A species of fish has been cropping up more and more regularly on our stretch of Derbyshire’s River Derwent, which it’s never been famous for… until now!
Several large ide have been caught recently – in both match and pleasure catches – from different sections of the river, meaning Belper could be the place to head if you fancy battling one of these impressive fish.
The ide isn’t endemic to British waters, so these fish haven’t arrived naturally, but they’re commonly stocked in commercial fisheries because they feed well in winter; so these fish are most probably lake escapees from past floods. It’s unlikely a breeding population could establish in the river, so it’s a case of catching these while they’re there!
Ide caught from rivers are often mistaken for giant roach, or roach x chub hybrids, by anglers.
Ide are the same species as ornamental golden orfe, just with a different colouration, which you may be familiar with from garden ponds.
Have you caught a specimen orfe from the Derwent near Belper? Send us the picture using our catch submission form and we’ll feature it on this page.
