Where have the Trent Zander gone?

flightliner

flightliner

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I was thinking of doing some Zander fishing on the Trent over the next few monthes but my friends who fish for them along with others they know are all saying that the rivers Zander have become very difficult to locate, and , compared to last season are well down on numbers.
Anyone with any theories as to why this may be so, or if its true?
 
flightliner

flightliner

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No, I dont think for a minute they have been eaten-- maybe a few on some quite stretch. The reaches of river that have done copious quantities of Zander in recant years are extremely popular with barbel anglers who are in the main presant for long periods and these same stretches are also baliffed quite vigorously, any dodgy anglers fishing here would be given their marching orders if seen.
Its got to be some other reason----- c,mon!
 
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bigsean

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they got sick of being accidentally caught by the barbel anglers who are always there .... so they buggered of somewhere quiet!!! :D
good a theory any lol
 
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dezza

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Earlier this summer, I noticed a number of Eastern European anglers walking up to an area of the Trent where there are a lot of trees.

At a later stage I found the remains of set lines and the heads and tails of what were obviously zander and perch.

Quite recently I was informed that this area is now being watched by EA bailiffs. During the last trip I had there, bailiffs in Land Rovers and dressed in flack jackets were seen speeding up one of the farm roads, perhaps to intercept the Eastern Europeans.

Certainly I have seen no evidence of Eastern Europeans lately. Maybe they have got the message.
 
flightliner

flightliner

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I wondered if it was to do with the unusually low levels the river has been running at this summer/autumn. Some weeks ago a friend of mine was fishing the non tidal section and told me that the river had a definate brown to reddish tinge to it. We both agreed that as a little rain has fallen in the last two days then water from the derwent and to a lesser degree the dove may have transported some peaty water from the derbyshire moorlands into the river. I dont know to much about zander and wondered if they are comfortable in water with a low ph value which ,if thats the case may be or go some way to explaining their absence over the last few monthes.
Any Zander men any ideas?
 
Phil Heaton

Phil Heaton

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Over the past 5 years or so the zander have got progressively bigger and seem to be less in number, I feel that one answer is that due to the pressure that they are now getting they have simply moved to quieter area's.
Also with other species they soon learn to avoid certain baits and will be more wary giving the impression they are not there, when more likely they are just harder to catch.
As for the EU's eating them all, it's most unlikely as there are simply too many and the river is too big for rod and line tactics to impact so severly on them.
Phil
 
flightliner

flightliner

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I have just been told that one of the countries top Zander anglers has been having a really hard time this season on the river-- his total bag of zeds is so small it beggers belief, with results like this for such a lot of work it would be nice to hear of one or two being caught.
 
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