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Discover everything to fish in Toll of Birness

Find the best moment to go fishing in Toll of Birness, 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 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°2 | The Pumpkinseed fish

The Pumpkinseed fish belongs to the Centrarchidae family. It is a migratory fish that can reach a weight of 40 g to 50 g for a length of 20 cm. But the largest specimens can reach a weight ranging from 3 kg to 4 kg for a maximum size of 40cm. The life span of the sun perch is 8 to 10 years. Breeding takes place in the months of May to August. A female can lay between 1500 and 3000 eggs. It is fished all year round, but the best times are in spring and autumn. Its high body is very flat laterally. Its mouth is terminal, small and slightly oblique. The caudal fin is slightly forked. The two dorsal fins are united, giving the impression of being one. The pectoral muscles are long and pointed. The anal fin has 3 sharp spines. The coloring is brilliant with green and blue touches on the back and rust colored spots on the flank. The cheeks are crossed by bright blue lines, particularly marked in males. The operculum is wide and has a black spot bordered by a scarlet red spot in the male, which may be absent or less marked in the female. The male is larger and more colorful than the female.

Fishing period : all year

Minimum size : 15 cm

Difficulty :

N°3 | 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°4 | The Sunbleak fish

The Sunbleak fish belongs to the Cyprinidae family. The usual size of sunbleak is 4 to 6 cm for a weight of about ten grams. The largest individuals can reach 9 cm. Its lifespan is about 2 years. It breeds between May and July. It is prohibited to fish for the sunbleak in white water from October to March, but in mixed and calm waters it can be fished all year round. The Sunbleak has a tapered, laterally compressed body, like the common bleak with which it is often confused. However, its body is more robust and less high than that of the latter. Its head is small with eyes that are excessively large in relation to the size of the head. Its lower jaw is longer than its upper jaw, giving its mouth a forward and upward orientation, indicating a fish that feeds preferentially on the surface. The caudal fin of sunbleak is particularly indented, its dorsal fin fits well behind the pelvic fin insertions. The sunbleak has an olive-brown back, bluishly reflective sides and a silvery belly. Its fins are light grey.

Fishing period : From April to September in the white water and all

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

N°5 | The Wels Catfish

The Wels Catfish belongs to the Siluridae family. The usual size is 1 m for 10 kg but it can reach a maximum of about 5 m for a weight of about 300 kg. The maximum observed longevity is 60 years. It breeds from May to June. The female lays 20,000 to 30,000 eggs per kg of weight. It can be fished all year round. This massive species has a flat, broad head with small eyes and three pairs of barbells. Two pairs not movable on the lower jaw, one longer and movable on the upper jaw. The trunk represents about 1/3 of the animal and has the paired radiated fins and a small rudimentary dorsal fin. The belly is lighter. The posterior part of the body is laterally flattened and has a long anal fin. The tail ends in a homoceric fan-shaped caudal fin. The livery is variable and fluctuates from olive green to grey, both plain and with light spots. The skin is viscous and flake-free. The wels catfish has many small teeth.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

N°6 | 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°7 | 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°8 | 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°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 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 :

7.6

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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 .