Despite having plenty of runs from fishing small deadbaits for Zander I never managed to land one.
Jeff Hatt of Idlers Quest who has experimented with many hook patterns on his quest for Zeds on the cut recommended I try the hook that made a big difference to his hook ups. So the new rig I tested yesterday evening was a Mustard Ultimate Bass hook tied to a 50lb Korda arma-kord leader on a running rig set-up. Bait was the tried and tested small headless Roach.
I found using a longer rod can be cumbersome and sometime hazardous when fishing the canal so I bought a second hand 6ft Wychwood Extricator (£20) which seems to be just the ticket. Simon tagged along again and he commandeered the lure rod. He hooked a Zed on his first or second cast but it managed to lose the hook when it got near the net. It would have been his first too.
Get this !!! in two hours and probably 30 minutes when they were on the feed, 6 runs and 5 Zander banked and all but one in the scissors too. Unless you’re a skilled dental surgeon don’t let the bite to develop, just strike as soon as the bobbin rises. I crushed the barb on the hook so hook removal was a piece of cake. What a difference :). The biggest was only 1lb 14oz but it was the method that proved a worthy exercise. I’ve caught plenty of schoolies now but I want a big canal Zed, I’ve a couple of locations shared with me where a bigg’un may reside, so watch this space........
Today’s Canal and Rivers Trust moonlighting was
Simon, 1 slipper, 1 size 12 boot, 1 can and various branches
Mick, a small picnic table top and an extremely large mussel shell
I'm really glad they worked as well for you as they have for me, Mick. They do look somewhat outsized in the mouth of a one-pounder, I must admit, but as you've found they are almost always hooked square in the scissors anyhow and that's a very good thing. When you get to the four and five pound fish the hooks really are a boon. Really easy to unhook too. My largest fish to these hooks were a string of pike from ten to sixteen pounds amongst a lot of four to five pound zeds. Unhooking all the pike was a doddle. None of that fishing about down the gullet. Always in the scissors and removal a simple matter of pushing down on the long shank from outside the mouth and well away from those teeth!
ReplyDeleteWorked brilliantly Jeff, ta for the tip. Being able to land and unhook them without issues is a sign of a good rig and this one seemed to do just that. I'm planning to use similar tactics down the Avon but as there is likely to Pike about I'll change the braid for trace.
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