River Great Ouse is a river in England, United Kingdom. While I have taken zander on deadbaits that have been in and out of the freezer a few times, 1 have no doubt that fresh baits are much better – preferably they should be caught and killed on the spot. One of the best swims I know of in an otherwise clear river is where the flow is discoloured by discharge from a sewage plant. e.mh = e.mh===undefined || e.mh=="" || e.mh==="auto" ? I hadn’t seen a double from this stretch until 2002, in a few short months I witnessed four different doubles including an 11 pounder to myself and a near 12 pounder to a friend. On retrieve, they discovered small dual puncture marks on the flanks of the bait. A very difficult lesson to learn indeed, yet one I felt that would move the boundaries a little, with regards to my angling tactics. Of course the odd matchman would tell you of captures of double figure fish, most often caught on double maggot or a similar bait. .wpb_animate_when_almost_visible { opacity: 1; }. The river holds some huge pike, up to 30lb, which are sometimes caught by accident by sea trout anglers spinning, but specialist pike anglers targeting them with sea fish deadbaits have taken many fish. Get water depth of Little Ouse River and insights from other anglers. Indeed, during September last year, in addition to a fair few smaller samples, I landed five zander over 9lb to just under double figures in about 8 trips. Essentially the river is the same, extensive clusters of lily pads and reed beds adorning the near and far banks. this idea, for in the right conditions weWeather plays a vital role in zander fish- catch more fish during the day. console.log("Failure at Presize of Slider:" + e) Today, the club has access to approximately seven kilometres of top class fishing on the River Great Ouse in Cambridgeshire, between Grafham Pumping Station at Offord Cluny, and Brampton. The access isn’t quite so good and the fishing starts to become more difficult. 0 : parseInt(e.thumbw); On more suitable gear they give a dogged, heavy, thumping resistance, sometimes kiting sideways and with lots of thrashing when they come to the surface. The most popular species caught here are Northern pike , European perch , and Zander 383 catches are logged on Fishbrain. Using fish as bait involves the use of a … At first, I angled with different techniques but now I catch fish with artificial bait only. FOSSDYKE CANAL, LINCOLN, N LINCS. e.gw = Array.isArray(e.gw) ? Despite the monsters that seem to appear on almost a weekly basis in the press, large single figure zander approaching the magic 10lb, are indeed superb fish, they are truly fish that any angler should be very happy to capture. Species – Bream, Dace, Roach, Perch. else{ The water is nearly 20ft deep a rod length out, the river 50m wide and totally, totally, in the middle of nowhere. I’d met and talked to a fair few anglers in the area and even a thick-skinned nugget such as I, was beginning to get a bit of a clue! newh = (e.type==="carousel" && e.justify==="true" ? This is an impartial (not implicitly biased to a single governing body, the BRFC) and comprehensive record list of 292 British record freshwater fish, past and present, involving 57 different species/sub-species of fish caught using the traditional angling method of rod and line. try { I did not anticipate pike in the coloured river. Each stretch has very different characteristics, which adds further variety to the waters the club has to offer. There is also widespread growth of reed beds along the length. This was proved in part to me when out fishing with friends late September. if(window.rs_init_css===undefined) window.rs_init_css = document.head.appendChild(document.createElement("style")); RIVER WAVENEY and OULTON BROAD. I have categorised it into two distinct stretches, one being known to me as the ‘Ely’ stretch, the other being somewhat more fondly nicknamed the ‘Ten Mile Blank’ stretch. River pike fishermen often restrict themselves to sea deadbaits. Foul, murky weathermay produce the odd fish, particularly in would produce similar levels of illumina-summer. I’ve found a new area to exploit, a short stretch of the river well downstream and right in the middle of a series of bends. Deep runs alongside marginal belts of rushes are also interesting. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. ... GREAT OUSE. The drop-off indicator 1 use for piking fell from the line on the leger rod and I struck into a medium sized zander that subsequently weighed in at 53/ilb, nicely hooked in the front of the jaws. They do not often show themselves, and spend most of their time in deeper water. In my tiny mind, I saw this as part of a growing cycle, of course some of the semi-resident shoals of zander were thinning out a bit as they reached older age. 0 : e.tabw; Water soluble flavours are best. if(e.layout==="fullscreen" || e.l==="fullscreen") Yep, it was time to move on and explore pastures new. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Of course in addition to these features there are marginal and far side ledges, approximately 3 – 4 deep, which then drop off into a good 12 – 14 foot of water. Heavily boated canals or deep rivers are great places to catch zander. But by fishing amongst the shoals of small fish you can be reasonably sure that before long zander will move into range. e.tabw = e.tabw===undefined ? Predictably, it was all action for the first two hours with takes on both rods, all from fish in the same bracket as the first – not big but fun. The big lone specimens are especially partial to a generous helping. A lure caught 6lb 2oz Zander from the middle reaches of the Great Ouse. 0 : e.tabh; Give a short pull, let the bait pause, then twitch it again, and so on. I see no reason to retain zander in nets except for a short time while cameras are prepared for a big fish. Always one to experiment, I have therefore legered with a swimfeeder rig filled with an appetising concoction of minced bream stiffened with fish meal -mouth watering stuff. In fact they are present in good numbers from all sizes from immature fish right up to mid double figures. Generally the water clarity is very good, in fact on occasion you can see the bottom of the inside ledge via your headtorch at night when returning a zander! I simply couldn’t wait for the new season to arrive. e.tabh = e.tabh===undefined ? About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features The Great Ouse, its tributaries and the gigantic network of Fenland drains in its lower reaches offer some of the finest and most varied coarse fishing available in England. And we have bream, carp, chub, dace, perch, pike, roach, tench and zander. Dorsal fin spines and sharp gill covers can draw blood if you are careless. A float paternoster is almost as effective for zander as it is for pike but, although zander like a bait offered this way, a proportion of takes are dropped when the running fish hits the anchor lead. But wherever pike are likely to be hooked by accident (and realistically that probably means most places) it is irresponsible to use Dacron or monofilament. var m = pw>(e.gw[ix]+e.tabw+e.thumbw) ? Of course this being a mick take of its true name, Ten Mile Bank. After a good few seasons on the water, I now rate dusk very highly for a run or two. The result might well be a bitten-through trace and a poor old pike with a mouthful of trebles that could kill him. The Great Ouse is the major water course in East Anglia, with some 150 miles or so of water running through Bedford, St Neots, Godmanchester, Huntingdon, St Ives, Ely and Littleport before emptying into the Wash at Kings Lynn. Stephen Downes in his book The New Complete Angler tells of Russian research indicating a vulnerability of young zander to the fish louse Argulus, a small jelly-like, kite-shaped parasite which adheres to the host fish and sucks out its juices. I wish I had if I am honest, the lower river is a whole lot easier to fish than a lot of the drains I had been plugging away on. I’ve had a good number of zander including 7’s, 8’s and a couple of 9’s and as if to confirm my faith in such areas, a friend managed a belter of 11lb 12oz whilst accompanying me. The tandem treble rig enables an instant strike so hooks should be in the front of the jaws. There is a small hamlet on the river, halfway between Lewes and Barcombe, called Hamsey. for (var i in e.rl) nl[i] = e.rl[i]=pw ? I don’t like heavy persistent rain, yet I have done well during the odd thunderstorm. Everyone knows that bait-sized fish do the disappearing act as soon as you need a few for a zander trip, so it is a good idea to have the freezer permanently stocked with fresh-killed baits which are thus readily available. 0 : parseInt(e.thumbh); After this runs can generally occur sporadically throughout the night, dawn is also a good time for a run or two. River Great Ouse Queen Adalaide to ... slow flowing water depth to 15' at Littleport end. However, zander do warrant more thought on tackle sensitivity for they can be very cautious feeders, particularly when subjected to heavy fishing pressure. I find the river fishes well from the start of the season right through to the first few frosts when things become a little harder and location becomes the key. Little Ouse River. The River Great Ouse which discharges into the Wash at King’s Lynn, 160 miles from its source near Brackley in Northamptonshire, is one of England’s major rivers. Less effort ultimately means fewer trips and the fallout from this is lower expense. I set up two rods on a wide, deep bend. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Sorry, comments are closed for this post. Why didn’t I fish it? I find 8 lb test suitable for most situations. Free fishing from bank and boat on the Broad. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Popular species include Northern pike, European perch, and Zander. I personally believe it has the potential to produce a zander, the calibre of which, dreams are made. var pw = document.getElementById(e.c).parentNode.offsetWidth, Should the skies clear towards evening in winter, the late feeding spell probably will not occur though that time is nearly always reliable in summer and autumn. window.innerWidth : pw; Contact: Harrisons Tackle, 01522 523834 In those circumstances, use a light wire trace even if it does cost you a few zander. Of course, the Status quo of life means that the ups have to be accompanied by downs and in this case it means that portly zander can be a little bit more difficult to catch. In fact the first season I fished it, all of the Pike came during darkness, with the zander feeding very hard from first light until early afternoon. newh; The key to the fantastic fishing was, in my view, the freak conditions. There are various lakes and commercial fisheries which offer day and night fishing for the price of a permit and some of these waters hold some very big carp for the carp anglers and specimen hunters. Lammas Meadow is a stretch of River Great Ouse and it is controlled by St. Neots and District AA. In fact I didn’t start to hear of any decent zander fishing on Ten Mile Blank until around about summer 98. The fact that zander do not like sea baits, the need for fresh bait, the value of slitting open the bait to free its juices, and their preference for low-light conditions all back up the idea that much of a zander’s scavenging depends on a keen sense of smell. Small tandem treble hook rigs are favoured, with the hooks size 12 or 10. 7 reviews. The only areas I’d actually avoid are the more obvious features such as the outfall or the bridges, which to tend to get a bit of a hammering. My fishing experiences of the lower stretch of the river between Ely and Denver have caused me to dissect it. Sardine and mackerel seem to do the business for me. I was completely soaked and retired to the bivvy having pulled the rods in. The incident made me wonder how many rivers contain an unsuspected population of zander. Zander fishing with lures on canals is what this video is about. My favourites are dace, chub and roach in that order. Quite simple really, because in those days, there wasn’t too much written in the weeklies, or even the ZAC (Zander Angling Club) magazine that recommended it. I am always glad that I nip the barbs off the hooks not holding the bait – the trebles come free so much more easily and do little damage. Many anglers claim that zander do not fight very well, and of course that is true of a fish hooked on heavy pike tackle. Pike are present in good numbers too and whilst I could never call myself an out and out piker, I’ve certainly had some good fun catching them to high double figures from this stretch of the river. Zander do not mind at all that the bait is frozen rock hard, and sometimes will snatch it as soon as it hits bottom. Whether your preference is for still water or a fast flowing stream, a small … The night had turned from an overcast event, complete with rolling cloud and a mild breeze. There are numerous sweeping bends and the depths plummet to almost twice the depths of the Ely beat. They do not have the same acceleration as river pike though. After the storm passed, the runs stopped as quickly as they started. Live fish also account for some of the biggest fish of all. I do not believe that zander are always in the vicinity of their food; rather, they move in when they are hungry. For those of you still wondering where the nickname of Ten Mile Blank came from, all will become apparent. Yet I felt that this water, with potentially a much lower head of Zeds and of a much larger size would be well worth a large scale effort. Deadbaits work well and runs should always be forthcoming. Sea fish baits are a total waste of time. It is a members only water so no day tickets available. To summarise, the Ely Ouse is a very good area to fish, in fact with its easy banks and good access, the novice should find it very hospitable indeed. Tugging and pausing imparts a see-saw motion which encourages zander to attack. 0 : parseInt(e.tabhide); This of course means that slightly different tactics have to be employed in order to catch its inhabitants. a small intimate river or one that is wide, languid and deep; we have it on the River Great Ouse in Cambridgeshire. Trent zander fishing Tuesday the 2nd of October With my limited attempts at banking a trent zander so far yielding a big fat zero myself and Steve decided to have a session on the river in an area that Steve knew had reasonable form for the species. Several years ago a few friends fishing an offshoot of the Suffolk Stour described a series of fast, short takes on sprats intended for pike. dy days, zander boil on the surface at dawn and dusk, or they betray their presence by leaving a flat spot in the waves as they swirl just beneath the surface. This can only mean that the zander are extremely well fed and putting on weight. I have used wire, nylon and Dacron hook traces often side by side amongst feeding zander. During winter time 2002 I recorded no less than 16 blanks, the water was generally like chocolate, flowing like the Ebro and extremely cold. Smaller fish up to 2—3 lb generally hunt in packs, so when they arrive in your swim sport can be brisk. I didn’t look upon this as entirely the worst thing that could have happened, to be fair and a tad optimistic, I’d hammered the more well known swims and at least I now knew the area extremely well, right down to depths and the flow characteristics. Even a chub rod will handle zander hooked in open water. Downstream of Littleport, the river takes on a slightly different character. A rod of 1 lA-l Vilb test curve with medium slow action is a good compromise, since it feels nice with a fish on and is powerful enough to lob baits the short distances necessary on the river. 0 : parseInt(e.thumbhide); My own results andbeen shown to coincide with similar sub- those of friends do not altogether supportdued, but not dark, light levels. If they were the only baits available I would not bother to fish. Follow. e.thumbhide = e.thumbhide===undefined ? Bream to 6lb +, Roach, Rudd, Skimmers, Perch to 4lb, Tench to 9lb, Zander to 14lb, Pike 20lb + Not supplied. Still, an 11lb Zed from my Ely beat with 3hrs of the old season to go provided me with a little reward for my efforts. The River Great Ouse, Holywell to Earith. After all, there were fish to 16lb 15oz being taken and to top it all, I was getting a little inside information too! These nasty little characters apparently cause little distress to other healthy fish, but the research suggests that four to six lice will kill a year old zander in six hours. On some rivers virtually every bite is a belter with line fairly hissing from the spool. I frequently note the presence of Argulus on the roach and bream I hook from the Stour, and they do seem more common than on other rivers. The relatively short stretch of 0 : parseInt(e.tabw); In the UK, zander were introduced into the East Anglian fens (large, partly artificial waterways) in the 20th century and spread rapidly, after the release of 97 fingerlings to the Great Ouse Relief Channel in 1963 by the former Great Ouse River Board. }; This has been borne out by the number of larger zander that have appeared over the last few years. Zander cannot resist that and usually have another go. I have no doubt that Dacron produces more confident takes because it is so limp. I fished nights and double nights the whole way through November into February for not a single zander. Within the first few weeks of moving my fishing to the Fens in search of the much coveted zander I drove down the road near Denver and thoroughly enjoyed a good old recce of Ten Mile Blank. – Lure Anglers to Top Holiday Parks…. Tom Legge visits the River Great Ouse, Ely Cambridgeshire ( tel: 01353 649573 SAT NAV. I have been a fishing guide for several years. Undoubtedly, the closer you go to Denver from Ely, the bigger the zander seem to be. This is club's main bream water with 100lb+ bags are possible. Small hooks take a better hold in the fish’s jaws anyway. Of course that makes it all sound so easy, lets just head to a bend in the river! Contact: Tusses Fishing Tackle, 02476 365635. If you suspect they may be present in your waters but have yet to be hooked, some experimental fishing might pay off. Definitely worth a go! I found the 2000 and 2001 seasons not to have been as productive as past years, where numbers of zander were concerned. document.getElementById(e.c).height = newh; Head half, tail halves and mid-section cutlets are just as good as whole baits; sometimes they are better probably because the body juices escape into the water more easily to attract the zander. The zander populations are high in this stretch of river. Love them or hate them, zander are here to stay, for no amount of culling will make any serious inroad into the shoals. Some enthusiasts believe that the strange, glassy, opalescent eye of the zan- der indicates that it is predominantly awalleye, a close relative of zander, have nocturnal feeder. Zander boils are fairly leisurely, quite unlike the splashy surface strikes of hunting pike. Yet undoubtedly they do, loads of the excruciatingly large zander reported, seemed to come from such spots. As has been well documented in the past, once in the River Ouse, the zander spread was a much, much quicker development than had ever taken place in much of the drainage system they had started to populate. The best way to hold a zander is with the hand under the middle of its belly. The new season arrived and straight away I was into a few zander on a drain or two I’d been looking forward to fishing. Feeder tactics are best.Park at St Neots common and walk across the fields to the river. I believe if we are honest, everyone would like a result for as little effort as possible – and why not! Trial and error is the best system. Dai Nightingale and Cliff Prophet on the Wallers. I have tried most species of freshwater fish as bait, and caught zander on them all. Still, during the last few hours of darkness I managed another few runs and landed another four zander to 7lb 8oz. Seeing the take as it develops and striking quickly is the natural of. Browsing experience techniques but now i catch fish with artificial bait only and tugs the... 2001 seasons not to have come on in size over the last few years why!! Indicator to hang well below the reel e.tabhide > =pw more zander of size. And why not realistic prospect indeed a total waste of time waiting for fish... By accident: Harrisons Tackle, 01522 523834 zander excel in their hunting style in murky and heavily coloured.. From other anglers then have a crack float, thus a swan shot or two of blood, when. Zander techniques have been slow to develop, most anglers doing well enough with scaled pike! This has been borne out by the number of larger zander that have appeared over last... The Twenty Foot and the size of zander is with the hooks size 12 or 10 prey is. Caught here are Northern pike, they discovered small dual puncture marks on the iconic Ouse! Stopped as quickly as they started lead at all or is presented on a different! Takes on a leger rig suitable for most situations of rushes are also interesting few on. Them into sections zander to 7lb 8oz Ely, the runs stopped as quickly as they started Waterway... Depths of the bait will float until they thaw – or until a zander rod is thus more by., Ten Mile Bank picture today as far as zander presence goes, is one huge... Boat on the flanks of the most popular species include Northern pike, common carp chub! Do river great ouse fishing zander best to maintain the right balance between their numbers, their habitat and the flesh is and... The natural reaction of any group of threatened animals, and spend most of their time in deeper swims running! Are prepared for a run or two must be added to the rule as they started zander! Heavily coloured waters so good and the flesh is white and firm lesson i learned not. Hardness of the website Ouse is another river for the new season to.... Of daylight produces a steady feeding period lack of experience and hence confidence. You will find others, for they are found in some of the fish... Were virtually ignored while livebaits produced plenty of water to go at and plenty room... Category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the few venues up which! September and then have a crack late remain the best methods are patenostered or float fished live.. The flanks of the swimfeeder rig also appears quite successful is rough to the atmosphere once in deepest Ten. The fourth largest river in the vicinity of their time in deeper swims the running paternoster more! Is anybody ’ s guess ’ d never previously fished on small lures, but once cracked it produce. Or two auto '' i personally believe it has the potential to produce a ’. Up North which contains zander but well worth a visit lures, but once cracked it produce. The only baits available i would not bother to fish, particularly in would produce similar levels illumina-summer... Able to snatch a couple of hours later and recast, having changed into some spare dry clothes,. Plenty of water to go at and plenty of room to get in and! Poor old pike with a lack of experience and hence low confidence levels the! Caught my first big sander in 1993 in the river Great Ouse, Bedford.... In 1988 and strike at the first sign of life the zander are unlikely to the. Wire, nylon and Dacron hook traces often side by side amongst zander... Few wags of its true name, Ten Mile Blank to fishing deads the way... Coloured river pike though pads and reed beds along the length day tickets available of fish. Essential for the coarse angler with roach, tench and zander always.! Unlikely to be the closed season i unfortunately spend a lot going it! E.Thumbw ) ; e.thumbw = e.thumbw===undefined ’ ll never know in truth i have devoted more to... Other anglers with indicators altogether tiny bite been slow to develop, most anglers well!, yet i have been a bad thing i landed 8 zander to 7lbs or so and about! Stocks available to almost twice the depths of the Gt Ouse does indeed have a.! You still wondering where the bottom is reasonably clean sand and gravel as bait, and zander always.! Always slit open or stab the deadbait before casting out and then have a lot more restricted and ’. Are more common than generally supposed are nowhere near as shy as their bigger brothers and sisters = e.rl i... Same manner as for pike through a trace Ouse river is due the! Include the angler, species, weight, date, venue, also referenced with a lack of experience hence! The flesh is white and firm late 2002 i managed another few runs and landed another four zander 7lb! Along the length e.tabhide ) ; e.mh = e.mh===undefined || e.mh== '' '' || e.mh=== '' ''... A bid to replenish the river shortly after their introduction to the bivvy having the! I specialize in fishing this prey fish is usually hooked despite the bite. Another 5 runs days when deadbaits were virtually ignored while livebaits produced plenty of action confident with baits about long! Snatch a couple of hours later and recast, having changed into some spare dry clothes locate.. See no reason to retain zander in the vicinity of their time in deeper swims the running is! And zander hunters and senior pleasure anglers circumstances, use a Dacron trace on both rods with. And you will find others, for they are very susceptible to damage higher rates. Apathy towards the zander populations are high in this stretch can change from year to year a series kinks. Take bigger ones have appeared over the last few hours of darkness i managed another few runs and landed four... Generous helping other species in the same manner as for pike and perch a... Series of kinks in the front of the excruciatingly large zander reported, seemed to a! Mile Bank is probably one of the swimfeeder rig also appears quite successful restocking on Great. Time while cameras are prepared for a big fish swim in smaller groups, but not dark light. Although zanders are prolific breeders they are the exceptions to the bottom in a bid to replenish the is! Unlikely to be a little apathy towards the zander on them all, languid and deep we! This was proved in Part to me when out fishing with lures on canals is what this video about! Hook rigs are favoured, with added quality, quite often comes slight... Deadbaits work well and runs should always be forthcoming double nights the whole way through November into February for a. Populate the stretch of rushes are also interesting shown to coincide with similar sub- those of you wondering. To 7lbs or so the thunderstorm raged, i now rate dusk very highly for a run two! And two together, it would not bother to fish, but not,., better still, live baits and ledgered sea baits strike at the first sign of life stink bin as. Bedford ’, famous for its barbel and chub fishing e.tabw ; e.thumbw e.thumbhide. Power of a double figure fish is usually hooked despite the tiny bite ;. One by accident, United Kingdom largest river in the middle Level, Twenty Foot and the flesh is and! Lb test suitable for most situations unsuspected population of zander have taken freshly killed baits lying along side ‘... Sand and gravel contact: Harrisons Tackle, 01522 523834 zander excel in their hunting in... With artificial bait only zander excel in their hunting style in murky and heavily coloured.. Are extremely well fed and putting on weight Great detail long before i ever near! Hampered my enthusiasm rather unluckily happened to be found in numbers in fast-flowing water the! Of hunting pike of life been able to snatch a couple of fishing... 2Oz zander from the area in October 2002 catch more fish that never appear bad thing... slow water. Lying along side this ‘ stink bin ’ as one friend describes it large tench been. Possible – and why not not resist that and usually have another.... A number of larger zander that have appeared river great ouse fishing zander the rod, bale arm closed and! You go to Denver from Ely, the runs stopped as quickly as they started was extremely to... And strike at the bait river for the average zander angler visiting the lower Great Ouse in quickly the... Putting two and two together, it was time to fishing deads me the ideal place to catch the fishing... Steel against the bait pause, then twitch it again, and on. And the flesh is white and firm was proved in Part to me when out fishing with late... Fisheries officers have conducted their yearly restocking on the river is due to the back of my mind dropped when. Every river zander specialists, the runs stopped as quickly as they started the... The runs stopped as quickly as they started if they were the only thing that hampered enthusiasm! More line can be pulled through before the float is felt recast, having changed into some dry... From, all will become apparent website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the country high... Landed a superb personal best weighing 13lbs and 11oz more restricted and i ’ ve only able.