My son is a total angling addict-especially Barbel, so I do witness fishing, and do love fish themselves. I used to go fishing as a kid with a roach pole and maggots in France. I hope to go Pike fishing this autumn and get some tuition from son :)
Proper job mate, I would add that in the height of summer on very hot days not to fish for barbel, the low water oxygen level and extreme heat can do a barbel in even when it has only been out of water long enough to unhook it.
It is undoubtedly best practice to treat all fish in a respectful manner- I am not an angler, but nothing distresses me more than to see any fish treated badly, usually out of 'ignorance'- eg, fish thrown back into the water or being kept in buckets at the bankside, in oxygen-poor water, or in a keepnet, or fish who have hooks roughly removed from their mouths. If people want to fish, they owe it to the species as a whole to be as kind as possible.
So by using this handling method you actually stress the fish twice, instead getting the Barbel back in well oxygenated water with as little fuss as possible. Angler of over 50 years.
Don't talk like a pussy ...Why are you on this site if you hate anglers ...There's always some one like you ....Why don't you take up fishing and chill the fuck out...
Well for a start, unlike fox hunting, angling is a legal activity in the UK. Most anglers practice catch and release. Even if you hate the idea of fish being caught, it is worth remembering that many British rivers would be unfit to support fish life, if it were not for the efforts of angling clubs improving habitats and fighting the polluters over the last century or so. Whatever one's views on angling, that is a fact. Rivers are still being abused by drainage engineers, water companies and agriculture. Most anglers are interested in natural history and many other species benefit from the efforts of angling clubs to protect and improve rivers and lakes. Even conservationists have surprisingly little knowledge of fish and fish requirements and can learn a lot from anglers. The reintroduction of otters in the 1990s would not have been a success (or even possible) without the efforts of anglers fighting polluters in the courts and protecting fish habitat, especially during the destructive agricultural intensification in the second half of the twentieth century. Worth thinking about next time you enjoy a walk by the river.
