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Anybody stopped fishing?

From the Barbel Society.


PLEASE READ!!

Dear Member,

The unusually high air temperatures and lack of rain has meant that there is a strong likelihood of reduced dissolved oxygen in our rivers.

We all know that barbel populations are suffering for a number of reasons and so it is imperative we protect what we have.

The committee has been monitoring the situation and the weather forecasts are not offering a respite any time soon. Reduced air temperature will not change the situation; we need a substantial influx of rain.

We have therefore taken the decision to shut our fisheries to take effect from 9 am on Monday July 9th.

This gives everyone a chance to make arrangements and seems the fairest option. We would ask those who are visiting our fisheries this weekend to take the utmost care of any fish caught. Resting in the landing net before and after unhooking is a must along with not taking the fish out for weighing and photos etc., but be aware that it is not guaranteed that a barbel swimming off strongly will be ok, the after effect can kick in later and you would be none the wiser. If you can cancel your trip so much the better.

We are sure you will understand, the welfare of barbel is paramount and we all have a responsibility to ensure we do our utmost to achieve that.

We will be monitoring the situation on a daily basis to ensure the fisheries can be re -opened as soon as possible.

We thank you for your understanding and support.

The Barbel Society Committee.
 
Neil, I thank you for your level-headed reply.
That fish in my pic, literally 5 seconds out of the water after being rested in the net. As I was lifting her head over the drawstring my old man said " lift her up ". So I did.
I would have been interested to know her true weight, but I've had bigger so weighing was not an option.

I completely understand your POV. After my incident last year ( which was the first time I've ever had difficulty getting a fish to go back ) I look at every swim in a new light now. The priority is: can I rest them? Is there flow? Is it 6 inches deep and warm, or deeper and cooler?

I know the swim I had issues with last year is a belter and pretty much guaranteed multiple catch. But I haven't fished it this year after that experience.
Not stopping everyone else from fishing it though.

That is restraint and willpower on my part. I care enough to not fish a swim that I know contains barbel but has poor holding/returning options..

If you want to see my views on summer barbel, go to WUF website and click catch returns for Courtfield. I am GJ on either the 30th June or 1st of July.
 
Paul Whiteing said:
Hi Derek, and all

The sling I bought is

View attachment 5854

View attachment 5855

View attachment 5856





I got it from eBay clickety-click It is made by "Carpzone" (excuse the 'C' word :p), but I dare say it is available from other sources

I've already made another two of these

View attachment 5857


I have not got to grips with using it yet, need to work on best way to carry it (when dry, and when wet) but I tried it with a small one (who I said to make a face like a fish :D). But I look forward to trying it with a big girl as soon as the conditions improve.
Click to expand...
Always used one for recovery purposes only, mines a full mesh one which I prefer to using a landing net.
 
saw a good barbel belly up floating down the Wye yesterday, first time I have ever seen that, horrible.
 
Cliff Turner said:
saw a good barbel belly up floating down the Wye yesterday, first time I have ever seen that, horrible.
Click to expand...

That is not a nice sight, I saw two last week.
However, everyone needs to bear in mind there are anglers who see nothing wrong with placing barbel in keepnets, and those who want multiple pictures. A belly-up fish is not necessarily the result of being caught - it's the person who caught it who seals its fate.

I weighed a fish last weekend ( no pic ), I had a pic on Thursday on an unweighed fish.
Does that make me an egotistical angler?
No.
The weighed fish had been rested to the point of taking my net with it and the photographed fish was as I was releasing it after resting it.

It's all relative to where you fish. I'm fortunate in that my main stretch of the Wye has a good flow throughout. In these conditions I swear the barbel flock to it actually.
There are one or two swims I won't fish due to the water conditions in close regarding releasing fish. That is just common sense.

But, when things reach the point where people say " I've hung up my rods, so should you " that's when I get resentful. I will never place a barbel at risk for the sake of catching it, like everyone else here. But, I do want to catch them.

It's like we've never had a hot summer before. I've seen the Wye at least half a metre lower on the gauge I use, and I still fished for them, caught them and released them without any issues.

It's all down to common sense. Based on my limited experiences, I wouldn't fish the BA or WA right now, or similar venues.

Someone mentioned the fact they may die after you release them. Well, doesn't that hold true regardless of conditions? I've had pike and carp go belly up in normal conditions, even cold conditions.

If these people cared about them that much, they wouldn't fish for them at all.

Nobody here will ever put a barbel at risk, but to tell people they shouldn't fish because of a personal conviction is B/S. What next? Don't use curve shank hooks because I disagree?
Don't fish until September because I disagree?
Don't use anything but a float because I disagree?

Gotta love modern society, butthurt about everything.
 
Gwyn Jeffs said:
Nobody here will ever put a barbel at risk, but to tell people they shouldn't fish because ......
Click to expand...

Actually Gwyn, there are only two :rolleyes: who've posted here that have said you shouldn't fish, many more have said they were going to leave it a while.

I previously said "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."

There are lot of variables aside from the temperature.
 
I am heading for the Wye on Friday for a weeks holiday and certainly won't be cancelling. All (if any) fish I catch will be treated with respect and will be rested and returned correctly. I always play barbel hard and thus when landed they haven't used all their energy, the problem in my opinion is when an angler plays a barbel for a long time and doesn't take time to revive it, as with most things it is a matter of common sense.
 
My thinking entireley Phil...you see too many anglers physically wearing out fish before landing..once they have reached a point of exhaustion I would guess that they dont have much chance of survival in low water conditions especially, no matter how much care is taken to rest them.... tackle appropriate to the expected specimens size is a given, there is no place for stupidly light gear here .

Dave
 
I’ve been struggling with this a little as summer on the Wye (ignoring the canoe issue of course) is an absolutely splendid thing. Before I moved to the Wye Valley I was spending a week a year fishing from dawn until dusk for as many days as I could before the more fleshy parts of my body were at risk of swift and brutal removal by Mrs C. So I can certainly see it from the visiting angler’s point of view. Hopefully, the majority exhibit the level of common sense expressed in this thread. Sadly though, we are seeing and hearing of instances of fish dying. It might not be as a result of poor fish care but nevertheless, it’s a sign of how vulnerable the fish (or some fish) have become. I cant help but get cross though at seeing people post pictures of their captures, especially when they seem to be positioned quite a distance from the river. It seems to me to be a basic precautionary step to keep the fish in the net, in the water, and unhook, rest and release from there.

I’m not sure I would actually enjoy the fishing, even if fish caught swam away strongly. I would be worried that it was temporary and that at some later point, they struggled and died. That might be slightly over dramatic but it’s enough to keep me away from the rivers until conditions change.
 
If a Barbel is caught rested and returned then caught again within hours what are its chances of recovery during these high temperatures?
 
I havnt been on the river yet,will wait for rain .Plenty of barbel police on Facebook and each river is different .
 
Seeing as I'm just repeating myself now I'll make one final post.

It is admirable if you feel the fish in your venue are better off left alone. I take my hat off to you, I really do respect that attitude.

But your venue is different from mine, and your stretch is different even if someone is on the same waterway as you. There are stretches of the Wye I know are packed with barbel, but I won't fish them right now. September however...

I did not intend to get anyone into an ornery state, nor to butt heads. Hell, I post so infrequently I don't know any of you.
All I can penultimately say is, it very much depends on where you fish and what gear you use.
And nobody here is about to use 6lb line in this weather, are they??

Tight lines all, I'm praying for rain just like the rest of you.
 
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