Barbel From The Tees

[Silver Searcher]

For the last couple of months I have been chasing a double figure Barbel from my local River...the Tees Till today they have eluded me, but finally I managed to hook into one, not a double, but a eight pounder...I'll take that for a start

The River and surroundings are quite spectacular, and steeped in Ancient history, although it's like jungle warfare, the long walks and wild life are part of the day.

The area I have been fishing is on the Sockburn Peninsula, Sockburn is a site of great antiquity, Higbald, Bishop of Lindisfarne having been crowned there in 780 or 781 and Eanwald, Archbishop of York, in 796. For many centuries the estate was in the hands of the Conyers family. In medieval times a Sir John Conyers is said to have slain a dragon or "worm" that was terrorising the district. The stone under which the Sockburn Worm was reputedly buried is (or at least until recently was) still visible, and the falchion with which it was said to have been slain is in Durham Cathedral Treasury.
Another literary association is with Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland. His father was sometime rector at Croft-on-Tees, and it is said that the legend of the Sockburn Worm provided the inspiration for his poem Jabberwocky.

SS

 

[shaun7]

Well done mate How are your arms

 

[Silver Searcher]

Well done mate How are your arms

Took it from a spot I least expected a fish from funny how it works like that some time, it didn't fight as hard as I thought it would, the take was quite calm to

SS

 

[shaun7]

Well done mate How are your arms

Took it from a spot I least expected a fish from funny how it works like that some time, it didn't fight as hard as I thought it would, the take was quite calm to

SS

Was it daytime? I suppose it was because of the pic Maybe that's why At 8lb they should be able to pull your arms off. I've only ever had 2, an 11 and a 7. Both were at dusk and when the double took, it pulled me round in my chair

 

[Silver Searcher]

Well done mate How are your arms

Took it from a spot I least expected a fish from funny how it works like that some time, it didn't fight as hard as I thought it would, the take was quite calm to

SS

Was it daytime? I suppose it was because of the pic Maybe that's why At 8lb they should be able to pull your arms off. I've only ever had 2, an 11 and a 7. Both were at dusk and when the double took, it pulled me round in my chair

Quarter to seven at night, fished a running lead. 1oz weight, two halibut pellets(12mm) hair riged, the water was up two feet and droping, made a couple of powerfull runs, but there were no snags for it to reach, the only time you get them in open water is when it's coloured and up.

SS

 

[worldtalker]

SS,Quite the sport fish in your neck of the woods I recon.Call them Suckers over here,rather nice in the spring when the water is cold.Seen many of the larger ones,big and brown with large scales sunning themselves on top of the water.A nice find of another kind!God Bless HH Chris

 

[Silver Searcher]

SS,Quite the sport fish in your neck of the woods I recon.Call them Suckers over here,rather nice in the spring when the water is cold.Seen many of the larger ones,big and brown with large scales sunning themselves on top of the water.A nice find of another kind!God Bless HH Chris

Are you sure your not confusing Barbel with Carp I know they grow much bigger in outher parts of the world, 21lb is the UK record, although I have just heard rumers of a 24lb being caught I think the largest I have heard of from the Tees is 16 and 17lb, but I am quite sure there are larger specimens there

SS

 

[worldtalker]

You are right they are carp,they don't have those little hangy down thing!I'd guesstimate there weight to be 30-35lb.

 

[Silver Searcher]

You are right they are carp,they don't have those little hangy down thing!I'd guesstimate there weight to be 30-35lb.

Carp also have the hangy down things(barbules) but they get well worn down if they are feeding on hard bottoms

SS

 

[worldtalker]

River carp are like that.

 

[zztop357]

That looks like a cross between a catfish and a carp Our carp don't have whiskers!

 

[Silver Searcher]

That looks like a cross between a catfish and a carp Our carp don't have whiskers!

There are a lot of different species of Carp, the Carp I refer to, which are the one's we have here are European carp, (Cyprinus carpio) all have whiskers.
The Barbel, Barbus barbus is a species of freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family of minnows and carps. It shares the common name "barbel" with its many relatives in the genus Barbus, and is properly known as the Common Barbel.

SS

 

[NGE]

Back in the early 70's I shot and landed a 63 pound carp with my bow........NGE

 

[theviking]

Nice catch! We have a similar fish here we call a Fall fish but without the barbules. They run about the same size as your Barbel, they like small rivers and fast water, fun to catch. Thanks for the view.

 

[Silver Searcher]

Nice catch! We have a similar fish here we call a Fall fish but without the barbules. They run about the same size as your Barbel, they like small rivers and fast water, fun to catch. Thanks for the view.

I googled fall fish, very similar to our Chub, and in the same family(Cyprinidae Family) which only grow to around 8lb, although the old record was 10.8lb..

SS

 

[ivan salis]

ever try corn kernals as bait ? works great with carp. also wheatie flakes made into balls works well too.

 

[Silver Searcher]

ever try corn kernals as bait ? works great with carp. also wheatie flakes made into balls works well too.

Yes Ivan may times just about caught every type of British Fresh water fish on corn...super bait

SS