View Full Version : Barbel in Stillwaters - Register Your Vote
Why not? Barbel in stillwaters must be a positive move to the exitement of fishing stillwaters, there are Carp in rivers so why not Barbel in lakes. There may be quite a few Barbel in lakes now after the floods.
Yeah - Why not fish for "le franch carp" then ? If thats what it's about - "exitement" ??? Why is everyone so against foreign carp being imported into *our* British waters ?
Agreed, there are *some* barbel in stillwaters, but studies show that they do not respond well to that type of habitat ! Please don't ask me to dig out a theasis (spelling?) on the subject !
If you really think about it, we're in a simular situation (carp/barbel).... keep our fish where they belong.... before we end up having nothing classed as natural or our own !
Bill.
(Trying to keep it real with barbel !!!)
Well mate, I must admit looking at it in that respect I would agree with you, just a matter of interest I know RMC artificially stock their waters either by moving their fish about and using *British* fish, do you agree on this? I mean not taking the commercial side into account of course. I am not a Carp angler but will fish for them on occasion, usually off the top on a warm summers day but I do get much more satisfaction catching a fish from a wild lake or a river opposed to a pre-stocked fishery. Anyway back to the Barbel, I do agree to keep them where they are as they are designed for running water, it's no good taking a Ferrari across the desert.
I have absolutely nothing against fish being moved from one lake to another... it sometimes protects the fish against the pressure some waters get.
You cannot look at this in most resepects without taking the commercial view... the reason lakes are stocked is that people want to catch fish... people are charged a fee to fish these venues and the money is then ploughed back into the business, after peoples wages are paid, etc. so that the cycle may continue, people can earn a living, and the likes of you and me can enjoy our chosen sport...
I'm also agreed that fishing a 'wild' lake has a lot more appeal, which is why I tend to stick to the rivers nowadays. I wouldn't go near some of the stocked lakes where they hold matches as I enjoy my fishing, not just catching fish, if you know what I mean.
It's nice to get away from the pace of life, sit besides a river/lake and have peace and quiet !
Bill.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Billyo on 22/11/00 04:15 PM.</FONT></P>
Hi Ian,
I was wondering, do the EA grant licenses for the stocking of barbel into stillwaters ? I didn't think they did.
Current stillwater barbel, I thought, were supposedly escapees !
Bill.
NO,
Not until our rivers are totally "knackered"
ps
would they breed?
Paul Garner published a report for the barbel society a few years back giving the reasons why a stillwater habitat was not suitable for barbel. The main reason was oxygen levels, I think... and seeing that barbel will spawn around May/June, oxygen levels are low enough anyway.
I'll have a dig through my HD and see if I can locate it.
Even if the fish you refer to have spawned, Ian, could it be a one-off, or a particluar lake that is spring fed ? I've heard rumours of barbel once spwaning in a spring fed lake(can't remmeber where), but still wouldn't stock them.
Bill.
In the midd 70s there was a small carp syndicate half a mile from Heathrow, in this small pit was stocked around half a dozen barbelbetween 5lb & 8lb. I fished this syndicate for six seasons and in that time I caught two of these barbel they were thin and never seemed to put weight on, I had seen a few caught during hot weather / low oxygen levels and some of them died, some were so limp they could not move,
Its not that the captor, had trouble brining the barbel to the net,
As the fight was very sluggish.
Had there been flowing water some may have survived?my answer to your qustion Ian is,
I believe they should be left in the rivers.
alanshelley
29-06-2003, 16:14
They stocked a few barbel into Magic Lakes, Waltham Abbey about two years ago. The owner says they're doing very well.
I've no knowledge if they've spawned, but they do get caught often.
It's worth knowing that Magic lakes have a pump that introduces a very slight flow + adds some oxygen into the water.
I personally think Barbel should stay in the rivers.
Alan.
Iam i right in assuming that breeding barbel would be done in a tank of water with no flow other than that caused by a filter???
If so these bred barbel wouldnt be used to a flow ao what difference does putting them into a lake?
Are trout not river fish that have been stocked into still waters?
I agree that IF it is detrimental to the barbel to be stocked into a stillwater then fine dont put them in , but if it is because they belong only in rivers then thats just daft.
LeeTebble
30-06-2003, 13:40
I voted against although I immediately got an Error message ? Hope it registered.
Keep it natural - keep it real !
If Barbel are stocked into the Blue Pool or wherever I think you will be catering for a small minority who should be satisfied with the with catching the regular stillwater species in their natural environment in the first place..
You only need to look at a cross section of Barbus to see that his Lordship intended it's life on fast running gravel beds not silted up ponds! Mind you the Kennet is rather silty these days! Oh know, I've just opened another can of worms......
"Are trout not river fish that have been stocked into still waters ?"
Basically - no. Of the 2 species you can expect to catch in the UK, our native Brown thrives as a wild fish both in clean rivers and in large clean stillwaters like the Irish loughs, Scottish lochs and the waters in the English lake district. The Rainbow is an import from the USA but in its native rocky mountain states again thrives in lakes and rivers. Indeed in the Great Lakes it becomes a fish eater and grows to very large sizes.
In addition both species will happily swim into coastal sea waters and return to the river to breed - browns/sea trout on this side of the Atlantic, rainbows/steelhead in the USA.
All in all trout are pretty versatile fish !
http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Carp were originally a river fish, chub do very well in still waters.
If Barbel struggle in still waters then they should not be stocked, but, and maybe research is needed, if they grow, regardless of breeding then I see no problem in stocking them.
Some species need better water quality than others....i presume Barbal are one such species.....seems unfair to put em in stillwaters unless they activeley thrive (like chub and carp)
The reason the poll doesnt work is that Ian put it up 17/11/00.
Well spotted fella.
That was a grand old waste of time then.
And just what was the result of the vote anyway? - it's still an interesting subject.
cmoncarpcmon
30-06-2003, 15:49
http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I don't see why anyone would want to introduce a creature into an environment that is obviously not suitable for it. Barbel don't breed in still water because of all the reasons already discussed, if it has happened then it can probably be considered a one off as Ian has mentioned.
Would you keep a horse in a council flat? It would probably survive but why put it into such unnatural circumstances just because you can!
Keep them in the rivers, the barbel are happier and because of that I am happier catching them there.
andy_w21uk
30-06-2003, 21:53
why not introduce them,
If it were bad for the species they would not grow so well and be as healthy as lakes which have done this.
Catfish are not lake fish, look at the danube, saone, segre, rhone etc etc.
All the other countries big cat waters are rivers, Yet over here in UK lakes they seem to be pretty happy.
seems to be good for the species if you ask me
Think barbel and cats are different. Ctas spawn VERY successfully in still waters, whilst barbel do not.
Zinga
Personally I have no problem with Horses in Council Flats, as long as they do their fare share of the housework and go shopping for their own hay. There would also have to be some sort of rota to ensure no conflict over the remote control for the television, and it might be a bit of a squeeze on the sofa...
http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif
So, does anyone know how the barbel in burghfield match lake are getting on? See link below
http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/show.phtml?ID=181
Can't seem to register my vote as it says page no longer exists , what's the scores on the doors?.
Barbel in stillwaters get the big thumbs down from me!
Obviously no-one read my post above then - lol
and still going strong........LOL http://www.rmcangling.co.uk/forum/images/graemlins/blush.gif
OneToner
01-07-2003, 12:34
As a rule carp do not breed successfully in this countries still waters, so I believe the spawning issue is irrelevent.
one thing that would concern me is that barbel almost give there all during the fight, the best way to recover a barbel is to face it upstream to get flowing water through the gills, this is not possible with stillwaters. However, grass carp seem to be similar in this way and as long as they are looked after properly during the returning process will return successfully - could the grass carp returning process be used for barbel ????
If the above can be practised successfully I see know reason why not to stock barbel into still waters, although, I understand why the 'purist' wouldn't like it.
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