The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.217 - THE FINAL CURTAIN - A CANAL MONSTER

Although I'd fished for canal Zander prior to this quest of mine I didn't fish exclusively for them in the closed season until 2015. This was the 217th session and this year in-particular I've been finding it very tough indeed. Some nice fish have been caught for sure but bites have been at a premium and nothing to get anywhere near to conclude the quest had been caught. 

Since the 9lb'er that was caught a good while ago despite putting the effort in I've been largely been going backwards. There was a change this year though, and that was when Nic managed to land a monster at a new stretch he'd been fishing. 

That 10lb 12oz fish was caught at a stretch of canal that is chock full of fish, the biomass really is quite staggering, fish maggots crudely under a float like I do from time to time here its a bite a chuck when you get the fish feeding and unlike what the CRT want you to believe there are snack sized fish in numbers as well as the usual large bream and hybrids. Tench, silver bream, rudd, roach it really is an eyeopener.

Nic kindly put me on to the exact swim but I'd fished it quite a few times even in to dark with nothing bigger than 4 lb succumbing to the smelt or roach. In one particular shared session the pike were queuing up in the swim and were attacking everything that moved. A spawned out 13lber eventually broke my Pike PB but it was the Zander I wanted so badly.

Now this trip was no different than my usual approach to tackle canal Zander, two overdepth float set-ups and deadbait. Zander are scavengers and take whatever they can, I'd been doing quite well with inch thick sections of larger roach recently but after 3 swims without even a bobble on the float I just fancied a bite.

Now this swim is around half a mile from the 'hallowed' swim but I've never blanked here and bites can come quick and fast like they did for this evening session.

The amount of Zander in the swim was an eyeopener and within minutes of the deadbait being out a bite developed. I'd caught pike in this swim as well so both rods were fitted with 7 strand wire. I usually use fluorocarbon but 7 strand wire is used on this stretch because the chance of catching one. 

It seems a crude set-up for Zander because the wire seems thick and cumbersome but it really isn't an issue they don't seem to mind at all, as well as picking up pieces of roach when they have so much on offer here. I caught 3 or 4 fish quite quick with the best being this 4lber but I also missed a few bites as well. Zander soup, but the best was yet to come.

As the sun was starting to set on this very hot day the left hand float was getting some attention and after bobbing around a little on the spot eventually a decent bite develops. 

When I reeled in to tighten up to the size 1 Sakuma 440 hook this felt much different, it was solid, the fish didn't move standing its ground. This was a good'un, it bolted off initially and I had to release the clutch a little as it was taking line with the rod bent double. I got on top of it though and after another run I had it under control. With a huge boil on the surface I thought it was another decent pike but then a kick of the tail I could see its flanks and it was a massive Zander.

 

My legs had gone to jelly by this time but a stroke of luck the fish almost swam straight in to the inadequate landing net and I scooped in what I knew was a quest concluder. 

A canal monster was in the net Wow WOw WOW !!!! 

I'd been messaging Nic during the session but decided to FaceTime him to show him what I just caught. The amazing thing is after a few checks whilst it was in the net it was a different fish. The sun was quite strong still and after a decent rest I took it a hop skip and a jump away to an area of thick grass that was in the shade so I could take a better look at it and weigh and photograph it.

11lb 8 ounces, 11lb 8 ounces !!!! 

A fish just shy of a crudely measured 80-85cm's and the fish of my dreams, they do exist and effort does indeed equal reward. I could have well gone home after that but stayed and fished the float and maggots for another hour in a swim half way back to the car. Small silver bream, bream, a hybrid and a decent perch it was a bite a chuck. Canal utopia, most certainly !!!

So that's it, where do I go from here ? God only knows, but with the river season upon us at least I'll have a bit of thinking time. 

So here are the pics, 6 years in the making !!!!