Articles - Page 3

	We need your articles! Please submit your article here
Page1	[Rudyard Lake Perch - Steve Cook][What SPAG means to me? - Mark Phillips] [Tackling Glacial Lochs - Dave McGowan]
Page 2	[ TheRiver Ebro - Spain - Big Ron Woodward] [Tackling Spain part 1 - Big Ron Woodward] [Tackling Spain part 2 - Big Ron Woodward]
This page	[Zander – the next great sport fish? - Mark Barrett] [Ambition achieved - Graham Slater]
page 4	[A passion for photography - Chris Hammond]

We need your articles! Please submit your article here

Page1

[Rudyard Lake Perch - Steve Cook][What SPAG means to me? - Mark Phillips] [Tackling Glacial Lochs - Dave McGowan]

Page 2

[ TheRiver Ebro - Spain - Big Ron Woodward] [Tackling Spain part 1 - Big Ron Woodward] [Tackling Spain part 2 - Big Ron Woodward]

This page

[Zander – the next great sport fish? - Mark Barrett] [Ambition achieved - Graham Slater]

page 4

[A passion for photography - Chris Hammond]


Zander – the next great sport fish? - Mark Barrett
Zander as you will all know are a recent addition to the quarry list in this country. Although there were isolated stockings before, serious Zander angling in this country really kicked off with their introduction to the Relief channel in 1963
	From this initial stocking Zander spread throughout the fenland drain and river system and from there were given a hand to make the pilgrimage to many other parts of the country. As this spread took place so the popularity of the species as a target has grown too. Only anglers in the extreme North of the country are now devoid of Zander within a hour or twos drive and some of the biggest rivers in the country, the Trent, Thames and Severn all have their Zander populations to varying degrees. Zander have proved themselves to be supremely adaptable in their spread. In this they have populated slow flowing rivers, fast rivers, gravel pits and lakes. Undoubtedly the spread of Zander will continue, although the illegal transference of Zander in the long run does neither the Zander nor the Zander angler any favours in the fishing world as a whole. Despite the spread of Zander, Zander anglers are still in the minority, however an increasing band of anglers are targeting Zander fuelled by a desire to catch this stunning looking predator or fuelled by the unknown and the sense of pioneering that accompanies this branch of angling. I seriously doubt that there is a fish that swims in this country of which so little is known, simply due to the fact that the Zander themselves are new to the waters themselves. Time after time briefly established rules have had to been re-written simply because the Zander has adapted to its new habits and is not following the rule book. These days Zander are seen as a realistic target for the Lure angler, yet not so long ago they were seen as almost uncatchable on lures. The same applies for cold water Zandering. The first Zander anglers found Zander fishing in the really cold months to be very slow. Although in part this still rings true they are indeed feeding, location being the determining factor as with all fishing, find your Zander and you can still catch them in the coldest of weather.
A near double Ouze specimen
Zander anglers though are far better served now than in days gone by. The tackle industry has, in the last few years, seen Zander anglers as a viable target to sell to and tackle quality has increased. Likewise the internet has enabled the Zander grapevine to buzz regularly and maybe due to the pioneering spirit that I mentioned earlier Zander anglers seem far more willing than other branches of the sport to share information. There are many websites dedicated solely to the species and others where Zander share the limelight with Pike. The angling press have also picked up the Zander baton and run with it. The birth of Pike and predators magazine has helped greatly in this. Regular Zander articles appear in here along with Coarse Fisherman and the newcomer to Zander angling can quickly pick up tips and tactical advice that in the past would have taken many years to gain.
So how do you go about catching Zander regularly? Well as with all species to really achieve success consistently you need to have an idea of the feeding habits of the quarry. Zander are geared up to feed in low light conditions. To this end the Zander has a very special eye in that it has a reflective layer within it that gathers light more effectively than a normal fish. This means that whilst other fish have a greatly reduced visibility the Zander will have the edge on them needed to hunt and eat them. This also means that the Zander is a mainly nocturnal feeder in that its advantage over the prey fish is at its greatest in the dark. However do not rule out sunny days as a waste of time. I have seen Zander taken in 80 degrees heat in the middle of the day and in the winter- time a sunny day can stir the Zander to hunt from its winter lethargy. It is vital to remember there are no rules for Zander only guidelines! The Zander, unlike the Pike does not have a large mouth and therefore its prey size will be much smaller than a Pike of similar stamp. Zander favour smaller fish, such as Roach, Gudgeon, Rudd, Bleak, Dace, Chub and Eels. Fenland Zander in particular have a fondness for Eels and eel section can be a very good bait in places. Bait size should be kept on the small side. Baits above 8oz are not really part of the Zander angler's armoury. Most anglers prefer baits in the 1oz to 4oz range, however at times bigger baits can be selective in picking out the better fish, and really come into their own in times of high bait fish density or flooded rivers, as the sensory signals are stronger in a bigger bait. However it is worthwhile to remember that as pack hunters at times small Zander (schoolies) can be very optimistic in the size of bait that they will tackle, normally in their desire to snatch the bait from their brethren. Smaller Zander are almost exclusively pack hunters and as such large numbers can be caught in a short space of time if a pack can be located. In the warmer months packs will be actively hunting and have been known to cover great distances in their hunt for food, especially at night. In the colder months this feeding behaviour tends to slow up and Zander will tend to lie up in holding areas until the time is right to feed. In this situation only spot on location will bring results, more of which later.
A fine Relief Channel 11lb - 14oz fish




A typical leger rig

A hunting pack of Zander tends to feed in a similar way to its close relative the perch. Zander are chasing hunters and have a great turn of pace and manoeuvrability. Zander attack to disable the prey before engulfing the crippled victim. Unlike Pike and Perch, Zander do not always turn a bait before swallowing and will often seize a bait and swallow it tail first, in fact the Zander on the whole will attack from behind, using its stabbing large front teeth to cause enough damage to the prey for it to be caught and eaten.

A superb 14lb-2oz specimen

Zander – the next great sport fish? - Mark Barrett

Zander as you will all know are a recent addition to the quarry list in this country. Although there were isolated stockings before, serious Zander angling in this country really kicked off with their introduction to the Relief channel in 1963

From this initial stocking Zander spread throughout the fenland drain and river system and from there were given a hand to make the pilgrimage to many other parts of the country. As this spread took place so the popularity of the species as a target has grown too. Only anglers in the extreme North of the country are now devoid of Zander within a hour or twos drive and some of the biggest rivers in the country, the Trent, Thames and Severn all have their Zander populations to varying degrees. Zander have proved themselves to be supremely adaptable in their spread. In this they have populated slow flowing rivers, fast rivers, gravel pits and lakes. Undoubtedly the spread of Zander will continue, although the illegal transference of Zander in the long run does neither the Zander nor the Zander angler any favours in the fishing world as a whole.

Despite the spread of Zander, Zander anglers are still in the minority, however an increasing band of anglers are targeting Zander fuelled by a desire to catch this stunning looking predator or fuelled by the unknown and the sense of pioneering that accompanies this branch of angling. I seriously doubt that there is a fish that swims in this country of which so little is known, simply due to the fact that the Zander themselves are new to the waters themselves. Time after time briefly established rules have had to been re-written simply because the Zander has adapted to its new habits and is not following the rule book. These days Zander are seen as a realistic target for the Lure angler, yet not so long ago they were seen as almost uncatchable on lures. The same applies for cold water Zandering. The first Zander anglers found Zander fishing in the really cold months to be very slow. Although in part this still rings true they are indeed feeding, location being the determining factor as with all fishing, find your Zander and you can still catch them in the coldest of weather.

A near double Ouze specimen

Zander anglers though are far better served now than in days gone by. The tackle industry has, in the last few years, seen Zander anglers as a viable target to sell to and tackle quality has increased. Likewise the internet has enabled the Zander grapevine to buzz regularly and maybe due to the pioneering spirit that I mentioned earlier Zander anglers seem far more willing than other branches of the sport to share information. There are many websites dedicated solely to the species and others where Zander share the limelight with Pike. The angling press have also picked up the Zander baton and run with it. The birth of Pike and predators magazine has helped greatly in this. Regular Zander articles appear in here along with Coarse Fisherman and the newcomer to Zander angling can quickly pick up tips and tactical advice that in the past would have taken many years to gain.

So how do you go about catching Zander regularly? Well as with all species to really achieve success consistently you need to have an idea of the feeding habits of the quarry. Zander are geared up to feed in low light conditions. To this end the Zander has a very special eye in that it has a reflective layer within it that gathers light more effectively than a normal fish. This means that whilst other fish have a greatly reduced visibility the Zander will have the edge on them needed to hunt and eat them. This also means that the Zander is a mainly nocturnal feeder in that its advantage over the prey fish is at its greatest in the dark. However do not rule out sunny days as a waste of time. I have seen Zander taken in 80 degrees heat in the middle of the day and in the winter- time a sunny day can stir the Zander to hunt from its winter lethargy. It is vital to remember there are no rules for Zander only guidelines!

The Zander, unlike the Pike does not have a large mouth and therefore its prey size will be much smaller than a Pike of similar stamp. Zander favour smaller fish, such as Roach, Gudgeon, Rudd, Bleak, Dace, Chub and Eels. Fenland Zander in particular have a fondness for Eels and eel section can be a very good bait in places. Bait size should be kept on the small side. Baits above 8oz are not really part of the Zander angler's armoury. Most anglers prefer baits in the 1oz to 4oz range, however at times bigger baits can be selective in picking out the better fish, and really come into their own in times of high bait fish density or flooded rivers, as the sensory signals are stronger in a bigger bait. However it is worthwhile to remember that as pack hunters at times small Zander (schoolies) can be very optimistic in the size of bait that they will tackle, normally in their desire to snatch the bait from their brethren. Smaller Zander are almost exclusively pack hunters and as such large numbers can be caught in a short space of time if a pack can be located. In the warmer months packs will be actively hunting and have been known to cover great distances in their hunt for food, especially at night. In the colder months this feeding behaviour tends to slow up and Zander will tend to lie up in holding areas until the time is right to feed. In this situation only spot on location will bring results, more of which later.

A fine Relief Channel 11lb - 14oz fish

A typical leger rig

A hunting pack of Zander tends to feed in a similar way to its close relative the perch. Zander are chasing hunters and have a great turn of pace and manoeuvrability. Zander attack to disable the prey before engulfing the crippled victim. Unlike Pike and Perch, Zander do not always turn a bait before swallowing and will often seize a bait and swallow it tail first, in fact the Zander on the whole will attack from behind, using its stabbing large front teeth to cause enough damage to the prey for it to be caught and eaten.

A superb 14lb-2oz specimen

	So knowing how the Zander feeds helps the Zander angler to plan its downfall. Zander mainly take live prey and live bait will on most occasions out fish dead baits by a good margin. However dead baits are taken and should never be totally discounted, but my own personal results improved considerably when I switched to a mainly livebait based attack. Due to the Zander's propensity to attack from behind hooking arrangements need to take this into consideration. Unless I am trolling or drifting baits for Zander I will always hook my baits tail up the trace. Likewise I always use treble hooks. The small mouths of a Zander mean that it is very possible for a single hook to be nowhere near the Zander's mouth when they are used. I prefer size 6 trebles in the semi barbless form, from Drennan for my traces. It is quite often stated that Zander anglers need to scale down their gear from Pike but I think that not only is this advice erroneous but is potentially damaging to both the Zander and any Pike that you will catch. Smaller trebles are far more awkward to remove, especially in the dark, when the majority of Zandering will take place. Likewise rods and line and traces should be kept the same as for Pike fishing. 12 to 15lb BS line, 20lb + trace wire and 2lb + TC rods should be used. Zander can be landed on lighter gear but its irresponsible to risk leaving traces in Pike that will invariably pick up Zander baits. Zander are also famously known for their dislike of resistance and will very quickly drop a bait if they feel a change in resistance in particular. For this reason I am not a great fan of sunken float paternoster rigs for Zander. The one that I use is detailed in the diagram and this is specifically aimed at keeping the rig as free running as possible. Likewise in my leger rigs I make use of a free running ring on a pop up boom to keep the line out of any bottom debris and to again keep resistance to a minimum. It is important to remember though that all of this will be undone if you use too light a lead as the lead will get dragged by a taking fish. I always use a flat lead unless long distance work is required and always of 2oz in weight or above.
As with all fishing location is of the utmost importance to catch fish regularly. Zander angling is no different. At night in warmer weather I would be reasonably confident of runs just about anywhere on a drain or river where the population is high, but this is an increasingly less common situation. Far better to take a bit of time and to stack the odds in your favour. Zander as I have mentioned earlier are adapted to feed in low light conditions. Because of this in daylight hours the Zander will be holed up in an area where they feel safe and comfortable. This can take many forms, but reliable spots will be depressions or deeper areas of water, bridges, bends, overhanging trees/ bushes and areas of shade. The last of these is more prevalent in the summer and early autumn. Once the winter sets in the best areas are likely to be the depressions and areas of deeper water. I have seen Zander come into very shallow water in the winter, but this was an actively hunting pack and they stayed in the area for only as long as it took to scatter the prey fish that were sheltering from the strong flow. The Zander quickly moved on, as they are comfortable in quite strong currents. Another thing to remember is that there are likely to be several holding areas in even a short stretch of river or drain and that in my experience once you have found a holding area it will remain one almost without exception. The only thing that can destroy a holding area is the angler over fishing it. The fact that holding areas will remain for years emphasises the comfort factor to me.
The fish obviously find this area to their liking and so will remain there for as long as possible. I have seen this phenomenon on different waters from rivers to drains to lakes, but remember that in Zander fishing there are no rules! Even with these holding areas some will be better than others. In some you can catch many Zander before the school will get spooked and move to a different area. In others you may only catch one fish before the fish disperse. I am sure that this is down to the lesser number of Zander holding there. As I have said before there are likely to be several holding areas in a relatively small stretch. I am sure that the Zander will use whatever holding area is closest to where the prey fish have shoaled. Rarely are these very close to the prey fish as I am sure that the sight of a shoal of zeds would spook the prey into moving. Therefore holding areas can be very seasonal and you may find that these change from the summer to the winter, especially if they are in relatively shallow water. Other areas that can be worth- while investigating are cattle drinks, undercut banks and snags. These wont tend to be permanent holding areas for a pack of Zander, but you will find the odd fish there and quite often they can be the hang out of the really big girls. I have had two twelve pound plus fish from such areas. Hopefully with the information contained within this article you will feel inspired to go out and catch your first Zander. I hope so, as there are few truly wild fish left in this country, but the Zander is undoubtedly the one of them.
Mark Barrett
Another quality Ouze 12lb-6oz zander
Map of the fens

So knowing how the Zander feeds helps the Zander angler to plan its downfall. Zander mainly take live prey and live bait will on most occasions out fish dead baits by a good margin. However dead baits are taken and should never be totally discounted, but my own personal results improved considerably when I switched to a mainly livebait based attack. Due to the Zander's propensity to attack from behind hooking arrangements need to take this into consideration. Unless I am trolling or drifting baits for Zander I will always hook my baits tail up the trace. Likewise I always use treble hooks. The small mouths of a Zander mean that it is very possible for a single hook to be nowhere near the Zander's mouth when they are used. I prefer size 6 trebles in the semi barbless form, from Drennan for my traces. It is quite often stated that Zander anglers need to scale down their gear from Pike but I think that not only is this advice erroneous but is potentially damaging to both the Zander and any Pike that you will catch. Smaller trebles are far more awkward to remove, especially in the dark, when the majority of Zandering will take place. Likewise rods and line and traces should be kept the same as for Pike fishing. 12 to 15lb BS line, 20lb + trace wire and 2lb + TC rods should be used. Zander can be landed on lighter gear but its irresponsible to risk leaving traces in Pike that will invariably pick up Zander baits. Zander are also famously known for their dislike of resistance and will very quickly drop a bait if they feel a change in resistance in particular. For this reason I am not a great fan of sunken float paternoster rigs for Zander. The one that I use is detailed in the diagram and this is specifically aimed at keeping the rig as free running as possible. Likewise in my leger rigs I make use of a free running ring on a pop up boom to keep the line out of any bottom debris and to again keep resistance to a minimum. It is important to remember though that all of this will be undone if you use too light a lead as the lead will get dragged by a taking fish. I always use a flat lead unless long distance work is required and always of 2oz in weight or above.

As with all fishing location is of the utmost importance to catch fish regularly. Zander angling is no different. At night in warmer weather I would be reasonably confident of runs just about anywhere on a drain or river where the population is high, but this is an increasingly less common situation. Far better to take a bit of time and to stack the odds in your favour. Zander as I have mentioned earlier are adapted to feed in low light conditions. Because of this in daylight hours the Zander will be holed up in an area where they feel safe and comfortable. This can take many forms, but reliable spots will be depressions or deeper areas of water, bridges, bends, overhanging trees/ bushes and areas of shade. The last of these is more prevalent in the summer and early autumn. Once the winter sets in the best areas are likely to be the depressions and areas of deeper water. I have seen Zander come into very shallow water in the winter, but this was an actively hunting pack and they stayed in the area for only as long as it took to scatter the prey fish that were sheltering from the strong flow. The Zander quickly moved on, as they are comfortable in quite strong currents. Another thing to remember is that there are likely to be several holding areas in even a short stretch of river or drain and that in my experience once you have found a holding area it will remain one almost without exception. The only thing that can destroy a holding area is the angler over fishing it. The fact that holding areas will remain for years emphasises the comfort factor to me.

The fish obviously find this area to their liking and so will remain there for as long as possible. I have seen this phenomenon on different waters from rivers to drains to lakes, but remember that in Zander fishing there are no rules! Even with these holding areas some will be better than others. In some you can catch many Zander before the school will get spooked and move to a different area. In others you may only catch one fish before the fish disperse. I am sure that this is down to the lesser number of Zander holding there. As I have said before there are likely to be several holding areas in a relatively small stretch. I am sure that the Zander will use whatever holding area is closest to where the prey fish have shoaled. Rarely are these very close to the prey fish as I am sure that the sight of a shoal of zeds would spook the prey into moving. Therefore holding areas can be very seasonal and you may find that these change from the summer to the winter, especially if they are in relatively shallow water. Other areas that can be worth- while investigating are cattle drinks, undercut banks and snags. These wont tend to be permanent holding areas for a pack of Zander, but you will find the odd fish there and quite often they can be the hang out of the really big girls. I have had two twelve pound plus fish from such areas.
Hopefully with the information contained within this article you will feel inspired to go out and catch your first Zander. I hope so, as there are few truly wild fish left in this country, but the Zander is undoubtedly the one of them.

Mark Barrett

Another quality Ouze 12lb-6oz zander

Map of the fens

I like to set myself targets within my fishing, I find it helps me to structure my time better rather than wandering through a season aimlessly. Not that I'm knocking anyone who fishes like that, it's just for me my time is precious and I want to make the most of it. I'm sure you know the sort of thing I mean; a twenty from a drain or a double from a river, that sort of thing.
If you will indulge me I'll recount the story of one such target which, incidentally, took me 16 years to achieve. My ambition? To catch a twenty pound pike in the snow.
During 1994 I'd pieced together a few snippets of information which led me to believe that it may be worth my while spending some time on a certain fenland drain, this I duly did. Whilst the fishing was slow it did yield a few fish with the biggest going 23.12 and my appetite was thoroughly whetted for the next winter.
A November start saw the odd double falling to both mine and my mate Marks rods but it wasn't until the 18 th of December that I eventually found one of the bigger fish. After working my way along the drain all day I had a run on a floatfished smelt at 12.30 which turned the scales at 26.04. On the ‘phone to Mark that night we were soon making plans to get back at the earliest opportunity which, due to my work, was Christmas eve.
A fifty mile drive in the dark, during which time my mate repeatedly told me that his missus wasn't pleased at him going fishing as he always went into town on Christmas eve to buy a fresh pork pie (you'd need to know him to make any sense of it!), saw us on the bank and making the half mile walk to the ‘hot' area. For once we'd got the timing right and by the time we'd tackled the rods up it was just light enough to see the floats. With all the baits in I did what I always do, poured a cup of tea and lit a fag! I hadn't even finished my drink when I saw Mark wind down to a fish, a huge boil erupted on the surface as something took of down the drain. After a brief fight I slipped the net under a beautifully marked fished which turned the scales at 24.12. After photographing and returning the pike I asked which he'd rather have, the fish or a fresh pork pie. I can't really commit his answer to print but he made it clear that it wasn't the pork pie.
Although we stayed until dark we didn't get another run but with two good fish from the same are we were keen to return thus, on the journey back, we agreed that we would get Christmas day and Boxing day out of the way and come back. What we hadn't planned on was a band of sub-zero temperatures accompanied by heavy snow over the next two days…………
Boxing day and the ‘phone rings “Hello mate, still up for tomorrow?”.
I made it clear that we were wasting our time as everywhere was frozen but he was having none of that. So it was that December 27 th saw us, once again, heading off at some unearthly hour in the freezing cold to what I was sure would be a sheet of ice. So cold was it that we stopped to fill up with diesel only to be told that the pump wouldn't dispense as the tanks had frozen. Once again my pleas to be sensible and go home were ignored.
Imagine, then, my surprise when we stopped at the first bridge and found the drain liquid. Those nice people who control the pumps had pumped the drain off during the night, no doubt in anticipation of the snow melt pouring in.