Falling Down the Thames Blog 44, 14th January 2015
Fishing the Thames
There were times when segments of the River Thames were horribly polluted. In the past the river was seen more as a convenient sewer than an important part of English heritage. Luckily saner heads have prevailed, and the great river once again serves as an opportunity for contemplation and recreation.
Amoung those who utilize the Thames for outdoor pursuits are anglers. Those working the waters near Oxford might choose to be members of the Littlemore Angling Society, while the South Cerney Angling Club might appeal to fishing enthusiasts around Lechlade. The Old Windsor Angling Club has members in, not surprisingly, Old Windsor. Membership in the Thames Anglers’ Conservancy is free to anyone seeking to protect the River Thames against threat.
Angler can join the Thames River Anglers Association for just twenty-five dollars a year, and help to protect and enhance habitats in and around London. Twenty-five dollars? That doesn’t sound right. I think this group is concerned with the Thames River near London in Canada, and not the River Thames near London in England.
The Thames Anglers’ Conservancy maintains a list of the biggest fish taken by rod and reel on the flowing waters of the Thames. I understand this to mean the non-tidal part of the river. While anglers are a notorious group of fibbers, let’s assume that the following records are close to the truth.
In 2005, Guy Robb captured an 18 pound 2 ounce barbel, a type of catfish particularly popular with anglers. Jamie Drylie was able to surpass Robb in 2010 when landed a 64 pound catfish of a different sort. Duncan Green added to the list of records with a 40 pound 5 ounce common carp in 2011. Not satisfied with just one record, Green also caught an 8 pound 11 ounce tench in 2013. In 2008, Brett Ridley captured a Wels catfish that was so large, he couldn’t properly measure it, but estimated its mass at between 60 and 65 pounds. In parts of Europe, this type of fish can grow to 300 pounds and nine feet in length, so let’s hope that Ridley was practising catch-and-release.
At the other end of the scale, the largest ruffe ever pulled out of the River Thames was a 6 ounce tiddler by Paul Sullivan in 2011. I would probably keep that sort of news to myself.
Most records are comparatively recent, and that probably says something good about attempts to restore the water quality of the River Thames, but some of the records are a bit older. In 1964, R. Page captured a 1 pound 3 ounce dace, and David Booth secured his place in the record book with a 3 pound 5 ounce roach in 1927.
In April and May, Krista and I will be paddling England’s greatest river in an adventure called Falling Down the Thames. Fish along our route needn’t worry about our passage. We are both vegetarians.
- Glen
Photo credits: Thames Anglers’ Conservancy – www.riverta.org; catfish – i1.ytimg.com; dace - uknatureblog.com