Transient Towpath Trudging - Pt.104 (Canal Zander)

I was working from home looking out the window expecting the rain to start anytime because that's what the weather report had predicted, but nada, nothing zilch.

To be fair the rain would be due to the thunderstorms that had been threatened were because of the muggy weather and not because a band of rain was coming through.

Now I'm lucky that 5 mins away I can be on this canal towpath that contains Zander. I've fished it for quite a few years now with my biggest going 9lb on the nose, and the next best fish 8lb 10. When those fish were caught though you could easily have 6-10 fish in a few hours, however now you are often scratching around for bites.

The numbers are definitely down however this closed season I've done ok, with a 6'lber being caught and also some back up 4lber's and schoolies.

It sees so much boat traffic this canal and as you can see from the picture below when a boat goes past this is what you are left with. Fishing a maggot over a bed of groundbait is a waste of time but the Zander seemed to thrive in this turd'ib waters.

I fished the usual banker straight for nearly two hours though without even an enquiry so I decided to get on the move and walk up the stretch and end up in Nora Batty's Marina after fishing some of the cover on-route.

It's a mile and a half to the marina from where I started so some most welcome steps covered to try and track down a few Zander but cover after cover those float just weren't moving. 

If I look back at my blog when the water warms up those Zander that are usually laying up conserving energy are now often on the move rather than parking their backsides up waiting for food to come to them. 

I fished the Struggs (@buffaloSi) as well and some tasty looking snaggy swims never produced as expected so the next port of call was the entrance to the marina. It's a shame we cannot fish here because like most  marinas I bet there are some gems to be had.

When I arrived a swan had made a beeline to me probably hoping I had some bread, but after getting bored knowing that he was unlikely to get any, it swam to my right by my feet where it's dangling feet disturbed a fish that bolted and produced a wake on the canal like I'd never seen before.  

It really was huge, a carp or a big Zander I assume, he knows but it certainly was a decent sized fish I know that for certain. 

Anyway a good half an hour in the marina entrance without a bob, pull or a jerk of the float it was time to head to the marina where the last time I fished it I blanked I believe. 

It was the perfect day for fishing with it being mild and overcast but the fish were not playing ball because another hour in there tight to boats and also in the track, those fish were nowhere to be seen.

The high air pressure wouldn't have helped I know that because they are sensitive to that sort of thing and it doesn't take much to put them off feeding. I did think about nipping in to the pub for a pint but I know I'd only regret it handing over my hard earned cash. 

The key to a bite was to retrace my steps and fish the banker straight on the way back to my car where after fishing one of the swims I fished at the start of the session, a jerk of the bait the float started to move and then it stopped.

Another jerk of the bait the float then tears off down the canal and I tightened up in to a fish. It was nodding it's head trying to free the hook but was soon landed. A small schoolie with some damage by the looks of it, but at least I hadn't blanked. So 11k steps covered in 3.5 hour for 1 fish, not as easy as you think this Zander lark.