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Fish intelligence

Nigel Whittingham

Nigel Whittingham

Senior Member & Supporter
Fish are not intelligent! We as anglers like to believe they are as it makes our captures seem more of an achievement.

Catching the biggest (or a named) fish is harder because you are narrowing down the odds greatly, not because that particular fish is cleverer than the average. Good watercraft helps & time on the bank usually improves the odds. Finding a water with the fish in it is imperative (obviously) then finding an area where that fish is while you’re there is most of the battle. Time is then a big part, if you can do the first two regularly you are going to catch that fish in the end.

The simpler the rig, the better. Rigs are these days invented to bulk out articles and make the author seem as though they are more clever than the reader. There is only so much can be said about a fishing trip in an article and not much that hasn’t been said before so a ‘new’ rig is a must.

Carp fishing relies on these myths with angling ‘gods’ created and products sold out within days to poor people trying to emulate those fishing gods & save themselves putting any effort in. I have in the past fished with some of the angling ‘gods’ (my heroes at the time) and was surprised that they were doing nothing different to me and weren’t actually using a lot of the crap they were pushing!

Time after time an inexperienced angler drops into the right spot and catches something special because they have done all the right things without knowing!

Expensive boilies are best, maggots are best, pellets are best. Everyone can’t be right so in truth, they ALL work if everything comes together on the day.

Confidence is a key part of catching along with a lot of luck. Sitting (or lying) in a bivvy with a few of the latest rigs/baits for days on end will eventually pay off and so will dropping in the right spot for an hour after work.

As long as you’re enjoying yourself and you have realistic targets & you are catching fish it’s all good and you are winning.

The people you need to look up to are the guys that go out every week and catch specimens regularly without bragging or feeling the need to gain any sort of fame. They always seem to look rather ‘plain’ and go about it without being noticed with run of the mill gear & simple baits.

I was quite successful back in the day as i was part of the circus, chasing the fish, always searching for the next water, paying thousands to get in syndicates to be able to catch what i wanted whether it be Bream, Tench, roach etc until i burned myself out. I now prefer to ‘pleasure fish’ for specimens and appreciate what is classed as a ‘specimen’ for the water i fancy fishing regardless of the actual weight.

Of course there are good rigs & not so good rigs (the hair rig was the only REAL jump forward) but i really don’t believe there are any baits or wonder rigs that actually make a difference as its all down to being in the right place at the right time. Everyone has their own favourite they believe in and they must work or they wouldn’t be doing it.

Sorry if that was a long read but hope it makes sense?
 
Depends how you define intelligence . Can a fish be intelligent ? Is a fish a sentient creature ? Nobody knows the answer . What I do is kid myself . I pretend fish can think , I then try to think like a fish . When I am successful and catch a fish I have outwitted the fish , sorted ! In reality I believe fish can learn to avoid certain situations , but I could be wrong , the key word is believe. I believe Barbel are nothing like as tricky to catch in my local Yorkshire Ouse as the tench I spend hours trying to catch in a little pond I fish . I can go down to the river , visit a swim I know Barbel frequent or at least pass through and if they are feeding and in the area it is highly likely I will catch one .I believe I am thinking like a fish and I catch one , it works ! Go to the pond after the tench same mind set , after a while they show up , bubbling like crazy , they are all around my bait clearly feeding , how can I fail ? But fail I do , different baits , different presentation , no they won't have it . I try my hardest to think like a tench but it doesn't work . Frustration ! Is the Tench more intelligent than the Barbel? Do I need to think differently when fishing for different species ? With more persistence I do eventually catch a tench or two but they frustrate me enormously and I don't know why one day I succeed the other I fail . So my conclusion ? I do believe Barbel are easier to catch than Tench but it is only a belief . Advice , try not to over think . Follow Dick Walkers advice , first find you fish , then don't scare them away , after that just enjoy the challenge and be confident !I came to the conclusion that the Tench were feeding on bloodworms and were completely pre occupied with doing that whilst simultaneously laughing and ignoring my worms , maggots , sweetcorn . Where as my friends the Barbel would have hoovered up the lot my bait included . I like Barbel , they are a grateful fish !
 
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By the way , your post makes perfect sense Nigel . If there are any secrets ,its as you say a matter of confidence and believing that what you are doing is right . OK I admit the believing bit is a little tenuous, as if you believe you are going to catch fish and you do its a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy but that aside go fishing confidently and more often than not you succeed . If you are confident in methods and swim location etc ,[ some call it by the mystical term ' watercraft ' ] then you are a less likely to be chopping and changing baits / methods and casting in and out every 5 minutes ,something that will scare fish away , even numpty Barbel . Its back again to Dick Walkers mantra , first find your fish then don't scare them away . Having said that , maestro that he was , Dick failed miserably to catch a really big Barbel , so are Barbel really stupid? Was Dick not the fishing God that many believed him to be ? Hmm ....
 
I dont mean for a minute that Barbel or any fish are totally thick. ALL living things have some sort of intelligence, whether that just be a survival instinct or actual way of working out problems but i dont believe that they try & outwit us or think “mmm, that rig is sooo last week”
 
I disagree Nigel . I firmly believe that the Tench in my local pond sit as a group around my delicately balanced bait , brushing their fins against my line sending my peacock quill all a quiver and talk among themselves saying ' does he think we are daft , sweetcorn in a pond , come on'' ! I reckon on I would be better off chucking magic twigs at em , red eyed little teasers ! As for Barbel ? I would say they just regard getting caught as an occupational hazard , worth it as long as you can fill your face with Spam. Anyway Im off out now for a walk down the river , stare at the water and think like a fish , it works you know ...
 
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Loved in iconoclastic nature of the OP (thank you Nigel).
Loved Mike's very sensible reply (thank you Mike).

What I do know is .... we don't know (the 'truth', the reality, on many aspects of angling). At best, we surmise.

N.b... we do actually know though that an awful lot of sheer bo11ocks is stated as fact(s) and definitive answers to all our angling questions and problems.
 
Define intelligence?

All species have a certain amount, but is aligned to what they need to survive, breed , eat. If you compare humans with fish then of course we have a far larger brain, than most fish, the larger the fish/brain the bigger the intelligence.

If intelligence is surviving 100 years in a hostile environment then a fish like a giant grouper is in my opinion a genius, they have qualities that would put man to shame, I many years ago whilst in the Forces fished the Indian Ocean and catching them was difficult but when you did I somehow felt guilty, they had a personality and subsequent wildlife programmes proved to me they were exceptional creatures.

Pike...a master in his environment, speed cunning and perhaps not the brightest, but well adapted to survive.

Carp are incredible too, they can survive many hours out of water, wrapped in a wet cloth, they go about their lives just picking up a morsel here and there, can survive low oxygen ponds or mighty river torrents and floods, or just a garden pond or a kiddies goldfish bowl.

Fish might not be able to count, start wars, apply for a bank loan, but they are most certainly intelligent in their own way.
 
I’m not even sure what point i am trying to make by the post tbh. Think it was just a reaction to things i’ve read & heard recently!
For example: just read an article and the wonder rig pictured looked more like something a rock climber would use!, massive, thick hook, swivels, beads & shrink tube all over the place with what looked like a ping pong ball on the end. Didnt resemble a bait at all.
Then in the local tackle shop today a guy was talking (loudly) about how the fish are so smart on his ‘rock hard’ water. He went on to spend £76 on bait for 2 night session and then when asked which swim he was on stated that it was the “big one next to the car park” as it’s the only one his bivvy fits in!
Perhaps fish really are smarter than us! 🤦🏼
 
Nigel Whittingham said:
For example: just read an article and the wonder rig pictured looked more like something a rock climber would use!, massive, thick hook, swivels, beads & shrink tube all over the place with what looked like a ping pong ball on the end. Didnt resemble a bait at all.
Click to expand...
You think that’s impressive eh?

Check out my current rig.

The fused, hinged washer rig.
IMG_6690.jpeg
 
I think fish act more upon instinct than inteligence.
Recently someone mentioned the "do fish feel pain" debate...of course they do, otherwise they wouldn't react to the prick of a hook on a bolt rig set up.
The other "can fish see colours" debate, again, of course they can otherwise some species wouldn't colour up in breeding season etc.
 
Fish, just like all other species that have made a success out of surviving and evolving over millennia, do they demonstrate a high mental capacity…I don’t think so, do they demonstrate self-awareness…again, I don’t think so. but can they learn to avoid predators and recognise danger…of course. Fish, like many species will view humans as a predator and I am a firm believer that all predators present a chemical scent that prey have evolved to recognise. People have often referred to some anglers having the wrong smell etc….I think some people have a greater predatory label than others, hence find it harder to catch because their ‘scent’ is on bait/tackle and fish find it aversive. I remember a friend from school that loved animals but they did not like him….dogs would bark and be cautious around him, cats would not let him pet them, he got bitten by my pet Rat and interestingly always seemed to catch less fish than others.
IMO fish do not recognise bait as bait, or tackle as tackle they just sometimes instinctively know something is wrong and do the off….and sometimes we manage to trick them, or their desire to satiate hunger is greater than the danger signals.
I am also referring here to proper wild creatures not the artificially reared things in many carp puddles
 
The dictionary meaning of the word Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.

So by association some pressured fish are perceived to be able to deal with rigs ie carp. This could be a basic intelligence according to definition.

If you were to ask me if fish are intelligent, I think mainly they are innately cautious.
 
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