mikench
Well-known member
Are mussels a good bait or are worms better?
Best bait for tench
- Thread starter mikench
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I’ve never had too much success with mussels so tend to stick to worms and/or corn, both natural and flavoured.
If you have a particular water in mind, you might be better off asking anglers on there rather than on here, because the answer is probably "It all depends".
At that tench place you and I have been to a couple of times, seafood goes down well in the warmest months, and mussels work well. But in the spring when it's warming up, or the autumn when it's cooling down, you'll catch more tench on small baits like maggot.
As for worms, tench will take them readily - but so will everything else. Once or twice I've gone for tench with chopped worm and worm hookbait, and been dismayed to see my expensive tench bait depleted by everything but..... little roach, skimmers, small perch, you name it.
At that tench place you and I have been to a couple of times, seafood goes down well in the warmest months, and mussels work well. But in the spring when it's warming up, or the autumn when it's cooling down, you'll catch more tench on small baits like maggot.
As for worms, tench will take them readily - but so will everything else. Once or twice I've gone for tench with chopped worm and worm hookbait, and been dismayed to see my expensive tench bait depleted by everything but..... little roach, skimmers, small perch, you name it.
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Given the choice I would always opt for worms, not because they maybe more enticing than a mussel to a tench but because I have more confidence of them staying on the hair when the small stuff is nibbling away. The mussels I get from supermarkets can be extremely fragile.
Keith M
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I suppose it depends on what they’ve been weened on on a particular water but the baits that have been most consistent for me over the years for Tench has been (in order of preference)
Bread flake
SweetCorn
Redworm
Caster
Pellets
Small boilies.
Ive only tried mussels a couple of times and I wasn’t bowled over by them, however I haven't really given them a proper trial.
Keith
Bread flake
SweetCorn
Redworm
Caster
Pellets
Small boilies.
Ive only tried mussels a couple of times and I wasn’t bowled over by them, however I haven't really given them a proper trial.
Keith
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Bobnewboy
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On the tench lake at Four Ponds in Devon, I've only ever caught tench with sweetcorn. Anything else pulls in good roach it seems.
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valetudoguy
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Sweet corn/Maize or Brandling worm for me. Though I remember a session years ago where I was getting loads of Tench on Tares.
mikench
Well-known member
Most of the waters i fish have tench and I do catch them but they are few and far between. Believe me I have asked many anglers and fellow club members about tench but the majority have never seen one or caught one. My current favourite water has a good head of tench, alledgedly, but so far they have proved elusive.
Next time out its tench or bust.
Next time out its tench or bust.
seth49
Well-known member
Where I fished yesterday mussels work well for the tench, worms or maggots just attract small perch etc.
They seem to work well at the moment, if you hook through the white circle of muscle at one end, and then cut the other half of with scissors, and use that as loose feed, worked ok for me.
I use either a size ten or twelve hook.just ordinary frozen mussels from Asda etc.
They seem to work well at the moment, if you hook through the white circle of muscle at one end, and then cut the other half of with scissors, and use that as loose feed, worked ok for me.
I use either a size ten or twelve hook.just ordinary frozen mussels from Asda etc.
Not entirely by design, but in recent weeks l've had a goodly number of tench with a hand full going up to 6lb. The only bait I have used has been expander pellet or hard "Red Robin" pellet on a lasso rig. Pete.
barbelboi
Well-known member
The first thing to do is locate the fish. Locating tench is usually pretty easy. It can be time consuming but by putting time into looking for rolling and bubbling fish you will be saving a lot of frustration later on. Look out for features - they love anywhere that they can hide and feel safe.
The underwater detail is likely to have an influence regarding what measures will make the tench more catchable. In shallow water (for instance) the light is likely to penetrate to the bottom and if there’s a lot of light then the tench will easily be able to see an your terminal tackle. The lake-bed composition and contours are important because they dictate the best choice regarding tactics Also as tench are very shy fish it is important not to let them know you’re there if fishing close in.
Tench often prefer natural baits, that look natural. They can be caught on boilies and pellets, just like carp because in many lakes this is become a natural food source for the fish as anglers continue to use them. However if I’m targeting tench then I would usually not use boilies nor pellets. IMO the best baits to catch tench on are anything that has a natural look to it. Worms, maggots/caster, sweetcorn, luncheon meat and good old bread are excellent baits.
The underwater detail is likely to have an influence regarding what measures will make the tench more catchable. In shallow water (for instance) the light is likely to penetrate to the bottom and if there’s a lot of light then the tench will easily be able to see an your terminal tackle. The lake-bed composition and contours are important because they dictate the best choice regarding tactics Also as tench are very shy fish it is important not to let them know you’re there if fishing close in.
Tench often prefer natural baits, that look natural. They can be caught on boilies and pellets, just like carp because in many lakes this is become a natural food source for the fish as anglers continue to use them. However if I’m targeting tench then I would usually not use boilies nor pellets. IMO the best baits to catch tench on are anything that has a natural look to it. Worms, maggots/caster, sweetcorn, luncheon meat and good old bread are excellent baits.
seth49
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sam vimes
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It just depends on the water. Rather than looking for a killer bait, you are better served looking for a water with a good stock of tench, one with some tench but not too many other fish, or finding a particular area of a water where the tench are congregating.
ian g
Well-known member
Mussels used to be a really good bait for tench on a local farm pool bur eventually the little perch cottoned on to them . I'd say they only seem to work on a few waters but I suppose with most things it's confidence and persistence . I always found raking was a good move when tench fishing , it seems to get them feeding. As others have said there are more proven baits but I think locating feeding fish is the real trick
They are fickle creatures. I started on a new water last year, a "natural" gravel pit. Was told by regulars it was a pellet and boilie water but I caught loads on chopped worm and caster. This year I've struggled big time with the same approach but a switch to pellet and paste seems to be working.
A few of my observations re bait. Red maggot is great if you can avoid the small stuff, and they love casters. If float fishing have the bulk shot down the line to try and bomb the bait past the Roach and Rudd, you will still catch them but often it's the bigger ones that take a bait off the bottom which I don't mind. Lobworm tends to avoid small fish with the exception of Perch, Bream also seem to have less of a preference for it. Hemp is a great attractor for Tench and holds them in a swim. Pellet, paste and mini boilies are all great baits. Corn is hit and miss. I always struggle to get tench on bread, Carp love it though.
A few of my observations re bait. Red maggot is great if you can avoid the small stuff, and they love casters. If float fishing have the bulk shot down the line to try and bomb the bait past the Roach and Rudd, you will still catch them but often it's the bigger ones that take a bait off the bottom which I don't mind. Lobworm tends to avoid small fish with the exception of Perch, Bream also seem to have less of a preference for it. Hemp is a great attractor for Tench and holds them in a swim. Pellet, paste and mini boilies are all great baits. Corn is hit and miss. I always struggle to get tench on bread, Carp love it though.
Bobnewboy
Well-known member
The only other thing I could add is that tench seem to be very hookshy. So smaller hooks than 'usual' work far better, for me at least. I only caught my first tench this time last year, and that was after a change to a smaller hook - no other changes to my bait, presentation or terminal tackle
Worms, Bread, corn are all synonymous for Tench. I would also have confidence in a a small sweet bolie can on waters that see allot of boiled baits.
A water I am fishing at the moment for them, maggots are out fishing everything else but there is not allot of other smaller fish in there so you don’t need to worry about the bait being stripped.
I like hot weather for Tench & if bankside disturbance allows I would also fish them right in close. Literally a rod length if I can get away with it.
A water I am fishing at the moment for them, maggots are out fishing everything else but there is not allot of other smaller fish in there so you don’t need to worry about the bait being stripped.
I like hot weather for Tench & if bankside disturbance allows I would also fish them right in close. Literally a rod length if I can get away with it.