Your first barbel photo

[Terry Harman]

1979 bridgnorth holding it out trying to make it look 5lb

 

[Terry Harman]

Not actually my first barbel but the first to appear in a photograph. It's July 1975 (I am aged 17yrs 11months) at The Royalty Fishery with the Parlour Pool in the background. I made the rod and the reel is a Strike Right Ultraflo (could not afford better) both of which I still have. I caught six barbel that day ranging in size from 3lbs to 6lbs 8oz and then gave the swim to my mate who had another two. All caught on meat

trundled between the weedbeds.View attachment 18168

i thought that was david cassidy for a moment there john

 

[Bill Walford]

i thought that was david cassidy for a moment there john

Blimey Terry, John looking like David Cassidy and me thinking that Neil looked like Freddie Mercury we’ll have our own musical ensemble soon

 

[Richard Barnatt]

My first barbel was from The Royalty, around 1981, 10lb 6oz. Picture was enlarged and framed (hence glare).

 

[Simon Copleston]

My first Barbel from the River Kennet, late 1980’s

 

[Gerry Giles]

Not my first barbel
as I had been catching them for a couple of years aged 14 to 16 BUT this is my only picture of those years I it was just before my 17th birthday the year is 1962 original and cleaned up pic by a lovely member !

Sorry forgot to say where it was caught NOT my normal local place that was Sunbury On Thames !!! in front of the open air Swimming pool a huge gravel bed where a bunch of lobworms would have your rod pulled in if you were foolish enough not to hold it all the time

but instead I was errmm guesting on the River Kennet at Burghfield used to fish close to the Pill box and when anyone came used to nip behind the pill box and hide till they had gone when your 16 you do naughty things !
at the time we knew what the club record was and we regularly caught fish much bigger but we of course were fishing at night and at that time it wasnt allowed and they wouldnt let us join anyway

 

[Mark Walker]

Very early 90’s guesting on the River Severn. The guy I was fishing with threw a big chunk of luncheon meat upstream and told me to hang on. Not sure who was more surprised when this took! Spent the rest of the day stick float fishing for dace. It was 12 or 13 years before I caught another.

 

[Paul Rogers]

Had caught barbel before ; but, this was my first double and first attempt at self take a bulb release.

 

[Nigel Starr]

Hi all,

After a few great old photos appearing in the BFW Gallery over the past couple of days, I thought I'd start a thread encouraging members to show off their first ever barbel (I've a feeling we may have done one before but I can't find it).

Here's mine; a Bristol Avon fish caught in Chippenham weir pool in the mid to late 80's:


View attachment 18110

Let the nostalgia roll...

Cheers,

Andy F

Hi Andy, nice fish. I recognise the backdrop very well as I spent some considerable time fishing there late 70’s to mid 80’s. I am a Corsham boy so I had Lacock 2 miles down the road but spent most of my time in Chippenham. The free stretch produced some good fish. I have just got back into fishing after about 35 years away and was shocked by the demise of the Bristol Avon; a discussion for another thread.

 

[Graham Tremble]

My wife has confirmed that this is indeed me, though I have looked in the mirror and can confirm that it isn’t ( now ). 04/09/79, River Severn, Eardington. Not my very first but of that time.
I still have that smile ( minus a few teeth ) when I land one today.
Happy Days,
G.T.

 

[Clive Shipman]

Hi Andy, nice fish. I recognise the backdrop very well as I spent some considerable time fishing there late 70’s to mid 80’s. I am a Corsham boy so I had Lacock 2 miles down the road but spent most of my time in Chippenham. The free stretch produced some good fish. I have just got back into fishing after about 35 years away and was shocked by the demise of the Bristol Avon; a discussion for another thread.

This Bristol Avon started to suffer from around 2007 whether it be otters poor recruitment who knows. There still are some fantastic fish present I weighed the new ba record a couple of years ago a fish I'd had a 14lb 12oz that went on to tip the scales at 17lb 5oz for a friend.

 

[Deleted member 2708]

Actually this photo is of my 2nd ever barbel from Prayssac on the river Lot, France - the first I caught was from Topcliffe millpool 50 years earlier!.....

 

[John Allan]

Can’t possibly post mine. In my blind panic and excitement I did the old go-go inspector gadget arms thing. To compound the embarrassment the photo was taken by a former barbel record holder.

In mitigation, It was a double, but still….

The silly thing is that if there’s one thing to make a big fish look smaller it’s to shove it up close to the camera. By contrast, smaller fish held close across to your lower abdomen can look rather large.

it depends how big your lower abdomen is...

 

[Phil Maggs]

This thread has now jolted my memory, i have a pic with the old film cameras somewhere around the house, must try and find it..
8lb 1oz from bristol avon at lacock, the telegraph pole swim, frightened me to death, was chub fishing at the time with a piece of luncheon meat , a short rod with a screw in quiver tip and some cheapie old scabby reel back in the early 80's, was shaking like a leaf after i had landed it, after catching that it was the start of fishing for barbel only, i had never experienced a scrap like that on the river and wanted some more!

 

[Neil Blood]

I caught my first Barbel 33 years ago on the River Severn above Shrewsbury, I always wanted to catch a double from this length and finally did so last night, it was even in the same swim!

I haven’t changed a bit

 

[Bill Walford]

I caught my first Barbel 33 years ago on the River Severn above Shrewsbury, I always wanted to catch a double from this length and finally did so last night, it was even in the same swim!

I haven’t changed a bit

Well done Neil….not changed a bit, just a different hat

 

[Mike Hodgkiss]

Didnt even own a camera when I caught my first Barbel ,but heres a grainy smudge of my Daughter Morgans first Barbel , I think she was 8 at the time , now 26 she still occasionally wets a line , happy days ...

 

[Joe Winstanley]

View attachment 20458

I thought that was Rodney Trotter for a minute, wearing one of Del's jumpers!

 

[Mike Hodgkiss]

This thread got me thinking about my first Barbel so I got my old fishing diaries out which I have kept from 1968 to date . Entry for 1969 Yorkshire Ouse , Newton on ouse . Caught 6 bleak , 2 tommy Ruffe , 12 gudgeon and a 5oz Barbel ,it barely registered on my little samson scales and initially me and my fishing pal Phil thought we had broken the british record for a gudgeon as we had never seen a Barbel before and thought it was a mutant gudgeon, checking later in our observers book of freshwater fish confirmed our error ,what a pair of numpties

 

[Graham Elliott]

I would show mine but the Brownie 127 didn't work properly