• 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 2023

Fished from 6am ‘till 5pm with my mate from Hampshire but my day was effectively over by 9am. Caught 1 x 4lb, 2 x 5lb and a 7lb 4oz in first three hours and nothing for the rest of the day. Had I been on my own I would have been home by 1pm but sat it out hoping that Dave could get a PB but alas he didn’t. Back tomorrow for another try.
 
Another couple today on the float. Hooked a much bigger fish that blasted into the lily pads and hook pulled.
IMG_7509.jpeg
 
Back to the lake today with mate Dave today. Wish I could report great things but alas two blanks. Dave will go back to Hampshire with tail between his legs and hope for better things to come. I’ve now enough red maggots as an excuse to go again on Monday 🤣
 
Surprisingly the pegs from last week were free so I thought why not challenge myself and try to do better in this weed ridden hell hole😄
4 tench to 4lb, a 7lb bream and a 29lb mirror, seems theyve moved into the shallower water with all this sun, my Dad in the deep peg had one tinca early doors then that was it.
Typically, having one rod out for tench on mag, sweetcorn or small wafter, and one of the new ballistas out for a chance carp on size 4 hook ronnie rig/12mm pop up, all the fish came on the carp rod 🤷‍♂️

Cant post pics as it says "the uploaded file was not an image as expected" has something changed as theyre no different to the previous ones ive uploaded?
 
Blanked again this afternoon. No one seems to be catching anything on the pit. All this high pressure. Think I'll try elsewhere tomorrow. Pellet waggler for carp.
 
Early start, lots of fish showing, mainly out of range, but enough closer in to give some encouragement, eventually had a real screamer, no doubt it was an angry carp, long ,tricky scrap resulting in a 20lb 3oz mirror. decided to pack up about 7pm, literally last rod in the water, just about to pick it up and it ripped off, 6lb tench, female showing no sign of spawn as yet. Not exactly prolific at the moment, but encouraging all the same.
 
Return to the big lake.
My 130 hrs without a bite has morphed to 140 so far......why why why...
I'm on a run of 3 blanks. Not even had a single bite. Previous seasons I've averaged about 4-6 tench per session.

They just are not playing ball. Weedy growth is prolific this season and so the natural larder is even more abundant...but there is more to than that I'm sure. 🤔

Some of the smaller carp in the water were spawning in the shallows on Saturday afternoon. It's been a backward spring, yet I think its the earliest I've known them spawn on this water.
 
I'm on a run of 3 blanks. Not even had a single bite. Previous seasons I've averaged about 4-6 tench per session.

They just are not playing ball. Weedy growth is prolific this season and so the natural larder is even more abundant...but there is more to than that I'm sure. 🤔

Some of the smaller carp in the water were spawning in the shallows on Saturday afternoon. It's been a backward spring, yet I think its the earliest I've known them spawn on this water.
A backward spring for sure Joe. I had a couple of sessions in March when we had frost at night and chilly north-east winds but caught like I was catching last May. Like you I’m on a three blank run on the SWS water I joined but put that down to not knowing the place and needing to gain some knowledge but on my local, excepting March, have found it hard going compared with the previous couple of years. Swims that previously produced well are now quite mediocre. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out !
 
Just been checking back and the average size of Tench that I’ve caught this spring is lower 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
I'm fishing Horseshoe.

Everyone tells me it's never been so bad for tench.
Typical when I decided to have one last go for that 10lb pb.! I've got till 6th July but no doubt the water will soon be closed down when the carp start spawning that seems to be early this year.
Blooming expensive too! Pretty soul destroying when not getting any there. And, what you are doing is working well elsewhere.
I don't think I've seen a single Fizz from tench even.
I ventured to a chap a couple of swims away that maybe they are totally preoccupied on naturals as well. Just very weird
 
The weather has seemingly delayed some species spawning activity, except the carp. A 12lb bream caught today was full of spawn, they have usually spawned by now, the perch are hiding, by this time they usually appear and destroy worm baits, no sign as yet. All the Tench are showing no signs of spawn, odd.
 
4th Blank for me, without a bite.
No fizzing , just one or two fish topping.
Water margins smelling funny ?
Gravel pit , Should I be fishing shallower areas or deeper at 8 -14ft ??

Not been for couple weeks, away last weekend and this .
 
I'm fishing Horseshoe.

Everyone tells me it's never been so bad for tench.
Typical when I decided to have one last go for that 10lb pb.! I've got till 6th July but no doubt the water will soon be closed down when the carp start spawning that seems to be early this year.
Blooming expensive too! Pretty soul destroying when not getting any there. And, what you are doing is working well elsewhere.
I don't think I've seen a single Fizz from tench even.
I ventured to a chap a couple of swims away that maybe they are totally preoccupied on naturals as well. Just very weird
Are you fishing the Summer Bay Graham?
 
Yes, but the fish just not really moved in this year.
On the Tench S 3 day fish in the only tench came from past the top car park.
Carp are there in numbers road swims but expect spawning v soon
It’s the same at SG Graham.

Good carp fishing this Spring, but little sign of the alleged big tench…..
 
My first Tench since I fished three lakes Selby in 95/96 ( had a twenty year hiatus from fishing as I thought it was all getting too commercial)
pretty sure I hooked it and lost it 30 mins earlier ?!
I’ll be back tomorrow night for another go , it’s pleasant way to occupy the close season :)


IMG_4726.jpeg
 
Back
Top