The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.*** – Memories and Metapsychology

The month everything changed !!!!, it escalated quickly didn't it, the pandemic spreading throughout the world and causing many countries to 'lock-down' their citizens to varying extents to 'flatten' the curve, to halt the spread of COVID-19 and lessen the pressure on the health service.

If we all stick to the government guidelines of social distancing, staying home and only venturing out when it is absolutely essential, hopefully it can keep those with underlying health conditions and also the other unfortunate people that have caught this horrible respiratory disease a fighting chance.

Luckily with this great country of ours the fight back well underway with BoJo leading from the top  albeit having to self-isolate after testing positive for this coronavirus as I type this, luckily on hand 750,000 NHS volunteers having put their hands up to be the first to deliver a food parcel to him.

Pubs, restaurants and clubs shut as well as almost all other non-essential businesses, shutters down, the cat out, it's going to be a tough number of weeks it really is.

Luckily as a CAD Monkey working from home designing interior parts for a rather exciting EV automotive project, it's business not quite as usual.

Microsoft Teams providing a good medium to host video conference calls where at any one time there could be over 100 participants in the latest package meeting.

Many haven't the WFH option like I have, now having to look behind the sofa and under the cushions to see where the next quid will come from to replenish those fast depleting coffers.

Now on a positive note HMRC are having to work as hard as they have never done before, not to extract it from employees and businesses with their rather large thumbnail pliers, but to actually divi it out to those in need, in an unprecedented turn around.

No doubt there will be tax implications for all of us  I'm sure, but we all need to get over this hurdle, the foot over the style and get to a position when we can stick the middle finger up to this virus and get back to what we were doing before.

With the schools shut and the reality that the kids may well be at home for a good old stint so, like many I 'm finding it tough.

Ben my eldest who is now 10 years old was diagnosed with autism and global development delay when he was at nursery likes his school routine, he loves being outdoors, so his containment isn't easy.

He can be loud and noisy from when he wakes up at 5.30am till he goes to bed at 8.30pm. It's just the way he is, Ben is Ben, but even now, 10 years in, it can be testing.

He is always happy despite his complex needs so we are lucky in that respect, but it's a shame because his speech was coming on leaps and bounds after being almost non verbal a few years ago, now he can read books, the change incredible.

The school has the specialists that get the best out of him, they will be missed. I'm hoping the light at the end of the tunnel is closer than we think in these testing times.

Now at the minute it is what it is and luckily after getting in to a relaxed daytime routine with both of the kids, things have gone pretty well so far. Schoolwork on the mac, lunch, exercise, art and crafts and then ipad or ps4. I don't watch a huge amount of tv but this weeks watch has been Tiger Kings on Netflix which is just bizarre and the third series of drug drama Ozark, which if you haven't watched it, do, it's a fantastic watch.

Good Rum and repetitive beats have been absorbed in even larger quantities than normal and although I'm struggling with not being able to get ones rods on to the towpaths to chase canal Zander, I can cycle there luckily, and intend to join those others not singled out, the joggers, walkers and mountain bikers will have a free reign to 'exercise' and who no doubt will fill their boots.

For some ambient to chill out too, you could do no worse than Gigi Masin streaming from isolation. headphones on, an escape.

The fact is after a hard slog at work sat on ones backside I go all out and often walk mile after mile on my Zander sessions, where 15,000 steps are exceeded on nearly all trips out. Sadly in these tough times ones wellbeing and only weekend exercise is now put on hold till the restrictions are lifted again. My job means long periods of time sat on ones backside the weekend cannot come soon enough.

It's frustrating as you can well imagine, but then many have had their hobbies and pastimes stopped for the foreseeable future, nothing they can do about it either. I suppose commercial fisheries and packed pools and still waters haven't helped maters, sadly for many, fishing isn't the solitary pursuit it once was.

Us rovers are in the minority, the trolley pushers, van drivers and bivi erectors the humdrum these days where you could almost open a tackle shop with all the gear you need. Lure fishing has certainly been a welcome addition to our pastime, for me, you need to mix fishing up otherwise it can get a bit repetitive, dare I say it a little bit boring.

So I've re-spooled some reels, cleaned some rods, had a spring clean and tidied the garden. What has been nice though is that we have been out as a family to walk the countryside around our village. We've been to areas we'd never been to before, fields we'd never explored, birds we didn't know existed. Heck Google earth, has been plundered and plundered again.

The weather has helped, spring is definitely here and it's made us appreciate just what a lovely location we live in, and how lucky we are to make use of the area when others haven't that option.

Only one incident so far, a welly stuck, a muddy sock.

So the first trip out on the bike I will check out a stretch I'd not been to for a while to see if when the restrictions are lifted it was worth bothering with.

I need to seek solitude whenever I can, fishing gives me that in abundance and you only have to look at the timeline on my blog I'm fishing more than ever these days, it keeps me sane, keeps those wheels firmly on track keeping the cart from going wayward.

Now I use my mountain bike from time to time when I accompany Sam when we visit the Stratford Greenway , so it was quite nice to get my government quota where if we get bored with walking in muddy fields, we could if desperate for a mixup and get waterside, it's a stretch we could all actually walk to.

In-fact one year when the roads were covered in snow I walked here and caught Zander when many would question ones sanity I did exactly that. Sadly all the cover has been hacked down in this area, but other areas too ? only one way to find out if it's yay or nay.

Social distancing can easily be adhered to here, it's one of the quietest stretches I fish for canal Zander. Moored boats, nope, joggers, occasionally, the odd dog walker, yes, to 'spoil' the enjoyment sadly.

This area has gone off though, my catch rate considerably less than the heyday. Roving long distances is fine if the catch rate is good, a drag if it's not. Two of my biggest Zander we caught here, sadly a distant memory, you're lucky to get a bite these days.

The cover here was one of the main fish holding features but over the years it had started to be removed to such an extent, certain stretches unrecognisable from when I started to fish it at the start of this campaign of mine.

The purpose of the reccy one aim, my legs on the pedals secondary to the question was it worth fishing here again when the drawbridge is raised. I've fished for canal Zander so long now, I know where fish will likely hold up, the swims that scream Zed's.

My PB came from this stretch, a fish with a large frame that was built like a brick outhouse oddly came from smack bang in the middle of a shallow turning bay.

Despite fishing other similar swims since catching that fish, the results have been very mediocre, nothing to write home about.

The picture taken by a passerby, my self-takes nothing like what they are like now.

It's a shame because what a magnificent fish, it deserved a better picture. Even the woman that took the picture who was walking with her daughter couldn't believe the size of the fish that exist in these very turbid waters. The quest effectively gained pace here, but sadly has gone down since.

The problem is these bigger fish I've said before are transient, catch it in one swim, you won't ever see it then again. And yes I've tried, and tried again. Maybe they follow the baitfish, always on the move, always on the chase.

Anyway, bike at the ready, tyres pumped, I need my water fix, sadly the fishing will have to wait till the restrictions are lifted, fingers crossed soon rather than later.

I'm chomping at the bit !!!!

The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.151 – Coxcombs and Crab Lanterns

With DJ's on lockdown and the fact I've been working from home of late ones consumption of electronic music is on the increase.

You see in this time of social distancing a gigging DJ hasn't the luxury of applying their craft to their dancing masses, but they like me, must get their dose to keep ones mind in a good place.

The app Mixcloud if the medium of choice, I've been using it for a good while now, all genres are covered, something for everybody. For some it's book to absorb yourself in to, for me it's electronic dance music.

If you're in to repetitive beats like I am you have a look at Italians Gioli and Assia's quarantine gig from their abode.

Their talent, their enjoyment, and you can tell they are away from all the troubles which have really hit their country hard.

They like me, have one of those brains that can transform themselves from a bad place to a good one when beats get to 120bpm.

Fishing give me that in abundance, odd isn't it, from the pounding beats felt through the Skullcandy Crushers to being bankside and the tweeting of birds and quacking of ducks. The pastimes couldn't be more different, but the effects are the same, and what a time to carry out our pursuits.

For this frosty morning session I decided to come up to an area where I know a double figure Zander was caught.

A cracking looking fish caught on a lure, the shocked face of the capture all to see. You could see what a big fish would like it here too, some of the locks are very deep indeed, the grippa stop pushed up the line and then some more.

Now I've fished it a few times now, dawn, midday and dusk and not got anywhere near it. Most fish I've been catching are on the small side, in-fact this stretch is home to more schoolies than any of the stretches I fish.

I recognised the area straight away from the trophy shot and even pin pointed it down to the actual lock it was caught from.

Unlike pike in my experience though these bigger Zander are very transient indeed, catch it in one swim, it won't be there again. But hey, it's definitely worth trying as maybe this one was different though (clutching a load of straws )

Also if you think about it, if there is a Zander that big swimming here then the biomass must be sufficient to support its appetite. It had a good belly on it too, an likely to get bigger when it's statue of bait fish increases with it's mouth size.

Anyway to the session, I bite within minutes of putting the bait out within the big fish area, lead to one of the quickest bites and one of the smallest fish I've caught for a while.

Not the one pictured above, barely 30cm long, a waspers delight.

Now the baits were out for a good while once that fish was caught and no more bites were forthcoming, so a move was in order.

It was a good move too, the tangled mass of branches here led to multi bites, 5 Zander and one jack Pike. A frantic good hour of sport till a boat up from me opened the lock and the canal turned in to a river.

Another move to another one of the lock mouths, zilch. An enjoyable session though, very enjoyable. Roach the bait of choice for this session.

So where to fish next ? I'm not sure where to be honest, but certainly drop on to a fish at the minute, you're likely get a bite. Roving is the key, fish as many likely holding spots as you can.

The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.150 – Collywobbles and Chain Saw Massacres

An early morning session, a towpath to tread, some Zeds to find. Fishing for many is a solitary pursuit and for me it makes up the majority of my sessions.

I'm in control, fishing on my terms and when you're leapfrogging section of cover like I do miles are covered. It's certainly not the lazy pastime many think it is, but then I suppose not every angler does what I do.

10,000 steps easily for the majority of the sessions unless a hotspot is stumbled upon where multi zeds can be caught, if I find one of those generally I stay put, 12 fish in an hour and a half session I think is my best ever catch.

Now I'd not been up this neck of the woods for a while, it can be a one bite wonder but not long ago a mate and fellow Zander angler managed fish after fish after fish.

Those sessions are few and far between though, in-fact over the last couple or three years Zander numbers have definitely reduced, certainly in the areas I fish, and because of that I rarely fish a hotspot stretch anymore because I know my floats will remain motionless.

There are otters there now, but then there are otters in nearly every waterway I fish these days, even the dirty canals are not free from these furry feasters.

The lure rod was ditched for this session as was roach, it was out with the meaty smelt. The latest batch I've acquired slightly too big to be honest, but when cut in to two, they make a nice sized bait for a decent Zed.

It can be a waiting game waiting for floats to move but when they so, I still get that feeling of elation every time they do.

What could be under it this time....?

Sadly not the fish I'm after as yet, but this is a needle in a haystack challenge, I didn't expect it to be easy. Now what isn't helping is that I like to fish tight to thick cover, not in the boat channel because it just seems to work. The fish often laying up hence why if you do drop on a fish the bite comes pretty quick if there is one in the swim.

The areas of cover seem to be getting less and less though, this year in-particular where the CRT contractors really have gotten heavy handed with the shears and chainsaws.

The stretch I fished today a good 2 miles or so like the picture below. The cover providing shade and sanctuary for not just the persecuted Zander but other fish species too. I assume they give it a grade one and then leave it grow like a castaway and then start all over again.

Anyway back to the session after a few swims without a bite I found a little pocket of cover where I'd caught Zander in the past.

Both casts were good and within 5 minutes or so the lefthand floats gets some attention. The overdepth set-up so sensitive anything going on below shows on the float sat on the surface. It went from a few bobs and knocks to a full on submarine bite within a few seconds.

I thought it was a small fish at first but then it turned up the tempo and was pulling me all over the canal. It was soon netted though and made 4lb 14 ounces on the dial. Not a huge fish, I've caught fish twice the size but very welcome indeed.

But then that was it, one bite one fish. I put the effort in to fishing likely holding areas and swims I'd caught fish from before. They are laying up though and one swim where the roots of a tree extend in to a shallow area the unmistakable fins sticking out of the water the fish were spawning. They've spawned their before, but then when you see the swim, you can see why they use it as a bukkake
caravansary.

The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.149 – Chatterbaits and Cathisophobia

As I type this the Coronavirus death toll has gone beyond 10,000, that's out of the 245,000 'confirmed' cases of people testing positive for the pandemic. All very surreal and I've not seen anything like this certainly in my lifetime, the kids not a clue what going on either, many leaving graffiti in their schools #coronakids2020 because they may not enter the gates again before the new school year in September.

What doesn't help matters is the media storm from nearly all the platforms, the panic buying, the extra freezer bought to add to the horde, the food you don't need to add to the stockpile.

Where's that 8 pack of bog roll to fight over, the Calpol to put up on Ebay for a ton, welcome to April 2020 and it's hysteria.

In all seriousness just think about those working tirelessly in the NHS and support services before you put that extra bag of pasta in your basket, before you put that 5 pints of milk in the chest freezer.

Now at this time of uncertainty just staying in paid work is on the mind of many, as well as keeping family members and loved ones safe and well in these troubling times takes upmost priority.

Maybe there are some good things to come out of all this, in-fact I know there will be, so sit tight, lets get over the bell curve and try and look forward to coming out of the other side however difficult that may seem at the minute. I've started to see some humour over it all, we need more of that in times of adversity.

Our pastime is ideal, lockdown and self-isolation is no good for the mind, no good for ones well-being, but get bankside, get some some fresh air, and all is good with the world again. Heck being a couch potato can bring problems of it's own, especially if we've been told to social distance for the foreseeable future, so get those rods out.

Now last weekend I blanked the last day of the river season when I was after small river Chub down our WBAS syndicate section of the river Leam. I'm not sure why either because the water looked good and other species of fish had been biting upstream of me. A bit of damp squib if I'm honest and I was kicking myself I didn't bring a lighter set-up to at least have a pulls on ones string.

Every cloud has a silver lining though, a walk with the family along the river I got chatting to a lure angler who was having a weekend away in Bards's country had managed to escape from his Wife for a couple of hours and was catching Zander.

I don't chuck softbaits, spinners and plugs that often but recently I've been buying a few lures here and there to add to ones armoury. The NED rig one of them that I'm sure will do the business especially when even when stationary  and erect it appears to be 'fishing'  From time to time I fancy mixing up the sessions a bit you see, much as I like fishing with deadbaits for canal Zander leapfrogging sections of cover can become a little monotonous especially when the floats remain motionless.

Now he was using a lure I'd not seen before in action yeap a ChatterBait. Now when ChatterBaits first hit the market 16 or so years ago, they were described as a hybrid. Action of a crankbait, profile of a jig and flash of a spinnerbait even the 'blade' would appear to act as a weed guard and should be more snag resistant than the humdrum lure fodder.

Apparently it's that vibration and how it's produced that made the ChatterBait patentable and successful. The six-sided blade wasn't anything new but it's the rapid oscillation of the blade, when coupled with a jighead, that makes the ChatterBait unique.

It's only when I'd seen it in action in close quarters I could see why he managed to catch a few Warwickshire Avon Zander. Not big ones, up to 50cm's or so, but he mentioned he'd lost a decent fish quite early on in the session that got me thinking about giving one a go myself. 

The noise and vibration the lure imparts in to the water column, I'm sure would be an advantage in the turbid canals I fish . Combined with a bright green skirt, maybe this could be the ultimate lure to turn this predator from solitude to snappy.

The 1/8 oz Z man Micro in Chartreuse was going to be used for this session. It's not a huge lure in statue but I was using a light lure rod and despite the diminutive lure size (for me ) it came with a decent size hook, which I tend to favour when targeting Zander.

I use size 1 or 1/0 sea hooks for my deadbaits, they don't seem to be hook shy and they hold really well in the fishes mouth, because Zander can be difficult to hook at times.

Joining me down dog poo alley was Nic from Avon Angling UK and luckily we'd a good 500 metres or so to fish, so plenty of space to avoid getting in it's others way. Now oddly despite Nic catching Zander among others species on this stretch I don't think I have looking at my previous blog posts from here.

I did however catch a 1l lb Pike that for a good few minutes gave me a heart in the mouth moment that I had a quest concluder on the end of the rod. Sadly not to be, but certainly a nice fish to come out of a turbid canal. I was hoping there were more surprises to be had here, it's got that feeling about it.

So anyway enough of the preamble, lets get lure chucking !!!!

What a bitterly cold day when the sun went behind the clouds, Nic hunkered down in a few swims and was fishing for bream or what came along but it was clear with his motionless floats he just wasn't on the fish.

That can happen in canal fishing though, once you're on them you could well bag up and Nic has  showed on some of his videos just what is possible here. The lure action was superb, I had to retrieve the lure faster than I thought but the vibration was evident on the tip of the rod and felt through the braid.

Cast after cast eventually after pulling out the biggest snag known to man I had a snatch at the lure, a proper sharp tug but a small fish I assume nipping the skirt. The float and roach deadbait fared a little better and a fish was quickly caught a schoolie holding in one of Nic's banker swims. It was a bit of a nondescript cover harbouring fish all the time, swims like this exist though and I've got some of my own, so it was quite nice to be put on to it by a fellow Zed head.

A further confident bite on the deadbait a small fish was felt on the end but eventually fell off, it was clear the fish were still laying up and not moving much at all. When the rain started, the cold wind turning my fingers blue, it was time to head off, time to call it a day.

The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.148 – Self-Isolators and Sacramentarianism

So the quest for a canal double figure Zander continues, a quest that seemingly I'm no nearer concluding. I was spoilt by a bit of a heyday where one particular stretch was home to my two biggest Zander of 9lb and 8lb 10oz, but not only that, bites were easy to come by. 

There wasn't an in-between size either any Zander caught over the 3 or 4 mile stretch was either a schoolie and after catching 50 of those, out of the blue a proper chunk would show itself.

Since that purple patch though it's become tougher, those banker swims no longer bankers, those overhanging trees or far bank thicket no longer holding fish. I've cast my net wider, to be honest I always did, but this is a convenient stretch that at one time had been very good to me.

For this session were the fish back ? was the banker swim, still producing ?

Only one way to find out....

It was out with the 7ft Savage Gear matching rods to replace my Fox 9 footers which to be honest were a little cumbersome.

Some of the areas I fish the towpaths are very narrow the overhead cover low and dangling, so I found it hard work sometimes just to navigate from swim to swim. They were more a hindrance than a help, 2 foot less I'm sure would make all the difference.

I still use lures from time to time especially where the water is oxygenated, where there are locks, where there are features.

For this 2 hour after work session though it was out with the smelt again and the over-depth float set-ups to re-live where it all started for me, where I became fascinated in this species.

Recently I've been fishing an entirely different canal altogether and the results there certainly more encouraging but I'm sure there are big Zeds swimming here, despite my questioning why am I wasting my valuable time.

Big Zeds are self-isolating experts, separating themselves from the pack when they get to a certain size. They like me, have reached a time in their like where they need to seek solitude, the need to swim the turbid waters on their terms.

The problem is I've found is catch a decent fish >70cm's you're unlikely to catch it in the same spot again. Get on the move once again, maybe it will be a double next time.

When you've fish for canal Zander as much as I have though you tend to get an idea where the fish are holding up. Spawning isn't far off now but even when the female is away from the nest, one holding feature is that thick cover holds fish.  Not just any old cover though it needs to be a tangled mess of them that extend out in to the cut itself.

Now after a tip-off by a like-minded insider he said I wouldn't like what I saw when I got bankside to try and snare the needle in the haystack. A good 200 or 300 yards of thick cover near and far, butchered, buggered and hacked away by the contractors Sweeney Todd limited 

An area that not just held Zander but also carp and some good'uns too. The carp you wouldn't know were there but they used to tuck themselves right out of harms way and it's only because I spend so much time on the towpath they occasionally revealed themselves.

As suspected the session didn't produce a bite. I didn't bother with the now shaven once hallowed haven because I knew what the results would be, however even after moving up to another section where there was some cover left, again a banker swim, the floats remained motionless.

Pastures new now need to be sought, I need to stop flogging a dead horse.

The River Leam - Meadophiles and Megachiropterans

A very busy working week, head down, CATIA fired up, keyboard bashed and mouse clicked, an interesting specimen minnow syndicate turned down (waves to Beth and James) whilst the skullcandy's were donned. The haptic bass dial turned up to the max, the eardrums given a proper workout, on the dial this time techno, psychill and progressive beats.

Order restored, pennies earn't, the diary-makers now with bog roll to plunder, handwash to extinguish, two fingers up to the bat broth blunderers.

However fishing couldn't come soon enough....

Maggots, bugger !!!!, past their best, bread surely Shirley, checks freezer, errrrr nope, worms then? nope not got any of those either, hmmm cheesepaste will have to do. To be fair I could do with making a new batch for next winter so a good time to use it all up and give the bright green tub a thoroughly good scrub.

For the majority of my Chub fishing sessions this season cheesepaste has featured, it's one of those reliable baits where if there are Chub in the swim invariably you'd get a bite.I don't mess around with bait size either, I always go big.

A Chevin's mush is so large even a pound fish wouldn't have an issue taking the bait as shown above.

Now this season with the water levels having been up so much it's a bait that can even bring a bite from a Chub in chocolate brown water, conditions they don't feed that well in.

Because of the flooding I'd not fished the WBAS stretch for a while but as this would be my last session before the river close season I fancied giving it a go to try and winkle out a last gasp fish.

I was a little late starting so when I crossed the bridge to see none other than fellow syndicate member George Burton in the swim I wanted to fish. He unlike me probably hadn't succumbed to the rum and luckily got to he river early when I originally intended to.

We share the same passion for small rivers and this stretch ticks the box for the likeminded. The fish may not be big, but the location is as big a part of the experience than sometimes the fishing itself.

Any specimen fish that may show up from time to time an added bonus to just being bankside, the fact that roving a river like this really does work wonders for the mind.

After a quick natter I was off on the wander, working myself down the river, dropping in to as many swims as possible to try and get a bend in the rover before the river close.

Now George has been catching roach and dace throughout the session so I was hoping for a bite as well. The river looked in fine fettle despite the banks showing just how high the river had been this season.

I feel at home here, fishing on my terms, road noise minimal, plenty of swims to explore and surprises to be had.

After 4 or 5 swims without even a pluck or tap I dropped in to a swim that had a large hole, the line almost vertical when it left the tip and entered the water. One thing that I will do in the summer here is to come back when it's low to go and find out where some of the features are.

It's only when you do your homework and learn the stretch the specimen fish can show themselves. Venues like this can be very tough indeed but catch it on a good day the fishing can be fantastic and it will throw up a stamp of fish you wouldn't think would swim in these small waters.

I prefer to fish rivers like this when it's bitterly cold and crisp underfoot but this season we'd not had that option sadly because it can change the look of the river completely, change it for the better.

You only have to look at some of the pictures here to see why I like it. The stretch that the syndicate has varies so much over its length it's staggering.

There are pools, wide bends, undercuts, narrow fast shallows, deep holes and cover in abundance, if David Carl Forbes dreamt up a stretch in his mind to fish, this would be it I'm sure of it.

Sadly the 'hole' didn't produce a fish so it was on to the next swim. I'm sure if I fished maggot or worm I'd have had a bite or two but I was very singleminded in my target.

One of the early sessions down here I caught the river just right and caught quite a few chub in a single session, but it was when I lost a fish to a hook pull because I was fishing a little light, that made me raise ones eyebrows.

There are some big Chub down here after all and I want to catch one. This season has been kind to me on the Chub front managing a PB of 5lb 8oz off the Warwickshire Avon and I'd love to catch a fish of similar stamp here.

I'm not sure how big they could go, but after losing what felt like a decent fish I'm looking forward to seeing just exactly what lurks in this small river.

Now George he of 36k views on Canal Roach Fishing, yes really !!! sent me a message to say that he was off so after fishing one more swim I headed up to his swim. It's the swim where I lost the good'un so a good swim to finish the session on.



I had a good hour or so in the swim and fished 3 areas, the last after priming it with some free offerings. Again not even a pull on the tip let alone a bite. All very odd, the Chub were not at home or just not interested, so another blank to add to my growing list.

So that's it for the river season then, all done and dusted. I've somehow managed to maintain my lead on the Bloggers Challenge river scorecard, after managing 1000 points at one stage, only to see them being reduced week on week. I've put the effort in though, not many anglers want to target bullheads and ruffe in these carp times, but for me, it's where my maggot dangling pastime belongs, where my allegiances lie.

Now where are my Zander rods !!!! I've a double figure canal Zander to catch.