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Discover everything to fish in Richmond upon Thames

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N°1 | The River Lamprey

The River Lamprey belongs to the Petromyzontidae family. It measures 18 to 50 cm (average 25 to 35 cm) and weighs 30 to 150 g (average 50 to 70 g). Females are larger than males. The maximum age of the river lamprey is estimated at 10 years. Reproduction takes place between January and May. The number of eggs varies between 4,000 and 40,000. It is caught from January to May. A vertebrate with a cartilaginous skeleton and no jaws, the river lamprey has an anguilliform body, without scales and covered with toxic mucus. Its back is bluish to brownish green. Its sides are greyish, tanned, without mottling. The belly is white. The eyes are very well developed but remain primitive. A single nostril is located between the two eyes. In adults, the circular mouth in the lower position is a suction cup adapted to suction. The buccal disc and tongue are covered with only a few horny denticles, but most of them are strong and acute. On each side of the head, this species has seven pairs of circular gill holes (spiracules). The river lamprey has three fins: one caudal and two dorsal. The two dorsal fins are separated by a small interval, the second being triangular in shape, longer and higher than the first. The larvae are light-colored and its mouth is horseshoe-shaped. His eyes remain hidden under the skin. So it’s blind.

Fishing period : January to May

Minimum size : 20 cm

Difficulty :

N°2 | Bitterling Fish

The Bitterling fish is a freshwater fish and belongs to the Cyprinidae family. Its scientific name is Rhodeus Amarus. The current size of the bitterling fish is 5-6 cm. Some individuals can reach a maximum height of 11 cm and a weight of 10 g. This species is one of the smallest Cyprinid in Europe. It lives on average from 2 to 3 years. The spawning period is between April and June. It lays 40 to 100 oocytes. This fish is easy to catch due to its small size. The bitterling is a small fish whose body is high and laterally compressed. The lateral line is short or incomplete. The scales on the back have a grey-green coloring. The sides are clear with silvery reflections. During the breeding period the silver coloration changes to a pink to bright red color with a dark blue sideband. Sexual dimorphism occurs between the male and female during reproduction. A 5 to 8 mm laying tube (ovipositor) develops in the female, which allows her to lay her eggs in the gill cavity of freshwater mussels. The male has a higher body than the female and its colors become brighter during the breeding season. The bitterling fish's eyes are quite large. Its mouth is small, oblique and the upper jaw protrudes beyond the lower jaw. The anal and dorsal fins have a short base and 8 to 10 branched rays.

Fishing period : prohibited all year

Minimum size : not available

Difficulty :

N°3 | The Zander fish

The zander fish belongs to the Percidae family. The Zander is a fish that can reach a length of 100 cm (maximum 130 cm) for a weight of 20 kg and an age of about fifteen years (maximum 20 years). Spawning takes place between April and August. Fertility is high with nearly 200,000 eggs/kg of female. It is caught from May to December. Its body is slender and fusiform. The head is elongated. The back is greenish grey and has slight dark vertical stripes. It has no transverse stripes and the flank is clear. The belly is whitish except in the male during the breeding season when it is darker. No thorns on the gill cover. Its two dorsal fins are separated. The first is spotted and thorny. The caudal fin has 17 soft rays. Its mouth is armed with many teeth and large "canines" that are visible when the animal is motionless due to breathing movements.

Fishing period : From May to December

Minimum size : 50 cm

Difficulty :

N°4 | The Roach fish

The Roach fish belongs to the Cyprinidae Family. The current size is 10 to 30 cm and the weight is 10 to 200 g. Some individuals can reach 50 cm for a weight of 2 kg. Life expectancy is about ten years (maximum 14 years). The breeding of the roach takes place from April to June/July. Fertility is 350000 eggs per kg of weight. It can be fished all year round. Roach is one of the most common and widespread fish in slow-moving lakes and rivers. It lives in schools of individuals of approximately the same size. These benches can be composed of hundreds of roaches. It is easily identifiable by the diver: the silvery appearance of his body, the eyes and red fins allow him to identify roaches and rotengles. A closer look at the position of the dorsal and ventral fins will then make the difference between the two species. If these two fins are upright, it is the roach.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : x

Difficulty :

N°5 | The Bronze Bream

The Bronze bream belongs to the Cyprinidae Family. The current catch size varies between 30 and 50 cm, for a weight of 0.5 and 2.5 kg. Some individuals can reach a maximum height of 80 cm for a weight of 7 kg. It lives between 20 and 25 years. It reproduces between April and June and lay 100,000 to 300,000 eggs. The Bronze Bream can be fished all year round in 2nd category streams and is not hard to catch with the right bait. In Europe, there are 2 or 3 types of bream, 5 species and 2 subspecies. The Bronze bream has a very high and strong body flattened laterally. The bushy back, especially in older individuals, is characteristic of this fish. Its body is covered with large scales and mucus. The Bronze bream has a fairly small eye compared to the size of the muzzle. The mouth is small, oblique, barbless and protractile. The upper jaw protrudes beyond the lower jaw. Teeth are subject to seasonal replacement. The anal fin is very long and has 23-30 soft rays. On the other hand, the dorsal fin is short and inserted behind the pelvic fins. The caudal fin is very indented with the lower lobe longer than the upper lobe.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 30 cm

Difficulty :

N°6 | The Stone Loach

The Stone Loach belongs to the Balitoridae family. The current size of the Stone loach is about 10-12 cm and maximum 20 cm. Its longevity is 5 to 6 years. The breeding period takes place between April and July. Fertility is 50,000 to 80,000 eggs. Fishing is allowed from June to March. The stone loach has an elongated body, subcylindrical in its front part and covered with tiny scales. The head is broad and flattened. The mouth is equipped with three pairs of barbells on the upper lip. She does not have an erectile spine under her eye. The caudal fin is slightly indented, almost straight and punctuated with black. The back is brownish in color, the flanks are yellowish and the belly is clear. A dark band is present at the base of the caudal fin.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

N°7 | The Grayling

The Grayling belongs to the Salmonidae Family. The average size is 35 cm for 400 g (maximum 50 cm for 1.5 kg). Life expectancy can reach 5 years, rarely more. Breeding takes place in spring. The number of eggs laid depends on the size of the female and ranges from 600 to 8000 eggs. The fishery is open from June to December. The body, compressed laterally, is covered with large scales, some of which, pigmented, draw longitudinal streaks, highlighted with black spots. The head is small, the mouth opens downwards. The muzzle is thin, the eyes have forward pointing pupils and golden rings. The distinctive signal of the species is the long, high dorsal fin, supported by about 20 soft rays. The whole forms, over nearly a quarter of the length of the fish, an iridescent flag of violet to purple coloring, also called a vexille. The caudal peduncle is thin, surmounted by the adipose fin characteristic of Salmonids.

Fishing period : From June to December

Minimum size : 28 cm

Difficulty :

N°8 | The Crucian Carp

The Crucian Carp belongs to the Cyprinidae family. Its average size is 45 cm for 3 kg. It can live up to 15 years. It breeds from Mai to June. The female lays up to 300,000 oocytes. It can be fished from spring to fall. The Crucian carp is ovoid, stocky and laterally compressed. The protruding back gives it a high body. The most common specimens have an average size of 15 cm and a weight of about 250 g, but they can reach more than 50 cm and a weight of 4 kg. The head, small and conical, has no barbels. The pectoral and ventral fins and the anus are slightly rounded and have a reddish colour. The dorsal fin is characterized by a convex line. Finally, the caudal is slightly indented, and has 20 soft rays. Large scales cover the body and 31 to 36 scales run along the lateral line. Overall, it is greenish in color, dark on the back, with golden reflections on the sides and lighter on the belly. A black spot at the base of the caudal fin characterizes juveniles of this species. This stain disappears with age.

Fishing period : Spring to fall

Minimum size : 30 cm

Difficulty :

N°9 | The Gwyniad fish

The Gwyniad fish belongs to the Salmonidae family. It is a fairly large species: 40 to 60 cm. It reaches 70 cm for 10 kg in the large lakes of northern Europe. Life expectancy would be about ten years. Its breeding period extends quite widely between 15 November and 31 January with a maximum activity between 10 December and 1 January. The female lays 30,000 eggs per kg of weight. This fish is on the IUCN Red List. Fishing is therefore prohibited. It has the fat fin characteristic of Salmonidae. It has an elongated body, silvery grey, bluish grey, with a more or less brownish back and fairly large scales. The caudal fin is very indented. The mouth is small. Two details that differentiate it from other salmonids. The number of gillospines (here 15 to 70) confirms that they belong to that species. The male has prominent scales on the lateral line, rough to the touch.

Fishing period :

Minimum size :

Difficulty :

N°10 | The Common Carp

The Common Carp belongs to the Cyprinidae family. Its average size is 40 to 60 cm (up to 1 meter for some specimens) with an average weight of 6 to 8 kilos (up to 37 kilos for some specimens). It can live up to 20 years in the wild. Common carp breed from spring to summer. The female lays 250,000 eggs per kg of weight. Carp can be fished all year round in the 2nd category rivers! It is a massive fish, green in color (except the koi). Its head is conical, its mouth is protractile, it has no teeth but has 2 pairs of barbels. Its growth is fast; it exceeds one kilo in 3 years. The fins are strong and grey, except for the pelvic and anal fins, which are slightly orange.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 40 cm

Difficulty :

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The fishing forecast allows you to forecast your fishing trips and always go at the right time to the right place!

How it works

This is a score of 1 to 10 calculated city by city according to some forty criteria affecting fishing: moon, weather conditions, atmospheric pressure, sunrise / sunset. sun, tides, swell etc .