Sometimes zanders tend to play hard to catch. Even if you would know sure spots and sonar proves this right, the fish down below won't play with you. And if they show any interest of your lure, it is just small hits and picks.
Below is some tips which are often very effective. Sometimes even one of these factors will improve eating, sometimes you need to combine several factors to get some result.
1. Keep it slow
Softbait shoud sink slowly enough and nearly hover just before it reaches bottom. Use as light jighead as possible. Allso knot a flourcarbon wire trace, a length of your rod, in your fishing line. This will sort of hover the softbait when it reaches the bottom, plus it is invisible to the zander. It is important to use line which is thin enough. When fishing zander, especially from deeper waters, braided line 0.10mm thick has been good choise. Lock should be so small and light as possible. Of course you can allso knot the jighead straight to the line.
2. Don't fish small zanders
If you are in the area where you get only small zanders, change the place. Quite often even short move from spot to another works. Use sonar, with it's help you can find shapes from the bottom which lure baitfishes and zanders. Think where wind blows, how streams go. Don't stay where others fish, especially if they are not getting any.
But if you are sure that the area where you are holds in bigger zander, use bigger softbaits and lighten your jighead. Changing softbaits color in more naturalistic often helps. Remember to fish your spot from various directions.
3. Scent your softbait
Zander has good sense of smell. Sometimes softbaits need to have scent which either attracts zander to attack or covers humans scent. Wake has to offer fine working garlig and anis scent grubs and Flexfishes.
4. Stinger
When zander is only poking and picking the softbait or stream is so hard that you don't feel the baits immediately, it is useful to attach stinger in your softbait. You can easily make your own stinger of flourcarbon, about 0.30 thick, by knotting or with sleeves. In other end make a small loop, whinc goes around jigheads eye. In other end attach treble hook. Hook is set in the beginning of softbaits tail. Stinger hook should be as light as possible, but it's gap should be as wide or little bit wider than softbaits back.
Most important is: spend time fishing, allways try to learn and believe what you are doing.
