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Rare Fish In Sheffield Rivers


History dude

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When I was a young lad I used to keep fish in tanks. I would catch them in local rivers and ponds take them home for my collection. I loved the odd looking fish, better than Sticklebacks and the like and of course I later went on to keep tropical fish. Again the odd looking ones!

The most common odd looking fish in Sheffield Rivers are the Bullhead and Stone Loach. Bullheads are very common in the Sheaf, Stone Loaches are common in nearly all the rivers. You generally don't find them in ponds, unless they are connected via a river ie: a mill pond. I don't recall seeing any Bullheads in Rivelin though.

Catching them is hard, not to diffcult for Bullheads, but loaches! Hell.

There's only one way really. Wade in and lift the stones up carefully and have your net ready for it too swim in!

While doing this once at Ford (Moss Brook) we caught a fish which wasn't in the native fish books we could find. It was a deep dark brown in colour and from my experiance of Tropical fish, it was a Loach. It wasn't a Stone Loach as they have a different mouth to it. In fact you can identify the 3 species of Loach from the mouth parts!

I identified this fish as belonging to the Misgurnus group of Loaches, commonly called Weather Loach. The books I had mention a Weather Loach in Europe, but rarely in the UK. None were recorded in Sheffield, besides that this Loach didn't fit the description of the European one called Misgurnus Fossilis, which is much lighter in colour.

On another occassion out a Rivelin near the kids area, while catching Stone Loaches a group of local lads said "caught any catfish yet?" To me. Wondering what they meant I talked with them and it was clear they were talking about this same Loach. They showed me where the best spot was and we all had a go without any succes, but they had caught them there I was certain of that.

That was many years ago, but I still can't tell you what that fish was - the Catish Loach. Plus I don't know why it was't recorded? Perhaps it has now, does anyone know?

Will post some images later - but not of the Catfish Loach!

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I don't know about now, but there used to be bullheads in the Porter when I were nobbut a lad. My uncle had an allotment on High Storrs Roughs, and on summer weekends we had family outings, off the tram at Hunters Bar then walk up the valley, with regular stops on the way turning over stones in the river looking for bullheads.

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I don't know about now, but there used to be bullheads in the Porter when I were nobbut a lad. My uncle had an allotment on High Storrs Roughs, and on summer weekends we had family outings, off the tram at Hunters Bar then walk up the valley, with regular stops on the way turning over stones in the river looking for bullheads.

As a non-fisherman what's a bullhead please and how rare are they ?

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As a non-fisherman what's a bullhead please and how rare are they ?

Bullhead, also known as the Millers Thumb, the first one I caught

was from Dam Flask reservoir, Bradfield.

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I think you can see why the kids called them catfish from that mouth. That's the European one!

Not to be confused with the American Catfish, which grow very long wiskers and grow to MASSIVE size anyway!

I should imagine seeing that Sheffield water is cleaner then ever that the Bullhead will still be in the Porter. They like water rich in oxygen. In fact that was the biggest problem with Bullheads, getting them home! They would die from lack of air most times. However both the stone and weather loaches can take in air by the mouth, that's why they are called "weather" the air inside them responds to the air pressure during storms and they go mad! So you know when a thunderstorm is due! They have been kept for that purpose in Asian countries!

There's currently a shop in crystal peaks that uses a weird looking fish to eat the dead skin off women's feet! :blink:lol

I've known a Stone Loach rest on my feet while trying to catch them, but it didn't try to eat them!

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