Preserved and cased Trout, caught by Harold Avery with fly in the River Thames in Dowdeswell Reservior in 19th May 1938.
BROWN TROUT
(When found in the Thames these are called Thames Trout)
Latin name - Salmo trutta
Colour - It is usually brownish or greenish with a darker back but the colour is variable. Greyish blue specimens occur and some are almost black.
Size - Growth is dependent on the surroundings and adults are often between 20-50m long. Trout can grow up to 140cm (55ins) long.
Charcteristics - The trout has many black spots on its head and body and some red spots. Its lower jaw is long and in old males becomes hooked. The younger trout are called parr and have around 10 marks (called parr marks) on each side of the body.
Habitat - The trout likes clean rivers which are high in oxygen.
Diet - It feeds on invertebrates, fish and crustaceans.
How fished for - Trout are today more often caught from stocked lakes than rivers such as the Thames.
Preserved and cased King Carp, caught by Harold Avery in a lake at Ross on Wye, on potato, 20th September 1941. Weighed in at 20½ lbs
Preserved and cased by J. Cooper & Sons of London.
CARP
Latin name - Cypinus carpo
Colour and characheristics - There are several forms of carp and it is their arrangement of scales which make them different. These forms are the leather, mirror and scaled carp. A carp has four barbels at the sides of the mouth and uses these to search for food by taste.
Scaled carp: this is covered in scales. The back is greenish brown, the sides are yellowish brown and the belly is creamy yellow.
Leather carp: This has few scales and is a darker brown than the scaled carp.
Mirror carp This tends to grow more quickly than the other forms of carp.
There is another species of carp: The Crucian carp. This is smaller than the other carp and has no barbels. This carp was introduced to Britain in the 1970s.
Diet - Carp feed on both plants and animals. They tend only to eat plants in the summer whilst in the winter feeding is irregular and sometimes stops in very cold weather.
Habitat - Carp prefer still, weedy ponds and lakes on slow flowing rivers. They often form small shoals and can tolerate low oxygen levels. Carp tend to swim near the bottom but will bask near the surface on warm days.
How fished for - Carp are a popular fish for specimen anglers and a variety of baits are used including bread pastes.
Interesting facts - Carp are famous for their longevity. One 20kg specimen captured in 1952, and named Clarissa, survived in London Zoo until 1972 when she was thought to have been 35 years old.
British record: common carp 51 lb 8oz (23.36kg)