Encyclopedia of Fish...
Fishing Information call 01726 862519
Lots of information about the freshwater fish that can be found in our lakes with advice on their preferred living conditions, habitat and diet. with pictures of each species for easy identification getting started has never been easier - GO FISH !
Tench prefer still or gently flowing waters. Their diet consists mainly of insect larvae, snails, and worms. It grows quickly, the female faster then the male, living in small shoals. If the water temperature drops below about 5o C the Tench withdraw to deep holes and bury in the mud.
The Common Bream is a typical fish of the lower reaches of larger rivers, reservoirs, pools, ponds and lakes. It keeps to deeper, open water, swimming to the bank at night or early in the evening in search of food. The Common Bream ranks among the large fish species, growth of an individual depends on the abundance of the population, as well as on the abundance of other fish species competing for food. Young Bream called "Skimmers" are bright white / sliver, extremely slimy and are often confused with Silver or White Bream.
The Roach is a very hardy fish therefore being the predominant species in UK freshwaters.Roach feed on algae, invertebrates such as snails and insect larvae such as bloodworm.Roach will feed at all depths depending on the water temperature. In winter the Roach will feed in deeper water. In summer the opposite applies.
The Perch is a predatory fish. Young perch feed on tiny crustacea and insect larvae such as bloodworm switching to a mainly fish diet consisting of fry as they grow. The best bait to catch perch with is a worm. They have a spiny and sharp dorsal fin.
Carp are mostly found in ponds and lakes. Natural foods are plankton, crustacea and insect larvae. Selective breeding has produced quick growing fish in three variants; leather, mirror and common. Two barbules hang either side of their mouths, they have high backs, deep bellies and are shorter than the original wild carp. They become large fish due to their ability to gain weight quickly.
Crucian carp are a chubby fish with a high back with no barbules and is a much smaller member of the family. Mainly found in ponds, lakes and some canals. Mostly bottom feeders, they forage through the silt looking for food, in summer they occasionally rise to the surface to take other offerings. Natural foods are planktonic and bottom feeding animals.
Mirror carp Cyprinus carpio. The mirror carp is slightly different in shape to the common carp. As a rule, mirror carp have a fuller, more rounded shape. A huge swollen belly is not uncommon in some larger specimens, although some can be quite slender if food is not plentiful. Its golden brown skin is covered with varying amounts of different sized scales that give it a smooth shiny appearance.
Ghost carp are a cross between a King Carp and a metallic silver 'Oligon Koi'. They are usually white with dark gray/black scull patterns on the head. Ghost carp are renowned for the way they fight, up to three times harder than their parent species.They are more intelligent than their parents and catching a large ghost is quite an achievement!
The rudd lives mainly in lowland, slow-flowing waters, but also inhabits the still waters of dams, ponds, pools and lakes. The rudd is mainly a surface feeding fish due to its in May and June amongst aquatic plants. They feed on plankton, water plants, insects, molluscs and fish fry. The Rudd is an adaptable species, it is often one of the last species to survive in poor water conditions.
Goldfish are the domesticated Asiatic subspecies of Carassius auratus, the gibel carp, a species that naturally shows a wide range of morphological variation when raised in different environments. In its native China it inhabits rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and ditches, living in running, still and even stagnant water from 10°C to 32°C, growing to about 30 cm in length and 2.5 kg in weight within 2-3 years and living for about 10 years
Catfish are slimy, scaleless fish that live in lakes and slow-flowing rivers.They can grow to a metre long in Britain. Examples caught at White Acres have reached 37lb. They are an alien species to this country, and a keeping licence is now required under the Import of Live Fish Act (ILFA).
