Flesh Eating River Monster

[Poshpaul (Angling Trust and PaSC)]

Anybody else see this, last night. The title is awful but does concisely offer an explanation for the witnessed disappearences of adults.

The "culprits" appear to be very large Gooch Catfish - 160lb+ which have lots of large, hsarp and inward pointing teeth. One o those grabs your tootsies and pulls you down - unlikey to make a reappearence.

The programme was interesting, relatively scientific (nowhere near as sensationalist as I expected) - some good underwater photgraphy and some angling shots - Jeremy Wade - who I have come across on realtime and is a qualified biologist (seemed to know his stuff and was extremely rational...until it came to hurling himself into a fast flowing river in order to continue playing one of these large fish!!!)<blockquote class=quoteheader>Andy Youngs wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>
/members/images/34795/Gallery/fish.jpg


</blockquote>A Gooch Catfish - not as big as the ones featured!!!

 

[Ray Roberts]

About time he bought a new shirt as well. The one he was wearing had more holes than a keepnet. Maybe channel 5 doesn't pay too well. Interesting program though.

 

[Gary Newman]

Having tried to catch one myself in the Himalayas inbetween mahseer fishing i found it quite interesting to watch.
It was very sensationalist and over the top, but if it hadn't have been then it probably wouldn't have been on TV in the first place, plus there was some interesting scientific stuff.
Often on these sorts of rivers it is necessary to follow the fish (have done myself in the past) so not as irrational as it seemed, especially as there are usually shallow areas downstream of the deep pools if you do get swept away!
I think Jeremy came across very well in the show, even though he would have known exactly what they were after before he went out there - I'm sure i briefly spotted Vinay Badola (who helped him make Jungle Hooks) during the programme and he runs a fishing camp on Kali and spends a lot of time after goonch himself - pity he wasn't in the programme himself as he is also very knowledgeable.

 

[Poshpaul (Angling Trust and PaSC)]

Reassuring advice Gary - although I'm not sure if I'll throw myself in the Dane (and I wouldn't voluntarily chuck myself in the Mersey!!!)

And I wonder if some of the circus will start forcefeeding barbel and carp with legs and arms so they really pack on weight? /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

 

[Blunderer]

I like Jeremy Wade and thoroughly enjoyed Jungle Hooks.

However, this program was virtually a remake of one of the episodes of Jungle Hooks. So the "mystery" of what was supposedly eating people had already been solved!

 

[Gary Newman]

Paul,
To be honest you don't even think about your safety at the time when you have a big fish on - I've fallen over on rocks and properly bashed myself about out there but not even noticed until after I've landed the fish and the adrenaline has worn off! It does help that the water is usually a lot warmer than over here.
The reaction that you get from the fish when they tip the remains of a funeral pyre in is amazing, I have seen some big mahseer and goonch lying dormant in a deep pool, but as soon as that goes in upstream of them they all moved up into 2-3 ft of water and went mad. Perhaps I'll have to try it with a cow next time I'm by a river in this country (definitely not in India as they are sacred), although the farmer might not be best pleased!

 

[Poshpaul (Angling Trust and PaSC)]

I am now announcing my patent Burke and Hare Resurrectionist Boilies - I'll produce them up to 22mm for the UK market and up to football size for you sub-continentalists! Please don't complain if I don't list the precise ingredients on the side of the packet!! I'm even working with a packaging company to produce a nifty box for sales - it appears to be a similar shape to a coffin lead!!

I can understand that focus on the fish, Gary, and I've followed the odd fish downstream...but the Mersey has dangers far worse than any Himalaya fed torrent. if you float past Warrington you are in severe danger of being swept into....Liverpool /forum/smilies/surprised_smiley.gif

 

[james j]

Cue the Monk adding to this thread.......!

 

[Robert Woods]

I'll wave to you all from Runcorn bridge.../forum/smilies/hot_smiley.gif.

 

[Gary Newman]

Blunderer,
I also thought that Jungle Hooks was better but i don't think it would have made it onto terrestrial TV as it wouldn't have appealed to a wider audience.
At least this was better than that Robson Green rubbish that was on recently, and i was quite impressed by the underwater footage of the goonch.
It did make me laugh though when the cameraman kept telling Jeremy to be careful - this is someone who has travelled down the Congo on his own after goliath tiger fish and India is tame in comparison!

 

[Philip]

Wels catfish have been known to grab people swimming. I remember hearing about one guy who swam his baits out after dark on a lake to avoid people seeing him and in the pitch black on the way back in his foot was grabbed….can you imagine that ! ….I suspect they are attracted by the flashing limbs and obviously a Wels will realise its mistake pretty quick and let go…well I hope so anyway….they go to 200+ …

 

[Mark Holding]

If a full grown cow was eaten by a cat fish, then there must be fish four times the size of the one he caught on the program last night. You can understand how big they get, and their attraction to human flesh if they dump there funeral remains in the river. I would like to see it visited again, but maybe next time they could try using electric wires or granades to stun the fish.

 

[Bob Roberts]

But where was that goonch caught from?

The Kali? As suggested, or another river, say the Ramganga?

Wish I'd actually seen it now but my spies tell me the goonch was most definitely not caught from the Kali.

Anyone care to shed some light?

 

[Poshpaul (Angling Trust and PaSC)]

This sounds fun, please enlighten Bob?

 

[Gary Newman]

Bob,
Funny you should mention that as i thought i recognised a stretch of the Ramganga that i had fished and a mate thought the same. Wasn't 100 per cent sure though, and still made good viewing. The local indian angler/guide that Jeremy was with - didn't feature in the program - fishes both rivers regularly.
See you had a good trip yourself recently.

 

[Bob Roberts]

If you count taking seriously ill when you're five days or more from the nearest medic as a good time...!

Didn't set up a rod for more than a week, but as a team it's fair to say we did exceptionally well.

Heaven and hell, I guess, but that's mahseer fishing at the best of times, eh?

We bumped into the legendary Jim Moorhouse whilst out there and his first words, practically, were, "It's a head trip, isn't it?"

So true...

 

[Gary Newman]

Sorry Bob, Didn't realise that you were ill! Never good can remember being in bed with bad flu and a fever on the Ganges for 3 days and then having to paddle a raft for 2 hours to get back to the nearest road followed by a 14 hour drive to our next destination!

Sounds like your group had a great trip though. Must have been good to meet Jim Moorhouse, nice when you bump into people like that. Met the legendary John Wakefield on the Cauvery a couple of years ago, great listening to his stories about the old days, although luckily these days he is into the conservation of tigers rather than shooting them!

The kali is on my list of places to visit, just getting the time to do it all, plus i do enjoy fishign the Ramganga.