Barbels are group of small carp-like freshwater fish, almost all of the genus Barbus. They are usually found in gravel and rocky-bottomed slow-flowing waters with high dissolved oxygen content. A typical adult barbel will range from 25 to 100 cm in length and weigh anywhere between 200 g and 10 kg, although weights of 200 g are more common. Babies weigh 100â€"150 g.
Barbel roe is poisonous and causes vomiting and diarrhoea in some people.
The name barbel derived from the Latin barba, meaning beard, a reference to the two pairs of barbsâ€"a longer pair pointing forwards and slightly down positionedâ€"on the side of the mouth.
Fish described as barbels by English-speaking people may not be known as barbels in their native country, although the root of the word may be similar. For instance, the Mediterranean barbel, Barbus meridionalis is known as barbeau méridional or barbeau truité in France, but also as drogan, durgan, tourgan, turquan and truitat.
Europe
Barbus barbus, the barbel native to Britain is known simply as the barbel and is a popular sport fish. Subspecies of B. barbus are recognised; namely B. barbus bocagei, B. barbus sclateri, B. barbus thessalus and B. barbus plebejus.
The Mediterranean barbel Barbus meridionalis is actually found in Spain, France, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. It is a much smaller fish than B. barbus.
Other barbel in Europe include Barbus sclateri â€" sometimes known as the European barbel; the Italian barbel Barbus tyberinus; the Albanian barbel Barbus albanicus; the Iberian barbel is found in Spain and Portugal and is eaten by many European duck species
Asia
The Crimean barbel Barbus tauricus is found in the Salgir River in the Crimean peninsular. A subspecies, the Kuban barbel Barbus tauricus kubanicus is found in the upper and middle Kuban River in Russia.
The Aral barbel Barbus brachycephalus is found in Central Asia, and the sub-species B. brachycephalus caspius (the Caspian Barbel) is found in the Caspian Sea.
The Bulatmai barbel Barbus capito carpito (Cyprinus capito) is found in the Kura river in Trans-caucasia.
The Terek barbel Barbus ciscaucasicus is found in the Kuma River, Russia.
The Turkestan barbel Barbus conocephalus is found in the Zeravshan river.
The Gokcha barbel Barbus goktschaicus is found in the Lake Sevan in Armenia...
The Kura barbel Barbus lacerta (Mtkvari barbel) is found in Syria.
The Himri barbel Barbus Luteus is native to Mesopotamian rivers.
The Amur barbel or Barbel steed (Hemibarbus labeo) is found in the Amur basin and elsewhere in east and south-east Asia, including southeast Siberia.
Africa
Barbus callensis is found in Tunisia.
The Ripon barbel Barbus altianalis is found in the African Great Lakes.
Barbus bynni bynni, a barbel, is found in the Nile and lakes that have been connected to that river. The subspecies Barbus bynni occidentalis is known as the Niger barb.
Other
Occasionally non-cyprinid fish are called barbels such as Austroglanis gilli, or Schilbe mystus, both are catfish. Some species of the genus Sinocyclocheilus a cave dwelling fish found in China have made use of the term barbel in their English common name.
Trivia
The barbel is mentioned in Nostradamus Les Prophéties, century VII, 24 :
He who was buried will come out of the tomb,
he will make the strong one out of the bridge to be bound with chains.
the great one from Lorraine by the Marquis du Pont.
Poisoned with the roe of a barbel,
Fishing for barbel
Barbel, although often found in still waters are predominantly a river dwelling fish and are very sought after by many anglers. They may not be the most elusive fish in the river; in fact, in the right conditions they are fairly easy to catch. They are, however, very hardy fish who will fight right until you slip your landing net under them. Despite this hardy nature in the water they do not cope well out of the water and must be returned safely and quickly. It is good custom to support the fish in the water until it is fully recovered and swims away on its own accord.
Some of the best barbel fishing venues are along the Loddon near Reading. The Severn at Bewdley being a particular hotspot where there are different day ticket and club stretches on both sides of the bank. The current record on the river Severn is 16lb 11oz, taken by Kevin Gittins, in November 2014.
The most effective baits to use when barbel fishing are maggots, worms, luncheon meat, halibut pellets and any fish meal based boilie.
The most common way to fish for barbel is to cast out a ledger to the desired area in your swim. The ledger will hold the bait firmly where you want it to be. The bite indication for this type of fishing would be the tip of the rod bending over as the barbel takes off with your bait. Other exciting methods of fishing for barbel are float fishing or free lining your bait down the flow of the river.
Barbel will feed all year round but much more vigorously in the summer and autumn; this is the time of year that most anglers fish for them. Nighttime is a good time to fish. The good baits to use for barbel are maggots, worms, and hemp, but a lot of the time it is a hard fish to catch.
See also
- Genus Barbus All barbels are of the genus Barbus but not all Barbus species are barbels.
- Barbus barbus The barbel native to England and parts of Europe.
- Barbel (anatomy) The whiskerlike structures that give the barbel its name.
References
