Having started my barbel fishing journey around 15 years ago – when the allure of specimen hunting started to edge out match fishing – I’ve seen many changes in my local Warwickshire Avon. This venue has always been my regular choice when chasing barbel; and while I have never experienced days of 10+ barbel in a session there, I have been lucky enough to enjoy a few days where select stretches have delivered multiple good barbel in a single session, including the odd double-figure specimen.

Taking you back over a decade, I targeted barbel for around 15 to 20 sessions a season. Of those sessions (all on the Warwickshire Avon, split between 4 or 5 stretches) I’d expect a couple of red-letter days where I’d catch between 3 and 5 barbel. Just under half the sessions rewarded me with 1 or 2 fish, and the remainder (approximately 50% of sessions) were blanks. While this many blanks does not read well, those days always taught me way more than days where I caught, and certainly heightened the desire to get back to the river the following weekend to settle the score.

Fast-forwarding to the present day, I’d say I get out barbel fishing around 8 times a year. Whether it is down to angling skill, lack of concentration, or poor watercraft, I’m now lucky if I can pluck one barbel a season from the Warwickshire Avon. So, the questions is, why this big change in a relatively short period? Perhaps water quality playing a part in my reduced catch, maybe the rise in otter numbers… or even the changing climate? I guess I’ll never really find the answer to this question, but it doesn’t stop me repeatedly asking myself it!

On a more positive note, I do honestly believe that life is cyclical, and while seemingly baron rivers are disappointing, life always finds a way. I am sure that barbel will thrive once again in the Warwickshire Avon.

For now, the chance of catching one barbel from 8 sessions is still more than enough to get me on the banks of the Avon, and when that rare, annual fish does glide over the net, the sheer sense of achievement and appreciation for the catch will make it even more special. I still also get that gift of learning and improving on those 7 blank sessions, which is ultimately a good thing!