Fishing alongside mates who were casting lures such as Replicants and various Jerk baits, on every occasion I was catching at least four fish to every one of theirs. Three to four inch chubby shads were fast becoming the lure to use for a lot of action, and to top it off, the chances of latching into Specimen Perch and Zander were also increasing in doing so.

Even though I was, and still am, on a huge learning curve, I was picking the method up very quickly. For instance, upping the jig head weight to suit the conditions and trying to get away with the lowest diameter braid possible. Both of these make sure that you can stay in touch with the lure at all times, fuss increasing the chances of detecting a take, which I soon learnt can often be no more than a faint tap on the rod tip.

Sessions spent out on my boat on a local River saw me land many Pike, even if none of them were monsters. The biggest I personally landed was around 8lb, but for an ultra light set the fishing could certainly be classed as fun. Perch were also common amongst the catches, and a few fish to just over 2lb were landed whilst casting the small jigs. One thing I do regret however, was not targeting the Zander more than I did. A friend has been catching plenty from areas a bit further away than I have been targeting, but that'll be a target for next season.

A big eye opener for me, was just how effective Vertical Jigging is on the fenland rivers, in some cases in no more than 6 feet of water! It certainly proved to be extremely successful for Perch and Pike, next season I'll be giving it a few more rod hours! Below are a few pictures of fish caught.