TO catch special fish, you sometimes have to brave the worst of conditions – and that’s exactly what Justin Stoddart did to land this 17lb 14oz zander.
The Nottinghamshire angler endured rain and strong winds on the banks of the tidal Trent but, with river levels ideal, he fancied his chances of a big zed.
Using a roach deadbait on a running rig, Justin received a confident bite and latched into a big fish. With the rain pounding off his back, he felt it ‘bump’ a few times – in typical zander fashion – but due to the weight of it, he thought the fish on the other end must be a pike. But as he guided it to the net, he realised it was a massive zander, and said seeing a fish of such proportions was ‘an unbelievable sight’.
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