The Tench was recently voted the nations favourite species in a poll taken by The Angling Times and anyone who has caught one will understand why. The Tench is found in stillwaters and lowland rivers, it is a hard fighting fish that is a favourite spring and summer target for many specialist anglers.
Twenty years ago an 8lb Tench would have been a real specimen that would have graced the pages of any of the weekly angling papers but now you would need to catch a 10lb+ Tench to feature in those. It is hard to say why Tench have grown bigger in recent years. One theory is the warmer climate and better habitat. Another is farming chemicals entering the water system. But what ever the reason Tench have never been bigger!
The current British record stands at a staggering 15lb 3oz caught by Darren Ward in 2001 from the Sheepwalk Lake complex in Shepperton, middlesex.
The image that comes to mind when thinking of fishing for Tench for most of us is that of a warm hazy day sat by a Lilly covered estate lake watching the tip of a float surrounded by tiny fizzing bubbles. This is not surprising as float fishing is probably the most enjoyable method of fishing for Tench, The Tench loves cover and weed as this is where it finds it's natural food of larvae,bloodworm and aquatic insects. This means they are often found in the marginal areas which allows for accurate plumbing and casting which is why the Lift Method is such a fantastic method of float fishing for Tench.
The Lift Method
The Lift Method is really very simple and gives fantastic bite indication. It is really only for fishing close in say up to a 2 rod lenghs out ideally in a swim with a level bottom. You Use a piece of silicone tube to fix the float to the line (Bottom end only) a peacock waggler is the perfect float for this method. You then plumb the chosen spot of your swim ,say next to a Lilly patch or next to marginal reeds. When you have found the exact depth move your float up 4 inches and the attach your shot 4 inches from the hook. This will allow your bait to lie on the bottom and when it is picked up by the Tench the weight will be lifted making your float lift up giving a clear indication of the bite.
Specimen Tench
For many specialist anglers their spring campaign would not be complete without netting a big specimen Tench. From the end of April thoughts turn to the vast gravel pits that are home to some of the biggest Tench in the country. Gravel pits such as Wilstone reservoir, Sywell reservoir and Horseshoe Lake in Gloustershire. It's waters like these that hold the really big Tench! Fish that go into double figures and it's the vast size and rich environment of these gravel pits that allow Certain Tench to grow to record proportions!
Another great method is the Method feeder using a couple of fake casters super glued to the hair rig and placed into the method ball. Casters are a real favourite of Tench and should be used in spod mixes and groundbait. using fake casters means that you can be sure that small nuisance fish have not destroyed your bait and give confidence as you wait for that run!
Hot areas to look out for on gravelpits when targeting Tench are ledges and weedbeds, gravel bars and marginal shelves. These are all areas where Tench would find an abundance of natural food so they are great places to target.
Tench are renowned for being morning feeders so it pays to be on the lake at first light, this is also a good time to be watching the lake as Tench often show their position as they roll over the spot in which they are feeding. Also look out for the tiny pinprick bubbles that appear on the service as Tench root around on the bottom looking for food.
Top waters for specimen Tench are Wilstone Reservoir, Sywell Reservoir, Cemex Burghfield Lake, Cemex Wraysbury 1 and Horseshoe Lake to name just a few. Check out http://www.tenchfishers.com/index.html for loads more information on top venues and Tench fishing tips.
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1 comment:
Thanks for the "lift method." I've heard of similar strategies, but the diagram was really helpful!
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