Catfish

[silvers]

yep Alan, that’s pretty much what my post was saying.
look at the middle Trent .... roach, then chub, then silver bream, then barbel and now a more balanced fishery.

there’s no doubt that successful introduction of a new species will impact on an ecosystem ... it will just be different on each One!

 

[theartist]

I do ok for chub on The Severn for what it's worth, considering that's in summer when chub fishing isn't it's best and the fish are often spread out unlike the barbel which are in the usual spots. I think it's missleading how many chub are in that river as often you can't get through the dace/bleak when fishing maggot and big bunches only get the odd mug fish plus are more likely to pick up barbel.

Not sure the comparison with catfish is the same although any fish introduced to a waterway that never had them would have an impact

 

[108831]

Like zander in the fens,and the Severn,and the Trent,and zander are shoal fish and are totally predatory,unlike catfish who would live on sweetcorn if you put plenty in for em,that is why they are successful,like barbel in a way,they will have a munch at most things....

 

[108831]

Lets be honest,something has to mop up the kilos of halibuts that the moronic barbel anglers tip into the Trent,whether they are catching or not???

 

[Keith M]

Not sure the comparison with catfish is the same although any fish introduced to a waterway that never had them would have an impact

Not to mention any deseases and parasites that the ‘illegal stocking’ of cats and other alien fish ‘could’ be introducing into a water.

Keith

 

[108831]

Ahhh Keith,but you don't say that about all the illegally stocked carp that spread like covid across the country,I know,I did it myself and am directly responsible for forty pound carp,too my shame... ?

 

[Keith M]

The last time someone introduced some Carp illegally into our estate lake they introduced KHV (the Carp Herpes virus) which wasn’t very clever was it? as we had a lot of dying Carp and Carp with sores all over them

NB: back in the 50s my father and his friend introduced 5 buckets full of small Tench into Stanmore ponds when Stanmore appeared devoid of them. but luckily they weren’t deseased. I don’t think they would have done it today though (if they were still alive).

Keith

 

[theartist]

Lets face it in some areas illegal stockings always carry the risk of herpes

 

[peterjg]

Keith M, how funny that you should mention Stanmore Common ponds. I grew up in Stanmore and spent most of my childhood fishing there - there was some huge roach in there as well! I'm not certain but you can no longer fish there?

 

[theartist]

Ditto the above, my tench pb was from the main brewery pond at Stanmore for decades till I beat it the other year from somewhere else. Used to fish the two ponds by the roads before fishing got banned. Plus the Boot pond down the road which was named after it's shape, think you can still fish there, but the damn thing was so shallow the fish used to take our floats along the surface although I can only imagine how well dad and I had our quills loaded back then. Unlike the old Brewery pond (dad use to call them all the spring ponds) which was dead deep in that corner and shallow and tenchy in the other. I'm sure all of our paths would have crossed at one stage in this small corner of Northwest London or Middlesex as it was back then lol

I'll do a blog on those days for sure as there's a few stories to tell

 

[theartist]

Ps my dad netted a tiny tench from one of those ponds for his garden pond and it's still alive, over 30 years old!

Come to think of it it's probably pushing 40 now

 

[mikench]

How big is it Rob?

 

[Keith M]

I know it’s going off thread a bit but: I read that they think that Stanmore ponds was one of the places where Queen bodecia camped when she was attempting to sack London and St.Albans, as they found some interesting artifacts around there which point to this.

Keith

 

[silvers]

whitty will remember the tiny pond behind chub alley/ the deeps at Radwell on the Great Ouse. It was really weedy and there were only a couple fo spots that you could fish. I think it’s completely dried out now sadly.
back in the 80s I had several good tench and small Rudd out of it.
4 of those Rudd found their way back to my parents’ garden pond ... and despite the attention of herons and kingfishers over the years ... there is still a population of over 200 of them. Not much genetic diversity I reckon.

 

[theartist]

How big is it Rob?

It's only about 4oz maybe 5oz tops, prob not what you were expecting. Stunted yes but I'd like to think it's had a life of luxury and seems to debunk how old tench can go, mind you I think we'd all live to a grand old age in the right environment.

I suppose there's only so much you can grow in a pond on a council estate (the only fish that ever out grow garden ponds are carp) It has three black spots on it, not sure what they are, it's always had them, it's not blackspot and never caught a tench with them like that either. There's two others of a similar age all from dad dragging some sort of drop net contraption through the weeds in the margins. Different times they were back then, I was just a kid and dad was mad, come to think of it nothing ever changes

 

[john step]

Keith M, how funny that you should mention Stanmore Common ponds. I grew up in Stanmore and spent most of my childhood fishing there - there was some huge roach in there as well! I'm not certain but you can no longer fish there?

I know those ponds from when I lived in Harrow. I know there are notices banning fishing but as its a common I just wonder how legal that is. No doubt the snotty residents of the cottages nearby objected to scruffy anglers cluttering the place.

I wonder how its illegal for people to fish there but legal for the cricket club to commandeer the land adjacent.

 

[theartist]

I know it’s going off thread a bit but: I read that they think that Stanmore ponds was one of the places where Queen bodecia camped when she was attempting to sack London and St.Albans, as they found some interesting artifacts around there which point to this.

Keith

To be fair Keith getting a Catfish thread to Queen Bodecia takes some doing, regarding going off thread It has to be up there, it's Friday night so who cares, take a bow

 

[mikench]

You are not wrong there Rob.


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[peterjg]

Continuing off tread (apologies) as a kid there were other local waters which were fished (guested): there is/was a lovely pond down Wood Lane Stanmore which I think was controlled by the Royal British Legion, pond at Bentley Priory (wartime headquarters of fighter command?), lake on the RAF camp in Stanmore, Seven Acres a pond near Edgware, pond in Canon Lane Edgware, pond at the top of Barn Hill, Grove pond and Spring ponds in Stanmore of course - lots of walking and cycling and lots of truant! Happy days!

 

[theartist]

The ponds at Bentley Priory, RAF Stanmore and even Wood Lane are all surrounded by houses now, going to Harrow is an eye opener if you haven't been for a while, houses and flats everywhere, absolutely everywhere, makes me laugh when they claim London's population is 9 million - yeah right!

Maybe we should get back on topic I suppose..... What would boudicca have made of all of it?