Spent the weekend fishing a rather large farm dam, whilst sitting around the fire at about midnight, sipping some red wine and starring into the glowing ambers all hell broke loose in one corner of the dam. It sounded like something really big was smashing its way through grass and reeds. I jumped up and grabbed my H7 LED Lenser and went to investigate. There were probably a hundred barbel hunting in the shallows and against the side, they were spooking all the small fish out of their hideaways. These small fish were trying to get away by jumping out and almost "walking" on top of the water but the Barbel were smashing them left right and center, it was something I had never witnessed. I ran for my "roepstok", loaded with 80lb braid and a Lume pumpkin seed and dropped the lure between the Barbel, it was a split second and I had the first Barbel on not giving it more than 2 meters of line, wow what a fight, I tracked them as they went around having an awsome time, got into 7 of them, there was no time for weighing or pictures but I reckon they were in the 5 - 7 kg range. Even as I type this post I still have a nice glowing feeling of what happened, what an awsome experience.
Merciless Barbel
- Thread starter Otto
- Start date
Nice experience, well done for being there. I heard something similar (actually allot) before and if I remember correctly Hennie saw something like that as well at the lower Oranje but they swam with force out on to the bank stranding the small fish on the bank and then picking them off. Almost like those fresh water dolphins. These boytjies can get very aggressive and he has even witnessed a barbel jumping out of the water after he was hooked by his fishing partner. We suspect this isn't normal behavior but because they (Hennie and key) go to such untouched waters/spots by humans and because they hunt these fishing spots with such stealth that the cat actually got that big of a fright that be just bolted in a direction which ended up being upwards. Imagen the adrenalin flowing if you witness something like that.
Eish great stuff this barbel angling I'm telling you.
Eish great stuff this barbel angling I'm telling you.
I myself heard this type of commotion at Roslea's but they moved away as I got closer but in my mind it couldn't have been anything else except barbel hunting small fish in the shallows. You think I could go back to bed? Worst of all my live bait was gone the next morning after a huge run. I was too late to make vas.
Welcome to mini barbel runs... I have had them in Jozini and we slaughtered the tigers around the outside of the barbel just like the okavango catfish run.
I spent much time observing what goes on and this is my theory - most of the barbel surface at a similar time they inhale air and submerge as a group (although you get 1 - 1 still coming up for air) they then submerge to the bottom and amongst the water grass/mud etc they exhale this air - on a still day one is able to track their progress by the bubble trail -looks like a group of scuba divers under water - I believe these bubbles are exhaled and this causes disturbance where prey species are flushed from hiding and promptly attacked - I was able to witness this on the 2011 catfish run in the okavango. I have seen them in numerous dams in South Africa but it seldom occurs for more than a day or two and it appears that conditions need to be favourable but be assured when it happens the fun begins and it is great if there are other predatory fish like tigerfish -then the games begin....
I spent much time observing what goes on and this is my theory - most of the barbel surface at a similar time they inhale air and submerge as a group (although you get 1 - 1 still coming up for air) they then submerge to the bottom and amongst the water grass/mud etc they exhale this air - on a still day one is able to track their progress by the bubble trail -looks like a group of scuba divers under water - I believe these bubbles are exhaled and this causes disturbance where prey species are flushed from hiding and promptly attacked - I was able to witness this on the 2011 catfish run in the okavango. I have seen them in numerous dams in South Africa but it seldom occurs for more than a day or two and it appears that conditions need to be favourable but be assured when it happens the fun begins and it is great if there are other predatory fish like tigerfish -then the games begin....
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Hi Ryan,
Die babers skool as hulle wil spawn of net daarna dan swem hulle so half doelloos op die oppervlakte rond - dis hoe ons hulle op Jozini gekry het. As jy naby hulle gooi dan duik hulle en kom eers later weer bymekaar.
Die skool van babers wat jag is iets anders, hulle skool en keer skole ander visse in baaitjies ens vas. Die babers maak 'n wal wat keer dat die skool nie kan uit nie, en elke nou en dan skiet 'n paar in die skool in om te gaan gryp.
Tydens hierdie vretery gryp die babers werklik enige iets in die water wat beweeg en hulle is uiters gulsig en agressief. Dit sal interressant wees om te weet wat gee aanleiding na hierdie skielike gedaantewisseling wat hulle ondergaan.
Die babers skool as hulle wil spawn of net daarna dan swem hulle so half doelloos op die oppervlakte rond - dis hoe ons hulle op Jozini gekry het. As jy naby hulle gooi dan duik hulle en kom eers later weer bymekaar.
Die skool van babers wat jag is iets anders, hulle skool en keer skole ander visse in baaitjies ens vas. Die babers maak 'n wal wat keer dat die skool nie kan uit nie, en elke nou en dan skiet 'n paar in die skool in om te gaan gryp.
Tydens hierdie vretery gryp die babers werklik enige iets in die water wat beweeg en hulle is uiters gulsig en agressief. Dit sal interressant wees om te weet wat gee aanleiding na hierdie skielike gedaantewisseling wat hulle ondergaan.
O ja Otto, as die babers aktief spawn (amper se ek iets anders ;-) dan is hulle ook so raserig in die vlak water.
Dis 'n groot gerondjaag en 'n ge-bytery. Ons het bv op Bloemhof al groot babers gevang, en dan kan jy die byt merke op die lyf sien waar 'n ander een hom gebyt het.
Te oordeel aan die bek en byt grootte kan jy sien daar is 'n paar ma se babers onder die lot, die wat ons gevang het van 18kg rond kan nie eers naastenby so groot byt nie.
Dis 'n groot gerondjaag en 'n ge-bytery. Ons het bv op Bloemhof al groot babers gevang, en dan kan jy die byt merke op die lyf sien waar 'n ander een hom gebyt het.
Te oordeel aan die bek en byt grootte kan jy sien daar is 'n paar ma se babers onder die lot, die wat ons gevang het van 18kg rond kan nie eers naastenby so groot byt nie.
En hier is die grooooot rede waarom daar nie groot babers in Jozini is nie,
Want daar is groooot krokke. Daai krokke is party langer as 5m500, dis hoe lank Pieter se baars skuit is. As die krok onder die boot le steek hy voor en agter uit. Ons het een dag twee van hulle gekry wat so onder die boot kom le het. Dit voel nie baie lekker nie.
Want daar is groooot krokke. Daai krokke is party langer as 5m500, dis hoe lank Pieter se baars skuit is. As die krok onder die boot le steek hy voor en agter uit. Ons het een dag twee van hulle gekry wat so onder die boot kom le het. Dit voel nie baie lekker nie.
