Types of Fish

Perch

The Perch is a well known predator which hunts in packs and is camouflaged to its surroundings. It can be caught in a variety of ways and is a favourite of many anglers.

The perch is a fascinating fish to study. There is no one way to catch a perch, and your best chance is often thorough knowledge of the waters you are fishing. Perch like to hang out in the shadows near weed beds or over-hanging trees; this makes it easier for them to attack small passing fish.

Perch can be found in most waters throughout the UK.

There are a number of ways of landing a perch. Float fishing is a popular choice and spinners work well. Perch will also take a variety of bait; worms and minnows (especially for older fish), maggots and bread all work well.

Perch have two dorsal fins, one being spiked, and a sharp edge to the gill plate. Their colours and markings enable them to blend into their surroundings. Older perch tend to be darker in colour. Perch can grow up to 5lb but common specimens are closer to the 1lb mark.

Perch have big mouths and big appetites which lead to a habit of swallowing the hook. Anglers will need a disgorger at all times.
Perch are favoured by ice fishermen

Carp

The carp is one of the most adaptable fish in the country. With its distinct appearance, long life span and one-time reputation as being un-catchable, the carp remains popular with anglers who have refined specialised techniques for catching this unique fish.

First introduced to the UK in the early 1300's, today carp flourish in almost every river, canal and lake in the country - from small village ponds to the largest, most powerful rivers.

Generally night-time is the preferred feeding time for carp during the summer months, and because of this night fishing is both hugely popular and productive.

Although traditionally a summer sport, carp fishing is now practised 12 months of the year - although winter fishing can be slow going as low water temperatures lower the carp's metabolism and activity is limited.

The carp can be caught with most normal coarse angling methods and techiniques, but the desire to catch the biggest carp in the land has put carp fishing tackle development at the forefront of the tackle trade. Since the 1940's, specialist big carp fishing has developed a huge array of rods, reels, bite alarms and literally thousands of accessories and baits.

Carp come in the 'common' (totally scaled), 'mirror' (sparsely scaled) and 'leather' (no scales) varieties. Large individuals are normally unique in scale pattern and body shape making them easily identifiable.

Carp were initially introduced by monks as a food source.  Individual fish may get caught a number of times during their long life spans and become recognisable and even given nicknames by anglers.  A carp will have a personality of its own. Certain fish may be 'friends' with other specific fish and often be seen swimming together.

Roach

Widespread, abundant and happy to take a wide range of bait, it's no wonder that the roach is one of the most popular fish among anglers. The roach is also the mainstay of many fisheries across the country.

The roach is tolerant of a wide range of environmental conditions and therefore widely distributed in Britain - from the clear waters of the Tay to the murky waters of the Rother, and from Scottish lochs to muddy farm ponds.

The roach is a shoaling species that is active throughout the year, even in the coldest weather. It will feed throughout the day, although like many other species, it is most active at dusk and dawn. These characteristics endear it to anglers because good catches of roach can be made most of the time.

Roach are very adaptable in their diet and eat and wide range of plant and animal material. In the face of strong competition for animal food, they can get most of their nourishment from detritus and filamentous algae.

Although young roach are slim, adult fish are relatively deep-bodied, especially in waters where feeding conditions are favourable. The body is laterally flattened, with a small head and a small, slightly oblique, terminal mouth. A single row of throat teeth helps to distinguish it from some close relatives, which have two rows.

The iris of the roach's eye is red - leading to the nickname 'redeye'.   Competition for food in a dense population can result in stunted growth of individuals. This is often seen in densely stocked fisheries.

Bream

The classical way to fish for bream is on the ground bait feeder. This method is often used to target bream on natural waters, rivers and lakes. A simple paternoster setup is a well known bream rig, although a simple running rig is just as effective. Slide your feeder up the line, then a bead, and then tie on a swivel. Your hooklink is then attached to the other end of your swivel. This running fig offers as little resistance as possible to the fish, and therefore they will take the bait much more confidently. A soft, light tip in your feeder rod, 1oz say, will also be a big advantage for the same reason, and will also aid you when fishing for finicky fish that only give you a small indication on the tip.

Braided line can be used to give positive bite indication, especially when casting long distances, as there is minimum stretch in this kind of line. When fishing for bream of the feeder, the length of your tail is very important!

It always seems better to err on the side of longer than shorter. A good starting point is around 3 foot. It the fish are hard to come by, don’t be afraid to try hookliengths of 5 foot or more, as these will give your hook bait a slow natural fall, and your hook bait will be well away from the feeder, where those wary shy fish may be sitting. A fairly soft through action rod is also handy when bream fishing, as this will reduce hook pulls from their soft mouths.