The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.115 – Hectors and Hanktelos's

A bite required....

A long walk, a forgotten area, fish left to roam in peace.

Two Roe Deer stop in their tracks, eyes fixated.

An angler here rare....

Despite the barrier, despite the footfall required, I had a job to do.

A Zander to be caught....

And what Zander wouldn't like it here, a tangled mass of roots, a hideout for its predatory pursuits.

Floats in place, smelt on both, a bite within five....

A small one comes first, a better one second.

That will do, a blank avoided, sanity restored....

The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.114 – Lazybones and Land Lopers

I was lacking a bit of motivation in the week to get back out there Zander fishing, not sure why, maybe something to do with the darker mornings, the daily drudgery and the weather which after a lovely weekend was back to being cold and damp again and prevented me from getting out.

But then out of the blue likeminded Nic from Avon Angling UK contacted me over a cracking session he had where many a Zander were caught, the location he shared oddly I’d not fished before.

The size got my attention, some bigger fish among the schoolies which tends to be a bit of a rare occurrence in my experience.

Now I’d fished above and below it, but not this section which to be honest looked a bit characterless. One distinguishing peculiarity of this area however is that apart from the Zander that live here, there are carp in residence also. In-fact over the miles and miles of canal I’ve covered this is by far the area I spot them most.

Anglers rare, their sanctuary restored!!!!

I eventually caught a carp from a stones throw away which to be honest was more luck than judgment, but after that session I bought a Nash 6ft Scope Sawn-Off that I could carry tucked up away in my armoury that could be out only when required. I was very sceptical with these short rods but it really is a thing of beauty, a very nice product indeed and I’m not easily pleased if I spend this sort of dosh.

I caught the runt out the litter on that session but believe you me there are some nice lumps to be had if you know where they hold out.

So for this morning in to lunch session I wanted to have a nose at this new stretch and also the familiar. Simple tactics as usual, fish some smelt deadbaits, get some much needed vitamin D and whilst hopefully stumbling on a manoeuvring silt sifter.

Now the clarity of the water was the colour of the head of the bottle of porter that I had the night before, proper coffee coloured, this usually is good for Zander though so I wasn't that concerned. The porter smooth, dark and dare I say it a hint of Terry's chocolate orange about it.

Now despite the weather report predicting it would be dry I was sheltering in my car from the heavy rain whilst admiring the double rainbow.

I got fishing to be fair quite quickly afterwards and headed down to the featureless stretch in question. Before that though I fished a snaggy area just down from it to try and pick up a fish before tackling the baron stretch.

After leapfrogging a good couple of hundred yards of it, it was obvious the fish were not interested or there were none there so I headed to the stretch where Nic had bite a plenty.

The problem was after nearly two hours leapfrogging the characterless I was probably wasting my time. A wake on the surface didn't help the bite detection to be fair, but there was nothing doing as all, fish were not showing themselves so I was probably wasting my time.

I returned from where I came from and again, no bites were forthcoming so I decided to fish an area opposite some lovely white bushes not far away just to try and get a bite.

Best laid plans and all that because after a small tentative take that didn't develop I decided that I should call time on the session and join the Wife for a lunchtime meal down the pub. At least I could be in control of that.

So a blank, the first in a while !!!!

The Cut Colossus – The Quest for the Pintail Plunderer

A quest not spoken about 'til. now, a secret not shared.

A sighting from two different sources of something strange, some not belonging, something unknown beneath the surface of these turbid Bard waters. Both that had witnessed this creature firsthand, had a similar story to tell.

And I wanted in on it....!!

A pleasant walk along the towpath, the silence, the solitude, the sun setting, when out the blue a huge crash on the surface, a wake only a sizeable beast culpable, a feathered friend of fear struggling within the clutches of something trying to drag it beneath,

Gone !!!!

....the duckling that was once there, now unaccounted for, the surface now eerily still.

The gongoozler unnerved, a monster story to share.

What could it be, this 'pintail plunderer'?

Of all the many and varied unknown creatures that are said to inhabit our planets waterways, such as the Congo’s Kasai Rex, the huge South American bloop and the Japanese organism 46-B, perhaps the most chilling ones are not those that lurk in dense, faraway forests, in remote and expansive jungles, and on distant icy mountains., but the ones that we should really be wary of are those that live practically under our very noses.

It’s one thing to read accounts of extraordinary animals and rampaging monsters in faraway, exotic environments. It’s quite another thing, however, to have such monstrosities almost lurking on our doorsteps. But, incredibly, there are far more than a few reports on record of terrifying beasts seen deep in the hearts of our towns and cities. To be sure, it’s a chilling thought that, as we sleep, menacing beasts may be roaming around our very own neighbourhood’s.

The “monsters are among us”

Gas Street Basin

Canals have form as well after a bit of Google’ing, Gas Street Basin for example, It’s a famous landmark where the Worcester and Birmingham Canal crosses paths with the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line.

But, for my purposes, it’s not so much the canal itself that’s important. Rather, it’s what is said to lurk within the Gas Street waters and its surroundings that counts.

In 1997, these waterways were said to be home to a gargantuan eel, variously dubbed the ‘Gas Street Monster’.

It was described by one angler eyewitness as being black in colour, ‘with little beady eyes,’ and up to 20 feet long…” Of course, the average eel is nothing to be concerned about. 8 or 9 eyewitnesses though, no slime and smoke without fire and all that.

One particularly memorable report came from the employees of a plumbing company that backed onto a stretch of the Birmingham canal network. It was the late 1980s when, while on their lunch-hour and as they threw pieces of bread to the local resident ducks, they were shocked to see a large creature swimming along in the water.

It was obviously an eel, but one of massive proportions, fortunately for the ducks, none of them were dragged beneath the waters in Jaws-style, the eel, after a few minutes, vanished to the deeper levels of the canal and was lost from sight. It was a story that became part and parcel of the “Gas Street Monster” lore.

Another report was the canal near Birmingham’s Rotten Park Road. It’s a place where in 2003, the corpse of a fifteen-foot-long python was found, and then dragged out of the water by the Police and the RSPCA.

Rotten Park Road 

So the story went, on several occasions large eels were seen around Rotten Park Road always very late at night, and by horrified witnesses, who saw the creatures stealthily and quietly exiting the water and briefly roaming around the local neighbourhood.

For those who may not know, eels are quite adept at leaving their watery environments behind them and moving on land.

So the story went, the sightings of the giant eels coincided time wise with the mysterious disappearances of a number of animals, including pet cats and rabbits. Someone’s pet I assume which grew to a size where it became unmanageable and was then callously dumped to fend for itself in the canal.

Unfortunately, and unlike an eel, a python would stand no chance of surviving the cold water of an English canal. So, I suggest that the lengthy presence of the eels and the very brief presence of the python in the same stretch of water was due to nothing more than a coincidence.

I guess, from my perspective as someone who enjoys reading about cryptids , the most disturbing aspect of all this is not just the fact that giant, monstrous eels of unprecedented sizes might exist, but that they may be doing so right in the heart of civilization. In locations such as the huge, sprawling, city of Birmingham, where hundreds of thousands of people go about their daily routines, blissfully unaware of the monsters that lurk among them.

But this stretch the pintail plunderer could enjoy relative sanctuary, a countryside location, boat traffic relatively light, a twitchers delight.

A gargantuan Pike ? a colossus Catfish ?

Only one way to find out !!!!

Another quest to add to ones growing list, a little like the Double Figure Canal Zander Quest this one unlikely to conclude. Now this needed a rethink on ones armoury, my usual lures, no good, deadbaits not selective enough, this needed to replicate the actual events as witnessed.

 © Mick Newey

Then a brainwave, when looking at lures lure for pike, some decoy ducklings used for ponds popped up when I was browsing Ebay and these even had some mounting point for trebles that I assume were for anchors. Ok may look a bit odd to the layman, but unlike me, they didn't know what I knew.

So 6 evenings down, blog and WhatsApp radio silence such the secrecy, over 20 hours fished with only nothing on the surface decoy but on the smelt sleep rod 3 small Zander and a jack to show for it, what the heck was I doing.

But then the 7th trip out albeit a quicky as the sun was setting, the air was still, the temperature cold, I'd got that feeling if something was going to happen, it would be during this session.

1 large dead positioned slap bang in the middle of the track, big bait big float, a swim for a big fish to feel comfortable, then the ducking sat on the surface on the other rod, a sight drag, a twitch now and then.

2 hours in, not a murmur, not a bobble but then out of the blue out the corner of my eye there is a surface wake a couple of meters away from the decoy.  Then initially it veers from left from right to left so I pick up the rod.

Then quickly afterwards a surface ripple under the floating ducking grows from small to large with a few seconds and then WHAM !!!!!!!!! the decoy is starting to tow under after a huge wake has disturbed the water, and it's all happened so quick.

By now the black beak has disappeared and it's backside after being at 45 degrees for a second or tow, has now submerged and now completely out of sight, WTAF !!!

With the drag checked, rod in both hands I tighten up and lean in to the fish, I then feel the resistance, however the fish does too. It runs downstream with the rod bent double, the drag activating.

I didn’t want to lose it, so rather than play it on the spot, I’ve had to follow the fish, like you would do after hooking a Great White on a small boat.

I needed to stop it in its paces sometime though, it needs to be restrained, to be shown who is boss. So I tighten the drag even more to near braking point but line is still being taken. My hand now on the spool to add additional resistance, I’ve let the rod do the talking. The 3Lb TC carbon voicing its concern, the rod top bending and spring back like something possessed.

This continues for a few minutes, I’m seriously feeling under-gunned, but then whatever is on the end does an about-turn and is now heading towards me. This is my only chance I fear, landing net in my left hand, rod as high as dared, I eventually see its silhouette, its dark flanks.

It’s now seen me and within a split second it’s gone from docile to dangerous, however I foresee this change of tact and have the net in the water already to intercept its manoeuvre. The plan works perfectly and the rubber mesh of the large spoon shaped net stops him dead in its tracks, it's in, IT'S IN !!!!

WHAT have I just caught ? !!!!

Not a big pike, not a large eel, not even a catfish, this thing looks like it belongs in the sea sharing the saltwater with its cod brothers. It looks like an ice-age fish that once swam unhindered in a glacial world, until the ice retreated 10,000 years ago leaving some remnant populations that until now remain undiscovered.

Looking at it resting in the net, what an odd looking thing, a large squashed head, small eyes, down-turned mouth of teeth and barbules seemingly protruding from its nostrils. Very eel like I suppose, an eel that has evolved to this, an apex predator.

Hooks removed, weighed and photographed,

The pintail plunderer revealed in all its glory, rested in the net and carefully released to see out another day !!!!

That’s why we fish, the dream of the unknown, I lived ‘that’ day.

WHAT LIES BENEATH !!!!

A Burbot, yes you heard me, a BURBOT !!!! all 23lb 11oz's of it

Now although still present throughout the rest of Europe and North America, the only burbot in England today can be found in the vaults of the Natural History Museum in London, preserved in pickling jars.

Apparently the last confirmed capture of a Burbot (Lota lota) in a UK river, was on the 14th of September 1969, in the Old West River at Aldreth, Cambridgeshire. Despite sporadic reports of subsequent captures, it is generally accepted that the Burbot has been extirpated from the British Isles.

Opinion is divided over the reasons for the loss of this species; climate change, overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction have all been advanced as possible causes, however, no research has been carried out to fully quantify the Burbot’s decline.

Errrrr well I know different, once a proud member of Britain's piscatorial family, the fish disappeared from British waters in the 1960s - the Angling Times offered a reward of £100 to anyone who found one in the UK, but that money lies unclaimed. That would be nearly £2k today if inflation is taken in to account.

Now, Please, SHOW ME THE MONEY !!!!