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Early Season Zandering

Dave Marrs

The steam billows out of the pot perched precariously on the stove in the early morning mist. The wind and drizzle nuzzle the brotel and there is a heavy condensation on the inside of the single skinned shelter. It is good to be alive I think, as I hang halfway out of my warm sleeping bag tending to a hearty breakfast of bacon grill, beans and sausages. I pause occasionally to slurp hot sweet coffee from my jumbo size thermal mug. In truth it is cold for the time of year, the hot weather of recent weeks cracking under the pressure of a number of windy storms. The weather matters not though, as it is still only early July. After all I am a 'Zedhead' and have spent long February nights in this swim. I feel secretly chuffed with myself this morning though, as I stick it out on the vast, windswept and often barren stretch of water known as the Great Ouse Relief Channel. Fishless or not, why am I here?

EARLY SEASON PRIZES

As every close season draws to an end I feel the tingling excitement that the prospect of a new season brings. I am after all a Zander angler and I always look forward to visiting the sometimes bewitching Fenland Rivers to hunt for that most enigmatic of predators. I have experience of most Fenland Zander drains and some stillwaters too, yet it is always the rivers I choose for my early assault.

There are a number of rivers holding Zander within the Fenland waterway system. I believe all are capable of providing good numbers of Zander including the odd fish into double figures, indeed some of these rivers have exceptional potential. The rivers I choose to fish are the Great Ouse and the Cam. I first started visiting these venues about five years ago as I struggled to get to grips with the drains, which didn't seem to fish so well during the hot weather. Immediately I started to land Zander of a small to average size, it didn't take too very long though before the Zander started to get a bit bigger.

I choose these venues to start off with because they are a good bet for catching a few Zander on each visit. I don't allow the normally quite low average size of these Zander to put me off. They are often, almost all pretty jewels never having been caught before. I am also provided with the chance to get plenty of practice unhooking and on odd lucky occasions, practice in photographing the fish. This stands me in good stead later on in the season when fishing the drains for the bigger fish.

THIS SEASONS EARLY RESULT

Moving back to Lincolnshire at the end of May was a real Bobby Bonus. No more having to spend all of my holidays in the Fens because now if I so choose, I can spend all of my evenings after work there also! After taking a month to settle in and establish myself in the social side of things I started to feel the familiar itch for the Fens and so on the last weekend of June I headed to my favorite stretch of the Great Ouse for a two nighter. I would like to say it was a very productive trip, but it was better than that!!!

The first night saw me in a nice comfy swim on the Ely stretch, I just can't get enough of the feeling you get while stood with a nice cold beer under the stars in summer when the alarm goes! In short it went three times that night and produced Zeds of 1lb 8oz, 3lb 14oz and a cracking Gt Ouse best of 9lb 11oz, this beat my previous Ouse best which had stood since 98, by a mahoosive 2oz! I know the Gt Ouse throws up very good doubles and indeed I reckon it could do a real munker but can I find them? Can I heckers like!!! Anyways I decided on a change of venue in the morning and moved to another favourite summer swim, this time about 15 miles away on the Cam. What a scorching day, absolutely blindingly hot, of course the only way of getting through this torture was to get the brotel up, rods out, open up a cold one and get onto the bed with a book! In the evening as it cooled I sprang into action with the whip and started to get some nice baits for the bucket. In this particular swim you can expect lots of runs if the Zeds are having it, it usually throws loads up to about 6 or 7lbs. The alarm started up at about 10pm, just as dark descended, nothing unusual about that I thought, a 3lb 8oz Zed being the culprit. Then all was woefully quiet, I was just about threaders with the situation after 21/2hrs of no action whatsoever, when all of a sudden everything went completely mental. At about half 12 after a good run I hit into a very good fish which despite my rugged good looks, didn't seem particularly keen to meet me. Eventually after a hard scrap, the net opened to reveal a big old Zed. Jeez I thought, this is a biggie, especially from the Cam. After weighing it twice to be sure, I recorded a weight of 10lb 3oz. I was extremely chuffed indeed, a double from the Cam is truly a good fish. Anyways with the weighing out of the way I photographed the fish and returned her to the water inbetween the two bank sticks positioned to help support her should she struggle. Two minutes later whilst enjoying a nice cold one and the wry grin that comes with a result the left hand alarm screamed into action. 'Oh look, I have another run', wasn't the exact phrase that rang through the Fens at that moment in time. I struck and to my immense surprise was into another good fish that if anything, was fighting harder than the double. After one of the best scraps I can ever remember from a Zander another good fish was steered into the net. When I unfolded the net to have a look I thought I'd landed another double, however upon weighing the fish it went 8lb 11oz, not a double but a very good fish nevertheless! I photographed this fish as it remains one of the prettiest and fittest Zander I've ever seen, absolutely in its prime! No sooner was it returned and the runs continued, in the next hour I landed three more Cam Zander of 6lb 4oz, 5lb 2oz and 4lb 14oz.

As the morning dawned I managed to get my napper down for a few hours in preparation for the trip home. What a trip, 9 Zeds is always good but a double backed up by good fish of 9lb 11oz and 8lb 11oz equals a very good trip! The drive home was a short one with me mainly singing joyfully in the car with a large grin on my chops.

RIGS

None of the rigs I use employ rocket science and I mainly stick to three tried and tested rigs, designed by better, more knowledgeable anglers than myself. Rig number 1 is a simple paternostered deadbait rig, I have had most of this years runs on this rig, including both doubles. A 2oz+ weight on a 2ft tail with a John Roberts run ring, attach this to the line above the trace and bobs your uncle. Note I believe that this rig is better with the heavier weight in that when a fish takes the bait the heavier weight ensures less resistance. Rig 2 is the cracking helicopter rig as described in Steve Youngers book, I use this rig with all livebaits and rarely encounter tangles. Rig 3 is another deadbait rig described in the Snapper a few years ago by Barry McConnell. Pretty much the same as Rig 1 but with a sunken float on the 2ft tail to accompany the weight, again 2oz+. I find these rigs to be more than adequate and after trying all sorts of Christmas tree arrangements over the years, they have come out as personal favourites.

VENUES

I must admit I do like to fish around, being a Gemini I have possibly less patience than most and can end up losing it fairly quickly if results are not reasonably quickly forthcoming. Not the ideal temperament for a bloke hunting a large Zed! This year though I have tried to stick with the Level and have put most of my serious time in on it. I did spend a few weeks on the Channel catching large amounts of nothing from an area I bagged up on last year. Yet the fish must have been there because friends caught quite a few Zeds in swims right next to mine! Mustn't have been my day(s)!!! The venues listed below are the ones I have fished this year so far with the best fish also listed:-

Gt Ouse - 9lb 11oz (New Venue PB) 

River Cam - 10lb 3oz (New Venue PB) 

Relief Channel - 8lb 5oz (New Venue PB (Aaaaarrrrrrggggggghhhhh!)) 

Cut Off - 5lb 5oz 

Middle Level - 11lb 10oz (New Venue PB) 

F. Meadows - Spectacular Blank. (Brian Birdsall took the day with a beauty of 1lb 8oz)!

AVERAGE SIZE OF ZANDER CAUGHT THIS SEASON SO FAR

Happy as larry! The average size of the Zander I have caught this year has shot up by nearly a pound to 6lb 2oz!!!

OTHER FISH?

As I mentioned earlier, living near Lincoln means I am only an hour away from the Fens and I can even visit after work and that's exactly what I've been doing. I have been finishing work at 4 or 5pm and heading straight to the Middle Level in search of the 14lber that has my name on it. During the very hot weather I picked what I consider to be one of the hardest stretches on the lower reaches, I applied a little of William the Conquerers boat burning tactics and took only 1 rod and 4 suitable baits. Basically I had a free roving setup and spent 10minutes in a swim and then moved. Results? I had a fish on every trip, nothing big however it didn't take too long before I noticed a few of the swims were more productive than others. These are the swims I shall fish come winter! How exciting is it to have a Zander take a bait right underneath your feet and watch the starlight sink through the depths until all is black once more?

So far this season has been the most enjoyable ever. I've enjoyed a few trips and 32 Zander so far. The best fish weighed a cracking 11lb 10oz from the Middle Level, mid September and equalled my 2nd best ever. I've had a chit chat and social with quite a few other Zander anglers this year and have managed to glean a few handy hints to put into practice later on.