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Anybody stopped fishing?

David Craine said:
Well said Gwynn... !!!!

David
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Really? If we on here especially on here can't show a bit of restraint in these conditions who will? Utterly selfish , and for the sake of just waiting until the Barbel have recovered after spawning, plus the poor O2 levels I cannot think that any angler that carries on fishing can do so with a clear conscience. Seen too many belly up Barbel in the past in conditions that were much better than these.
 
Too many CARES dont CARE in this so called game fishing and chasing every minute of the day/week/month=Even weighing fish and photographing there trophy causing more stress and impact=NO such thing as a swim that doesnt impact on the fish in this weather.Go have a go for the Tench or something.

Well said Gwynn... !!!!=TOTALLY AGREE
 
As Gwynn says- common sense and a bit of thought must prevail. Land fish quickly, is a photo really necessary, does the fish need weighing (just assume it’s a double), fish swims where the fish can be unhooked in the net and in the water, release only when they are pushing so hard against the net it’s heading into the river. Stuff like that. You might fish for much less time than you might be used to and catch less fish, but that’s just more contemplation time. Do I need to clear a space in the house because apparently football is coming home? Shape a letter in your mind that you intend to write to the Columbian football coach about the terrible treatment his players suffered at the hands of the England team. It’s a win win.
 
Trouble is. If you are after chub roach dace perch etc there is a fair chance you might pick s barbel up.

What has amazed me is how hard they are fighting at the moment.

After a couple of targetted chub and and a few dace yesterday, I had 3 or 4 chub drifting in and out of the swim. Decent fish 4+.
The result was 5 barbel and one lost chub.

The barbel were crashing about in the landing net on returning to the water. Giving them 5 mins they surged away. Mind you no biggies.
 
Graham Elliott said:
Trouble is. If you are after chub roach dace perch etc there is a fair chance you might pick s barbel up.

What has amazed me is how hard they are fighting at the moment.

After a couple of targetted chub and and a few dace yesterday, I had 3 or 4 chub drifting in and out of the swim. Decent fish 4+.
The result was 5 barbel and one lost chub.

The barbel were crashing about in the landing net on returning to the water. Giving them 5 mins they surged away. Mind you no biggies.
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With the warmer water they are bound to have a higher metabolic rate I guess, but I the recovery rate would be longer you would think, but at least you know what you are doing Graham. Some not so.
 
I don't preach to others I just do what I think is best, which is why I've already put my gear away for a while.

Saddened to hear of a 15lb fish found dead today on a particular stretch, no obvious signs as to the cause. I'd heard that a 15lb fish was caught last night, I just hope it isn't the same fish :oops:
 
People just not taking in the severity of this heat, together with not knowing or possibly caring about proper recovery, swim choice etc it's bound to happen, this stretch is no stranger to fish deaths, it attracts anglers with not much experience in Barbel fishing, and some without the savvy to listen to those who have = Fish dying, i was waiting for this to happen on this stretch, it's happened many times before, and unless they take some action i guess this wont be the last in the coming weeks :(
 
Neil Smart said:
Really? If we on here especially on here can't show a bit of restraint in these conditions who will? Utterly selfish , and for the sake of just waiting until the Barbel have recovered after spawning, plus the poor O2 levels I cannot think that any angler that carries on fishing can do so with a clear conscience. Seen too many belly up Barbel in the past in conditions that were much better than these.
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I have a clear conscience. Go to WUF website to see how many others do too. I'm betting a few on here have either booked for the near future or posted a report in the recent past.

So what's next? Catching them in floodwater is bad because they're disoriented when you release them?

Everyone here has had a lot of experience with barbel. Nobody will let a fish suffer I would hope. As I said, I pick my swims accordingly.
It isn't fair because they're all in pools? If you found that situation in October you'd maximise the potential and catch all you could, as would we all.

I don't know ( or care ) where you fish, my comments refer to the Wye. Which, as you probably know, is an entirely different animal to most English sluggish rivers.

If you care about them that much, why do you fish for them? You should be content observing instead of sticking a hunk of steel into them..

And your spawning recovery comments are meaningless, they were spawning in April and May on the Wye.

As I previously alluded to, why is it ok to fish for other species but the barbel police deem barbel off limits?

I'm out Thursday and Friday evening. I shall tell you how many barbel went belly up. Because I use suitable gear and choose my swim.accordingly, I can give you the answer now..
 
I think the problem is not with people who specifically fish for barbel. They know how long they can take to recover, even in normal river conditions. The problem is with so called "pleasure" anglers. I do not mean all of them, most are sensible, but some do not respect the fish. Took the dog for a walk along my local river yesterday. There was a guy setting up a ledger outfit. He put up his rod and then his keep net ! I did not have my licence with me so could not demand his, but I did point out that a keep net was not a good idea, particularly with these conditions, I hope he took my advice. I haven't owned a keep net for at least 30 years.
 
Gwyn Jeffs said:
I have a clear conscience. Go to WUF website to see how many others do too. I'm betting a few on here have either booked for the near future or posted a report in the recent past.

So what's next? Catching them in floodwater is bad because they're disoriented when you release them?

Everyone here has had a lot of experience with barbel. Nobody will let a fish suffer I would hope. As I said, I pick my swims accordingly.
It isn't fair because they're all in pools? If you found that situation in October you'd maximise the potential and catch all you could, as would we all.

I don't know ( or care ) where you fish, my comments refer to the Wye. Which, as you probably know, is an entirely different animal to most English sluggish rivers.

If you care about them that much, why do you fish for them? You should be content observing instead of sticking a hunk of steel into them..

And your spawning recovery comments are meaningless, they were spawning in April and May on the Wye.

As I previously alluded to, why is it ok to fish for other species but the barbel police deem barbel off limits?

I'm out Thursday and Friday evening. I shall tell you how many barbel went belly up. Because I use suitable gear and choose my swim.accordingly, I can give you the answer now..
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Don't be so defensive, if you want to fish, fine, but the very fact that you felt the need to post this tells me you too have concerns.
BTW 'hunk of steel', and as far as they were spawning in April and May, they in fact were still spawning in June. Also it can not always be obvious at the time a Barbel will die from capture, however the common sense approach is very much leave it at the moment...but your choice.
 
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Ian Grant said:
People just not taking in the severity of this heat, together with not knowing or possibly caring about proper recovery, swim choice etc it's bound to happen, this stretch is no stranger to fish deaths, it attracts anglers with not much experience in Barbel fishing, and some without the savvy to listen to those who have = Fish dying, i was waiting for this to happen on this stretch, it's happened many times before, and unless they take some action i guess this wont be the last in the coming weeks :(
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It's a huge problem Ian, coupled with all the other issues we have as far as low stocks, it seems there is a huge couldn't care a less attitude in Angling, at least on here by and large we can try and educate.
 
I've not fished for barbel yet this season and probably wont till the autumn. its quite simple barbel are going to struggle for recovery in these conditions. so if you catch one do your best to ensure it recovers. each to there own though.

and Neil.... you make me laugh with this statement:D

"it seems there is a huge couldn't care a less attitude in Angling, at least on here by and large we can try and educate"

when I read that it gave me visions of you on the banks of the Severn standing on your grand pedestal you have created for your self preaching to all those un clean and ill educated anglers that stand below you. you just make me shake my head????

and on keepnets, being mainly a match angler who only fishes natural venues I would have no problems using a keepnet for barbel, in fact it can be better for barbel to recover in one in these conditions than using the barbel society handling code.
 
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