The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.213 - Trimvinciblity and Trinacriforms

Sam has lost his fishing mojo like I have really, on route to the barbers the other day one of the conversations was how much he missus the rivers because, well the canals are "rubbish" and "there is too much dog poo" and he's right on the money there. 

Once he'd been done we went to explore a little stream not far away that we might give a go when n the new season. To be fair I'd been to look at it before but it was far too shallow and didn't seem to hold any fish but with a little more water on this little unassuming waterway like Sam after his haircut took on another appearance altogether.  

Sam is right though, I'm not really gelling with the fishing at the minute, 40 sessions down since the start of the closed season my returns really have fallen off a cliff. Certainly the best time to catch Zander when they are at their biggest has been and gone and I've always said before they are at their most ravenous when conditions are colder. 

At the moment the water is like a jacuzzi (well relatively) and Zeds seem to be chilling with their fins up sipping a Three Legged Monkey (Pineapple Juice, Crown Royal Canadian whisky and amaretto almond liqueur ) and ribbing on some dry roasted peanuts.

I'm finding bites hard to come by at the minute and the larger fish just are not showing whatsoever. Still with the river season fast approaching I'll still be having a dabble to see what I can pick up. 

The Circle hooks are here to stay certainly because those fish that I have picked up of late the circle hook (Sakuma 440 Size 1) have provided a firm hook hold and the fact you only have to reel in and tighten up to the fish makes them easy to use.

Zander can be tricky to hook at the best of times and with fine margins sometimes whether you'd get a proper hook hold in their bony mouths, any advantages in the hook department to increase your probability of landing the fish needs to be taken with both hands.

Take this session down at a local area I've not fished at for a good while 3 bites, 2 fish banked the first fish bumped off (small schoolie) the hook did a wonderful job despite one of them being barely hooked.

To be honest I was in two minds to fish it for this short session because the surface was covered in crud, this picture was mirrored throughout the stretch with only a small section of it completely clear. 

I wasn't chucking a lure around though and the canal was dead boat wise so it didn't really get in the way, well the odd time when the eyes on the rod got clogged up with whatever it was. Easily sorted though so not a massive issue. 

It was certainly a humid day having been mid twenties towards the end of the day and felt really close. I stumbled upon some carp spawning (I think) they didn't look very big but certainly they were very active.

It took a while to get the first bite though, a good section of cover fished before the float moved. Boy did it move the first bite the float went out of sight in seconds but as expected when I pulled the bait out of the fishes mouth it was a small schoolie most likely.

I stuck it out in the swim for the remainder of the session and a 3lber came after half an hour and then after resting the fish in the landing net before I'd time to get another section of roach on the float was away yet again.

This time though the fish was putting up a much better fight and before it surfaced I thought it was quite a bit bigger than the last one especially as it was taking line. Only half a pound bigger but the contrast in the fight was staggering really. A black fish this one, I love it when they are this dark, fantastic looking creatures.

Despite fishing another hour or so that was it, still, a couple of Zander though I cannot complain when I've been struggling recently.