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Spawning barbel

Karl Heptonstall

Karl Heptonstall

Senior Member
I'm looking to fish a stretch of river this year, it's quite deep and wide and as far as I'm aware has no shallows for fish to spawn on. It's around 8 miles to the nearest gravels upstream. Would the fish travel this far or find another option?
 
8 miles wouldn't be out of the question if that's the best place to spawn.
 
8 miles is naff all to barbel Karl, they do that and more on a regular basis...and that's without nookie at the end of it :D

Cheers, Dave.
 
Thanks for the replies. I did think they would travel but wasn't fully sure. I suppose ill leave it a few weeks after the start of the season before I head down that stretch. Give them time to return.
 
Karl Heptonstall said:
Thanks for the replies. I did think they would travel but wasn't fully sure. I suppose ill leave it a few weeks after the start of the season before I head down that stretch. Give them time to return.
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Good thinking Karl, they don't stray far from the spawning area for a while after they spawn.

Cheers, Dave.
 
I fish the lower Severn and there are no shallows and no gravel if fact the whole place is more like a giant still water than a river. The Barbel do not move one inch, they are there all the time, so I would like to get opinion on where / how they spawn.
 
Richard, how do you know they are there all the time and move not one inch? Just interested in how you form that opinion, especially since you are unable to fish the river from March to June? As Graham suggest many fish move to the shallower Teme, which is why it throws up some clonkers early in the season.
 
Richard Hamlyn said:
I fish the lower Severn and there are no shallows and no gravel if fact the whole place is more like a giant still water than a river. The Barbel do not move one inch, they are there all the time, so I would like to get opinion on where / how they spawn.
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Its not been like a still water this summer Richard, more a raging torrent, and the extra water has coincided with far more Barbel being caught, than seasons just past. This question on how far Barbel actually move occupies my thoughts a great deal, with the need to spawn I would thing they would take the most economic route, however I believe if conditions are not favourable to spawn, ie the lack of suitable gravels and so on, they will not spawn.
It would be pointless to expend energy if there was not a reasonable chance fry will survive.
The EA experiment with tagged barbel threw up some interesting data, mainly that the barbel that were tagged did not move much at all from 'home', save for a couple that either did or were killed.
So perhaps those Lower Severn barbel were there all the time? I would lay a bet most were, but to me they are a mystery, and that is part of the reason I love 'em.:)
 
Lee Poultney said:
Richard, how do you know they are there all the time and move not one inch? Just interested in how you form that opinion, especially since you are unable to fish the river from March to June? As Graham suggest many fish move to the shallower Teme, which is why it throws up some clonkers early in the season.
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I may not be able to fish for them but I can still watch them rolling in front of me.................
 
Where is it written that barbel require shallow gravel areas to spawn? the lower Severn has large areas of deep water with a sand and gravel bottom the barbel could use for spawning. There are also plenty of streams and large drainage ditches feeding into the river, all which have relatively shallow deltas which could be spawning areas. I have no doubt that some barbel migrate to the upstream to spawn but I can't see every fish between Worcester and Tewkesbury heading up the Teme for spring break.
 
Adrian. Of course not, but its an obvious choice as being suitable as presumed knowledge suggests and as i say i know of the same fish being caught early season diglis / teme junction then pixham then upper s stoke september.

On the kennet, one of the annual sites is a cow drink thats the slowest part of the river


Richards dont move an inch comment is his usual baited bit that is a normal part of his posts. I Just thought i would offer a thought.
 
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im no expert on the teme/lower severn but for the last few season's spent a bit of time on them.
last season there were far more barbel in the lower teme this coincided with less water,so in my opinion many came from the severn to spawn in the shallower gravelly water!
we dont really fish the lower severn till autumn/winter and this coincides with there being more barbel in the severn.
this season there was definately less fish in the teme but more fish being caught in the lower severn.
our interpretation was because of the floods the barbel didnt move up into the teme in the same numbers and quite possibly some fish may of dropped into the severn(teme residents) to avoid the raging torrents.
im sure that barbel in the lower severn with the depth of water available would feel more comfortable than in teme.
i don't know for certain but i'd imagine this season would of been a poor one for fish recruitment on the severn/teme.

on my local ribble i know for sure that the fish move many miles to spawn and then move back to their autumn/winter haunts afterwards.
if the levels stay low they're not too far away from the spawning sites but when the 1st flood/rise comes they spread out.
 
Yep having spent many years on the Lower Teme and Lower Severn I reckon John has it spot on. I think most accept that fish migrate freely around these areas. I suspect that at least some of the fish living below S stoke spawn in other areas. There are some suprisingly shallow areas downstream, especially on the tidal.

Lets hope for an average spring climate this year [this is the first yr I haven't been able to fish spot in the Teme]

cheers Paul
 
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