Transient Towpath Trudging - Pt.54

Now there is a little-known lake about 5.5 miles in diameter in Inner Mongolia, China, but it's not the kind that offers prime waterfront properties. You see the lake situated in the Xinguang village in Baotou is toxic and made entirely of black sludge and dangerous chemicals. This artificial lake is a creation of the waste by-products of rare earth mining, which retrieves essential minerals needed to create a lot of our tech gadgets. 

Our lust for things like smartphones, flat-screen televisions and ironically, even green technologies, is what's created this lake which is really disturbing as production creates millions of tons of waste per year. 

The chemicals in the dam have been linked to lower crop yields in surrounding farmlands and serious health problems among local villagers. 

Dozens of pipes line the shore, churning out a torrent of thick, black, chemical waste from the refineries that surround the lake. The smell of sulphur and the roar of the pipes dominate the environment. 

Now rare earth is a misnomer as these minerals are in plentiful supply on the earth, they are just difficult to mine and refine into usable materials. China produces about 95% of these materials because, well China are about the only country that are willing to put up with the aftereffects. Some of Baotou’s main exports are Cerium and Neodymium. 

Cerium is used in making catalytic converters but the extraction process for cerium isn't exactly green. It requires that the minerals be crushed and then dissolved in sulphuric and nitric acid. 

Neodymium is used in making powerful lightweight magnets that are used in consumer electronics like smart phone microphones, and computer hard-drives. They are also a vital component in wind farm turbines and motors that power electric cars.

Out of sight, Out of mind !!!

Bit like our water companies that hundreds of thousands times a year dump raw untreated sewage in to our rivers and seas. 

All apparently legal as when water enters the system during heavy rainfall, which can include sewage obviously and companies then have to release it to relieve the pressure through CSOs (combined storm overflows). The Sewage Map from the Rivers Trust shows it is not just limited to rivers and the sea, because plenty of canals have raw sewage dumped in to them too.

Now anyway back to the fishing, I did think about zander but they have been off of late and someone who fishes more than teachers work (if that was ever possible) has been struggling too. The odd bite here and there and some of those feeding spells I'd be tucked up in bed. So something different again, I'd fish my carp spot by the reeds to dusk and beyond with a float with a chemical light I wanted to try out (Middy Fat Boy Insert Waggler) and then a roving session to try and winkle out one of thee larger chub that (apparently) reside here.

 

I've had two different anglers now mention the bigger chub they have caught on this stretch but apart from small ones I've not got anywhere near the larger specimens. 

I has been given some pointers though and one was to fish the oxygenated areas around the locks. There is quite a few of those here to be fair so before I'd settle in to the reed lined swim I'd give those a go first. 

I've so much untapped canal to fish locally I'm spoilt for choice really and it's always intriguing to see what will turn up. I'm surprised every closed season what these water hold and I've hardly scratched the surface. I've a few days off over Easter so might go for more of an explore to the areas I've neglected over the years. 

Anyway I was 50/50 in getting out because the rain was on and off all day and it was due to ramp up big time as the prime dusk fishing time but it was needs much, you see when you're shackled to the computer much of the week, those opportunities have to be seized. 

Those with young kids and full-times jobs it can be difficult sometimes but if you are like me that fishing fix is needed sometimes you have to seize every single opportunity whenever you can.

I only had 3 or so hours for this session but I managed to fish 4 lock mouths initially before settling down in to the swim where the carp had been spotted. One of the lock pounds was so low I thought a boat might struggling getting through it.

Talking of boats there were two on this session so not too bad. The chub though were having none of it and after a good thirty or forty minutes or so in each one I headed to the reed swim where I'd park the bus.

A good choice well made because there was a nice tree to shelter under because the rain was nonstop and at one point was so heavy the float was difficult to make out.

A missed bite half an hour in on bread and mash as feed at least I knew there was fish in the swim. Dusk came and gone and the float was doing an ok job visually but I only had red glowsticks which are not the brightest so I might stick to the green ones next time, they really are another level.

Fishing this close in and only around 2ft in depth a modern dibber float would have been ideal I suppose but that would be difficult to illuminate this will have to do.

Much heavier than I'd like to use but with canal Tench the target on this set-up in May / June I wanted to give it a trial first. Anyway 5 minutes before the self imposed curfew a confident bite where the float was dragging right to left I hooked in to a fish. Sadly after the first bend of the rod not the carp I hoped for but a bream. Oh well, a blank avoided and to be honest I don't mind catching them, and that was that, on to the next one.