Preserved and cased Thames Roach, caught by Mr. F. Huphris in the River Thames at Pinkhill on the 25th December 1945.
Preserved and mounted by J Cooper & Sons of London.
ROACH
Latin Name - Rutilius rutilus
Colour - Roach varies in colour but usually the back is dark bluish green, its sides are blue or silvery and its belly is white. Its dorsal (back) fins are greyish brown and the other fins are reddish. The iris of its eye is red.
Size - Roach usually weigh about 500g (11lb) and are 15-25cm (6-10in) long.
Characteristics - A roach is a member of the carp familiy and can live for 12 years.
Diet - It eats both animal and plant material. In the winter it feeds less and during sawning (production of eggs) it does not feed.
Habitat - Roach live in slow flowing rivers and in shoals (groups). Is is one of the most common fish found in the Thames.
How fished for - It is a popular fish for anglers and can be caught with maggots and worms and usually by float fishing.
Interesting Facts - The roach is one of the easiest fish to age by the pattern of growth rings on its scales.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
