I've been barbel fishing for around 50 years. I remember my 1000th barbel and I remember my 2000th barbel, then I stopped keeping a meaningless record. How many have I caught? who knows, few care. I've had lots of 10s, 11s, 12s, 13s two 16s and one stunner of 18-07. I really would like to fill in the gaps (14, 15, 17) but will I be able to?
Something changed, or in fact many things. Back in the day, as they say, I could catch anything between zero and thirty barbel in a session. It was easy to rack up numbers.
Looking back, the venue on the Kennet where I fished a lot is sadly in decline. So much so that the club I was a member of for over 35 years has dropped the venue from its fisheries. As far as I know the syndicate that fished the opposite bank for perhaps 15 years (?) doesn't have it any longer. The sad decline of a river, due to predation, diminished water clarity, lack of weed growth, crayfish etc etc
The venue on the Lea I fished for many years, became less attractive when overrun by walkers, ramblers, non-fishermen. I fished there four times a week at one point, often the only one on the stretch, parking anywhere along the river. It was overgrown, it was brilliant. The last time I fished there I realised it had become a characterless big fish water, limited parking, quite horrible in fact.
I joined a club and fished an upper-Lea venue, manicured and quite unnatural. On my first trip I had (something like) 25 barbel, 20 chub, 20 roach yawn yawn. It really wasn't for me - although I had mentioned earlier that 0-30 barbel were possible on the Kennet, so something changed in me for sure.
So in recent (ten or so) years I've been fishing two club waters, few fish but they can be large. I guess a big fish water but so so much nicer then the afforementioned venue on the Lea. But even here something has changed.
These days I'm happy to fish the way I fish, for one fish, leaving a bait in the water for hours - doesn't suit everyone but it suits me.
But something has changed. This season I didn't fish at all for a long period early on, because I didn't think it fair on the fish in the heatwave - I don't knock those who did, but it wasn't for me.
So to date, this season I have not had a single barbel !! Five sessions on one river, two on the other. I have even had two sessions on the Trent, but conditions were not ideal for any of these, so (hard to do so I must be good) no fish there either.
Am I just becoming a bad angler as I get older? I hope not, I shall be out there as soon as I can. I'm just happy to have been a barbel fisherman in the barbel heydays, I think It's just over.
Something changed, or in fact many things. Back in the day, as they say, I could catch anything between zero and thirty barbel in a session. It was easy to rack up numbers.
Looking back, the venue on the Kennet where I fished a lot is sadly in decline. So much so that the club I was a member of for over 35 years has dropped the venue from its fisheries. As far as I know the syndicate that fished the opposite bank for perhaps 15 years (?) doesn't have it any longer. The sad decline of a river, due to predation, diminished water clarity, lack of weed growth, crayfish etc etc
The venue on the Lea I fished for many years, became less attractive when overrun by walkers, ramblers, non-fishermen. I fished there four times a week at one point, often the only one on the stretch, parking anywhere along the river. It was overgrown, it was brilliant. The last time I fished there I realised it had become a characterless big fish water, limited parking, quite horrible in fact.
I joined a club and fished an upper-Lea venue, manicured and quite unnatural. On my first trip I had (something like) 25 barbel, 20 chub, 20 roach yawn yawn. It really wasn't for me - although I had mentioned earlier that 0-30 barbel were possible on the Kennet, so something changed in me for sure.
So in recent (ten or so) years I've been fishing two club waters, few fish but they can be large. I guess a big fish water but so so much nicer then the afforementioned venue on the Lea. But even here something has changed.
These days I'm happy to fish the way I fish, for one fish, leaving a bait in the water for hours - doesn't suit everyone but it suits me.
But something has changed. This season I didn't fish at all for a long period early on, because I didn't think it fair on the fish in the heatwave - I don't knock those who did, but it wasn't for me.
So to date, this season I have not had a single barbel !! Five sessions on one river, two on the other. I have even had two sessions on the Trent, but conditions were not ideal for any of these, so (hard to do so I must be good) no fish there either.
Am I just becoming a bad angler as I get older? I hope not, I shall be out there as soon as I can. I'm just happy to have been a barbel fisherman in the barbel heydays, I think It's just over.