I probably would! Land for sale in Woodland & River Ribble Fishing Rights, off Jacksons Bank Road, Balderstone, BB2 7LH, BB2

It is sad, and becoming more common unfortunately. Terrible what them vegans do to vegetables. Just imagine being a carrot, happily growing along with your mates, enjoying the sunshine on your leaves. All of a sudden you get yanked from the ground, skinned, diced and boiled. Nasty way to go...

Indeed. Going back to the video it seemed odd to me that the other chap taking pictures seems to be smiling as he's doing so, obviously enjoying seeing 'nature' at work?! Maybe he's just glad it decided to have an Orfe for breakfast instead of a more expensive Koi.

SERVICES - about £15 per reel plus forward and return post.

Fantastic reels, as Sam mentioned now discontinued but the Slammer Drag system lives on in their new reels. When I wrote the review for BFW a good few years ago now, they were retailing at around £75-80 new which made them cheaper than the Shimano's of equivalent spec. The fact they were built...

The closed season for coarse anglers on rivers needs a serious review in my opinion. Last season was a slow start as the Barbel were still spawning well into July due to the cold spring in the north west. This year looks like being the same. An ideal situation would be to close a stretch when...

If you believe that you'll believe anything Jim! What of all the Roach in the lower reaches of my local rivers. Presumably they are some of the fastest Roach in the uk? :rolleyes: