Difference in Apperance

[MALC]

On Monday i fished in the evenning at a local pool and had a few small Mirror & Common Carp out.

I found it amazing how different 2 fish could be when they were almost the same weight and both were Commons.

I know that no 2 Mirrors look alike with their different scale patterns.

And some Carp are long and lean whilst others are more like a Rugby ball.

But it was the shape of the heads on the 2 Common Carp below which made me look twice at the second one.

Standard healthy sleak looking Common weighing 4lb 7oz



Strange looking headed Common weighing 4lb 12oz


Anyone got any ideas as to why the head on the second fish is so down turned ??
And looks as if it was added to the fish as an after though ??




Malc
Fish with Friends @ MaggotDrowning.com

 

[waxlion1]

Malc

How come you always catch the odd looking buggers?

"BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER"

Waxlion1

 

[Simon R]

Hi Malc

I would guess it probably got deformed as a juvenile fish whilst it was being reared. Either that or it could just be a different strain.

I remember a few years I caught a mirror carp at Woodlands, Thirsk which had a tiny head, massive pot belly and an equally tiny tail. I thought it was just deformed until I caught two more. I asked Robin the owner why they were such strangely-shaped fish and apparently they were a consignment of fish specially bred for the European table market (less waste I guess).

I know thats not really answering your question, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

Tight Lines

Simon

 

[kev coke]

come on malc be honest red caught them really didnt he

 

[MALC]

Simon,

Must admit a few years back i caught a few like you describe and was given the same reason for their shape.

But i don't think they lived long as i've never seen any like it since.

Kev,

Afraid to say that on Monday poor RED was in the Hospital so there is no way it was him that caught them. LOL

Malc
Fish with Friends @ MaggotDrowning.com

 

[Geoff P]

The look is due to the fact that the poor fish was distracted whilst swimming past one of the islands and ran straight into the MOUNTAIN of groundbait that Dave had thrown in on an earlier visit.

Geoff

RSSG member - are you?
Clean Banks Campaign member

 

[martin.]

hi geoff
have to disagree with you on this one.
i think his head got like that trying to pull malcs baggin wag under & the feed from it dropped on his head.

tight lines.
martin.
talk fishing flip football

 

[Dave]

Being previously involved in a Coarse fish rearing unit I would have to agree with the strain theory but also notable is that when fish are reared in ponds for restocking, there can be a high number of abnormalities which you wouldn't normally find in the wild.

There are several ways of rearing carp for restocking/table purposes, the first is in a natural environment such as shallow ponds where the brood stock are introduced and allowed to go about their business

oooo, errr missus, in a natural way before being removed and the fry being bred on. These can sometimes be under Poly Tunnels to help maintain the temperature.

Another way and a variation on the above is the 'Dubisch' (sp) Pond. This is a small pond, normally square consisting of a trench around a shallow area similar to a sunken island.
The water of the shallow area warms quickly, the fish are introduced into the trench and when they meet, the spawning takes place. Usually carrot sacks or other artificial materials are used in two sides of the square for the fish to lay their eggs in.
Once again they are removed after spawning and the fry remain until moved to larger areas.

Another method and more commonly seen on trout farms but one that is now becoming common place is artificial rearing.
The carp are kept in single sex, holding tanks where the water is warmed to around 20oc. During this time they are injected with a pituatory extract to 'help' them reach their peak in sexual development (no comments please

). Once ready the female stripped of her eggs and the males milt is then stripped onto them before mixing to aid fertilization.
The eggs are then washed with a dilute tanic acid mix to stop them sticking together which otherwise would kill them, and then placed in Zuug Jars (similar to an upturned Demi John without a bottom) where a steady flow of water is pumped up into the jar, keeping the eggs moving.
Once they hatch out the fry are caried by the water over the rim of the jar into a collecting trough where they are then reared on.
The waste and dead eggs are removed to prevent contamination.

One more variation on the above is to put the fertilized eggs into a trough and allow to settle into a media to hatch.

The artificial methods can resul in most abnormalities per number of fry produced, but they are favoured because more fry can be gotten from one fish.
Farms/Rearers will normally remove the abnormal ones early on but often a few do slip past the net

Hows that for a bit of insider info??

OR it could have been my groundbait mountain, lol

Dave

 

[MALC]

Very informative Dave cheers.



Malc
Fish with Friends @ MaggotDrowning.com

 

[keith]

More like Malc trod on it when he went for a walk.

Malc cannot walk on water you know.


Keith.

Golfs a game for people who can't catch fish

 

[MALC]

LOL Keith

But i do try



Malc
Fish with Friends @ MaggotDrowning.com