Barbel - Yorkshire Aire

[Elton]

Received this by email - can anyone help?

 

quote:

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For sometime now I have being trying to find out if BARBEL are an indigenous fish in the River Aire Yorkshire area.

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[Alan Roe]

The short answer to this is at present No! there are no barbel in any of the reaches that I fish.

You can expect to catch trout grayling chub pike roach and perch but as yet no barbel.

 

If your respondant wants barbel he or she has the easy options of the Ribble on the Lancashire side and the Swale the Ure and the lower Wharfe on the Tyke side all of which hold good stocks

[phil dean]

Don't trust a lancastrian to talk about Yorkshire rivers,

 

Most of what the bulldog said is correct but in about 1982 Bingley Angling Club introduced 200 or so barbel, they were never seen again, but it's an underfished river and I always live in hope that a couple survived. Where they were introduced was opossit the point where another river joined and there is a chance that they escaped up there, that river is only fly fished and then only very rarely.

 

Saying that, with some of the Cr*p that's gone down the aire over the years alan is probably spot on...........bet he wont tell you where the 6lb chub are though.

 

As to whether they are indeginous, I think that they will have been in the river at some time if only because the wharf holds stocks and that is so close, and all of these rivers eventually join together to form the humber. Both the Airee and Calder were in the heartlands of the in dustrial revolution and the native fish stocks were virtually wiped outon a number of occasions, which would explain why there are none in now.

PS ALAN, honest I will come down to play, the wallis casting is almost reliable though I may have to get rid of the real handles.

[Alan Roe]

The reason for the Lacastrian speaking of Tyke waters is that we know how to fish them

 

Phil we both know where the big chub are they are not hard to find. It just brasses me off that the Duke of Warrick stepped in during the wars of the roses befor we had time to pinch all of your best waters!!!

 

Anyway I will be available to fish whenever you can get away just give me a shout and leave the handles on that reel!!!

[phil dean]

Not turning this into a personal thread or anything but I was hoping to have a shot for one of the big girls with sharp teath on Sunday morning, probably one of the golf club swims, I remember a few holes with big fish from when I lived down there.

 

Is the river beyond fishable at the moment or is it worth having a chuck (2lb leads not being an option)

 

Alan, real still attached to its handles, lost a screw from the lineguard since I took that off so didn't want to take anthing else off to be honest, but Keith keeps going on about how the handles get in the way when wallace casting and they have on a few occasions for me, particularly when casting out from under trees where I end up with the reel upside down. (that doesn't read too well, just go with me!!)

 

One thing I didn't know were that there were grayling in the aire, I take it they're in the No1 stretch above skipton?

 

[ 30. October 2002, 12:12 PM: Message edited by: phil dean ]

[Paul_D]

Phil,

 

If you're talking about the stretches between Silsden and Keighley don't bother, the river is still rising. When I left to go fishing at Embsay this morning the flood plains were still reasonably dry, they ain't now......

[phil dean]

Thanks tinca, the canal is now calling!!

[Alan Roe]

Phil

The Ribble is now down to near normal levels so I don't see why the Aire shouldnt be by Sunday unless we have another load of rain up there.

I have fished all afternoon for a modest chub an a brownie....Still, nice to be out and doing it!

[Paul_D]

Phil,

 

The river was fining down nicely for you but it's now persisting it down again as I type and there's more forecast for the weekend.....can't make up my mind what to do on Sunday either...!!