Barbel "protecting" its territory?

[NCBass]

Had a fun day on the water today, initially nymphing for SM yellows, then after spotting some barbel activity below a weir, switched to a #6 black wooly bugger and the fun was on!
I saw some barbel mouths popping up in a row just below a slow weir, gulping up the fry jumping for the wall and put the wooly on top of the wall to let it wash down towards the feeding barbel.
I was standing about 6-7m from the wall just on the edge of a deep 2m+ pool between me & the wall. In this pool was a single, HUGE, maybe 10-15kg barbel gulping up mouthfuls of fry.
I hooked one of the smaller barbel at the wall and as it entered the pool this monster started attacking it. After a tug-of-war, the smaller barbel being the rope, I won the battle (after a dunking ) ending up with a 1.5kg barbel with a shredded tail.
On the second hookup, the same thing happened, but this time the hooked barbel wasn't as small and the "pool monster" just kept on bashing it with the tail and head.
Judging from this agressive behaviour, it seemed that the big one was protecting its feeding pool from intruders.
Any barbel pro's seen this type of behaviour before?

[Chris Shelton]

Had a fun day on the water today, initially nymphing for SM yellows, then after spotting some barbel activity below a weir, switched to a #6 black wooly bugger and the fun was on!
I saw some barbel mouths popping up in a row just below a slow weir, gulping up the fry jumping for the wall and put the wooly on top of the wall to let it wash down towards the feeding barbel.
I was standing about 6-7m from the wall just on the edge of a deep 2m+ pool between me & the wall. In this pool was a single, HUGE, maybe 10-15kg barbel gulping up mouthfuls of fry.
I hooked one of the smaller barbel at the wall and as it entered the pool this monster started attacking it. After a tug-of-war, the smaller barbel being the rope, I won the battle (after a dunking ) ending up with a 1.5kg barbel with a shredded tail.
On the second hookup, the same thing happened, but this time the hooked barbel wasn't as small and the "pool monster" just kept on bashing it with the tail and head.
Judging from this agressive behaviour, it seemed that the big one was protecting its feeding pool from intruders.
Any barbel pro's seen this type of behaviour before?

so why didnt you go for the big one?

[NCBass]

Tried, but it wouldn't take my offerings, just tried to rip me off...

[Chris Shelton]

Tried, but it wouldn't take my offerings, just tried to rip me off...

hehehe...better luck next time then.

Cheers

[Deneys]

hey NCBass you should have poseted it here
http://www.flytalk.co.za/forum/showthread.php?t=2392



Jokes

could have wone a bottle for that


.

[pieterkriel]

this surely is the first I've heard of such behaviour, I would like to hear from someone that knows these interesting fish well

[chris williams]

I've seen big barbel attack my hooked fish (yellows, bass, kurper, other smaller barbel) several times - maybe we need a 20/30cm 'hooked fish' fly? I reckon it's a combo of hunger, aggro, territory and possibly in spawning season, double-aggro/territory. Think I'll slow-troll Byron and Mike with trebles hanging off their feet at the dam in a moment and report back..

[pieterkriel]

I've seen big barbel attack my hooked fish (yellows, bass, kurper, other smaller barbel) several times - maybe we need a 20/30cm 'hooked fish' fly? I reckon it's a combo of hunger, aggro, territory and possibly in spawning season, double-aggro/territory. Think I'll slow-troll Byron and Mike with trebles hanging off their feet at the dam in a moment and report back..

please do

[chris williams]

I agree.. they hooked an approx 1/1.5kg kurper at lunchtime whilst 'testing the casting action of 9 weights'....I ask you...!!! They didn't even bring a cool box!!! Shades of that waterskiing a local at Kariba old joke..

[pieterkriel]

i am wondering if you decide to cast these guys out to entice some barbel, will you attach a hook to each toe and finger for better chance of hookup?