Predator ace banks 17lb 2oz zander on lure

Professional fishing guide Gary Palmer has continued his superb run of form this winter by landing a monster 17lb 2oz zander from a stretch of the Gloucester Canal.

It was the climax to a successful spell of guiding and lure fishing for Gary, which started with a pair of doubles with Dursley angler Matt Hindle. The fish weighed 10lb and 14lb, respectively, and were caught on long-range drop shotting tactics.

Returning to the area the following Monday, Gary then encountered the giant zed.

The Gloucester lure ace said: “After 20 minutes, and with the light starting to go, I tried a couple of faster retrieves with the lure about 12ins off the bottom. This resulted in a zander of around 6lb.

“I changed lures again, cast out and waited for it to settle. I tried a nice steady retrieve about 12ins off the bottom – a couple of turns later it went wallop.”

The big canal zander fell to a 14cm Westin Shad Teez lure on a Trokar Pro V tungsten 5/0 jig head rigged with a Trokar Stinger.