The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Done a quick search and couldn't find previous discussions on this but apologies if I have missed it.

¹ Do barbel live and feed in brackish water?

²What's the closest to the sea anyone has heard of anyone catching one?

I've seen huge chub in Christchurch Harbour and know that coarse species can thrive in salt water on the continent but its barbel I'm particularly interested in (England).

As always any feedback would be very much appreciated

Are you sure those 'huge chub' weren't mullet Flobtheboat? It often takes a second look to identify them.

As for barbel, like carp, roach, bream etc they will tolerate brackish water to a degree just as flounders and even bass will venture well upstream. Barbel, identified as having been caught in the Hampshire Avon, have turned up in the Stour and visa versa, they obviously enter Poole Harbour and swap rivers and often do the reverse journey.

Hope this helps

The tidal Trent has some good barbel, I am unsure if that ever gets brackish though.

Dave Burr wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 9:51 am Are you sure those 'huge chub' weren't mullet Flobtheboat? It often takes a second look to identify them.

As for barbel, like carp, roach, bream etc they will tolerate brackish water to a degree just as flounders and even bass will venture well upstream. Barbel, identified as having been caught in the Hampshire Avon, have turned up in the Stour and visa versa, they obviously enter Poole Harbour and swap rivers and often do the reverse journey.

Hope this helps

Definitely chub Dave I know of angler's who target them there in the winter when it's much quieter down there.
I spent years walking the harbour as my nan lived minutes from there.
Saw some good mullet as well they fight with the ducks for bread in the summer.

But now my interest is with the river Arun as it's on my doorstep.
I have fished the river at Watersfeild but was wondering how far down the barbel would travel.

Bobthefloat wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:56 am

Dave Burr wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 9:51 am Are you sure those 'huge chub' weren't mullet Flobtheboat? It often takes a second look to identify them.

As for barbel, like carp, roach, bream etc they will tolerate brackish water to a degree just as flounders and even bass will venture well upstream. Barbel, identified as having been caught in the Hampshire Avon, have turned up in the Stour and visa versa, they obviously enter Poole Harbour and swap rivers and often do the reverse journey.

Hope this helps

Definitely chub Dave I know of angler's who target them there in the winter when it's much quieter down there.
I spent years walking the harbour as my nan lived minutes from there.
Saw some good mullet as well they fight with the ducks for bread in the summer.

But now my interest is with the river Arun as it's on my doorstep.
I have fished the river at Watersfeild but was wondering how far down the barbel would travel.

I've heard of people targeting barbel on the lower sections of rivers and catching some very good fish. I would consider how far up is classed as 'tidal' and is there a weir at that point or does the river rise and fall over a long distance. Ask around if anybody knows of barbel coming out, local tackle shops, faceless book that sort of thing. Depending on the force of the current during tide changes, I'd say two or three miles up from the coast is a good starting area. The barbel fishing in such places (depending on depth and clarity) can be very slow but ultimately rewarding, you just don't know what will appear.

I hope you give it a try, you may catch a record gusgeon.

Dave Burr wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 12:13 pm

Bobthefloat wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:56 am

Dave Burr wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 9:51 am Are you sure those 'huge chub' weren't mullet Flobtheboat? It often takes a second look to identify them.

As for barbel, like carp, roach, bream etc they will tolerate brackish water to a degree just as flounders and even bass will venture well upstream. Barbel, identified as having been caught in the Hampshire Avon, have turned up in the Stour and visa versa, they obviously enter Poole Harbour and swap rivers and often do the reverse journey.

Hope this helps

Definitely chub Dave I know of angler's who target them there in the winter when it's much quieter down there.
I spent years walking the harbour as my nan lived minutes from there.
Saw some good mullet as well they fight with the ducks for bread in the summer.

But now my interest is with the river Arun as it's on my doorstep.
I have fished the river at Watersfeild but was wondering how far down the barbel would travel.

I've heard of people targeting barbel on the lower sections of rivers and catching some very good fish. I would consider how far up is classed as 'tidal' and is there a weir at that point or does the river rise and fall over a long distance. Ask around if anybody knows of barbel coming out, local tackle shops, faceless book that sort of thing. Depending on the force of the current during tide changes, I'd say two or three miles up from the coast is a good starting area. The barbel fishing in such places (depending on depth and clarity) can be very slow but ultimately rewarding, you just don't know what will appear.

I hope you give it a try, you may catch a record gusgeon.

The tidal Taff around Cardiff throws up a few Barbel each season.

Dave Burr wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 9:51 am Are you sure those 'huge chub' weren't mullet Flobtheboat? It often takes a second look to identify them.

As for barbel, like carp, roach, bream etc they will tolerate brackish water to a degree just as flounders and even bass will venture well upstream. Barbel, identified as having been caught in the Hampshire Avon, have turned up in the Stour and visa versa, they obviously enter Poole Harbour and swap rivers and often do the reverse journey.

Hope this helps

Let's hope it's Christchurch Harbour the barbel are entering not Poole Harbour. Poole Harbour has the rivers piddle and Frome not Stour and Avon.

It's said that long ago the Mudeford nets caught the very occasional barbel.

DaceAce wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 1:21 pm

Dave Burr wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 9:51 am Are you sure those 'huge chub' weren't mullet Flobtheboat? It often takes a second look to identify them.

As for barbel, like carp, roach, bream etc they will tolerate brackish water to a degree just as flounders and even bass will venture well upstream. Barbel, identified as having been caught in the Hampshire Avon, have turned up in the Stour and visa versa, they obviously enter Poole Harbour and swap rivers and often do the reverse journey.

Hope this helps

Let's hope it's Christchurch Harbour the barbel are entering not Poole Harbour. Poole Harbour has the rivers piddle and Frome not Stour and Avon.

It's said that long ago the Mudeford nets caught the very occasional barbel.

My bad - Geography isn't my best subject

I don't know of barbel occurring in brackish water but a number of us are pretty sure that some coarse fish cross over with sea fish in the Humber. One particular water adjoining the Humber suddenly gained a population of chub and I managed to catch a couple. That particular water also, at one time, contained some genuine 3lb roach as well as flounders, smelt and a few cod. All the little drains that run in to the Humber from the Trent mouth to just downstream of the Humber Bridge appear to contain chub that have entered from the Humber.

A friend of mine who does marine surveys informed me that he caught a lot of perch in the Humber at Grimsby. I've personally caught pike, bass and thin-lipped mullet in the Frome at Wareham and a guy next to me was catching roach and dace.The Baltic is well known for having sea and coarse fish living together.

Tolerance of salinity is bound to be species specific and I don't know where barbel fit in. So an interesting question.