Sorting out the tench

Recently have spent a few evenings fishing a small lake near my home but I have encountered a problem which I am hoping the forum can help me with. It started as an easy way of satisfying my 8 year olds fishing wishes when I did not have the time for longer sessions. However I soon discovered that this little lake has what appear to be some half decent tench, maybe to say 5lbs and a few carp to who knows what size but probably low doubles. For me these are worthwhile quary and I would very much like to catch one or more of the tench. The question is how, because there is also a largeheadof roach and rudd to around 12 ozs; plenty big enough to make short work of maize, maggots, worms which are the baits I have tried. Yesterday I tried some 15mm carpboilies - no roach or rudd but nothing else either, in spite of lots of tenchy activity in the swim. Fishing over some margin lillies about 3-4 rods length out, and have been using a float laying on. Any ideas on how to get to the tench most welcome. Cheers.

I have had success with trout pellet paste. Powdered pellets mixed with egg. You can then make your hook bait as big as you want, or small. I loose feed with micro pellets, halibut or plain fishmealflavour. There is also the array of pellets. You could try any flavours you like. It could be down to size of pellet or flavour. I do take small tubs of pellets in different flavours and sizes and some work better than others. You may just have to put up with catching some of the other fish and hope that the tench move in.

Good luck.

I endorse WFs paste recommendation adding it is imho best fished on stout pole tackle.

Knowing your water helps. Scouting the water in the early morning for feeding tench (pin bubbles) is worth doing. Best baits are water dependent IMO, I do ok on double sweetcorn over hemp/sweetcorn, but Ive also caught well on paste, the beauty being you can make it out of so many different ingredients.

Pellets or 10mm boilies should do the trick. I suspect the challenge is to get the tench switched on to your free offerings. So regular visits should start to see results.

Agree with the Trout pellet paste but I would also try Lobworms if there are not too many Perch.

King Prawns are doing the business for me in more or less the same situation with the rudd and roach.

Another trick is toplace the bulk shot between 1-3 feet from the hook to get the bait down fast and away from the Rudd and hopefully most of the smaller Roach.

Thanks guys, will try the paste and the boilies and willpersist totry and switch them on to my offerings. Stick-Float's post intrigues me - do you mean actual lumps of prawn - cooked or raw?

Get the high oil content trout pellet powder, mixed with a bit of sillybait (blue or red), egg white, water, to give it a tougher texture I used sived cornflower powder but not to much. Use a 10p size round ball of the paste moulded around the hook fished hard on the bottom and throw in a few smaller sized paste ball`s as free offering`s , the scent they give off will get them feeding along with the rest of the sillybait groundbait thrown in moderation. I always found starting to fish just before sunrise till 12 or 1pm (when it always seem`s to die off). Good luck/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Rake the swim the night before you go, if it is close by it shouldn't be a problem.

You could rake the swim just before you start fishing, have a cup of tea and give the swim half an hour before fishing. Add a few pellets and chop worm.

I would fish as you are with a whole Lob Worm or a large bit of Flake on a size 10 hook.