• You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Some of the forums are hidden from non-members. Please refer to the instructions on the ‘Register’ page for details of how to join the new incarnation of BFW...

Tench 2024

Jon,
Are you familiar with Sanctuary Lake in North Devon. It’s a purpose “built” Tench fishery ? It was created by Steve Dawe, a Tenchfisher, and his Dad over ten years ago. Might be worth looking in to.

HOME | Mysite

sanctuarylakesdevon.wixsite.com sanctuarylakesdevon.wixsite.com

Regards

Bill

edit. I’ve just had a message from him that he tends to favour members of The Tenchfishers to fish Sanctuary.

The Tenchfishers | Tench Fishing

tenchfishers.com tenchfishers.com

It’s worth joining TF’s if only for the two excellent magazines produced each year.
 
Last edited:
Wow thanks Bill really kind I'll take a look into it this evening. Many thanks I'll keep you posted jon
P.s pretty excited by this 😆
 
Jon Kennard said:
@Bill Walford the complex no longer exists apparently rather is part of Newton Abbott club and a locals only club within a 20 mile radius. Hmm shame the canal it is
Click to expand...
Hi Jon

You can fish some of the Rackerhayes complex on a day ticket https://newtonfishing.co.uk/day-tickets/
I did fish it a couple of years ago (Island Pond) and the guy in Tackle Trader was really helpful. Have caught tench from First Pond, Island Pond and Linney Pond at Rackerhayes, albeit not that recently.
 
Nicholas Cole said:
Hi Jon

You can fish some of the Rackerhayes complex on a day ticket https://newtonfishing.co.uk/day-tickets/
I did fish it a couple of years ago (Island Pond) and the guy in Tackle Trader was really helpful. Have caught tench from First Pond, Island Pond and Linney Pond at Rackerhayes, albeit not that recently.
Click to expand...
Nick thanks for the heads up and link.
I'll most definitely take a look. I've emailed Steve from the North Devon lakes already obviously way closer to me.
 
Any of you tench fishers still use swingtips ? I used to use them for tench and silvers on the Royal Park lakes when I was a boy living in south west London and remember it being great fun as the tip twitched a few times and then shot out straight ! When thinking about this last night I ordered a couple on line and intend to fit them to my Harrison 1 lb 6 oz rods for a go on the local lake when the evenings lengthen a bit.
 
Bill Walford said:
Bit of an odd ‘en today ! Fishing by 7am and my mate had two 6lb plus Tench by 9am. I didn’t have a touch ‘till 1.25pm when a fast take resulted in a Common Carp of 25lb 7oz. Not what I was hoping for but a new PB Common so not to be sneezed at. Half hour later I had a 6lb 13oz female Tench and twenty minutes later a Mirror Carp of 24lb 15oz. All quiet for a couple of hours and then a fully scaled Mirror of 29lb to the ounce. Just as I was packing up an hour and half later another female Tench of 7lb 13oz. An uneventful morning but manic afternoon. 😁

View attachment 28955View attachment 28956
Click to expand...
That was a good session Bill. A good start to the tenching season.
 
Today was my sixteenth session after Tench starting in late January because of the mild winter we’ve had in this part of the country, yes wet but on the whole mild. Rivers have been up and down and at times their banks so I got no Barbel fishing in after Christmas. I didn’t contact a Tench ‘till session nine and since then have had the odd catch and odd blank but today was one of those days when everything was in alinement. I started at 6:30am, my mate hooked and lost a fish in the first ten minutes and had a 5-01 at 8:30am. My first activity was another decent bream of 8-04 at 9.15am. I got my first Tench at 10am, a female of 6-01 and I lost a Tench due to a hook pull at 10,15am (talking to Mrs W on the phone) but things really started to tick at 11am with me catching approx every half hour. I ended the day with fifteen Tench between 3-10 and 8-10 with just three under five pounds and all but three came from the left hand rod on a mark just off a gravel/sand bar. I had my first double take of the season which netted me two five pounders. My mate from Fareham had three and lost three BUT did get a new PB of 6-10 so I’m dead chuffed for him but I did feel a bit awkward catching the lions share of fish. I’m back down with him and my younger son tomorrow….I need some more maggots 🤣

37cd154a-0d16-4c58-845a-35909582fc40.jpeg7d192ee1-c217-4a67-8e15-86c4ffb6e7d8.jpegfdd9203f-79a3-473c-b092-47dd7ed88b27.jpeg
 
A very good session Bill. My diary's tell me that they can just switch on in early spring, and a good bag is on the cards, like your catch. It can be the difference of a day or two. A bit earlier where you live compared to me. I'll be starting when I get back home in a week or so. Looking forward to it. My favourite time for old Tinca.
 
For those that tench fish with heli rigs; there is a thought provoking article about the safety (or otherwise) of various heli bead arrangements in the current issue of Catch Cult magazine (39).

Fair play to various ‘Tenchfishers’ for undertaking the research and to MM for publishing it.
 
I fish the lift method for Tench in the margins and personally think it’s a great method, never had a problem with foul hooking. But you need to set it up right and use an appropriate float otherwise it’s ineffective, I think a lot of folk use the wrong style of float. An onion float or bodied waggler is best as they have a lot of boyancy in the bottom end. Fish it so that it is locked in place by float stops, about 1foot over depth, and large shot (doesn’t matter if single or multiple large shot IMO) that only just sinks the float about 3 inches from hook. When the fish takes the bait and lifts the head up the very boyant float will shot up. Use a largish bait because that helps force the tench to raise its head up and have your rod pointing at the float with the tip submerged. Don’t use a straight bodied waggler or crow quill or the like as they are not buoyant enough.
I bought some of these floats from mark tunley a couple of yrs ago and they are super buoyant and also have advantage of combating any drift if you sink them to 1/3rd of top bulb.
IMG_9818.jpeg
 
Ben Marr said:
Really enjoying this thread, I don't usually go Tenching until mid June onwards, but definitely going to get a few sessions in soon.
Click to expand...
Ben, they are up and at it if you can find ‘em. In my onion by leaving it ‘till mid June it’s past its best. Get to it as soon as you can 👍
 
Back to the pit with mate Dave from Fareham and my #2 son, an occasional angler, so swim choice was aimed at a bit of a social. We were all fairly close but not in one another’s pockets. I fished in one lake and Dave and Ian fished the lake behind which is separated by a central footpath. Both Dave and Ian had a good day with Carp to 17lb, Bream to nearly nine pounds and a couple of Tench to 6-10. I fished one of “my” Tench swims into the other lake and managed a brace of 6’s, A 6-13 at 9.45am and a 6-04 at 2-10pm. I did hook and loose another fish earlier in the session but it felt very breamy.
Back tomorrow before Dave heads back to Fareham and I go to The Tenchfishers SGM on Saturday.
 
Bit of a damp day today, I didn’t so much as have a twitch but Mate Dave got a PB bream of just over 10lb and a new PB carp of 16+ pounds so he’s going back to Hampshire tomorrow a very happy man, three new PB’s in three days. A brilliant few days fishing all round. Curry and a beer tonight but now got to think about what I do with a million and one surplus red maggots? Might have to go fishing on Monday 🤣
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top