5 past the drunk....

I had a trip to my Zander banker swim yesterday at the Grand Union yesterday evening, I've never blanked here, it seems to be full of them. With my mate Simon womanising in Croatia I was on my tod. My usual set-up for Zander a lure rod and a headless Roach on the sleeper rod. I've been spending the pennies again and I've bought myself a savage gear landing net as not only is it easy to carry as it folds in half and the handle retracts into the net, the mesh is rubber so makes hook removal easier.

Within minutes I lost a fish on the lure and then nothing for an hour. The quiet spell changed when the bobbin rose and the bite alarm started to sound, a fish was on. It looked a good'un too and despite thrashing about it was landed. Yeap, as suspected hooked firmly in the scissors. Hook removal couldn't be any easier. These Mustad Bass hooks really do work well, I'm a convert that's for sure.

It was a PB too at 3lb 2oz. Still a small Zander in the scheme of things but considering I've only had a handful of sessions to try for them I'm doing ok. During those sessions the lure worked best during the morning sessions and the deadbait in the evening. In my experience they seem to feed in waves and sure enough as soon as the deadbait settled on the deck a fish took the bait again. Don't mess around allowing the the bite to develop just strike on the first indication. I wasn't sure a 6ft rod would work that well but it's fantastic, easily manageable on the towpath and as it's one piece it's so easy to carry if fishing a stretch of canal.

It was like a winters day, cold and damp. Can we have some decent weather please. The recent rain did seem to have topped up the levels though as it's the highest I've seen it in recent times. I banked another 4 Zander so I glad I made the effort to go.

With the light fading and the first passer who was three sheets to the wind I left sharpish. I seem to be less tolerant fishing the evenings now, not sure why as I've never had a problem and I've fished well in to dark before. Canals are different to rivers though I suppose as the towpaths are walkways they are frequently used by the great unwashed . This coming season maybe I need to fish opposite the haunting silhouette and ghostly history of Guys Cliffe House, do that, you can do anything.

Talking of Zander, there was a British Lure Angling Championship qualifier on the Grand Union in the Midlands the 11th of May, it was the LAS canal stretch so not a mile away from where I was fishing. 33 anglers fished it and no angler caught more than 3 fish and lots of blanks. Maybe I should have entered for a bit of fun, then again you can see how localised they must be. I think I've definitely found a hot spot.

1st Alan Brown, 2 zander 85cm
2nd John Cheyne, 1 Perch 2 zander 84cm
3rd Dariusz Swiezko, 2 zander 73cm

Oh and had a quick session at Snitterfield Reservoir Monday just gone, had a 14lb mirror on the sleeper rod, lost a decent crucian and caught a few others.

Caster @ the cut...

Strange isn't it, I could go back to Warwick ressi and catch a load of fish on caster, see the float go under and feel a bend in my rod, and yet this mornings session was on the Stratford-Upon-Avon canal at Bishopston Lane which was mentioned in Dominic Garnett's excellent practical canal fishing guide. I've fished the Stratford Canal once at Bearley a couple of miles away and caught sweet FA, not a bite or even a sucked maggot.

The Stratford-Upon-Avon canal is only 25 miles or so long with 54 locks, when it leaves the Birmingham suburbs the canal passes through the small Warwickshire villages of Lapworth, Rowington, Lowsonford Preston Baggot, Wootton Wawen and Wilmcote before ending up amongst hordes of visitors in Stratford Basin, alongside the River Avon and the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. Lapworth is an interesting canal junction where a short spur connects to the Grand Union Canal which runs parallel close by. It's an area I'm also planning to fish as the infamous Zander is in residence.

Tench we know are early risers so as I'm only 3 minutes down the road I was on the cut at 6.00am, the plan was hopefully catch a Tina or two, and maybe even a nice Roach. Bait was worm or double caster on the hook with said bait chopped as feed. An 8ft rod with my Crucian rig was ideal, a small in-line pole float, a size 14 hook and a centrepin reeI overshot the float and fished a few inches over-depth.

To hedge my bets apart from pre-baiting with hemp and corn with my youngest Sam the evening before I brought a sleeper rod, my Zander deadbait set-up complete with a headless dead roach mounted on a Mustad ultimate bass hook. Are they present here like they are in the Grand Union ?, hopefully I'd find out.

For the first 2 hours not even a single bite or even any fish moving but as soon as the joggers and dog walkers arrived I was having a few indications. I had thought about packing up and moving somewhere else but after about the 15th 'done any good yet mate' the float went under and I hooked in to a fish, seemed half decent too but as I was sorting my landing net it bumped the hook, damn.

Not a sniff on the Zander rod even after changing baits after every hour. It took another good half hour or so for the float to lift an inch out the water and I was in to a fish again, it did feel like a Tench the way it was darting about and sure enough, a small'un about a 1lb and a half.

Not a blank but certainly hard work. Another biteless hour and with the boats becoming more frequent and the joggers uglier I called it a day.

A new stretch of water..

I'm not renewing the Arrow stretch for this coming season so to accompany the new Warwick book I've also managed to get on to Charlecote Park.

 

Lots of new water to try and all within a stones throw too. I cannot wait. So Baz when we meeting up then ?