Transient Towpath Trudging - Pt.119 (Canal Zander)

A busy week this week 😠, I was in MIRA twice to sort out a squeak and rattle issue on one the prototypes being used for a management ride and drive event(s) and I've seemingly been here there and everywhere with family stuff too, fishing just ain't going to happen. On a positive note however I'd been out in the Polestar 5 on the track on all manner of road surfaces and the 'containment fix' seemed to do the job which got those finger pointers off our backs. 

Pheeewww and then a chance conversation around the coffee machine with good friends Cathy and Beth at work, they asked me if I wanted to join them on a lecture, so straight after work we are all off to 'The science of Magic Mushrooms' with Dr David Luke in Oxford. 🍄

All very interesting too and if you have been a reader of my blog over the years you will know my 'interest' in psychedelics but Dr David Luke is on another level. A associate professor of psychology at the University of Greenwich, London, UK, where he has been teaching an undergraduate course on the Psychology of Exceptional Human Experience since 2009. 

His research focuses on transpersonal experiences, anomalous phenomena and altered states of consciousness, especially via psychedelics, having published more than 100 academic papers in this area, including thirteen books, including Otherworlds: Psychedelics and Exceptional Human Experience. 

I'm certainly not academic in any way ☺ but such an engaging presentation and obviously a huge passion of his and plenty of humour during the talk, I'm glad they asked me to tag along. 

Now he has given over 500 invited public lectures and conference presentations, won teaching, research and writing awards, organised numerous festivals, conferences, seminars, retreats, expeditions and pilgrimages, and has studied techniques of consciousness alteration from South America to India, from the perspective of scientists, shamans and shaivites.

 

Some of his research and others show that psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin can certainly can help with those with chronic depression and anxiety amongst others. 

Where often a single treatment of synthetic psilocybin, the mind-altering ingredient in magic mushrooms, improved mood in people with treatment-resistant depression within three weeks.

Not only that but one of the lasting changes of post treatment was to seek more of the outdoors because of its well-being improvements that us as anglers know all about. We don't know how lucky we are really with our pastime, but it's no secret I suppose, it never has been. There is a reason why we brave the elements isn't there, the pursuit of the angle is mind altering in a good way. 

Now the topic on LSD and brain activity was particularly interesting especially when its low toxicity means that there is no one better to get involved in the testing than Dr David himself. Designing parts for cars or psychedelic research, hmmmm shame my IQ isn't up there with the Doctor, maybe I'd be up for some work experience on a weekend, free of change of course. 

The beginnings of Storm Darragh had already brought some heavy rain and windy conditions and the wind and rain were going to amplify as the weekend went by. The local rivers were unfishable yet again so for this session I thought about trying for some canal Zander before having to batten down the hatches. 

So a roving session this to try and find those Zander which can be tricky as they tend to go in to a slumber when the temperature drop. You need to drop the bait on a Zanders head basically so leapfrogging sections of cover if often the best way to try and find them.

To cut a long story short nothing was doing whatsoever. I covered lots of different areas too that usually throw up a Zander but they were not interested whatsoever. No fish topping and the canal was much clearer than it usually is and that could be why the only splashes I saw were kingfishers on the hunt.

It's usually a nice brown colour which suits the Zander but it was an olive green with a foot of visibility. Oh well, plenty of steps covered and some much needed fresh air which was nice.