Thoughts turning to Tench

paraman the pre-hospital care qualified blanker · Mar 23, 2009

As Spring comes begrudgingly closer, my thoughts are turning to a beautiful old estate lake, where the tench will soon be waking up. The lake holds masses of 4-6lb tench, plus a couple of decent shoals of the same size bream, but I have yet to contact anything better (if indeed there are any in there).

So, folks, there are maggots and swetcorn, but what baits, applications or flavours have you found to be most enticing to tench, especially any which may be a little more selective for the possible bigger fish?

Last season was the first season for about a decade when any fishing has been allowed, so there is a distinct lack of previous history to go off. The best recorded fish I heard of was a 9lb+ in the early nineties. Will there be any better fish now?

Every methodI used last year produced plenty of fish, but all like peas in a pod.

Paul H · Mar 23, 2009

Lobwarm, casters, maggots, corn and Tony Miles swears by almond flavours (he flavours maggots with it and he's manageda few doubles over the years).

If they've not really been fished for for ages maybe natural baits will tempt the older, bigger fish. You could try something like whelks or mussells (not pickled though).

Fred Bonney · Mar 23, 2009

My successes with tench are loose feeding a good spread ofcasters, hemp and sweetcorn, and fishing over the bait with worm tipped with corn of red maggot.

Try and fish the same swim on a regular basis to get them accustomed to your free offerings.

Wobbly Face (As Per Ed) · Mar 23, 2009

All the usual, though had some success on good old trout pellets made into a paste.

Stephan · Mar 23, 2009

Bread flake??-Can`t say I`m a tench specialist though-the first one I ever caught is still my pb at 4.5 lb and that was 1973

paraman the pre-hospital care qualified blanker · Mar 23, 2009

Thanks guys.

Catching isn't a particular issue, asI managed five or six every timeI went. How can I make it more selective for the bigger ones, or do you just have to keep catching and hope a big one turns up in the middle of all the others?

Oris the chance of a big one in a lake which appears overrun with 4-6 pounders just being unrealistic?

Fred Bonney · Mar 23, 2009

I would say yes and nois the answer to your questions.

There must be a mummy there somewhere/forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

Wobbly Face (As Per Ed) · Mar 23, 2009

Just stick with it. Bait and bait size doesn't really matter. If tench are on your bait, in time any bigger ones could come along. Catching your 4-6 bls must mean you are doing something right.

paraman the pre-hospital care qualified blanker · Mar 23, 2009

My thoughts exactly Fred, I did have amale of slightly over five pounds last year, so I'm presuming there must be one or two in there.

One of the problems is that the lake is about twelve acres, and in the summer thereare probably about eight acres of lilies.

Fred Bonney · Mar 23, 2009

There you go then, girls are always bigger.

If you want someassistance on your search, you know where to come, sounds nice!!

Keith M · Mar 23, 2009

Your estate lake soundssimilar the one I have fished since the 70s but a lot bigger. so so I thought you might like to hear how we approach ours when after the Tench.

Our 3.5 acre Estate lake holds a good head of Tench which grow up to around 8lb max with the average around the 3 to 5lb mark, the lake isaround 4ft deep with a couple of areaswhich are slightlydeeperupto 5ft and is full of Lillie beds and has two islands.

Youcan catch them well on sweetcorn, casters redworms(not lobworms) or flake however most of the biggest ones weve caught (6lb to 7lb) were caught on 'Crab' or 'active 8' pellets fished out amongst the lillies right out in the middle. There are a few nice Carp and the very occasional Cat that may occasionally swallow the bait but not often enough to make them too much of a nuisance when after the Tench. Another good spot for tenching is along the coarse of the original stream where it is still slightly deeperwith a slightly gravelly bottom in places. It was dug out during the Napolionic wars but we had it dredged with a mudcat around 15 to 20 years ago.

Anyway tight lines and best of luck.

Stealph Viper · Mar 23, 2009

Hi there,

Try hair rigging some 6mm Soft pellets to a strong size 16 hook and feeder fish for them, alternatively you can use some of the many variety of 6mm boilies that are now available from all good tackle shops and no doubt some crap tackle shops too.

I know companies like Sonubaits, Dynamite baits and Solar produce some excellent 6mm boilies and you can also get the same flavoured dips from them to enhance the boilies. They also do some great soft pellets for hair rigging.

If you're a traditionalist, then float fishing with either Sweetcorn or Luncheon meat, you can even try the pre flavoured Sweetcorn and Luncheon meat available, it might just give you that edge you're looking for.

Hope this helps

Tight Lines /forum/smilies/devil_smiley.gif

Day Breamer · Mar 23, 2009

A 5lb male could mean theres 9-10lb females in that water.

But those are probably the exception and not the rule, you may never even see one come outlet alone catch one, but good luck with it.

Stephan · Mar 23, 2009

Sometimes it`s luck?

I know I have posted about big rudd but that did not include the hours and hours catching smaller ones until a special one turned up

slime monster · Mar 23, 2009

You can't beat caster for Tench, Fred is right you need to have caster and Hemp on the deck feeding little and often will only feed the silvers . had my first serious go at tench this year saturday and caster did the biz on a hard day.

paraman the pre-hospital care qualified blanker · Mar 23, 2009

Thanks for all the advice folks.

Fred, the lake is absolutley stunning. Imagine your dream tench lake and this it it! Completely overgrown, with only about 6 fishable swims in 12 acres. We were extremely fortunate to have convinced the owner to allow us to put a small syndicate on the place.

Interestingly, only fished it with hemp and sweetcorn on the float once last year. No bites except from a carp that rolled in the margins diving for the odd grain of hemp and corn I'd thrown in. Droopped a single grain of corn on its head and hooked and landed it - 20-04lb. Not bad on a light rod and 6lb line!

Had a lot of fish on single 12mm crab boilies so this and corn over a big head of hemp looks a likely line of attack. Not long now - maybe next weekend!

Paul H · Mar 23, 2009

I could do with having this place just at the bottom of my garden. One day and one lottery ticket...

paraman the pre-hospital care qualified blanker · Mar 24, 2009

Paul,

Going off the rivers you fish (Dove, Derwent), this may not be a million miles away!

Paul H · Mar 24, 2009

/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif That's just being mean now /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

paraman the pre-hospital care qualified blanker · Mar 24, 2009

My apologies Paul, I didn't intend to be mean.

DidI mention it had done pike to mid 20 and carp to just over 30?/forum/smilies/tongue_out_smiley.gif

Thoughts turning to Tench

New member

Well-known member

Fred Bonney

Guest

Well-known member

New member

New member

Fred Bonney

Guest

Well-known member

New member

Fred Bonney

Guest

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

New member

Senior Member

New member

Well-known member

New member

Well-known member

New member