Midlands electrofishing sparks debate over status of ‘non-native’ zander
Debate is raging once again over the status of zander after contractors were criticised for removing and killing the predators in a canal marina.
The Canal & River Trust (CRT) electrofished Diglis Marina on the Birmingham and Worcester Canal in Worcester, leading zander fans to question whether it would have any impact on established populations, whether it was a good use of CRT funds and whether other species caught during the operation were returned alive.
The ‘non-native’ zander are being removed from canals in the Midlands
‘Futile’ culls
“It’s an exercise in futility,” said predator angler John Glover, who believes electrofishing actually boosts zander numbers because it tends to remove larger fish, leaving younger ones to thrive. He said waters which aren’t electrofished balance themselves out, leaving silverfish populations to remain naturally consistent.
Mr Glover, of Tusses Lure Division Angling Club, criticised the sporadic electrofishing of CRT waters as a money-making exercise for contractors. He said:
“It’s counter-productive and it’s not efficient. All it generates is more zander, and these small zander go on the rampage, which is what annoys the match anglers.”
Healthy canals
On stretches of canal run by Tusses Lure Division, where the CRT does not routinely remove zander, Mr Glover said the all-round fishing had never been better. Moreover, he added, a zander-fuelled boom in lure angling was bringing money to the local angling economy.
“The canals are the best I’ve ever known them for coarse fishing,” he said.
“I love roach fishing and I reckon it’s currently the best it’s ever been.
“We’re trying to encourage more matches on our stretches and I think match anglers would be pleasantly surprised. I’ve had 2lb roach out of the Oxford Canal and, in the same spot where we’ve caught half-a-dozen zander in a day, a friend and I have each had 100lb bags of bream in the summer!”
John Ellis, the CRT’s fisheries manager, defended the Worcester cull but said he was happy to have a debate about the way canal zander are treated. He said the fundamental issue was legislation, including the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which makes it illegal to stock or return zander to the water.
“If people want to change the law they should lobby the Environment Agency and Government,” he said.
“Shouting at the CRT is a bit like lobbying the police to change the law on speeding – Parliament changes the laws, not those who enforce them.”
Mr Ellis said fully enclosed stillwaters could legally hold zander and that the CRT would happily donate all its canal-netted zander to such venues for free, but very few waters meet the criteria or have applied for a licence. He said none of the 72 reservoirs under the CRT’s control was classed as fully enclosed.
Electrofishing is used by the CRT to remove zander from canals
Duty under the law
He added that the approach to non-native species had to be consistent, and that anglers couldn’t pick and choose preferred species to remain.
“We can be prosecuted if we allow zander to enter other waters,” he said.
“There’s case law involving the plant Japanese knotweed, where Network Rail was sued when it started growing in people’s gardens.”
Asked whether removing zander had any real impact on their numbers, he said work focused on stopping populations taking hold in previously uncolonised waters and had successfully eradicated zander on stretches of the Trent and Mersey and Sankey (St Helens) Canals. He said:
“Electrofishing catches fish as small as 10cm-15cm, so we’re reducing zander numbers and overall weight. Its overall effectiveness depends on how efficient and regular you are.
“I agree there’s not enough science on this subject, nor the money to undertake the research. The industry collectively needs to sit around a table and work out a future.”
“We can be prosecuted if we allow zander to enter other waters”
Other concerns
Mr Ellis said about 100lb of roach and bream were caught during the cull at Diglis Marina, which cannot be fished, and were taken to a nearby Droitwich Spa AC stretch. Asked why MEM Fisheries, which he founded, was given the electrofishing contract, Mr Ellis said he left the business in 1997 and that an eight-strong procurement panel sat for all CRT tender jobs.
He said most of the CRT’s 250 tenant angling clubs support zander control, but stated he was in favour of a ‘Midlands canal zander zone’ which the trust proposed to the EA in 2015. No decision has yet been reached.
“I wish it was easy to legally create zander fisheries, because I think that’s ultimately the solution,” said Mr Ellis.
“That could include a small Midlands canal zone if people could sign up to reasonable compromises – including zander anglers, the EA, CRT, Natural England and wildlife trusts.”
Speaking as a non-executive director of the Angling Trust, Mr Ellis added:
“I’m sure it’ll come up at future meetings.”
Homemade lure tricks big Trent zander
After a busy week at work, predator angler Andrei Adomnicai was rewarded with this immaculate
15lb 2oz zander from the River Trent.
Fishing in freezing conditions with a high river, the odds were against him, but perseverance paid off.
He told us:
“After an early 6lb pike I fished on through the cold. Suddenly, the lure was hit by what felt like a lorry and my heart started racing. The fish stayed deep, and after a good battle my friend netted a 15lb 2oz zander – caught on a 10cm homemade lure.”
Andrei Adomnicai – 15lb 2oz zander
Topping fish provide location of giant zander
TARGETING a shoal of topping baitfish yielded this menacing 16lb 2oz zander for Martin Hague.
The new PB fell to a small roach deadbait legered in the middle of the tidal River Trent, where he saw the silvers breaking the surface.
Martin said:
“I thought it was a pike at first, but after three good runs and plenty of head-shakes it surfaced for the first time and I saw I’d struck gold.”
Martin Hague and his 16lb 2oz Trent zander
Change of species rewarded with huge zander - Scott Taylor
“AFTER years of pike fishing I decided it was time to target zander, so I joined the Newark and District Piscatorial Federation and planned a day session on the Trent.
“I arrived at the river for 6am and settled into a peg that had a nice flow with a perfect 4ft-5ft-deep hole in the middle for me to place a small roach deadbait. All was quiet until 10.30am, when I had a series of bleeps and taps on the rod, which were nothing like the pike bites I’m used to!
“So I picked it up, set the hook and I was in – my rod bent over and this big zander held bottom before It thrashed its head, trying to shake the trebles. Following a five-minute scrap I got the fish out of the flow and on to the surface. It was clearly a huge zed but I managed to net her first time.
“I’m going to find it hard to beat this 14lb 2oz beauty!”
Scott Taylor – 14lb 2oz zander
"I reckon this could have been a record zander"
A LURE angler has banked what he believes to be a new British record zander – but he’ll never know for sure as he didn’t have any scales to weigh the fish.
Robert Onicala, from Bedford, targeted the Great Ouse for a few hours after his nightshift, and although perch were his intended quarry, something much larger ended up taking his bait.
“I caught several perch in one spot before moving to a new stretch that I’d never fished before,” he said.
“I tried a few casts when all of a sudden something smashed violently into my lure!
“At first I thought it must be a pike, but when it came to the surface I was shocked to see it was a monster zed.”
For the next few adrenalin-fuelled minutes the 30-year-old prayed the huge predator wouldn’t snap his 8lb fluorocarbon leader, but despite a couple of powerful surges, Robert finally netted his prize.
He added:
“It was absolutely massive. I’m so gutted I didn’t have any scales or a measuring tape on me – I reckon this could have been a new British record.
“I’ve shown the picture to my friends and they reckon the fish is a metre long!”
The huge fish fell to a 2.8ins Keitech Swing Fatt lure.
Robert’s giant zander from the Great Ouse
Zander record-holder's brother catches his own river monster
A FIVE-year wait for a new personal-best zander came to an end for David Benfield when he banked a fine 16lb 11oz specimen from the lower reaches of the River Severn.
The Worcestershire all-rounder, who is the brother of British record zander captor James, was targeting a near-bank slack when his roach deadbait was picked up a couple of hours after dark.
The 35-year-old said:
“The zed gave a good account of itself, with several good lunges before I guided her towards the net. It feels great to finally catch a fish of this size, especially after all the stick my brother has given me over the years for being the record-holder!”
David Benfield and his 16lb 11oz River Severn zander
Four year quest for PB zander ends with 16lb-plus giant
A FOUR-year quest to catch a 15lb-plus River Severn zander finally came to an end for Sam Moore when he banked this 16lb 12oz fish.
Last winter the 30-year-old from Herefordshire lost a huge zed at the net and had wanted to even the score ever since. Targeting the margins of his favourite swim with a floatfished roach deadbait during his latest trip, it didn’t take long before he set the hook into something special.
“When it surfaced we were shocked to see the silver flash of a big zander, but my mate Dave quickly scooped it up in the net.
“I’d finally achieved my goal!”
Sam Moore – 16lb 12oz zander
Great start to predator season with a new PB - Joe Atkinson
“My dad and I had our first trip of the predator season to Grafham Water, and began our day fishing an area where we’d had success last year. Targeting perch and zander, we drifted over the zone where an abundance of baitfish was showing up on our boat’s echo sounder.
“I started fishing with 15g jigs around 4ins long, and it didn’t take long before I was into my first fish, a new personal best of 12lb 2oz, beating my previous one that had stood for 20 years! The insane numbers of fry made the fishing challenging, but we added two more zander to 6lb and some small perch. It was a great start to the season.”
Joe Atkinson – 12lb 2oz zander
Best zander on first Trent trip - Paul Faint
“I’ve just returned from my first-ever trip to the tidal River Trent, where I manage to catch a new personal-best zander.
“Fishing a standard running rig with a size 6 hook and a wire trace, I cast out a roach head roughly two rodlengths out from the bank just past the rock line in 5ft of murky water after the tide began to run off.
“Within 20 minutes I had an indication. I struck and hooked into a solid fish. I thought it was a pike, but when it flashed under the surface the nerves kicked in when I saw it was a big zed.
“After a steady battle she graced the net and I knew it was going to be a new PB.
“I did a further night chasing the zander and had a couple of runs but sadly I didn’t connect with anything. It didn’t matter – I was made up with the result on my first trip to a new water.”
Paul Faint and his 11lb 4oz Trent zander
Monster zander falls ounces short of British record
A zander just 2oz short of the current British record has been landed by a lure angler from an undisclosed Midlands river.
The head of the record-shaking predator
The monster 21lb 3oz predator was caught by Kieran Roche, who was left stunned when after a switch to a smaller lure the big fish struck.
Kieran’s Zander is one of the biggest ever caught in the UK
He told Angling Times:
“After spending the morning fishing a Midlands river with large 12cm lures, but getting nothing but delicate touches, I scaled down to a smaller 7cm shad. It proved to be a great switch, as on my very next cast something big hit the lure.
“Instantly I knew it was a good fish, and I shouted to my mates: ‘This is heavy!’ It fought hard for over five minutes and initially I thought it might have been a pike, so when a huge zander surfaced my legs went to jelly! It dived deep and tormented me during the fight, before finally going into the net.
“I don’t normally weigh my fish, but I had to with this one. When the scales spun round to over 20lb I was in dreamland. It’s incredible to think that if this fish had eaten a bigger breakfast, I would have been holding a new British record!
Kieran Roche and his 21lb 3oz zander
“I used an 8ft spinning rod, and a reel loaded with 20lb braid and a 14lb fluorocarbon leader. I landed a few other zander on the session too, but nothing in the same league as this monster!”
The giant fish took a 7cm realisticshad roach
To follow more of Kieran’s lure fishing adventures, be sure to check him out on -
Facebook = @kieranslurefishing
Instagram = @kierans_lure_fishing_
Only bite results in 16lb 5oz zander!
Martin Jauncey couldn’t complain when on a recent session on the River Severn his only bite came from an awesome 16lb 5oz zander.
He told Angling Times:
“Zeds typically love roach deadbaits and I did fish half of one on one rod, but I also legered a lamprey section into the middle of the river on an another.
Lamprey bleed for a long time in the water, so I just thought it’d give me an edge, but they offer something different to what the zander normally see on this river.
Half-way through the session, I realised my plan had worked as I received a single knock on the lamprey rod, which I picked up fast.
I waited for another knock before striking, as I know that zander can drop the bait quickly.
I wanted to make sure it had the bait fully in its mouth.
The fish didn’t run a lot so I knew it wasn’t a pike – It was just like dragging-in a heavy weight as it stayed very deep.
I don’t normally panic in my fishing but it was a rush to get it in the net when It first surfaced!
I’ve caught a number of 15lb-plus zander in the past and my personal best is 20lb 2oz, but for me it never gets old seeing a fish of that size slip into your net.”
"I was desperate to catch that big zander...and did!" - Harry Langley
“I walked up and down my favourite stretch of river for ages without a bite, switching lures every now and then to find the colour that the big zander really wanted.
Eventually I clipped-on a Fox Rage Zander Pro pattern and almost instantly landed a little jack pike. It was a good bit of action, but I was desperate to catch that big zander!
A few casts later I had an aggressive take but the fish didn’t seem too big at the start.
All of a sudden, this huge zed went crazy and gave all she could to shake the hook, but she was soon safe in the net.
It was mission accomplished, with a 12lb 2oz Zed”
Big zander falls on full moon
PEARL-coloured lures fished under a bright full moon is a deadly combination for huge zander according to Tom Watts, who hooked into this 15lb giant during his latest session.
It was the largest of five zeds for the Doncaster, South Yorks angler, who lure fished deep areas of both the tidal and non-tidal Trent in the same evening.
He said:
“The high barometric pressure and a fairly new moon seemed to put the zander on the feed!
“All five gave very aggressive hits but were only really interested in the pearl-coloured lures for some reason”