Bradford on Avon

[Nigel Starr]

My first Barbel was below Isis weir on the Almagamated stretch by the bridge, a small stone drop created a deeper pool which held barbel, had two that day and with my lads it ignited the flame. You could see the Barbel and Chub it was heart stopping stuff.
Don't think we can solely blame predation, abstraction and farming spillage together with Sewage Treatment Works total disregard to their code of practise we are left with this sad state of affairs.
It actually hurts to think about it.

I fished Kellaways towards the start of the season. I was shocked how they had chopped all the trees down on the stretch down from Kellaways road bridge. I considered it vandalism and there appears to be a lack of river management.

As you said @Neil Smart it used to be quite inspiring to fish and watch the barbel and chub. I concur with your comments and believe it is an accumulation of different issues over a period of time including lack of policing by the EA and clubs taking ownership of the river.

Since coming back to fishing, I am yet to catch a barbel but I am thinking I may need to go further afield. I have had plenty of chub from the BA though.

 

[Tim Marks]

My first Barbel was below Isis weir on the Almagamated stretch by the bridge, a small stone drop created a deeper pool which held barbel, had two that day and with my lads it ignited the flame. You could see the Barbel and Chub it was heart stopping stuff.
Don't think we can solely blame predation, abstraction and farming spillage together with Sewage Treatment Works total disregard to their code of practise we are left with this sad state of affairs.
It actually hurts to think about it.

I know Mark Everard a bit and he reckons that since he started on the upper BA (90’s) the amount of water in the upper river has fallen by 50% - primarily because of increased abstraction.

I can remember the glory days of the big roach and the barbel. One mate had 10, 2lb roach in a day and another had 5 double figure barbel in a day…..

 

[Joe Winstanley]

I know Mark Everard a bit and he reckons that since he started on the upper BA (90’s) the amount of water in the upper river has fallen by 50% - primarily because of increased abstraction.

I can remember the glory days of the big roach and the barbel. One mate had 10, 2lb roach in a day and another had 5 double figure barbel in a day…..

I recall Stef Horak saying something similar about the Ouse.

And that level of abstraction compounds all the other problems.

 

[Neil Smart]

I know Mark Everard a bit and he reckons that since he started on the upper BA (90’s) the amount of water in the upper river has fallen by 50% - primarily because of increased abstraction.

I can remember the glory days of the big roach and the barbel. One mate had 10, 2lb roach in a day and another had 5 double figure barbel in a day…..

Met Mark Everard a couple of times Cow Bridge he did a couple of vids there..love his nail rigs. I saw some huge roach there managed my pb 2.75 the smallest in the shoal.. Poor management has cost dearly...when we will actually protect our fisheries? Great Somerford was a special place such major crash in such a short time. For me the biggest problem lies in Agriculture run off.

 

[Neil Smart]

I fished Kellaways towards the start of the season. I was shocked how they had chopped all the trees down on the stretch down from Kellaways road bridge. I considered it vandalism and there appears to be a lack of river management.

As you said @Neil Smart it used to be quite inspiring to fish and watch the barbel and chub. I concur with your comments and believe it is an accumulation of different issues over a period of time including lack of policing by the EA and clubs taking ownership of the river.

Since coming back to fishing, I am yet to catch a barbel but I am thinking I may need to go further afield. I have had plenty of chub from the BA though.

The decline has been rapid where I now live lwr severn warks avon Teme and now the Wye. Again it's such a rapid decline it surely has to be Agriculture to be the culprit.along with abstraction.

 

[Chris Guy]

The decline has been rapid where I now live lwr severn warks avon Teme and now the Wye. Again it's such a rapid decline it surely has to be Agriculture to be the culprit.along with abstraction.

And predation