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Dissapearing Barbel stocks

David,

It would be more associated with survival of year classes, the local, rivers, Kennet, Loddon, Thames have a definite Gap indicating that very few if any fish survived from the 2007, 2008 year classes where we had fairly intense floods, If I remember rightly, 2003, 2004 were also bad years with regards survival of new juveniles.........

2009, 2010 were much better years and I suspect 2011 will be awsome with the low, slow warm water and loads of weed cover, great juvenile habitat..........
 
Yes Crooky, that would be great but there is absolutely no weed in my club's stretch of the Kennet.


Alas


Hugo



 
Hugo,

I think you are talking of a stretch just below Newbury Manor Hotel, have not seen it this year but normally very weedy, the Kennet does silt up quite quickly with the boat stirring up the mud in the canalised and slower stretches. 2007 really cleaned MOST stretches of silt.
In general though, there are a lot of small Barbel showing in various stretches again with a good few featuring in some of the matches. If that stretch is silting badly, it sounds like it needs some shallow baffles introducing which would effectively narrow and speed up the river at low flow, felled and staked trees do an excellent job in this respect. They will cause more siltation behind them though.........

When the problem is lack of flow there is little that can be done if narrowing the river is not feasible......
 
Crooky,

The stretch is near to the one you mention; Chubby 1 fished it with me a season or so back. You are absolutely right about the baffles, the scaffolding poles are there but the wood has rotted away. The river is shallow and silted up and the banks are being eroded. Perhaps you should be Chairman of our club as well!


Regards


Hugo

 
Hi Hugo,
I fish between Reading and Newbury, plenty of weed of all types to the point that getting the hook on the bottom can be a drama.
The greater spotted weed fish is has very often graced my bank this season and it tends to be full of all sorts of natural foods.
I don't fish boat traffic sections which may help.

Rich
 
Concur with Rich. The weed between Newbury and Reading is healthier and more abundant than 3-4 years ago. It feels like the river is in good condition here at any rate. I catch enough of it to know. Hants Avon and Stour have too much of the stuff.

Congratulations on the wedding hope to see you soon with a fish.
 
Hi all,
Thanks Nick I will catch up with you soon no doubt.
Hugo, I don't even think my club has done that much (but I may be wrong) just lucky I guess.

Rich
 
Thev Royalty is full of small barbel at the moment, how many will make it through to be adult fish is debateable but there is certainly some recruitment going on. There have also been a number of juvenile fish spotted for the last couple of seasons above the weir, an area which is very rarely fished. It often astounds me how many are about sometimes when you can't get a bite!

I have twice this year so far come across a swim holding at least 15-20 barbel of varying sizes and they were pretty difficult to catch, that being more to do with my lack of angling ability than anything else!

My overall summation would be that there are more barbel present in this strech now than there was when I went first in 2004.

Regards,

Jeff
 
Hi Jeff,
i am surprised that you can spot any fish at your age................
Only joking, i hope you and Cat are well.
Brian.
 
Hiya Brian,

Both very well thanks.

I'm coming down at the end of the month for a bit of barbel/pike fishing.

Do you fancy a day out on the Royalty or maybe you can take me over to throop?

hope you can both make it out for a beer?

Best regards as ever,

Jeff
 
Hi Jeff,
i think a day on Throop will do you the world of good, i will pick you up, thats if my van can take the strain, i will contact you nearer the date.
chees mate.
Brian.
 
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