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FEATURED ARTICLES Swimming with the Water Wolf As thrilling as it is to observe clear water pike from the bank, you’d have to say our experience is at best a poor second to that of filmmaker Dean Burman. Diving into chilling depths to get a window into their world, Dean has captured the footage all pike anglers have been waiting for. Thankfully, this is one ordeal you and I needn’t endure to get an intimate portrait of the species, since in the not too distant future you’ll be able to see “Lair of the Waterwolf” for yourself on the BBC. The film takes the viewer into a watery jungle populated by vast shoals of roach, lumbering carp and bristling perch, with Esox lurking close by. It follows the pike as they gather to spawn with breathtaking results and some behaviour you’ll never have witnessed before. DG: Firstly, congratulations on the completion of the film. I’m sure that when P&P readers see it for themselves they’ll agree that “Lair of the Water Wolf” is perhaps the finest underwater footage of pike in existence. Is the film the first of its kind? DB: Thank you for the generous words, it’s always great to know your work is appreciated. As far as I know this is the first proper ‘Natural History’ style film in the UK with Esox as the main subject. There have been a few programmes where Pike have had ‘bit parts’ but now, at last, he’s landed the lead role.DG: With most British wildlife films focussing on cuddlier animals, what made you want to look at the pike? DG: How many hours of diving and filming did it take to get the finished article? DB: The underwater part of the filming took over one hundred hours in which most was spent in water with temperatures ranging from 4 to 9 degrees centigrade. If you add on research, above surface sequences, editing, writing the music etc, you’re looking at, well, lets just say a long time! The finished article was going to be a short film about a freshwater fish at first, now it’s a short film about a much-respected freshwater fish that’s opened a lot of doors for me. DG: The pike has a reputation for being a bold, even fearless species. How did they react to divers? DB: The Pike has been sharing its habitat at Stoney Cove with humans for a while now, although earlier it would probably been very wary indeed. Through my dealings with Esox it seems to just ‘put-up’ with us like a kind of inconvenient trespasser. Now if you ‘suddenly’ come across one it will either race off in a cloud of silt or sit and watch you from a distance. Some of the bigger females will approach cautiously to check you out, especially during the spawning season and that can be quite unnerving at times. But obviously they see us before we see them. I had one moment where I was filming a friend feeding a school of Roach and a big female just moved down alongside me and watched the throng, only two or three feet away. Magic moments like that are few and far between in wildlife filming. DG: What surprised you most about the species? Were they what you expected? DB: Yes they were what I expected, but a great deal more too. I love the gracefulness in their movement, the beautiful colours that reflect in sunlight and the sinisterly cheeky look you can get from a fish that knows he’s the king of his realm. Stories of blind pike living only by using their sensory ducts that cover their heads fascinated me. Also the speed of their ambush strikes, from stationary to full throttle in the blink of an eye. They can really shift and at times it was hard to keep up using the camera. If you actually stop and look they are a truly amazing creature of superb design. My own favourite description of Esox is ‘like a Salvador Dali designed nuclear submarine with teeth’. DG: The spawning scenes in particular are fantastic. Can you tell us any more about pike spawning? Was the final act of spawning really as graceful as the footage suggests? DB: At the moment the actual shedding of eggs is the Holy Grail to me. I have witnessed quite a few courtship displays that looked like they were about to shed but alas to no avail. They will tend to ‘snout nuzzle’ and perform a simple, poetic ballet for days, but sometimes it can turn nasty, I’ve seen males ‘side swipe’ or head butt females to try to get them to spawn, but this is often retorted with a chase. But mostly it looks quite civil, very gentle and controlled, not bad for a so-called brutal killer. However one thing I have noticed is that in the last few spawning seasons there have been significant fluctuations in water temperature, which have caused problems for the egg-laden females. I’ve been filming Esox for two seasons now and seen them for years before and it’s with sadness that I have to say I’ve seen a dramatic decline in populations in this time. The first time I filmed in Stoney Cove (05-06) there were around 4 or 5 large females and 6 –8 suitors in two observed territories, but the last (2007) time there were only 3 females and 4 males and I actually received some footage shot in the years before I started filming and there were many more pike around thirteen or more, mostly large females in one small area, it really looked like a squadron of barrage balloons floating over 1940’s London. I’m just hoping that it’s a phase in nature’s equilibrium and we will see a re-population of the species in the coming years, otherwise it will be a terrible tragedy. I have been reading that this is a problem in a few pike populated areas. DG: Although many pike anglers reading this have a great deal of expertise on the species, it strikes me that we seldom really observe them under the surface, as you have done. What do you think your experience can teach pike anglers? DB: Well as for catching them I don’t think it will be much help, as you seem to all know the basic behaviour patterns already. But as for seeing them in their own world and getting a brief insight into their lives I am really hoping it will give all viewers a better respect for Esox and the trials it goes through during its life cycle and see that it’s not an insatiable monster, but a beautiful, colourful and charismatic creature with an amazing ability to survive. I do think if you actually admire any creature then its natural habitat is the only place to accurately observe it. DG: The traditional view of the pike is of a static, ambush predator. Is this accurate, or did you find the fish more active? Were there peak times in the day for pike activity? DB: As with most predatory fish early mornings and evenings are the best time for feeding, although this is obviously not conclusive. When lights at its lowest and visibility is a problem for prey fish then predation is improved. Esox is a very static fish indeed but when it needs to it will stalk. They will follow prey for hours and I’ve seen them actually swim with the schools but not making any sharp movements until they strike. I’m sure this gives their prey a false sense of security. Another tactic they use is to lie on the floor and watch the prey glide over them not realising they are there. But Esox is at heart an ambush hunter and in this field it’s the big cheese. DG: What was the highlight of the filming for you? DB: Capturing on film never seen before behaviour, like the wide fanning open of the opercule, like a fully opened umbrella, for a threat display, not to mention the poetic ballet of courtship. When courting was in full flow I even had one male trying to mate with my fin thinking it was a big female. Another huge highlight would be wining a first at the ‘British underwater image festival’ as Peter Scoones the eminent BBC NHU cameraman nominated it; so to get a good response to my work from him was amazing. I have entered my film into a few more international film festivals worldwide, so fingers crossed for Esox and me… DG: Did you encounter any difficulties making the film? How did you overcome them? DB: The main difficulties were the cold and the lack of knowledge in its actual habits. The water was sometimes an unbearable 4ºC in which we could only film for around 10 mins, that was allowing another 20 mins getting to the pikes territories finding the subjects and back to land. This also was giving an increased risk of hypothermia and the chances of our regulators freeze flowing. At times after a dive our fingers would be completely numb from the cold. Its habits were also vague and relied on hearsay and knowledge from above-surface observation. But Esox seems to act differently to each habitat. Obviously it will have different behaviour patterns in a quarry full of humans than to a fast flowing river. DG: Did you find the fishing forums helpful? What did you learn from pike anglers? Not tempted to take up fishing then?! DB: The forums were very helpful in finding out certain behaviour traits and spawning seasons, although due to climate change this could now be a lottery. As for taking up fishing…personally I’d prefer see my subjects in their world rather than in mine, but that’s down to the wildlife-filmmaker in me. Although filming the above water sequences looking across a mist-covered lake with stunning surroundings as the sun rises, I do appreciate this attraction for anglers, and I suppose it gets you out of the house!!! DG: The general public, as well as some anglers, often seem to view the pike with a degree of fear and ignorance. Do you think your film can challenge this? DB: I’m hoping it will open people’s eyes to the beauty of Esox, whether it will change a person’s perspective or not is anyone’s guess, but it changed mine. If I was to believe what I first read in research of huge beasts devouring sheep and horses and dragging children to their deaths I’d have been less eager to enter its realm, although pike that size and ferocity would have made fantastic viewing. It’s my position as a filmmaker to show things in a real light, as they actually are and try and dispel any negative myths, so if my film changes any one persons mind to a more positive outlook then that’s a huge bonus. DG: When is the film likely to be screened? Any plans for a DVD release? DB: This first short ‘10-minute’ version was really just meant for competitions. I was holding back on whether to pursue a longer version until I got some feedback. But it has really made a stir and now I’m supplying some of the footage to the BBC natural History Unit for an up and coming series called ‘Nature of Britain’ with Alan Tichmarsh, (set for autumn/ spring) as well as other projects. So I am seriously thinking of doing a ‘limited release’ DVD with a ‘making of’ to go with it so people can see what we did and how. Then you’d get a lot more Esox for your pound. It would be nice to actually hear what people think. DG: Do you have any further film projects planned? DB: Yes, I’m doing a couple of new projects abroad and a few at home. As I’ve said earlier, I am going ahead with a longer version of my Freshwater film which will include some more well known characters from our rivers and lakes. So watch out for those. It looks like it’s going to be quite a year for my little old camera and me… “Lair of the Water Wolf” was filmed at: Featured Articles aaa Online Shop aaa Blog aaa Guiding aaa Profile aaa Links copy right 2008 © D G Fishing - Dominic Garnett, all rights reserved. |