Beginners guide to Zander

[Dick Dastardly]

Just to add that really I think the most important thing for success is having good quality and sized baits..........live ones!

Some Fen venues at some times of the year can be very easy to get small roach from.................others at other times are very difficult.A bit of local info here can help a lot (ie are they being caught easily and how) or you need to make other arrangements.

 

I can not stress how important this is. That is why when I was hoping to be able to go I had planned to get up there earlier and allow time to catch bait after hopefully getting info from our more local members as to the roach situation.

 

Its too easy to find the Zander by finding the bream shoals (via match reports) then instead of spending the trip Zedding spend it catching bream because you cant get any bait sized roach! Some times you need to bait fish on different areas of the venue than the specific one you are Zedding. Often with (especially big ones) the bait size fish and the Zeds are not in the same area (unlike pike) simply as the Zeds are moving a lot more.

 

The only frozen bait I have found worthwhile (and even then still a poor alternative) is eel section. However not really correct to use due to the decline in eel numbers. Only sea dead Ive ever caught on is smelt but once again I wouldn't want to put my chances of success on an "away trip" down to it!

[Anderoo]

I have no experience of them from a boat but know Anderoo has been doing a bit maybe he can help?

 

I've done a little bit but all as the guest of someone else, so I can't claim much authority! It's all been vertical jigging with lures, so I can't help with bait rigs from the boat I'm afraid. If I wanted to fish for zander with baits from a boat, my first instinct would be to use exactly the same jigging gear but swap the shad for a bait, and fish it exactly the same (bumping it slowly along the bottom on a controlled drift). I would definitely use the advantage of the boat and fish a searching technique, as a lot of the river will probably be zanderless, with little pockets of fish here and there.

 

For fishing from the bank I would agree with everthing that's been said. Fresh, quality coarse baits (live or dead), spread the rods out (give your neighbour lots of room, there's nothing to be gained from fishing on top of each other), fish sensitive, free running rigs, and that's about it really. If you get a fish/take on 1 rod, get another bait on the same spot asap, as sometimes all takes come from the same little bit of water.

 

I don't know if this is something anyone else has noticed, but I almost always catch pike from the near margin to the middle, and zander from the middle to the far margin. Anyone?

 

The rig I use most of all is just a very simple running leger (1.5oz flat pear lead running on a wide bore run ring > bead > 10-15lb wire trace with a couple of small trebles) and a drop-off indicator set very delicately, and front alarm. If there's weed I'll attach the lead to a little bouyant leger stem.

 

I used to use my nice old soft 2.25lb tc carp rods for zander, but I now use my 1.75lb tc drennan tench and bream rods. As long as big distances aren't required, they are great rods for this. Reels are little 5000 bairunners (not that I use the baitrunner function for zander) and line is 10lb mono. Although braid is probably better, as their mouths are very bony and hard.

Edited September 8, 2011 by Anderoo

[Dales]

Cheers guys, it is the bait situation I am most worried about. Will take some eel and Lamprey sections but if the bait fishing does not work out then I might be reduced to bouncing worms. (Noticed you looking in phone)

[Dick Dastardly]

Will take some eel and Lamprey sections

 

Now Ive never tried that for Zeds (or used it for Pike in a water that has Zeds) be interesting to know if its any good.I might have to have a quick ask around,In fact I will.Will report back on what I find.

[Dales]

Now Ive never tried that for Zeds (or used it for Pike in a water that has Zeds) be interesting to know if its any good.I might have to have a quick ask around,In fact I will.Will report back on what I find.

 

It's the one dead bait that I have some confidence in for Zander. The only dead baits I have ever caught Zander on has been Eels, Lamprey and Smelt with the bulk of my dead bait caught fish coming to Lamprey. Oddly I find the tail end section out fishes all the other sections, don't know why. I think I may even have started a thread before about finding the tail end better then the rest of the fish.

[Phone]

All,

 

Regardless of the choice of baits; live, dead or artifical I've noticed every presentation over here includes small brightly coloUred beads and a spinner blade. Is that not a custom for success in the UK?

 

I.e. behind a lure is a series of beads and a spinner blade.

 

A question, are many, if any, zander caught while the bait is stationary? Only in the river do I see "fixed" baits and even then they use the current to add motion.

 

Phone

Edit: Do you use triple hooks (treble hooks) on your lures? Do you use a trailing single hook that is baited when bait fishing (about an inch or so back)?

 

Atta boy! Dales

Edited September 8, 2011 by Phone

[Dick Dastardly]

All,

 

Regardless of the choice of baits; live, dead or artifical I've noticed every presentation over here includes small brightly coloUred beads and a spinner blade. Is that not a custom for success in the UK?

 

I.e. behind a lure is a series of beads and a spinner blade.

 

A question, are many, if any, zander caught while the bait is stationary? Only in the river do I see "fixed" baits and even then they use the current to add motion.

 

Phone

 

Atta boy! Dales

They pick up static deads Phone but most of our bait fishing for them is "static" (other than the live baits own movement) so the use of blades etc would be pretty pointless.

 

Think "carp fishing" but with live or dead fish baits as opposed to Bass or Walleye fishing and you will have an idea of the UK approach.

[Phone]

BUDGIE,

 

Ohh, will need a lesson or two next trip across the pond.

 

Phone

 

Oddly, I believe motion and sound frequency may well be the next big break-through in carp fishing.

[Dick Dastardly]

Try and get across one Fall mate would love to take you out predator fishing.Drag Newt over as well as he came for the AN fish in and that sadly happens whilst the rivers are out of season so he missed out a bit.

[JV44]

Yes CD= Colin Dyson. Lots of variations of it in the predator world but all ok.Variations are mainly due to it being used for different predator species.

 

Re your Thames fishing though its very hard to fish and pat rig well from a boat due to keeping the boat stable enough. I do have a simple paternoster rig that can be used for pike from a boat but its not free running so not any good for Zeds. I have no experience of them from a boat but know Anderoo has been doing a bit maybe he can help?

 

I suppose for live baiting a normal float rig will be fine.

 

If you want the information on the pat rig for boat fishing for pike just say.

The bit i have in mind has a couple of big work barges fortuitously moored next to piling right by the deep water so after bribing the locky on the way down with a few tinnys recently i reckon i should be able to tie up to said work barges and voila no boat movement on the anchors [assuming the good old EA haven't moved said barges } otherwise it`s plan b and drift and jig