The Barbel Catchers Club was formed in 1977 by barbel anglers for barbel anglers. The club was designed for committed barbel anglers to join together and increase their knowledge and enjoyment in the pursuit of the species.

The club consists of seven Regions that are the Southern, Southdown, Chiltern, Wessex, Midlands-Cotswolds, Northwest and Yorkshire. Each Region holds meetings arranged by the Regional Organiser and the whole club meets up at the AGM in April, which consists of the Club Business followed by a guest speaker and usually topped off by a curry and a few pints! There are several regional fish-ins throughout the year and a National fish-in is held in the autumn.

The accent of the club is definitely one of comradeship and the pooling of knowledge. This is done through Regional meetings as well as the Club magazine ‘Barbus’. It is a condition of membership that everyone has to contribute to ‘Barbus’ once a year. Although some people may find this a struggle, it is surprising how putting your thoughts on your fishing to paper helps to focus your mind. The club also has a Newsletter that comes out in-between editions of ‘Barbus’ that keeps members informed of any events and updates on captures.

The major difference between other clubs and ourselves is that we require a bit more commitment. Being a fairly small club, all members have to contribute to keep the club going. If you are happy to sit back, pay your money and wait for a magazine to drop through your letterbox, then there are other outlets for you to explore.

There are no targets or achievements to apply to join, just the willingness to meet likeminded anglers and contribute. There are only a few ‘star’ names in the club. Most people are happy to concentrate on their local waters and improve their results rather than chasing known fish.

The club logs all the fish caught by its members and this makes it easy to pick up on trends. The Records Officer has put the last few years’ catches on a computer database and this should make it easier to keep track of events. However it’s not all big fish or bust, the club has a special award for the most meritorious fish caught during the season. This is voted on at the AGM and an eight pounder from a river that has produced very few is likely to be judged as favourably than a much larger fish from an established venue.

The club is affiliated to NASA and is a member of the ACA. In fact everyone in the club is a member of the ACA, as we believe strongly in the work it does.

The club has also stated its opposition to the introduction of Stillwater barbel and lobbied for the banning of keepnets for the retention of barbel. We are also combining with other barbel groups and interested parties to retain the close season on rivers. Many commercial parties are trying to get rid of the close season, the only reason being financial greed and have no regard for rivers and the wildlife that benefit from the enforced break at the vulnerable breeding period.

For more information on the club, contact the Secretary:

Bob Turner
22 Warley Rise
Tilehurst
Reading
Berks
RG31 6FR

Or visit our Website at:

http://www.barbelcatchersclub.co.uk