Zander (Sander lucioperca)
Current record: 22lb
Water: Grafham Water, Huntingdon
Zander (Sander lucioperca), also known as pikeperch, are one of the UK's introduced apex predators, related to perch and walleye rather than pike despite the name similarity. They've got a sleek, elongated body, sharp teeth, and olive-green colouring fading to a lighter belly, built for hunting rather than ambush lurking.
Genuinely predatory from an early stage, zander take a wide range of prey: smelt, ruffe, perch, vendace, and roach are all regular targets, and studies around the Baltic have even recorded them cannibalising smaller zander. They've also been recorded taking salmon and sea trout smolts, worth knowing given both those species are already under real pressure in UK rivers.
Native to European rivers and lakes, zander have been introduced well beyond their natural range, including UK canals and rivers, where they've settled in as a genuine apex predator. That adaptability cuts both ways: in the UK's murkier canal systems, where boat traffic keeps the water permanently stirred up, zander have a real impact on prey species like gudgeon, roach being their preferred target where available. As a non-native predator, their spread is something UK fisheries management keeps a genuine eye on.
Anglers rate zander highly as a species: crankbaits and soft plastics are the standard lure approach, and they've got a reputation as a genuinely tough, technical target, less forgiving than perch, and a real step up for anyone moving into predator fishing.