Bleak
By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026
The bleak fish (Alburnus alburnus) is a small, slim, bright silver coarse fish that shoals and feeds at the surface of UK rivers. The British record is just 4oz 9dr (0.129kg), so bleak are caught in numbers, not for size.
Below: how to tell a bleak from a small roach or dace, where to find them, how to catch them and the river rules. For the wider family, see our guide to other UK coarse fish.
How to Identify a Bleak (and Tell It From Roach, Dace and Rudd)
A keepnet of small silver fish can look like one species. Check the mouth first and the rest follows.
Bleak identification starts with the mouth: it is upturned, with a protruding lower jaw built for taking food off the surface. Then check for:
- bright silvery sides and a slim body
- a small head with a very large eye for its size
- a sharp keel along the belly
- a forked tail
- a long anal fin with 18 to 23 rays
| Feature | Bleak | Small roach | Dace | Rudd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mouth | Upturned, lower jaw juts out | Level, at the tip of the snout | Small, level or slightly underslung | Upturned |
| Body | Slim, keeled belly | Deeper, rounded | Slim, rounded belly | Deep |
| Eye | Very large for its size | Red | Pale or yellowish | Golden |
| Fins | Long anal fin | Grey to reddish | Concave edge to dorsal and anal fins | Bright red |
Rudd share the upturned mouth, so separate them on body depth and that long anal fin. Bleak also hybridise with roach, rudd, chub and bream, so an odd-looking fish may be a cross. Our UK fish identification guide and the silver bream and bream pages cover the deeper-bodied lookalikes.
Upturned mouth, keeled belly, long anal fin: that is a bleak.
How Big Do Bleak Get? Size and the British Record
The British record bleak weighs only 4oz 9dr (0.129kg). Dennis Flack caught it from the River Lark in Cambridgeshire in 1998, according to the British Record (Rod Caught) Fish Committee coarse list dated 30 January 2026.
Other dates circulate online. The BRFC list is the authority and records can change, so check the current BRFC list if you think you have a contender.
Bleak mature at about three years old, and most you catch will be well under the record weight. Fish for them for the numbers and the fast bites.
Where Bleak Live in the UK
Some sources claim bleak are confined to south-east England. UK recording data disagrees: NatureSpot lists bleak as widespread and frequent in England and Wales.
They are river fish first, and also turn up in canals close to where a canal joins a river. Their spread is patchy. The Unlocking the Severn project notes that weirs and strong currents limit how far bleak travel, so one stretch can hold big shoals while the water above a weir holds none.
This guide covers England and Wales. In Scotland or Northern Ireland, check local records.
Bleak feed in the upper layer, unlike bottom feeders such as tench, so watch the top of the water for dimples and silver flashes. If your river has a canal junction nearby, start there.
Bleak Diet, Behaviour and Spawning
When small insects are on the water, bleak work the surface layer, and that is when they are easiest to find.
They eat small flying insects, insect larvae, algae and plant matter. They move in shoals, and anglers sometimes catch hundreds when a shoal passes through a swim.
Bleak are more sensitive to pollution than many related fish, so a healthy shoal can be a fair hint that the water is in reasonable shape.
They spawn from April to June, gathering in marginal weed. That overlaps with the river close season covered below, so on English rivers you cannot fish for them through much of their spawning period.
How to Catch Bleak
If your float keeps dipping as the bait sinks and you keep missing bites, bleak are probably intercepting it on the way down.
To target them, fish where they feed:
- Set a small float shallow so the bait sits in the top of the water.
- Use the lightest line and smallest hook you carry, with a single maggot or caster.
- Loose feed a pinch at a time, little and often, to hold the shoal.
River match anglers value the steady bites for building a weight, and bleak are used as bait for larger fish. Check local byelaws and fishery rules before using fish as bait, and never move live fish between waters.
After bigger fish? Get the bait down quickly past the surface layer.
Wet your hands, unhook quickly and return them gently. If you are new to float fishing, a bleak shoal teaches you to hit fast bites.
Bleak Fishing Rules: Close Season and Licence
Close season: you cannot fish for coarse fish on rivers in England from 15 March to 15 June. Most enclosed stillwaters and canals can be fished all year, but local byelaws can differ (GOV.UK). Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland set their own rules, so check with the relevant authority and see our fishing seasons guide.
Licence: you need a rod licence to fish in England and Wales from age 13 (GOV.UK), and junior licences for 13 to 16 year olds are free. Check the current adult price on GOV.UK and see our fishing licence guide.
In England: rivers shut in the close season, canals and most stillwaters stay open, and anyone 13 or over needs a licence.
Frequently asked questions
Are bleak used as bait for pike and perch?
Yes, bleak are used as bait for larger fish. If you plan to use them for pike or perch, check local byelaws and fishery rules first, because many waters restrict using or moving fish as bait.
Can you fish for bleak all year?
Not on rivers in England, which close to coarse fishing from 15 March to 15 June. Most enclosed stillwaters and canals stay open all year, so canals near river junctions are your spring option. Local byelaws can differ, so check before you go.
Is a bleak just a baby roach?
No, a bleak is a separate species. A small roach lacks the bleak's upturned mouth, very large eye and sharp keel along the belly. Bleak and roach do hybridise, so the odd fish can show features of both.