The alternative name for the sunbleak is the motherless minnow. The Environment Agency claim that motherless minnows can spawn up to twenty or thirty times a summer and that large populations can appear "from nowhere" in a single season.
I had decided to return to Peterborough via the Viaduct Fishery in Somerset which contains a huge head of these fish.
A couple of the local match anglers were both intrigued and amused why someone would want to deliberately target these fish. I was told that if I fished a pinkie a foot deep under a small float I should catch one within a minute. It probably took me a minute to bait up the tiny size 24 hook!To cut a long story short I had loads of motherless minnows and they are by far the smallest and least interesting species that I have caught in the challenge to date. Apologies, even after employing the macro function on my camera the distinct short lateral line (the distinguishing feature of the species), is not visible in the photo.
With such a head of small fish it is no surprise that viaduct produces huge perch. Maybe one day I will return to explore the predator potential of this attractive little fishery.
