November 16th Swindon Barbel Society

Des Richardson the “Ring leader” for the The Barbel Society (Wiltshire Region) invited me along to one of their meetings. I took along an old friend who I hadn’t met for a good few years, Andy Cowley. There Martin Bowler was giving a talk on his new video and book, A Fish For All Seasons. He took about 2 years to complete the video. Him and a mate worked on everything from the filming to the music in the background. Hat’s off to Martin for a quality production.
He also showed some clips that never made it onto the Catching the Impossible series.
Martin is young in years and in that time has caught fish that most of us dream about. However listening to him talk about his sea and game angling exploits I sensed that his directions are heading that way.
Who can blame him, our coarse fishing is being decimated by otters and cormorants. I have this feeling that we have had the “golden age” of specimen hunters. My personal view is that unless something is done to protect our venerable fish stocks then the youth of today and tomorrow will never experience that thrill of catching that first fish or see that first Kingfisher. They will either be found hanging around street corners creating mischief or be locked in the bedroom playing on the latest game machine. I looked around the room of barbel anglers, about 30 or so people and saw few under the age of 40. We all say time will tell, but I have this feeling that time will tell us a very bleak story. Take the otter they kill, and eat 10% of a fish, let’s say a barbel of 10lbs and 15 years old. Then the next night they feel peckish again and another barbel of the same age goes, then the next night and so on. These fish just are not replaced. I liken it to us killing a cow eating the udder and then leaving the rest. Then the next night we do the same. There would soon be a big pile of cow corpses. This is not too far that has happened on some of our fisheries believe me.
Somehow and somewhere we need to tell this story to the Politicians so that it becomes an issue for them. Us anglers under estimate the power we have in numbers and that all parties covet our support, however in return we get nothing. The government taxes us with rod licences and the EA and £25 million of pounds fob us off. If I could I would not give a penny.
It makes me laugh when I talk to the Avon wildlife people who collect money at some of the supermarkets. I ask them about otters and they say it’s wonderful that they are back. I often ask what they feed on. Eels is often the answer, I laugh again I cannot remember the last time (in years) I caught an eel on the Bristol Avon. Martin said something that amused me and that from European law eels are a protected species. Here we (they) are introducing a predator to feed on them.
Anyhow enough moaning and groaning it was an excellent evening which stirred emotions. I got my first edition book and sign as well.