Lawrence Breakspear : Part 4 - The River Teme 

I really liked the sentiments in this video. Proper angler. Well done.👍

We need more of these sort of interviews, really enjoyed all four parts.

Hi I have enjoyed thoroughly these interviews as Lawrence and I seem to have followed similar lines in our fishing. For me I now enjoy any fishing for any species with any method in any place. I don’t care wether I’m catching gudgeon from the canal, trotting for roach or fishing for chub as long as I’m sitting by the water with a rod, or pole or whip, then I am content! Regards Bill

Really enjoyed the interviews Paul. Lawrence’s fishing life seems so typically familiar - it can so easily become an obsession that takes over everything that’s REALLY important in life .... unfortunately for many a budding speci hunter it’s something thats only realised when it’s too late!! I recall roach fishing on Startops alongside the late great Alan Wilson on a freezing winters day when a rather attractive young lady walked past with her dog and was quite chatty - When she left Alan said something along the lines of “if you’ve got any sense son I’d forget freezing your nether regions and get yourself one of them!!” - obviously I laughed it off but he was right and looking back, as fun as it all was, Lawrence is absolutely correct in emphasing it’s only fishing! - Now I’m older and wiser I totally understand that and have got to say I actually enjoy it more without all the pressure of having to succeed and constantly strive to beat personal bests etc. Anyway great interview with one of the top guys from (in my opinion) the golden era of specialist angling. Would be great if you could maybe do an interview with Tref West next ? All the best Paul

Really Really enjoyed this!

Thanks gentlemen I really enjoyed these videos very informative and very honest and thoroughly entertaining 👍

Hi, the rise and fall of the barbel ! I used to fish the Teme at Ankerdine Farm in the 1960s when there were none in the river, back then we used to catch mixed bags of chub/dace/roach/perch etc and the shallows used to be teeming with shoals of minnows, when the barbel appeared they became the predominant species in the river and most sought after by anglers and the other species fell out of favour, initially i was saddened when the barbel took over but relented and then enjoyed catching them in the 90s, nowadays it seems the Teme barbel are in decline, i guess the younger generation will only know the Teme as a barbel river and oldtimers like myself who remember the pre-barbel days are a dying breed.

Some of us still holiday on the Teme in the hope of the Barbel returning. The decline in the Barbel population is obviously due to many factors but change in habitat such as loss of submerged plant species harbouring food items like many invertebrate species and fry, etc and silting of gravel runs, suitable for spawning, are probably major factors responsible for the Barbel struggling to recruit sufficient age classes to replace those lost mature fish. Perhaps the use of Herbicides/Pesticides and change in farming practices along the banks of the Teme is a contributing factor to this decline. There appear to be plenty of juvenile Barbel in the Middle Severn around Arley, Bewdley and further upstream with plenty of streamer weed evident.