This was my first overnight zander session of the year for me. Also had a go after the roach,bream and tench during the day as well.
When we turned up very early on Saturday, the conditions seemed perfect. Tench and bream rolling everywhere and plenty of silver fish topping. I setup a quiver tip, and had bites from the off. Loads of perch, and the odd roach, then the action just stopped and stayed like this right through until early evening. I also had a pike rod out, and this had no interest all day, no matter where I cast it.
Anyway during the last couple of hours of light, the fish came back on the feed. A few more perch and a couple of roach, then it was time for the zander rods to go out.
Again very quite, until the early hours of the morning, when my right hand rod started to spring into life. This was cast out to the far shelf.
My alarm was just happily giving out the odd beep at first, then they became more regular. Typical finicky zander bites.
I lifted the rod and struck into the fish. It definitely felt like a zander, as could feel the characteristic head shakes, when I was fighting the fish. Then there was a nice splash on the surface, and my mate just caught site of a silver looking fish and those eyes in his headlight. It then crossed my other rod and bolted, snapping my 15ib line. I am thinking it most likely caused by a mussel bed, and a slightly tighter than normal clutch. Arggghhh!
Anyway I uttered a few swear words and sulked back in the bivvy. To top it off I had no more action for the rest of the night either.
To this day, I am convinced it was a large zander, but may also of been a nice pike. On this occasion I was beaten by the Middle Level . However I am already planning my return very soon.
Despite the fishing being hard, I loved every minute being out there.
As for methods, I was just using a standard sliding leger on a stem with roach dead baits for the predators, and a cage feeder setup on the quiver tip.