Fish rolling and jumping.

Peter Bishop · Mar 1, 2007

Now we've all seen carp and bream jump and roll, trout and salmon jump, and quite a few other freshwater species too.

Am reading Chris Yates book "How to Fish" at present, and he refers to the fact Barbel jump at times but that he has never seen a perch jump.

I certainly have never seen either of those jump out of the water whether on the hook or off it. Has anyone else?

I thought barbel were bottom feeders while perch being predatory hid amongst cover so they can ambush small fish. But jumping in pursuit of their quarry?
Opinions please Guys and Gals.

Frothey · Mar 1, 2007

rolling carp - feeding carp (or have just fed)

jumping carp - looking to see that you are using the correct tackle/matching rods/level indicators/realtree bivvy, etc,etc

i've never seen a bream or tench jump?

paul williams 2 · Mar 1, 2007

I have seen barbel jump clear of the water and also turn upside down to take food items off or out of the surface film.

But this was in the early days of the middle severn barbel boom.

Big barbel i have only seen roll, but i don't know why they were doing it?

I've seen perchs fins break surface as they chase fry but i can't remember seeing one "jump"

The strangest thing for me is seeing a huge shoal of bream "hanging" nose down tail up near to the surface.......i've seen fry do it too.

Peter Bishop · Mar 1, 2007

On several occasions I've had a good sized skimmer bream launch itself out of the water like a trout as you try to bring it in, indeed that might be where the name comes from as the skimmed across the surface.
Have seen tench crash around in lily pads, rolling rather than jumping, rudd too, but never a barbel or perch hence my question.

drakey · Mar 1, 2007

I've seen a Barbel jump right out the water before on the Great Ouse.6 or 7 pound. Early june on a lovely sunny day I'll never forget it.

As for Perch, the same as Paul W. You can often see them chassing small fish just under the water, but never seen them jump.

Mark Wintle · Mar 1, 2007

I've seen perch chasing bleak on the Thames, snapping at their tails, and this is very much a surface chase. Seen them doing the same on the Stour at Throop as well. It does seem localised. In both cases there is an audible cloop as they get their prey.

Once watched priming roach from a bridge directly above in very cold weather at dawn - big roach too, and they were shooting up from the depths.

Richard Wilson 3 · Mar 1, 2007

Ive seen barbel jump on the Trent. And ive seen carp jump quite high at times.

Matt Brown · Mar 1, 2007

I've seen barbel launch themselves out plenty of times. I've not seen perch do that though.

Peter Bishop · Mar 1, 2007

Matt, thats exactly Chris Yates view.

Janet (AT) · Mar 1, 2007

I've seen perch jump. I was plumbing up on the canal last summer, in very clear water. I spotted a group of smallish perch following my plummet up as I wound in, so I began winding slower, just to watch them. One actually took it in its mouth before deciding it wasn't edible, and spat it out with a look of utter disdain! However, a large perch suddenly arrived out of nowhere, tried to grab it and flew out of the water like a spiky dolphin to try and take it just as it broke surface.

Despite all my efforts, I couldn't catch the bugger on bait!

Matt Brown · Mar 1, 2007

That's a point. I have had small perch launch themselves out after a spinner.

EC · Mar 1, 2007

I once personally witnessed a perch of about a pound jump clear out of the water and onto the bank at the pond on our golfcourse Peter!

Frothey · Mar 2, 2007

thats normally when they are chasing fry though isnt it? like the skimmer jumping, probably something with big teeth below it!

maybe the perch was just depressed eddie?

captain carrott · Mar 2, 2007

i've had a very small perch jump about 2cm out of the water to grab a maggot which was dangling just above the water.

i've also seen them jump after small fry but not just for the sake of it.

i've seen barbel jump a few times on the windrush.

Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA) · Mar 2, 2007

The times when perch have broken the surface of the water with their spikey fin whilst chasing fry are common. I've also seen zander do it on the 40 foot.

Carp either roll, or come right out of the water head first and then drop back tail first. When big ones do it, it's quite impressive. Why they do it I'm not sure.

When bream roll they are feeding. When tench roll they are not feeding. Roach roll a lot in still waters but not so much in rivers.

Trout of course rise at the surface to take food, be it floating insects when they make a loud "chomp" or midge pupa just under the surface where they perform the classic head and tail rise, although the head rarely breaks surface. What you see is the dorsal fin followed by the top lobe of the tail fin.

Often trout will jump clear of the surface to grab insects flying in the air. Rainbow trout are much more prone to do this than brown trout.

Ive had pike jump completely clear of the water and grabbed small roach I have lifted in. In happened just the other day on the Idle. It's enough to give you a heart attack!

Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA) · Mar 2, 2007

Trent barbel often roll, especially in the evening and at night. I have had them make splashes in my swim as though someone was chucking a bag of spuds in.

I've watched Severn barbel take insects on the surface. The turn right over in their backs when they do this.

captain carrott · Mar 2, 2007

i've also seen the barrel rolling barbel on the windrush.

as for pike i've had a few of them leave the water line a polaris missile while i've been perch fishing.

some times when perching i put a couple of bottom baits in tight to a feature and then trickle feed the swim almost constantly with liquidised bread or half a dozen maggots every 10 seconds. to draw in the bait fish. the pike jumps have all been in this situation.

Peter Rothman · Mar 2, 2007

I remember many years ago as a boy fishing on Hampstead Heath ponds seeing a large pike leap 2 or 3 feet out of the water to try and catch a blackbird that was pearched on an overhanging branch of a tree. It missed!

Peter Bishop · Mar 2, 2007

I reckon Carp catapult themselves out of the water to have quick look see if there is any humans around the waters edge....
Could it just be exuberance? Maybe male fish show off as part of the courting routine?
Any thoughts why fish should chose to jump from their watery lair?

Gav Barbus · Mar 2, 2007

I know a lake in cheshire were the crucians leap clear of the water in summer its not just the odd fish they were leaping everywere and totally clear of the water not sure whether they were true crucians though ?but they looked like it to me.

Fish rolling and jumping.

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