The Closed Season Zander Quest Pt.135 - Doodle Sacks and Dandy Prats

A fox in the field opposite looking as mischievous as they ever do, butterflies fluttering and following, a rather large caterpillar towpath loitering, this area of canal for me is full of life. Other towpath frequenters wouldn't know the stamp of fish that live here because, to be fair they are pretty well hidden.

Carp live here, and in numbers as well and I usually have this stretch of canal to myself but not for today, yeap the cheek of it, a carper bankside. Now especially when the area he was fishing was just down from my secret carp spot. For Zander though of late the fishing has been pretty mediocre to say the least, the usual productive spots devoid of bites, the floats bobbleless.

But what the layman doesn't know is that my biggest Zander ever came from these hallowed waters hence why I keep on coming back. You see the sheer numbers of fish are down for sure, but I'm sure there are some lunkers still milling around. Its hay-day most likely confined to the history books but there must me some bigger fish still reluctant to leave the area like me and a curry house that ticks all the boxes.

I was bankside early, 6:15am in-fact, but the first boat came through half an hour later, yes really, haven't they some bacon to cook ?. Anyway back the fishing, lots of roving to try and find the fish the session was looking like a blank, but then out the blue with a little over half an hour of the session to go, the first bite came.

Considering I'd fished probably 6 or 7 swims without even a murmur the bite came out the blue. It was caught at an area of cover which was always a productive section for me. Eventually the fish became very active indeed and I managed to land 3 Zander, the biggest 4lb on the nose and all on smelt offerings.

It's 'that' bait I have utter confidence in and I'm hoping that I'd pick something up before the close season end that could hopefully get me reaching for the dial scales. I feel this area despite the biomass change for the worse, there is still some big fish to be had and it helps that out of all the areas I fish, it's the most convenient.

It was nice to be out though and at this time of year I cannot believe just how nice the canal looks. The flora and fauna beyond the ridiculous and more visual appeal way more than any Champion League match could hope to replicate.

Then again a pitch invader wearing a skimpy swimsuit advertising a Russian XXX pranking website had to be escorted off the pitch by security during the Champions League final.

The woman, wearing a black outfit which read 'Vitaly Uncensored' in white lettering, stormed the pitch in the first half of the final.

She ran on to the pitch with the score at 1-0 to Liverpool after a controversial early penalty was converted by Mohamed Salah.

As per the norm her instagram postings not quite matching her actual physical form. But then it seems to be the way now doesn't it.

Anyway the players looked bemused and play was temporarily stopped by the referee while security took her from the pitch.

Lets just say that was the highlight of the match, in-fact I don't know why I bothered watching it, I'm not a huge football fan and cannot understand the appeal when there is so much to disappoint, a lacklustre spectacle and so expensive, maybe it's me that is missing out. Anyway back on track, the fishing may have been as dire as the Champions League final but in the end a half decent fish was caught, it gave a decent scrap as well to be fair and put this area on ones radar again.