Black and white photo postcard of the fishing competition at Cookham, 6th October 1935, held by the Oxford and Cambridge Angling Society.
More Details
Preserved and cased Thames Pike fish, caught by AE Hobbs in the River Thames. Hobbs was born in New Street, Henley in 1871 and lived in Henley all his life. Whilst working as an architect for Brakspear brewery in the 1930's he was responsible for designing many local pubs. Hobbs claimed to have caught almost 900 Thames Trout, each over 3 lbs in weight, in 55 years of fishing. He fished in the non-tidal reaches of the Thames. PIKE Latin name - Esox lucius Colour - Its greeny brown with paler sides (flanks). Size - A pike can grow up to 1m (3½ feet) and weight between 4 - 20 kg (9 - 45lb). The biggest pike ever caught was 34kg (75lb). Characteristics - It has a stream lined, elongated (long) body with a powerful tail. It has a wide mouth with three rows of hooked teeth. Male pikes, known as Jacks, are smaller than the females. Habitat - The pike likes slow flowing or still water which is high in oxygen and dense plant cover. Diet - A pike feeds on all fish. Larger pike also eat small mammals, frogs and water fowl. How fished for - Anglers use live or dead fish such as sprats, makeral or artificial baits called lures. Spinning is the technique used to catch pike. Spinning involves drawing back the bait or lures through the water to imitate the movement of natural prey. Interesting fact - Pikes have been known to eat seagulls and rats!. British Record - 44lbs 14oz - 3.74kg
More Details
Four preserved and cased Golden Tench caught by AE Hobbs in the River Thames on the 15th August 1900. Selected from 79lb's weight. Hobbs was born in New Street, Henley in 1871 and lived in Henley all his life. Whilst working as an architect for Brakspear brewery in the 1930's he was responsible for designing many local pubs. Hobbs claimed to have caught almost 900 Thames Trout, each over 3 lbs in weight, in 55 years of fishing. He fished in the non-tidal reaches of the Thames. TENCH Latin Name - Tinca tinca Colour - Tench have a dark back with dark greyish green sides. The belly is a pale green colour usually with an orange tint which is stronger on the males during spawning. Size - Its average weight is 2kg (4lb) and grows to 20-30cm (8-12in). Characteristics - The tench is a member of the carp family. All the fins are dark, its scales are small and the iris of its eye is red. It has one small barbel at each side of the mouth. The fish uses its barbels to search by taste for food. Diet - It feeds on worms, molluscs and the larvae of insects. Younger fish eat algae but plant food forms only a small part of the diet of an adult. Habitat - Tench prefer still, muddy and slow flowing rivers and are tolerant of low oxygen levels. How fished for - Anglers use a vareity of baits such as bread paste and maggots. The techniques used to fish for tench are float fishing and ledgering (when a lead weight is used to keep the bait near to the bottom of the water). Interesting Facts - In a severe wonter tench can bury themselves in the mud and hibernate until the temperatures improve.
More Details
Two preserved and cased Thames Trout fish, caught by AE Hobbs in the River Thames on the 2nd May 1896 and 25th May 1896. Hobbs was born in New Street, Henley in 1871 and lived in Henley all his life. Whilst working as an architect for Brakspear brewery in the 1930's he was responsible for designing many local pubs. Hobbs claimed to have caught almost 900 Thames Trout, each over 3 lbs in weight, in 55 years of fishing. He fished in the non-tidal reaches of the Thames. 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. Characteristics - 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.
More Details
A pike fishing gaff made by Hardys, a fishing tackle manufacturer in Alnwick which is still in business. A pike gaff was used to recover fish from the river.
More Details
Preserved and cased Trout, caught by Mrs H.M. Avery in the Dowdeswell Resevoir, Cheltenham on the 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.
More Details
A preserved and cased trout, probably caught in the River Thames in the early 20th century. 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.
More Details
Fishing certificate awarded for the highest aggregate weight of Anub during the fishing season. Awarded to Mr J Srary from the Oxford Angling and Preservation Society on 15th March 1892.
More Details
Two Preserved and cased Record Bream, caught by J. J. Perkins at Eynsham in the River Thames on 20th September 1928 Weight 10lbs 13¼oz & 9lb 14¼oz. Preserved and cased by J. Cooper & Sons of London. BREAM Latin name - Abramis brama Colour - its back is dark brown, the sides (flanks) are a lighter yellow brown and its belly is silvery. Size - Adults are 25 - 45 cm long (10 - 16ins). Bream are slow to grow and usually take 11 years to reach maximum size Characteristics - The bream has a humped back, a deep (wide) body and a forked tail. Diet - It eats worms and insect larvae from the bottom of the river. It feeds with a sucking action. Habitat - Bream like slow flowing rivers. It is a shy fish and lives and moves in shoals (groups) near the bottom of the river. How fished for - Bream is caught using a float and/or ledgering technique. Ledgering involves the use of a lead weight to keep the bait near to the bottom of the water. Baits include maggots, worms and bread. Interesting facts - Bream are now only eaten in Europe but were once a main part of the diet of rural peasants in Britain. British Record - 11lb 2oz (5.4kg)
More Details