kevtaylor

Well after 2 winters talking about zander fishing on Rutland we finally did it with just a week to go before close season. It was a very calm day which was good as it was my first time in a boat over very deep water, but you soon forget any nerves once the rods are out. For the first few hours we tried the vertical jigs, but with almost no drift it seemed a dead loss and I started feeling the cold and a bit like captain noddy! Late morning we travelled round a corner to a slight bay and tried the pike lures and vertical jigs again, no joy. We ate lunch then had another go before heading back to the initial area for the final couple of hours. This next go over the central ground was different as we had a light breeze and slight tow and straight away you knew that you had better presentation. On our 2nd drift I got a bang on the vertical jig whilst looking the other way, I couldn't believe it, then another bang so I hit it and slowly pulled it up, felt like a pike or decent zander and I was made up when a 5-6lb Zed hit the surface - that's a first for me! On the next drift my mate had a bang on his sleeper rod, then another and he lifted into another Zed, this one went 7 1/2 and was a PB - so a great day overall, brilliant to catch on a method you've not done before - can't wait to go again next year.

Is dad cooking breakfast?

Autumn morning vibes:

We are all different, you'd have to pay me to use a Daiwa

A friend of mine bought some expensive new shimmys with the latest QD Drag system. Awful - truly awful, there is no-where near enough adjustment between drag clicks, it goes from mid baitrunner to tight clutch with nothing inbetween, so you'd have to use your finger on the spool coz the setting just aint there - stupid idea gone too far IMO. My spod and marker are shimmy's with a QD but they have the small inner wheel for fine adjustment - so much better, best of both worlds

Yes mate, I imagine I'd only use it for a quick depth check for zigs on an overnighter but on a week session well worth having a proper go. My mate borrowed one for a foreign trip and found a little hump off to the right where you wouldn't have naturally chosen in the swim, it turned the week around massively. Generally I prefer to lead about with small leads to minimise disturbance, I always feel like I am decimating the swim with the marker, so I like the idea of the deeper overall.

Very true I have nothing whatsoever against Korda - great company and Danny seems a lovely guy trying to do the right thing. My issue is purely the technology and what I see as a shortcut to success. There have been recent posts from Nash on Instagram where a particular fish was caught directly as a result of drone footage. Yes it makes good telly so to speak but that doesn't mean I would appreciate it next to me buzzing round lol Where's the shotgun?

From what I've watched of the new Korda 7 there seems to be an awful lot of drone use for fish finding. Really don't want to see these damn things flying over the lakes I fish, highly annoying and IMO not angling in any way, cheating! For me a big part of fishing is not knowing exactly what features are out there and where the fish may be, its the art of working it out for yourself - for me anyway, I don't want or need shortcuts to success.

I borrowed my mates large gas bivvy heater, yes it was nice having the option to warm the shelter up or warm your hands after you've been outside, at the time it feels epic tbh BUT it is dangerous no doubt, can you say that you will deffo turn it off before dropping off to sleep - it's a real concern. Many years ago a guy told me that he was only alive because his mate decided to check on him at 2am, he was completely blue and non breathing (fell asleep with the stove on for warmth), his mate dragged him outside and resuscitated the lucky so and so. All in all I'd say the guys above are correct, get better clothing and sleeping bag etc. If you're going to use a heater use it in the day and switch off long before you get in bed!

Very true - god i'm so carpy!

I know the odd one has come out the mill Jan/Feb but its like a miracle not the norm lol I was in Oak in January and in the night the wind swung from West to East, as soon as that happened I got a load of liners one after the other. Speaking to a guy who moved into West End Point, he got a load of liners 20 mins after me, so they were plenty still moving about and reacting to conditions. I think that 20ft depth thing on the Mill tallies up with the slow start on other waters nearby - such as Kingy, its a good 4 - 6 weeks behind neighbouring waters for the spring switch on. The Heron and Island fish OK right through don't they as does Beedles in Leics, but thats Syndi now.

They will have been pre-occupied on naturals through Oct - Nov on a typical gravel pit no doubt as the weed drops and the bugs end up congregated in the silt troughs, frustrating to the max. Good advice so far - try those zigs for sure 👍

Whilst this isn't aimed at the original poster, it is definitely worth choosing the venue most carefully for winter. The only water I've happily fished right through and caught from regularly was a shallow pit 6ft max. Like snowmanstevo has said 11:00 - 15:00 was bite time bang on, so I'd fish days only arriving mid morning, back home by 4pm. It was a 25+ acre lake and the fish grouped in the central couple of acres in amongst the flocks of wildfowl, careful observation and you'd see head and shouldering just behind or in the flock itself. I had 3 in 20 mins whilst trying to tell a guy that it was usually difficult, he must have thought I was trying to put him off. Winter felt like the best time to be there tbh. The deeper gravel pits where you've got good depth to say 20ft the fish are much harder to catch and the fishing starts a good month later in spring than other shallower pits, that's just my observation anyway. IMO you want to be focusing on the West bank initially as it gets the first sun, also reed beds as said previously. This shallow water advice relates directly to the zigs advice for deeper water I guess.

Thanks mate - giving Rutland a go - proper noddy business!