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Heat!

I personally think ( and a lot of my angling friends do too) that we should start petitioning for another review of the coarse season dates , we lose so much of our season now with these dangerous warm conditions and then winter floods, only to stop in March when conditions start improving for a vague perceived date of spawning in May or June . These last few seasons spawning has been somewhere between may and late July , and we know that fishing is still going on - not only “trout fishing” but regular poaching on a lot of river stretches nationally . Fishery closures when spawning is reported should be a local fishery decision not a set date , just as closing due to heat or poor conditions The trouble is - when you look how the last EA review was met with such apathy by anglers and fisheries ( I did post some of the review response on a post previously) , it would probably meet the same response and result - a majority are not even vaguely interested to respond to any questionnaire . - but maybe the Angling trust as our representatives ( much as some dislike them - but thats what they are !) need to be approached to at least start the conversation with the EA for those that do care and can be bothered. Maybe we could get a change that is long overdue
 
I am not even sure resting a Barbel in the net in the margins of a very warm river is any good either. I do wonder, within reason, whether you are better off letting them get back out in the flow in deeper water. Clearly if the fish is that knackered that you can't do that then you have a real problem and this really points to not being there at all. Difficult one isn't it?
 
Richard Bruton said:
I don't disagree with your comments Simon but there's also the issue of nesting birds to consider from March.
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I know what you mean, but birds nest around stillwaters and canals too, so in some respects the fact the close season was abolished for those makes it sort of irrelevant to the river closed season question maybe? (such a tricky one to consider… and I agree with you).

My own opinion is just like clubs do with carp spawning, closing the river or areas of river should be down to the club that controls that section based on when barbel spawn. Last year they spawned on the kennet in mid July for example, not late may/early June, I think the climate and seasons shifting has made the current close season almost obsolete in that respect. It certainly needs rethinking, closing in summer due to low water/oxygen (the right decision), flooded and inaccessible more often in winter, closed in spring/early summer, if that continues it simply isn’t feasible long term for any angling club or the ea with yearly rod licences/annual tickets. I think a model where rivers are open year round and closed for fish welfare/spawning at the discretion of the angling club is much more up to date.
 
Jim Gregory said:
I'm not sure, but the dissolved oxygen level, according to our fishery officer. Is lower during darkness than in the daylight, lowering as the light fades. so if you think you're doing the fish a favor by fishing later till dusk.
You’re actually not....
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Bang on Jim.
Dissolved oxygen levels in the water drop with the sunlight because aquatic plants, algae and weed etc stop producing oxygen at night.
 
First thing in the morning from day break brake onwards is the lowest point in the oxygen cycle. This is the time to take DO readings to get a baseline. It's a fascinating subject especially on how it affects fish behaviour. Those periods of low pressure stormy weather that are associated with good conditions to catch actually result a drop in oxygen levels. Bloodworm beds will become more active as the worms push themselves to the slit surface during these periods because of the lower oxygen causing a feeding frenzy. I witnessed carp going on a feeding spree on a blood worm bed when the lake was at crisis point, so strong was their innate drive to feed knowing that these were easy pickings time.

Simon Scott has done some excellent podcast on the subject (possibly baitworks podcast from memory). My knowledge on river variance of DO levels through out the day or conditions is sparse so would be interested in being pointed in the right direction for a layman's view.
 
This whole question of DO (dissolved oxygen) levels is fundamental to running a fishery and understanding how it affects fish welfare.
Our small club in Norfolk have had to get to grips with this as we nearly lost all our fish a few years ago when DO levels crashed.
The EA stepped in and saved the day with 2 x massive aerators. The club has now invested in 2 of our own plus a DO reader. Readings are taken regularly.
The other interesting factor is what happens during a thunderstorm. Great to have rain, but when it's "dumped" into lake a thing called "turnover" occurs where the cold rainwater goes to the bottom pushing warm water up and upsets the "balance" in the lake. Not sure if the same occurs in rivers?
Let's pray for nice "steady" rain! 🌧
 
If I was lucky enough to catch a barbel at this time I'd certainly forego a picture or two in the interests of fish welfare. I know it's the in thing to capture a photo with fish in hands but a simple photo in the landing net and an approximation of size is good enough for me.
In terms of water temps and things then certainly a sudden influx of cooler water for me always seems to turn the fish off feeding rather than turning it on. It seems to take a while for things to return to normal so even though there has been some recent rain it may not really be enough to turn river fishing back on for a while. I'm not sure of other peoples views but that's what I've found.
 
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