Yes, it might surprise most of you to know that the humble gudgeon is my all time favourite fish. I've fought some great fights with river severn barble, and I've subdued many a fercious pike. I've caught big tench that have made my line whistle in the wind and some even bigger carp that have made my clutch scream. However, these fine fishing moments are nothing when compared with a match winning catch of gudgeon.
My proudest moments in fishing have come from winning a lot of matches and seeing the admiring glances that came from other anglers as I regulary filled a spot in the frame..
On the right you can see some of the trophies I won, most of them through the existence of the delightful little gudgeon
For two years in succession I managed to win my local championship that was fished over a number of matches on our local canal. Each of several matches was fished on a different stretch to even out the luck of the draw, so consistency was the name of the game. I had a plan and a style that worked for that water, but the gudgeon was the fish that allowed it all to happen.
I won't go into details here, but my plan was always to go for gudgeon from the moment the whistle blew. I'd go straight in with a small whip, just over the near shelf, with a rig that would get my bait down quickly.Other anglers couldn't wait to have a crack at the roach that might be living on the opposite side, so they went straight over hoping to take a few before the boats became a problem.
While they were splashing about on the far side, I'd be putting a steady stream of obliging gudgeon into the net. Ninety fish in the first hour and another sixty in the second was my target and if I achieved that I knew that I'd have a good base weight. For the last three hours of the match I would alternate between the far bank, the centre channel and my near side swim. The latter would very often rejuvinate after a short rest. I would also change my rig so that the bait decended more slowly and this often brought me a few small bonus roach and perch.
I give more details of my tactics and the need to have a target weight in my book, the details of which can be found by following the link at the bottom of this post.
Anyway, the gudgeon is a most obliging fish. It has a fantastic appetite and will take a range of baits. It might not weigh much, but it has a big rubbery mouth and is always easy to unhook. It won me a lot of trophies and a nice amount of pools money, so it will always be my favourite fish.
Here's one last thing about the gudgeon. I looked up the fish in my Bloomsbury dictionary and the entry says it is a small fish and often used as bait. Well I'd never dream of doing such a vile thing to such a magnificent fish. How about other anglers, have you, or do you know anybody who uses gudgeon for bait?
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