Fish soup

[blackrose]

In the last month or so the water around the boats in the marina I'm in has been thick with fish, thousands of them. I don't think I've ever seen so many fish in a small area of water apart from perhaps when I've been travelling in tropical countries.

 

Does anyone know why they might be congregating in such numbers?

 

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by blackrose

[tree monkey]

2 minutes ago, blackrose said:

In the last month or so the water around the boats in the marina I'm in has been thick with fish, thousands of them. I don't think I've ever seen so many fish in a small area of water apart from perhaps when I've been travelling in tropical countries.

 

Does anyone know why they might be congregating in such numbers?

 

 

 

It's almost time to get down and dirty, if you look really hard you will see the candle light and hear the wine corks being pulled.

 

I am being a tad silly but I suspect its something to do with spawning.

[blackrose]

Could be. I'm in a marina off the River Nene, so I'd expect them to seek still water in the marina but they definitely seem attracted to the boats.

 

Yesterday when I walked past, before I disturbed them, a load of fish had their heads all pointing towards the stern of a boat, like iron filings around a magnet.

Edited January 24, 2022 by blackrose

[tree monkey]

2 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Could be. I'm in a marina off the River Nene, so I'd expect them to seek still water in the marina but they definitely seem attracted to the boats.

Algae growing on the boats, plus various invertebrates and other goodies, if you're a fish

[MtB]

20 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

I am being a tad silly but I suspect its something to do with spawning.

 

Are you spawning at the moment then?

 

😅

[tree monkey]

9 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Are you spawning at the moment then?

 

😅

At my age!

[Mike Hurley]

Hiding from a predator maybe, Pike or Herons?

When i was in a marina there were always huge Carp under the boats, had the same moored up on lakes.

[tree monkey]

I wonder if it's ever so slightly warmer by the boats?

[Tony Brooks]

not to mention tasty morals coming out in the washing up water.

[cuthound]

4 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

I wonder if it's ever so slightly warmer by the boats?

 

Na, it a cunning plan by the fish to sink all the boats by eating the blacking off them... 🤣

[Hudds Lad]

Just now, cuthound said:

 

Na, it a cunning plan by the fish to sink all the boats by eating the blacking off them... 🤣

Pikerobial corrosion?  

[Jen-in-Wellies]

17 minutes ago, Mike Hurley said:

Hiding from a predator maybe, Pike or Herons?

When i was in a marina there were always huge Carp under the boats, had the same moored up on lakes.

A couple of summers ago there were a lot of young fish living in the aquatic vegetation along side my boat. There was also a pike hanging around. Every so often there would be a thump on the side of the boat from its tail as it struck at a juvenile fish that had swum a little too close.

[mrsmelly]

They have swum down from Knottingley, to evade the crushing commercial boats!!

[Mac of Cygnet]

36 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

not to mention tasty morals coming out in the washing up water.

 

Do fish have a moral sense?

[MtB]

5 hours ago, Mike Hurley said:

When i was in a marina there were always huge Carp under the boats, had the same moored up on lakes.

 

 

There's huge crap in most canals, especially under bridges and in the rougher areas.

 

Oh, carp....

 

 

[blackrose]

5 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Every so often there would be a thump on the side of the boat from its tail as it struck at a juvenile fish that had swum a little too close.

 

I'm getting that every evening at the moment.

 

It's a fairly new marina dug out less than 5 years ago and we get quite a lot of oxygen from plants or perhaps methane coming up from the lake bed and collecting under the boats. You hear the trapped gas bubbling up to the surface when you move around the boat and release it. I've had the same thing before at Brentford basin when I was moored there. In that case it was definitely methane coming up from the thick black mud on the bottom. Didn't seem to affect corrosion of the baseplate but I wonder if the fish like the accumulation of gas?

[BWM]

8 hours ago, tree monkey said:

It's almost time to get down and dirty, if you look really hard you will see the candle light and hear the wine corks being pulled.

 

I am being a tad silly but I suspect its something to do with spawning.

Roach don't usually spawn 'til march/April but mild temperatures might have seen them grouping up early. Have often seen smaller fish herded into bays by groups of pike at this time of year, they have a feed up before spawning next month. 

[BlueStringPudding]

Morsels of food that get washed down the kitchen sink, perhaps. 

[Hudds Lad]

I thought due to the title that this post was going to be another about the fish getting minced by commercial traffic on the A&C, i was wrong  

[magpie patrick]

On 24/01/2022 at 12:07, tree monkey said:

Algae growing on the boats, plus various invertebrates and other goodies, if you're a fish

Plus angling is probably banned in the marina - fish know this (seriously - I've seen them go swim along our moorings and turn back when they get to the Kennet and Avon Canal) 

[blackrose]

On 25/01/2022 at 18:04, magpie patrick said:

Plus angling is probably banned in the marina - fish know this (seriously - I've seen them go swim along our moorings and turn back when they get to the Kennet and Avon Canal) 

 

No, some of my neighbours do dangling from their boats. The marina owner doesn't seem to mind. I saw some decent sized bream today and some big perch sitting on the bottom.

[Machpoint005]

Can the catch be eaten? If not, I don't see the point -- it's not as if there is any "sport" to be had.

 

 

[Momac]

According to the interweb Roach are a shoaling fish so its in their nature to gather together.

Perhaps a god sign the water is not too polluted.

Spawning is later , hence the closed  season for angling on rivers . 

[MtB]

23 minutes ago, MartynG said:

Perhaps a god sign the water is not too polluted.

 

Only for those who believe in god in the first plaice.

[tree monkey]

9 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

Can the catch be eaten? If not, I don't see the point -- it's not as if there is any "sport" to be had.

 

 

I see your point about the lack of "sport" but I think those who don't fish miss the where the "sport" or rather skill and fascination lies.

It's probably impossible to actually describe but here goes.

 

Fishing depends on awareness, you have to know how the weather effects the behaviour of the fish, you have to constantly monitor the little "signs" that can identify where the fish are, where in the water they are feeding and how aggressively they are feeding.

 

You then have to adapt your methods and tackle to suit the above, sometimes presentation of the bait has such an important part in the ability to catch that simply moving a shot on the line can be the difference between catching or not.

 

You have to decide what bait is applicable for the above and how, where and volumes of feed you use to bring the fish to both where you can get your bait and to get them to take that bait.

 

If you are after a specific species you have to adapt the above to the specific behaviour and feeding pattern of that species

 

It's not a passive way to pass the time, at least if you want to catch in any quantity or the size/species you are after, it can be passive of course if you just enjoy the being in the countryside thing and that's a choice.

 

To me as well there is a curious interest in being allowed to see stuff people don't normally see as well, it's a bit like seeing into an underwater secret world.

 

Sorta finally catching a barbel on tackle designed to catch dace, for example, requires a fair amount of skill and is remarkably exciting, never mind actually catching dace who are the most annoying finicky little buggers in the world.

 

Saying all that I haven't fished for a fair few years now but I'm sure I will again and I will enjoy it