Chub
Squalius cephalus
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Big-mouthed, thick-set and famously wary — it will eat almost anything that falls in.
A thick-bodied fish with large scales edged in dark, a broad blunt head, a notably big mouth and — separating it from the dace — dorsal and anal fins with convex, rounded edges, and reddish lower fins. Chub live in flowing rivers, favouring undercut banks, overhanging trees and streamy runs where they can hold station and watch.
Behaviour
Chub are omnivorous opportunists, taking insects, crayfish, fruit, small fish and anything else that drops onto the water — elderberries and blackberries in late summer are genuinely part of their diet. They are notoriously cautious, and a shoal will melt away at a shadow on the bank. Spawning is over gravel in early summer, and mature fish are long-lived by coarse-fish standards.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Carps and minnows (Cyprinidae)
- Size
- Commonly 25–50 cm
- UK status
- Native to Britain; introduced in parts of Scotland
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons