🎣 Catching Zander in the Summer on the Hollands Diep

Summer on the Hollands Diep offers fantastic conditions: warm weather, active aquatic life, and zander shifting to cooler, deeper zones. While others fish and hope, you're heading out with a plan. In this guide article, I’ll share my proven summer strategy for catching zander on big water.

Summer means change. Rising temperatures, busy waters, and zander settling deeper. Many anglers stick to their spring tactics — and end up with little action. Adjust your technique and search smart: that’s how you significantly increase your chances.

🔧 Step-by-step approach

1. Find the right depth (6–12 meters)

• Use your depth finder to locate areas where shallow and deep meet. And no — it doesn’t have to be a steep drop from 1 to 10 meters over a 2-meter drift. A wide trench of 20–30 meters where depth shifts from 4–6 meters to 10–12 meters is more than enough. Focus especially on spots with depth transitions.

• Usually, the rule is: more structure on the bottom = better. However, that’s not always true. At the moment, we’re catching loads of zander in a specific deep trench on the Hollands Diep, just like the one described above — with a soft sandy bottom and absolutely zero structure.

2. Jigging with relatively heavy jigheads

• Shads around 10 cm are ideal — just choose the color you like. Confidence in your shad matters far more than the actual color. If you believe in firetiger or motor oil, then use those. Personally, I don’t care about shad color. In all my days on the water, I’ve never noticed any real difference.

• Depending on current and wind, use a jighead of 15 or 20 grams. And yes — better to go too heavy than too light. Drop your shad to the bottom quickly, lift it 5–10 cm using your rod, and keep it there as long as possible. Maintain tension on the line, and angle your rod tip toward the water so your shad hovers at a steady height just above the bottom.

3. Cover water, discover spots

• Let your boat drift and vary. Zigzag from deep to shallow, drift with and against the current, follow a 10-meter contour line and then switch to 6 meters. Cast toward the slope and away from it. Most importantly: cover water and mark every time you get a bite. That way, your depth finder builds up a map of your best spots.

• Try several locations, but give proven ones enough time.

4. Time and peace are totally irrelevant

• Forget the myths like “morning and evening are best.” I’m on the water almost daily and there's just no consistent pattern. One day they bite in the morning, the next in the afternoon — and on great days, they bite all day long. Yes, even in warm weather.

• Don’t be misled by crowded recreational zones or other anglers who’ve fished your spot. Zander couldn’t care less about us. And those who came before you might have used very different techniques — meaning ‘your’ zander might still be waiting to be caught by you.

❌ Common mistakes

• Switching spots too quickly: Give a location a real chance before you leave. Be sure to fish it thoroughly.

• Fishing too light: You don’t need a floating action. The goal is to keep your shad hovering about 5 cm above the bottom as long as possible. Drop, lift slightly, then wait for the bite.

• Over-focusing on details: Color or speed make little difference. Use a shad you trust, with a weight that lets you fish effectively. Effective means: presenting your shad about 5 cm above the bottom for as long as possible. And yes, it can move fast — as long as it holds that precise depth.

  
  

🧠 Bonus Tip

Use water charts (like Navionics or another provider) on your fish finder and set waypoints for each bite. On big waters with few visual cues, this is the fastest way to build spot knowledge and to start your next session directly on proven locations.

Want to apply these techniques on the water? Book a guided fishing trip via my website and discover how a focused strategy transforms your results. Follow me on Instagram for live updates, catches, and practical tips from the field!