Fangtastic Footage, Thanks To Matt Hayes

JACK PERKS The natural history photographer has filmed all 53 UK freshwater fish species, and this week he looks at barbel and shad.

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EVERY time I think of zander, vampiric images enter my mind. They have large, other-worldly eyes that glint a bit like a cat’s eyes in the light, and are ideally suited to nocturnal life.

The obvious comparison to a vampire is the large fangs that they use to grip and devour prey. To prevent them damaging themselves, they have depressions in their mouth, like a scabbard for holding a sword.

Unlike Dracula, these monsters of the night are very real, as they are present in many waterways across the UK. The Duke of Bedford, who was also responsible for introducing munjac deer, grey squirrels and wels catfish, brought zander to the UK in the 18th century.

In recent years, zander have colonised many canals, the West Midlands being a particular stronghold. Most likely introduced by anglers looking for a little excitement, they quickly established themselves in the miles of waterways now on offer to them.

Finding zander has never been an issue, it is seeing the damn things that is the problem, as most canals are murky at the best of times. Visibility is key to filming, so I had to plan a winter trip, when there’s less algal growth and boat traffic to colour the water.

I had no idea where they would be lurking, so I contacted Matt Hayes, who I like to think of as being the David Beckham of the fishing world, but with a Brummie accent.