Stone Loach

[Dick Dastardly]

My son caught this Stone Loach or is it a Bullhead/Millers thumb fishing on the river Lea on a maggot feeder, I haven't seen one of these for years and don't think I have ever caught one myself.

 

 

Its a Millers Thumb/Bullhead.

 

Once again only caught one of these and from the River Frome.

[gozzer]

My son caught this Stone Loach or is it a Bullhead/Millers thumb fishing on the river Lea on a maggot feeder, I haven't seen one of these for years and don't think I have ever caught one myself.

 

 

A Bull Head mate, all mouth, used to catch a lot of them in a small tributary of the Wharfe, when worming for trout.

 

It's nice to have a thread that's not about c**p, ain't it.

 

John.

[bluezulu]

a bull head caught by my mate big mac a few weeks ago in a match on the fazeley canal.

Edited May 29, 2007 by bluezulu

[Mat Hillman]

It's nice to have a thread that's not about c**p, ain't it.

 

John.

 

I actually quite enjoy going after the less than usual species and am always pleased when I manage to tick another previously uncaught species off the list. I actually made a trip to that lake specifically to catch the stoneloach after reading about them being caught there in a club newsletter

 

Mat

[calshent]

if anyone watches great rod race matt and mick caught the bull head and stone loach.

[Chris Plumb]

I actually made a trip to that lake specifically to catch the stoneloach Mat

 

Now I wonder why that was!

 

 

C.

[Phil Arnott]

There used to be a lot of stone loach in a pond at Terrington near Castle Howard in North Yorkshire. It was thought that they got in from a local beck when the pond was filled. Anglers caught them fairly regularly on single maggot I had three there one day.

 

Stone loach are not caught on rod and line very often; it's probably easier to catch a 20lb carp nowadays than a stone loach!

 

Bullheads are caught much more frequently, I've caught them from at least 4 different waters.

 

We've just started to get ruffe again from some local waters after they disappeared for many years which is another nice little fish to catch now and then.

[Vagabond]

A Bull Head mate, all mouth,

 

Bullheads are very common in the streams of the High Weald (as are stone loach also)

 

Miller's Thumb, Bullhead and the local name we used as kids - "Liggies"

 

There was a kid in the village with matchstick arms and legs, a thin body and a normal-sized brainbox. His nickname was "Big'ead"

 

His mother used to play merry hell if she overheard any of us use this nickname, so to keep the peace we re-christened him "Liggie" As she had no idea what a Liggie was, peace returned to the village street......

[bluerinse]

I used to catch stone loach and bull heads in the river Cole as a kid, my kids now catch them in the river Arrow and river Alne.

 

There are also other loachs in the UK, I can't remeber there names though.

[Vagabond]

.

 

There are also other loachs in the UK, I can't remeber there names though.

 

The spined loach, which is nothing whatsoever like the stone loach (stonies are flattish - they live on the bottom, whereas spined loach live in dense fine weed - at least in the summer)

 

Spinies are very lively fish in aquaria - kept some that I caught from Walkers stretch of the Gt Ouse back in the 60s

 

These are the only two loach native to the UK, although you might come across exotic loach such as the weather loach which someone has (illegaly) released