The fish found in ponds such as are common for the end of Mill races, are generally slow moving coarse fish such as Carp, Roach and Bream. These are fish which spend their time rooting around weeds, and filtering through the mud at the bottom of the pond in search of small invertebrates to feed on; snails, worms, nymphs etc. Unless they share their pond with Pike or very large Perch, they are not really likely to be preyed upon, and so are able to swim casually around the breadth of their pond as they please. Even so, these fish are all instinctively shoaling fish.

The Carp, a non-native fish, is the largest of these, able to reach weights of over 20kg in certain conditions. Bream and Roach grow to only a few pounds weight, while Rudd and Dace are generally smaller, nimbler fish of only a few ounces. These are all commonly targeted by course anglers, and are easily caught using a variety of baits such as maggots or earthworms.