Where have all the minnows gone?

[windrush]

The fishing in my local stretch of the River Windrush has gone downhill big time over the past 10 years - and I've been racking my brains as to why!

 

You can walk mile upon mile on the river now, and be lucky to spot a single chub, but there was a time about 10 years ago, when the river was teeming with Chub, Barbel, Pike etc.

 

I have also noticed that there are hardly any minnows in the river now. Once upon a time, if you threw a piece of bread in to the water, it would be attacked by hundreds of minnows, but now, not a single minnow to be seen.

 

Could this be a reason why there are so little fish there now? As the lack of minnows has interrupted the foodchain?

 

What could have killed off the minnows? Chemical leak? There has been nothing in the local press over the last few years to say that something may have got in to the water.

 

There were also some otters or mink spotted a couple of years ago - could these have a serious effect on fish stocks?

 

And there's the signal crayfish - never before have I seen so many in the river. Its got to the point where its useless fishing a legered bait now because of the amount of crayfish attacking it!

 

Sorry to go on a bit, but I'd really like some thoughts as to why this stretch of river has gone so downhill. Don't get me wrong there are still fish to be caught if you know where to look, but the glory days are certainly long gone!

 

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

Thanks

[Pescador Pablo]

Windrush,

 

I've started fishing the Trent again after a gap of 6 years or so.

 

The same thing appears to have happened here, there would always be loads of minnows attacking maggots or bits of ground bait,

but since I re-started in March I've hardly seen any!

 

I wouldn't have thought it was down to otters or mink.

Possibly and ironically, maybe the cleaning up of the rivers is the cause!

Less organic waste going into the rivers seem to have reduced the algal growth, on which a lot of fry feed in their early months.

 

Any other thoughts anyone?

 

Don't think we can blame this one on the eastern Europeans.

[Worms]

It could well be pollution but not necessarily'obvious' pollution. Minnows require well oxygenated water and during hot weather are more likely to be seen in the shallows. They are especially apparent in May-June during spawning. It might be worth contacting the EA to see if there is a pollution issue as minnows will be one of the first fish to disappear after a pollution event.

 

I don't know about signal predation but they will pick off fish eggs so they could well be a problem. Has anyone noticed a similar lack of minnows in signal infested waters?

[Dick Dastardly]

You will have to await my verdict on "minners" untill the winter when Ive been Grayling fishing down the Test a few times! Unless I can fit some barbeling in on the Kennet before then.

Edited August 3, 2009 by BUDGIE

[dapper64]

It could well be pollution but not necessarily'obvious' pollution. Minnows require well oxygenated water and during hot weather are more likely to be seen in the shallows. They are especially apparent in May-June during spawning. It might be worth contacting the EA to see if there is a pollution issue as minnows will be one of the first fish to disappear after a pollution event.

 

I don't know about signal predation but they will pick off fish eggs so they could well be a problem. Has anyone noticed a similar lack of minnows in signal infested waters?

The river wharfe near me is full of signals,but it is also full of minnows,trout and there are a few chub,so signals eating the fish eggs does not seem a likely cause.A river without minnows sounds almost unbelievable.

[Leon Roskilly]

I was getting a few minnows trotting the Kentish Stour last week

 

If you know of a river where things don't seem to be going so well, here's the place to start:

 

http://www.ourrivers.org.uk/

 

(You might find that someone has already 'adopted' the Windrush and has defined the problems, and actions needed to put things right).

[Kappa]

The fishing in my local stretch of the River Windrush has gone downhill big time over the past 10 years - and I've been racking my brains as to why!

 

You can walk mile upon mile on the river now, and be lucky to spot a single chub, but there was a time about 10 years ago, when the river was teeming with Chub, Barbel, Pike etc.

 

I have also noticed that there are hardly any minnows in the river now. Once upon a time, if you threw a piece of bread in to the water, it would be attacked by hundreds of minnows, but now, not a single minnow to be seen.

 

Could this be a reason why there are so little fish there now? As the lack of minnows has interrupted the foodchain?

 

What could have killed off the minnows? Chemical leak? There has been nothing in the local press over the last few years to say that something may have got in to the water.

 

There were also some otters or mink spotted a couple of years ago - could these have a serious effect on fish stocks?

 

And there's the signal crayfish - never before have I seen so many in the river. Its got to the point where its useless fishing a legered bait now because of the amount of crayfish attacking it!

 

Sorry to go on a bit, but I'd really like some thoughts as to why this stretch of river has gone so downhill. Don't get me wrong there are still fish to be caught if you know where to look, but the glory days are certainly long gone!

 

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

Thanks

 

I know what you mean the Windrush certainly is a shadow of its former self. I have found pockets of good fish but swims that were once good are frequently fishless. The angling times and others will tell you its otters and poles, the only place I have ever seen an otter is by the Windrush, but I refuse to believe that otters will eat all the minnows and who would bother taking minnows home to eat? Something is wrong with alot of rivers all over the country, seems to be ever since the floods of 2007. I hope they will recover in time but I given the cycles of very low and very high water successful spawning seems unlikely.

 

I think it is lack of sucessful spawning, in the Thames for example where there used to be lots of 2-3lb chub there are now fewer much larger chub. There are not enough young fish coming through. The other day I fished the Thames somewhere where I'd usually not be able to get a maggot to the bottom because of the bleak I could hardly buy a bite!

 

Anderoo will be able to give you the email address of a local EA officer who knows the area very well and seems to be happy to discuss survey results and stocking etc etc.

 

Rich

[Andy Macfarlane]

Give them a chance before you write them off. Many fish miss year classes, like perch and pike, for whatever reason. I'm sure minnows do too. My local river was always teeming with minnows but for the previous 3-4 years, there have been little or none. This year though, they're there in their millions. Not just small ones either. There's large ones, that must be several years old in there too.

 

I think they sometimes just go missing for a while. It could be due to flooding or drought. After all they like fast water, like trout but they certainly wouldn't able hold ground like trout in a flood and they'd have to go somewhere in the case of a drought, both of which we've had had in recent years. The result being, hey could end up, shacked together in a pool somewhere, while they wait for suitable water levels again, in order to spread out and breed. If they're trapped in a pool that doesn't suit them from breeding, there won't be any offspring.

 

Look at the bullhead. They seemed to all but disappear from out rivers for the best part of a decade, up and down the country. Now they're back in many same rivers that once seemed extinct of bullheads.

I think in the bullhead's case, the last few years have been simply unsuitable for them to breed properly and that's all. Given the right conditions and they soon spread like wildfire.

 

The same story goes with loaches.

 

I'm not quite so pessimistic.

 

"The Minnow is dead. Long Live the Minnow and all that follow!!! (and the bullhead, loch, stickeback..etc.)

 

 

 

....andy....

Edited August 4, 2009 by Andy Macfarlane

[Chris Plumb]

Has anyone noticed a similar lack of minnows in signal infested waters?

 

Errr that'll be a No! Still getting them on the Kennet - and the R. Lambourn which is paved with signals,is even more minna infested...

 

 

C.

[Ken L]

Judging by the clips on the "Catching the Impossible" thread, they've all gone on holliday to the Hanys Avon.