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Double Standards

Graham Elliott

Graham Elliott

Senior Member & Supporter
Whilst many of you wait to feel comfortable about barbel fishing given the temperatures.....

With varying advice being given,
such as don't fish if the air temperature is over 20 degrees............
There are some big barbel being caught even by the advice group givers.!! Because the rivers OK...

I'm not saying that's wrong, just that it's not really cricket chaps.

The bit of the W Avon I have fished recently has been IMO ok....up to now anyway.

Confusing isn't it.
 
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The Air temperature last year was over 20 degrees many times. Yet a single species group didnt post that we shouldn't fish it then? Also if the single species group ambassador can guide people for payment....it lessens my belief in this groups credibility.
All fish need care.....not just barbel....fish well oxygenated waters...below weirs....if it's too hot do as me and my mucka did on Sunday....visit and observe waters...you'll be surprised what you see.
 
The "single species group ambassador" commented that he cannot believe that the Wye and Usk are allowing people to coarse fish on their waters but have banned salmon fishing because of the water temperature making coarse fish second rate. On the Hampshire avon the salmon fishing stops if the water temperature is above 19 degrees by agreement with the owners but the coarse fishing continues, he seems to have missed this in his dig at the Wye and usk. He also says their waters are open but fails to mention that some of them are closed for coarse fishing. Agree regarding the guiding for "money" and then criticising the Wye and Usk for allowing people to fish because of the money, appears to be hypocritical to me.
 
Well I'm setting my own standard tomorrow, been waiting for the weather to change so will be off for the first time this season fishing for barbel on the lower middle, upper lower Severn. It will b a bivvy session and a holiday for the dog and if I'm lucky to catch a barbel or two they will be well looked after before returning to the water.
 
The Wye has been badly affected due to it's very low water, the Warks Avon less so, there is Boat traffic constantly around these parts and if it deep enough for boats I guess it's deep enough for fish. Plus the movements up and down of the boats, and the props stirring things up actually might help? Of course the immediate effect of such will be an oxygen 'fix' the downside is the disturbance of sediment.

But the WA is seemingly doing fine, and recently I hooked into a right Zoo creature that stripped off line and lead me a right dance, I have never had a scrap like that from a freshwater fish...I thought I had it beat, only for the hook to dislodge under the rod tip :mad:.

I have been lucky in that I don't lose many fish, but that was gutting, and I still wake up in a hot sweat thinking about it Disgruntled after that I just lobbed in the still attached pellet and 2 minutes later I just managed to grab the air born Torrix by the butt before it went in...but nothing attached.!!!
I am thinking could be Carp, but the fish I lost did surface some way away... looked like a very big...no I can't even think about it. :rolleyes:

When I retrieved the rig on the lost fish, the hair rigged hook had been pointing up the line, and had shifted 180 degrees, my thoughts are the pellet a 14 mm, was just a bit too big for the size 10 pallatrax 'gripz' although the hair was not short, but the fish possibly found some leveridge from the pellet on what is really a barbless hook.

I have tied some new rigs with size 8's and alligner's on each, and upped the artillery , but of course as we all know I will probably never get another chance.
 
Graham Elliott said:
Whilst many of you wait to feel comfortable about barbel fishing given the temperatures.....

With varying advice being given,
such as don't fish if the air temperature is over 20 degrees............
There are some big barbel being caught even by the advice group givers.!! Because the rivers OK...

I'm not saying that's wrong, just that it's not really cricket chaps.

The bit of the W Avon I have fished recently has been IMO ok....up to now anyway.

Confusing isn't it.
Click to expand...

Isn't it 20° water temperature?
 
Agreed, the WA is fishing OK, I've been doing pretty well there lately. The 'Single Species Ambassador' was calling people that questioned him w***ers on his video diary thing last week, even though the Single Species Society he purports to respresent have closed their stretches to angling. Double standards indeed.
 
Rhys.
You are right of course. My error.

Was reading Groups calling for bans on barbel or total fishing during this heatwave yet it seems some of the Groups senior members still barbel fishing. And catching big fish.

As mentioned, some rivers seem ok.
 
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Thats a very good sensible bit of writing Paul.

And it makes sense that the fairly heavily streamer weeded stretch on the WA I have been fishing seems ok for all species currently.
 
Graham....its water Temps that are the problem not air, certain species die once water gets to 25c, water temp on the middle severn is at 22c, whilst Barbel and other species will undoubtedly survive this current period, some won't and catching them lessons their chances of survival. Lactic acid build up in the fishes muscles during a fight with a hooked barbel can be exasperated with the current high water temps and low DO levels, this can cause acidification of the barbels blood which can cause the complete metabolic breakdown of the barbel, it may swim off strong out of instinct and you may treat it with the utmost care whilst in you try to resuscitate them, but this still may not avoid the barbels death once you have returned the fish, you won't even know about it, there are many scientific papers on this subject, it isn't necessary the conditions that kill its our negative contribution to the situation that causes the problem, my advice is leave the barbel alone for the time being.
 
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Ho Lol. Yes pointed out my error earlier re temperatures to Rhys.

Yes. I have read multiple articles on the subject of late. I M O the one highlighted by Paul above is the most sensible and easy to read and understand.
The point of this thread was to point out that certain "groups" are recommending we stop fishing or the very least barbel fishing yet certain high profile members or group originators are still barbel fishing!?

My post was NOT pointing toward the BS in this instance. Although I believe a strong advisory approach is better received than an antagonistic one in general.

By the way, the Wye is not a river I would fish currently, although a heavy incidence of rain in Wales above Builth Wells could change that view.

Last week the WA was in fine fettle after a drop of rain and although I took a trotting approach on the water a number of barbel were caught at the same time.

The name of the game is commonsense, allowing for the fact a club or society will have a mixture of novice and experienced anglers a blanket ban seems sensible in many cases.


However, a group that calls for a blanket ban on ALL waters should not expect its senior hierachy to ignore that call and carry on. IMO.
 
Kevin Daly said:
The Air temperature last year was over 20 degrees many times. Yet a single species group didnt post that we shouldn't fish it then? Also if the single species group ambassador can guide people for payment....it lessens my belief in this groups credibility.
All fish need care.....not just barbel....fish well oxygenated waters...below weirs....if it's too hot do as me and my mucka did on Sunday....visit and observe waters...you'll be surprised what you see.
Click to expand...

i'm not fishing for Barbel Kevin, but as i've said on these pages and elsewhere, that's my choice i don't condemn others that wish too. Having said that ... your comment on it being over 20 degrees many times last year ... 20's not too bad i think !!! Even high 20's on any given day... but this is going on, and on, and oooon !!! The Thames feels like a bath, it's not so much the air temperature on any given day, it's consistant high temps that shove water temp up,and up, the bacterial growth goes mad, and therefore the accompanying drop in oxygen, which is whjy i'm not fishing, if we had these temps for a few days .. a week even, it'd probably be ok for me, it's just that this is so prolonged in my opinion, it's just not worth the risk, in thes parts at any rate.
 
Funny enough Graham, Lewis Baldwin has a stretch on the Warks Avon and was anxious to do the right thing, so we put him in touch with one of our freshwater biologist contacts in the EA and strangely enough the EA have given approval to fish the Avon, i was amazed! The BS wouldnt tell anyone not to fish, its personal choice, we took advice from the EA to suspend barbel fishing on our Trent and Lower Severn venues, we have had great support from our members in doing what we are doing and thats good enough for us, we are only doing what we think is right for the Barbel that's all ...
 
Yes Lol.
But its how you announce and follow on with the decision that calls into question a professional approach.
However your EA sampling was a good move.
Also you need everyone on side.....that is part of the side,
onside.....( excluding Wanxxxx)Sorry but true.
 
Graham Elliott said:
Yes Lol.
But its how you announce and follow on with the decision that calls into question a professional approach.
However your EA sampling was a good move.
Also you need everyone on side.....that is part of the side,
onside.....( excluding Wanxxxx)Sorry but true.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately Graham the barbel world is very fragmented and divided, the Barbel Society is dammed if it does and dammed if it doesn't , as i said we try our best, but invariably fail to please everyone....thats just way it is mate.
 
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