Table Of Content

i Gudgeon This book is a celebration of the humble gudgeon, the angler’s favourite ‘tiddler’. This much-loved little fsh is long overdue a little book all of its own. Scientist, author and broadcaster Professor Mark Everard tells tales about the biology of the gudgeon, gudgeon fshing and the diverse social quirks and values of this most popular of little fshes. i i i MARK EVERARD Gudgeon The Angler’s Favourite Tiddler i v Many thanks to David Miller for permission to use his wonderful gudgeon painting on the front cover DAVID MILLER FISH & WILDLIFE ART www.davidmillerart.co.uk First edition published 2023 by CRC Press 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487–2742 and by CRC Press 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC © 2023 Mark Everard Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, access www.copyright.com or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978–750–8400. For works that are not available on CCC please contact [email protected] Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Insert LoC Data here when available ISBN: 978-1-032-31729-8 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-31727-4 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-31101-0 (ebk) DOI: 10.1201/9781003311010 Typeset in Joanna MT by Apex CoVantage, LLC Contents One Introduction 1 Two What Is a Gudgeon? 3 Gudgeon Taxonomy 3 Key Features of the Gudgeon 4 Habitat Preferences and Habits 7 Gudgeon Distribution 9 The Gudgeon Diet 11 Reproduction and Life Cycle 12 Predators of Gudgeon 14 Other ‘Gudgeon’ 16 More Information about Gudgeon 17 Three Gudgeon Fishing 19 Gudgeon Location 20 Trends in Gudgeon Distribution 24 Gudgeon Baits 26 Presentation When Gudgeon Fishing 29 Lure Fishing for Gudgeon 33 Gudgeon Records 35 Gudgeon Match Catches 37 Gudgeon as Bait 37 Gudgeon as Problems! 40 Gudgeon: The People’s fsh! 40 v i Four Gudgeon and People 45 The Charm of the Gudgeon 45 Gudgeon Etymology 47 Gudgeon and the Creative Arts 50 Gudgeon Cuisine 52 The Social Role of Gudgeon 56 Gudgeon and Nature Conservation 58 Gudgeon in Legend 59 Pet Gudgeon 59 The Economics of Gudgeon 60 Other Things Said about Gudgeon 61 Gudgeon Societies 62 A Gudgeon Story 66 Gudgeon Bibliography 67 s t n e t n o C vi 1 Introduction One This book is about the gudgeon, a small fsh familiar to most British anglers and other people interested in our fresh waters. Going by the Latin name Gobio gobio, the gudgeon is one of the smaller fshes commonly found in many British rivers and some still waters too. n o ti c u d o r t n I 1 Initially, perhaps appearing as a nondescript silvery fsh, closer scrutiny reveals just what magnifcent beasts gudgeon are. Closer examination of a gudgeon held up to the eye in good light is like looking into a prism, subtle violet shades suffusing a chain mail of conspicuous silvery scales. The fanks are adorned with brown and darker spots, iridescent DOI: 10.1201/9781003311010-1 2 with multi-hued overtones, darker on the back and fading to creamy-white beneath. The body shape is gracefully streamlined. The rounded and disproportionately large head has a delicate underslung mouth fringed by a pair of short barbels. The eyes too are large. Subtle they may be, but gudgeon are ornate little mini-beasts! Kenneth Mansfeld wrote of the humble gudgeon in his delightful 1958 book Small Fry and Bait Fish: How to Catch Them: Gudgeon are the most important fish mentioned in this book from the angler’s point of view, for they provide sport, make very good live baits, serve the match fisherman well and are extremely good eating. Their nearest rival in these respects is the bleak. Gudgeon do not grow huge, nor are they rare. Despite that, they are almost universally liked, even loved, by anglers of all ages and those interested in the fshes of British fresh waters. Quite why they are so widely loved is a mystery . . . they just are! This small book is a celebration of this most appealing of fshes and its many fascinating characteristics. n o ti c u d o r t n I 2 3 What Is a Gudgeon? Two Gudgeon, known by the Latin name Gobio gobio (Linnaeus, 1758), is a small fsh widespread in the fresh waters of British, Europe and eastwards into Asia. Though small in stature, this is a fsh that rouses disproportionately great interest and affection among anglers and naturalists. ? n o e g d u G a s The gudgeon familiar to many in British waters are, as we t I a h will see in the following pages, far from the only fshes going W by the name ‘gudgeon’ both in Europe and across the world. 3 GUDGEON TAXONOMY Taxonomically, the gudgeon familiar to us in Britain are part of the class of ray-fnned fshes (Actinopterygii), within which they are classifed in the carp-like fshes (order Cypriniformes). Within this broad order of carp-like fshes, the long- established family Cyprinidae (minnows or carps) covers some DOI: 10.1201/9781003311010-2