Transient Towpath Trudging - Pt.50 (Canal Zander)

A cold start this and with rain on and off for the whole of the morning session sitting it out in one swim probably wasn't the best idea, so zander it is then. You only have to look back over my blog that to get in to a rhythm with them these days is getting harder and harder these days and bites seem to be at a premium. 

When I first starting fishing for them may moons ago certainly stretches of canal that had lots of cover multiple fish could be caught in a single session, and often both floats would be going off the same time when you stumbled upon a shoal.

There has been an unbelievable amount of cover removed over the years and it sad to look back at my blog where lovely looking stretches full of interest now baron places. That has definitely made a difference to the bites so much so there are 'hot-spot' stretches I used to fish that I don't bother with now.

Roving is the key to finding them like it always has been and you don't need to stay in one swim for that long because if you happen to stumble on a fish, the float will let you know quite quickly. This session I covered 10k steps easily and expected it was swim after swim after swim, and then, yeap a bite. !!!     

There is plenty of cover on this stretch, in-fact locally anyway it has the most out of any now but oddly it was a swim that used to be a banker in years gone by that produced the bite. There was around 30 metres of thick canopy where the fish used to hold up, now its sparse since the canal and river trusts hacking back. 

Only a small schoolie that took the bait within minutes of it being out. The float burst in to life when the fish picked up the bait and headed towards the tangled mess of branches so I had be quick on tightening up to the circle hook.

It picked up the inch section of roach no problem but another fish came off in similar circumstances an hour later in another swim. That felt even smaller again, tough going this. Still plenty of distractions on the towpath. On being a girl on a blow up paddle board literally turned up, paddled 100 yards, took a few selfies, double backed on herself returned to the car and buggered off. 

Probably an Instagram 'influencer' or something and a pictured needed to appease her fans and followers on the perfect life she has, because of all of the exercise she has been doing in the countryside. 

And that was my lot, a huge amount of walking in the cold and the occasional rain shower with little return. Not for the feint hearted this zander lark. Other areas don't seem to be any different either from the updates I've been getting.

With a frost in the morning as I type this they are probably not moving around that much and most likely laying up sulking waiting for the temperatures to rise and the spawning to kick off in anger. On to the next one !!