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what water temps will barbel still feed

J

Jonathan Jones

Senior Member
This year iv stopped my winter trout fishing and started fishing the same rivers I fish in summer for barbel but with mixed results :(

I went out before Christmas when it was milder weather and had 4 barbel and lost a few" water temp I checked at 8.6 c

iv fished today in same peg with water temp 5.2 and had only 1 chub!

so whot would be the cut off temp to just stop in bed :D
 
Hi Jonathan and this is a very good question and I think the answer very much depends on the bed. A super king size bed smothered in the finest cotton sheets and squishy pillows would, in my view, mean that temps would need to be 15+ to get me to the bank. Factor in a team of eager lady acrobats from Billy Smarts circus and it would be extremely hard for me to budge-even an inch- no matter what the temps happened to be.

But, if I found myself sharing a single bed with Pat Butcher in a Travelodge on the M25 with nothing between us but a set of tweed undergarments ,then I could easily find temps as low as -10 to be quite inviting.

So I guess the answer is that it depends.
 
Howard Cooke said:
Hi Jonathan and this is a very good question and I think the answer very much depends on the bed. A super king size bed smothered in the finest cotton sheets and squishy pillows would, in my view, mean that temps would need to be 15+ to get me to the bank. Factor in a team of eager lady acrobats from Billy Smarts circus and it would be extremely hard for me to budge-even an inch- no matter what the temps happened to be.

But, if I found myself sharing a single bed with Pat Butcher in a Travelodge on the M25 with nothing between us but a set of tweed undergarments ,then I could easily find temps as low as -10 to be quite inviting.

So I guess the answer is that it depends.
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Howard, superb logic/knowledge, as ever. :D:D:D
 
Barbel will feed every day of the season as long as they are hungry.Big statement,now lets back it up.For the last few seasons i have fished a 'hungry water' i have seen as many as 20 barbel caught on a day when the air temp was -6 degrees.I float fish very light lines for the big roach and get plagued by the barbel every day i fish there, even in the snow.You can always catch there if your methods are careful and you fish at the right times.I have always fished on a rising temp or a settled period in the winter in the past.This year a mate,on another river considered hard, probably the most prolific barbel angler in the country has proved you can catch them any day no matter what the temp is. I think the reason he catches them is there are no other anglers fishing the swims he is in, putting in bait, filling them up and stopping them from feeding for days.He has caught probably every day over Christmas including some serious fish,its opened even my eyes.
 
In my experience, water temp dictates more so than the air temp. The water temp could still be quite high say around 45F. Then a cold front suddenly comes in thus dropping the air temp to freezing and below as what happens. The water temp would never drop as quickly, allowing the barbel to carry on feeding until they reach a switch off point, to where they would then have to acclimatise to the lower water temp...
 
Hi men ,

Jeff , as the question was Whot water temps will barbel still feed in , the answer from you of -7 was just a little bit of a bait to get things going ;)


Howard , the new year brings more fantastic posts , I read it with a smile :D


Hatter
 
Sam..but would the barbel/some other coarse fish survive in those very low water temps below freezing point?
I remember the late Fred Crouch stating that UK river water would rarely drop below 34F. The lowest temp i have ever clocked river water in 35+ years (when out on the bank fishing) is 35F in winter with an air temp of around 24F.
 
Ray Walton said:
Sam..but would the barbel/some other coarse fish survive in those very low water temps below freezing point?
I remember the late Fred Crouch stating that UK river water would rarely drop below 34F. The lowest temp i have ever clocked river water in 35+ years (when out on the bank fishing) is 35F in winter with an air temp of around 24F.
Click to expand...
Did you catch that day ray!
 
Ray Walton said:
Sam..but would the barbel/some other coarse fish survive in those very low water temps below freezing point?
I remember the late Fred Crouch stating that UK river water would rarely drop below 34F. The lowest temp i have ever clocked river water in 35+ years (when out on the bank fishing) is 35F in winter with an air temp of around 24F.
Click to expand...

Ray I am very much a centigrade man now, but that converts to a chilly 1.7C, and 24F -4.4C :eek:
 
Jeff Collins said:
Lowest temperature I caught was minus 7. You have to fish the deeper waters in these conditions IMO
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The OP was talking of water temps, you came in with a figure of -7C air temp, you can understand why you confused the issue...looks like by the end of the week you have got some ideal conditions coming. :)
 
Yes, it's probably fair to say that not all barbel will switch off at the same time, e.g. barbel in more northerly rivers will feed at lower temps. I find temperature trends are more a factor than snapshot temperatures. By that I mean (as Ray mentioned) barbel will acclimatise over a period of settled conditions. They will also feed more voraciously if the water temperatures rises, even very slightly. River size should also be factored in - bigger rivers take longer to follow changes in air temperatures. Probably no need to elaborate any further on that point.

Mind you, this knowledge hasn't helped me at all recently as I've blanked three times in a row! :)

Mr Swaby - this prolific angler you mention; he never blanks even in winter? May I ask if he's written any books, and, if so, where I may purchase a copy? :)
 
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