I caught a record dace!

[Anderoo]

Yesterday evening I indulged in trotting some maggots at my favourite little river. The weather was nice when I left but quickly deteriorated and soon I was standing in my wellies on a gravel spit, running the float along a far bank glide, getting absolutely soaked. Very similar to conditions when I caught my pb chub from the Thames a few weeks back.

 

The first run through at this swim produced a lovely bite and I was soon playing a fish back through the fast water, convinced it was another trout, but when I got it under the rop tip I saw it was a bloody great dace! I suddenly came over all shaky and very carefully eased it into slacker water and netted it. Wow, it's a monster! Easily the biggest I've ever caught.

 

Now for the interesting bit. I put the fish in a small plastic bag, turned on my digi (Rapala) scales and hung the bag on. 2lb exactly. Hmmm, it's big but not that big! I tuned the scales off and on again and tried again. 2lb 1oz. I give up and watch the fish dart across the gravel into deeper water.

 

So, either my scales are playing up or I just beat the British record dace by nearly a pound! Annoyingly I didn't have a camera so I can't post a picture, but I estimated the weight at about 8-10oz. It was absolutely beautiful, not a scale out of place, and more than made up for getting another bloody soaking.

 

(It makes me wonder if there was something odd going on with the weighing of the barbel I caught recently. Both Jigotai and I thought it should have weighed more than the scales said. Ah well!)

[medwaygreen]

Hi Anderoo,

 

Any Dace of that size (8-10 ozs) is a great fish and something to remember, well done.

 

Get rid of the scales and buy some Avon's you can always rely on them.

 

Had it been a record and had you been able to record it correctly etc, would you have claimed it?

[Leon Roskilly]

Get along to a bootfair and buy a cheap crappy pair of old scales that come with weights.

 

Throw away the scales and keep the weights, using them from time to time to check the accuracy of your scales at different weights.

 

If the scales have drifted out (as they do from time to time), you'll at least know by how much, and when you get around to it, you could get them re-calibrated (or renewed depending on age and condition).

 

There's absolutely no point in carting around a set of scales that are inaccurate.

 

You might just as well guess the weight.

 

And it's so nice to know that when you weigh a special fish, they aren't lying to you.

 

(I always check the scales at home, after weighing a good fish, just to be sure)

 

 

Well done on the dace, one of my favourite fish!

[Anderoo]

Thanks guys I'm so pleased with it, it looked monstrous! Wish I had a photo.

 

Medwaygreen, too right I would have! It was from, errm, the Kennet

[medwaygreen]

Thanks guys I'm so pleased with it, it looked monstrous! Wish I had a photo.

 

Medwaygreen, too right I would have! It was from, errm, the Kennet

 

You fibber

[DavyR]

What a lovely dace! I haven't even seen one for years around my way (I think the cormorants and goosanders have scoffed them all).

[gozzer]

No need to add anything about the scales, it's all been said. But it's nice to see that common sense prevailed and you saw that something was wrong with the weight.

Some I know would have claimed the weight without thinking, mind you, I have seen their 5lb chub (guessed), suddenly lose a couple of pounds when I produced my scales.

 

Like Leon, the dace is one of my favourite fish, not much in vogue today, but I like them.

Years ago, stretches of the R Wharfe held vast shoals of dace, and in some areas they averaged 3 to the pound, with some much bigger.

My own PB, was from a less prolific stretch, and came in at 12oz, along with my PB roach of 1lb 13oz, that was a day to remember!

I wish the shoals were still there, but alas, like most rivers up here the 'lesser' species seem to be in decline, shame really.

 

John.

[ndeezy]

One of the best hour's fishing I ever had was trotting on the Thames, I suddenly encountered a shoal of really decent dace and was pulling them out after good fights on very light line. Lovely fish.

[medwaygreen]

Right Anderoo,

 

You have lite my detective juices, I am going to give you five words, only words mined.

 

Tell me by PM if you like what number word rings a bell.

 

No1 Cherwell.

 

No2 Windrush.

 

No3 Evenlode.

 

No4 Glyme.

 

No5 Ray.

 

Now Anderoo these are only words and have no bearing on the fish that we are discussing.

[gozzer]

Right Anderoo,

 

You have lite my detective juices, I am going to give you five words, only words mined.

 

Tell me by PM if you like what number word rings a bell.

 

No1 Cherwell.

 

No2 Windrush.

 

No3 Evenlode.

 

No4 Glyme.

 

No5 Ray.

 

Now Anderoo these are only words and have no bearing on the fish that we are discussing.

 

Don't tell him mate, if word gets out there will be lines of bivvies all along the bank. Each with several rods, fishing 'hair rigged' single maggot on a size18. The place will be ruined.

 

John.