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When I was a boy fishing with my father and grandfather they told me the barbel would sting me. Is there any truth to this or is a myth?

The fin spines will give you a sting, not the barbels.

If you are from southern Africa then a barbel is one of these...




Is this what you are talking about

Ref,

I agree with all of the above, the barbels as in the "feelers" on the head of the fish will not be "sharp", but the word "barbel" can mean different things, so a spine on some fin on the "fish" barbel could well sting you.

Also, could you update your profile (using the link at the top right of the page) to have where you're from in the link - then we don't have to guess if you're from South Africa or not, for example.

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Mats

In response to racoll's question: yes, we're talking about the "feelers" or "wiskers" by the mouth of the fish.

Thanx for your responses.

In response to racoll's question: yes, we're talking about the "feelers" or "wiskers" by the mouth of the fish.

Ref, I understand what you are saying, but just to clarify, the [entire] fish i referred to is called "a Barbel" by local people in southern Africa, and it happens to have barbels, which is probably why its called a barbel

Clear as mud


On a side note; Mats/Jools, should we add "barbel" to the common names for