Closed Season Zander Quest Pt.12 – The Pack of Beyond

So 70 or so hours in to my quest for a cut double and I’m no nearer to catching a one, I’ve probably fished well over double that amount of time since I’ve started fishing for Zander on canals. Patience is a virtue and I’m learning patience, it’s a tough lesson. Talking of lessons, my youngest Sam has just turned 4 and can name and recognise nearly all the coarse fishing species. He has taken a keen interest in piscatorial pursuits and it won’t be long before I take him. All in good time though, don’t want to rush these things as I’m enjoying the peace and quiet and must needed ‘me’ time.

Zander really do feed on and off like a switch, I’ve found you could go hour after hour in a swim that you know contains Zander without even an indication and then when they are in a feeding mood and go on the hunt, you can catch quite a few in quick succession. Before photographing and weighing the fish (if it’s a decent one) get another bait out quick sharpish and you might be surprised just how quick you get another bite.. They don’t appear to be swayed in to taking a lure or bait either; they seem rigidly stuck in a routine. A seemingly baron stretch may well contain fish but if they ain’t on it, they ain’t on it, you’d be none the wiser and pooh-pooh the area for a future session. That’s the issue with cut Zander fishing; it needs bank time and lots of it. I’ve only caught the chubby ones from the pack thus far. I need some luck as I don’t want the pack schoolie, I want the teacher.

Anyway back on track, it was pastures new for this short evening session on Warwickshire’s Grand Union….

The area was a bit of trek by foot, away from civilisation and parking but it looked like it had some decent far bank cover and over hanging trees, not only that but it was sandwiched right in the middle of a couple of lock gates. The oxygenated water around the gates have been good to me in the past when targeting Zander so the plan was to fish in and around them for 45 minutes each and then to fish near a feature in the middle of the stretch for the remaining hour. With the deadbait fridge restocked the sleeper was baited with a 5” Roach to try and tempt a better stamp of fish, I also swapped my usual lure rod for my toxic float set-up as if there was half decent cover I wanted to get a bait tight against it.

Was there a specimen hiding here…..?

A nice sunny evening and a mate Simon joined had joined me for a natter and within 15 minutes I had a schoolie on the bank, something like a pound or so. I had another small fish before I upped sticks and moved to some cover at the middle of the stretch. Again another 2 schoolies took a fancy to the dead roach. With 45 minutes left I moved to the other lock gates and as I was about to pack up I had a run but didn’t connect. I quickly had the bait out again and the fish must have took it on the drop as the bobbin wouldn’t settle so I struck in to the fish, a bit better at 3lb 9oz but still not what I was after.

Another session down, albeit a short one and I’m yet to find the bigger fish….

Next session planned is again on the Grand Union but 20 miles from here.

Closed Season Zander Quest Pt.11 – Cornfused

I fished this same small stretch of the a few days before and I could believe just how alive the surface became when the gnats came out and the light started to go. These were not small fish either; some half decent fish were making a considerable surface disturbance. I had a dilemma I had thought about fishing the reservoir for the crucians but with some deadbait turning up earlier than expected I decided to again take to the cut to not only try for a decent Zander which live here but also to see what else was residing amongst the gloom.

As a point accumulator I need more cut points before getting back to what I know and love best, the flowing water of the Warwickshire Avon and its tributaries …..God I’ve missed it and the new season cannot come soon enough. The cut has been enjoyable but it ain’t a substitute. 

A bit like an extra-marital affair with the fit buxom secretary, different and fun whilst it lasted but it’s good to get back to the familiar….

Before I started on the Zander challenge I knew it was needle in the haystack stuff but I’ve enjoyed it all the same. I’ve not finished yet as I want to take a trip one last time to the furthest stretch I fished. I know it a bit better now and hoping the knowledge gained over a few sessions will result in a better fish. I want to better 5lb 4oz.

Anyway back to the fishing, the deadbait rod was to be used as a sleeper and it was baited with a gobstopper of a headless Roach. Not cricket I know but as the swim was large, to reach where I wanted to fish the other set-up I decided on was a small flat method feeder, swim stim green with a few pellets and with corn on a 4” hair. The excellent little 8ft TFG rod was ideal for this job and it’s a set-up I also use on commercials from time to time. Corn should cover all bases as it’s loved by most fish. Bream, Tench and Carp especially. I did consider pre-baiting with some groundbait the evening before but as it’s an enclosed swim the fish shouldn’t venture too far and I know they are here anyway. If it was a baron 1 mile stretch I might have tackled it differently. 

Weirdly despite the odd tap and pull round on the quiver the only fish I caught were Zander, I ran out of deadbait too, so I managed 8 Zander, lost two (one looked a potential PB beater) with the biggest landed a tubby 4lb 9oz'er. The area I saw the fish was shallow so I’m wondering if they were Zander on the hunt, who knows but as a point accumulator it was an epic fail… Back to the drawing board.

Closed Season Zander Quest Pt.10 – Stone the Crows !!!!

Well I didn’t expect that !!!!!!!, I rocked up at a series of locks I intend to fish and whilst mooching about to see where I’d fish first an almighty splash turned my head quick sharpish and I saw a fish clear of the water. It was Pike or Zander shaped, certainly not a carp, but left in the rather large wake was a bedraggled moorhen chick and its mother so I can only assume a fish fancied a starter before it intended to search out my dead roach main course. I’ve never even had a mere sniff from a Pike during my Zander cut fishing exploits so it had to have been a Zander. A one off, or any of the bloggers seen anything like that? I remember reading this news article about an agressive Zander that was biting swimmers.

Better get a bait in quick…..

Again a short evening session amongst the diesel, grime and crud. It’s weird this stretch, one day it looks clean, the next, even a wallowing pig would think twice. Zander thrive in this habitat though, their big eyes give a massive advantage over the other dwellers, they love it here. I’m scraping the barrel where deadbait is concerned and all I have left is some tiny (Zander Pack) roach to be used on the running sleeper set-up and the tried and trusted firetiger shad on the lure rod.

It didn’t take long to catch my first Zander, it took the lure on the drop with a proper bang. I didn’t bother to weigh it but looked 2lb or so. The swim then went quiet for a bit but as soon as the light started to drop and the gnats started moving the surface of the canal came alive. Some half decent fish were moving about too looking at the disturbance in the water. Maybe I’m missing a trick on the bloggers challenge and should also have a rod out for the bream or carp. The deadbait sleeper rod started to get interest so I swopped the lure over and fished a manky Roach quiver-tip style and sure enough within 20 minutes or so, bang, bang on the tip and I was in to a fish. It was hugging the bottom and felt half decent. When it eventually came to the surface it looked a potential PB beater sadly it was foul hooked in the flank and after a last gasp spirited fight as it was reaching the net it managed to lose the hook.

Damn….

I fished for another half hour or so and managed another small schoolie. The kamikaze bats were now out and I called it a day. I’ve said before, find yourself a murky bit of canal where Zander reside and you can fish in bright sun and still catch them. They don’t mind and to be honest I’ve had less success in low light than I have during the day. I suspect a clear river is the reverse.

I've still a couple more Zander sessions to go, but this single minded approach ain't scoring me points in the bloggers challenge.