Now here is a really big perch!

[corydoras]

At the risk of being accused of being provocative I reckon the fish grow bigger over there because they have bigger rivers, with much more little fish in them for the big ones to eat. A lot of English 'rivers' are just wee burns, streams. This fish was caught on the Meuse. The Meuse is over 550 miles long. It flows through France, Belgium and Holland before it reaches the sea. The 8lb 13oz was caught on the Olt. The Olt is over 300 miles long and is itself a tributary of the Danube.

 

The Severn and Thames are if I remember correctly are the biggest rivers in England but they don't even come close to the big European rivers.

 

Ask yourselves this. How many English rivers would support a commercial perch Fishery? In France perch is eaten and they are really good tucker too. One can buy it in most fish shops and in supermarkets, boxes and boxes of them. All are around the 2Kg/3Kg size. I think the come from the Rhone, Saone and Loire. Again these are all huge compared to our rivers and canals.

 

Rivers and canals are still a major part of the transport system on the continent. Big barges can load up with a couple or three containers in Amsterdam or Rotterdam and go all the way up the Danube to Budapest and beyond.

 

That's not a canal,

 

this is a canal.

Edited March 29, 2011 by corydoras

[JV44]

Cory boxes and boxes of them. All are around the 2Kg/3Kg size Agreed there waterways are far bigger but boxes of Perch in the 4.4 to 6.6lb bracket i find hard to believe as a sustainable source ,Not saying they cannot get that big but surely they cannot be harvested in numbers at that size???? Can they?? Steve

[Anderoo]

Don't forget we have miles upon miles of huge drains in Norfolk, e.g. the Relief Channel.

 

 

But no giant fish!

[corydoras]

Cory boxes and boxes of them. All are around the 2Kg/3Kg size Agreed there waterways are far bigger but boxes of Perch in the 4.4 to 6.6lb bracket i find hard to believe as a sustainable source ,Not saying they cannot get that big but surely they cannot be harvested in numbers at that size???? Can they?? Steve

I'm maybe exaggerating a bit on the size but go into any decent fish restaurant in France and ask for "filet de perche" and see for yourself. Or have a search with Google France for recettes filet de perche. We had perch with mushroom and champagne sauce as the fish course at our wedding reception and the fillets were huge compared to perch that I had seen in blighty.

[corydoras]

Don't forget we have miles upon miles of huge drains in Norfolk, e.g. the Relief Channel.

 

 

But no giant fish!

How many small fish are there for the big fish to eat?. Consider this during the 1600s (I know it's a long time ago) bleak were netted from the Seine and used to make "essence de l'orient" a substance used to make artificial pearls. It took something like 20 tons of bleak scales to make a pound or so of essence de l'orient.

[tiddlertamer]

How many small fish are there for the big fish to eat?. Consider this during the 1600s (I know it's a long time ago) bleak were netted from the Seine and used to make "essence de l'orient" a substance used to make artificial pearls. It took something like 20 tons of bleak scales to make a pound or so of essence de l'orient.

 

 

The Thames is not short on bleak. In fact it's swarming with them in certain places making fishing with maggot impossible.

 

What intrigues me is Holland which appears to have both giant perch but also zander.

 

And what about Germany - I recently saw a 5lb German roach online...

Edited March 29, 2011 by tiddlertamer

[tiddlertamer]

The Thames is not short on bleak. In fact it's swarming with them in certain places making fishing with maggot impossible.

 

What intrigues me is Holland which appears to have both giant perch but also zander.

 

And what about Germany - I recently saw a 5lb German roach online...

 

 

Here's a link to that 5lb German roach.

 

Large German roach

Edited March 29, 2011 by tiddlertamer

[corydoras]

The Thames is not short on bleak. In fact it's swarming with them in certain places making fishing with maggot impossible.

 

What intrigues me is Holland which appears to have both giant perch but also zander.

 

And what about Germany - I recently saw a 5lb German roach online...

When I was a lad I'm sure I saw roach that size in Loch Lomond. I never fished for them, there were tastier fish to be had.

 

We have a Dutch member, name of Jerry Weijers. You can read a thread he started here. It is a fishing report he kindly submitted. Some nice fish

Edited March 29, 2011 by corydoras

[Anderoo]

How many small fish are there for the big fish to eat?. Consider this during the 1600s (I know it's a long time ago) bleak were netted from the Seine and used to make "essence de l'orient" a substance used to make artificial pearls. It took something like 20 tons of bleak scales to make a pound or so of essence de l'orient.

 

Lots of small roach/rudd/skimmers/dace/perch, but I don't know how it would compare with the big European canals. On the other hand, the drains are so lightly fished, maybe there are a few surprises lurking...

[tiddlertamer]

Here's a link to that 5lb German roach.

 

Large German roach

 

 

Colossal carp in France.

 

Monster perch and zander in Holland.

 

As the enclosed link shows, a massive roach in Germany.

 

Are there any other European countries which hold the same species of fish as Britain but which also has specimens in excess of anything caught in the UK?

 

Monster Bulgarian bream per chance putting the much loved Wingham fish in the shade?