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So 10 years of not barbel fishing....what have I missed ?

Speeling not improved then Andy? :D
 
Hope you are well young Thatcher.

What about some fishy stories from over the pond? Hope you're keeping well.
 
So 10 years of not barbel fishing....what have I missed ?

The majority of all the barbel they seem to have been disappearing steadily since 2007 :-(

on the plus side small silver fish seem to be coming back :)
 
Good to hear from you Andy - doesn't seem that long ago since the Thames Tsunami all nighter, the two Andys etc etc.. Still a few of us old gits lurking about. What have you missed - don't know about the fishing but Arsenal are even worse than they used to be! Hope you're well.
 
Nice to see some familiar names and fishing buds !

Fishing is starting to come back into my life at last after having a crash course in having a family !

But the boys are 8 and 10 now with the 10 year old seeming to have been bitten by the fishing bug so I am out a couple of times a month after redfish, black drum and screwing up catching tarpon. Have had a fair few sharks but all these are sea fish.

Have tried bass fishing....think I may want to scribble a few words about bass fishing just to clarify that style of fishing. Should be entertaining lol
 
NICE t see you on the boards Andy:)
what have you missed?, a lot of heartache, a lot of disappearing barbel mate
and low low water levels, what we missed here was hurricanes, oh and i am up and about again without the oxygen;):) keep well and get a few big silver ones mate:)
 
Hi men

10 years ago I had a conversation with a EA officer about otters , and their effect on the barbel on the river me and Sue were fishing . His reply was a spur to find other waters and rivers to fish while we could . " yes big fish will be eaten by the otters , you will have to find other species to fish for " , and " it is our aim to get otters through out the river systems " .

Then there was the floods of 2007 , so lots of the fishing we had has gone missing , but whats still here is this site , which has changed for the better , and still going strong.


Hatter
 
Andy,
Be great to see you back, we had some good times and moments. Best of luck with your job applications.
Barbel have become a rarity on most small rivers.
Meanwhile, back in the distant past in February 2002, our rather wet day on the Bristol Avon, accompanied by Barbel God Dick.
Rob was mid flooded field at the time catching barbel.

BAD%20day.jpg



All the best
Bob
 
As said Andy things have changed, nothing stands still, the weather plays a huge part in that, as I am sure you can testify. Despite some of the gloomy comments regarding Barbel stocks, there are still some around, it just might mean having to travel a bit further. The BA has suffered as much as any river, I caught my first Barbel a few years back on the Chippenham stretch...and I do believe you used to bailiff there?

I moved from Tetbury 2004 to Tewkesbury, which as you will know has the Lower Warks Avon and Severn flowing through it...it was a steep learning curve for me, especially with the Severn, a huge river that I will never get to grips with, but despite that I have had a couple of big 'kippers' out, more luck than anything else, but some very good Severn Anglers down this way, and I do admire there patience in enduring so many Barbel blanks, but often it does pay off. As with Kevin Gittens who holds the current Severn record at 16lb something, well deserved too he puts the hard hours in, last season when I spoke with him he was enjoying his 37th successive blank!

The Warks Avon still has Barbel, and Otters, but they are still there, and even I fluke the odd one. Lovely River and looking better than ever.

The Teme. well the decline and fall of what was the the jewel in the crown of all Barbel Rivers was dramatic, the 2007 floods were as many would testify was the main culprit, along with Mr 'O' even Terry (Teme Wanderer) has divorced her, but there are signs of recovery. She is looking fine too.

Wye.... well what can you say? Still loads of Barbel and plenty of juveniles , which I can testify to... but all good and the 'go to' river if you have to have a Barbel, Wye and Usk control most of the River now, but there are still some DT's to be had.

The Kennet Thames, and others have suffered greatly I am told, these Anglers have either moved or travel :) So if there are any vacancies you might want to consider around the Ross on Wye area, you might want to consider that option :rolleyes:

Good luck.
 
Andy. From a Basingstoke location you have lots of options for some great "trotting" rivers.
Itchen, Test, Hants Avon, Frome and Throop. All with barbel except the Frome really, but that compensates with some fantastic grayling fishing.

All of those rivers are within a readonable distance for a day trip.

Be great to see you back in the best Country in the World.
 
Only time I went to the Bristol Avon was to see the Portishead Hermit ;) He knows who he is.

I used to live above Bedford really close to the Gt Ouse which I had a glorious few years fishing so never bailiffed really.If there was the opportunity in that area I would certainly head back.

Didn't you live around Basingstoke Graham....the more I think on it the more that seems to ring true.

Glad to see you are doing well John.

In summary sounds as though otters have had the impact that was suspected which has impacted barbel and I guess chub but silver fish are starting to increase.
 
Maidenhead Andy. Kennet Loddon and Thames.

Now 100 yards fron the Wye in Herefordshire.

Seven Warks Avon and Wye. But now time for Southern visits to rivers mentioned as well as a few Trent trips.


Beautiful County
 
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