At Last A Gold Zander, Then BAIL!

Thursday November 5th, 16:15 - 17:30. Stratford Town Waters. Cool and dry to start then lashing it down later.

This short session after work began badly. Is it just me or is there a correlation between bad starts and good fishing?

I'd set up my rods the night before in order to minimise the time required to commence fishing. Walking to my chosen spot a treble came loose from its rod wrap and became snagged in the hood lining of my new one piece suit (on it's first field outing!). Whilst contorting to free it I put too much tension on the line and broke the quiver tip on one of my rods. This made me cross with myself on the grounds of slackness. I managed to unhook myself and salvage enough of the rod tip to fish with but I probably lost all the time I'd saved by setting up the night before.

I'd moved down a bit from where Jeff and I fished the other night. I was casting half way.


On the first cast I had a pull on the left hand (broken tipped) rod. I hooked and landed a small Zander about 1-2lbs.


A good start.

Next cast and the same rod gave an indication. I hooked the fish and had it on for maybe ten seconds before it spat the hook. Aaarrrgggh. It felt good.

Remembering what Danny had said about casting back to the same spot I put the rod straight back out.

After another fifteen minutes passed and I had another bite on the crocked rod. I struck and again connected but this time I landed the fish. It weighed 5lb 9ozs! Yes! Gold!

I rang Pete and as he picked up the phone a flock of geese came into land on the river. One flew straight through my right hand line and nearly yanked the rod out of its rest. I reacted quickly as I was standing right by it and saved it from a dunking.

Rate my Zed;


After this fish the rain started to pour and so job done I packed up. I had one more bite whilst on the phone to Pete which I hooked but again lost the fish to a failed hook hold. All bites came to the (broken) left hand rod.

Jeff and Danny - I've devised something as cunning as a Danny's instrument to try and increase hookup stats, and it seems to work!

So. Two hard earned points to me and a lead of twelve points in the competition I have on with my mate Pete. Time to move on to other species quickly before the world freezes over.

Here's the scores;Cheers.