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Hi Martyn,

I've ummed and aaarghed about discussing this issue in detail on the net, for fear of attracting too many people to what has now become a specialist barbel angling 'backwater', but seeing as it is going to happen anyway and if it does will be publicised in the weeklies there isn't much point keeping quiet. Yes I think a 15+ from the Middle is a real possibility next year.

By middle Severn I mean the wild natural spate river from above the Gladder Brook at Stourport (where there is a sign reading 'End of navigation') to up to the weir at Shrewsbury.

Last season I saw a number of recognizable barbel put on 15 to 20% of their body weight from the same time the season before.

If just one of the 12lb and 13lb fish that were caught last season continues that growth rate and slips up when at their heaviest then the 15lb barrier will go.

The growth in middle Severn sizes is driven by a number of factors:

1) The population on the Middle Severn has stabilised from the barbel boom years of the 70's and early 80's when there where thousands of 2lb barbel in some areas. We now have fewer fish, but a wider range of sizes. This might be linked to the massive reduction in angling pressure and therefore the amount of bait going in.

2) Though the Severn is a food rich river I'm not sure it has always had enough food to support the artificially introduced barbel population. For instance, in the 1970's studies revealed a growth check on scales put down during the week long fishing ban prior to the Div 1 national. To an extent the population of the boom years was 'stunted' by over competition for food. Though there were still good double figure barbel about through the 70's, 80's and 90's they were often very long indeed for their weight and they made up a tiny fraction of the population.

3) In the last couple of years (since the July 2003 Bewdley Festival to be precise) the new factor has been the large amounts of pellets now used by match anglers and visiting pleasure fishermen. This food source has allowed a lot of youger barbel to grow rapidly and to take on a different, deeper, 'heavier' shape.

4) Given that there are an awful lot of barbel in the middle Severn it is inevitable that a certain percentage are going to grow very big indeed. The river is just going through the same process of mushrooming weights that has happened elsewhere but starting off from a lower average size, a larger competitive population and 5 years behind the rest of the country bait wise. I've certainly seen fish in the flesh that are young and growing rapidly both in length and girth that would appear to have the capacity to easily make 16lb + if not much bigger.



This barbel size explosion is not limited to any particular stretch or a few 'hot spots', but is happening all along the middle reaches. I would go so far as to say that it is now no longer the case that to catch a Severn double the best place to go is to the Lower River. If you want an extra big fish of 14lb plus yes the Lower is undoubtedly still a better bet, but for 10 and 11lbers the Middle is coming up fast.

As for the rumours of 15lbers that have already come out, my problem is that if you track down the sources they are usually fishery owners, caravan park proprietors or pub landlords . Still not seen any pics or know anyone who's seen pics of any of these recently rumoured monsters. Though to be fair there was a photo of a claimed 15lber a few years back that was unfortunately of too poor quality to be properly verified, so maybe...

Tom

Easiest river in Britain . If you blank up here you've got serious problems.

A couple of examples




This 11lb 7oz Middle Severn fish caught at the start of December 2004 had put on 1lb 7oz in just 9 months not forgetting what it probably lost in weight during spawning. Captor Tom Dixon (Frost and Flood).

Though it is a bit battered my guess is that it is still a young fish and has the capacity to grow a lot longer. Tom didn't measure it snout to fork, but to give you an idea of size Tom stands 6ft 4inches tall.



This barbel weighed 12lb 5oz in February 2005. It was caught 11 months previously by a friend at 11lbs. Captor Tom Rigby.

The only other recaptures of doubles I'm aware of taking on the Middle Severn last season have been a fish caught at 10.4 in October 2003 which I caught again at 11.5 in October 2004 (this fish has just got fatter, not longer) and another at 10.2 in october 2004 caught again at 10.10 in February 2005 plus a fish that grew slightly from 10.8 in from March 2003 to 10.15 in November 2004.

It is difficult to accurately plot growth on the Middle Severn because relatively speaking in comparison to rivers with a smaller head of barbel you get fewer recaptures. My personal recapture rate of doubles is 6% over a season and 12% over more than one campaign. To get anything like a good picture of growth rates and numbers requires looking at other anglers' pics and pooling of resources.