this year i've caught 3 species of fish i've not caught for quite some time.a tommy ruffe on the river wharfe at wetherby a bullhead also on the wharfe at poole and can you believe a signal crayfish at sunrise lakes at spofforth.the tommy ruffe and bullhead fell to maggot on the feeder whilst the crayfish fell to corn on the stick.its donkeys years since i've caught any of these but a pleasant surprise nonetheless.
surprise catches in 2021
- Thread starter riverman
- Start date
no-one in particular
Well-known member
I have caught ruffe, one on a nymph once, bit of fun. Bullhead I always think of the ones caught in the sea but I don't think I caught a freshwater one. Signal cray, when they are prevalent cant help but not catch one. Now, our native white tailed, that would be a delight to see one. I have seen them when turning over rocks somewhere or other in the past.
Keith M
Well-known member
I caught a guppy from the grand union canal from under a warm water outlet from the Ovaltine factory when it was in Kings Langley.
I’ve also caught a few millers thumbs (Bullheads); and when I was a kid fishing a local shallow stream I caught a couple of stone loach.
We regularly had Ruffe amongst stockings of Perch on our estate lake, and Ruffe were regularly caught from the Grand Union Canal and the river Thames.
I remember seeing a few of our native white clawed Crayfish in a small inlet stream flowing into the GU canal near Watford about thirty years ago, but they are rarer than hens teeth nowerdays since the arrival of the foreign Crays.
Like thousands of other UK angler’s I’ve caught a great many Signal and Turkish Crayfish however thankfully the Turkish ones seem to have now disappeared from our local estate lake after plaguing us for nigh on 20 years or so.
Keith
I’ve also caught a few millers thumbs (Bullheads); and when I was a kid fishing a local shallow stream I caught a couple of stone loach.
We regularly had Ruffe amongst stockings of Perch on our estate lake, and Ruffe were regularly caught from the Grand Union Canal and the river Thames.
I remember seeing a few of our native white clawed Crayfish in a small inlet stream flowing into the GU canal near Watford about thirty years ago, but they are rarer than hens teeth nowerdays since the arrival of the foreign Crays.
Like thousands of other UK angler’s I’ve caught a great many Signal and Turkish Crayfish however thankfully the Turkish ones seem to have now disappeared from our local estate lake after plaguing us for nigh on 20 years or so.
Keith
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Ray Roberts
Well-known member
Some years ago I had a nice catch of very decent rudd from the river Uck. It was the only time I had caught any approaching this size. I was thinking the same, that they were escapees. Then another angler came up to me and asked me if I would weigh what he believed to be a record chub. I took my scales and net and weighed a nice looking grass carp for him. I think he had visions of winning the Drennan Cup, lol. Not nice for him but it pretty well confirmed that there had been an influx of fish.
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The Runner
Well-known member
In the past I've caught a pound plus shubunkin and a 5lb Koi, several years apart, from the same swim on the Colne at Uxbridge. Think someone close by had a less than secure garden pond.
Nothing unusual this year, nearest perhaps a dragonet from Loch Bracadale. First I'd seen since about 1974.
Nothing unusual this year, nearest perhaps a dragonet from Loch Bracadale. First I'd seen since about 1974.
flightliner
Well-known member
One day on the Tidal Trent I had three tiny Barbel in three straight casts.
They normally come out much bigger, not seen any that small (12/15") since the early nineties but several anglers I know have had them to a similar size recantly.
They normally come out much bigger, not seen any that small (12/15") since the early nineties but several anglers I know have had them to a similar size recantly.
wetthrough
Well-known member
A Tench from Lymm Dam was a real turn up for the books. There are supposed to be big Tench according to the club book but it was most unexpected.
I had a ruffe last week on the Severn, not exceptionally unusual, but for the size 4 circle hook and couple of worms wedged in it's mouth. It was genuinely hooked with the point of the hook in a lip - looked like it would choke to death if I hadn't rescued it!
INearlyCaughtOne
Well-known member
I caught a dustbin lid, a bike tire, a crate of old bottles and an old toaster element all in one session! And they were all double figures!!
no-one in particular
Well-known member
I have caught a few Rudd in rivers, usually small but I never thought of them as influxes, always thought they were natural; I may have been wrong though now reading this thread. The strangest thing I saw was a sea lamprey about 3ft long stuck on a small weir, I waded in and turned it over; the ugliest thing I have ever seen. I didn't know what it was at the time but then looked it up and found out they go up rivers to breed like salmon. My biggest surprise catch were two sea trout, just didn't expect them, such a fight and I wondered what the hell I had on.
The bad one
Well-known member
My surprise catch was fish, roach in particular. I was so shocked that I caught anything, I went back the following week just to makes sure and had a shedfull more.
Rudd can be quite common in rivers. I also find they tend to be very vividly coloured as well. There are some cracking ones on a horrible bit of urbanized river I know, they brighten up the drab surroundings with their blood red fins and golden bodies as they cruise over the rubbish infested weed on sunny days sucking at bits of weed and seemingly oblivious to any bait I cast at them and however well presented it is. Yet strangely they can then slip up & get caught on very crude tactics after dark...big boiles on Carp tackle for example.
Strange how it works sometimes.
Strange how it works sometimes.