Oddest catch

[Guest Chris S]

Just thought I would ask out of interest no other reason.

 

Mine was a 3 pound plus barbel from a carp lake many years ago, and did it fight YES it did damn hard. Should you be wondering how the barbel got in the lake in the first place then read on. The fishery owner had a row with someone that he knew who said barbel could not live in still water so he had a bet with the said person, stocked some barbel and won the bet.

 

Well it was odd at the time, because since then barbel chubb and alike have turned up in other still waters.

 

Chris S

 

[This message has been edited by Chris S (edited 26 May 2000).]

[Guest Steve Burke]

Chris,

 

Apart from what I've read, I know very little about stillwater barbel, but have had quite a bit of experiece with stillwater chub.

 

These were unwanted fish removed from a local trout stream by the old NRA and distributed to various farm reservoirs in the area. They fulfilled a useful predatory function, especially when perch stocks were almost non-existant due to the infamous perch disease.

 

Interestingly the chub were harder to catch than when in the river and did indeed become markedly, but not entirely, predatory - which is possibly why they grew larger in the reservoirs than in the river. Only once, in just of these reservoirs, did they spawn successfully, and this I gather is most unusual. Incidentally, one of these waters supported a seemingly healthy population of dace, and I've even fished a gravel pit, miles away from any river, that's produced pound plus dace!

 

I find it interesting that, whilst there's been an uproar about stillwater barbel, there's been few complaints about stillwater chub. There's been even less about stillwater trout! Mind you to be fair the latter have been stocked for the table.

 

Does anyone know whether the stillwater barbel are thriving or not?

 

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Wingham Fisheries

www.anglersnet.co.uk/fisheries/wingham.htm

[Guest Chris S]

I believe the lake that my barbel came from no longer exists, I believe it was filled in and had a motorway built over it.

 

The lake was owned at the time by Mike Oyez, remember him.

 

Chris S

[Guest RobStubbs]

Steve,

Stillwater barbel thrive in the sense that they live, probably a normal lifespan, in stillwaters. What they don't do is reproduce. But then again neither do a lot of coarse fish in most UK waters.

 

The reason for the uproar is entirely due to their populariy. As an example how many chub groups are there compared to barbel ? The answer 1 little chub group - 3 barbel groups.

 

Rob.

[Guest Gary Vandal]

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this but it certainly seemed odd to me.

A friend and I were out Pike fishing about a month ago for a few hours after work.

After a pretty uneventful session we decided it was time to pack up and go home. When Paul was winding in his bait he noticed that it was heavier than it should have been, but thought nothing of it, assuming it was just rubbish or weeds.

When he got it to the bank we discovered that a large freshwater mussel (about 6" long) had clamped itself onto his smelt deadbait!!!

Certainly the strangest thing I have ever seen caught.

Cheers

Gary Vandal

[Guest Graham E]

I would not fish a stillwater that contained stocked barbel. They neither live happily or naturally spawn in stillwaters.

Of course some fish move during flooding between rivers and lakes and these could be considered fair game.

Surely Big brown stocked goldfish(carp)should keep the skill deficient "fishermen" happy without the need to "method" out the river fish.

[Guest RobStubbs]

Graham,

Nice to see you still have the ability to wind up other anglers on this forum. Was there any need to be divisive and slag off other anglers when all around you people are trying to get angling unified ?

 

There is also no proof to support your 'statements' that Barbel don't live happily in stillwaters. The EA are happy to stock barbel in stillwaters so I would suggest they know a bit more about the matter.

 

Rob.

[Guest Graham E]

Well it's an emotive subject and worth a thread on it's own.

There is a thing called evolution. This means that each living thing has developed its size/shape/even its mouth to the environment best suited to it. In the barbels case this is a river. Along with the Barbel Society I am totally opposed to interfering with the system. There are so many fish that are suitable and natural in stillwaters that the need to add barbel or import exotics etc. is selfish to the extreme.

You could live the rest of your life in your car, but it would not be much fun would it?

So if the EA say its OK that means it's right does it? Yes and Father Chrismas will be here in about 9 months.

 

IMO the worse aspects of the crowded overstocked ponds with fish allsorts is the need to bugger with nature.

 

I would be very interested to know of any cases where barbel have bred in stillwaters. Salmon (not many of those in ponds)and rainbows may bear spawn but do not reproduce without running water.

 

Lastly if this Forum was bland and without differences of opinion it would be very nice. but not many people would bother with it. My comments were not made directly against an individual, just a concept.

[Guest RobStubbs]

Graham,

Note I never said I supported the stocking of Barbel into stillwaters, in fact I'm opposed to it BUT there is still no proof that it is detrimental other than to the reproductive capabilities. I would be interested in any proof that even their lifespans are reduced.

 

Keeping the waters in a natural, or at least semi natural, is also high on my list of desires. I hate the 'carp puddles' and overstocked commercial fisheries and would never fish them.

 

I agree with your comments on the differences of opinion and if we all agreed with each other I wouldn't bother coming back. But there is still no need to steorotype and slag off particular branches of our sport.

 

Rob.

[Guest Elton]

Going back to the topic of oddest catch, I do recall being absolutely gobsmacked as a child when I caught a flatfish (flounder?) on a red maggot in Castle Park, Colchester.

 

I now know that they do move into freshwater, but it was an incredible surprise at the time!

 

Tight Lines,

 

Elton

 

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Elton Murphy

Anglers' Net

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk