Read the article with FishingTheSpot: the stone loach
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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.
The Stone loach lifestyle
The Stone loach feeds on small live animals on the bottom: various larvae, worms, gammares, fish eggs... that it hunts at night using its six barbells.
From April to July, males and females of the stone loach display spawning tubers on the inner surface of the ventral fins. Females lay thousands of eggs (50,000 to 80,000), about 1 mm long, on gravel and moss in several layers. Hatching occurs after about fifteen days, depending on the water temperature (12 to 14°C). Sexual maturity is reached at around 2 or 3 years of age, while life expectancy is 6 to 7 years. At maturity age, the male freehold locust is smaller and finer than the female. During the breeding season, the second radius of the male's pectoral fins lengthens and widens. During egg laying, the rays between the second and sixth rays of the pectoral fins are covered with tubers.
The Stone Loach habitat
The Stone Loach frequents the same habitat as trout or shade: clear waters, small fast-flowing streams with a sandy or stony bottom and rich in vegetation. It hides under rocks in rivers with rough and oxygenated waters (trout area) or near the shore in clear lakes.
The Stone Loach is present in Central and Western Europe, from northern Spain to southern Sweden. The Stone loach is absent from southern Italy.
The stone loach angling
The stone loach is a fish that is difficult to catch because of its lifestyle, it hides under stones during the day and feeds at night.
The Stone loach is the typical fish of childhood fisheries and shorts. It was caught with a minnow bottle and used as a lure for salmon fishing.
There is no minimum size or maximum number of catches required for the free locust fishery.
It can be fished all year round.
