The third stop was Pier Aquatics in Wigan. I was told beforehand this was a must and indeed it was. The last time I saw so many catfish species was in the 80's when I worked at a Dutch wholesaler's - a person known to Neil and his staff. The quality of the fishes was excellent. Even my wife noticed this, saying that she'd never seen such beautiful fishes. The number of species is abundant and I've seen plenty that I only knew from books or not at all. I mean: Goathead barb?? Never heard of. But such a great fish. Among all catfishes in stock, there were quite some Auchenipterids: Asterophysus batrachus, Tatia spec., Auchenipterus nuchalis, Ageneiosus polystictus and some Trachelyopterus sp., to name a few. Despite the fact that is was busy, the staff took the time for a chat and/or an explanation.
Eventually I left the shop with all five Trachelyopterus sp (according to Neil: not the nasty ones, meaning not Trachycorystes
), which I could buy with a significant discount.
In short: this is a must see. Despite the long trip from Bathgate to Wigan I haven't felt sorry for one bit. Highly recommended.
