2013

Zebrus zander and their mighty appetite

The competition for the largest fish to be caught in the lakes managed by “JSC Latvia’s State Forests” continues. This time, fortune smiled on Oļegs Čekalovs.

Lake Zebrus, famous for its large zander, is once again a pleasant surprise. It can hardly be considered luck, since Čekalovs was crowned the king of Zebrus zander last year as well.

On June 19, Čekalovs was angling on Lake Zebrus. It was evening. The catch was poor and he decided to wait for the morning. However, some inner feeling was telling him to not go to sleep, and he decided to try again. All of a sudden, zander had a mighty appetite, particularly for live bait fish. One by one, Čekalovs pulled out 1.2 kilogram and 1.3 kilogram zander. At around 4 a.m., the king of zander had an intense battle with a 5.2 kilogram beauty, emerging victorious.

The news spread like wildfire. Who caught the fish? Where was it caught? What bait was used? Everyone wanted to know. At some point, the owner of the local boat rental, Anatolijs, thought that he would run out of boats. Everyone wanted zander shortly before “Līgo!” celebrations. And the lake did not disappoint, but Čekalovs could not be outdone. A master’s grasp – even the most cunning zander are powerless against it.

Another angler – Juris Bērziņs also did well on Lake Lielauce. His record perch weighted 620 grams.

Gatis Mukažs was the most successful angler on Lake Kaņieris. He pulled out a 6.7 kilogram pike.