Lures for zander
Zander lures: soft plastic, dead bait, crankbait and when to use which
Zander take a lure carefully and close to the bottom. Slim soft plastics and dead baits catch all year, crankbaits at night in the shallows. US anglers: your cousin is the walleye, same rules.
The lure groups
What for, in which size and colour, and how to work it.
Slim soft plastic on a jig head
Drop-offs, channels, harbour basins, current seams in rivers. The standard for zander.
- Size
- 8 to 12 cm by day, 12 to 16 cm at night and in autumn. Jig head heavy enough to feel the bottom, no heavier.
- Colour
- In rivers and murky water loud (chartreuse, orange, white). Clear water and night: dark or natural with glitter.
- Retrieve
- Two turns of the handle, let the lure sink, keep the line tight. Bites feel like a tap on the drop, strike at once.
Dead bait
Static fishing in the evening and at night, cold water, pressured waters.
- Size
- 8 to 12 cm, slim: bleak, small roach, smelt. Essential: thin trace, single hook or small treble.
- Colour
- Not relevant. Fresh and firm, not thawed soft.
- Retrieve
- On the bottom with a light lead, slack line. On a take let the fish run, then strike before it swallows the bait.
Shallow crankbait
At night in the shallows, along rock banks and light edges, when zander come up to feed.
- Size
- 7 to 12 cm, slim, running depth under one metre.
- Colour
- Dark silhouettes or white with contrast at night, natural by day.
- Retrieve
- Dead slow and straight, hardly any stops. The zander finds the lure by its pressure wave.
Drop shot and vertical
From a boat over edges and holes, in winter for sluggish fish, in harbours along sheet piling.
- Size
- Small soft baits 6 to 10 cm, weight 10 to 30 g depending on depth and current.
- Colour
- Natural or dark, white at night.
- Retrieve
- Hold the lure almost still, just quiver it. Vertical: keep the lure just above the bottom and drift with the boat.
Through the year
- Spring After the closed season at current seams and gravel bars, small soft plastics. Check closed seasons for your water.
- Summer At night in the shallows along light edges and rock banks, crankbait and shallow soft plastic. By day deep in the channel.
- Autumn Best time in the evening and at night, bigger soft plastics at harbours and edges. See the tip Zander after dark.
- Winter Deep, slow, vertical and drop shot. Dead bait on the bottom in harbour basins and deep holes.
Rules of thumb
Zander sit on the bottom. If you cannot feel the lure touch down, the jig head is too light or the line too thick.
Braid 0.08 to 0.12 mm, fluorocarbon leader. Zander bite carefully, every bit of resistance costs bites.
A zander bite is often just a pluck. Strike immediately, zander spit a lure out fast.
Quick questions
What is the best lure for zander?
A slim soft plastic on a jig head, worked slowly along the bottom. In cold water and on pressured waters dead bait catches, at night in the shallows a shallow crankbait.
What colour for zander lures?
In murky rivers loud (chartreuse, orange, white), in clear water and at night dark or natural. White is a good start at night.
How big should a soft plastic for zander be?
8 to 12 cm by day, 12 to 16 cm at night and in autumn. Slim, not bulky, with a small paddle tail.
Next
Lures for other species
Lures for other species
Everything here is a rule of thumb from practice, not a guarantee. Lures are named as a group, not as a brand. Sizes are guide values.
In Germany, closed seasons and minimum sizes are set by each state and can be stricter for single waters. All German rules by state, with the legal source. Outside Germany, the local rules apply: licence and agency by country.
Know more?
Additions, photos of your catches or a mistake in the text: write to us and we will gladly credit you as a helper.
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