The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.178 - Claudents and Climacophobia

An errand to do before a short Zander session down at the local cut, I had another sign to put up, you see a trespasser who had sneaked down to the syndicate stretch on the Warwickshire Avon was caught red-handed just before the season end and he had every excuse under the book how he ended fishing there. 

He had slipped down a gap in the high bank before the proper entrance where there are signs aplenty. The trespassing didn't seem to matter, "where is the sign, I didn't see anything" (points to 3 signs). After a few words he was sent back to Coventry. 

So another sign added just behind the swim where he was at via the use of the handy rickety ladder. to the other syndicate members it's now known as the 'poachers' swim. So no excuse now for him and any others who might end up where they shouldn't.

Now I hadn't been up this end of the lengthy containment for a good while, you see whilst my PB was caught in this area apart from that great 12mths, results, well nothing to write home about if I'm honest. 

The weekend just gone though at the start of the 'Tefal Head' I managed to winkle out a 4lb Zed and missed another bite at the same time. 

This recently thinned out cover still harbouring some fish which is nice to see, however I'd tried it here a few times over the last couple of years and it was nothing like what it used to be.

That heyday year (a 8lb 10 oz fish, a 9lber and 5's and one 7lber in-between) I managed to catch some right lumps but not only that the schoolies were in numbers too. 

The same cover if a shoal was there 5 or 6 fish no uncommon before they realised aye-up, what's going on here. It really was the Lair of the Giant Zander, even thought that giant has eluded me thus far, its always been on ones radar because it provided me with so many memories and so many good fish.

Now what got my eyebrows raised again was when I was putting the fish back, a fish disturber or dead rat dodger if you will was just up from me but rowing this way. 

He'd gone past me earlier in the session as I was walking down the towpath with tackle in hand he asked if I was after pike.

"Nah Zander !!!"

"Zander, yeah I've heard they are in ere !!!"

As he drew along side he asked what I'd caught and just put back and he was a little disappointed when I told him. You see a fellow coarse angler back in the day he'd never seen a Zander up-close, and he missed his opportunity by literally seconds .  

 

"Here you go, here's a photo of it, sorry about that, you should have shouted"

"Wow, that a cracker"

"Only a 4lber (pic below), there is much bigger to be had on the Warwickshire canals believe it or not"

"Well funny you say that, I got talking to an angler (location only, no GPS co-ordinates this time George Burton" who had caught two nice Zander last weekend and lost a big'un !!!, always the one that got away isn't it !!"

After a lengthy chat I bid him farewell and I vowed to give it a go hence why this session happened in a nutshell. I'd start in the swim where I caught my 9lber and then work my way up to where our conflab happened.

I'd not got long a couple of hours at most but enough to fish some swims with cover on the way up where I'd sit it out for half an hour in the final swim. 

I had another session planned with Nic from Avon Angling Uk  but with the clocks changing and the order to stay at home relaxed we agreed it would probably be better fishing next week instead, and with his near 4k subscribers now he was on the look-out for a PA most probably. 

Anyway did I christen my new landing net ? 

Errrrr nope, well nearly....

The water is still ridiculously clear because the narrowboats can only move for on essential trips, that will all end Monday coming though so hopefully things will get back to normal. 

The small deadbait above is in 2 foot of water, still find the deeper areas next to cover you could well find a fish or two laying up. Two swims down without a bite however within 10 minutes of the rods going in tight to some cover the first sign a fish is there.

A tentative couple of pulls the float drags on the surface and then a couple of minutes later a confident bite develops.

When I pull in to the fish I initially get some decent resistance but then I know from experience its not hooked properly if at all and sure enough after a decent wake on the surface the fish escapes. 

Damn, I don't think it was big though so not all lost and at least I know there are fish here. Another bite came, but this was a dropped run this time. Hmmmm, they are certainly not mad for a feed this evening. I fished till I had to use my headtorch, nothing else doing....

....on to the next one !!!!