Roach- a new British Record?

[Olly]

Ide - again!

Not quite an Asp - shame I like them!

[MGs]

Just had a closer look. Size of the mouth is a bit of a pointer. Not that I have ever seen one in the flesh

[Wandle1]

Thanks for the replies....

I have no idea at all how this fish came to be in the lake,as I thought I knew the history and stocking of the venue,just goes to show how nice it is to have a little bit of mystery ........

It actually weighed just over 4lb .....if it is an Ide I`m chuffed as they don't generally have a track record in my area...so it could be a rarity....

[Phil Arnott]

I dropped in on to see how the River Hull was fishing today. One guy had a nice catch of fish and declared he caught a 2lb roach and as he was packing up pulled he out his net to show me and his friend who was also watching him fish.

There is a chance of a 2lb roach in the area but again it turned out to be a 2lb Ide.

Below is another River Hull Ide this one weighed 3lb and below a roach of 1lb 15oz for comparison.

[Lovatt]

I would also have said it could be an Ide, I've seen a big one in the Lovat mean and lean quite long too, nice fish all the same.

Regards Trefor

[Olly]

Looking more closely at the roach above, the start of the dorsal is behind the straight line from pectoral upwards - a rudd/roach hybrid possibly? Or the photo distorted? Or even a roach/ide cross?

[Phil Arnott]

Looking more closely at the roach above, the start of the dorsal is behind the straight line from pectoral upwards - a rudd/roach hybrid possibly? Or the photo distorted? Or even a roach/ide cross?

You can't see where the dorsal starts, it's laid flat! It's as near perfect a pure roach as you could find.

Here's 2lb roach and rudd from the same water.

[Olly]

Both true fish - roach & rudd.

Lay a pencil or whatever on the other photo and it would 'appear' the the dorsal is farther back - as said the picture distorted or ????

[Phil Arnott]

I would argue that you can't see where the dorsal starts on the first fish. You can however see where it ends which is in line with the start of the anal fin exactly the same as the second roach and not like the rudd. The lips are also correct for roach. I've caught a roach rudd hybrid and they are quite distinctly different.

Below are some fish which fool most anglers I meet.

[Olly]

I have, due to the huge variety of hybrids a found in the Tidal Thames where I started fishing, used the descriptions and pictures of the late Bill Penney and E Marshall-Hardy's book. Some fish have been sent in the past by Bill Rushmer, a lifelong friend, to Alwyn Wheeler to confirm identities of various hybrids and other fish.