Fishing weir-pools

[The Flying Tench]

I was interested by Argyll's comments in a current thread on lure-fishing, saying that pike are likely to move out of the weir-pool when there's been rain, and are likely to have moved to eddies a bit downstream. I guess it will depend a bit on the weir-pool, but that was something i certainly hadn't realised.

 

I wondered if Argyll or others have other information on where fish are likely to be in weirpools at different times of year and in different conditions. For example, I was told recently that barbel don't usually spawn in the weirpool, but in shallower water downstream, and are therefore more likely to be found in the tail of the pool or further downstream at the start of the season. I assume the implication is they concentrate in the weirpool later on? Having said that, I know one weirpool where barbel certainly are found in good numbers at the start of the season.

 

Maybe it'll be hard to generalize, but my guess is I'm not the only one who'd appreciate a bit of knowledge from those with a lot of experience of fishing weirpools.

[argyll]

Impossible to generalise John. I'm no barbel fisherman so I couldnt possibly speculate about habitat and habits, save to say that their environment is constantly changing. I usually fish a weirpool which can be split into two halves. the main torrent comes over the cill on the left and the weir gates on the right are usually closed, making it still possible to fish the right side after heavy rain. However the whole thing is subject to the whim of the lock keeper who for what ever reason yesterday afternoon opened the gates on the right side. The flow changed completely and the heavy current on the right slowed down the main flow on the left forming a pool which made the left side suddenly fishable. Depth ranges from 18" under the cill to ten feet at the back of the pool and the ground is strewn with boulders that provide hiding places and relief from the flow. Knowing how the fish react to these changes is a matter of time spent fishing and watching. One interesting point is that the larger fish in weirpools tend to be solitary. So its wise to move after catching a decent fish.

[J.K]

Cant say that I have noticed fish moving in an out of the weirpool I fish much accepct that the smaller barbel and chub are caught mainly early in the season and the bigger barbel move in at the begginning of july. The chub then seem harder to catch but are there in small numbers.

Also pike,perch and roach seem to all appear at the same time middle-end of july.

This info is only from the small weir that I fish and have found it to be constant in the 3 season I have fished it.

[argyll]

John, here is a view of barbel and weirpools by Graham Marsden

 

http://www.barbel.co.uk/site/articles/weirpool.htm

[The Flying Tench]

Helpful stuff. Thanks.

[bulica]

I think Argyll's comments are OK, he's right.

 

 

Ragards,

Dan

http://www.rapitori.ro