Livies or deads for Zander

[Brian Springthorpe]

I had a very frustrating year last season fishing for the Zander on my local stillwater, using livies was a waste of time due to the amount of jacks that took the baits and only schoolies were caught when it was a Zander, another local angler who uses shop bought frozen roach hardly had any bother with jacks and had 7 Zander all into dbl figures with the largest 14.09, Now im usually a firm believer that livies are the way to go for these Zander but i am now considering trying the deadbait approach, anyone else had this sort of thing happen to them?

[ChristopherH]

Both.



However I generally seem to get a better stamp of Zed on deads and most of the really successful Zed anglers I know reckon the same.

[dropped_run]

i prefer deads, i generally use 2 deads/1 live, or 3 deads. less dropped runs on deads in my experience.



i usually decapitate a 6 ounce rudd at the gills for one rod and find that to sort the bigger ones for some reason

[Dave Smith]

I've always done better for Zeds with deads. so much so that I've killed perfectly good livies to use as deads. the only change to that is when I've been hit by schoolies and their taking whatever is thrown at them.



Got a freezer filling nicely with 6oz skimmers. which will hopefully see some action next week.

[spincityfan]

i used deads last season and found the zeds would give a few rattles on the rod tip then drop them. what rigs are you all using? i was fishing a large running lead rig with the rods proped up on alarms.

[Mark Phillips]

Both.



However I generally seem to get a better stamp of Zed on deads and most of the really successful Zed anglers I know reckon the same.

What Chris says... lives (I find) are the better bet in the winter months but the bigger fish seem to favour deads. Hence, I always tend to fish two on lives and one rod on a dead when I'm targetting zeds in winter...

[Stevo]

I prefer lives myself. Has most of my better fish on lives.

Stevo

Ps, good to be here.... :-)

[Dave Smith]

. what rigs are you all using?

Just very basic running rigs, leads on a 6in stem with a ceramic run ring. bead, trace.



Rollovers as indication, either on a BBB or on a stick with front alarms.

[spincityfan]

. what rigs are you all using?

Just very basic running rigs, leads on a 6in stem with a ceramic run ring. bead, trace.



Rollovers as indication, either on a BBB or on a stick with front alarms.

thought about ordering a rollover, they're worth using then?

[kristian]

If, as you've said, that water seems to be fishing better on deads then I'd be using deads... seems simple to me or am I missing something?

[dannytaylor]

. what rigs are you all using?

Just very basic running rigs, leads on a 6in stem with a ceramic run ring. bead, trace.



Rollovers as indication, either on a BBB or on a stick with front alarms.

thought about ordering a rollover, they're worth using then?

Used them for eels this summer will be trying them for pike this winter, very versatile, very impressed with them

[spincityfan]

that looks like a conger!!!

[Carlperkins]

[spincityfan]

are the rollovers good for river fishing? does the flow affect them much? a lot of swims i fish involve casting across a fairly slow flowing river.

[dannytaylor]

Ive not used them on rivers but i imagine its not a problem as there are so many options with RE adjusting the rollovers counterbalancing weights. Just search rollovers and you should come across Barry Mconnell's website, on it there are vids showing all the indicators functions.

[spincityfan]

thanks danny i will check it out

[Dave Smith]

I've used them for about 4 years... but I don't use them for Pike, they're not really designed to show drop backs. BBB's for Pike - no contest.



I've used Rollovers for both Eels (what they're really designed for) and Zeds. 99% of my zedding is done on rivers so as Danny mentioned they often get counterbalanced with upto 2oz of lead, but they work a treat.



I was using light bobbins when I first started zedding, and was having some major problems missing takes. Now I was fishing an area with a lot of small Zeds so in hindsight, the high percentage of missed takes was possibly par for the course (I was missing getting on for 90%). switching to rollovers seriously changed that, and literally turned my ratios on their head...



Rollovers are marketed as resistance free indicators (or as close as dam it) but they actually make it easier for you to manage resistance rather than eliminate it.



give 'em a go, they ain't cheap but they are worth it.

[Jonno]

I think all my double zeds have been caught on Deads, I have caught plenty on livebait's but never had a double on one.

[JohnCostello]

Nearly all of my bigger 'bait' caught zander have been on deads, and like another poster I have even killed lives and used them. I seem to pick up too many jacks on lives. But if boat fishing then my first choice is lures for numbers and sizes.



Oh, and hello to everyone by the way, (my first post)

[Bigbaz]

All of my bigger Zander have been caught on tiny deads, soon as I put a wriggler on I get jacked ??

good to have a sense of freedom on here, its like going to work with no pants on !!

[Mark Phillips]

Nearly all of my bigger 'bait' caught zander have been on deads, and like another poster I have even killed lives and used them. I seem to pick up too many jacks on lives. But if boat fishing then my first choice is lures for numbers and sizes.



Oh, and hello to everyone by the way, (my first post)

I was thinking that too. My biggest zed was to a lure (17.08) and the most I have caught in a day (68) came to lures; I've also had quite a few doubles on lures. Lives? Like I said above, where I fish, winter seems to be the time to use them to best effect.

[merlin]

Personally I wouldnt go fishing without lives. My two bigggest 15.01 and 14.02 both came on lives. deads get too many problems with eels at this time of year.



As for the rollovers, tried em, binned em, completely useless with a decent sized lively!

[Donky123]

I think it depends where your fishing, on the severn deads are loads better!



my largest fish have all come to V.jigs though

[Clarkey1972]

my first line of attack would be lures (jigs as Andy) then lives and deads.



Its true my biggest bait caught fish have all come to deads but i go fishing for numbers and so like a livo out if I am bait fishing. Usually fish one of each and the livo's outfish deads every time.



As Andy says tho depends on the water. This above is true of the trent in my experience.

[davmut]

I had a very frustrating year last season fishing for the Zander on my local stillwater, using livies was a waste of time due to the amount of jacks that took the baits and only schoolies were caught when it was a Zander, another local angler who uses shop bought frozen roach hardly had any bother with jacks and had 7 Zander all into dbl figures with the largest 14.09, Now im usually a firm believer that livies are the way to go for these Zander but i am now considering trying the deadbait approach, anyone else had this sort of thing happen to them?

I just hope we get a bit more time on there this winter mate! We gonna stock the bait freezers up then? can you get any more cheap baits?!