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Prolonged heat
- Thread starter Kevin Daly
- Start date
Tony Rocca
Senior Member
We are still fishing in Spain, I guess our River Prince, Gold Bars, Coral Finned Wonders,
are made of the right stuff. Our fish here are Tory voters, where ze Inglish Barbel are lazy Labour voters. 
Time now for some lunch, don't worry guys the 'Hotters 
will eat off the remaining stock in the heat.
Now what landing net?
are made of the right stuff. Our fish here are Tory voters, where ze Inglish Barbel are lazy Labour voters. Time now for some lunch, don't worry guys the 'Hotters will eat off the remaining stock in the heat.Now what landing net?
Terry Simner
Senior Member & Supporter
This is weird ... the majority appear to be expressing their feeling that they shouldn't fish, and so they won't until rivers cool down a bit and oxygen levels increase. They're not saying "YOU shouldn't fish!", they're just saying that they don't intend to fish.
But those that intend to carry on fishing, whatever the temp or DO, seem to be taking exception to this ...proclaiming "You can't tell ME what to do!"
What we do know is, we don't know for sure ... but some of us would rather not take the chance (of killing fish).
But those that intend to carry on fishing, whatever the temp or DO, seem to be taking exception to this ...proclaiming "You can't tell ME what to do!"
What we do know is, we don't know for sure ... but some of us would rather not take the chance (of killing fish).
Tom Mycroft
Senior Member & Supporter
<edited - referenced post has been removed>
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Gerry Giles
Senior Member & Supporter
nice to see a club putting fish welfare first My local club has closed all waters for 14 days
shame more clubs havent got the Gonads
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Chris Thomson
Senior Member
Nice to see , should be every club atm !nice to see a club putting fish welfare first My local club has closed all waters for 14 days
Terry Harman
Senior Member & Supporter
Like i said clive you crack on mate you obviously know more than everyone else
Why don’t you change your username to encyclopaedia brittanica
Terry Harman
Senior Member & Supporter
Don’t know why but this reminds me of you clive
Richard Isaacs
Senior Member & Supporter
All this talk of “show me the evidence” is just barmy in my opinion.
It’s a very reactive way of doing things because the evidence to most of us would be a dead barbel and let’s face it no one wants to see that evidence so we have to be more proactive or preemptive even.
As rightly said, We don’t have the equipment to take accurate O2 readings of every swim we jump in so we can’t show evidence on that front and have to make an educated guess based on what we do know.
We know that water temperatures throughout the country are in excess of 20°c and particularly here in the SE they’ve exceeded 25°c on some stretches.
We also know that barbel are sensitive to being caught when it’s particularly warm because water temperature and DO levels have a direct link with one another and we’ve all been there holding them the right way up after a battle just praying for a muscular kick of the tail.
We also know that sadly that sometimes doesn’t ever happen.
Nobody is saying you can’t fish for barbel but you don’t need evidence to be able to work out whether it’s a good idea or not.
The season is just a month in. We’ve loads of time to catch ‘em so I’m more interested in letting em be for a bit. I do not need to see any hard numbers or casualties for evidence to decide if I’m comfortable to fish and if others feel differently well we shall just agree to disagree.
It’s a very reactive way of doing things because the evidence to most of us would be a dead barbel and let’s face it no one wants to see that evidence so we have to be more proactive or preemptive even.
As rightly said, We don’t have the equipment to take accurate O2 readings of every swim we jump in so we can’t show evidence on that front and have to make an educated guess based on what we do know.
We know that water temperatures throughout the country are in excess of 20°c and particularly here in the SE they’ve exceeded 25°c on some stretches.
We also know that barbel are sensitive to being caught when it’s particularly warm because water temperature and DO levels have a direct link with one another and we’ve all been there holding them the right way up after a battle just praying for a muscular kick of the tail.
We also know that sadly that sometimes doesn’t ever happen.
Nobody is saying you can’t fish for barbel but you don’t need evidence to be able to work out whether it’s a good idea or not.
The season is just a month in. We’ve loads of time to catch ‘em so I’m more interested in letting em be for a bit. I do not need to see any hard numbers or casualties for evidence to decide if I’m comfortable to fish and if others feel differently well we shall just agree to disagree.
Garry Hall
Senior Member & Supporter
I rarely comment because common sense prevails on the forum and those who have untenable positions will usually accept that they were wrong.
All of my local river fishing has been closed due to low oxygen levels and some pits are also shut. The clubs bought testing equipment and they take action when oxygen levels drop and temperatures rise.
I rarely photo my fish and I would rather spend a while getting it swimming before putting it back.
There are two problems that usually arise and the first is that there are selfish people who ignore the risk to the fish and drop them back without letting them recover (and I have had to step and get it in a net to recover.)
The others are the really stupid ones who ignore common sense and state that their position is based upon science. Utter bo*****ks.
Just because you have seen fish swimming around it does not mean that they are okay.
They might have enough oxygen for general swimming and feeding but getting hooked and then played out by a twat who wants to fish light tackle cause it’s sporting is wrong. They may expend their oxygen reserves and be in a bad way for a considerable time.
The point that so many people have made is that it is their personal belief is that catching a fish during hot weather (with the probability of low water levels and reduced dissolved oxygen) could cause it much more harm than catching than if it was caught in cooler times with the river flowing well.
I may be wrong but if I was told that by most of the forum I would probably accept their position
All of my local river fishing has been closed due to low oxygen levels and some pits are also shut. The clubs bought testing equipment and they take action when oxygen levels drop and temperatures rise.
I rarely photo my fish and I would rather spend a while getting it swimming before putting it back.
There are two problems that usually arise and the first is that there are selfish people who ignore the risk to the fish and drop them back without letting them recover (and I have had to step and get it in a net to recover.)
The others are the really stupid ones who ignore common sense and state that their position is based upon science. Utter bo*****ks.
Just because you have seen fish swimming around it does not mean that they are okay.
They might have enough oxygen for general swimming and feeding but getting hooked and then played out by a twat who wants to fish light tackle cause it’s sporting is wrong. They may expend their oxygen reserves and be in a bad way for a considerable time.
The point that so many people have made is that it is their personal belief is that catching a fish during hot weather (with the probability of low water levels and reduced dissolved oxygen) could cause it much more harm than catching than if it was caught in cooler times with the river flowing well.
I may be wrong but if I was told that by most of the forum I would probably accept their position
Chris Thomson
Senior Member
It wouldnt hurt a few well known anglers on social media to come out and say about the dangers of fishing in very high temps , some of the muppets who insist on fishing for barbel regardless might ,and its a big might , just hold fire until cooler conditions arrive ,
Clive Kenyon
Senior Member
I've fished for barbel since 73/74 season, the last 10 years being in France where temperatures regularly reach mid 30's for several weeks. I also have the oppertunity to spend a lot of time walking the banks of rivers and lakes in a very large area because of the job I do. I have seen fish in distress or discomfort. But, there are many areas where the fish just carry on as normal. In the last week I have seen chub and barbel in less than 2 foot of water feeding quite happily. Distressed fish don't feed.
If I go fishing at this time of year I choose swims that have a good flow, usually near weed beds or below weirs. Not any weir. Skimming weirs are no good at this time of year. The weirs that have a sluice allowing water from mid or lower depths are better as the water that passes through is colder. Hydro barrages often have this type of weir, as do some weirs alongside locks. One of the rivers I fish has chalk aquifers that enter the river at around 12C summer or winter. Where they enter the river they can decrease the overall temperature by a couple of degrees in summer and increase it in winter. I know where some of them can be found because in winter ducks congregate there and they are the best places to fish for chub. It is the same in some of the lakes that I fish. Where the ducks congregate in winter rarely freezes over.
The other river that I fish has a series of huge hydro dams attached to large lakes and spew water out from the depths. By the time it has gone through the turbines and tumbled over the rocky shallows it is cooler and will probably be far more oxygenated than the stretches above the dams or 3 or 4 km below it. And as boats need deep water and people need electricity these stretches of river are rarely more than a foot down on normal levels.
There is no reason not to fish these places at this time of year. I have never had a barbel go belly up in fifty years so I must be doing something right. There will be places in England that will be just as suitable to fish for the same sort of reasons.
If people don't want to fish for barbel at this time of year then fine by me. But to try and preach to others from high moral ground using reasons that have no basis in fact is as bad as whinging on here about people photographing 'small' barbel on social media. It makes no sense. I make my decisions based on observations, temperature readings, depth readings and experience. Not something made up to justify a pre-conceived opinion.
If I go fishing at this time of year I choose swims that have a good flow, usually near weed beds or below weirs. Not any weir. Skimming weirs are no good at this time of year. The weirs that have a sluice allowing water from mid or lower depths are better as the water that passes through is colder. Hydro barrages often have this type of weir, as do some weirs alongside locks. One of the rivers I fish has chalk aquifers that enter the river at around 12C summer or winter. Where they enter the river they can decrease the overall temperature by a couple of degrees in summer and increase it in winter. I know where some of them can be found because in winter ducks congregate there and they are the best places to fish for chub. It is the same in some of the lakes that I fish. Where the ducks congregate in winter rarely freezes over.
The other river that I fish has a series of huge hydro dams attached to large lakes and spew water out from the depths. By the time it has gone through the turbines and tumbled over the rocky shallows it is cooler and will probably be far more oxygenated than the stretches above the dams or 3 or 4 km below it. And as boats need deep water and people need electricity these stretches of river are rarely more than a foot down on normal levels.
There is no reason not to fish these places at this time of year. I have never had a barbel go belly up in fifty years so I must be doing something right. There will be places in England that will be just as suitable to fish for the same sort of reasons.
If people don't want to fish for barbel at this time of year then fine by me. But to try and preach to others from high moral ground using reasons that have no basis in fact is as bad as whinging on here about people photographing 'small' barbel on social media. It makes no sense. I make my decisions based on observations, temperature readings, depth readings and experience. Not something made up to justify a pre-conceived opinion.
Clive Kenyon
Senior Member
I see your avatar shows you fising in the snow,. Are you aware that taking a fish out of water in sub zero temperatures can cause irrepairable damage to their eyes and gills?
Just saying.
Terry Harman
Senior Member & Supporter
You forgot crap 10p feeders
Chris Thomson
Senior Member
I feel justified in "whinging " , go boil yer head clive , if i prick the concience of one angler who decides not to go out and it saves the life of one barbel then thats job done for me , you carry on
Terry Harman
Senior Member & Supporter
Joe Winstanley
Senior Member & Supporter
Clive,
Citing untypical examples in France which are little relevance to the barbel rivers of England does little to strengthen your argument. There is no shame in admitting you are wrong - it isn't a sign of weakness, far from it.
If you want to go barbel fishing then crack-on and fill your boots, I'm not sure anyone on here cares either way.
Citing untypical examples in France which are little relevance to the barbel rivers of England does little to strengthen your argument. There is no shame in admitting you are wrong - it isn't a sign of weakness, far from it.
If you want to go barbel fishing then crack-on and fill your boots, I'm not sure anyone on here cares either way.
Richard Isaacs
Senior Member & Supporter
Is there any need for that?
You are just constantly looking for a fight.
Bloody keyboard warriors ruin every sensible debate on the forum with their personal attacks and low blows.
Alan Towers
Active Member
Quite a number of years ago I was fishing on the Dove on a very hot afternoon in the middle of July we were in the middle of a heat wave the river was low and clear but I was fishing anyway.I landed a good barbel after a right scrap,rested in the landing net,unhooked it,rested it again,weighed it ,rested it again, then photographed it it was a personal river best at the time 11 plus.I then held the landing net out as for as I coul resting the fish before dropping the net,the fish slowly moved out and away.Feeling pleased I went for a walk downstream fish spotting the barbel I had caught was belly up in a reed bed. Ilegged it back to my swim got landing net and jumped in the shallow water.It took me over an hour to revive that fish before I let it go.I packed up immediately and went home.I don’t fish for barbel in hot weather yes I have seen fish feed in the shallows but I leave them alone it’s my choice.
Gerry Giles
Senior Member & Supporter
stop being so pathetic ?
we have all seen Fish go belly up in extreme temps in lakes and rivers its not rocket science no bodys telling anyone what too do but we all have opinions just like we all have a bum hole
luckily some clubs have a decent commity that make the call to protect the fish