Lure Blog #9

OCTOBER BLOG

October is a pivotal time in my predator season I’m torn between several reservoirs across the midlands and the east of England. Having stayed fishing locally for the past few of months I’m now itching to get busy catching Perch and Zander.

ZANDER

At last James Gardner and I are back on Rutland Water in Leicestershire [LE15 8HD] doing what we love, jigging for Zander.

The new season opened with the inaugural ‘Zandermaster’ competition. This new event was won by my good friend and local angling guide Rikki Cooper. I feel really proud of Rikki, it was only three short years ago when we shared a boat on Bewl Water when he caught his first Pike and Trout on lures. Rikki is a quick learner and very competitive too so it was no surprise when he did so well in the ‘Zandermaster’ event.

Rikki Cooper ‘Zandermaster’ champion

So back to our three day trip, well it was a lot tougher than we had expected, we caught steadily for the first two hours but then the bites stopped. Although the season had been open a couple of days before our visit we didn’t believe the Zanders reluctance to bite was due to too much angling pressure. The cold North Westerly wind and cold night time temperatures were we suspected more likely to be the reason for the lack of action. We had to adjust our jigging action, calming down our “snap jigging” action somewhat and hanging our shads a lot longer. These small technical changes saw a succession of Zander gracing our boat over the duration of the trip, we managed to catch good numbers of Zander, several fish over 6lb up to 8lb which is good for Rutland. It’s been said that Zander are the “thinking anglers” fish because of the many variables that can influence your success rate. This fact alone is the reason why James and I keep returning season after season, every year we learn another little trick that puts a few more fish in our boat. So for the next few months I’ll be trekking up the M11 to Rutland Water and Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire [PE28 0BX] to get our Zander fix.

Andy with a large Rutland Zander

It’s a pity Bewl Water hasn’t got any Zander, I don’t expect the Environment Agency would allow their introduction? Bewl has lots of deep water, steep drop offs and other features that Zander would find to their liking. I can imagine they would be popular with anglers, nothing excites as much as something new to fish for with new methods to learn. There are only two reservoirs in England that currently contain Zander, with the increasing interest in lure fishing and boat fishing in particular the potential introduction of Zander would generate a large new income stream.

Makes you think doesn’t it?

Delalande Fury Shad

The tackle we use.

A short 6’ – 6’6” stiff jigging rod paired with a 2500 Shimano reel loaded with ultra thin [0.10mm] or thinner “smooth” braid. The lures we use vary in shapes, sizes and colours but almost all are “soft plastic” loaded on heavy 30g, 40g & 50g jig heads.

Time for Pike!

As the water cools through the autumn Pike start actively hunting again. I like to use lures that trigger fish with their erratic action. So now’s the time to break out the Jerkbaits!

Jerkbaits have rather been forgotten with all the hype surrounding soft plastics in recent years but make no mistake their stop, pause, start, swing and gliding action drives Pike mad. I’ll can thoroughly recommend Strike Pros Buster Jerks and Belly Busters they are both easy to use and sink very slowly suspending giving that all important “hang time” between jerks.

Strike Pro Buster Jerkbaits

To impart action into jerkbaits requires a short powerful multiplier rod loaded with heavy non-stretch braid [50-80lb]. I use a solid trace which not only prevents tangles but also exaggerates the swinging action that many of the most successful jerkbaits possess.

The mesmerising swimming action is created with short downward strokes of the rod. Point your rod towards the lure while holding it at waist height make a short downward stroke stopping just short of the water’s surface. This action should be repeated while slowly winding the line in, get in the habit of pausing between jerks, this is critical, because the “hang time” is when most takes will occur.

Tools of the trade.

When targeting Pike with these lures it’s important to carry the right tools to deal with un-hooking fish. Jerkbaits are armed with heavy gauge hooks so forceps aren’t strong enough to prise them out you’ll need some long nose pliers and while you’re at it get a pair of heavy duty hook cutters to deal with any deep seated hooks too.

At first this style of lure fishing seems rather crude but given time and lots of practice and you’ll find as with every method that you can tone down the brash bells and whistles approach into a much more subtle smooth dancing action which transforms lethargic Pike into brutal killers!

Tight lines, have fun
Andy Lush

Andy owns The Friendly Fisherman in Tunbridge Wells [TN1 2PS], his shop as you would expect is full of everything a “lure angler” will need. Andy is available to offer advice on all things lure and fly fishing related.