Roach,
Rutilus rutilus (L.)
Weight – rarely 1.4kg (3lb),
very few
over 1.6kg (3.5lb)
Length – rarely exceed 40cm
Age – maximum 18 years
Location – lowland rivers, lakes, ponds,
canals and drains
Behaviour – shoaling as young fish and
adults
Preferred habitat – slow water, variable
depth and dense weed, very adaptable
Feeding – most active from June to
October, dawn and dusk
Natural food – zooplankton, bloodworm,
snails, filamentous algae
Maturity – males 2-4 years, females 3-5
years
Fecundity – 1,000-15,000 eggs per female
Spawning times – April to early June,
8-14 oC
Spawning – dense weed, occasionally gravel
Migratory habits – limited home range,
spawning migrations
Predators – pike, perch and zander
One of the most popular fish
Widespread and abundant, happy to take a wide
range of
bait, it’s no wonder the roach is one of the most popular fish among
anglers.
Roach is probably the commonest fish species caught by anglers in this
country, and is the mainstay of many match fisheries.
It is tolerant of a very wide range of environmental conditions and is
therefore widely distributed in Britain, from the clear, cold waters of
the
Tay to the murky waters of the Rother, and from Scottish lochs to
muddy farm ponds. It is even found in brackish conditions.
Roach are quite tolerant of many forms of pollution, which accounts for
their abundance in the rivers Trent and Calder when they were more
polluted by power station, industrial and sewage effluents than they
are today. They are most abundant in slow-flowing or still waters where
they
usually occur in shoals close to areas of vegetation.
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Carp, Cyprinus
carpio
Weight - rarely 13.6kg (30lb),
few
over 18.1kg (40lb)
Length - rarely exceed 100cm
Age - rarely exceeding 30 years
Location - lakes and ponds, slow-flowing
rivers, very adaptable
Behaviour - shoaling in small groups
Preferred habitat - dense weed, silt
substrate
Feeding - warm weather, bottom feeding at
night, adaptable
Natural food - Invertebrates, worms,
molluscs and vegetation
Maturity - males 3-4 years, females 4-5
years
Fecundity - 100,000 - 200,000 eggs per kg
of body weight
Spawning times - May-July, 16-22oC, multiple
spawning
Spawning - dense weed, bullrushes
Migratory habits - localised spawning
migrations
Predators - juveniles taken by pike and
perch
A
Little Carp History
The carp is one of the most adaptable fish in the
country. Its introduction to England and Wales started as early as the
1300’s, when carp were imported from mainland Europe and reared in stew
ponds. Today carp flourish in almost every river and lake in the
country. From small village ponds to the largest, most powerful rivers.
The carp has succeeded in every available habitat.
Introduced initially by monks as a food source, carp became established
and were stocked into estate lakes and fisheries, and once available,
quickly became a target for anglers.
At this time, the carp had a
fierce reputation for being incredibly difficult to tempt, and was
thought by some to be un-catchable. Slowly anglers developed their
knowledge and techniques, culminating in the birth of modern legering
techniques pioneered by the likes of the legendary Richard Walker.
These anglers had none of the specialised tackle available today, and
had to make their own, nets from hession sacks and bicycle wheels,
specialised split cane rods and eventually the first electronic bite
alarm.
During the mid-20th century, carp became increasingly popular with
anglers and in 1952 Richard Walker netted Britain’s first 40lb fish.
Ever since, carp have been one of the most sort after species, as
confirmed recently when an Environment Agency telephone survey asked
the question; Which species you most like to catch? 55% of licence
holders stated carp as their preferred quarry.
Recently the British Record was broken by a fish of over 60lb. Whilst
carp this large are a rarity, they readily grow to over 10lb, with 20lb
being considered specimen sized. Carp are amongst the longest living
fish species in the country, with wild fish of over 60 years old being
recorded, but most carp will live for 10 - 20 years.
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Barbel,
Barbus barbus (L.)
Weight – rarely 6.4kg (14lb),
very few
over 7.3kg (16lb)
Length – attain 100 cm, very
few over
130cm
Age – maximum 25 years
Location – rivers, occasionally stocked
in stillwaters
Behaviour – shoaling in small groups,
close to the river bed
Preferred habitat – fast water, gravel,
weed, 15-22oC
Feeding – gravel foraging, dawn to dusk,
optimum temperature 15oC
Natural food – insect larvae,
crustaceans, molluscs, small fish
Maturity - males 3-4 years, females 5-8
years
Fecundity – 8,000-12,000 eggs per kg of
body weight
Spawning times – May-July, in water 14-2oC
Spawning – gravel, typically 10-40mm
diameter
Migratory habits – home range 2-20km
Predators – juveniles taken by pike and
chub
A fish of beauty
Ask any group of coarse anglers which
species they would most like to catch, and barbel would be the choice
of many.
This fish gets its name from its two pairs of fleshy barbels – the
smaller of which is underneath the snout with two longer ones at the
rear corners of the mouth. The large mouth is underslung and leathery
to touch.
Barbel are stunning. They’re usually golden bronze, fading to a creamy
white on the belly. The fins are reddish brown , sometimes with an
orange tinge.It’s not only an attractive combination of colours, but
also a highly effective one for camouflage purposes. Torpedo-shaped
like a gudgeon, barbel are long, muscular fish with large triangular
pectoral fins that have the power to cope with periods of high flow and
to take off at extremely fast bursts of speed. An average adult is
usually between 15 to 30 inches long and weighs
between 2lbs to 6lbs although specimens over 15lbs have been recorded.
Sexual maturity usually occurs at four to five years old. Spawning
takes place from May until the end of June, although given the right
water temperature it sometimes carries on into July.
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Pike, Esox lucius (L.)
Weight – rarely
13.6kg (30lb), few males over 4.5kg (10lb)
Length – rarely exceed 130cm
Age – rarely exceed 18 years
Location – rivers, lakes, canals and
ponds. Adaptable
Behaviour – solitary, occasional groups
near feeding or spawning areas
Preferred habitat – juveniles: shallow,
weed. Adults: open water.
Feeding – dawn and dusk
Natural food – fish, including small pike
Maturity – males and females 2-3 years
Fecundity – 15,000 to 30,000 eggs per kg
of body weight
Spawning times – March to May, rise in
temperature 6 – 10oC
Spawning – dense weed, for example
Phragmites or Elodea
Migratory habits – seasonal spawning
migrations up to 10km
Predators – pike
A formidable predator
The design of the pike betrays its
predatory lifestyle.
The 'business end' of the pike consists of a large bony head, with
prominent forward/upward looking eyes, a broad flattened snout and a
large mouth. The mouth contains a 'fierce arsenal' of teeth, with rows
of backward pointing razor sharp teeth in the top jaw and larger
needle-like teeth in the lower jaw. The head is mounted on a long
torpedo shaped body with distinctive olive coloured upper flanks
supporting cream camouflaged bars and spots. A large, broad and
powerful tail with rearward positioned dorsal and anal fins propels the
fish, providing great speed but limited manoeuvrability.
This design enables the pike to make 'lightning strike' bursts of
high-speed swimming to ambush unsuspecting prey from a concealed
camouflaged position amongst the weed. Prey capture is quick and
efficient. Once close to the prey the mouth is opened rapidly creating
suction that draws the
prey into the arsenal of entrapping teeth.
This ambushing 'sit and wait' technique is the pike's preferred method
for capturing healthy prey, and it is one for which it is supremely
adapted at the expense of its ability to easily chase down fit prey.
However, as every angler who has spun a lure knows, the pike is more
than capable of chasing down injured or dying prey that are unable to
avoid the gape of its mouth.
With the current National rod caught record standing at a monstrous
21.23 kilos, (46lbs 13 oz), the pike offers the largest wild native
coarse fish for the specimen angler. R. Lewis esq. caught the record in
1992 at Llandegfedd, Wales.
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Tench, Tinca tinca (L.)
Weight – rarely 4.5kg (10lb),
very few
over 5.5kg (12lb)
Length – rarely exceed 60cm
Age – maximum 14 years
Location – lakes, canals and lowland
rivers
Behaviour – mostly solitary, occasionally
in small groups
Preferred habitat – shallow still water,
dense weed, silt substrate
Feeding – May-September, active benthic
foraging at dawn and dusk
Natural food – zooplankton, benthic
invertebrates such as molluscs
Maturity – 3-5 years, 20-24 oC
Fecundity – 300,000-400,000 eggs per kg
of body weight
Spawning times – May-August
Spawning – dense weed, shallow water, low
or no flow
Migratory habits – Limited home range,
localised spawning
Predators – pike.
The Doctor Fish
The tench was once commonly nicknamed
the ‘doctor fish’ because sick fish were said to rub themselves against
its thick mucus covering, which it was thought had healing properties.
The mucus was even used for human medicine at one time. However it
seems that the fishy physician cannot heal itself, as tench are
susceptible to many external parasites and the mucus is clearly not
effective in preventing such infestations.
Tench can be readily distinguished from other members of the carp
family, to which it belongs, by its body shape and colouration. It has
a stocky build and all its fins have smoothly rounded margins. It is
dark brown or olive green on the back, shading to bronze on the lower
flanks. The scales are small and the skin is very slimy. At each corner
of the mouth is a small barbel. There are no reports of hybrids with
other species in Britain.
The tench is one of the few coarse fish where the sexes can easily be
determined by looking at them. The mature male fish has a greatly
thickened second ray and longer pelvic fin.
The tench occurs across most of Britain except the north of Scotland,
and throughout Europe and temperate Asia. It has been distributed
widely because of its interest to anglers, aquarists and commercial
fish farmers. Tench live in slow-flowing or still waters, usually where
there is rich vegetation and a soft bottom.
Tench usually lead a relatively solitary existence but congregate in
small groups in late spring and summer prior to spawning.
They are reported to spend winter hibernating in soft mud, but in some
waters
can occasionally be captured during this period.
Tench feed mostly on crustaceans, insect larvae (especially midges) and
pea mussels, which it sifts from the soft substrate. This feeding
activity tends to release gasses from the mud, and sends up the
tell-tale bubbles to the surface which are a sign that tench are
feeding below. Feeding activity peaks at dawn and dusk. Tench require
higher temperatures for spawning than most other native
coarse fish, the optimum being in the range of 20-24oC.
It
then follows that they spawn later than other coarse fish, usually
between June and August.
Spawn is usually released in batches every few days. Very large numbers
of small eggs are produced which stick to submerged vegetation.
Survival in the first year is often poor due to heavy predation on the
eggs and fry, and the short growing season remaining after hatching.
Because survival over the first winter can be so poor, tench stocks are
often dominated by a few good year classes.
Growth rates are varied, depending on temperatures and feeding
conditions. They usually reach between 40g (10cm) and 300g (30cm) at
three years of age, but exceptionally can reach 800g. Most of the
largest tench are caught at the start of the season when they are heavy
with spawn.
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Eel,
Anguilla anguilla (L.)
Weight – rarely 2.3kg (5lb),
very few
over 3.2kg (7lb)
Length – rarely exceed 100cm
Age – maximum recorded 40 years
Location – rivers, streams, canals,
lakes, ponds drains and ditches
Behaviour – solitary
Preferred habitat – slow-flowing, deep
water, sand, silt and weed
Feeding – May-August, most active at
night, forage in debris
Natural food – crustacea, worms, small
fish.
Maturity – 8-15 years
Spawning – Sargasso Sea at depth
Migratory habits – August-October, adults
to sea; February-May, elvers return
Predators – pike, fish-eating birds
Silver eels
Eels are an unmistakable species, long, thin and
snake-like with a slimy body, hence such sayings as ‘slippery as an
eel’. The eel can be found around the British Isles, and the British
record weighs in at 11lb 2oz, dating back to 1978.
The eel is a famous international marine traveller completing only part
of its life cycle in freshwaters or coastal areas, where it is fished
for by both rod and net. Spawning has not been observed, but it is
believed to take place in the spring, deep in the Sargasso Sea, between
Bermuda and the Bahamas. Maturing females, although their eggs have not
been collected, are reported to contain up to 10 million eggs.
The eggs develop into a ‘leaf-like’ larva called a leptocephalus,
and it was originally thought that these larvae took three years to
migrate to the European coast. However, recent studies suggest that the
journey may take as little as 12 months, swimming between one half and
five nautical miles per hour. When the larvae reach the continental
shelf they change into what is called the ‘glass eel’ stage before
continuing with their migration. In the British Isles, during the
spring, March to May, once temperatures have reached about nine degrees
centigrade, the glass eels make their migration through the estuaries
and into freshwater.
To facilitate their passage through the estuary they use the tidal
currents, migrating upstream on the flood tide. During the ebb tide
they move out of the current towards the bank side to prevent being
washed out to sea, but where they are more easily caught.
In a number of British estuaries, but most notably in the Severn, they
are exploited, mainly with dip nets. Since the late 1970s there had
been a fall
in the catch of glass eel/elver.
This decline is thought to be closely related to the position of the
north wall of the Gulf Stream, with lower catches reflecting a more
northerly position of the Gulf Stream. Other possible causes for the
decline include pollution, barriers to migration and over-fishing. Once
the glass eel develop pigmentation they are referred to as ‘elver’
and are very similar in shape to the adult eel.
In fresh water the eel lives on or near the bottom, often digging into
the gravel, and migrates slowly upstream. During this period they are
generally
referred to as brown/yellow eels, due to their
colour. Moving further upstream eels become fewer and more dispersed.
Although the eels in the upper
reaches are generally fewer, they tend
to be much larger than in the lower reaches. In the lower reaches the
populations are characterised by having a
higher proportion of males, which contrasts with the upper reaches
where females predominate.
Male eels stay in freshwater for between 7 and 12 years, maturing at a
length of about 36cm. Females stay between 9 to 16 years and mature at
a slightly larger size of 46cm, though eels can grow larger reaching up
to 1 metre in length and live as long as 40 years. When the fish mature
they change to a blue/silvery colour and migrate
seaward during the autumn, usually during dark stormy nights.
Eels are exploited at all stages of their life, due to their popularity
as a high value food fish. Yellow eels are caught mainly during summer,
when they are feeding. Netsmen use fyke nets, long lines or baited
traps to capture them. Silver eels are caught in the autumn on their
seaward migration in nets
or traps that rely on the eel moving passively with the current into
the device. Eels feed mainly on invertebrates, but some of the larger
ones also feed on fish. Fish-eating birds such as herons, goosanders
and mergansers feed on eels and so several species of fish, including
pike, trout and even eels.
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