• You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Some of the forums are hidden from non-members. Please refer to the instructions on the ‘Register’ page for details of how to join the new incarnation of BFW...

Whats your PB?

How big is your PB?

  • Total voters
    111
Joe Winstanley said:
Yes Chris.

That's my point..

We are all entitled to a personal opinion Chris. I've derived a lot of pleasure from the few Hants Avon barbel I've caught, for me they are special fish - sorry if this causes you a level of offence..
Click to expand...
That's the main thing Joe, we have our own "special" fish, or special venues, for various reasons. As time goes on some fish become more special for different reasons. All my Cherwell barbel are now pretty special to me as I'm unlikely to get any more. My first 4, 5, and 6 pound chub (PB) also came from the Cherwell so I guess it's the river and the memories of what a fantastic fishery it used to be that make those fish special today.
 
Bill Walford said:
Not a competition Paul, we all fish for enjoyment and our own satisfaction. 10-12 is a big fish from any river, I agree that it’s bigger from some rivers than others but you can wear the badge with pride 👍
Click to expand...
I appreciate that Bill but we are all competitive if we're really honest
When I fished exclusively for pike when I was in my 20s & 30s I was obsessed with numbers and recognition. And I caught a lot of good fish and some big fish but it was never enough. It was a bit unhealthy TBH.
I fish for well-being nowadays but still hanker for big fish, but the difference is I love seeing them coming out , whether I catch them or not and I like this version of me.
There are a few big Swale fish whispered about , same with the Tees but I don't put the effort in nowadays to really justify catching one, compared to someone who has that mindset and puts in the rod hours. And having been that person back in the day, I have utmost respect for them.
But I do have a couple of pike waters that could throw a very big fish and a 7lb chub is a realistic winter target, and these will keep me motivated for sure.
 
Paul Richardson said:
I appreciate that Bill but we are all competitive if we're really honest
When I fished exclusively for pike when I was in my 20s & 30s I was obsessed with numbers and recognition. And I caught a lot of good fish and some big fish but it was never enough. It was a bit unhealthy TBH.
I fish for well-being nowadays but still hanker for big fish, but the difference is I love seeing them coming out , whether I catch them or not and I like this version of me.
There are a few big Swale fish whispered about , same with the Tees but I don't put the effort in nowadays to really justify catching one, compared to someone who has that mindset and puts in the rod hours. And having been that person back in the day, I have utmost respect for them.
But I do have a couple of pike waters that could throw a very big fish and a 7lb chub is a realistic winter target, and these will keep me motivated for sure.
Click to expand...
I don't think we are all competitive at all really Paul. I have never been where angling is concerned and as long as I can remember I enjoyed watching a big fish get caught as much as catching it myself. I found it inspirational and a confidence booster if a friend had a big fish on a session. But if you mean chasing big fish and target weights as being competitive then yes, and I still am to a certain degree. I would rather fish a hard(ish) water that held a chance of a PB, than an easy water that had no chance. Except for some reason where chub are concerned. I could happily quivertip bread for 3 pound chub all day long.
 
I've had 2 different barbel each at 11.3 on the Wavon, not huge compared to others, but I was very happy with them, as after 40 years of carp fishing I moved to barbel 5 years ago. In hindsight these were even more special as this season I have not managed a single barbel, nor have most the other members, we suspect due to otters, very sad.
 
Thank Goodness we are all different in our approaches and desires.

There are some stunning heavyweights in the lists. And congratulations to all members.

On a personal note, I know a number of places, on the Severn, the Trent and Thames, apart from other well known rivers where time spent would likely yield barbel in excess of 18lb.

The key being " time spent" more than usual.


Apart from a couple of 3 days fishing due to distance on non tidal Trent, I could probably count on two hands the number of days overnight fishing all my life.

The main reason being that I simply don't enjoy night fishing and not keeping focus...

I never use bite alarms with barbel fishing, and focus on my rod tips. My choice.

Seriously trying to do that on a week long Thames trip, would leave me shattered after day two. Even more so as I don't sleep well away from home.

I have always admired those that have the resilience to undertake those sessions. Just not for me.

This week I will fish three different rivers, three different scenarios, one pretty, two ok. But three different approaches.

It's what I like to do. It's about enjoying how you fish as an individual.
 
Alex Gowney said:
I don't think we are all competitive at all really Paul. I have never been where angling is concerned and as long as I can remember I enjoyed watching a big fish get caught as much as catching it myself. I found it inspirational and a confidence booster if a friend had a big fish on a session. But if you mean chasing big fish and target weights as being competitive then yes, and I still am to a certain degree. I would rather fish a hard(ish) water that held a chance of a PB, than an easy water that had no chance. Except for some reason where chub are concerned. I could happily quivertip bread for 3 pound chub all day long.
Click to expand...
That's good. I was terrible when I was younger and not proud of it. I nearly fell out big-time with my best pal over a 26-12 river pike and he did nothing wrong. But we didn't and still wind each other about it now 20 odd years on. Pikers are a funny breed.
We're fishing a venue 6 or 7 consecutive blanks between us , 3 rods each and dawn til dusk - not had a run yet but still love it.
That's us competing against the odds but thankfully fishing as a team. Doesn't matter one jot who gets the first run, it will be electric.
But some of the barbel on show here- WOW. It does get the mind whirring.
 
This thread gave me the urge to post my smallest barbel ever but unfortuantely I lost all my baby barbel albums on a dead PC.

Then I remembered that the last time a PB thread came up I had the same urge..... so I went on an old thread hunt......... the same thread was started by the VERY SAME guy in 2013 😆 Chris, I salute you sir.. proving if ever it were needed that us anglers are indeed creatures of habit!

Unfortunately although the 2013 thread was there, my pictures and a link to the album were kaput.

Very interesting the amount of us who have a different favourite fish to their PB.
 
I was fortunate that i was fishing the dove when it was on fire, pbs went up every few months, ended up breaking the rr 4 times, 16-05,16-10'17-06 and 18-06, and my barbel career has blessed me with 27 fish over 15 lb, thats 14 x 15s, 6x16s 5x17s and 2 x 18s, pb is obviously your best fishand that is now the upper trent record (18-10) but to me these were all special, regards
Dove-record-533x400_zps885b988b.jpg
thumbnail_IMG_1215.jpg
 
I remember the first one i had cliff, on the severn at bridgenorth lowtown side, just below the island, me and two mates used to get the bus over, seemed to take forever to get there, and longer to get home, it was only about a pound and a half, but the thrill of the rod going round and seeing this fish that i had only ever seen in a paper or book, well that was it, i was hooked and i just wanted to keep catching these beautiful fish,,,,
Regards
 
Jim Ufton said:
I was fortunate that i was fishing the dove when it was on fire, pbs went up every few months, ended up breaking the rr 4 times, 16-05,16-10'17-06 and 18-06, and my barbel career has blessed me with 27 fish over 15 lb, thats 14 x 15s, 6x16s 5x17s and 2 x 18s, pb is obviously your best fishand that is now the upper trent record (18-10) but to me these were all special, regardsView attachment 17213View attachment 17214
Click to expand...
Mega fishing Jim, I don’t think there was a better angler on the Dove, you know the river like the back of your hand and your results speak for themselves. Hopefully you will add a 19+ to that list this winter and it will be fully deserved 👍🎣
 
Moved up to Bedfordshire in 2003 and set myself a target of a 15lber while it was still possible but knowing full well that the glory days of the Gt ouse were well in the past. Nearly two decades have past and my fifteen looks if not impossible then very, very highly unlikely now. 13lb 12oz is my best from the Great Ouse and, I would guess, is likely to remain so.
 
Graham Elliott said:
Thank Goodness we are all different in our approaches and desires.

There are some stunning heavyweights in the lists. And congratulations to all members.

On a personal note, I know a number of places, on the Severn, the Trent and Thames, apart from other well known rivers where time spent would likely yield barbel in excess of 18lb.

The key being " time spent" more than usual.


Apart from a couple of 3 days fishing due to distance on non tidal Trent, I could probably count on two hands the number of days overnight fishing all my life.

The main reason being that I simply don't enjoy night fishing and not keeping focus...

I never use bite alarms with barbel fishing, and focus on my rod tips. My choice.

Seriously trying to do that on a week long Thames trip, would leave me shattered after day two. Even more so as I don't sleep well away from home.

I have always admired those that have the resilience to undertake those sessions. Just not for me.

This week I will fish three different rivers, three different scenarios, one pretty, two ok. But three different approaches.

It's what I like to do. It's about enjoying how you fish as an individual.
Click to expand...
Interesting post Graham. I love night fishing, more so than daylight fishing, but not necessarily round the clock fishing. By night fishing I mean maybe till 1.00 a.m. in summer and 10.00p.m. in winter. I guess it should be called "fishing in the dark" rather than night fishing. Even in my younger days I couldn't fish all night, no way could I maintain concentration, even when carp fishing I had to wind the rods in for a few hours to switch off.
 
I've had some good fish over the years but my favourite captures haven't always been the biggest fish of any species. They're the ones that I've put most thought into to get them on the bank. A Yorkshire Derwent barbel of 13lb01oz (1oz off the then record) was particularly satisfying. A 12lb06oz Swale fish was a lucky first cast capture after 'reading' the swim but was in an area well away from the crowds which I'd fancied for ages would throw up a solitary big girl. My PB of 16lb05oz was captured when sat next to a mate putting the world to rights, given that I fish alone 99% of the time it was somewhat fitting that he was there to witness it and take far better photos than I could.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top