Rudd · Scardinius erythrophthalmus

Rudd in England's Rivers

The largest recorded measurement is 37 cm (14.6 in), from Apethorpe in Willow Brook on 14 February 1989.

Median length: 10 cm (3.9 in)
Fish measured: 39,388
Named waterways: 511
Latest observation: 3 Jul 2026

Direct individual measurements

Largest rudd 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	Willow BrookAnglian	37 cm (14.6 in)	16 cm (6.3 in)	34	14 Feb 1989Apethorpe
2	Castle DykeAnglian	36.5 cm (14.4 in)	8.2 cm (3.2 in)	14	10 Aug 2011Upstream Anton Gowt Lock
3	Lincolnshire LakesAnglian	36.2 cm (14.3 in)	10.4 cm (4.1 in)	16,719	21 Mar 1995Cleethorpes Boating Lake 1984
4	River DS LarkAnglian	35.8 cm (14.1 in)	11.2 cm (4.4 in)	436	10 Sept 2024Isleham Lock
5	River RmcSouth East	35.2 cm (13.9 in)	9.4 cm (3.7 in)	812	9 May 2008Appledore
6	Long Eau FMUAnglian	35.2 cm (13.9 in)	11.9 cm (4.7 in)	36	26 Oct 1989Twin Rivers No2
7	South Holland Main DrainAnglian	35 cm (13.8 in)	9 cm (3.5 in)	752	7 Oct 1997Sharps Bridge (South Holland Drain)
8	River ChelmerAnglian	35 cm (13.8 in)	11.6 cm (4.6 in)	116	16 Aug 1989Upstream Croxtons
9	Twenty Foot DrainAnglian	34.5 cm (13.6 in)	8.7 cm (3.4 in)	156	3 May 2023Goosetree Corner
10	River Nene (Old Course)Anglian	34.3 cm (13.5 in)	9.1 cm (3.6 in)	534	19 Jul 1991Saunders Bridge

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

39,388 fish measured

Measured rudd lengths

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

0–19 mm

20–39 mm

345

40–59 mm

1631

60–79 mm

7444

80–99 mm

10146

100–119 mm

7002

120–139 mm

5605

140–159 mm

3348

160–179 mm

1836

180–199 mm

947

200–219 mm

485

220–239 mm

207

240–259 mm

144

260–279 mm

280–299 mm

300–319 mm

320–339 mm

340–359 mm

360–379 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 rudd observations

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

Date	River or waterway	Survey location	Fish recorded
3 Jul 2026	River Stour	Higham Hall	2
18 Jun 2026	River Medway	Yalding Leas	6
18 Jun 2026	River Weaver	Wewe04	5
18 Jun 2026	River Western Rother	Coultershaw	4
10 Jun 2026	Counter Drain	Welney	8
2 Jun 2026	River Colne	Wakes Colne Viaduct	1
21 May 2026	River Box (Main Reaches)	Scotland Street	13
13 May 2026	River Shuttle	Bexley Park, River Shuttle	3
12 May 2026	Well Creek	Marmont Priory	54
6 May 2026	Twenty Foot Drain	Hobbs Lot Bridge	2

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

3,262 positive survey visits

Survey distribution

EA surveys recorded rudd at 1,584 locations across 511 named waterways represented on RiverFish.

Region	Waterways	Locations	Survey visits	Latest record
Anglian	217	985	2,329	3 Jul 2026
South East	148	310	558	18 Jun 2026
Midlands	61	132	162	22 Apr 2025
South West	46	76	101	23 Jul 2024
Yorkshire and North East	22	60	90	11 Jun 2025
North West	17	21	22	18 Jun 2026

207 detailed pages

Rudd by river

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

Anglian 126 pages

Midlands 17 pages

North West 1 pages

River Gowy3 locations · latest 2008

South East 41 pages

South West 13 pages

Yorkshire and North East 9 pages

River Dearne8 locations · latest 2024 River Derwent (Yorkshire)5 locations · latest 2007 River Don8 locations · latest 2024 River Hull3 locations · latest 2012 River Hull eel surveys3 locations · latest 2025 River Ouse5 locations · latest 2016 River Rother4 locations · latest 2015 River Tees6 locations · latest 2006 River Wharfe3 locations · latest 2006

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 rudd.

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 →