The Lake District in Cumbria is one of the most unspoilt areas of England. Though hugely popular with tourists, there are secluded spots where even on a sunny bank holiday, you can feel as though you are the only person on earth. The largely glacial lakes have long been popular with anglers, with trout, charr …
Ah, the herring. Now here is a species that, unlike the vendace/powan/gwnyiad/schelly, can be discussed succinctly and without any confusion… …unless of course, one forgets to consider the Pacific and Araucanian herrings or the (rather large) freshwater family Clupeidae, or various other fish around the world, that are known as ‘herring’. So, before the madness …
Fishpool was in a glorious state of reminisce earlier in the week – and was suddenly struck by the mental image of a drumming great-white shark. For anyone else who may have forgotten, The Neptunes are a band from the future. Purveyors of ‘rock’ music, they are a five-piece, made up of teenagers Biff (guitars), …
Of all the fish that swim, the one that has surely got life sussed beyond all others is the slob trout. There are arguments as to his true origin, though it is widely believed that the slob trout is a brownie (Salmo trutta) who, having spawned, then drifts downstream until he finds the food-rich estuarine …
Now a familiar sight on supermarket fish counters, the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is, alongside the Mozambique and blue tilapia, one of the most important commercial fish species in the world. Native, as the name suggests, to Africa and the Middle East, this fast growing species is now farmed throughout the world, with more than …
With a large, doleful eye and a blunt face that slants down to a drooping mouth, few fish look as glum-faced as a John Dory. Strange really, because with one of the coolest latin names of any fish – Zeus faber – and connections with none other than the Patron Saint of fishermen, St Peter, …
Common across much of Northern and mainland Europe, the ide (Leuciscus idus) does not naturally occur in Britain, though populations are becoming established in an increasing number of our rivers. The golden and blue varieties of the ide (more commonly known as orfe) have long been stocked as ornamental fish in garden ponds or in …
There is some conjecture as to whether there are one or two species of sailfish in our Oceans. Some bodies recognise the Atlantic (Istiophorus albicans) and Indo-Pacific (Istiophorus platypterus) as separate species, yet they are anatomically the same and most authorities only recognise the single species – platypterus. Despite so often swimming stubbornly against the …
Though not native to the British Isles, the bitterling (Rhodeus amarus) warrants a mention in Bits and Pieces not least for being one the four species for which Dennis Flack held the British Record for simultaneously, but also for a couple of rather peculiar attributes. The bitterling is a small fish, not unlike a roach in …
The poor old ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua) tends to spend his life overlooked. He doesn’t grow very large (the British record is a little over 5oz while Small Fish Catcher Extraordinaire Dennis Flack has caught them to a little over 4oz), and his presence is traditionally seen as a sign that more desirable fish are not. To …
Though the carp has previously appeared in the hallowed pages of Bits and Pieces in a variety of guises, many anglers value a fish caught from running water in different regard to one from a stillwater. In some situations, such as when winter floods have washed a stock of lake swimming carp into the nearest …
It struck Fishpool recently that though Bits and Pieces has featured both the bronze bream and its juvenile form the skimmer (and the saltwater black bream to boot…), these hallowed pages have yet to feature the rather lovely silver bream (Blicca bjoerkna). The silver bream are far smaller than their bronze cousins and, at first …
We may be experiencing one of the mildest winters on record, but the sea is still a tough proposition at this time of year. Many fish move offshore or head south to warmer water, but in turn species will enter British waters from further north. One species that is particularly common through the cold months …
Yes, Fishpool is well aware that the cuttlefish is not technically a fish, but as Dominic Garnett proved in Fallon’s angler Issue 1 (and Fishpool mentioned in Bits and Pieces Issue 7), squid and cuttlefish can be successfully targeted with rod and line. The most frequently encountered species in British waters is the common cuttlefish …
Having featured a few fearsome fish in recent Issues, Fishpool felt it only right to make mention of one of the most famously toothy predators in the sea. The great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) is one of 28 species of the Sphyraena genus and is the largest and most revered. They are found in the subtropical …
Among the less absurd practices of the Golden Scale Club was the annual gudgeon fishing trip. The humble gudgeon (Gobio gobio) has long been held with a regard that is not in keeping with its size. With a specimen weighing somewhere in the region of 2 ounces (smaller still on some waters) and the record …
The last episode of the recent BBC2 series Earth’s Wildest Waters – The Big Fish, found the three finalists in Zambia, south-central Africa, where they tackled the mighty Zambezi River. The target species was the tiger fish (Hydrocynus Vittatus), a fearsome looking fish with teeth so prominent that resident judge Matt Hayes compared its dentistry …
Ah, the late seventies…..a time when music was real, man…. The Sex Pistols were busting the establishment with Never Mind the Bollocks.., The Clash were fighting the law, and out of Brighton came The Piranhas – a ska band whose cover of Tom Hark had people shimmying around disco halls right across the country. Despite …
Regular readers of Bits and Pieces (though surely there can be no such thing as an irregular reader?) will be only too aware of the pattern found among many of the fish featured. All too often the species in question is either in decline or facing extinction, and though this particular fish might not be …
Though fairly rare in the British Isles, the Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) is quite widespread across the deep lakes of Scotland, with populations also found in Ireland, Wales and the Lake District. This is a fish of coldwater that is found throughout the northern hemisphere, with a particular abundance in Norway. In some areas they …
For many anglers, the humble bleak (Alburnus alburnus) is looked upon with little fondness. It is a small fish, the British record is around 4 ½ ounces, that tends to congregate on large shoals and will snatch a bait intended for a quarry far larger. Found predominantly in flowing water, the bleak a long, slim, …
Richard Walker once described the perch (Perca fluviatili) as the biggest fish of all. Not in the literal sense, of course – that would be silly – but anyone fortunate enough to see a fish of 3lb or more in the flesh will understand his sentiment. In Africa, however, there swims a perch that would …
Fishpool recently wrote of the bronze bream, and how many anglers regard the mature adult fish as a separate species to the smaller, juvenile ‘skimmers’. A similar moniker could be levelled at the roach (Rutlius rutlius) – a species that might not change too much in colour and all round appearance as it ages, but …
Certain species of fish seem to represent perfectly the landscape of their environment. The taimen in the vast plains of Central Asia; the blue marlin in the deep azure of the open ocean; and the golden mahseer (Tor putitora) in the mythical and spiritual waters within the foothills of the Himalaya. The golden mahseer is one …
When we consider British migratory fish, many of us will think of salmon and sea trout. There are eels too, of course, and also lamprey, but two species that are often altogether overlooked are the shad. The allis shad (Alosa alosa) and twaite shad (Alosa fallax) are both members of the herring family and are …
Before anyone leaps up and thumbs back through their leatherbound Bits and Pieces archives (that is what everyone does with these words each week – isn’t it?), Fishpool is well aware that the barbel (barbus barbus) featured in Issue 14. Sometimes though, rules are made to be broken – and besides, in the world of …
Few ‘British’ fish divide opinion quite as much as the zander (Sander lucioperca). A fish non-native to the British Isles but common across mainland Europe, the zander was first introduced into Woburn Abbey Lakes in 1878 by the Duke of Bedford. Though movements of fish were made subsequently, it was not until 1963, when 97 …
The autumn may have been absurdly mild, with record breaking temperatures and weeks without rain, but as winter nibbles deeper into the tail of the year, so the saltwater anglers prepare for the arrival of cod. The Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) has long been sought by Man. The white flesh makes for excellent eating, whether …
There comes a time each year, when the air thins and leaves flutter from the branches without any breeze to prompt them, that we anglers begin to see stripes. If the salmon is a fish of spring and the tench of early summer, then now, at autumn’s end, is the time for perch. The …
There are nearly 200 species of dragonet in the world, but in British waters we are most likely to encounter the common dragonet (Callionymus lyra). A member of the perciformes, which makes up two fifths of all fish (including the freshwater perch), the dragonet is a small species that takes its name from it’s spiny …
While Fishpool recently discovered that some sharks are utterly Pathetic, one species for which such an adjective could not be less accurate, is the blue. The blue shark (Prionace glauca) is a fish of temperate and tropical waters, occurring in all but the coldest seas. It is a slender bodied shark, with large pectorals and …
Ever since Issue 27 of Bits and Pieces, Fishpool has struggled to get the skimmer bream out of his or her mind. And having threatened as much, this time the bronze bream (Abramis brama) gets a well deserved mention. This is a fish maligned by many anglers, so let us recap the negative aspects first. …
Regular readers of Bits and Pieces may have noticed recent issues have been dotted with the dorsals of sharks. But having dabbled with great whites and six-gilleds, Fishpool feels it is about time to pay heed to the most extraordinary group of sharks in existence. The Pathetic Sharks (Carcharodon Patheticus). Readers of Viz magazine will …
Bream aren’t the most popular of freshwater fish. They are slimy, smelly and fight with the enthusiasm of Fishpool with a hangover. They pick up baits set cunningly for chub and barbel, and seem to take pleasure in keeping carpers awake all night. Yet Fishpool feels they deserve a bit more respect. In fact, so …
The graying (Thymallus thymallus) is an often overlooked fish. The presence of an adipose fin places the species (taxonomically at least) with the Salmonidae, but the grayling has not been looked upon favourably in many rivers, such as the Itchen, where it swims beside the more desirable trout and salmon. Most coarse anglers, meanwhile, are …
Perhaps it is its similarity in appearance to a sprat or bleak, but the tarpon is a fish that really doesn’t look as if it should grow as big as it does. The closely related Atlantic and Indo-Pacific tarpon (Megalops atlanticus and Megalops cyprinoides respectively) are fish that require warm water in which to breed, …
No fish commands such fear and awe, or is perhaps so misunderstood as the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). This is a truly massive fish – specimens approaching 20 feet in length have been reliably reported, while many believe the great white can grow significantly larger. They are found throughout the world – though require …
Only one fish can follow a shark that grows to 20 feet in length, and that is a shark that doesn’t grow more than twenty centimetres…. The dwarf lanternshark (Etmopterus perryi) is widely regarded as the smallest shark species in the world. It is also one of the least known, with a small population only …
Autumn is coming and with it our rivers are beginning to wake up. The weed is beginning to thin, and the water levels are rising. Soon, those stretches that have slept all summer will be sparkle with every shower and thicken with fish. The chub (Squalius cephalus) is surely the epitome of a river fish. …
Autumn is coming, and for many of us living in older properties this means the arrival of all sorts of extra bodies for the winter months. House spiders are creeping into corners, queen wasps will soon be curling into the creases of curtains, and best of all, the cold early mornings might turn up a …
The poor old sand eel lives a life not unlike the minnow – constantly looking over his shoulder. There are two species common in British waters, the lesser and greater sand eel – and it is the lesser (Ammodytes tobianus) that plays such a key role in the food chain. Just about everything bigger than …
Probably our most well known flatfish and certainly one our most highly regarded culinary fish, the plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) is one of the few sea fish to have appeared in Bits and Pieces that isn’t under threat. Not growing particularly huge, the shore caught record is a little over 8lbs in weight, the plaice is …
Found throughout the north Atlantic, the pollock (Pollachius pollachius) is fish often overlooked. A big eyed, big mouthed sight hunter, the pollock is found throughout the British Isles, with smaller specimens frequenting rocky, inshore marks and bigger fish, weighing up to and over thirty pounds, found in deeper water and off-shore wrecks. Once hooked, the …
Native to eastern Asia, the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is a fast growing Cyprinid with a large mouth and cigar shaped body. They superficially resemble the chub (Squalius cephalus), and confusion has led to more than one erroneous chub ‘record’ claim. Grass carp grow large, with specimens reaching nearly five feet in length and weighing …
The carp (Cyprinus carpio) comes in many different guises. The wildie (see Bits and Pieces Issue 12), the leather, the mirror and the common carp are all taxonomically the same species, yet they vary as much as people in size, shape and appearance. ‘King’ is a label that essentially encompasses all carp that differ from …
Though often regarded as a single species, the ‘grey’ mullet found in British waters is either thick-lipped (Chelon labrosus) or thin-lipped (Liza ramada). To add to the confusion, there is also the golden grey mullet (Liza aurata) which is related closer, taxonomically speaking at least, to the thin-lipped than the thin-lipped is to the thick-lipped, …
No fish, in freshwater at least, stirs the imagination like the pike (Esox lucius). This is a fish unchanged since time began – a relic of the Ice Age – though when you have no need to change, why evolve further? The pike is long and sleek, with a big tail and late slung dorsal …
Also known as the cow shark, the bluntnose six-gilled shark (Hexanchus griseus) is a fish of the deep sea. Growing large – in excess of 20 feet in length – this is the largest member of the Hexanchidae family of sharks that date back over 200 million years. Aside from the additional gill slit from …
Widespread throughout the north-eastern Atlantic, the ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta) is one of our most familiar inshore species. They are spectacularly coloured—wearing a variety of greens, reds and browns, and sometimes resemble a relic from the great 1960’s tie dye age. All ballans are born female and remain so until they are at least four …
One of the most extraordinary creatures in our Oceans, there are over fifty species of seahorse on the world, though only two are found in British waters. The Spiny Seahorse (Hippocampus Guttulatus) and the Short Snouted Seahorse (Hippocampus Hippocampus) are found in small numbers around our coasts, predominantly off western and southern shores. Despite their …
In Bits and Pieces Issue 13 we paid heed to the sea trout—a brownie with a salty sense of adventure. The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is native to the Pacific flowing waters of North America and Asia, and as with the brown trout, there are some that like to go to sea. The resulting fish …
Found in tropical and sub-tropical waters throughout the world, the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is one of the most widespread fish in our seas. It is classed as an ‘average’ sized shark, though they will still reach a length of 15 feet which is plenty big enough in Fishpool’s eyes. The largest ever caught was …
Of all the fish that swim in British waters, none evoke such awe, such splendour or have inspired so many words as the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Found from The Bay of Biscay up to the Arctic Circle and with a similar range on the western seaboard of North American, the salmon was once abundant. …
Every summer comes the same sensationalist headlines: ‘Giant Killer Shark off Prestatyn!’, ‘Great White at Weston!’, normally accompanied by a photo of a slightly droopy dorsal fin poking through the waves. Though there is evidence of great whites in British waters (more of that in a future Bits and Pieces), the sightings that are sparking …
Back in May, a commercial fishing boat brought an enormous eel back into port. Despite being misreported by some sources as measuring 20 feet in length, it was still a considerable specimen and weighed over 130lbs. Sadly, such a fish used to be far more regularly encountered, as the conger eel (Congridae conger conger) is …
1969 is etched in history as a landmark year for Man. On a mid-September night on the Great Ouse, John Dean caught the last burbot (Lota lota) to be taken on rod and line in Britain. The burbot is the only member of the genus Lota and the only member of the cod family to be …
It is slightly tragic that the ‘common’ skate (Dipturus batis or Raja batis) was, in 2006, listed as a critically endangered species. Once widespread across the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, over fishing has decimated the population. They are long lived – a female only reaches sexual maturity at eleven years, and is subsequently fertile …
In the unofficial hierarchy of rock-pooling, having ticked off shore crab, shrimp and then the butterfish (see Bits and Pieces Issue 6) the next target in the list is the shanny. Also known as the common blenny or seafrog, the shanny (Lipophrys pholis) is a fearsome looking fish with more than a passing resemblance to …
Prior to the turn of the century, the occasional appearance of the grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) in British waters was major news. Today, with the sea temperature rising year on year, there are areas along the south coast where triggerfish can now be targeted in great number. So named after their spiny dorsal fin which …
From the savagery of the bite, to the endless power of the fight, hooking a barbel (Barbus barbus) is an unforgettable experience. These are fish of fast flows and strong currents, using the weight and power of the water to hold station against the bottom – their stream-lined shape perfectly suited to life in the …
Few fish capture the imagination like the Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans). For many, these are the ultimate game fish. Not only do they grow huge—the rod caught record is over 1400lb—they fight like no other fish. Blue marlin are built for speed—with slim, streamlined bodies, great fan like pectorals that can fold into grooves …
One upon a time a little brown trout decided that river life wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. There had to be more to life than crunching caddis larvae or splashing through a grannum hatch. The salmon had the right idea— they’d bugger off downstream and not come back for years. And what …
As we edge ever nearer to Opening Day (see Things we Like), one species that will be swimming strongly through our dreams is the tench. For stillwater anglers, the tench (Tinca tinca) is surely the early season fish of choice. Lovers of old pools and slow moving rivers and canals, the tench is a solid, …
Long before the King Carp made it to our shores, a Danubian strain of Cyprinus carpio was finding its way into our lakes and rivers. Imported as a food source, these ‘wild’ carp were stocked into pools across the country by Medieval Monks looking for an easy to maintain food source. These fish were slim …
Every year breaks a fresh tale of sea monsters with a familiar culprit at the centre. The giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne) is a species of deepwater that is rarely encountered in its natural environment. Occasionally, specimens are found inshore, either dead or seemingly moribund, and their peculiar shape and great size always cause interest. Growing …
Anyone watching the current series of Springwatch on BBC2 may have been rapt by the trials of Spineless Si – the stickleback looking for love. Alternatively you may have been left cold by the excess sentiment or irritated at the need to anthropomorphize every bloody living thing. Of course, the most important thing is that …
If the crucian (see last week’s Fish we Like) maddens a freshwater angler with his shy-biting ways, a similar infuriation will be found on various piers and harbour walls this summer. Floats will dive and rod tips rattle but a strike will only connect with thin air. The culprits are garfish (Belone belone), and the …
The greatest treasures to be unearthed by explorers of a past age were surely ecological. Horses wearing pyjamas, bald grey mammoths, talking birds and fish that live on land. ‘Gadzooks!’ the Royal Court may have cried at such absurdity, ‘a fish that can breathe?’ The mudskippers are members of the family Oxudercinae, a subspecies of …
The crucian (Carassius carassius) is an oft overlooked species. Falsely labelled by many as a carp, this fish of still and slow moving lowland waterways is actually a species in its own right. Sadly, a tendency to hybridise with goldfish and common carp have led to a massive dilution of population, and true crucians are …
(Spondyliosom cantharus) Few British sea fish have benefitted from the rise in sea temperature and restrictions on inshore fishing more than the black bream. Lovers of rough ground, the bream arrive back from their deep sea winter haunts in April and May and do so in number. They are hard fighting – perhaps because they …
(Thunnus thynnus) In the years either side of World War II, some of the finest fishermen in Britain discovered a new bluefin tuna Mecca. The North Sea. In 1929 noted angler R. F. Stapleton-Cotton hooked and lost two enormous tuna while fishing off Scarborough. The following year, and with more suitable tackle, the fishing got …
(Albula vulpes) The vast majority of prize saltwater fish grow to substantial size. Fish such as marlin, tarpon and tuna have the potential to grow as big as a man – and some many times the size. Catching such powerful fish is a war of attrition, with the stamina and fitness of the captor as …
The poor old minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) has an unenviable life. Everywhere he swims he finds something that wants to eat him. Even when fully grown he’ll make a meal for a ruffe, and pike a thousand times his size will make a tic-tac size snack out of him. There is danger from above, with kingfishers, …
Imagine the picture of Miss Ballantyne with her record 64lb salmon. Now consider a fish twice as big – that hasn’t nipped off downstream to get fat on a seafood diet. Surely no such Salmonidae exists? Well, maybe not in the Tay but in the rivers of Russia and Mongolia swims a true giant. The …
The very name stirs the emotions. The Ferox (Salmo ferox) is one angry brown trout who ate his brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles and simply grew and grew. These are fish of the wildest waters; the lochs of Scotland and loughs of Ireland, where the water runs as deep as a mountain is tall. They …
A tide in ebb is like a lifting fog. The world revealed remains familiar and yet is always slightly different. This is a time of opportunity – a time for serious rock-pooling. Crabs, anemones and starfish have their place, but nothing excites quite like a fish. The flash of movement that quickens the pulse – …
From clear, natural water, no British freshwater fish is as stunning as the rudd (Scardinius erythropthalmus). The bronze flanks glisten like butter in a pan and cut sharp contrast with blood-red fins. It is a shame they are not as widespread as they once were, for they are the perfect child’s catch. Lovers of the …
One of those creatures that leaves children open-mouthed. A fish? – that lives in the sea? – that can fly? Woaahhh! There are in fact 64 species of Exocoetida, and though they don’t really fly in the conventional sense, they can stay airborne for a considerable time. By swimming at speeds of over 40mph they …
It won’t be long now. The mackerel will be gathering off the south west in their millions before they trail the whitebait shoals around our coasts. Fresh from the surf they are pure muscle and shine – and taste quite extraordinary. It is a shame so many are plundered for fun and not food, not …
In the small streams, the bullhead strikes fear like a great white in a swimming pool. With a huge head and full of bristle, Cottus gobio is found in rivers across Europe and is an adaptable fish – even swimming in the brackish waters of the Baltic. He does not grow large, the British record …
It doesn’t matter really. We angle for our souls and cherish any capture – regardless of size. And yet, when we get that first glimpse of a fish bigger than anything we have seen, our hearts thump and our legs turn to jelly. It shouldn’t be too guilty a pleasure – just remember to smile …
A perfect hand-sized fish, the dace (Leuciscus leuciscus) really doesn’t know it’s small. A six ouncer will twist its wiry frame in the current like a fish twice the size and the speed at which they dip a float is perfect for sharpening one’s ninja reactions. But it also takes the fly, and makes excellent …
‘You don’t know what you’ve got, until it’s gone’, sang Peter Cetera of American rockers Chicago. Unfortunately, this sentiment is all too true when it comes to the eel (Anguilla anguilla). For years they tangled lines, swallowed hooks and snotted up trousers but today their dramatic demise is a major conservation concern. If you catch …
Our rivers may be off limits until June, but we are already thinking about that initial cast and what it might produce. There is something magical about the first fish of the season – that reconnection – and even fish that we might not normally care for get special attention on the Glorious 16th.
(Salmo trutta) – Across Britain, anglers are dusting off their fly rods with the bravest few even venturing out to embark on a new brown trout season. A wild brown trout is a beautiful thing. Lithe and lively, a buttery belly and deep bronze back dripped with ink in black and red. He will gobble …
(Platichthys flesus) –A humble flatfish who swims in the shadow of more culinary prized cousins, the flounder is actually a rather special creature. Winter estuaries are dotted with anglers whose pockets are heavy with beads and spoons, but sometimes they should cast further inland. This chap interrupted a string of grayling from a Hampshire chalkstream …
I used to catch gudgeon by an old stone, humpbacked bridge in Ireland when I was a lad. But not since then have I had the pleasure. That is until I fished the Test. There were many fish caught that day: greedy out-of-season trout, grayling galore, spiky perch, big dace, and my personal best roach (right …
I had fished for a week, and caught a lot of fish, but none past the magical 20lb mark, which all around me had achieved. It was silly really, but I was growing frustrated, having travelled half-way around the world to catch a big lake trout. In desperation, I turned to my dead father, and …
I was sharing a boat with a red-haired Irishman—granted that’s not in itself unusual—but what followed was unforgettable. We were trolling quickfish lures over a bay on Lake Athabaska, Canada, when the fish struck. For some reason, when I’ve been on a foreign fishing trip, the size of my catches has increased as the trip unfolded. …
