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Fishing in Santon Downham
What can I fish there ?Join our 624 fishermen in Santon-Downham in Norfolk where there's 1 spot. The fishing forecast is currently 7.1. The most caught fishes here are the spined stickleback , the rainbow trout, the common carp and the perch. Come try the most famous fishing techniques like the tips on material to catch bass in surfcasting, tips on material to catch pollack with longline, cast fishing on the edge for mackerel or tips on material for squid jigging.
Most caught fish species in Santon Downham Top species caught by Club members
Top species caught by Club members
N°1 | 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°2 | Brown Trout
The Brown Trout belongs to the Salmonidae family. According to the location, the adult size varies from 25 cm to 80 cm for 300 to 800 g. It lives for 3 to 6 years. The spawning period starts in October and end in January. The female can lay up to 4000 eggs. The fishing period is open from the second Saturday of March until the third Sunday of September. This fish is not hard to catch but the fishing needs complex skills. Depending on its environment, the brown trout have a very variable color, but the brown trout, as its name shows, is rather brown with scattered black and red spots, depending on the spawners. It has a certain mimicry according to the bottom of its living spaces since the dominant brown will become a green dress if it lives close to the banks where yellow and even sometimes silvery white will mix. It has a "useless" adipose fin between the dorsal fin and the caudal fin. The head is tapered, strong and has a powerful jaw. Its back is a pretty black or night blue.
Fishing period : March to September
Minimum size : no restriction
Difficulty : 
N°3 | 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 :
N°4 | The Perch
The Perch fish belongs to the Percidae Family. Its size, on average 15 to 20 cm, can reach 60 cm for a weight of 4.5 kg. Life expectancy is about 6 years (maximum 22 years). The perch spawns in April and lays between 4000 and 300,000 eggs. It is caught from June to December. Its body is stocky, high, yellow-green with broad transverse stripes; the belly is yellowish to matt white. Its ventral, anal and caudal fins are red; the anterior dorsal fin has sharp rays and a black spot on the back. Its operculum is finished by a strong thorn.
Fishing period : It can be fished from June to December
Minimum size : 18 cm
Difficulty :
N°5 | The Rainbow trout
The Rainbow trout belongs to the Salmonidae family. On average, it measures 35 to 70 cm and weighs 500 g to 6 kg. In this species, a maximum lifespan of 11 years has been observed. Rainbow trout reproduce naturally from late March to early July. Fertility is about 2000 eggs per kg. Depending on the region, it is fished from March to September. Rainbow trout have a streamlined, laterally compressed and slender body. It has a small head and a slightly split mouth. Its body is arched at the level of the dorsal fin. It should also be noted that there is an adipose fin common to all Salmonids. Its scales are small and thin. Generally, the entire body is punctuated by small black spots, many on the back and sides, as well as on the dorsal and caudal fins. The back is olive green and the sides are silvery. The color of the belly varies from white to yellowish. Nevertheless, the general coloring of the body varies greatly depending on the age, habitat and physiological stage of the fish. The particularity of rainbow trout lies in the presence, all along the body, of an iridescent longitudinal band, predominantly pink. During the breeding season, the female is generally rounder because of the ovarian volume, while the males appear to be more elongated. They become darker and their colors more vivid.
Fishing period : march to September
Minimum size : 20 cm
Difficulty :
N°6 | 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°7 | Barbel Fish
The Barbel fish belongs to the Cyprinids Family. Its maximum weight is 9 kg, and its maximum size is 90 cm but sometimes, it can reach 1 m. It can live 15 years. The Spawning period starts in May and end in July. It can lay up to 9,000 eggs. You can fish Barbel all year. The minimal weight catch is 3 kg. The barbel fish is hard to catch especially in an area where it feels at ease. The Barbel fish, with its streamlined body, shows its perfect adaptation to rivers animated by a more or less rapid stream. Depending on its layout, its color, which may be different, is uniform and slightly lighter on the belly. Barbels are sometimes "grey", sometimes "greenish", and sometimes "golden". Its snout is characteristic and clearly protrudes from its mouth. Note that the dorsal fin has a highly ossified thorny radius.
Fishing period : all year
Minimum size : 3 kg
Difficulty :
N°8 | 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°9 | Bleak Fish
The Bleak fish is a Cyprinidae. In general, its average size is 10 to 15 cm and its weight is 15 to 50 g. However, some individuals can reach up to 60 g for a size of 25 cm. The bleak has a lifespan of 6-7 years. The spawning period is between April and August. It can lay up to 7000 spawns. You can fish bleak from June to September. This fish swims quite fast and offers a little resistance during the catch. The bleak is a fish with an elongated body that is very compressed laterally, allowing it to have a high velocity. The upper jaw is shorter than the lower jaw. The mouth of the bleak is oriented upwards (above), a typical character of fish that seek their food on the surface. The caudal fin is strongly indented and the caudal peduncle is thin. The dorsal fin is inserted behind the pelvic fins and has a shorter base than the dorsal fin. Its name refers to the bright white color of its scales, which gives the bleak a metallic sheen. Its back is darker greenish-blue, its sides are silvery white and its fins are pale grey. During the breeding season, nuptial tubers appear on the backs and sides of males and their fins become orange.
Fishing period : June to September
Minimum size : 10 cm
Difficulty :
N°10 | 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°11 | The Bullhead fish
The Bullhead fish belongs to the Ictaluridae family. This species generally measures 15 to 20 cm, but can reach a maximum of 45 cm for a weight of 2 kg. It can live up to 6 years. It breeds in May-June and lays up to 5000 eggs. It can be fished all year. It is a scaleless fish with bare, viscous skin. Its naked body is elongated and has thousands of sensory cells (electro-receptor cells) that are a particular feature of the species. He has a large flattened head, a very wide mouth with large lips and 8 barbels, 6 of which hang, and 2 are located behind the nostrils. Its pectoral fins have sharp spines that are dangerous. Similarly, its first dorsal fin has a sharp sting. It also has a short fat fin (between the dorsal and caudal fins). Its brown back is almost black or greenish brown, its sides lighter, its belly yellowish white.
Fishing period : All year
Minimum size : 20 cm
Difficulty :
N°12 | The Burbot
The Burbot fish belongs to the Lotidae family. The burbot can measure 30 to 120 cm and weigh up to 3 kg. It can live from 15 to 20 years. It breeds from December to March and can lay up to one million eggs. It can be fished all year round. The body is cylindrical, elongated, slightly compressed towards the tail, covered with small scales covered with a thick layer of mucus. The back is greenish brown or yellowish with darker mottling, with a gradation becoming lighter on the sides. The belly is yellowish white. The short, rounded pectoral fins, close to the head, overhang the ventral side with their first very elongated radius. The first dorsal fin is short, the second, very long, continues until the birth of the caudal, which is rounded. The lower jaw has a single long barbel and the nostrils have two fairly distant orifices, each with a small barbel. The mouth is wide, with many fine teeth.
Fishing period : All year
Minimum size : 50 cm
Difficulty :
Santon Downham - Fishing techniques Top fishing techniques
Top fishing techniques
N°1 | Tips on material to catch bass in surfcasting
Here are some articles that can guide you on the choice of your equipment to fish for sea bass in surfcasting
N°2 | Tips on material to catch Pollack with longline
Here are some articles that will guide you about your equipment for fishing the site with a machine gun
N°3 | Cast fishing on the edge for mackerel
If you don't have a boat, don't worry, you can fish for mackerel on the edge. However, mackerel live in schools and travel according to the opportunities they encounter in terms of forage fish. If you are lucky and the mackerel are close to the shore, you will be off on a fishing trip you will remember!
N°4 | Tips on material for squid jigging
Here are some examples of equipment that you can find if you want to fish squid with a jig
N°5 | Fishing bass with soft lures
Drift Fishing with soft lure. Bass are fond of places where they can watch for their prey in the rocks. The biotopes developed in these structures (shallows, drop offs, wrecks...) are rich and attract wildlife from which the bass feeds itself. Soft lures are not themselves equipped with hooks but are designed to be mounted on a lead head that has a hook. The hook is above the lure, so when the lure hits the bottom, the hook does not stick. The originality and structure of these lures make them ideal for fishing in hard-to-reach areas. Where hard lures and traditional mounts fail to catch, the soft lure considerably reduces the risk of loss and allows fishing as close as possible to interesting rocks. The soft lure is mainly used for drifting. It is a question of passing over the spot by passing the lure as close as possible to the structures. So you have to be able to feel what is happening at the end of the line at any time to avoid trouble. Once the lure is at the bottom, it must be animated by pulling with the rod tip. Alternate between large, wide movements by gently descending, always in contact with the lure, and other smaller, more jerky movements that could decide which bar to attack. Whatever the techniques used, you should never hesitate to question yourself and change your spot, lure or technique if the fish does not bite.
N°6 | Underwater fishing
Below are some tips and explanation to fish successfully with the underwater fishing technique.
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