Professor Carp with a stunner
Enoka with a lovely fish
Tim with a double figure bream and a chunky male...
Casting Off West. 6.00pm 29/04/2021
Well, I am back in Herefordshire after a fraught journey from Norfolk during which I broke the national speed limit once, over the exact half mile a speed van was sitting in a layby... the remainder of the journey was one of deepest gloom. And reflection on six days back at Kingfisher after tench and bream, along with doing some researching for a certain angling duo of legendary status!
A hundred plus fish caught by my chums was a decent return, considering the never-ceasing Easterlies and Northerlies, and the fact there were frosts most days. I’ve whinged about these conditions so often I know I am boring myself to death, never mind you lot so all I’ll do is to outline the lessons learned, some not for the first time.
Bait hard in the hope of pulling in bream and even silvers. This can give sport and stimulate tench to have a go too.
Don’t expect tench to feed before nine or so after a hard frost on a deep, wind-lashed gravel pit. It takes time for them to wake up and get their togs on.
Choose swims carefully. Avoid water hit hard by the wind and look for any sheltered areas. When birds like gulls and terns begin to swoop, there is a fly hatch happening and your chances rise.
In cold times like these, particle baits and smaller hooks seem to work better than boilies/pellets and large hooks.
Tench do not feed with belt-bursting gusto when it is cold. Look for small bites and indications. The sharpest hooks and the most perfect rigs will nail more fish for you. When tench are really going for it, you can leave more to chance and get away with it. Not so after a frost, and do not be surprised if fish drop off in the battle either. This means that your bolt set-ups are not quite cutting it. Try a heavier feeder or lead. Fiddle with hook lengths. A heavy bobbin can help – if you need one at all.
It's always interesting that when I have four mates fishing for a couple of days on a big swim, and they are sitting in a row, one of them will always be clear top dog. Generally, all things being equal, the angler fishing at the end of the line will win out, but especially so if he is on the side that the wind is blowing towards. I haven’t expressed myself well, but if the wind is blowing left to right, then the angler on the extreme right is likely to be the busiest. Not exactly sure of the reasons but it has been a fact in my experience.
I like to bait hard for ten minutes every hour, and then leave the swim to settle... but you do get bites as the Spomb goes in.
Don’t give up. Tench can switch on out of nowhere. A bad day can turn good just when your heart is sinking. If you can fish two or three sessions, consequently your chances rise as more fish respond to the bait.
And now, for a week I am back to my Welsh wild carp with relish. Farewell to the East. Roll on the Wild West!