Minnow · Phoxinus phoxinus

Minnow in England's Rivers

The largest recorded measurement is 24.3 cm (9.6 in), from Gadebridge Park in River Gade on 26 May 2004.

Median length: 5.1 cm (2 in)
Fish measured: 213,668
Named waterways: 1,479
Latest observation: 30 Jul 2026

Direct individual measurements

Largest minnow by waterway

Ranked by the largest individual measured in EA surveys. The sample size shows how many valid length measurements underpin each waterway's figures.

Rank	River or waterway	Largest	Median	Measured	Measured at
1	River GadeSouth East	24.3 cm (9.6 in)	5.3 cm (2.1 in)	1,329	26 May 2004Gadebridge Park
2	River Pant (Main Reaches)Anglian	14.3 cm (5.6 in)	5.8 cm (2.3 in)	2,205	22 Jul 1996Wethersfield Mill
3	River ArrowMidlands	12.5 cm (4.9 in)	6 cm (2.4 in)	470	11 Jul 1991Studley
4	River DearneYorkshire and North East	11.7 cm (4.6 in)	5.6 cm (2.2 in)	1,606	17 Jun 2015Stairfoot
5	River Wensum (Restoration strategy)Anglian	11.7 cm (4.6 in)	5.3 cm (2.1 in)	1,459	8 Oct 2010Upstream County School (reach 19)
6	River Upper OuseAnglian	11.3 cm (4.4 in)	5.2 cm (2 in)	1,525	22 Aug 2023Turvey
7	Top of Foston Beck/Denton Res tribsAnglian	11.2 cm (4.4 in)	7 cm (2.8 in)	75	9 Dec 1996Allington
8	River Warwickshire AvonMidlands	11.1 cm (4.4 in)	5.6 cm (2.2 in)	356	21 May 1992u/s weir Little Lawford (original site 4)
9	Nethercote BrookMidlands	11.1 cm (4.4 in)	7.5 cm (3 in)	63	16 Oct 1990Long Compton Mill
10	River GrantaAnglian	11 cm (4.3 in)	5.8 cm (2.3 in)	786	15 Apr 2019Babraham (I.A.P)

Equal maximum lengths are ordered by sample size. Measurements are shown as recorded and are not converted into estimated weights.

213,668 fish measured

Measured minnow lengths

The median divides the measured sample in half. This distribution describes surveyed fish, not every minnow living in England.

0–19 mm

3661

20–39 mm

59732

40–59 mm

90624

60–79 mm

54117

80–99 mm

5402

100–119 mm

128

120–139 mm

140–159 mm

240–259 mm

Only positive individual lengths that pass RiverFish's general measurement checks are included. Each bar covers a 20 mm range.

Latest EA evidence

Latest minnow observations

The ten most recent survey visits that recorded minnow in named waterways.

Date	River or waterway	Survey location	Fish recorded
30 Jul 2026	River Quin	Upstream Griggs Bridge	Not supplied
28 Jul 2026	River North Tyne	North Tyne at Riverhill farm	Not supplied
27 Jul 2026	River Swale	Great Langton DS of midbar	Not supplied
27 Jul 2026	River Swale	Great Langton RH of midbar	Not supplied
23 Jul 2026	River Weaver	Wewe25	Not supplied
23 Jul 2026	River Lee	Amwell Loop	Not supplied
22 Jul 2026	River Darent	Twitton Brook	Not supplied
21 Jul 2026	River Medway	Sovereign Way Tonbridge	Not supplied
21 Jul 2026	River Colne	Uxbridge	Not supplied
16 Jul 2026	River Colne	Watford M1 link road	Not supplied

A survey record confirms minnow at that place and time. It does not show present-day abundance or fishing access.

22,752 positive survey visits

Survey distribution

EA surveys recorded minnow at 6,471 locations across 1,479 named waterways represented on RiverFish.

Region	Waterways	Locations	Survey visits	Latest record
South West	325	1,179	4,230	10 Jul 2026
North West	302	1,065	2,962	23 Jul 2026
Midlands	269	1,190	3,764	15 Jul 2026
South East	258	1,199	4,507	30 Jul 2026
Yorkshire and North East	174	1,056	3,990	28 Jul 2026
Anglian	151	782	3,299	14 Jul 2026

555 detailed pages

Minnow by river

Open any river-specific page for its measured lengths, largest surveyed individuals, locations and observation history.

Anglian 93 pages

Midlands 99 pages

North West 23 pages

South East 90 pages

South West 168 pages

Yorkshire and North East 82 pages

How to read this page

Survey measurements, not angling records

Environment Agency surveys are designed to monitor fish populations. Their largest measurement is not equivalent to a verified rod-and-line record, and the survey sample does not include every river or every minnow.

Waterway groups with administrative or mixed-river labels are excluded from the headline national totals and rankings. Their eligible river-specific pages remain available in the directory so no published destination is hidden.

The fish records use the Environment Agency source snapshot dated 10 August 2026.

How RiverFish handles the data →