Fishing for Zander
Zander move with the season — up toward the surface on warm summer evenings, back down as the water cools in late August. This article covers casting and trolling approaches for both stages, with the lure sizes and colours that suit Nordic waters.
Fishing for Zander
Zander are widespread across Europe, closely related to the American walleye in both appearance and taste. In Finnish, the fish is called kuha. It is found in most Finnish waters, from the south up to southern Lapland, and turns up in a range of settings — lakes, river systems, archipelago sea areas, river deltas, shallow bays.
Zander behaviour shifts with the season. In summer, particularly in the evening, the fish move up in the water column to feed near the surface. During the day they tend to hold deeper, close to the bottom. Drop-offs into deeper water are worth paying attention to on any lake.
Casting
Timing shapes the approach. In the warmer months of June and July, zander move up toward the surface, and lures that work that upper layer are the ones to reach for:
- Invincible Floating 8 cm, 12 cm and 15 cm
- Invincible Shallow 12 cm and 15 cm
- Invincible Deep Runner 8 cm
- Haka Deep Diving 7 cm
- Stalwart 8 cm
On a flat, warm evening, the Invincible Shallow's surface-rippling action on a slow retrieve is enough to draw a zander up to strike — the lure does the work, provided the retrieve is read against the conditions on the water.
By August and September, as the water cools, zander drop back down, and adding weight to reach depth becomes useful. The Keno jig (7 cm, 19 g) covers this well — it can be cast a distance and worked at varying depths. On the fall it flutters slowly; on the retrieve it sways from side to side with a fish-like shimmer. A steady rhythm of slow, sensitive reeling with occasional pauses works best: each pause lets the jig free-fall, which reads to a zander as a baitfish in distress.
Metal spoons work in this same casting approach, but some also work with open water jigging with Nils Master Jigger-4 to reach even greater depths.
Colour is worth testing rather than assuming. Green-yellow-red and perch patterns are reliable starting points; fluorescent and sparkle finishes hold up in murky or discoloured water, where strong contrast matters. In clearer lakes, blue, violet and natural fish-coloured finishes tend to perform better. Red has proven itself in the colder water of late summer.
Trolling
Trolling, in the sense used here, means pulling lures behind a boat on rod and line. In Finland this is most often done from a small rowboat or motorboat without additional gear — no downriggers, no weights — a set-up generally referred to as light trolling. It's an effective way to cover water for zander. Rods are usually set one on each side of the boat, held in rod holders; small planers can be added to spread the lures further apart and keep the lines separated. A more elaborate set-up might add a larger motorboat, fish finders, downriggers, larger planers and additional rods, but the light version already does the job.
Floating lures are the sound choice for trolling. When the boat slows, a floating lure rises toward the surface rather than continuing to sink toward the bottom, where it risks contact with rocks or other obstacles. Wide-kicking wobblers suit the summer months, when zander are more active — the Invincible Shallow's wide tail kick is well suited to this.
Depth range is a matter of selecting the right lure for the water: shallow presentations from 0–1 m, deeper ones down to 10 m or more if the fish are active enough to rise for an attractive lure.
Zander are known to follow a lure for a stretch before deciding whether to strike, so trolling too fast tends to lose their interest; trolling too slowly can fail to generate enough of it in the first place. Reading the lure's action in the water, along with wind and other lake conditions, and adjusting speed accordingly, is the more reliable method than fixing on a set number. As a rough guide, 12–15 cm lures with 30 m of line out have worked well at approximately 2–3 kph. Varying the speed — driving curves rather than holding one constant line — lets the lures run faster and slower in turn, which can help. Side planers are also useful for working shallow areas with deep-running lures, by keeping the distance between lure and planer short.
For trolling zander specifically:
- Invincible Floating 8 cm, 12 cm, 15 cm and 18 cm
- Invincible Deep Runner 8 cm, 12 cm, 15 cm and 18 cm
- Invincible Shallow 12 cm and 15 cm
- Invincible ZOOM 12 cm
The 12 cm Invincible Zoom was designed with zander specifically in mind, running at approximately 4 m. At low speed it moves with a fish-like shimmer; a slight increase in speed shifts it into a more evasive, erratic action. The right speed for a given day is usually found by watching how the lure behaves close to the boat before settling on a pace.
A Few Lures Worth Noting
The 7 cm Haka Deep Diving model reaches roughly 5 m without added weight, and often brings in larger perch alongside zander. The 8 cm Stalwart and 10 cm Bete Zap have also proven themselves as zander lures. For larger zander, 15–18 cm wobblers are the better starting point.
There is a good deal written about zander behaviour, and it's worth reading further on the subject. What holds consistently true: in summer, zander rise close to the surface to feed, particularly in the evening, and stay closer to the bottom during the day — so having lures that cover both layers is useful. On lakes, drop-offs into deeper water are worth marking.
