Fenland drains

[trent.barbeler]

Dear Fenlanders,

 

A true story.

 

DRAINLAND ADVENTURE.

 

Years and years ago, my brother, myself and around twelve pub mates decided we would go and fish the drains for zander. I was around 20 years of age and had never fished in drainland before. Nor had any of us as I recall so we all decided we would fish some so and so foot drain. Our knowledge of the drain in question was sketchy from memory but beer goggles soon whipped up said drain to be a notorious venue for monster zander. So in the few weeks prior to our adventure this particular drain was talked up with every swallowed pint of beer even though in reality we knew nothing about it.

 

As this was undoubtedly going to be a beer trip with some modicum of fishing thrown in it was decided we would need a large van, plus a sober driver to take us into drainland paradise whilst punctually returning us back at the local for opening time of course. The job of sorting out the van plus its driver fell into the extremely inept hands of my brother. So confident were we of catching the zander creature, a pool was run for best zander on the day.

 

It was four in the morning, pitch black, freezing cold with a hoar frost covering the pavements when we all assembled in the local pub car park. "Where's the van Pete"? the lads asked. "Don't worry; he's definitely on his way. He had a gig last night and said he might be a few minutes late". In the still of the dark winters morn, with hardly any traffic about, I heard this whining noise in the distance. Louder and louder it grew until finally a huge old ambulance roared into the cark park belching black smoke from its exhaust.

 

Right along the side of the ambulance in bold dulux painted lettering was the words, "HELLS WARRIORS". Christ I thought, he’s gone and booked the local Hells Angel band leader to take us all fishing. Sure enough, out stepped Tommy Ruffin mad as a balloon booming, "come on girls, climb aboard Tommie’s love bus!” I very quickly noticed that in the back of the ambulance, things looked decidedly foggy. "Is that smoke in the back Tommy?" someone asked. "Don't you worry about that girls, it’s only a bit of exhaust mist. There’s a hole in the floor with another hole in the exhaust, right underneath the hole in the floor. Don't worry girls; it will soon clear when we set off".

 

Now Tommy aside from being barking mad, probably full of chemicals from the night before, was also a very large Hells Angel known for bouts of temper. So we didn’t fuss but climbed aboard loading up all the tackle, two gas burning stoves and six carrier bags. One bag full of dead baits, two full of bacon, eggs, tins of beans and loafs of bread, and three containing tins of beer.

 

Beer cans were opened up immediately as we set of down the A52 towards Nottingham. Black smoke belched from behind whilst fumes gushed into the ambulance via a four inch hole in the van floor. Big Don, who had the biggest feet by far, was recruited to sit on the bench seat nearest the hole keeping his welly boot sole firmly in place over the hole to staunch the fumes. This proved fruitless as the fumes merely rose via the tread of the sole, so a newspaper was stuffed into the hole ad-hock and worked brilliantly. Everyone sighed with relief as the mist cleared so the majority that smoked all lit up fags. A few minutes later we rumbled into the city in the early hours and everything was tickerty-boo. Until the newspaper stuffed into the hole suddenly burst into flames. Ten blokes began to panic and rose quickly to stamp out the flames and burning bits of paper that were now fluttering around the back of the ambulance. "DISCO" shouted Tommy in the front. "Should have brought some chicks along".

 

We came up to the red light still stomping out the embers of the Daily Mirror. Standing on the pavement at the side of the traffic lights were two city policemen. "Bloody hell, sit down girls", hissed Tommy. "No road tax". We pulled off just as the policemen made a move towards Hells Warriors which for some reason, made Tommy laugh hysterically for ages.

 

"Its no good girls, you'll have to open all the windows and let the fumes out. I'll stop at a garage and we can all chip in to get the hole repaired". "Bloody won't" said my brother who was well known as a ducks rear end. Just after Nottingham Tommy said we would have to stop for “gas”. “WHAT!” Cried ducks bum in the front. “You said this was a good runner you barmy biker”. “So it is”, said Tommie. “Just a thirsty bitch that’s all, but ain’t all of em?!” Tommie laughed right into the all night garage on the edge of Bingham and we all chipped in to fill HELLS WARRIOR up. Mallard’s bottom got me to sub his share. Fisherman swot Mac calculated HELLS WARRIOR was running a good ten to the gallon.

 

So on we trundled freezing cold with all windows open except Tommie’s towards the shimmering lights of Grantham, and drainland beyond.

 

 

More from DRAINLAND ADVENTURE tomorrow.

 

Regards,

 

Lee.

[fenboy]

I've got a feeling anything I write will be an anticlimax following Lee's Drainland Adventure (part 1). Can't wait until tomorrow.

 

But what I will say is this: Fen drains look featureless and, quite often, are pretty featureless. But predators swim up and down a bit, so even if you make an inept choice, the odds are you'll catch a few if they're on the feed and hunting.

 

But location isn't that difficult. On a shallow drain, a stretch a bit deeper is usually a killer. On a drain with few marginal reeds, a bed of Norfolk reed will hold fish. Bridge swims can be good in winter when roach pack there. Anywhere near a bream shoal (usually a long way from bridges) will be a banker.

 

Snags are obviously good. So are pylons. This is because dredgers can't operate beneath them so there's usually extensive beds of swan and zebra mussels.

 

One reason today's predator anglers hate drains is because they want to sit it out with all the gear, all the rods. And their results will usually be inferior to those who adopt a mobile approach.

 

If you want to get to know a drain, fish it in late summer/early autumn with lures. Arrive early in the morning (so you can see where the fish are topping) and fish through to dusk, so you can do the same. In between you'll cover a lot of water and learn where the weedbeds/lilypads are. The remains of extensive weedbeds, especially lilies can be great holding areas in winter.

 

And look for other subtle changes. True bulrushes usually mean a gravel bottom. That's pretty unusual on most drains. The areas where side drains enter always hold prey fish and, therefore, predators. Similarly pumping stations and junction swims where drains converge.

 

If you do have a summer/autumn recce, take a break in the middle of the day and take refreshments at the local pub. Getting talking to the locals, because even non-anglers have an opinion on pike. And after you've sifted through the bullsh@t, you'll get a few ideas.

 

It's not difficult. If it was, I'd never have caught anything.

[Peter Sharpe]

One of the main problems with the drains is that you soon begin to realise that there are far fewer pike in them than you might first have thought. You can get mile after mile of drain with just one or two consistent holding areas that tend to hold the same fish. I know a spot on the Twenty Foot where I used to catch the same underweight seventeen pounder year after year from virtually the same spot. I even lost it twice in one day at one time, only to go back and catch it from the same spot a week later.

There is a long roadside length of the Twenty Foot downstream of Beggar's Bridge, that I am convinced only holds a handful of doubles along the entire length. I feel fairly sure that I always catch the same ones every time I go. On some Sundays, you can look up the most remote stretches possible, yet never be able to look either way from a bridge without seeing a piker.

Some people use boats to get round the problem, but I can assure you it is not amusing when you have walked a long way along a narrow drain, only to find a couple of pikers nonchalantly drifting through your swim with a pair of livebaits!

People tend to be secretive, because of the low pike stocks. It only takes one or two careless people to put an end to pike fishing for several years on some stretches through mishandling.

 

Something else that opened my eyes a bit was when I caught the same zander (with an easily identifiable scar) from almost the same swim, two years in succession. Had it stayed there all the time, or was it just an incredible coincidence that it was passing through the same spot when I caught it?

[yog]

What a fantastic storey Lee,,great reading,,i bet you had a right laugh!!!and Fenboy,i totally agree on the mobile approach,it will always outfish the static approach,lure fishing is a fantastic way of getting to know a drain,i religiously lure fish the drains late summer,sometimes with fantastic results....and Peter..the stretch you mention my back garden virtually backs out on to it!!!!!!!!!.you ought to try further up-stream!!!!!? :-}

[Peter Sharpe]

I spent years fishing further upstream Simon, but never caught nearly as many fish. I used to do well a few miles even further down, but that seems to be almost devoid of fish now. The zander fishing used to be fantastic, but I hardly ever see one now. I used to get the best results when there was a strong downstream wind over my shoulder, with a good chop on the water. I just used to mount a deadbait horizontally, fished about four feet below the float. All I had to do was to cast it upstream towards the far bank, then walk downstream, paying line out as I went. Then, when I was a good distance below, I held my rod tip as high as I could, forming a big wind bow in the line to make the float start to skid downstream. When the conditions were just right it seemed to be quite deadly, yet when there was no wind, livebaits were often the only answer. I no longer livebait, so that might have effected my overall catches.

 

ps Was your dog that black straggly one that lived at that farm? Very friendly, but used to pong a bit.

 

[ 18. January 2005, 10:16 PM: Message edited by: Peter Sharpe ]

[fenboy]

Don't underestimate anywhere. A well-known pike angler from the 70s, Chris Binyon, travelled from Birmingham to fish the Fens. He'd been told to try Bedlam Bridge on the Sixteen Foot but managed to end up at Beggars Bridge on the Twenty Foot. Not a bad mistake to make, because he ended up with a 26-plus on livebait...

[Dick Dastardly]

Fenboy did you know Chris Binyon?

[Dog Fish]

Chris Binyon? A brillint writer too has any body got any old coarse fisherman mags from the 70's? Ray webb was another great fenman too.

When is part 2 coming trent great stuff

[yog]

Peter..NO!!,,,THAT WAS MY MATES DOG!!!!!!!!!!!,,i had 2 labs only one remains now,Sam died last year he used to love coming piking,,he used to sit beside me waiting for my float to race off!!!,,i still miss the old boy...the stretch you mention has produced some good catches lately,,although Zander are hard to locate they are still present between the bridges,Further along at holloways farm is also a good bet,i can mention this as its private property!!!! but i"m allowed access so if you fancy a trip down memory lane just let me know.

[Dick Dastardly]

I once met Ray too.It was whilst he was living in Ireland and sadly he wasnt in the best of states.Great shame.