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Barbel Society Show Last Sunday 4th June

M

Mike Window

Senior Member & Supporter
Having been to the Barbel Society Show last weekend there doesn't appear to be any comments about it on the BFW site.
I would be interested to hear any thoughts from BFW members
Mike
 
Hi Graham
I am a Hants Avon man myself living between Salisbury and Ringwood.
Went up on the Friday. Absolute nightmare journey taking 6 1/2 hours. Journey home on Sunday night 3 3/4 hours.
My wife and I only really went to meet up with friends whom we haven't seen since the show previous to lockdown.
I didn't get a chance to listen to the speakers properly which was a shame.
To me it appeared the footfall and number of trade stands were well down on previous shows I have been to.
 
My thoughts after not attending a show for many years...... I only attended as a contributor to the Book launch going on. I got the impression Terry Theobald wanted some supprot in numbers. The launch went well; but, the rest of the show, I felt was a bit of a damp scrip!!! Numbers were well down, both staying over the night before and for the show. I remember occasions in the past when hundreds would be having a good drink and chat on Saturday night; I doubt if there were twenty of us there this year!
I estimate that only about 150 attended the show, the atmosphere felt heavy and sad, and the talks apart from Jack Perks and his underwater photography, were really just rehashes of what others have said before.... nothing new. I left at 1pm pm Sunday. If it hadn't been for the book launch, I would not have gone, and I now I never will. IMO, there is a loss of interest from anglers to support organisations, there is too much secrecy and wishes to protect individual fishing to join together to rally together to bring change to the destroying of our rivers.
If that sounds harsh, I do feel that this site has much positive comments and posts, yet how many of us do more than talk the talk and not do much else:(:(:(
 
I would imagine that attendance in specialist group meetings is down across the board and will continue to fall.

Going back 30 years there were three ways to learn - getting told, reading books or attending Society meets and listening to the speakers.

With the Internet all of the info is available on line.
 
Richard Bruton said:
I would imagine that attendance in specialist group meetings is down across the board and will continue to fall.

Going back 30 years there were three ways to learn - getting told, reading books or attending Society meets and listening to the speakers.

With the Internet all of the info is available on line.
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Bang on.

Im old enough to remember the NASA weekend conferences that started in the late 70's. They were the highlight of the angling year and a chance to meet and listen to my heroes.

Trefor and Tony were the standouts one year, I remember Trefor actually casting across the stage underarm to demonstrate precision bait placement. Another winner was matchman Ivan Marks (no relation, unfortunately).

Great times for a budding specimen hunter...
 
Tim Marks said:
Bang on.

Im old enough to remember the NASA weekend conferences that started in the late 70's. They were the highlight of the angling year and a chance to meet and listen to my heroes.

Trefor and Tony were the standouts one year, I remember Trefor actually casting across the stage underarm to demonstrate precision bait placement. Another winner was matchman Ivan Marks (no relation, unfortunately).

Great times for a budding specimen hunter...
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Best weekend of the year
 
Jake Hogger said:
Are you for real Paul?
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Unfortunately Jake, I am. The show this year didn't cut it, in so much there is more atmosphere in the pre AGM at the BCC . There were very few of the real Barbel anglers that we were brought up with. Even Popey wasn't really fireing, he looked as though he was just going through the motions
 
I have attended the show many times over the years. My last time was with Gerry Giles before the show moved another 1.5 hour away from us to Telford. In the past it seemed that Barbel Society numbers and members were mainly Southern anglers. I do not know what the distribution is these days but maybe they should look at where the majority live if they are down on numbers. We used to have regional meetings in Uxbridge golf club. Organised by Dave Russell and his mate. If I remember correctly over 90 turned up on one occasion. 50+ was the norm. We had fantastic evenings with some top quality guest speakers from all over the country. One great evening was Alan Henshaw from Calverton and Luke Moffet about catfishing, both Natural and very funny speakers. These regional meetings stopped for some reason around 2000 ?. I was told that paying the speakers was considered wrong by the BS hierarchy, not sure that was correct. But if it was it was a bad decision. Soon after our meetings stopped. Others like Paul Rogers, Steve Sorrell and others have run some good meetings but the attendances never got back to the early years. For me and probably other southern anglers its now just too far North. Maybe the show is going downhill like a lot of Barbel fishing in this country and this is showing in the attendee numbers.
 
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I'm a member of the BS, rejoined 2 years ago after a gap of 20 odd years. There's 164 members on the BS Membership fb page, I think that says a lot about membership numbers, and it's perceived relevance now. I remember being a member pre social media days and before the explosion in barbel fishing popularity, and how good the BS shows were then. They would be over a weekend! And when every region had an active meeting set up, yet there are probably far more 'barbel anglers' now than there were then! I wonder how many are members now purely to be able to fish their waters, Sutton and Normanton in particular.
 
Mark Swaby said:
I have attended the show many times over the years. My last time was with Gerry Giles before the show moved another 1.5 hour away from us to Telford. In the past it seemed that Barbel Society numbers and members were mainly Southern anglers. I do not know what the distribution is these days but maybe they should look at where the majority live if they are down on numbers. We used to have regional meetings in Uxbridge golf club. Organised by Dave Russell and his mate. If I remember correctly over 90 turned up on one occasion. 50+ was the norm. We had fantastic evenings with some top quality guest speakers from all over the country. These regional meetings stopped for some reason around 2000 ?. I was told that paying the speakers was considered wrong by the BS hierarchy, not sure that was correct. But if it was it was a bad decision. Soon after our meetings stopped. Others like Paul and Steve have run some great meetings but the attendances never got back to the early years. For me and probably other southern anglers its now just too far North. Maybe the show is going downhill like a lot of Barbel fishing in this country and this is showing in the attendee numbers.
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Mark, I attended Uxbridge events probably about the same time as you. Fred Crouch usually around too.


I also ran the Berks meetings at the Lands End Pub for a bit. Regular attendance 80 plus.

Yes the few BS meetings long ago had about 250 members attending, Few drinks consumed.... .I even did a talk once.

Yes, too far to go for many and the Barbel is no longer a mystery fish to catch as it was years and years go
 
Mark Swaby said:
I have attended the show many times over the years. My last time was with Gerry Giles before the show moved another 1.5 hour away from us to Telford. In the past it seemed that Barbel Society numbers and members were mainly Southern anglers. I do not know what the distribution is these days but maybe they should look at where the majority live if they are down on numbers. We used to have regional meetings in Uxbridge golf club. Organised by Dave Russell and his mate. If I remember correctly over 90 turned up on one occasion. 50+ was the norm. We had fantastic evenings with some top quality guest speakers from all over the country. One great evening was Alan Henshaw from Calverton and Luke Moffet about catfishing, both Natural and very funny speakers. These regional meetings stopped for some reason around 2000 ?. I was told that paying the speakers was considered wrong by the BS hierarchy, not sure that was correct. But if it was it was a bad decision. Soon after our meetings stopped. Others like Paul Rogers, Steve Sorrell and others have run some good meetings but the attendances never got back to the early years. For me and probably other southern anglers its now just too far North. Maybe the show is going downhill like a lot of Barbel fishing in this country and this is showing in the attendee numbers.
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Hi Mark.
I remember you turning up to a couple of the meetings I ran; we had an average of forty attendees, and wonderful😁 speakers like Graham, who shared more than the I went, I caught, type of talk the modern 'Trent angler' who gives most the talks now gives. As Graham said above legends!!! not true heroes.
And, as for where most of the members come from now, it is tipped heavily to the midlands and the north. Sad to see a demise of the southern barbel angler☹️
 
I enjoyed the show more this year for catching up with my fishing mates , this years show I felt was a little disappointing on previous years ,maybe the way forward would be to do more regional meetings with a guest speaker ?
 
Paul Rogers said:
Hi Mark.
I remember you turning up to a couple of the meetings I ran; we had an average of forty attendees, and wonderful😁 speakers like Graham, who shared more than the I went, I caught, type of talk the modern 'Trent angler' who gives most the talks now gives. As Graham said above legends!!! not true heroes.
And, as for where most of the members come from now, it is tipped heavily to the midlands and the north. Sad to see a demise of the southern barbel angler☹️
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Thanks Paul.

Had a call come through. Things will change. Southwards and format wise I hope, after some honest suggestions.

Trent angler talks...IP style?( smiley)

Bunged in some other ideas.
 
I get the impression, that the Telford venue doesn't suit many barbel anglers, other than those living near the Wye and Severn. It doesn't bother me personally (what's an extra hour or two) although I can see a good reason for a venue located near Newark or Nottingham. Centrally located for northern and southern anglers, good roads links and near to the prime 'barbel action'. The PAC conferences were held in Leeds and Manchester for years, as these venues were centrally located for southern and Scottish anglers. You'll never please everyone.
 
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