Trent zander Two for over 30lb!
Two fish for over 30lb from Trent, hot on the heels of 32lb pike
THIS is believed to be the biggest pair of zander ever caught from a river. The fish weighed 15lb 11oz and 14lb 7oz, and were banked by Ian Wilson when he targeted a stretch of his beloved River Trent.
Both came in an action-packed 15-minute spell. The smaller of the two predators was the first to take a legered lamprey, followed by the 15lb-pounder that fell to a roach deadbait.
And the excitement didn’t end there. As darkness was falling the Worksop, Notts-based specialist slipped the net under a third zander weighing 11lb 4oz as he was packing up.
“I was in a swim that I hadn’t fished for a couple of years, but I just had a hunch that it could produce the goods.
“The river seemed to be in perfect condition, as it was around 18ins up and holding a good colour,” Ian told Angling Times.
“The 14lb 7oz fish was put into my retainer while I prepared myself to weigh it and take a quick photo. Next thing I knew the roach was taken by an even bigger zander. It was an incredible 15 minutes of fishing.”
Ian fished simple rigs made up with components including a 50lb braided reel line, 28lb Drennan wire trace and two size 8 trebles.
“I had a call from my mate who’d landed a 15lb 4oz barbel, so I wound in to go and help him with pictures and so on,” Ian continued.
“My zander rods were cast back out while I packed my gear away, only for one of them to rattle off again to the 11-pounder.
“I’ve caught two doubles before, but to get three fish of this calibre in one session from the Trent truly is a dream come true.”
This trio of zander for the river fishing fanatic comes hot on the heels of Ian’s capture of a huge Trent pike that topped the scales at 32lb 11oz.