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Back to Academy searchAndy Black
A passionate predator angler, Andy travels all around the UK for his predator fishing fix. He can often be found Jigging for Zander on tidal Rivers, ledgering for Pike on the Fens, or even chucking Pike flies on the reservoirs.
An accomplished writer, with a diploma and a BSc degree in Fisheries Science, Andy is a regular contributor to various coarse and predator fishing magazines including Angler's Mail and Pike and Predators.
Andy's Current PB's
Pike: 29.15lb
Perch: 4.8lb
Zander: 18.08lb
Eel: 7.02lb
Catfish (English): 31.00lb
Zander
"The last few days of the season are always a hectic time for me as it normally coincides with an increased work load, and the choice of targeting river Pike or Zander when they are at their largest.
"I had already had a good Pike season, so I thought I would spend the final few days after some large river Zeds. I'd had a good catch the week before on the tidal river with fish to 14lb 4oz from the bank however, I had a last minute change of tactics for the last session of the season. I had really hoped to take my boat down to a stretch on the tidal river, but after looking at my tide book, I opted not to fish there, as the tides were so big over that weekend that it would have been dangerous, so I fished further up the river, on another section that I'd had a few good fish from before.
"Due to work commitments, I didn't manage to get out as early as I would have liked, but when I finally arrived it was a lovely bright sunny day.
"Some would say that it would have been the worst possible conditions for Zander, as they are often considered to be nocturnal hunters, A lot of people believe this and think they are only worth fishing for after dark, but on the Severn I find that fishing in the day is much better, and some times the nights are a waste of time, unless the river is low and clear, so I was quite confident of catching something..
"I dropped in and anchored up at a nice looking swim with a large sunken tree to fish to, and had only been fishing for 10 minutes before I had a tap on my rod tip, but it didn't materialise into anything.
"I like to simply ledger when fishing for Zander from the boat, no floats or anything that may put them off, I just watch the rod tips for bites. Zander bites can be quite subtle, just a quick knock on the rod, and you have to hit them straight away. I use the Greys Prowla Platinum Boat Rod for all my boat fishing and find this to have a sensitive enough tip for this type of work.
"I re-baited with another Roach with the head cut off, and re filled my swim feeder with chop, then, almost as soon as the bait hit the bottom something hit it and it was away, and I knew straight away it was a lump, as when I put some pressure on it, it started swimming up river against the current, which normally is a sign of a good fish.
The fish was tempted on a small 4 inch Roach dead bait presented on size 6 Prowla trebles and Prowla 49 strand wire, and fished with a large swim feeder of chopped fish.
"The fish fought really hard, and to be honest I think I was very lucky to land it, as when it finally popped up at the back of the boat, it was only just hooked on one hook point, right on its beak, and I was praying it wouldn't flip and rid the hook before I netted it, as I could see it was big fish. I didn't know how big until I got it on the scales, and it yanked them past 18 for a final weight of 18lb 02oz, a new river best for me.
"The fish was huge and fat with spawn, but it also had a massive frame, and would have easily been at least 15lbs if it didn't have any spawn, I can easily see this fish going over the record if it is caught next season.
"My personal best Zed is 18lb 8oz which came from Grafham Water, and I have since been told that I'm the first person to have caught 18lb + Zander from two different waters, which just goes to show how rare Zander of this size are in the UK."
February Zander Tactics
"From now until the last couple of weeks of the river season is the best time of year to target really big Zander. Every year big fish are caught around this time and it's because Zander spawn later than Pike and are still actively feeding while they move to their spawning grounds.
"Jigs and drop shots can be good at this time of year. I like to use them to initially find the areas that are holding Zander. However, some of the larger fish will be less inclined to take a jig if it's moving too fast, so it's important to slow the movement right down. Also, don't be afraid to use quite large jigs - I like to use 5 to 6 inches at this time of year. Remember that you are looking to target large fish, not pick up lots of schoolies. With big jigs like this you may have to use heavy jig heads, especially if the river is flowing hard, which is typical at this time of year.
"Another method that is very good at this time of year is to fish a dead bait on a fire-ball jig. This has an advantage in that it's not a lump of rubber on the hook, but a real fish, that smells and tastes attractive to the Zander. I like this method as it works well even without imparting too much movement to the bait, so you can keep the bait hanging right in the Zander's strike zone for a long time. It's important to use nice fresh coarse fish baits when fire-balling and again, don't be afraid to use baits in the 6 to 8 inch size range.
"My set up for fire-balling is slightly different then my Jigging set up. I prefer to use the Prowla Heavy Drop Shot Rod for this method. I like this rod as it's got a sensitive tip to see the bites, but has more power down the blank that is needed to set the hooks. I use a small fixed spool reel loaded with 10lb braid. This may seem quite light but a low diameter is required to prevent the bait dragging around too much in the current. Plus in effect you are fishing more or less over the bait so any fish caught are pulled up and away from snags on the bottom. A wire trace is needed in case a Pike comes along, but it's important to be flexible so as not to impair the movement of the bait. I use the Prowla 49 Strand Wire for this as it's nice and supple."
