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Tench 2016 - 2018 and counting ......

Steve Lewis said:
Well done Steve.

A trip to the rather beautiful Combwich pond ("pond" - it's 22 acres) for me tomorrow. The tench there are my main target - they go to mid doubles and the average size is incredibly good, typically 6-7lb. BUT they've always been notoriously difficult - even more so than the big carp there, most of which are probably 50-60 years old now - and, with the forecast having it quite breezy (which usually means a blank on the Somerset levels), my confidence is pretty low. We'll see.
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I've always found that providing the wind is coming from the west/south and it isn't cool, then it can't really be too breezy for tench Steve ,assuming your not planning on float fishing of course! I'm wondering why the Levels should be any different? Some of the silty glacial meres I fish, a real strong wind can really help to prolong the morning feeding spell, especially if its a bit overcast.

Anyway, hope you bag a few.
 
Total blank - four others on the lake (three bivvy boys and another pleasure angler) also blanked.

Joe - I don't know what it is about the levels and wind, but it has always been the case that any wind stronger than about 7/8 mph, regardless of which direction it's blowing, what time of year it is, and what the rest of the weather is like generally, just kills it for pretty much every species, even the tiddlers. There is a theory that it's due to the peat present in all of the drains, most of the lakes and a couple of the rivers, and that the wind stirs up all the peat making the water extremely acidic which, in turn, stops the fish from feeding due to lethargy.

A sound theory with some science behind it you might think, but there is no peat present at Combwich......

It's a total mystery, but one that Somerset coarse anglers know all too well.
 
Can anyone recommend a decent water (current, things may have changed since last about) on the Cotswold water park/surrounding area for Tench?
 
Dave - no experience or knowledge of the Cotswold waters, but nearby Ham Pool (Ham Pond as it was when I last fished it over 20 years ago) on the South Cerney complex always used to be a good tench venue with a good average size and plenty of fish into double figures (which was rare back then). Lovely lake with lots of weed and lily pads, plus you can fish it on a day ticket. It was never massively busy when I fished it, mainly because most South Cerney members were of the bivvy persuasion and tended to concentrate on the carp waters. Not sure if it's still the same or not - I've moved further South in the intervening years, so it's quite a slog for me these days.

Ashton Keynes club also have a few venues which always used to have some renown locally for tench, but they've lost a lot of the lakes in the last 10 years and one of the lakes they did still have had a massive disease problem a few years back which killed about 70% of the fish in there.


EDIT - just clocked that Cotswold Water Park now covers the whole lot, including the abovementioned South Cerney and Ashton Keynes clubs. They were separate from the water park when I was a South Cerney member.
 
First Tench session of the season for me this morning. Only a few hours, not a bad start. Two for 3.11lb and 4.7lb, got steam trained by a carp that straightened the hook, followed by another of about 6lb which ruined the swim for an hour.
 
Chaps does anyone here fish frensham great pond much? I worry about spending the £130 on membership only to find out that it’s way too busy with swimmers/sailors/other anglers and I abandon after a couple of sessions. It’s about an hour and a half away from me so would like some opinions before I put the time and dosh into a campaign. Tench priority one but would also be interested in the Rudd and particularly big Roach. Any advice/experiences welcome. Thanks.
 
No, I have been fishing Hucklesbrook and doing okay, I have picked up tench to about 6 ish (although that was while carping) and a few around the 4-5lb mark. There are much bigger in there and will continue to fish it until I get a big girl but it’s not really a bag up water, and was looking for a water where a really good session is possible as opposed to one or two if you’re lucky. Frensham has a big head of fish so was looking at it...
 
George,

Godalming might be an alternative (subject to their work party requitrement) with a good head of tench in Marsh Farm and the chance of catching a big crucian as well. Just off the A3 at Milford so easy access from your neck of the woods via the M27, traffic permitting....


Dave
 
my first tench session of the year kicks off later today, all the kits sorted out, gallon of maggots, gallon of casters, kilo of worms, and a couple of tins of corn. two cool bags packed with freezer blocks to hopefully stop everything from dyeing.

I'm going just up the road from where I live to linear for 3 nights to oxlease lake, its the first time I've been on there so will hopefully get a few. Over the years I've fished Linears hardwick/smiths a lot and caught some decent fish with my best being 9.15. never managed a double.

:)
 
Jason Bean said:
my first tench session of the year kicks off later today, all the kits sorted out, gallon of maggots, gallon of casters, kilo of worms, and a couple of tins of corn. two cool bags packed with freezer blocks to hopefully stop everything from dyeing.

I'm going just up the road from where I live to linear for 3 nights to oxlease lake, its the first time I've been on there so will hopefully get a few. Over the years I've fished Linears hardwick/smiths a lot and caught some decent fish with my best being 9.15. never managed a double.

:)
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Good luck Jason,lost my only bite of a day session on oxlease about 3 weeks ago,felt big,slow and heavy. The hook pulled 10 yards out,initially thought a carp,but the end tackle covered in slime....aaarghh!
 
I got to Oxlease Monday night and got a good swim with a load of big tench just down the bank basking in the sun. Put some bait out and no joy that evening. Woke at 3am to get some more bait out only to find the carp spawning in the swim. I gave up at 9am as it was impossible to fish. The bailiff came round and advices on hunts corner and told me which swim and areas to fish which I was very grateful of.

Spent next 48 hrs there and finished with 14 tench to 9lb 6oz and 3 carp to just under 30lb.

Dai Gribble was opposite guiding, very nice chap and very helpful in pointing me in the right direction to make sure I made the most of a good swim.

Itching to get back and hopefully break the 10lb barrier.
 
6lb 13oz male.JPG6lb 2oz.JPG

Has anybody ever come across Tincas like these? Do they have a bit of Golden tench in them, or are they Tench with some sort of pigmentation issue? Opinion is split amongst my mates, nobody seems to have seen tench like it before.

I've always been led to believe that Golden Tench never exceeded the 3lb mark, and the male tench shown in pics 1 & 3 went 6.13 (1 oz short of my male tench PB) and the female in pic 2 went 6.2. I've also had a similar female from the same water at just over 5.
6lb 13oz male.JPG
6lb 2oz.JPG
6lb 13oz male v2.JPG
 
Joe Winstanley said:
View attachment 5596View attachment 5597

Has anybody ever come across Tincas like these? Do they have a bit of Golden tench in them, or are they Tench with some sort of pigmentation issue? Opinion is split amongst my mates, nobody seems to have seen tench like it before.

I've always been led to believe that Golden Tench never exceeded the 3lb mark, and the male tench shown in pics 1 & 3 went 6.13 (1 oz short of my male tench PB) and the female in pic 2 went 6.2. I've also had a similar female from the same water at just over 5.View attachment 5596View attachment 5597View attachment 5598
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Cracking fish whatever their parentage Joe. Golden tench certainly do go over 3lb,I had one myself of 6lb 3oz,out of the river of all places. Probably an escapee from an ornamental pond.
 
They certainly do appear to be a cross. However... that’s a bit of falsehood. Golds are simply a colour morph of the true “wild” green. So either these fish are descendants of a true gold at some stage or simply naturally morphing is hard to say. The gold throat and underbelly isn’t that unusual. It’s not unusual to see colour morphing, other members of this family which include goldfish of corse will often change from the gold to white in old age and of corse start black.
Whatever the route of this colouration they are stunning fish, that look well nourished. I’d assume from the colour saturation they were caught it clear water. Sunshine and clear water equals high colour, amongst other factors.
 
Mark - I never knew the goldies could go that big, big tench for a river as well.

Stephen - I must admit to never having seen a tench with anything like that degree of yellow on its belly, but then my tenching has pretty much been limited to just 3-4 waters in the last 15 years. Your spot on about the clear water, it's like gin in summer and they are very nourished well as the water has am incredibly rich biomass, it's very hard work competing against the naturals in Mid-to-late summer, v.twitchy!
 
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