This'll take some beating

I have just got back home after a short, evening, session after eels. I was out, on The Levels, yesterday morning and had a pick-up on a whole Sardine which, on retrieval showed all the signs of eel activity - the guts were cleaned out. A small jack saved the blank and I scattered a few chopped bluey sections around the general area, prior to leaving, knowing that the predicted forecast is for a dramatic change in conditions - we might get snow by Wednesday! I had a two day window in which to complete my January eel challenge - Bev agreed that a Sunday session would be OK, so that's what I did.

A sure sign that eel's are on the munch! A dyed Sardine with the stomach chewed out - 9th Jan 2016

I arrived at the drain, this afternoon, in plenty of time, it was around 14.30 hrs and already a Barn Owl was hunting over the adjacent marshes. Only two rods (Duncan Kay's with ABU 66X's) were cast out, with a few scattered bluey sections strewn around the swim. It was overcast and generally quite mild, but a bout of hailstones was a reminder, if one were needed, that this is January.
As dusk descended, I was on the phone with my brother Simon, my right hand rod was away and I found myself attached to the smallest pike ever taken on rod and line! Not quite how I'd planned it, but a blank had been avoided!

I have only ever seen one smaller pike taken on rod and line - Benno took an embryo pike from the RMC on
some fancy lure contraption

A new bait (bluey section) was cast back out into the increasing gloom and I sat back awaiting further action. Darkness fell and the drain was deathly still; there was an awesome thunderstorm moving northwards above The English Channel and I spent a while mesmerised by the stunning light show it produced. I was brought back to reality by a fast take on the right hand rod. Grabbing the landing net, I engaged the pick-up and "fish on!". A dour struggle resulted in an eel of 3 lbs 2 oz gracing the landing net and, as such, my January challenge has been realised. I am overjoyed by this result; something which I had thought about, long and hard, has come to fruition - I don't suppose there was another angler, in the whole UK, fishing deliberately for eels tonight?

In spite of it's modest size, this fish is right up there with the best specimens I've ever been privileged to catch. Bev simply doesn't get it - she hates eels; they remind her of snakes and worms, yet I feel like I've just run the 4 minute mile or conquered Everest - such is the significance of what I've achieved. Deluded? I couldn't give a toss - I have done something very few others can claim, and that'll do for me! Roll on February!

I've started; so I'll finish - Claydon and beyond

As if I require an excuse? Now I've lifted the lid off that box of memories - can there be any reason why I shouldn't use the resultant images to provide inspiration for my blogging? My time spent around the concrete banks of the Tring Reservoirs were some of the happiest of my angling journey. The period that surrounds my pursuit of Wels Catfish was as crazy as it could ever get, Cuddles, the two Mitch's, Vic Gillings, Stuart Martin, Joey Darville and Shaun Harrison all converged on that muddy puddle that is Claydon Middle Lake - home of some of the largest, and most accessible, catfish in the UK (in the mid-80's)

Benno with one, of two twenties, he caught in September 1991 - he was seven

Carp were a nice distraction for a youngster awaiting the bite from a cat.

The banter was ruthless, the fishing excellent, as was time in the nearby pub - there was a night fishing ban at the venue, so we kipped in our vans in the car park, climbing over the style bang on the time (as set out in The Leighton Buzzard AC membership book) which we were allowed back on. When Kevin Maddocks got involved, anarchy ensued, we didn't always see things from the same view point and disagreements were not uncommon, often spilling over into the Catfish Conservation Group meetings and publications (I got called Zeberdee in one such altercation - how hurtful?)
We got noticed because we were loud, generally pissed up and incredibly successful - people either loved us or hated us, but no-one could ignore us. I would think that the majority of our detractors were jealous of the fact that we were able to make the experience of fishing a muddy puddle so much fun - some of the guys were deadly serious and spent their days looking like they were still at work. Claydon didn't require any particular skills for fish location, yet bait and rigs were critical for consistent results and we worked tirelessly on ensuring our terminal set ups were as good as we knew how. Vic Gillings was a great thinker and many hours of discussion took place on the bank as we played around with ideas for baits and hook-link materials. Great times and very happy memories of a wonderful place frequented by some of the largest characters involved in speccy hunting of that period.

Trees, one of the hardest fighting catfish in Claydon - I never caught it any heavier than 15 lbs

An 18 lbs 10 oz cat from the dam end of the Middle Lake

One of the Claydon "originals" stocked by Leighton Buzzard AC from
a Woburn netting session. 25 lbs 2 oz

The late Vic Gillings does battle with one of the Claydon cats

Our move on to Tiddenfoot Pit was a completely different challenge and required a very much more focussed effort in order to be successful. We cracked it, but much of the fun went missing as this venue allowed night fishing and lacked the ambience, and intimacy, of Claydon - we became rather serious and the social side of angling got overlooked as we strove to become better catfish anglers.

Sye with the largest Cat from Tiddenfoot Pit - 23 lbs 14 oz
The same individual as landed by a certain Gavin Haig a few years later

One for Gavin

Way back, in April of 2013, I posted about my time spent angling around the reservoir complex at Tring. ( http://dylan-wrathall.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/tring-times-more-nostalgia-whilst-i.html ) I was wallowing in a nostalgia gig, brought on by the dreary weather and a box full of old slides. So as I sit here today it seems that very little has changed? It's still pissing down with rain and, once again, I have spent more time looking through images of the Tring days - as a direct consequence of my post of yesterday. In his last comment Gavin asked for "more please" - easily done and great for the stats?
I caught my first Tench from Wilstone Res. during the "great drought" of 1976. Roy Johnson and myself gaining access to the "middle bank" and fishing back towards "Cyanide Strait". That first fish would have struggled to top 4 lbs, but it was start. Pixie's Mere, at Bourne End, was producing fish to over six pounds (my best 5lbs 12oz at that time) - so what was so special about Tring? There must have been something because Dick Walker, Fred J & co were also fishing off the middle bank - not that we crossed paths.
It was June 1981 that I joined the Tring Syndicate, already aware of the Roy Ecob fish of 1980, so not a total surprise when Tony Chester broke the UK Tench record. However, from my own perspective, it was about beating my 5 lbs 12 oz PB, rather than chasing records. One thing is for certain - I was way out of my depth. The other guys fishing the reservoirs were already at the top of their game - I was an imposter. I didn't lack confidence, I lacked the basic angling skills! It is only because the other members of "The Syndicate" were so generous with their knowledge and advice, that my own results were achieved. In my thirteen years of membership I managed to capture, in excess of, a hundred Tench over 7 lbs and also good numbers of specimen Bream, Roach and Pike. The memories I  accrued, during this period, are some of the happiest of my entire life - it was a privilege to be part of such an historic period of the development of big fish angling. No more words - just a few photos!

Yet there might be something in it?

Richie Francis (Ric F of my comments correspondence) was a fellow member of The Tring Syndicate during the 80's and early 90's, a very successful one at that. It was only complete honesty that stopped him holding the UK Tench record. Just days after Tony Chester had landed the first Wilstone double (June 1981) Richie foul hooked the same tench, a few drams heavier, yet returned the fish, unclaimed, because it had been captured "un-fairly". I wonder how many other anglers would have done the same thing? It was his exploits with the Roach of Startops End, however, which were really to set him apart from the rest of us mere mortals - he took the place to pieces with huge catches of 2lbs plus fish. One, very high profile, "Travelling Angler", was so jealous of this success that he pounced upon Richie's landing net and examined his rig whilst Rich was weighing a fish - no offers of assistance! (I would have posted an image of Richie with a "big" Roach from Tring, but don't have any, so this will have to do!)

As successful as Richie was, he couldn't compete with the original
"Time Bandit" - The one and only Alan Wilson.
This is the guy who re-wrote the Specimen Hunters year book - The Tring King!
 The weight of this Roach? - 3 lbs 12 oz from Startops End Res.
For all those modern day, publicity conscious, "big fish anglers" - take a look at how Alan is presenting this
 fish for the camera. Close to his body so not to distort the proportions - in the 1980's/90's any
other, arms length-type, photos were regarded as deliberately fraudulent



Anyway, that's enough of "bigging him up" - his latest comment was met with my usual derision. "Go sea fishing" (see my reply on the previous post) - had he finally taken leave of his senses? I went to bed, smug with my contemptuous dismissal of such folly yet, awoke, next morning, to find myself exploring an avenue of thought which might well provide a future challenge?  Drat and double drat! And this idea being conveyed all the way from New Zealand, doesn't help.
Standing on Deal Pier with a broom stick and boat rope doesn't do it for me, never will. Yet there is one species, readily available in the local area, the tidal reaches of The Stour, particularly, which might pose a decent angling conundrum - Grey Mullet. They venture into the river, during the warmer months. I have seen them feeding in culverts between Pluck's Gutter and the old power station; best of all they require a high level of finesse in both bait presentation and tackle, in order to be successful. So they possess all the characteristics I seek when looking for new adventures. Not quite what Rich had envisaged, I'm sure, but it might be something worth exploring later in the year? One thing's for sure, I won't have any competition for swims - no one else is silly enough to be trying it!

Grey Mullet - these being photographed in Wellington Dock at Dover.

Avoiding familiarity - why I keep pushing?

I mentioned, yesterday, about the local pike fishing being "mediocre", yet what is my measure? I have already taken four (small) doubles from a very limited number, and single type, of venues yet I find myself able to bemoan the situation and my results. Crazy, I only landed one double during the entire winter of 2014/15! I have to admit, to myself, that it's all relative to experience and expectations. When young Tom Spence came along, with Benno and I, and captured his first pike (around 6 or 7 lbs) he was over the moon - it was a new species and an exciting event for a guy with an enviable list of big carp to his name. This being the same type of reaction as when I landed the 3 lbs 1 oz eel, it was a new and very enjoyable experience.

Bread and butter to a Scottish loch angler - magic for a guy from Kent?
 

So, to my way of thinking, it is the desire to seek new challenges which drives me to push the boundaries of my personal knowledge and encounters. I know what I know, but it's the realisation of how much more there is to see and do that keeps me seeking new avenues of exploration. I've probably ticked as many boxes on my UK & Kent bird lists as I am likely to do. Today my birding revolves around a small area of Thanet - my Newland's patch, what I see whilst I am fishing and what I can find when I am away on holiday - wherever that may be. Moths are very much the same, although the recent flirtation with "micros" has led to a whole new arena of discovery becoming available -without me having to do anything different in terms of effort. I simply look at everything in the MV instead of the obvious "macros".

Swammerdamia caesiella - a common and abundant species across the entire UK.
 How many residents of the UK have ever taken the trouble and  looked at one?
I'd never seen one until 24.08.2015 - although it was November before I had any idea what it was called!
 

My fishing exploits have now to be, very much, governed by how I did it, rather than "how big?". I cannot deny my desire to chase that dream moment, but it will happen (if the angling gods decree) on my terms. There are only so many species available to me, as a resident of Kent, it is how I go about my angling, my targeting of specific fish, which will ensure I gain the maximum from any successful encounters. As a youngster, the grass was always greener somewhere else, today, I have to conclude, it is not about the colour of the grass but, instead, the realisation that realistic challenges can be found in the most unexpected places, the majority of them very close to home.

An open reply

My mate Mr Faulkner, who is author of the excellent http://lettersfromsheppey.blogspot.com/ ; and I have never met yet frequently converse about subjects, many and varied, via the comments facilities on a small circle of like-minded blogs. Derek doesn't appear to suffer fools (at all) and tends to say it as it is, or how he sees it. Might be why we share a lot of the same thoughts and opinions?
After my offering of yesterday, I awoke this morning to find this comment awaiting my approval. After reading it I thought "there's a post in this!" so cheers Derek for igniting the spark. I hope my explanation doesn't disappoint?
His comment reads as follows:- "I'm fascinated by the fact that you now appear to have become an avid eel fisher after slagging them off so much in the past"

Sorry chaps - I've used this image again, so soon, but I don't have too many to chose from!

My response - Up until October, of 2015, I had never intentionally sought to catch an eel by design, therefore all of my encounters were accidental captures whilst targeting other species. The fact that I have a PB of 7 lbs 1 oz (taken from a Somerset drain in the late 80's) and have been plagued by these slimy, tackle tangling "vermin" is all a side show from what I was doing at the time. Until early in 2015, I didn't realise the Red Data Book Status of the species - critically endangered. It was at that moment I thought about deliberately setting out to catch eels in the drains of East Kent and The Royal Military Canal. I hadn't got a clue how to go about my project, beyond a few dusty chapters in my ancient angling library. So to plan B - use the Internet and bingo! The National Anguilla Club has a fantastic website, full of up to date advice on the art of eel fishing. I remain slightly confused by the critically endangered banner -  they are still ridiculously plentiful in all the venues I have targeted. If, however, there is a change in water quality, this could easily impact, dramatically, on the situation and my chance would be lost.
So my desire to target the species is what has fuelled my quest for knowledge and, hence, seen a rise in the number of eel related posts on this blog. Just as with any other project I set my heart on, it's all or nothing. I have become fascinated by these fish and some of the myths surrounding their behaviour during the winter months. Correspondence with fellow anglers, who live in the northern counties, suggesting a very different scenario to the one I am faced with. Having been constantly troubled by the eels' unerring ability to home in on any soft fleshed baits (sardine and bluey being particularly so) whilst pike fishing, during the past five winters, leads me to push myself with a project to capture this species in every month of the pike season (October - March). With the local pike fishing being so mediocre, this particular challenge has all the ingredients to keep me motivated until I have reason to claim success or failure, and look for some other angling project. It is the learning process which I find most attractive - I certainly haven't developed a love for the eel, but have to admit that I am becoming increasingly intrigued by the techniques involved in their capture. Bait presentation and rig mechanics have always been central to all aspects of my big fish angling; this species deserves no less an approach and I'm loving it. - Dyl

Success despite failure

A contradiction in terms if ever there was one - yet that is how my first morning of 2016 panned out. I deliberately avoided the mid-night ritual, what with the fireworks and accompanying "light ales", in order to be at my chosen swim by 06.30 hrs. This coincided with the first real cold night of this winter period and the car display registered 1C all the way from Thanet to the marsh. As I made my way, from the car, I crunched through ice covered puddles, along the farm track and, as the light intensified, there was a spectacular frost. I was glad of my extra layers of thermals, that's for sure.
I fished three rods - my Mk IV was set up for pike (1/2 a yellow dyed Whiting) and two Duncan Kay's were kitted out for eels (Bluey sections)! I would imagine I was the only angler in the entire UK who was deliberately targeting this species on this date? I failed to register a bite in the entire period, although a couple of single bleeps on the pike gear suggested that eels were still active in the drain. It didn't really matter as it was January 1st - so the start of my 2016 list for birds seen. I recorded 48 species whilst sat/stood by my rods and a further four as I drove home. Barn Owl, Merlin, Stonechat, Water Rail, Common Buzzard and (sub-adult male) Marsh Harrier providing some splendid views as I awaited fishy activity. A Fox was watched hunting in an adjacent meadow and I had a couple of nice encounters with local birders who were also out doing their January 1st ritual listing.
My January eel target remains a realistic goal, given the current weather patterns, although I feel that it will be a session into darkness which will provide my fish. That combi-rig, using a four-turn water knot as opposed to the Albright Knot, seems to be better suited to the task, given the two materials I am using. As for the birds - let's see where they take me? I have no plans, nor expectations, although I might keep a better record of the list than I did in 2015.  What about moths, butterflies and other assorted bugs? I'll simply keep looking at anything which attracts my attention - those bloody micros are already starting to cause me much head scratching; can't see 2016 doing anything to change this - I've been lured into their grip! However it turns out, wherever it leads me, I look forward to sharing the experiences via the pages of this blog - Happy New Year to one and all - Dyl