Closed Season Zander Quest PT67 – Shaggers, Shysters and Shoalers

So this was the final session of my closed season Zander quest, sadly despite making some significant progress the previous year where some near double fish were caught, this season couldn’t have been any different.

A massive disappointment on the whole but I’ve decided to continue on the quest and give it another bash again in 2018.

I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong either, as there just hasn’t been any big fish banked and hardly any signs some were lurking either.

I’ve travelled around a little too and also fished extensively a two mile stretch that was home to my PB of 9lb another good fish at 8lb 10oz and also a 7 lber. There are nice fish to be had on the stretch that’s for sure and the only saving grave I suppose was witnessing a large fish come up in the water on the retrieval of a deadbait and it came to enquire.

So they are there that’s for sure….

Thing is I’ve found with this Zander fishing lark, schoolies really are ten a penny, the large fish, very rare indeed. They are the proverbial needle in a haystack.

With so much water to cover the haystack just seems to get bigger and BIGer and BIGGER.

The more time I spend on canals though it just makes me appreciate them more and more. Certainly my neck of the woods anglers really are very rare indeed, so I more or less have the local stretches to fish exclusively which is nice. Also if I eventually bag a double I might switch to trying to capture a canal 20lb carp as the more time I spend on the cut I’ve realised stay mobile, find the fish and some big ones could we grace ones net.

The problem is I felt this season I’d do it and yet it was polar opposite, I’ve gone backwards.

Whilst the floats have remained motionless some of the highlights have been a women jogger with a backside to rival Kylies, some great twitching and wildlife spotting opportunities, spawning Zander ,a party boat that crashed in to a tree in spectacular fashion and last week a group of carp without a care in the world parading right in front of me.

Now another thing I’ve grown to appreciate is the way these Zander move around in obviously large shoals, an hour float static and then the turn up, switch on and multiple runs are had, multiple fish caught. Not the biggest fish usually but some cracking sport from turbid waters most people think wouldn’t even contain any fish.

But that’s how I like it, solitude is the key for my fishing and canals offer that on the most part. Sometimes boats on certain sections can be frequent but usually I can go a full 4 or 5 hour session without seeing a single one.

Now this last session I wanted to see if the carp were back in residence so a sleeper rod was in the margins over a load of dead maggots and floats tight to some cover. 2 hours in I was due for a move but then the right hand float goes and a pack had turned up.

Multiple runs, multiple fish, 8 or 9 fish banked in an hour and no bites missed.

Biggest, a waspers dream, a rod bending 2lb 8oz'er. Carp rod, not a bleep.

I use size 1 Sakuma Manta offset hooks with the barb crushed and despite Zander often doing a perch trick of properly swallowing the bait this season I’ve not had to put any out of their misery.

The set-up I use is so tried and trusted too, no point dabbling in anything else. The overdepth float set-up registering any interest with superb amplification.

Now talking about amplification, I’m not talking about many anglers who like to overegg their fish but I’ve now using larger baits than ever and certainly my catch rates have improved, albeit not the size of the fish I’m after.

So what will I do different next season to reverse the trend, well a few things really.

Apart from fishing the familiar because I know I’ve been unlucky not banking other than the humdrum there is another area that has been on my radar for some time that I’ve never fished in angler despite knowing it has potential.

Heck I might even make the trip to the Gloucester and Sharpness, anyone up for joining me ?

Also when the river is in flood particularly in the winter months I’d continue the quest as certainly the colder for better if I’m to back a double figure fish. I just find the colder weather more productive. Maybe the big Zander are holdings station and drop a bait in its locality it will find it.

It’s those likely holding areas that I’m now starting to work out, I’m sure as I’ve said before, I’m sure I’ve just been unlucky.

So, till the next time, the quest continues….

Closed Season Zander Quest PT66 – Blimey O'Slimey

A bit of break from the cut for this session and it was on a secret lake with Danny that apparently held some good eels. 

Not only that but there maybe some hidden gems judging by how the morning panned out.It was a reccy session for both of us and I’m sure we will be back again this time with some knowledge gained.

I managed to bank one at 1lb 1oz on lobworm for a few challenge points but also gave me a little time to contemplate how I am going to tackle my last Zander session of the closed season.

Rig was a JS style, with a couple of lobworms. Another angler who was present lost a couple of eels so certainly encouraging signs.

Closed Season Zander Quest PT65 – Mother Suckers and Slangwhangers

The welcome Martin and I received wasn’t very nice to be honest, straight on the attack for having the cheek to use the adjacent and empty pub car park.

I’d just opened my boot FFS.

If Nora Batty cared to ask before getting on her high horse she would have realised we intended to have a pint of warm ale and a cold cider anyway.

How about approaching it differently, 'hey chaps, hope you catch the fish you're after, we have some nice ales in here if you fancy popping in when you have five minutes'

Now this establishment is off our dining radar as some time ago they refused to serve just two kids meals as we and the Wife were as ‘adults’ dining later on and only wanted a drink.The kids were peckish and with Ben the way he is we had no choice to appease these clowns and order a one adult meal and ones kid’s meal and whilst the kids troughed up vowed to never set foot in this apparent public service hostelry.

A business model not to be followed, the décor straight out of Phoenix Nights.

The food, well, another reason why I couldn’t go back, I’ve had better meals at Warwick Hospital.

So f**k’um, excuse my French, they will not get any more of my hard earned money especially when in the locality luckily this isn't the norm. I’d found alternative parking though and if there is an outside chance of a decent Zander, then it was worth slumming it.

Problem was with all this sunshine we are bathing in at the minute, I'd be fishing over from the beer drinkers, I suppose at least being outside you can avoid the sticky carpets.I like solitude when I'm fishing so it would have to wait till a morning session where I'd be on my tod, or maybe wait till a cold evening. I'm running out of time though on this continued quest. In fact probably only one or two sessions left.

Bait, well the Lamprey seemed to be the Mother of all Suckers last weekend and the Zander were properly on it, so for this short evening session I upped the bait size and intended to fish two 4 or 5 inch sections under my usual over depth float set-up.

The lure rod, a crayfish replicant slowly teased across the shallow bottom.

Now the sun was beating down and I knew it would be tough, you see I've found colder the better for Zander and they can switch off completely depending on the mood they are in.

Talking about moods, well we all know carp revel in warmer waters and about 2 hours in to the 3 hour session I saw a disturbance in the margins that was getting closer and closer. I walked to the moving wake and sure enough a rather large group of carp were headed my way.

I walked next to them for a bit, probably 10 plus fish with the biggest over 15lb and they didn't seem to have a care in the world. Like the zander they ignored the lamprey but got me thinking about I really need to catch a double figure canal Zander as I'd like to target the carp here. Later on a couple of doubles were patrolling the margins like their lake dwelling cousins and despite me being in close proximity they didn't seem to mind.

It was really nice to see, at least the evening wasn't wasted.

So another Zander blank though, and I'm running out of time....