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The next barbel river record

Next UK barbel record river?

  • Total voters
    139
There were Chinese Mitten crabs in the Wandle 10 years ago, I assume they must be still there, and also in the lower Thames.

I think I once read somewhere that Mitten Crabs are more aggressive than Signal Crays and more likely to dominate Signals. Both have a deleterious impact on the overall ecology of the river.
 
A barbel weighing around 18lb ,should carry on average about 2lb 7oz of spawn ,this is roughly worked out by dividing the fishes weight by 10 then times by 1.5,so this gives just a rough guide .
 
l know it sounds stupid, but a record is only a record if it is claimed as such and I really cannot believe that the official national record has not been broken at least once given the volume of Autumn caught high teens in the last decade.
 
Dennis Poole said:
A barbel weighing around 18lb ,should carry on average about 2lb 7oz of spawn ,this is roughly worked out by dividing the fishes weight by 10 then times by 1.5,so this gives just a rough guide .
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Thank you Dennis.

So in theory a fish of 18/19 lbs would be getting very near to the record if not over the record weight.
 
I would say that if it was caught in summer after spawning at around 18lb+, then possibly every chance it would be near to breaking the british record the following year, if the barbel is still healthy, eating, recovering ok and not too old. If the barbel was/is caught around this time in winter at 18lb+ then it may only put on ounces if there are very cold water conditions. Generally, lowest weight after spawning, mean weight around october, max weight at the back end of the season or in the close season before spawning again....if the fish is still capable of spawning. It all depends on the river and weather conditions, health and whether the barbel still has the built in potential to grow on a bit more and put on a bit more weight. In my experience, some do and some don't to where some drop weight and some just stabilize around the same weight, just fluctuating up and down by ounces. Very cold water conditions can make them very inactive or semi-dormant to where they lay up and possibly live off their body fat for a period of time, and don't necessarily go out and about looking for food items to any degree....in my opinion..
 
Barbel given plenty of bait and mild weather can put on stupid amounts of weight in very little time.I was told a few years back by a very well known barbel angler how two of them fed a swim all of their freezers old, quality bait, that one swim got over 30kg in short time(1 week i seem to remember).One fish that was 9lb at the start made it to 12lb 14 oz in 2 weeks(they blanked for a week after feeding).One very big fish i caught, put on almost 2lb in a week to become the current Kennet record,correctly weighed and witnessed.I would think that fish that are so full of bait will surpress/retard their spawn,if they are so full,where will the spawn go if there is no space?.The Adams mill fish did not grow big on crayfish,there were none there in those days,they did get to their length without being too pressured though.Once you have the length then filling out seems easy.
 
I don't doubt it at all Mark. They can eat a lot of bait and some barbel can put on weight quickly and then switch off. However, it's intestine always eventually empties again so hence the fluctuation in weights from possibly one week to the next, by ounces or pounds. Seen that happen on the Gt.Ouse when anglers questioned a first capture weight of a very big barbel, as it was well below the weight claimed on the second capture by around a pound....a week later. The same barbel was also weighed correctly both times. It's what each barbel can do by absorbing the good healthy nutrients etc present in the bait that increases their stature, builds muscle and stores some fat, but it depends on the individual barbel in question. Not all have that built in potential to do it, although you can get short dumpy 17lb+ barbel that are below 30"inches in length. Agree that the longer the barbel say 33"+ inches has the greater potential for much heavier weights if all is good with the fish.
 
I suppose we have to note the subtle difference between record weights and actual growth. Interesting topic with some good posts.
So many variables I guess, .. average water temps affect food consumption, then there's water quality, genes, anglers bait and readily available natural hi protein food.
Most fish continue to grow throughout there lives so l'm led to believe, but the optimum length varies possibly due to genealogy, and certainly habitat.
It's noticeable that some old long fish lose body mass, possibly due to ill health due to aging. My point being that just because there's a fish knocking on the door of the record, it doesn't necessarily follow that it will overtake it.
As far as the poll is concerned, I didn't vote only because I really haven't a clue where the next will come from. It may have been easier if the question had been along the lines of " what river is likely to hold a record " as its 50/50 if some will claim it.
:)
 
I've sort of learnt that a barbel possibly fulfills its skeletal growth/length at around 12-13 years, so it could be long with a skinny girth at that age and not weigh that much as you may think. Depending on its built in potential/genes, it will begin to fill out in the girth more so according to the type of food supply present and suject state of health and habitat etc....and then fluctuate up and down in weight for the rest of its life. So, you could get a younger teenage 30"+ inch barbel weighing 10lb-12lb+ or an older barbel say 20 year old, 30"+ inch weighing 17lb+. In my opinion, the barbel's skeletal length don't change after the 12-13 year period, it is the girth and body stature develops. It is also sometimes the way that anglers measure barbel that accidently deceives to where it gives the impression that it has grown longer.
 
Mark and Ray make good points about mass feeding. Fish have a very short digestive system. Although at some times, if large amounts of food are available, they will gorge themselves, the vast majority of this food is not turned into body mass. It is held in the gut for some time then excreted undigested. So a fish with a full gut might weigh a lot for a short period of time, but that is not a real measure of its weight. A bit like weighing yourself whilst holding all your fishing gear, it's not your true weight.
 
Mark Mole said:
I would imagine it would only work if stocked exclusively with barbel in a low density.Throw carp in the mix and they would dominate the food source.
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I match fish commies in the summer Mark, some of which are stocked with barbel. They rarely get bigger than 4lb I've found, presumably for the reason you've stated. They're always the first victims of fish kills too, in summer when O2 levels drop.
 
John Care said:
I match fish commies in the summer Mark, some of which are stocked with barbel. They rarely get bigger than 4lb I've found, presumably for the reason you've stated. They're always the first victims of fish kills too, in summer when O2 levels drop.
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Yes John,I've also encountered Stillwater barbel when I used to carp fish in puddles.They seemed to still fight well enough,but it just didn't seem right them being in there.A bit like lions,tigers etc kept in captivity
 
Could a gravel pit fish grow big enough to take the record? there must be some in gravel pits that are left overs from floods in rivers adjacent to the pits.
 
Mark Mole said:
I would imagine it would only work if stocked exclusively with barbel in a low density.Throw carp in the mix and they would dominate the food source.
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I had one in my koi pond, very competitive even against the koi. Feeding off the top and shoving them out the way.
 
Graham, I have caught Barbel from an Oxfordshire gravel pit, it was around 7lbs. The pit is next to the river Windrush, which floods into it. The Barbel was in tip top condition and fought like any other Barbel i have caught. These pits also hold some big chub. PS i put the Barbel back into the Windrush.
 
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