Hello Folks! It's time to go underwater and explore the wonderful world of UK fish. Some are spotty, some have stripes. Some prefer lakes, others prefer streams. Prepare to get your feet wet and get your fins in a flap!Each Monday for 12 weeks I will be posting a little teaser for you. Without looking in books or on the internet (i.e - no cheating), see if you can identify the UK fish On Wednesday, so as long as no-one has guessed it, I will post one clue. On Friday I will post the answer along with some additional information for your interest.MYSTERY FISH QUIZ #5Clue: You might not want to catch a snot rocket.
But Hughes definitely wrote about a pike :)
It's both what you do and the way that you do it!
You cannot fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren. William Henry Hudson (1841 - 1922)
Answer on friday!
Jennifer T said: Answer on friday!
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
Ha ha Seaman.... ROFL!
I think that Pike is a good guess and potentially correct, however....
I have heard this term used for Tench as they are covered in a thick slime and in angling renowned as an extremely hard fighting fish. In my experience they are one of the most powerful fish and the initial 'run' when one is hooked is very hard and fast giving it the 'rocket' part of the clue.
I presume we are talking about a Green Tench here as they also come in a 'Golden' form which are a gorgeous golden yellow colour and a fantastic addition to a Koi pond as they feed on the bottom but the bright colouring allows you to still see them.
My only reservation to this is that they are also well known by the nick-name of 'The Doctor Fish' as it is believed that the slime had healing properties to other fish!
Apologies for the long winded answer but fished for nearly 40yrs so picked up a little in that time!.....
???????????
Best
Higgy
higgy50 said:Apologies for the long winded answer but fished for nearly 40yrs so picked up a little in that time!.....
Similar for me Higgy,even spent some time as a part time club water bailiff on the Yorkshire Ouse.
Congratulations to all of you who guessed Pike (Esox lucius). First, a bit about the clues: You might not want to catch a snot rocket. Not to be confused with colds and sneezes, here I refer to one of the pikes many affectionate (if you can be affectionate about such a fish) names. Other names include; slough shark, slimmer, gators and my personal favourite Sharptooth McGraw. The second clue: Found in a Ted Hughes poem and has its own Domesday book refers to ‘Pike’ a poem by Ted Hughes which addresses how humans wrongly impose their own interpretation of the animal world where 'human' perspective and understanding cannot really apply. In 1979, author Fred Buller produced ‘The Domesday Book of Mammoth Pike’.
Belonging to the Esocidae family, Pike are elongated olive green fish marked with lighter bar-like spots along their bodies. Pike can grow to 59 inches, that’s 150cm in new money and weigh up to 55lb (25kg). Pike prefer slow and sluggish streams and weedy places in lakes. A typical ambush predator, they hold perfectly still before striking with some considerable force. Pike normally live anything from 5 to 15 years, but can reach the grand old age of 30.
A picture of a Pike is found here.
Did you know that: the pike gets its name from the pole-weapon, the pike (which means ‘pointed’ in Middle-english).
Keep an eye out for next week’s fish quiz!
Take care,
Claire