Unexpected catches

[ryaldinhio 4,561]

Last week I caught 2 Chinese Mitten crabs on tidal Trent which I have never seen neither has my fishing buddy. He then went and caught a 22lb sturgeon on same stretch yesterday. When he told me my first response was 'f**k off', then the pic came.

Apparantley there has been a few caught up and down different stretches. Also talks of baby catfish being caught in matches so it seems the cats are breeding too. Could be a few more unexpected catches to come.

Anyone else got any other interesting ones?

[Nicepix 5,650]

Sturgeon were regular visitors to the Trent right up to Victorian times. Some were over 100lb but I've not heard of one recently.

I caught a mitten crab around 2010 just south of the Humber estuary in Fitties Bay. It had snatched at a plug and got hooked in the claw.

From about 2003 to 2011 I used to fish the River Dearne in Sth Yorkshire mainly for chub and barbel, but I also fly fished for dace and chub. One day, just under the A635 bridge near Darfield I landed a rainbow trout. Feck knows where that had come from. I can't think of any trout fishery upstream of there where one could have escaped from.

Over here in France I've had pumpkinseed or sun perch fish from two unconnected rivers and also loads of what the French call Poisson Chat, a small catfish originating from Sth. America. You see the young in tight balls at this time of year. I try to net them out if I can get at them. I also had a very small wels catfish, about 6" long from a tidal stretch of canal.

[Daniel cain 45,274]

what did you do with the sturgeon ?invasive species should be removed from the water......personally I'd of let it swim free and said nowt

I caught loads of Chinese fresh water mussels carp fishing my local lake......they were put in there by the owner of the local take away,well that's the story over 30 yrs ago....had a few terrapins and small turtles from the same lake and another from a boating lake in Cardiff.....big craze early 90's to do with teenage mutant ninja turtles.....all let go after everyone learnt they carry salmonella.....they as big as dinner plates

[fireman 10,884]

Was fishing in the tidal waters of a river in suffolk and a terrapin the size of a tea plate went past in the out going currant,seen a carp in the marina there(woodbridge) as well and that was in just about pure sea water and there's a film of the carp on you tube as it was about there for a good while and was getting on ok in the salty water.

[ryaldinhio 4,561]

1 hour ago, Daniel cain said:

what did you do with the sturgeon ?invasive species should be removed from the water......personally I'd of let it swim free and said nowt

I caught loads of Chinese fresh water mussels carp fishing my local lake......they were put in there by the owner of the local take away,well that's the story over 30 yrs ago....had a few terrapins and small turtles from the same lake and another from a boating lake in Cardiff.....big craze early 90's to do with teenage mutant ninja turtles.....all let go after everyone learnt they carry salmonella.....they as big as dinner plates

Dont know what he did with it, I wasn't there mate.

Was talking to my old man about this today. Would I knock it on head, same with catfish, zander etc. Apparantley Trent is paved with zander now and plenty double figure ones too, shows how quickly these invasive species can get a hold.

I caught 2 mitten crabs and most times my bait came in with the marks on like they had been going at it so there must be a fair few of them in there too.

Not good news for our waterways and native species.

[tomburras 2,730]

Hi nicepix i had a rainbow trout from the Dearne last winter at Darton. I seen a mate catch a terrapin on the leeds liverpool canal at a marina in leeds. 

[Daniel cain 45,274]

1 hour ago, ryaldinhio said:

Dont know what he did with it, I wasn't there mate.

Was talking to my old man about this today. Would I knock it on head, same with catfish, zander etc. Apparantley Trent is paved with zander now and plenty double figure ones too, shows how quickly these invasive species can get a hold.

I caught 2 mitten crabs and most times my bait came in with the marks on like they had been going at it so there must be a fair few of them in there too.

Not good news for our waterways and native species.

I wouldn't kill any fish I wasn't going to eat myself,native or not.....I speak to the old boys who fish for salmon on the Wye.....up until 10/15 yrs ago it was common place to kill any barbel they caught while fly fishing ,they aren't native to the wye,came from the nemethankfully things have changed nowlots of folks still killing eels.....that really fucks me off

I once saw a load of teenagers with a tesco bag of dead chub,all around the 4lb mark.....I tried explaining that they not good eating and take yrs to grow to a tidy size......

we had to stop anyone under 16 fishing our club lake because of the state on the carps mouthsno leadcore,barbed hooks....suprising the folks you see with no landing mats/cradles ....on lakes and the river