Zander, Your Veiws.

[StuMac]

Thought that might get PW going - just surprised how long it took!!

 

Actually Pete, if you read the description of how I fish (float trolling with braid) my line is always taught right through to the bait and I keep it that way even after the fish has taken. I have almost no slack line in the system, and really feel in direct contact with the fish. The ratchet going is *always* the first sign of a take although I also watch the float too.

 

Doing it my way I never deep hook fish, although I have had one or two that have almost swollowed a lure, and often miss jacks even on small baits which suggests to me that I'm doing it right!

 

My strike (even after 10) is probably quite rapid when compared to a fish picking up a dead bait on the bottom conected to a rod in a pod via 60 odd yards of stretchy mono with a sag in it. Under those conditions I think bite detection would be pretty sluggish, despite snazzy bite indicators. Don't really know as I hardly ever fish static baits. I usually troll / cast lures from a slowly moving boat.

[Lurking Pike]

I caught this fish in an eddy of water. the bite indication was a mere tweek that looked lik a currrent.

[Peter Waller]

Hi StuMac, I was being restrained!!!

 

Actually I thought your last reply was constructive and very fair.

 

I have a friend called Chris Bishop who posts on Predator-Fishing and Fishing Magic. Chris has really worked hard on bite indication and striking. He is quite rare for a pike fisherman in that he uses his noddle! You and he could have a good chat. Chris has tried it all ways and which way and has modified his deadbaiting off to a fine tee. Mind you, he is a modest fellow and will probably deny the credit that I am giving him!

[Lurking Pike]

This has been a grat topic. But i am astonished that nobody picked up on the fact that Zeds kill for fun, I would of thought that would have been the first thing to go.

[Apache]

I didn't know that, but then as I said earlier, I am not very experienced with pike and definetly not with Zander.

[Nugg]

Yes, the theory is that a Zander pack, will kill for the sake of killing, much like a fox in a hen house. It could be that once a killing has been made there is always something to come back to.

[phil dean]

It also explains why bigger fish may follow behind a few minutes later, picking up what's left.

 

If they killed indiscriminantly and left all their catch, there would be some empty lakes, yet the rivers and lakes where they are native seem well stocked, so there must be some limit to what would appear indiscriminate killing.

[Nugg]

I guess so, but who knows what manages to escape the on-slaught.

[Apache]

Maybe they just join in if one of their number attacks something.

[Tim Kelly]

Lurking Pike:

This has been a grat topic. But i am astonished that nobody picked up on the fact that Zeds kill for fun, I would of thought that would have been the first thing to go.

"Fact" ??? Sounds rather unlikely to me. The only other precident for animals killing for pleasure, other than humans, are foxes, mink etc killing domestic livestock when they are penned up and unable to escape. In the natural world there would be very few scenarios where a shoal of roach etc would get so trapped that a shoal of zander could wreak such havoc.

I tend to think that stories like this about zander killing "for pleasure" (it is a fish after all) are the kind of thing put about by those with ulterior motives and possibly rather small brains! It really doesn't seem to make any logical sense.