My brother and I have decided we will re-create the great rod race and catch every species of freshwater fish in britain between now and the end fo the year. I know messrs Brown and Hayes did it in 30 days but we are both early 40's with jobs and is his case, a family.

We've managed 7 species in our first two goes and last week during a horrid windy session on our local River Wey we were on the verge of packing up early when I sneaked out a Bleak. I must have looked a right idiot punching the air and posing for a photo but I was elated !!

We're now planning a visit to the streams where we learned to fish in our childhood in search of Bullheads, Minnows and Stone Loach !!.

 It's certainly given new life to my fishing mindset and the boyish enthusiasm has well and truly returned. Can you imagine two grown men having an excited conversation about where they might bag a Stickleback !!

 Any of you ever done the full set ?

Their list of Species was as follows:

Common Carp

Mirror Carp                      Same Species as Common Carp

Crucian Carp

Koi Carp                           Same Species as Common Carp

Ghost Carp                       Same Species as Common Carp

Wild Carp                         Same Species as Common Carp

Grass Carp                       No Breeding Population in Britain

Catfish

Orfe                                 Orfe are varients of the Species Ide

Tench

Bream

Roach

Rudd

Perch

Pike

Zander

Eel

Barbel

Chub

Dace

Gudgeon

Stone Loach                    They caught this Species but with a net !

Stickleback                     There are three species of Stickleback in Britain

Ruffe

Bullhead                          They caught this Species but with a net

Minnow

Bleak

Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout

Sea Trout                         This is the same Species as Brown Trout

Salmon

Arctic Char

Grayling

One Species Silver Bream was missing          

This site has run a 'species hunt' for the last 3 years mate!

15 spined stickleback is a shore pool fish, Kevin will know that!

The 10 spine, is normally 9 spine, but can have from 7 up to 12!

Good luck ! Its a Great idea...I did a similar sort of thing but trying from one swim on a river a couple of years back...I think I got to 13 or 14 species from the same spot in about 2 months I think !  Its one of the things I love about angling...there are so many twists you can put to it if you really want to....amazing the average non angler thinks of us as garden Gnome holding one rod and contemplating our navels...  

Btw...was that an official list of UK species or one made up for the specific challenge ? I ask as I wonder whats happened to Walleye ? ....prob non existent I agree but I seem to remember that appearing in the British Record lists when I was a kid....

what about Powan?

But its a great idea and certainly a good way to make the fishing interesting again, I think we all go through a "stale" patch now and again...