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Discover everything to fish in Matlock Bath

Find the best moment to go fishing in Matlock Bath, the most caught species, the techniques used, go fish with anglers nearby, find a fishing charter or guide, save your spots and discover new ones.

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N°1 | 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°2 | The Three Spined Stickleback

The three spined stickleback belongs to the Gasterosteidae family. The usual size of the three-spined stickleback is 4 to 5 cm for females, with males being a little smaller, about 3 to 4 cm. The life span of the three-spined stickleback varies from 3 to 5 years in natural environments and up to 8 years in captivity. Spawning season extends from March to June. Fertility is 200 to 400 eggs. It is fished from June to March. The three-spined stickleback is a tiny fish with a tapered, laterally compressed body. Its head is quite small, with fairly large eyes, and ends in a narrow mouth that is slightly oriented forward and upwards. The caudal peduncle of the three-spined stickleback is very narrow with a slightly indented caudal fin. The long dorsal fin is set far back, plumbing the anal fin. The dorsal fin of the three-spined stickleback is preceded by three spines, two long and one short, placed on the back of the fish. A curved spine also precedes the implantation of the anal fin. The pelvic fins are replaced by two thorns. The color of this fish is greenish brown for the back, with metallic reflections, silvery for the sides and whitish for the belly. Along the lateral line of the three-spined stickleback, there are no scales but bone plates called "badges", a kind of natural shielding that accompanies the thorny defenses of this fish.

Fishing period : June to March

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

N°3 | 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°4 | The Ghost Carp

The Ghost Carp belongs to the Cyprinidae Family. With a life expectancy ranging from 40 to 50 years on average, it can reach up to 80 cm long. The breeding period is short, from May to June. The female lays 100,000 eggs per kg of weight. It can be fished all year. From its transition from young to adult fish, many physical characteristics will change. Its scales change color over time, as does its size. Many people tend to confuse a young ghost carp with a goldfish because of its physical appearance and colors. However, the two species are distinguishable: the ghost carp has a flat belly while the goldfish has a more swollen belly. In addition, towards her lips we notice barbells similar to two small moustaches in the ghost carp.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 45 cm

Difficulty :

N°5 | The Minnow fish

The Minnow fish belongs to the Cyprinidae family. The minnow is a small fish with a length of 4 to 10 cm (maximum 14 cm) and a weight of 3 to 10 g (rarely more than 13 g). Life expectancy is 4 to 5 years (maximum 11 years). Reproduction takes place from April to July or from one region to another. Depending on size, the female lays between 200 and 1000 eggs. It can be fished all year round. It moves in benches. It is often accompanied by trout of the same size and young salmon. The body is shaped like a spindle. The head has a rounded snout, the mouth is terminal (the upper jaw slightly protrudes from the lower jaw). The back is dark green, the upper part of the flanks is light brown with large black-brown spots (sometimes linked to form stripes), while the lower part is yellowish green with silvery highlights, the belly is creamy whitish (in spawning season, it is copper red in males). The lateral line usually only extends to half of the body. The caudal peduncle is compressed laterally. The fins are rounded and transparent. The caudal fin is clearly indented; the ridge is quite high.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 5 cm

Difficulty :

N°6 | 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 :

N°7 | The Strerlet fish

The Sterlet fish belongs to the Acipenseridae family. The Sterlet fish measures about 3.50m in length and weighs 300kg. It can live a hundred years. Females lay more than 800,000 eggs on the gravel. Spawning season is around May to June. It can be fished all year round. The back and sides are grey to beige, the ventral and lateral parts are lighter (almost white). Five longitudinal rows of large bone plates are arranged along the body. The upper lobe of the caudal fin is more developed than the lower lobe. The muzzle is narrow, pointed and raised upwards with four long fringed barbells. The lower lip is notched in the middle. The Sterlet fish has a protractile mouth placed on the underside of the head.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 1,80 m

Difficulty :

N°8 | The Eel fish

The Eel fish belongs to the Anguillidae family. The eel can measure up to 1.50 m in length for 4 kg, but the average size is between 40 and 60 cm. They can live up to 50 years old. They reproduce in March. They can be fished from April to September. The eel is a species of snake fish, hence its Latin name "anguis" which means snake. Its anterior part is circular while the caudal section is flattened. Its body is covered with smooth skin and enriched with mucus. The scales only appear late. The eyes of an eel are round. It has a terminal mouth with a prominent jaw. Without pelvic fins, the eel has only small pectoral fins and long dorsal, anal and caudal fins. These meet at the level of the tail.

Fishing period : April to September

Minimum size : 50 cm

Difficulty :

N°9 | The Goldfish

The Goldfish belongs to the Cyprinidae family. This fish can reach 60 cm and live up to 15 years. It breeds in spring for an average of 1000 eggs. In the wild, the species Carassius Auratus or Goldfish has an elongated, laterally compressed and slightly high body. The small triangular head is free of scales and barbells. The dorsal fin, concave or straight, begins at the top of the body and ends at the caudal peduncle. The caudal fin, larger and more indented than that of the Crucian carp, has 17 to 20 soft rays. The ventral and pectoral fins and the anal fin are small and thin. The body is covered with small scales. There are 26 to 31 scales on the lateral line. The colors of the Goldfish vary greatly with the environment in which it evolves, from yellowish to bright golden and bronze. Its back is generally darker and his belly lighter. The main distinctive features of the ornamental shape are its flamboyant red color and its many morphological shapes and aberrations.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : X

Difficulty :

N°10 | The Spined Stickleback

The Spined Stickleback belongs to the Gasterosteidae family. Females are larger than males, measuring 4 to 5 cm and males 3.5 to 4 cm. Its longevity varies from 3 to 5 years. The spined stickleback breeds from March to July to June depending on the region. Fertility is 100 to 400 eggs. It can be fished all year round. The spined stickleback is a small fish whose body is elongated and laterally compressed. Along the lateral line, the body is not covered with scales but with bone plates (badges). The caudal peduncle is very narrow. Three isolated spines are present on the back in front of the dorsal fin. The muzzle is pointed and has a terminal mouth. Pelvic fins are also replaced by two thorns. Its back is greenish brown with black on the back, the sides are silvery grey below the lateral line and the ventral side is whitish. The male's silvery coat turns a bright red color at the time of reproduction.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 4 cm

Difficulty :

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The best moment to go fishing!

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 .