Noooooo

[Graham Elliott]

How to catch barbel in a pond. And the secrets revealed. Wow.

Hope its not the 12lber nicked from the thames round the corner from me.

 

[Kevin Daly]

Hardly be the first Graham. First one I recall was a Team fish in the early 90's, that packed its bags and made it all the way to a midlands fishery that was for a time sponsored by a leading tackle maker.
Despite an endless supply of pellet they don't do well enough to challenge the record, do they?

 

[David Hall]

A stillwater barbel record, No thanks.

 

[Jeff Collins]

Please excuse my ignorance, but genuinely would a stillwater barbel be legitimate for a claim on the British record?

 

[Peter Littleworth]

Definitely, no reason why not, its only a barbel, not some alien hybrid!
peter

 

[David Hall]

Please excuse my ignorance, but genuinely would a stillwater barbel be legitimate for a claim on the British record?

Yep, don't see why not.

 

[Steve Williams]

Which 4lb perch was that... You've had so many.....

 

[Andrew Boyne]

Despite an endless supply of pellet they don't do well enough to challenge the record, do they?

Maybe they do and it's simply that the Stillwater Barbel specialists are even more tight lipped about the capture of a big un than the river men! After all, a 22lb Barbel from the Thames or Trent would be pretty hard to track down compared to a similar sized fish in a commercial puddle. Anyway, got to get some hemp on the go as I've a long weekend planned roving around Partridge Fisheries.

 

[Julian Peacock]

I have recently decided to stop buying AT because it really has got quite awful over the last few years. I shall now no longer be borrowing the AM either.

 

[Steve Collett]

Jesus christ

 

[Paul Carter]

Jesus christ

Is that next weeks front page of anglers mail .

 

[Graham Elliott]

Thats it...the secret.

You walk across the pond to the middle and fish there.................

 

[Darren Hawen]

...and then the pond water turns to wine. A nice red preferably

 

[Mark Anderson]

Hi men,

Hmmmm , one summer a big flood puts a few barbel from the Thames into one of the many big pits that run alongside . For years they grow on , making good sizes in their new large Stillwater home , and actually quiet like it . One morning a few years later a tench anglers float lifts , and a big old wild barbel gives him the runaround , but he lands a new PB by miles !. Wild fish .

A club owning a complex of gravel pits , tricky carp waters , full of weed . They are offered some fingerling carp to keep the stock going as otters have had a go , but the fencing should sort that out . During the stocking a few very small barbel have been accidentally put in , but they all swim off and get stuck in to the lovely new home , feeding in the weed , growing on looking really good .

The first a natural event , the second event was not , but do the barbel in that story sit there thinking to themselves " hold on , I should be in a river " , no they are just fish . I'm not advocating stocking them , as far as I'm concerned there ain't enough in my local river , let alone lakes !


Hatter

 

[Paul Boyle]

Thats it...the secret.

You walk across the pond to the middle and fish there.................

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LIKE IT .

 

[Howard Cooke]

It's easy to get slightly caught out when debating this sort of subject. My starting point would always be that barbel are clearly designed and incredibly well suited to rivers and I have been conditioned all my fishing life for thinking of them as a "pure" river species. That's where I expect to find them, that's where I expect and hope to catch them. If feels right, natural and proper. But then I deliberately try to extract them from there natural watery environment with a hook and hope that they really get a panic on because I get a better fight and hence better sport. Now I feel bad.

Nevertheless, for my sins, the deliberate stocking of barbel into an environment that is not an optimal one for them (although to be fair, I don't know what the actual impact or harm it has on barbel especially when it comes to breeding) quite probably for commercial gain, is not something I am at all comfortable with and I suspect I would avoid such a fishery. It's obviously different where barbel find themselves transported from a river into a lake by way of flooding-that's not deliberate and we know it works the other way with carp.

Something of a delicate balance but my feelings would be much more violently opposed if I knew, as a matter of fact, that being contained in still waters had a detrimental effect on the welfare and breeding responses etc of barbel. Again, I say that with a hint of hypocrisy given what I enjoy putting barbel through when I tempt them with bait.

 

[Paul Bassinder]

Hi men,

Hmmmm , one summer a big flood puts a few barbel from the Thames into one of the many big pits that run alongside . For years they grow on , making good sizes in their new large Stillwater home , and actually quiet like it . One morning a few years later a tench anglers float lifts , and a big old wild barbel gives him the runaround , but he lands a new PB by miles !. Wild fish .

A club owning a complex of gravel pits , tricky carp waters , full of weed . They are offered some fingerling carp to keep the stock going as otters have had a go , but the fencing should sort that out . During the stocking a few very small barbel have been accidentally put in , but they all swim off and get stuck in to the lovely new home , feeding in the weed , growing on looking really good .

The first a natural event , the second event was not , but do the barbel in that story sit there thinking to themselves " hold on , I should be in a river " , no they are just fish . I'm not advocating stocking them , as far as I'm concerned there ain't enough in my local river , let alone lakes !


Hatter

What an intelligent post, many thanks

Paul

 

[Mark Anderson]

Hi men,

Agreed Howard , as we normally do . There are many species more suited to stocking in lakes , so the choice should not be needed . Chub do very well in lakes , and they are river fish !, sometimes I think we put our own human thoughts into a fishes brains , if so all fish would like chicken tikka masala , and want Luton Town to win the premiership ! , but most of the time I'm sure they are thinking of food and sex !

Hatter

 

[Howard Cooke]

Hi men,

Agreed Howard , as we normally do . There are many species more suited to stocking in lakes , so the choice should not be needed . Chub do very well in lakes , and they are river fish !, sometimes I think we put our own human thoughts into a fishes brains , if so all fish would like chicken tikka masala , and want Luton Town to win the premiership ! , but most of the time I'm sure they are thinking of food and sex !

Hatter

Or the other way round Mark. Sex, then food (commencing with gusto wef 16 June).

 

[Neil Smart]

Obviously opinions will be divided on this, however I will say that out of all the species Barbel are perhaps one of the most well suited for a life in the River, so perhaps we should be careful when we admire the fighting qualities of Barbel that that might be dulled if a new crop of Pond Barbel impose their DNA on the species.

OK! I get the fact that those that don't like the idea of Barbel in still water might be accused of being a bit 'sniffy' but the thought of the Barbel being fished for in a River and with the Barbel being so enigmatic too, to me is the main appeal.

It just would not be the same experience to catch them along with the others that prefer a less romantic or challenging setting. Just look at the pictures the Where Am I thread has produced, and the increase in heart rate it has for me just looking, and I guess others, that is Why We Do It, surely?

This is creeping Carpbelling, however as some say I guess it is only fishing eh? What the hell do we bother with convention? Romance, all the rubbish about Mr Crabtree, Passion For Angling, Issac Walton... just fill the ponds with Barbel, there is money to be made.

Good luck with that.