Readers share their Hotties memories and tropical fish tales - St Helens Star

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Readers share their Hotties memories and tropical fish tales - St Helens Star Posted: 05 Dec 2020 10:00 PM PST LAST month we asked readers to put us straight on whether the tales of tropical fish in the Hotties in the 60s, 70s and 80s, were based on facts or urban myth. And you came back with the resounding answer that stories of more exotic catches in this of stretch of the St Helens Canal, on the edge of the town centre, were true. To explain - the history the glassworks, adjacent to the canal, drew up water for their nearby works as part of the cooling process, before the jets sprayed the now much hotter water back out, taking temperature up a few notches. That meant more exotic breeds could survive in this small section - but how did they get there? Although the canal remains hugely popular among anglers, with carp, bream, roach, rudd and tench being the likeliest fish being hauled, many were quick to share tales of those tropical days. Ronnie Ellison sent in a picture of himself as a 13-year-old from 1986 having caught a stunning big-plated mirror carp which he said were in abundance in the 'Spray' section. "I have fished all over the UK and to this day this strain of fish are hard to come by in this country," Ronnie wrote. "As for tropical fish in the 1980s, cichlids and terrapins were common to see. "Once the sprays were turned off the stretch of canal was never the same so I would say I am very privileged to have fished this superb piece of historic angling mecca. "I also found some very special friends whilst fishing on the Hotties, hopefully some may comment on this topic." Martin Gerrard wrote to give a full explanation: "I can tell you that the tropical fish were in abundance during the 1960s. "I used to go there with my elder brother and scoop them out with a child's fishing net and take them home in water. "They were all Guppies of multi-colours and the canal was teaming with them. Around 1967 onwards I used to fish there and regularly caught Cichlids, which were a carnivorous fish of tropical waters. "They had stripes on their back like a Perch but were deeper in body like a Wrasse. "They too were in plenty as the swarms of Guppies would have been a great food supply. "The fish were there for years until the water cooled due to the hot sprays from Pilkingtons shutting down." Allan Dockerty of Eccleston shared his memories of fishing the Hotties. "I remember The Hotties well, and the many stories of tropical fish," he said. "Well, the tales are true, and the pet shop which shut down was Owens in Westfield Street. "How the tropical fish actually got into the canal is a mystery, but it would have been a simple enough matter to tip in the contents of a tank or two. "Anyway, the fish survived in the warm water and I remember catching loads of them. "They were cichlids - ugly, brown little things which would hungrily grab any bait, large or small, often swallowing the hook, and really spoiling a session's fishing. "I got tired of them, and started fishing elsewhere." Stu Watson also confirmed that the story was fact not fiction. "We caught some of the fish ourselves for our young daughter it would be late sixties or early seventies. They came from Owens Pet Shop which used to be in Westfield Street. When the owner passed away the business closed down. "Rather than let the fish die they were put into "The Hotties" to survive as they could only live in warm water." Les Smith had fond memories: "Yes, I remember seeing tropical fish in the Hotties back in the sixties. "We fished there most night's when my brother in law finished work at Greenalls brewery. Great days." Beverley, from Liverpool, wrote in to tell us about her dad's unusual angling method to catch fish from the Hotties in the 70s. "My Dad and Uncle had heard about the tropical fish being released into Hotties from the pet shop which had closed. "As neither of them had a finishing line they borrowed a pair of my Mum's tights and made two finishing nets, using wooden brush poles and metal wire. "The tropical fish they caught were guppies, Mollies, cichlids and gourami. "Over a period of time we went from having one tropical fish tank to five, I had a tank in my bedroom and used to fall asleep watching the fish. "They caught the fish by throwing pieces of bread into the water just above the nets and then lifting the nets out of the water. Picture from 1986 by Anthony Liptrot  Larry Lobedan, who describes himself as a retired angler, wrote in to tell us: "I fished the Hotties as a boy caught plenty of cichlids, small perch like fish and there were loads of guppies and other types of warm-water fish even in winter the water was always about 20degrees. "As a youngster this was amazing and the Anglers Mail did an article on the Hotties." Adam Garvey gave us additional information about the topping up of the Hotties by those re-homing fish. "In its day the temperatures of the Hotties was significantly warmer due to the waste water from Pilks. "What made this perfect for tropical fish was that due to the constant and guaranteed hot water input, it made a 'section' of the Hotties tropical and at a constant temperature no matter what season we were in. "That being said, tropical fish did thrive in there but this was only in a particular section (By the Pilks water input). "Many stories do mention the pet shop closure and due to the warm water, the pet shop owner thought best to put the fish in the Hotties. "Over the decades though, with many people knowing about this, when individuals needed to rehome fish they too put them in the Hotties knowing they would survive. "This is also how tropical turtles ended up in there too." Dave Barlow wrote about his own catches from the 60s: "Tropical fish in the hotties? 100 per cent true. "I was still in school then, so I think it was early 60s, but I kept tropical fish. Buying them from my pocket money was a bit expensive, so someone told me to 'go to the Hotties and catch your own for nothing'. "I thought they were joking, but at the same time it was worth a bike ride to find out. So armed with a net and a jam jar, I went. "To my surprise, it was true. "Lots of guppies, known as the 'rabbits' of the tropical fish world, but also zebras, and mollies. "The hardier fish, rather than delicate ones, who could tolerate less than ideal water quality. "I didn't find any angel fish. "They weren't what I would call good specimens which is probably why they were dumped in the Hotties." Another reader Chris also confirmed there were tropical fish – and kids swimming in the Hotties in the 70s. "I remember watching large terrapins and zebra fish being pulled from the canal - that was amongst children swimming - was strangely odd it was cold enough to snow around us. Good times!" Thanks to all readers who shared their recollections – hope these first-hand accounts have stirred a few more memories.

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