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Upper Trent.

Simon Archer

Simon Archer

Senior Member & Supporter
A complete blank for me on the upper this year, and I believe others have fared the same as well. I've caught sliver fish on maggots, but no Barbel for me this season. I know Barbel have been caught on the upper this season, and from some of the pegs I fish. So there are some fish about. But why are the upper reaches of the Trent so lacking in the amount of fish in the river in comparison to the river below Nottingham ??

All the fish I've caught this year have come from below Nottingham, where I've actually spent less time.

Any ideas ??
 
No idea, Simon, though there are (at least) a pair of otters on the bit I've been fishing. No otters last season, and caught a few. This season, not one fish. I've seen a few fish caught, however, so it's been wrong place wrong time for me.
 
The river lea is the same the upper lea is so much more prolific for barbel but not a great deal of doubles The lower holds a lot less fish but the fish that are there tend to be bigger
 
Blank for me too on the upper this year and I've fished it a lot. It's such a big river I can't see it being an otter issue. Maybe the numbers have got so low its affecting reproduction effectiveness. All the other causes I can think of would affect the whole river not just the upper. Things such as pollution, lack of natural food, reproduction problems because of residue of the 'pill' in treated effluent etc.
 
I think water quality is a factor. The higher up the Trent you go the worse it seems to get. I think the water coming in from the Dove, Derwent and the Soar improves the overall water quality. Dilution I suppose.

And I suspect (it's just a hunch) that more Calverton fish go into the Middle.

And in terms of habitat...maybe a higher proportion of gravel in the river bed below Sawley weir?
 
Ian Murfin said:
Blank for me too on the upper this year and I've fished it a lot. It's such a big river I can't see it being an otter issue. Maybe the numbers have got so low its affecting reproduction effectiveness. All the other causes I can think of would affect the whole river not just the upper. Things such as pollution, lack of natural food, reproduction problems because of residue of the 'pill' in treated effluent etc.
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Yes, wasn't really blaming the otter for a poor barbel population - just for perhaps being a problem for me on the stretch I fish. They've appeared almost every time I've been there.
 
Joe Winstanley said:
I think water quality is a factor. The higher up the Trent you go the worse it seems to get. I think the water coming in from the Dove, Derwent and the Soar improves the overall water quality. Dilution I suppose.

And I suspect (it's just a hunch) that more Calverton fish go into the Middle.

And in terms of habitat...maybe a higher proportion of gravel in the river bed below Sawley weir?
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There's plenty of gravel where I fish, but there is a lot of sediment too which is perhaps chocking the gravel
 
I joined the BMAA about ten years ago predominantly to fish the Dove, when that declined I moved on to the Trent which is a nice piece of water to fish and close to home, but I find it very hard going. So much so I'm thinking I could be now waisting my time continuing on there.

It seems the Barbel in the middle and lower stretches of the Trent are thriving, but not so much on the upper.
 
Conditions have been tough on the lower river including the tidal also. Having returned to fishing after a long lay off I find the river not what it was. I do think that a lot of the problem has been the very low summer levels this year followed by a very dry winter. The river is currently running at barely summer levels again and is gin clear. I'm guessing that whatever pollutants are in the river are now more concentrated due to the low levels . I did notice last weekend that gravels are not clean despite the flush out last month and that along with the inevitable oxygen drop as the water warms does not bode well for a good breeding season. I have to confess on the other hand that I have caught fish that in the main have been in fantastic condition and a large proportion of them have been doubles. The river itself however at times appears lifeless.
 
If you believe what's written on social media, complete Barbel newcomers are fishing the day ticket hotspots and having 10-12 fish in a session. Now, no way am I an expert angler, but I'm not an idiot either. It just seems strange that the same river 30-40 miles downstream holds loads more fish than the upper reaches.
 
This article was printed in the Burton Mail on Monday.

A Burton kayaker has revealed his disgust at paddling through sewerage left floating on the River Trent in and around Burton. Simon Deacon had been out on the waters at the end of December when he spotted the disgusting brown sludge he describes as sewerage.

Now an investigation by Severn Trent revealed the mystery sludge is not connected with the water company - and it has not been reported to the Environment Agency.



He said: "It is everywhere between the Leicester Line bridge and Newton Solney recreation ground. The town is building riverside properties and you've got two rowing clubs and a kayak club, fishermen and other kayakers and paddleboarders who use the River Trent, like myself and it is less than encouraging to use it when you are paddling through sewerage.



"You might see the odd bit in the whole stretch but it has everywhere, practically lining the banks.."

A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “We carried out thorough investigations to check our network along a large stretch of river at this location and have confirmed no issues with any Severn Trent assets in the area.”

The Environment Agency revealed it had not been reported to the body and urged people to get in touch if they see anything mysterious floating in the river in the future
 
Simon Archer said:
If you believe what's written on social media, complete Barbel newcomers are fishing the day ticket hotspots and having 10-12 fish in a session. Now, no way am I an expert angler, but I'm not an idiot either. It just seems strange that the same river 30-40 miles downstream holds loads more fish than the upper reaches.
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The stretches of the lea I posted about are only about 10 miles apart mind you there are a few weirs in between
 
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