Time for zander

[callumlaird]

What times of the year are best for zander fishing? As in best results and safest for the fish. I've never caught one before and there's one or two places a stone's throw from my house I could be in with a chance. I had a quick chat with a bloke fishing for them once many moons ago around September time and I'm sure he said that was about the best time of year for them?

[Duncan Holmes]

What times of the year are best for zander fishing? As in best results and safest for the fish. I've never caught one before and there's one or two places a stone's throw from my house I could be in with a chance. I had a quick chat with a bloke fishing for them once many moons ago around September time and I'm sure he said that was about the best time of year for them?

I always liked October and November, with my best catches coming on clear bright nights.

March was always good for the biggest weights

[callumlaird]

Ah so more or less the same times of the year as pike then. I was unsure if the zander fishing started a bit earlier. Cheers Duncan!

[Mick Cobb]

What times of the year are best for zander fishing? As in best results and safest for the fish. I've never caught one before and there's one or two places a stone's throw from my house I could be in with a chance. I had a quick chat with a bloke fishing for them once many moons ago around September time and I'm sure he said that was about the best time of year for them?

I used to like Sept/Oct at night and if the air temp was a steady 10 degree's or above throughout the night all the better.

[Fentiger01]

The first couple of weeks of the season in late June can also be a belting time for Zeds but Autumn is my favourite.

Just about ready to start getting out again as it happens.

[Kev Berry]

The first couple of weeks of the season in late June can also be a belting time for Zeds but Autumn is my favourite.

Just about ready to start getting out again as it happens.

spot on there, some nice zeds come out early season
was going to go zandering yesterday, first time for about 6-7 weeks---forecast was rain followed by more rain---glad I didn't go as they got it right for once, bouncing rain and a mini river running down the street most of the day

[Dennis M]

march and april has to be my favourite time.
Usually after the pike stop feeding before spawning, I start targeting zander because, atleast where I live, they spawn a bit later.
Plus, there's nothing like fishing a river during spring floods.

[belgium piker]

Indeed, march before spawning they are very agressive at lures. The beginnin of june has always been a good period on the big dutch rivers just like october and november.
High water on a river is always the best you can have, and hen the water is really cloudy en dirty it cannot going wrong..

[callumlaird]

I have another question for you zed heads. Do you scale down your gear when zander fishing? As in thinner diameter trace wire or mainline? Are zander rig shy? I want to just use the same set up as I would for pike if I can get away with it except smaller baits and a single treble

[Kev Berry]

I have another question for you zed heads. Do you scale down your gear when zander fishing? As in thinner diameter trace wire or mainline? Are zander rig shy? I want to just use the same set up as I would for pike if I can get away with it except smaller baits and a single treble

had some right fights with zander on my pike set ups, but if I am deliberately fishing for them from the bank I use my 2.25tc barbel rods, 30lb wire, 50lb braid and 4's or 6's in trebles
sometimes they seem very shy of resistance, but mostly they grab the bait and they just rip off even if theres a 4oz lead banging about.
This is fishing on the Trent.

[Dennis M]

Same gear, never know when a pike, or on my water, catfish grabs the bait.
And some big zander fight as a well as any pike would.

When targeting zeds with deadbaits, or lives for that matter, I do always fish either a light float setup (5-8g) or a run rig.
I won't fish a live chub under 35g+ float for zander haha. Though you can some catch big ones doing so...
Just match hooks to bait size of course and you'll do fine.

[callumlaird]

Cheers for the replies chaps! I may give it a bash this weekend then, will let y'all know how I get on!

[Fentiger01]

Good luck mate!

[nordbeck]

I have another question for you zed heads. Do you scale down your gear when zander fishing? As in thinner diameter trace wire or mainline? Are zander rig shy? I want to just use the same set up as I would for pike if I can get away with it except smaller baits and a single treble

I do not scale down, I just have zander gear :D

But yes they can be rig shy. I'd say holland is the traditionally main zander country of the world and here no specialist will ever use wire. it is risky and I personally always use very thin uncoated trace wire, but it is not for no reason, that at tournaments hardly any wire is used.... they are also very resistant sensitive, so bait runners or heavy drop offs are a no no, an elastic with the line looped in is my method of choice.

personally I use 12 ft rods with 2 lbs testcurve, size 6000 reels with 0,30mm (10lbs) nylon as a mainline, the lead set up is running free and the trace is pike wire in the thinest diameter with a single VB hook (size 6-2). I use a stringer needle and rig them with the small hook just behind the head, the wire goes through the bait and exits at its' tail.


Stay away from sea baits and use freshly killed roach/perch/gudgeon as small as possible, fish one hour before dusk till two hours after dawn. those are the productive hours. zander love any structures, so mooring boats, bridges, especially the wooden things where boats wait in front of bridges are ideal. also deeper sections of the water or even trenches and holes that are a meter deeper can be magnets for zander.

Stick to this and sure you will catch.

[callumlaird]

I have another question for you zed heads. Do you scale down your gear when zander fishing? As in thinner diameter trace wire or mainline? Are zander rig shy? I want to just use the same set up as I would for pike if I can get away with it except smaller baits and a single treble

I do not scale down, I just have zander gear :D

But yes they can be rig shy. I'd say holland is the traditionally main zander country of the world and here no specialist will ever use wire. it is risky and I personally always use very thin uncoated trace wire, but it is not for no reason, that at tournaments hardly any wire is used.... they are also very resistant sensitive, so bait runners or heavy drop offs are a no no, an elastic with the line looped in is my method of choice.

personally I use 12 ft rods with 2 lbs testcurve, size 6000 reels with 0,30mm (10lbs) nylon as a mainline, the lead set up is running free and the trace is pike wire in the thinest diameter with a single VB hook (size 6-2). I use a stringer needle and rig them with the small hook just behind the head, the wire goes through the bait and exits at its' tail.


Stay away from sea baits and use freshly killed roach/perch/gudgeon as small as possible, fish one hour before dusk till two hours after dawn. those are the productive hours. zander love any structures, so mooring boats, bridges, especially the wooden things where boats wait in front of bridges are ideal. also deeper sections of the water or even trenches and holes that are a meter deeper can be magnets for zander.

Stick to this and sure you will catch.

Cheers for that reply nordbeck! So going by what you've said I'd be better off using the same sort of gear I'd use for tench? I have a few unopened packs of small roach and eels left over from last year, my plan was to cut the roach in half and use 3 inch chunks of eel, popped up or on the bottom? Was gonna use some 40lb 49 strand wire but i do have some 20lb pikewire lying around somewhere if that would work better, I will have to use wire though as im more likely to catch a pike than a zander. The lake I'm planning to fish has a no night fishing rule unfortunately but I have seen plenty of pics of zander caught in the day, but it will probably be hard going. I'll get there early as possible and stay till after dark

[nordbeck]

no night fishing is pretty shitty I'd say. look for dark corners, murky water and shades during daytime!

if the venue you want to fish is not too snaggy and you are not at risk of giant pike, I'd say heavy tench gear is pretty much what I use.
why not use 20lbs 49 strand? flexible wire is handy as is thin diameter wire...

i usually fish hard on the bottom. if pestered by crabs I pop it up, but that is almost never the case. I do vary the bait though, always freshly killed roach/perch/gudgeon, but sometimes whole fish, sometimes filets and sometimes heads off.

[Steven Whybrow]

If your lke me its never a good time cause I can not fxxxing catch one :-)

[nordbeck]

in that case you are simply doing something wrong :D

[Mark Phillips]

What times of the year are best for zander fishing? As in best results and safest for the fish. I've never caught one before and there's one or two places a stone's throw from my house I could be in with a chance. I had a quick chat with a bloke fishing for them once many moons ago around September time and I'm sure he said that was about the best time of year for them?

Anytime the conditions are good, although like pike fishing, I would not fish for them in warm water unless it's very well oxygenated, e.g. a weir pool.

There's no best time of year to fish for them IMO. But late season, end of February or early March, for a biggie and for consistent action, November and December are always a good months and also June if it's not too warm. I've however had my biggest catches in the autumn, but that's either trolling lures on the rivers or jigging for schoolies on the resis, where any idiot can catch 50 or more in a day

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Had a little "Z" from my garden the other night, didnt bother weighing, about 5, didnt bother with a piccy but very pleased, I knew there should be a few here, fishing roach deads after dark did the trick, now to get a rubber dub!

Cheers Alan

[micky dolan]

Nice one Alan

First trip to Cambridge Monday can't wait

Sea deads all the way Nord Tim , 4" smelt popped up

[nordbeck]

fresh smelt, sure a great bait, but that is not a sea bait in my book. neither are eels :D
do you get a hold of live smelt though? that would be something i would really love to use.

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Nice one Alan

First trip to Cambridge Monday can't wait

Sea deads all the way Nord Tim , 4" smelt popped up

You will be made welcome chap!

Cheers Alan

[Mark Phillips]

fresh smelt, sure a great bait, but that is not a sea bait in my book. neither are eels :D
do you get a hold of live smelt though? that would be something i would really love to use.

Best sea baits I've used for zander are sardine or herring. Smelt I agree aren't a sea bait, but they make very poor dead baits for zander on the waters I fish. Although fished on jig head and vertically jigged, produce fish. But as static baits, I can think of plenty of baits I'd rather use. I have used live smelt, many years ago a kind chap gave me a couple from his bucket; he'd caught them from the Thames Estuary the previous day. They were crap. Gave up on me very quickly, but I caught on them later when used as deads.

[nordbeck]

fresh smelt, sure a great bait, but that is not a sea bait in my book. neither are eels :D
do you get a hold of live smelt though? that would be something i would really love to use.

Best sea baits I've used for zander are sardine or herring. Smelt I agree aren't a sea bait, but they make very poor dead baits for zander on the waters I fish. Although fished on jig head and vertically jigged, produce fish. But as static baits, I can think of plenty of baits I'd rather use. I have used live smelt, many years ago a kind chap gave me a couple from his bucket; he'd caught them from the Thames Estuary the previous day. They were crap. Gave up on me very quickly, but I caught on them later when used as deads.

very interesting. I have caught the odd specimen zander with sea dead while piking, but if i targeted them specifically I'd always opt for freshwater bait.

Also the smelt experience is totally different from the situation here. the continental specialists like luck coppens for example praise smelt any chance they get :D

https://youtu.be/voHaNY-XqHI?t=1m50s

[piker60]

fresh smelt, sure a great bait, but that is not a sea bait in my book. neither are eels :D
do you get a hold of live smelt though? that would be something i would really love to use.

Best sea baits I've used for zander are sardine or herring. Smelt I agree aren't a sea bait, but they make very poor dead baits for zander on the waters I fish. Although fished on jig head and vertically jigged, produce fish. But as static baits, I can think of plenty of baits I'd rather use. I have used live smelt, many years ago a kind chap gave me a couple from his bucket; he'd caught them from the Thames Estuary the previous day. They were crap. Gave up on me very quickly, but I caught on them later when used as deads.

very interesting. I have caught the odd specimen zander with sea dead while piking, but if i targeted them specifically I'd always opt for freshwater bait.

Also the smelt experience is totally different from the situation here. the continental specialists like luck coppens for example praise smelt any chance they get :D

https://youtu.be/voHaNY-XqHI?t=1m50s

Yes very good bait is a live smelt. On the continent in the early 90's, we used diddy ones on a jig head, inches off the bottom in deep water. Picked up big pike as well.

[Kev Berry]

fresh smelt, sure a great bait, but that is not a sea bait in my book. neither are eels :D
do you get a hold of live smelt though? that would be something i would really love to use.

Best sea baits I've used for zander are sardine or herring. Smelt I agree aren't a sea bait, but they make very poor dead baits for zander on the waters I fish. Although fished on jig head and vertically jigged, produce fish. But as static baits, I can think of plenty of baits I'd rather use. I have used live smelt, many years ago a kind chap gave me a couple from his bucket; he'd caught them from the Thames Estuary the previous day. They were crap. Gave up on me very quickly, but I caught on them later when used as deads.

used sardines, smelt, herrings, etc in the Trent---pike a plenty but never a zander

[nordbeck]

fresh smelt, sure a great bait, but that is not a sea bait in my book. neither are eels :D
do you get a hold of live smelt though? that would be something i would really love to use.

Best sea baits I've used for zander are sardine or herring. Smelt I agree aren't a sea bait, but they make very poor dead baits for zander on the waters I fish. Although fished on jig head and vertically jigged, produce fish. But as static baits, I can think of plenty of baits I'd rather use. I have used live smelt, many years ago a kind chap gave me a couple from his bucket; he'd caught them from the Thames Estuary the previous day. They were crap. Gave up on me very quickly, but I caught on them later when used as deads.

very interesting. I have caught the odd specimen zander with sea dead while piking, but if i targeted them specifically I'd always opt for freshwater bait.

Also the smelt experience is totally different from the situation here. the continental specialists like luck coppens for example praise smelt any chance they get :D

https://youtu.be/voHaNY-XqHI?t=1m50s

Yes very good bait is a live smelt. On the continent in the early 90's, we used diddy ones on a jig head, inches off the bottom in deep water. Picked up big pike as well.

may I ask where you obtained them? I have been trying to get my hands on live smelt for quite some time

[piker60]

fresh smelt, sure a great bait, but that is not a sea bait in my book. neither are eels :D
do you get a hold of live smelt though? that would be something i would really love to use.

Best sea baits I've used for zander are sardine or herring. Smelt I agree aren't a sea bait, but they make very poor dead baits for zander on the waters I fish. Although fished on jig head and vertically jigged, produce fish. But as static baits, I can think of plenty of baits I'd rather use. I have used live smelt, many years ago a kind chap gave me a couple from his bucket; he'd caught them from the Thames Estuary the previous day. They were crap. Gave up on me very quickly, but I caught on them later when used as deads.

very interesting. I have caught the odd specimen zander with sea dead while piking, but if i targeted them specifically I'd always opt for freshwater bait.

Also the smelt experience is totally different from the situation here. the continental specialists like luck coppens for example praise smelt any chance they get :D

https://youtu.be/voHaNY-XqHI?t=1m50s

Yes very good bait is a live smelt. On the continent in the early 90's, we used diddy ones on a jig head, inches off the bottom in deep water. Picked up big pike as well.

may I ask where you obtained them? I have been trying to get my hands on live smelt for quite some time

It was early 94 and the guy I was fishing with supplied them. He got them from Rotterdam I believe. They were about 2 inches long, very cucumber aromatic and effective. They are catchable from major tidal esturies .

[Mike J]

There are a few places around where I live smelt can be netted.
Always on a rising ride a few days before a full moon, they seem to be arriving to spawn.
The Bass love em!

Years back you could buy them a 14lb box at a time from certain fishmongers.
If I wanted them now and couldnt net them myself I would do a deal with a wholesaler in Billingsgate.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?client= ... UIvQEoADAY