Transient Towpath Trudging - Pt.131 (Canal Zander)

Now there comes a time in every angler’s life when the fire goes out. The rods gather dust. The hooks stay sharp but unused. And the bankside once your weekend cathedral starts to feel like just a soggy footpath that smells faintly of damp crisps and dog regret.

Yes, blog readers, I’m talking about losing your fishing mojo.
And as I write this, sipping lukewarm tea and fending off another massive hornet that’s moved into my home office, I must admit I’ve been struggling of late. Some good food recently and I've been raving again which has certainly improved my mood, Dave Seaman, Steve Parry and Quivver testing the sound system at the Hare and Hounds in Birmingham with beats just how I like them. 

It hasn’t helped that the weather around Stratford-Upon-Avon has decided to cosplay as Thailand in peak monsoon. It’s hot, sticky, and the canals are starting to resemble slow-cooked soup. The only thing missing is a tuk-tuk roaring past Bream Bay.

But let’s not pin it all on the weather.

The real problem? The canals of South Warwickshire just aren’t doing it for me right now.
 

Last year, I couldn’t get enough of them. I was prowling up and down the South Stratford Canal like a bearded water witch. Bream Bay, Carp Corner, and even Tramp Alley were my go-to spots. 

The Hallowed, oh yeah, what happened to the urge to go there ?

Each name a whispered promise of mystery, mud, and mediocre fish. And yet this year… meh. Tramp Alley feels less like an angler’s haven and more like a bad decision in a budget horror film.

I keep asking myself: “Have I changed? Or have the fish just stopped texting back?”

But here’s the thing. In between my dramatic sighs and forlorn looks at the tackle shed, a little voice reminded me of something.

A name.
A species.
A reason to bloody well get back out there.

Zander.

Canal Zander, to be precise. My gill-faced, sharp-toothed, deadbait-smashing soulmates. 

They’re still out there, skulking in the shadows, judging me silently from beneath submerged supermarket trolleys. So, it’s time to stop sulking and start fishing. Let’s talk strategy:

Step 1: Open bait freezer. Cry softly at the smell. Pull out a packet of freezer-burned roach from last October. Perfect.

Step 2: Dust off the overdepth deadbait rods. Resist the urge to Google “easy hobbies for tired men.”

Step 3: March determinedly past The Polished Knob. Maybe pop in after, but for now, we fish.

Step 4: Pick a stretch of canal so dark, murky, and eerie it could host a new Netflix crime drama.

Step 5: Cast. Wait. Hope.

Because the truth is, the mojo isn’t gone it’s just been hiding behind the excuses (a recent bad cold and VR contract signed so I'm job hunting). Sometimes it takes a little sweat, a bit of nostalgia, and the scent of defrosted roach to remember why you fell in love with fishing in the first place. 

So to anyone else out there feeling the slump: grab your gear. Trust your gut. And if all else fails, remember even Tramp Alley holds treasure if you squint hard enough and bring a pint.

Now then… where did I leave that flask?

Anyway I went to the hotspot to try and get a bite but the middle of the day wasn't ideal and there was plenty of tow on the canal which I hate really. This happens when a boat goes by or a nearby lock opens where the scum on the surface can take out those overdepth float rods.

The way to counteract it, is to raise those rods high in the air so there little or no line suspended on the scummy surface. A good couple of hours up and down the cover those Zander just didn't seem to be interested. 

So bugger this, back in the car to hotspot number two where things started to kick off !!!

Literally a couple of minutes of the deadbaits being out the right hand float jumps in to life and a fish had taken the bait. I hooked up nicely and the fish was giving me a right run around when the other float now starts to go off on a merry dance.

I obviously stumbled on a few fish which was nice and after netting both fish I got the float back out where over the next 45 minutes I managed another 4 Zander. Nice !!! ok not the biggest but most welcome all the same.