The
barbel is slim and streamlined and mainly found in moderate to fast flowing
rivers making this on of the best fighting coarse fish and a challenge for
most anglers. The barbel has similar colours to the carp, a green or brown
back with beautiful golden-bronze sides and a pale belly, which is not surprising
as they belong to the same family.
They
live meandering in and out of the long streamer weed using their streamlined
bodies, pointed heads and under slung mouths for feeding over the gravel beds.
The fish uses the barbels on the side of it's mouth, after which it is named,
to search for food as these are highly sensitive to touch and taste.
The
barbel's diet consists of worms, water insects, larvae, crayfish, shrimps,
freshwater mussels and snails but it will also eat small fish living on the
bottom such as loach and bullheads. Hard foods are no problem because, like
the carp, they have large flangeal teeth in their throats. These are like
crushing pads used for grinding up there food.
The
barbel spawn between May and July when they make their way upstream to shallow
gravel beds. Once there the female makes a depression in the river bed were
she then lays her eggs ready for fertilisation by the male.
After
spawning the barbel rest up under cover in slower moving water to regain their
strength. A few days later the young hatch to start their life. Young barbel
are dappled in colour with dark spots and can easily be mistaken for gudgeon
although gudgeon only have two barbs. The barbel reaches maturity at four
to five years of age. A specimen barbel weighs seven pounds (3.2kg) and a
double figured fish is every barbel hunter's dream, which with Fatanglingtours
on the Guadiana river is easily achievable.
The
Barbel is an extremely powerful fish and very sought after. There is a larger
specimen of Barbel called the Comizo barbel which can grow to over 40lb, this
is a Spanish specimen fish and one that is found on the guadiana river.
Below
are some Barbel specimens out of the guadiana.
To find
out more about the Barbel fishing packages click here.