Closed Season Zander Quest PT58 – Fool’s Errand and the Gangling Bush

I feel like the wondering fool at this moment in time.

….set out on a task which ultimately has no real purpose or likelihood of success.

A small glimmer of hope is always at the back of my mind though and ‘Go On!!’ give it one further go just to see where it gets me and what can be achieved. If it wasn’t for the closed season and the dedication I can apply to my fishing without the draw of running water then I’m sure my resoluteness would waver and the undertaking would have been haltered by now.

It’s not the fact I don’t like catching Zander because I do, it is because at the moment all I’m catching are the small fish and I’m no closer to catching anything remotely over 5lb for the 2017 continuation of the quest. This time last closed season where some decent fish were eventually being caught, 5,6,7,8’s and eventually a 9lb canal fish, I really looked forward to the next session, I really did, not the chore it feels like when I’m typing this.

A Wild Goose Chase, most probably….

But then post port and cheese with some friends who came over for dinner last weekend I’d laid on the bouncy castle staring at the sky listening to a long Psybient mix, a thought entered my rather relaxed mind. You see I realised I’d not fished the big bush swim in anger where if there was a big Zander tucked away then it could well be seeking sanctuary here, not only that but at the tail end was an area of reeds where I've found them hiding before.

It’s a swim that provides plenty of cover, in-fact, so much so that it would likely take-up the whole of this 5 hour morning session.

Leapfrogging is the key and it’s a method that is a proven Zander banker, it’s taken a big temperature drop this week and not far off freezing overnight so the assumption was the larger fish wouldn’t be that active, but drop something edible on their laps then their stomach would take over.

I’ve had multiple runs here in the past when a group of Zander moved in as a ravenous pack but to be honest I’d not had anything over 4lb.

It was the overstayer I was after though, I'm sure there are some here to be had….

Now the session went as expected, lots of fish, lots of runs with the biggest fish 3lb the majority as above, tiny.

Lots of poo, dog and horse, very much Groundhog Day.

I lost one fish that felt reasonable but it's that been that long since I've caught a decent Canal Zander it's hard to judge how big it was.

Luckily I'm off for a pint or two....it's becoming hard work.