'Feeder' Fishing for Zander.

[LittleRed]

Im gearing up this year to fish various, large, featureless Fenland Drains this year in search of primarily big Zander, And the odd Pike should they obviously pickup the bait. My aim is to walk stretches with a roving kit, Two Rods, Day Shelter for the weather and a net. I'll be looking to spend about an hour in each swim as suggested, Dotting half roach baits all over the place on a blockend feeder rig with chopped up deadbait inside while keeping my rod tip up high and waiting for twitches. I feel like I'm really going to struggle as this is the first time doing this type of fishing and Fenland Zander in the stretches I am to fish are something of a rarity it seems these days, However I've not been able to top a Zander of 8LB and I think this is my best shot of a Zed over 10lb mark.

My kit'll consist of 2x 1.75lb Rods, 2x 5000 Reels, Blockend Feeders (Heavier the better?) with a Large Run Ring with chopped deadbait, With a trace with either halves or full roach. Basically, The setup suggested by the lads over at Korum on Youtube. Again, An hour per swim recasting every 15-20 minutes(?). I'm thinking I might squeeze in a Dropshot / Jig Rod also while my two Dead rods are sitting.

Has anybody done this type of fishing for Zander and do you have any serious advice or tips on bagging a few Zeds, whether that be tips on where to drop baits, adjustments to tackle or even how far to move up the stretch while roving. I'm going to be devoting the whole season to this instead of my usual good sport Pike lure fishing so It'll be a pity to blank each and every time. I'm excited, But equally nervous.

Thank you.

[suffolk si]

I had my first few goes after fenland zeds this year after catching quite a few from the Trent. I found on the fens once you found fish they usually were caught within half hour, also very fresh baits( we were killing our lives to use) far out fished frozen ones. Like all-fishing , location is key imo, just keep jumping 20 yards or so as most of the drains o fished looked completely featureless and fish would be in an area that seemed no different to other ones for me

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Personally I wouldn't bother with the feeder method and this will also lighten the load and agree with, Si in that I would stay very mobile and after a good walk, leapfrog rods every 15-20 minutes (or move swims as you feel) or so back towards the car.

Cheers, Alan

[LittleRed]

Cheers lads.
I know you said location is key but Ive heard numerous reports that Zeds are far and few between in the Drains. Ill be fishing a couple that don't have a high catch rate report.. are the numbers really that low? Should I be expecting a lot of blanks? I would say exactly where Ill be fishing but Im not sure on the rules as to sharing locations and am slightly wary regardless.


Most my fishing for them has been done in smallers Rivers / Creeks that has an AOK number when you find them, But the stamp of fish is on the smaller side, Most 4 or 5 lb.


What bomb sizes would you guys suggest also? Ive got 50g Blockends, But if I decide to follow the above advice Ill have to invest in some Grippers.

[fenland piker]

I would avoid the feeder technique as it has a high probability of attracting the mitten crabs which are a nightmare when deadbaiting, especially at night. Fresh deadbaits and roving until you find the fish. Look for areas that are harder to reach and will get less angling pressure. There are features on some of the Fen waters if you know where to look, it depends what part of the Fens you are thinking?
There are certain areas (without naming venues) that have a better record for the larger zander. But they turn up in areas you wouldn't expect.
Ironically some of my largest zander (9lb+) have been caught in the middle of the day, several on large sea baits intended for pike and one on a really large spinner. A couple were caught in the most unlikely areas for zeds and I can only assume these were fish moving through.

[LittleRed]

Thanks Fenland Piker, Really will think about primarily using ledger methods instead of blockend feeders.
I will be fishing in and around the Kings Lynn and Downham Market area. Mostly KL on waters on the ticket. I would like to venture further out but currently not driving.

[Mark Phillips]

On and off, I've spent over 25 years fishing the fen rivers and drains for zander. The most effective method, apart from lure fishing, is a live bait. Roach, chub, dace are my favs. I tend use a float paternoster or sunk float paternoster on the deeper waters. If you don't or can't use lives, then a freshly killed live is the next best bait, then oddly I know - lamprey, they do like them and I've had quite a few doubles (by accident I guess) when pike fishing on that bait. Sea baits? Yes they catch zander and in fact my biggest from the fens came on a half mackerel, but for numbers of fish I'd stick to fresh coarse baits.

Location is your problem from the bank - there are areas where they seem to like to be and some are not obvious at all. It took me quite some time to find the most productive spots and they never seem to change over the years, which is a good thing. Don't think you have to fish the most remote spots either, some of the better areas are often ones that see a fair few anglers. Zander follow the bream in winter on one of the bigger rivers, so that's one thing you should look for. They are funny old fish mind, some of my best zander sessions have come on the coldest of days - even trolling lures when the river was partly frozen has yielded some red letter days. Talking of lures...

Lure fishing is more effective for numbers - as you can cover so much more water - I haven't got the time to go into detail, but fishing with jigs from the bank is the go to method, but crank baits and spinnerbaits work well too. Town centres with lots of moored boats in winter are a safe bet, else it's a case of covering ground until you find them. Often with school sized fish, you'll get several in a row when you find a pack. I would use lure fishing to locate zander and then go back and bait fish the more productive areas to winkle out the bigger ones. The best method though, trolling lures, end of. It's been a few years since we had the boat on the fens, but my return is imminent (should upset a few folk, LOL)... when conditions were favourable, we'd do well, including plenty of bigger fish. Crank baits always catching the Lion's share of fish or vertical jigging using the current or the trolling motor to cover water.

Good luck for the new season.