Introduction to Mini Species

Although they may hold little merit as target fish for Pleasure and Specimen anglers, Minnow, Gudgeon and Bleak are often sought for use as bait for Chub, Perch, Eels and Pike or may be highly sought after in certain Match situations in the absence of heavier fish and considerable catches of 100’s of Bleak and Gudgeon have been responsible for many winning match weight on rivers.

They are also fun for youngsters to catch when learning to fish, with Bleak, Minnow & Gudgeon often feeding freely and providing constant action through sheer numbers, with disappearing floats and constant knocks on a quiver tip, they offer good practise for inexperienced anglers in learning how to strike gently and quickly with just a quick flick of the wrist.

That said, perhaps you may not have caught some of these species, so why not have a go at finding them on our fisheries, you could even bag yourself a complimentary permit as FAS has no official records for Bleak, Bullhead, Minnow, Ruffe or Stone Loach and the Gudgeon record is just waiting to be broken !

When weighing your fish, we would ask that in addition to the photograph that you submit to us, you also take an additional photograph with the fish laid lengthways on a ruler (preferably white), with clear markings to substantiate your claim further, as many fishing scales tend to be quite inaccurate at such small weights.

That said, we hope you enjoy having some fun by fishing with a very different set of targets, namely trying to find those mini-species ‘specimens’ that may be in the shoal or occupying their own niche within the eco-system. We look forward to receiving your entries.