For many anglers, deep water is part of zander fishing. In winter this is true, but as soon as spring comes knocking at the door, this changes quickly. For me, water temperature is the key to success here. When the shallow water warms up from the sun, zander are magically drawn to it! Above 5 degrees water temperature, the zander slowly migrate to shallower waters. It is commonly known that zander are very shy of light, but during springtime, the zander seem to forget this rule. In bright sunshine and clear waters, I have seen zander sunbathing. That was a great experience! It seems as if they enjoy the warmer water as we humans enjoy the spring after wintertime.

The days are getting longer and the water warmer

As the spawning season is approaching, the predators also have quite an appetite. So, this is a great time for hard bites! I was fishing an area where the water was 9.5 degrees - 1.5 degrees warmer than in other parts of the water. Despite the big appetite, the zander still behave differently from pike. The bait must be close to them and long in the zander's field of vision before triggering a strike. Although they follow the lure, they rarely make fast spurts like pike. They prefer to sneak up and strike when they are sure to get the prey. So, if you fish too fast you get less bites!

A rattle in the butt makes it jingle on the drop

That's why I try to make only small jumps by jigging or lazing so that the zander can follow. Sometimes I leave the shad on the bottom for a moment so the zander can get into position. The warmer water also seems to stimulate the zander's curiosity. Normally, I always try to fish as lightly as possible, so my shad has a particularly long drop off phase. One of my favorites is the Fat T-tail Minnow, because its voluminous body and large paddle ensure a long settling phase. Usually it works great this way, but there are also special features when fishing. 

Putting a rattle in the tail makes continues noise. Remember to choose the right size, so the weight of the rattle does not affect the paddle tail. 

Last year I fished with buddy Daniel in two to three meters water depth. We drifted over a stone field and had both mounted the 13cm version. I had significantly more bites than Daniel although our set-up seemed to be the same. Only when Daniel took a closer look at me did he notice that I was using a 10g jig head whereas he had only mounted 5g! My sink time was much shorter than his and I should have caught worse. But the opposite was true and for a good reason!

This zander took the Fat T-tail Minnow fished on a 10g head, due to the noise it made when hitting the bottom

The heavier jig head had a decisive advantage on this spot, it produced more noise! I hit the stonefield much harder than Daniel's lighter jig head and that's what attracted the zander! When gobies search for food between the stones, they also make noises that are like a lure for zander. Sound spreads very well under water and that was one reason for my success here. This effect can also be achieved without a stone field by putting small rattles into the shad. Loud enough to attract attention, but not too loud to be a deterrent.