Late spawning fun!

[Kenneth Thompson]

Just got back from the royalty and the fish are hard at it again, hopefully they will get it out of their system after this hot weekend. Good to whach them tearing around and splashing though. Had 3 right in front at my feet, dirty rotters!

Any of you chaps seen any 'Late' Spawning on your rivers?

 

[David Hall]

yep, so much for the closed season.

 

[Ray Walton]

Remember! They were spawning in the early/mid close season also.
Makes you think if the close season should be even longer if you want a higher recruitment and survival rate for the future!

 

[David Hall]

yes ray, kind of, changed at least.

 

[Steven Palmer]

First saw them spawning April 23rd, still spawning on the same spot June 19th.

 

[Nick Clark]

Still spawning on the Kennet on the 23rd June - not so many as seen in Late May but still at it.

 

[Martin James]

I want be back on the rivers until about the middle of July to give the fish a chance to spawn and recover. Having travelled 250 miles I caught a chub with milt coming from the vent, I stopped fishing immediately. On another river I could see barbel spawning, so I gave up. On a day ticket stretch I watched a loutish person with a barbel about 5lbs taking a picture of the fish as eggs flowed from its vent. I gave him a sound verbal lashing. Though I felt like giving him a thrashing, but though better of it. Others were fishing without a care in the world. I along with other anglers left the river in disgust. I spent a couple of days watching fish and doing some habitat work before travelling back home.

 

[Mark Thompson]

Still spawning in my garden pond also.

 

[Adrian Williams]

I want be back on the rivers until about the middle of July to give the fish a chance to spawn and recover. Having travelled 250 miles I caught a chub with milt coming from the vent, I stopped fishing immediately. On another river I could see barbel spawning, so I gave up. On a day ticket stretch I watched a loutish person with a barbel about 5lbs taking a picture of the fish as eggs flowed from its vent. I gave him a sound verbal lashing. Though I felt like giving him a thrashing, but though better of it. Others were fishing without a care in the world. I along with other anglers left the river in disgust. I spent a couple of days watching fish and doing some habitat work before travelling back home.

Very virtuous of you Martin. However, the only barbel I have managed to catch this year (I only fished opening day for a few hours) was completely spawned out.

I'm sure the guy you gave a 'sound verbal lashing' to thought you were a pompous ass, perhaps your purpose would have been better served by congratulating him on his capture and then educating him in the finer points of retaining and photographing an obviously gravid fish.

And forgive my ignorance if I'm wrong but I thought the only reason sea trout enter the rivers to is to spawn? In which case don't you see any irony in the fact that after you left your chosen 'barbel' river you then chose to deliberately fish for gravid fish?

 

[Stephen Bond]

Any of you chaps seen any 'Late' Spawning on your rivers?

Yes, they were still spawning in the middle Thames this week.

 

[Colin Gordon]

On a day ticket stretch I watched a loutish person with a barbel about 5lbs taking a picture of the fish as eggs flowed from its vent. I gave him a sound verbal lashing. Though I felt like giving him a thrashing, but though better of it.

Get a grip, if you care about fish that much, try going without any hooks; don't want to risk damaging poor old fishy's gob eh?

I say educate, not berate, as I can assure you, if you someone started ranting at me I'd either blatantly ignore them or tell them **** off.

And forgive my ignorance if I'm wrong but I thought the only reason sea trout enter the rivers to is to spawn? In which case don't you see any irony in the fact that after you left your chosen 'barbel' river you then chose to deliberately fish for gravid fish?

Ade, the thing is, as another (hypocritical) sea trout/salmon angler informed me (on here), it's the only time they can viably target what are rapidly disappearing species.

Remember! They were spawning in the early/mid close season also.
Makes you think if the close season should be even longer if you want a higher recruitment and survival rate for the future!

Ray, I can assure you angling pressure has absolutely nada, nothing, zilch to do with poor fish recruitment.
Thing is there's a bit of a trend; areas of poorest fish recruitment get the lowest levels of angling pressure and I've asked before; what of the truly mixed species rivers like the Windrush, Kennet, Teme and Hampshire Avon.
Should we then abstain from fishing as of 1/10 until 1/7, so to promote optimal spawning conditions we only fish for 3 months a year?

 

[Ray Walton]

I say educate, not berate, as I can assure you, if you someone started ranting at me I'd either blatantly ignore them or tell them **** off.

It seems some are past the point of taking in relevant and valid education advice, but the same are only too willing to rant it out themselves! I am pretty sure if you were in Martin's position, you would/should have done the same, but there again... probably not!

Ray, I can assure you angling pressure has absolutely nada, nothing, zilch to do with poor fish recruitment.
QUOTE]

Afraid it does Colin when a barbel, especially the last remaining barbel drops 10,000 eggs on the your lap.
**** goes another future year class of the dwindling population that you talk about.
It will be a contributing factor despite there being other possible reasonings.

 

[Chris Summersell]

They were still spawning on the Colne on the 16th June, exciting to watch them tearing around the shallows!

Agree with Colin that you're nearly always better off educating than berating, it's amazing how much more people take in when you are polite and reasonable rather than just going off on a rant. Today I had a belly up barbel float past me which I managed to revive, unfortunately the captor had moved when I went to speak to him about it but I definitely don't think bending his ear would have done a lot of good. Also remember some of these people may be new to angling, so being calm but firm is in most cases the best way forward.

 

[Craig Wood]

Does this information prove the point regarding the current close seasons validity?..How on earth can we say lets have the close season on these dates, when its the weather that dictates when the fish spawn!..And as already seen by most the temps have been up and down for well over a month now and i would guess the fish dont know if their coming or going..However i suspect that some have spawned and others are still trying..Are these venues where fish are blatently spawning going to close untill their finished?..

 

[Ray Walton]

Are these venues where fish are blatantly spawning going to close until their finished?..

Of course they won’t as fishing has become highly commercial and money and profit orientated, thus disregarding the conservation, protection and survival requirements of the fish.
I am sure that some clubs and syndicates, who have a conscience, future outlook and treasure their fish, may think different and consider and impose a closure at this time, just as some do in high water temperatures when fish are at risk due to low water oxygen levels, heat and higher stress factors!
If they don't/won’t close a fishery, strict restrictions should be imposed on removing the fish from the water, no weighing and no photographing being a bare minimum, as some do on occasions. Even closing the spawning ground area/swims would go some way to protecting the fish and future stocks at this time!
I would bet at this moment, there are 30-40 anglers on the Royalty, (as Ken and others mention) some of which are deliberately trying to catch the ‘spawning fish’, disregarding or uneducated about the probable consequences of such an act.
But there again, when the population decline is noticed in the future years, you can always buy some more from a fish farm or the EA.

 

[Colin Gordon]

I say educate, not berate, as I can assure you, if you someone started ranting at me I'd either blatantly ignore them or tell them **** off.

It seems some are past the point of taking in relevant and valid education advice, but the same are only too willing to rant it out themselves! I am pretty sure if you were in Martin's position, you would/should have done the same, but there again... probably not!

Ray, I can assure you angling pressure has absolutely nada, nothing, zilch to do with poor fish recruitment.
QUOTE]

Afraid it does Colin when a barbel, especially the last remaining barbel drops 10,000 eggs on the your lap.
**** goes another future year class of the dwindling population that you talk about.
It will be a contributing factor despite there being other possible reasonings.

Would I react in the sam fashion as Martin and presumably you?
No because like said and Chris concurred with, rant and people ignore. Though hard educate via an explanation will gain a greater positive response, as I know if someone ranted at me, the last thing I'd do is listen.


Point taken on last of a species BUT I don't go with this 'special' treatment for my preferred species. So on the basis that brown trout are even rarer on the Cherwell than barbel. Thing is I rarely fish rivers until autumn, so I guess that only leaves me September?
Either that or demonstrate double standards, I guess there's the Thames and I've never heard of trout coming out around Oxford.


Thing is I find it damned condescending that Martin or any other sea trout/salmon angler can even remotely begin to lecture on not pursuing spawn laden fish, when that is the very essence of salmon and sea trout angling.

 

[Martin James]

this so called person, I want call him an angler, didn't want to listen hence the verbal lashing. Fish of any species are the most important things in our lives as anglers and should be treated with respect. They are the future for kids not yet born to enjoy what we do today.

 

[Martin James]

Reference catching sea trout these fish are not ready to drop their eggs until the autumn, We pack up fly fishing for them long before they cut their reds,also I return all my salmon and sea trout

 

[Colin Gordon]

this so called person, I want call him an angler, didn't want to listen hence the verbal lashing. Fish of any species are the most important things in our lives as anglers and should be treated with respect. They are the future for kids not yet born to enjoy what we do today.

That's fair enough, in that instance I would have probably reacted similarly.

Reference catching sea trout these fish are not ready to drop their eggs until the autumn, We pack up fly fishing for them long before they cut their reds,also I return all my salmon and sea trout

Well not exactly the whole truth; most areas (so I understand) have a season ending 30/9. On the basis spawning for salmon and all trout takes place between October and the end of March, with the peak activity period being between November and January. The exact timing depends on the river’s location, the flow and temperature.

So invariably some years, you (collective you) must be cutting it rather finely?

You seem quite a principled angler, so am I to take it that too avoid catching out of season game fish, you abstain from coarse fishing on rivers that have a reasonable head of game fish and vice versa regards game fishing on rivers containing good numbers of coarse fish.
So adopting my suggested 3 month open season.

 

[Paul Boote]

You know, I have been a dedicated and pretty effective coarse and gamefisher since the age of four and a half (coarse) and six (game), and how tired I have grown over the years of being the target for sh1t thrown by both sides of the British freshwater Angling spectrum, coming to the regrettable conclusion that, when push comes to shove and a lot of argy-bargy, British Anglers have one default setting, and one only - "I suspect, resent and despise you.".