A small, slender fish with distinctive barbelsA slender, whiskerlike sensory organ near the mouth of certain type of fish. An example of fish with barbels is the Black bullhead. More around the mouth; this species is particularly hard to spot due to its dimensions, its camouflage colorationColors and patterns of an animal's skin, fur or plumage. and its habit of burying itself into the sand or loam of shallow river beds during the day, except during the breeding season. Spined loach was once occasionally caught to be used as bait for bigger fish.