Roger's Angling Pages
The Gudgeon Gobio gobio		Carp family Cyprinidae

The Gudgeon is one of those well-known fishes which have a variety of local names. It is small, scarcely growing to a length of 15 cm or reaching a weight of 10 oz, and only lives about 5 years. In shape it is similar to small Barbel in some ways. The body is covered with lightly flaking scales and has a silvery or bluish sheen. It has two barbels at the corners of its fleshy mouth. It can be found throughout Europe except in the most northerly and southerly parts. It is even located in brackish waters, sometimes in large shoals. This fish lives in swiftly flowing water as well as in ponds, where it multiplies quickly. It usually moves about in shoals in those places where it is numerous and likes to hide on the sandy bottom behind scattered stones. It prefers places with a hard bed. It may even be found in comparatively polluted waters.

The Gudgeon is an excellent bait fish and is one of the most popular and best known types among anglers. As live bait below a float, it moves about with unusual liveliness and attracts the predator with its persistent darting movements towards the river bed. If it is fished at the bottom near stones or pieces of wood, it likes to hide behind them or often lies dormant. After rain it likes to enter clouded water in its search for food. Anglers sometimes make the water artificially cloudy with the help of a turf and then catch Gudgeon in it by float fishing, using the smallest hook with pieces of worms, various maggots and other bait.