black bass in u.k waters?

[Maia Lopes]

Man, no need to go to Ebro river.

There are lots of Black Bass, everywhere, in Potugal...!

And, if you don´t have this game fish in UK, you don´t know what you have been missing.

Come along, and bring a friend too...!!!!!!!!!!!!

[The Flying Tench]

Man, no need to go to Ebro river.

There are lots of Black Bass, everywhere, in Potugal...!

And, if you don´t have this game fish in UK, you don´t know what you have been missing.

Come along, and bring a friend too...!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Welcome to Anglers net, Maia. It will be very interesting to hear something of the fishing in Portugal.

[chevin]

I remember from years ago there being talk of black bass in either Dorset or Devon and as far as I gathered there were still some to be caught there. I have no doubt that they have existed there in the past but whether they still do is another question. There is proof of the intention of stocking one lake which may have been known as Exeter's Fish Pond by a Mr Silk. Unfortunately I cannot locate the whole of the article but here is what I did find. It appeared in the New York Times on 14th October 1882

 

 

 

…………………..Exeter’s fish pond is now on a visit to New-York for the purpose of collecting a stock of black bass. Yesterday, at Mr. E.G. Blackford’s, in one of his aquaria, were about 400 fine fish, which had been netted in Greenwood Lake. The fish were of all sizes, from half an ounce to two pounds. Both varieties, the Micropterus achiyan and the Micropterus pallidus, were to be found. Mr. Silk hopes to carry to England about 2,000 fish. Having brought from England all the necessary apparatus. Mr. Silk will leave with his charge in the Celtic, on Thursday next. As a game fish the black bass gives the angler the fullest amount of sport.

 

 

Edited January 28, 2010 by chevin

[Mark Wintle]

hi everybody, just curious,are there any waters in the u.k that have black bass in them? sorry if this has come up before, but im fairly new here.cheers.

 

One water that certainly did hold a breeding stock at one time is Breach Pond near Wareham, Dorset. It was stocked by Donald Leney (of Redmire carp fame and Surrey Trout Farm) in 1935 at the request of the pond owner Laurence Pike. The cost was £23 10s for 100 large mouth bass and it is thought these were sourced from France. The bass remained present from 1935 to circa 1980 by which time a series of fish introductions - carp, pike and later others - caused the bass to die out. Chris Yates has the stocking record of Leney including this one which appeared in an article that I wrote in Classic Angling some years ago.

 

I caught a total of 7 from 1970 - 77, biggest about an ounce though I sometimes saw ones up to 2 lbs. Lewis Harris and david Marlborough visited the pond (5 acres, in this part of Dorset a 'lake' means something completely different!) in about 1966 and reported their findings in Angling and Angler's World. They took away a 1-10 fish caught by Tony Heath which remains in the Natural History Museum.

 

The bass also became established in another nearby pond, and they thrived in this other pond for much longer but I am unaware whether they are still present, last reports about a decade ago. It is possible that Leney stocked other waters near his fish farm in Surrey.

[Vagabond]

I remember from years ago there being talk of black bass in either Dorset or Devon and as far as I gathered there were still some to be caught there.

 

Peter Maitland, in his book published in 1992 (over a century since the original import) refers to introductions all over England, but in only one water "in the extreme south of England" has the Largemouth Black Bass become established and still there at the time the book was researched. There were no perch or pike in this water, which may be significant.

 

So twenty-odd years ago there were black bass in that one lake, but I have heard nothing about them since, nor do I know where the lake is.

 

Other N American species introduced to Britain include Rock Bass, Walleye, Smallmouth Black Bass - all AFAIK unsuccessfully, and Pumpkinseed, which flourishes in several Sussex ponds and in the Sussex Ouse and tributaries.

 

Various other species are introduced from time to time by aquarists when they outgrow their tank. Bullhead Catfish being one example - one was caught from our local club water some years back - nobody knows how it got there.

Edited January 28, 2010 by Vagabond