Fish identity

Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:46 pm

Hi folks and here goes for another question. I used to fish in the River Clyde as a teenager, every summer for years but fell away for more years but now back.
We used to be plagued by a small brown coloured fish that has two spines on its back. It has a large mouth and can very in colour as far a I remember. We were always told that the spines were poisonous so we used to stand on them to kill them and then get the hook back. Last week my son and I were fishing at the waterfront in Greenock and one guy next to us caught on of these fish again. It had a large head, relatively small body (5inches or so) and large pectoral fins. I have not seen this kind of fish for years and I thought they had all gone. I know this is a really sketchy description but I am keen to see if anyone can identify. I should have taken a picture of it but it was really dark and I only had y phone with me. We used to call them, wait for it, cockamoony, just as it sounds but I would really like someone to put me right on this.
Cheers, Reels

Guest

Not this little devil was it?

http://www.glaucus.org.uk/weever2.htm

Guest

If it has a head that looks really out of proportion to it's body, then it's probably a scorpion fish, which isn't poisonous. Thousands of these get killed every year because they get mistaken for weavers. Make sure you are certain though before handling one as you'll get a nasty surprise if it turns out it really is a weaver in your hand.

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 11:55 am

Hi DuncBooth5, concrete
Thanks for your suggestions but after looking through the website suggested by DuncBooth5 I think it might well be what you have suggested concrete.
Having looked through most of the species on there it does look very like this one: http://www.glaucus.org.uk/bullhead.htm
It looks very like this but with two spines on its back. As mentioned years ago we used to be plagued by these but since fishing almost every weekend from the summer this was the first one I have seen.
If I am unfortunate to catch another, I will photograph it.
Thanks again and have a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Reels

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:42 pm

reels on wheels

that does sound like a weeverfish more likely to be a lesser weever as they are more like the perch family which also has a big mouth

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:08 pm

thebigbassman, I don't think it is a lesser weever as I have looked on the internet at pictures of this and it does not look anything like this.
The two spines look as though they are behind the gills and not on the dorsal fin hence me agreeing with concrete.
I am really annoyed now that I didn't take a picture of it even with my phone. It is going to be my quarry now until I get a picture and get a clear identification of this thing. I will be dropping a few lines down the side to see if I can catch one. If I do I will post a picture of it and hopefully settle my mind.
Reels

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:19 pm

I caught a bullhead ages ago, they dont grow that big, about sandell size. Took me ages to find out what it was but looking through a fishy book i found out what it was.

Get back out there, catch another one then we can find out what it is ;0

Member Joined: Sep 24, 2005 Posts: 35

Hope this helps, Britsish sea fish identification
http://www.beachandboat.co.uk/index.cgi?board=if

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:50 pm

Hi fish-a-holic, it did not look anything like any of the fish in the pictures. Unfortunately I have not caught another one of these fish but I was down at the quay side a few weeks ago and speaking to a guy who was fishing with his son who said he had caught a few scorpion fish so a am leaning towards this as a description. It is one of these things, when you want to catch it you never can do it and when you don't want to you are plagued with them.
I will hopefully catch one in the near future to settle this initial question. I do have my camera in the car all the time so hopefully I will do this.
Cheers
Reels

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:45 pm

sounds like a sea scorpion aka Bullhead. enter the name into Ask or Google and you should get a pic in the responses.

Guest

I have caught Sea Scorpions in the River Colne before. Ugly, but lovely little fish as they won me a couple of competitions back in the 1990's.