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The Zander is still a bit of a mystery species, is often persecuted and on the sharp end of culling policies particularly in the UK. It is firmly established on many of the rivers, canals and Stillwater's, was introduced in the early 1960's, and has rapidly spread since. It has borne the nickname of "Zeds" to those anglers who go after their capture, a specimen fish is often known as a double meaning 10lb or above, and over the last 10 years or so specimens to 18lb have been caught. The current British record stands at 19lb 5oz although there are rumours of a 19lb 12oz fish being caught from the Gt Ouse Relief Channel in Norfolk. The Zander in their early years of life are an excellent example of a predatory fish and different from the Pike in the sense that it will hunt in packs whereby collectively they will surround a typical shoal of Roach, Perch or other small freshwater species and then attack, not so in later years once they reach double figure size.
Once they attain weights of 10lb or more they seem to go solitary and choose victims wisely, which could explain part of the reason they are a lot harder to catch, this does help in the Eco system in that stunted, damaged and diseased fish are consumed to let the healthy fish grow on. Also similar to the Pike is that larger specimens will and often consume their own kind particularly up to the 1 lb bracket. Because of their design of teeth and eyes, there is little escape for the victims. The eyes are much larger than the Pike and have a reflective material behind the eyeball that helps them get the maximum usage of low light conditions, and are often nocturnal feeders. In later years of their life they grow four large incisor teeth, which are used to grab their prey before turning them and swallowing, adapting their diet to the most abundant food source available. Zander prefer and thrive in coloured water, particularly flowing water, which is another reason why the Cambridge and Norfolk fen drains have an abundance, another reason for their good survival rate in these parts of Great Britain is that the Angling Clubs who control these stretches of water understand the vital role they play. Despite being very efficient predators, they are not hardy, disliking high water temperatures and suffering from waters with low oxygen content.
Zander spawn from the end of Feb onwards leaving clumps of pale yellow eggs on plants, sand and stones, the larvae hatching a few days later and then living off their yolk sacks until they develop, then feed themselves with small insect larvae and fish fry. Pike-Perch is a common name for the zander, probably originating from their appearance that is similar between a pike and perch. The reality is that they are not a hybrid, but a species in their own right and are a native of Eastern Europe before spreading to England in the 19th Century. A very close relative to the zander is the Walleye, which is often confused; the walleye is originally from America and Canada but bears similar characteristics. Rigs for catching zander must be free running as the key to good presentation is essential to minimise resistance, any pressure felt by the fish and they drop the bait.
My best method is the free running lead ledgered bait, although float paternoster does take the odd fish it is the former method that has been more successful for me. The drawback with using floats is that it can be pushed down the line by the surface currents which then means you are not presenting the bait at the depth you wish. Another essential thing is good quality fresh bait, preferably a livebait, unlike the pike which will take any opportunity for a free meal. If you are interested in learning more about zander and how to catch them then you can join the Zander Anglers Club, their aim is to conserve, prevent needless culling and try to get more people interested in the sport.
The Zander originally inhabited the region from the Elbe to rivers flowing into the Aral Sea, also occurring in the south in the river Maritsa and rivers in the Caucasus. From these places it has been introduced into a significant part of western Europe and the USA. It lives in smallish shoals near the bottom of deeper places in central and lower river courses. It shows a preference for places with a sandy or stony bottom and sufficient hiding-places, where it spends the day. It will even tolerate brackish waters and artificial reservoirs. It is active mainly towards evening and early in the morning. With the exception of semi-migratory populations from brackish waters, the Zander does not undertake lengthy migrations to the spawning site. As long as it can find suitable spawning conditions in its home reach, it will spawn directly there. Females lay 180,000-1,850,000 eggs, which are viscous and adhere to the bottom, as well as on to the roots of aquatic plants cleaned by the male. The male guards the deposit of eggs and takes care of them. The fry hatch after 5-10 days. After starting to swim they feed on planktonic organisms, changing over to a predatory mode of nutrition after reaching a length of 3-5 cm. At first they hunt fry, later small fish species, chiefly Bleak, Roach, Rudd, Perch and Ruffe. It is not able to swallow larger prey, as it has a small gullet. The fact that the Zander hunts less economically valuable species, the food they provide being converted to its own, very tasty meat, is the reason for great interest on the part of fishermen. Yearly catches in Europe exceed 10,000 tons. As an auxiliary fish species in ponds, it fulfils the same function as the Pike by eliminating unwanted fishes. The species is not native to English waters and was controversially introduced in 1963 when the Great Ouse River Authority released 97 small zander into the Great Ouse Relief Channel. Zander have spread quickly and can now be found in canals, stillwaters, drains and slow-flowing rivers throughout East Anglia and the Midlands, although there are none in Scotland, Wales or Ireland as far as we know.
The zander or pike-perch (Stizostedion lucioperca) is the largest member of the widespread perch family (Percidae) of fish. It is not, as some believe, a pike/perch hybrid, but is a seperate species. The zander is a native of Eastern Europe, but spread to the countries bordering the English channel before finally arriving in England during the 19th century. In Europe it is a popular sport-fish and is appreciated as excellent eating as well as for its fighting qualities, but it has yet to be caught, or even seen, by most British angler. Many of the features of our native perch and ruffe are visible in the zander. Though having something of the elongated body of the pike, there is little mistaking the characteristics that indicate the zander's close relationship to the perch in particular. There are two dorsal fins, the first spiny, with about 14 hard rays, the second soft. These spines, and others on the gill cover and anal fin, mean that the fish must be handled very carefully. The body is long, the head small and narrow. The mouth is large compared with the perch and ruffe, but small relative to the cavernous jaws of the pike. What the zander's jaws lack in size however, they make up for in the size of the teeth they contain. On both, the front of the lower and upper jaws are found pairs of large fang-like teeth. These fit into hollows in the opposite side of the jaws and are used to stab the prey, inflicting a fatal wound, and then to hold it. The eyes are large and have a peculiar glassy look. This is because they incorporate a reflective plate or tapetum, which increases their sensitivity at night and in poor light. Zander are not particularly vivid in colour, neither is there much variation from habitat to habitat as there is with other fish. The back is usually grey or brown in colour, with black dappling accurring in vague stripes. These are much less well defined than in the perch though they are clearer in the young fish, while often disappearing completely with maturity. The flanks of the young zander are silver, while those of the older fish have a greenish-gold hue. The underside and lower fins are white, although a hint of blue is sometimes noticeable. The dorsal fins, especially the spiny one carry black spots over a grey and yellow background. The tail is speckled grey with white lower lobe.
The diet of the zander depends largely on the food available. Any species of fish is fair game for the zander's toothy jaws, even its own kind. They are particularly fond of the smaller fish species, especially the bottom feeders such as gudgeon and their own relation, the ruffe. They prefer smaller fish than pike do, and they chase and grasp their prey by the tail or any part of the body they can get hold of. They then swallow the fish tail or head first, not turning it in the way pike do. Any fish they cannot swallow is ejected and then probably picked up dead from the bottom. Zander readily take dead fish and have been known to join together with their shoal mates to dismember the corpse. Apart from fish, zander also eat freshwater shrimps and water slaters.
An Old Wives Tale, popular with some anglers, has it that the zander kills for the sake of killing. It is far more likely that because the species feeding methods are more 'hit and miss' than those of other predators, a prey sometimes escapes, to die of its wounds, suggesting that the zander has killed senselessly. Another misconception that dies hard is that the zander will eat all the other fish in any water into which it is introduced. Every fish has to eat to live, of course, and any fish that ate every other would soon die of hunger. Nature does not allow this to happen and the zander flourishes without annihilating other species. In March or April, when the water temperature reaches between 12° and 14°C, male and female fish pair off in preparation for spawning. The female matures at three years and the male a year earlier. The eggs number between 100,000-300,000 depending in the size of the fish. These are small-about 1/16in diameter-and are laid on sand, weed or sticks. In Europe zander are encouraged to lay their eggs on bundles of sticks. It is then possible to transfer the sticks to a pond for hatching. The male is unusual in that it guards the eggs while they are hatching. However, this is as far as parental responsibility goes. When hatched after 10-15 days, the tiny zander may be merely additional food for the adults.
Not a native predator species to the UK, zander were introduced into the East Anglian Fenland drainage channels in the 1960s. Very efficient predators and prolific breeders, they have since rapidly spread into the hinterland, to the annoyance of many and to the delight of others! As well as in East Anglia, UK zander can also be found in the Rivers Severn and Warwickshire Avon, in Woburn and Old Bury Hill Lakes, and the Trent and Gloucester Canals.
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