Gravel Pit Tench

After a series of trials fishing for tench [here] on my previous blog, the time had come to put my rigs into practice for a really big tench. A Cotswold gravel pit had been chosen with 2 nights available to bag a nice tench. 

The first task upon arrival was a bit of feature finding. The use of a Deeper sonar supported me in finding the change in depths quickly and I was able to pinpoint some areas with less weed growth to fish on. This resulted in two rods at 11 wraps and one much shorter on a higher plateau to my left. Besides tench, the pit also contained carp and these were regularly giving their presence away by leaping from the water. The left rod was set up with a solid bag, baited with a bright pink pop up on a multi-rig. I've never seriously fished for carp at any stage in my life, but it seemed a good idea given the activity and the likelihood that bites would be hard to come by. I absolutely did not want to blank on this trip. The other two rods were set up with standard heli-rigs and a maggot approach although I had worms as an alternative. At this stage, I did not introduce any bait via spodding. I wanted to catch tench and I feared that putting bait on those spots would only attract carp. It was also particularly windy so I didn't want to risk spreading bait about. Instead, regular casting began to build up an area of maggots that would hopefully catch the eye of any patrolling tench. 

7lb 12oz and a great start

It was no surprise that my companion for the trip, Coops, hooked and landed a carp from the next swim. There certainly seemed to be a lot of carp in that area. However, it was myself that drew first blood on the tench front and guess what? It came on the solid bag rig. Typical. A nice tench that went 7lb 12oz was banked and I was up and running after just a few hours of the trip. A carp followed to maggot not long after that went around 16lb. 

By late afternoon and into the evening, I had baited one of the tench rods with the worm kebab. It was this rod that was next to fool a tench with a really positive bite. A spirited battle saw another female tench on the bank. Although it looked larger, this one went 7lb 7oz. A lost carp to a hook pull was the only other action that evening, but I went to bed feeling really happy with the first day's results. 

A 7lb 7oz tench 

It was 3.43am when I awoke. It was still dark so I decided I should wait a little longer before recasting the rods. The heavens then opened and I was forced to listen to torrential rain for about half an hour before I could venture outside. The crayfish had stripped the baits meaning a rethink would be required for the following night. There was no dawn tench even though it looked perfect. A sunny day developed with another lost carp and a lost tench souring things slightly although Coops bagged his first tench of the trip with a 5lb male fish. I did spod a bit of bait on this day, with hemp and 2mm pellets placed in small quantity over the rods. It was later in the day when my popped up maggot bait was taken and a tench was on. All was going to plan as it approached the marginal shelf when it all went solid, and I mean solid. I was convinced the fish was still on but it wasn't moving. A spell with the bail open failed to change the situation and no matter which angle I applied pressure, nothing happened to fill me with confidence. In fact, I'd practically given up hope when my final throw of the dice was to pull directly with the rod pointing at the snag. A perilously dangerous manoeuvre that I was convinced would result in a snapped line. Miraculously, the feeder and fish were dislodged and I was back in business with the tench soon landed. It was a good one as well. The net revealed a plump looking tench that was clearly bigger than the ones landed on the previous day. The scales settled on 8lb 12oz and provided me with a new tench PB. I was delighted. 

My tench PB at 8lb 12oz

The night came and went with no action even though I changed to hook baits that survived the crayfish. That last morning turned out to be a little frustrating. Lots of tench were topping but despite what looked like perfect conditions, neither myself nor Coops were troubled by them. I lost a really nice carp that I had successfully battled to keep out of the nearside tree line only for the hooklink to snap when it felt like the hard work had been done. I didn't get the best of views but Coops, who was waiting with the net, suggested it would have been good enough to beat my carp PB. Nothing else materialised and the 48 hours came to a conclusion. Although  I failed to catch a fish on that last morning, the session as a whole had been a huge success. Three tench including a PB was a really satisfying result and had me making plans for another gravel pit adventure soon. Of course, the opening of the river season will provide further distractions but I'll do my best to fit it all in. 

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Tench - Spring Experiments

The river season ended with me snaring a super pike that would have undoubtedly been my first Avon twenty. Unfortunately, whilst readying myself to weigh the fish,it managed to escape without a photo nor confirmation of its weight. Not ideal, but always next year even though it haunted me for days. 

With 3 months to go before the rivers reopen, my attention turned to tench in early April. With a session booked on gravel pit at the end of May, I was keen to try out rigs on an easier water.

I started with two rods, both armed with helicopter rigs. Red maggots were the used in the feeder and on the hook. Presentations included a buoyant rubber maggot mounted as an aligner together with a couple of real ones on size 12 and 14 Korum Grappler hooks to a 4" of fluorocarbon hooklink, thus creating a bolt rig effect.

The addition of foam pops the bait up

The heli rig (left) and the inline feeder

 

Proceedings started modestly with hooked fish but an unusually high number of tench shedding the hook on the heli rigs. I suspected the 60g feeders were the culprit and the spirited fish were shaking the hooks free especially as I was not fishing much more than 25 yards or so. A reduction to 45g seemed to solve the issue along with setting up one of the rods with an inline Drennan feeder. I concluded that at close range the inline feeder had much better hooking properties compared to the helicopter setup. However, casting accuracy at longer distances saw the heli rigs come out on top. With more confidence in the actual setups, my next job was to attract more bites. 

At this stage they were not occurring as frequently as I expected so another bit of research was needed. This is when I decided to eliminate hair rigs and aligners and instead place a piece of red rig foam alongside 2 maggots directly on to a size 12 hook. This presented the maggots popped up a few inches off the bottom. The results were game changing. Tench were hitting the bait with regularity and hook ups were very efficient. With the inline method and the lighter feeder on the heli rigs, my catch rate upped significantly. The sessions were only short, a few hours from late afternoon until the light went but many a tench adorned my net and provided me with lots of confidence in my end tackle. The tench weren't huge with them all weighing in around the 3-5lb range but they provided super sport. It was important that when experimenting, I found a water that would provide me with the opportunity to receive enough bites to draw some conclusions. With the pit visit planned, I now had some clear methods to employ and the hope of bigger tench to come. Of course, my next blog will be all about my quest for some larger tench. 

A plump tench taken as the sun set

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Tench - Heaven 17

If you're here because of the 80s synth band, Heaven 17 then you're going to be disappointed. However, if you enjoy tench then read on as I'm about to describe a super day on the banks. With some recent warm weather, I decided it was time to catch some tench so set off for a water I fished a couple of times last spring with some reasonable success. The fish are average size with some over 5lb but give great sport on the float. There are rumours of fish to 8lb but I've not found any evidence of them yet.

The first tench of the session

Despite the warmer weather, the day I visited was quite cool with a persistent wind blowing towards me. This was punctuated by some pretty strong gusts and the occasional rain shower. I'd had my heart set on fishing relatively close in using the traditional lift method. A size 16 hook was baited with double maggot and I was up and running. It didn't take long before the float started to twitch. The culprits could have been some of the roach and rudd that also inhabit the lake but I was sure that the tench were not far away. Eventually the float disappeared from view rather than lifting and my centrepin started to spin gently as a fish moved away. A strike saw me connected with the first tench of the day. My new Avon rod gave a satisfying bend as it toyed with its first fish. A fish of over 3lb gave a good account of itself and was safely netted. I thought this would open the flood gates but the next 2 hours were pretty slow. Lots of dips of the float but nothing worth striking at. I tried some modifications. I put a fake maggot on the hook along with a live one. I hoped that a better balance might enable a more confident pick up and also enable the bait to sit on, rather than sink into the weed. The result was instant. I was tighening up to the float when it lifted, fell flat and I felt the line pull. The second tench was netted and a third followed not too long after. However, I was

5lb 7oz and the best of the day

not happy with my presentation. I was convinced tench were in the swim but my optimism was not converting to bites. The wind wasn't helping which by now was pretty strong. I made the decision to switch to a thin tipped waggler. This change proved pivitol as bites came regularly and were now positive. No more maybes, just a twitch and gone. These bites proved easy to hit and the result was tench after tench. I had a few hours where nearly every cast resulted in a tench. I ended with 17 tench. Most were 3-4lb with the best going 5lb 7oz but provided non-stop entertainment. I even had a roach of 1lb 7oz which somehow found a way out of my net as I set up the camera for what would have been a nice photo. It was a great session in what were less than perfect conditions with the troublesome wind. I'm already planning my next trip.

A cracking tench session

A near 1 pound rudd

For years I have been trying to find a reliable tench venue. Unfortunately, they are thin on the ground in these parts. You either have to be content with temperamental venues or head for the large Cotswold pits and sit it out. I had been planning a tench trip for a few weeks but as ever the choice of venue was the sticking point. A few inquiries had been made but nothing was definite. I had pretty much decided to travel to Leicestershire in search of tench but I have to be honest, upon waking up I just couldn't summon the motivation for the almost 2 hour drive. Instead I chose a pool a bit closer to home. It's one of several at the venue but it's a pool with very little information and was not one I had fished before. The owner had emailed me to say it was worth a go with tench in mind so I thought I'd go for it.

I arrived just after lunch to find the pool empty but for a father and son. They soon packed up leaving me alone. The pool itself was reed lined but a walk around its perimeter showed no signs of feeding tench. A few rudd broke the surface and by now the sun was beaming down and the day was becoming pretty warm. With no obvious area to target I chose a small bay. It was about 4ft deep just off the rod tip and seemed as likely as anywhere. I set up a light waggler and shotted it so just a dimple was on show. Tench can be finicky biters so I wanted to reduce resistance to a minimum. With the pool's inhabitants unknown, I started cautiously feeding a few maggots regularly to build the

One of the 5 pounders

swim up. It was a quiet start but eventually a bite came and a small rudd was swung to hand. With the bright conditions, sport was slow but punctuated by the rudd to keep things ticking over. Some of these rudd were chunky specimens, the best went 1oz shy of a pound and as always, their colours are stunning. As late afternoon approached the first tench was finally landed. It wasn't huge at approximately 2lb but it was a start. I began to up the feed and it appeared to work as bites became more regular and with it the size of the tench increased to 4lb+.

You cannot beat the anticipation of a traditional tench bite. The float rises. It then returns to its starting position before inching one way then another. This can continue for what seems an age until eventually it slides from view and a tench is hooked. Then that paddle-like tail propels the fish on several powerful runs before it it can be safely netted. Then you are able to admire the olive green flanks and red eyes. They are a great fish to catch and the next two hours of my session was no stop. I ended with ten tench, three of which were over 5lb with the biggest weighing in at 5lb 10oz. It was easily the best tench session I had experienced for a long time and all from a pool that had promised little upon arrival. I am already plotting a return visit.

A 5lb 10oz tench

Roll on June

I never really enjoy this time of year as far as fishing is concerned. A dirth of tench options near me and the closure of the river season means that I spend more time plotting for the 16th June rather than actually chasing fish.

That said, I have managed a few trips since mid-March. These have resulted in my one and only

tench so far, an enjoyable couple of hours one evening catching some hard fighting carp to 8lbs or so and a dreaded blank.

I'm sure I will manage a few more sessions in the coming weeks but I am already starting to plan for the opening of the rivers when I can get underway doing what I enjoy most.

In search of specimen perch

The best carp was around 4lb

After blanking on a perfect looking Warwickshire Avon at the weekend, a change of plan was the order of the day. So a return to the pool that gave me a personal best perch a few weeks ago beckoned [here] and with a cloudy albeit a very windy day, conditions looked promising.

Tench in December!

A mixed bag

The first job was to set up and catch some live bait. As my last visit proved, this was not easy as a string of lovely roach, some of which were around the pound mark, came to the net. I did manage a handful of suitable baits so set up a perch rig and continued to fish maggots for whatever turned up. Apart from the roach, a few skimmers, a rudd, three inevitable carp and a December tench all put in an appearance in the mild conditions. However my target, a specimen perch, proved elusive. I did manage a few on large lobworms, the biggest going 1lb 3oz but with fish over 3lb present I fished on in hope as the light began to fade. As dark fast approached, I had no choice but to call an end to the day. The big perch had not been tempted and my live bait was no doubt please about that as it swam away. It was an enjoyable few hours spent catching several species with the only negative being I clumsily managed to step on a pole section.

It will probably be after Christmas before I am out again so Merry Christmas and thank you to all those that have visited this year.

Perch to 1lb 3oz but no biggie this time

Tales of the Unexpected

If you're clicking this hoping to read Roald Dahl's collection of short stories then you'll be sadly disappointed. However, 'Tales of the Unexpected' was an apt way to describe my latest session on the Warwickshire Avon. The river has given me many surprises over the years. Indeed, I have caught over 12 different species from the river so it has always kept me captivated. My latest session took me to my favourite Avon venue. It's one I don't visit as often as I once did since I have other venues closer to home but following such a slow start to the river season I felt familiarity was the way forward.

The first small barbel

My number one swim was occupied so I settled a little further downstream where the river's increased pace was still evident. I decided to start by rolling some meat, a favourite method in
difficult summer conditions. It's a method that can result in a fish when all else fails. After ten minutes, there was a subtle tap on the line and a swift strike was met with a fish. I expected a chub to surface but the first surprise of the day resulted in a juvenile barbel. These are rare, in fact fish under a pound are caught less often than double figure specimens. It was, of course, in perfect condition.

After this, I then reverted to regular straight ledger tactics with PVA pags and pellet hookbaits. The tip soon went round and I was connected to what I believed to be another chub. Again, I was wrong.

Variety in the shape of a tench

This time the golden flanks belonged to a tench of about 3lbs. What was more surprising was the speed of the flow it had been happy to feed in given they prefer sluggish water and ponds. A gudgeon managed to hook itself before another young barbel put in a spirited appearance. This fish probably approached a pound and with it I had caught my two smallest barbel in almost 30 years of fishing in space of 90 minutes.

It was beginning to become a thoroughly enjoyable session so it was inevitable that some bad luck would be sent my way to balance proceedings. The rod tip once again rapped around savagely and I was connected to

The future

something much more substantial. Undoubtedly a barbel, it moved upstream before surging across river towards the far bank. This is when disaster struck and the hooked pinged free. It was a disappointment as experience tells me you rarely get a second chance on the Avon. A chub of about 3lb did follow before another of similar proportions managed to escape my clutches by finding sanctuary in some near bank reeds. As sunset came and went, the chub raps continued but unfortunately another barbel could not be persuaded to return.

Although the fish I caught were not of specimen proportions, they certainly showed off the variety of species the river holds. More importantly, it proved the future of the river is looking rosy and those small barbel of today could be tomorrow's front page news. As always, thank you for reading and please add your comments or visit my Facebook page.

Tench campaign underway

Today saw my first proper fishing session since the end of the river season. It's been a busy few weeks for me and to be honest the break has done me good. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

It was my intention to kick start my spring tench campaign and with that in mind I set off enthusiastically to a Warwickshire reservoir. The venue reputedly has a decent head of tench but it is far from easy. On it's day, great catches can be had but more often than not it leaves you scratching your head in puzzlement and questioning if it contains any fish at all. Three visits last April saw three blanks! However, this year's weather has been a lot warmer and I was confident the deep cold water would have seen some increase in temperature and got the old tench on the munch. Conditions also looked favourable with thick cloud and a tinge of colour to the usually crystal clear water.

My main tactic would be a simple waggler float with maggots mounted on a size 16 hook to 4lb bottom and 6lb mainline. I also had a sleeper rod set up with some fake corn and loose offerings hoping this might pick up a tench or even one of the reservoir's elusive carp. After about 45 minutes of loose feeding 'little and often', the float buried. A spirited fight saw a lovely looking roach, well on its way to a pound, make its way to the bank. Almost immediately, a perch of similar size followed. I then bumped two fish which prompted me to change the hook. This seemed to work as another perch was netted. I ended up with eight perch with the best around the pound mark. Although I was enjoying more bites than I had mustered during my last fives visits combined, it was the venue's tench I had courted. I fed a little heavier, adding some groundbait and pellets to the swim. I then struck too early as the float dipped slightly, which made me think it could have been a tench. Tench are famous for playing infuriatingly with your bait before they finally take the plunge. I wouldn't make the same mistake twice and the next cast saw the float slip from sight and a good fish was hooked. It gave great sport on my through actioned match rod but I maintained control and before long a fine looking tench was lying in the folds of the landing net. It was a plump fish that went easily over 4lbs.

The first tench of 2014

The steady rain of last hour had now become heavy and bites began to dry up which couldn't be said about me or my belongings. The rain slowed for ten minutes and I made my getaway before the heavens opened up again for my drive home.

I really enjoyed the session even though it was limited to about 4 hours. Not only did I get my tench campaign up and running but I managed to add some cracking perch and lovely roach. It's also made me eagerly anticipate my next visit although the fickleness of the venue could well see me struggle next time.

Not bad for a few hours

A super roach

First tench session of the year

With the warmer weather finally here I thought it was time to tackle a tench or two. My choice of venue was a pool reputed to be hard going but with some reasonable tench and chance of carp or bream putting in an appearance. 

With it being bank holiday weekend coupled with fine weather it was hardly surprising to see a number of anglers already fishing when I arrived at around 4pm. With the sun bearing down, fishing appeared to have been slow all day with no fish being reported by the anglers I spoke to. I had never fished or even visited the venue before so I had a dilemma as to where I should fish. With this in mind I decided to have a walk to see if I could find any sign of life. The centre of the lake showed vigorous growth of lily pads all

A stunning sunset

reaching for the water’s surface. I noticed a couple of small carp cruising amongst them. I finally settled at the top of the lake in a quiet corner littered with sunken branches with a gentle breeze pushing towards me. Immediately, I was aware of a couple of reasonable sized carp present amongst the trees. One of them seemed to have a sizeable wound behind its dorsal fin but it seemed unperturbed. I threw a few dog biscuits in their direction. I always carry a few as I see myself as something of an opportunist and don't want to be sat there regretting my inability to snare a feeding carp. However, these carp were not feeding. The largest did cautiously take one biscuit while the remainder were nibbled by small fish. In fact I saw these carp several times through the session but they never seemed settled or catchable.

Anyway, I decided to get myself back on track and commence my tench fishing. The idea was to fish the float and maggot close in and then set up a groundbait feeder rigged helicopter style baited with boilies or sweetcorn. This rod would be set up with a bobbin and alarm but I was keen to recast every 10 minutes to get some bait down. The hours passed in the blazing sun and both rigs remained untouched. I tinkered with the feeder rig as it was picking up weed so I tried to balance the hookbaits to ensure they did not disappear amongst the debris. I figured my best hope would come with sunset. 

A lovely rudd, but where were the tench?

As the sun dipped behind the trees my float finally started to show some signs of fish. It rose, it swayed, it sank. Strike! Frustratingly, it met with thin air but my maggot hookbait had been damaged. Had some tench finally moved in on my bed of hemp and maggot? A recast saw my float back in position. Again my float dipped but this time I made contact; however this fish was not taking line. Seconds later a small rudd was swung to hand, a beautiful little specimen of a few ounces. I continued to feed and it soon became apparent that all the fish in my swim were rudd, and unfortunately all of a similar size. It was no longer difficult to muster bites and I took further fish of a similar size. With darkness fast approaching I knew my best bet of a bigger fish would be via my boilie bait. Although I had a few bleeps on my alarm nothing developed and my session ended.

It would have been nice to have recorded a tench of course, but it was a beautiful evening as the sun set on the lake. The rudd, although small, were perfectly formed and they are undoubtedly one of our most stunning species of course fish. Fishing a venue for the first time is always a learning curve and never beaten I will be sure to return with amended tactics. Next time I will change my location slightly and also I'm going to investigate using the 'naked chod' rig to enable me to sit a bait just above the weed. It's not a rig I've used before as I'm not really into carp fishing too much apart from surface fishing. I will of course scale it down a little to target tench but I think it could be effective at this venue. Only time will tell so if anyone has any ideas or tips then let me know.