(Abramis brama)BREAM
Specimen weight 3.4kg(7.5lb) BRITISH RECORD 18LB 8OZ 2001
FEATURES
Adults are easeily recogonizable by thier bronze hue,black fins and proturding upper jaw.Immature bream are termmed "skimmers" and differ from the adults by virtue of their silver coloration
SPAWNING
Bream reach maturity between 7-10 years of age .Spawning occurs between mid-May and mid-June when water tempertures reach 15C .Eggs of 1.6-2mm are laid in weed beds in swallow water.The average adult bream produces 30,000-40,000 eggs/kg
LONGEVITY(age)
Bream can live up to 25years.
DIET
Deit in adluts consists mainly of chironomid and caddis larva ,gammarus and benthic invertebrates
BEST ANGLING METHODS
Float fishing with wagglers,ledgering with bombs ,swimfeeders,long pole to hand or short line
BEST BAITS
Maggots ,worms, casters ,sweetcorn, bread, etc,groundbait
BEST TIMES TO FISH
Without a doubt the best bream fishing is in May/June and September/October however good bags can still be had in April,July and August.
PERCH(Perca fluvialtilis)
Specimen weight 1.2kg(2.646lb) BRITISH RECORD 5LB 9OZ 1985
FEATURES
Perch are easily identifed by their olive green colour and the distinctive vertical black stripes on their flanks.The pectoral ,pelvic and tail fin are reddish in colour.
SPAWNING
Perch can mature at two years of age .Spawning takes place in early April to mid May on aquatic weeds or submerged bushes or tree branches .Egg size is 2-2.5mm.Number of eggs produced per adult is 45,000 eggs/kg
LONGEVITY(age)
Perch live for about 12 years
Habitat
Perch are lovers of both still and running water, but prefer to live close to, beneath or among structures like wooden pilings and boat-houses, sunken tress, deep holes and gullies, and road and railway bridges which span the river systems. They are happiest when surrounded by the vertical stems of marginal plants, such as tall reeds and bulrushes, where their vertical stripes blend in marvelously, offering protection from other predators, yet also providing camouflage which enables them to pounce upon small shoal fish that pass by.
DIET
This is an aggressive, species of fish. When young, they hunt in shoals always appearing to be hungry, harrying shoals of even smaller fish fry , biting at their tails until they are too tired to flee further or are cornered,As Perch mature they trave lin smaller groups ,you will always catch perch of a equal size four or five as they past though your swim, But Perch will take most baits ,all types of maggots work to catch numurous perch out of a shoal and ,worms will catch you speciem perch .
BEST ANGLING METHODS
Float fishing ,tip, pole,and spinning
BEST BAITS
Maggots,worms,casters,small spinners,spoons, small dead fish for big specimens
BEST TIMES TO FISH
Perch fishing is the cure for all the anglers woe .the handsome fish will take most baits eagerly throughtout the year.Only the brightest summer day or the very coldest winter weather will put perch of feed .In rivers perch will always feed well following a flood no matter what time of year ,a speciem fish is around the 2lb mark
TENCH
Specimen weight 2.7kg(6lb) BRITISH RECORD 14LB 7OZ 1993
FEATURES
Tench are easily recognised by their minute scales,which give them an almost scale-less appearance .They have a dark olive hue or blackish colour .The fins are rounded and the tail is almost unforked .It is possible to disinguish the sexes based on thepelvic fins on the underside of the body.Male fish have very large spoon-shaped fins,while those of the female are longer ,more pointed and triangler in shape.Click here for a Video of fishing for tench
SPAWNING
Tench spawn later in the year than most of the other cypriniclae species and require tempertures of between 18-20C to spawn .Spawning therefore is normallyrestricted to late June and July.Egg size is 1.3-1.4mm.Tench produce 125,000eggs/kg
LONGEVITY(age)
They have a maximum life-span of 12 to 15 years
DIET
Tench are abottom feeding fish and the presence of a trail of small bubbles on the water surface is often an indication of tench feeding below.Food consists of insect larvae and molluscs
BEST ANGLING METHODS
Float fishing with waggler floats is one of the best methods for this hard fighting powerful fish ,good sport is had on the pole with the tench and tipfishing on the bomb or swimfeeder will catch you quality tench ,the lift method is ideal for tench fishing,look out for the tell tale bubbles of a feeding tench as he slowly sifts though the slit for tasty morsals .
BEST BAITS
Maggots ,sweetcorn,bread ,casters,worms ,pellets,boilies etc,groundbait
BEST TIMES TO FISH
June to August when the water temperature have increased are best months to fish for tench,with early morning at dawn and late evening sessions often paying the best dividends .Earlier in the season in April and May reasonable sport can be had.Tench can be caught to the end of October
CARP
Specimen weight 5.4.kg(12lb) BRITISH RECORD 59LB 7OZ 2001
FEATURES
There are four varieties of carp .These are the fully scaled Common Carp,the Mirror Carp.which has relatively few scales and a soomth body surface ,the linear carp with scales along the lateral line only and the Leather Carp which are total scaleless and also very rare.
SPAWNING
Carp only spawn sporadically and require a water temperature of between 20-22C over a period of 3 or so weeks to precondition their eggs.They are sexually mature at 3 years .Egg size is 1-1.5mm ,The average adult carp produces approximately250,000 eggs/kg
LONGEVITY(age)
Carp can live for up to 50 years
DIET
They are manly benthic feeders ,feeding on larval insects ,chironomids and other bottom dwelling organisms
BEST ANGLING METHODS
When f loat fishing use large breaking strain line it will be needed for this powerful fish which gives the angler a hard fight ,this fish has developed a whole section of angling to its self, carp specialist who go hunting for that specimen fish ,you will spot them on the bank with double or triple rods out in prebaited aeras,if catching specimens use unhooking mats and large landing nets
CLICK FOR A VIDEO OF HOW TO MAKE CARP RIGS ,
A VIDEO ON HOW TO FISH FOR CARP
BEST BAITS
Maggots ,sweetcorn ,bread ,worm ,boilies,pellets groundbait
BEST TIMES TO FISH
The best time to fish for carp is when the water temperature begins to warm up in April through to the middle of October .Carp can be caught all year round
PIKE
Specimen weight 9.1 kg (20lb) BRITISH RECORD 46LB 13OZ 1992
FEATURES
The pike's body is steamlined,olive green in colour with a white belly .They have a large mouth containing many rows of backward pointing shape teeth.
SPAWNING
They spawn between February and April when the water temperatures are less than 8C .They attach their adhesive eggs to flooded grass ,reeds and other vegetation.Adult pike produce between 9,000-20,000 eggs/kg
LONGEVITY(age)
Pike rarely live beyond 15years of age
DIET
Adult pike are pisciverious ,"fish eating" ,feeding on available fish species,but invertebrates are an important part of the diet of smaller pike .Male pike rarely exceed 4.5kg(10lb) in weight and occasionally become part of the diet of larger female pike
BEST ANGLING METHODS
Spinning,trolling ,float fishing, float ledgering,sink and draw
BEST BAITS
Plugs ,spoons, spinners ,dead baits ,mackeral ,herring smelt sprat,roach ,rudd
BEST TIMES TO FISH
Pike fish well all year round but are at their biggest ,heaviest and hunguest coming up to spawning time .After this early spring frenzy the fishing while still rewarding does not peak untill the warmest months have ended .By September the fish have fully recovered from spawning efforts and the tiring heat of the long summer .They feed well from now to the end of the year despite the worst winter weather .Big oily deadbaits will tempt a slumbering pike on the coldest of day of the year if you know were to find him