Threespot Barb (Barbus trimaculatus) Information & Pictures

The Small And Striking Threespot Barb

The Threespot Barb is a small South African fish that only grows up to about 15 centimeters. They are not endangered. The Threespot Barb gets its name from the three distinct spots close to this freshwater fishes lateral line. The Threespot Barb is found in the upper half of South Africa and is quite a common freshwater fish in the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The Threespot Barb is a very hardy fish and is found in all sorts of habitats. They seem to frequent well vegetated areas and shallow water. The Threespot Barb belongs to the family of Spinefin Barbs which also includes the Dashtail Barb (A common riverine fish that occurs in northern Botswana).

The Threespot Barb feeds upon small organisms and small insects. They breed in the Summer months and the females have been known to lay as many as 8000 eggs. The Threespot Barb is a good bait for Barbel (Sharptooth Catfish) and other predatory fish such as the Tigerfish. This specie of Barb is a good specimen to keep in freshwater ponds and aquariums.

How To Catch The South African Threespot Barb

The Threespot Barb is a very small fish and therefore only very small hooks (Number 12 or smaller) will do the job. They are quite aggressive and do take small plastic lures on small jig heads. However I find the best baits for the Threespot Barb to be small pieces of bread, half a mealie kernel and small earthworms or grubs. Sorry about the pictures above they are a bit out of focus. Good luck in your fish finding!

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