Barbel or mullet

[corydoras]

I've always found you get a much better fight from the fish in deep water and a larger water. They can't run and dive the same in small or shallow waters therefore don't give as good an account of themselves.

I must admit I thought that a bit of an odd post too. Evidence?

[Guest Rabbit]

I must admit I thought that a bit of an odd post too. Evidence?

 

No way, hook a barbel on the shallowTeme as opposed to the deeper Severn and the Teme wins hands down, like falling down the stairs to hell and hitting every step on the way, I once heard it described

The Severn is a slower plodding fight, the outcome is never really in doubt, unlike the Teme .

Just my opinion though

Edited July 14, 2007 by Rabbit

[Leon Roskilly]

A fish powering off for 20 yds just below the level of your rod tip, produces more 'WOW!' than a fish that is 60ft down moving at the same speed over the same distance.

 

ie it is the angle of the line that determines the WOW! factor.

 

I recently had a tope on in very deep water, and although I knew that it was moving a fair distance at a fair speed over the bottom, all that was happening at the rod tip was that the line was slowly moving across the surface.

 

I believe that this effect has something to do with the perception that fish hooked in shallow water give a better account of themselves.

 

Similarly if fishing off a harbour wall with the fish some 20ft or more below, the fight will seem of a different quality than the same fish when the angler is down on the gravel at the same level as the fish.

[lutra]

No way, hook a barbel on the shallowTeme as opposed to the deeper Severn and the Teme wins hands down, like falling down the stairs to hell and hitting every step on the way, I once heard it described

The Severn is a slower plodding fight, the outcome is never really in doubt, unlike the Teme .

Just my opinion though

Well said Mr. Rabbit 80 on a motorway is no where near as frightening as 70 down a windy track and playing a salmon on a big open river is nowhere near as daunting as playing one on a spate stream.

[Guest tigger]

During the past few weeks I've been targetting Tench in two different waters.

The first water covers about 2 acres and is about 4/5 ft in the deepest spot. It is only very shallow at the end we where fishing it (18inch) and we were getting some Perch around the pound mark and some good Tench varying between 3 1/2 and 7 1/2 pound. Anyway the Tench put on a cracking fight but due to the water being so shallow they couldn't power down only across .

The second water is about 7 acres and 13 ft deep. It dropps straight off and is pretty much snag free. We got some really good Rud up to 3.3 pound and some Tench up to 8 lb. Anyway the Tench put up a really good scrap and where able to dive and power off better than the ones in the other shallower water therefore giving a better fight.

Both the waters are natural and are hardly ever fished.

Obviously fish may put up a better account of themselves in different waters so opinions are bound to vary.

[Jim Murray]

In my experience, any fish hooked in shallow water goes absolutely bonkers. That includes Barbel, Trout and Carp, which all go faster in shallow water.

 

Sounds like a good theory or is that a hypothesis? Don't you find though that in extremely shallow water, say less than 2 feet the fight tails off a good bit. Never seen any reference to this effect anywhere but I've noticed it several times.

 

Must be a bit like running in sand, i.e. very little to push against?

 

Jim.

[Tony U]

Sounds like a good theory or is that a hypothesis? Don't you find though that in extremely shallow water, say less than 2 feet the fight tails off a good bit. Never seen any reference to this effect anywhere but I've noticed it several times.

 

Must be a bit like running in sand, i.e. very little to push against?

 

Jim.

Jim

Ever caught a Bonefish? if you had you would realise that statement was rubbish. They will go like stink in water a foot deep or even less and fight harder than any Barbel ever born.

 

Tony

Edited July 16, 2007 by Tony U

[Jim Murray]

Jim

Ever caught a Bonefish?

Sorry no.

if you had you would realise that statement was rubbish.

Apologies for not having caught every species of fish that swims. Just making an observation on several species I have.

They will go like stink in water a foot deep or even less and fight harder than any Barbel ever born.

How hard do they fight in deeper water?

 

Jim.

[Tony U]

Surprisingly no where near as well as they do on the flats; but being a tropical species they still hang on to use Matt Hayes' expression, when I mean deeper i mean around 3-5ft I've never had them over deep water and do not know any one who has. Barracuda and the dreaded Cowfish also fight much better in skinny water in fact I find Barracuda disappointing in bluewater but great in the mangroves and on the flats.

[Vagabond]

I've never had them (bonefish) over deep water and do not know any one who has.

 

Tony, You do now!

 

On one occasion we were out after tarpon and spotted some bonefish in water that ranged from about 6 to about 18 ft depth. A bit too deep to wade.

 

Fortunately I had a #6 outfit with me, and Norma and I took turns with it and got a dozen or so bones.

 

They were not that big, but the fight...........

 

I heard Norma describe it on the telephone to a friend "You think you have hooked a monster, and then when you get it to the boat, it's not much bigger than a herring".

Edited July 16, 2007 by Vagabond