How I Wish It Was A Zander!

Tuesday 3rd November, 16:30 - 20:00. LAA Stratford Town Waters with Jeff. Cold Wind dropping to leave clear skies. River remains pretty low and clear despite the recent rain.

Pete caught a Barbel of 10lb 3oz from the Avon last night. That earns him a point in the competition and draws him to within ten points of my score.
It's looking increasingly likely that the points I currently have will see me through to the end of the year. Scope for improvement is deteriorating like the light and temperature.

My trip to Stratford with Jeff was two pronged; one rod for Zander and one for Roach. Jeff fished all out for Roach, a species which I rate him ahead of me in terms of understanding how to catch.


Dark descended quickly, leaving me only just enough time to find a place to cast which was weed free and tune my feeder rig to stop my hooklength wrapping round my mainline on the cast. I used a 'boom' of 12lb mono below the feeder then a short 4lb hooklength proper. I fished liquidised bread and hemp in the feeder with flake on a 14 hook.

Jeff had a nice Roach of around 8-10oz soon after starting and while I was faffing about. A good start.

I had at least two pluckings on the Zander rod, one of which was sustained for ten seconds or more but I struck into thin air on both occasions.

After dusk things went decidedly quiet and the temperature dropped rapidly. We'd had a flurry of early bites and promise of Roach which simply dropped away as the light faded.

My next indication on the Zander rod resulted in a twelve and a half pound Pike. As per usual I pierced my thumb on one of it's teeth which bled for over forty five minutes. This got right in the way of me eating my sandwiches but added a nice touch of colour to every pinch of bead flake I put on the hook thereafter.
I tried to will this Pike to turn into a Zander using the ancient art of cross-eyed magic. The Pike was unimpressed and tried to bite my face:

Despite the daft photos the fish was respectfully returned to the water with only a nick in it's jaw for it's troubles.

Jeff had three more Bream (I think) and I had one of about four pounds.


After the bite from the Pike the Zander rod remained still and I had no more fish on the feeder.

Cheers.