Gudgeon - Gobio gobio

A small fish, but with beautiful purple flashes on the flanks. Like its much larger cousin the barbel, this is a powerful fish that can often be found in fast flowing water. The underslung mouth and two barbules (barbel have four) are designed for feeding upon the river bed. Several sub-species exist in continental Europe, but have not been introduced to the British Isles.

Gudgeon are often found on clean gravel and sand beds, particularly where there are large amounts of submerged plants. Gudgeon love feeding upon copepods, tiny shelled invertebrates that form swarms just above the river bed.

Like most small coarse fish, gudgeon do not live very long. In cool water they can live for six years, but in more productive fisheries three years is a good age. They reach sexual maturity at two years of age, allowing them to spawn twice before dying.