For years, zander meant deadbaiting for me – the traditional, reliable approach most UK zander anglers still default to. A slow shift toward lure fishing, prompted more by curiosity than dissatisfaction with bait fishing, ended up changing both my results and how much I actually enjoy targeting the species.
The practical catch-rate argument is real: soft plastics and small jerkbaits let me cover far more water in a session than sitting behind static deadbait rods, which matters a great deal for a species that’s often patchily distributed and can require covering significant water to locate. On rivers in particular, working downstream with lures let me search stretches I’d never have fished as thoroughly with static bait.
There’s also a presentation advantage on hard-fished waters. Zander on well-known, pressured venues seem to develop a wariness toward static deadbaits over time in a way that’s harder to develop toward the varied, moving presentation of lure fishing – similar to the boilie-wariness I’ve noticed on pressured carp waters.
I haven’t abandoned deadbaiting entirely – there are still conditions, particularly very cold, low-activity winter days, where a patient static approach still seems to outproduce lure fishing for me. But lure fishing has become my default first approach for zander, and it’s arguably made me enjoy targeting the species more, simply because it keeps me actively engaged with the water rather than waiting for an indicator to move.
Rob Hadley grew up fishing the rivers and drains of the Norfolk Broads, and it was inevitable that pike would become his species of choice. He’s been targeting predators seriously for over 20 years – starting on dead baits, moving through live bait rigs, and eventually landing on lure fishing as his preferred method about eight years ago.
These days he fishes the Broads through winter, travels to Chew Valley Lake each spring for its outsized fish, and spends the warmer months working soft plastics on rivers across the East Midlands for perch and zander. He’s had pike to 31lb and perch to 3lb 9oz, and reckons both records are beatable on the right day with the right set-up.
At The River Bend, Rob writes the predator species guides, lure fishing technique articles, and most of the winter fishing content.
Covers: Pike, perch, zander, lure fishing, winter fishing, predator rigs