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Tench 2024

Back on my local today for another day trip. Everything is conspiring to stop me getting one last trip to the rivers so Tench are very much in mind. Started just after first light at 6:45 on a flat calm lake, a couple of carp showed and I saw some bream just tipping the surface with their dorsal and tail fins. Not a sign of a Tench. At 7:50 I had a steady lift of the bobbin which resulted in a bream. Not what I was wanting but at 10lb 11oz not to be sneezed at too loudly. At 8-15 I had a 5-15 female Tench followed by another female at 8:25 on my other rod whilest rebating.That one was nearly the twin of the other at 5-14. At 9:55 I lost a fish when my hooklink failed, damaged on something but annoying, at 11:45 another female Tench of 6-13 and that was my day. I fished on ‘till 3:45pm packing up to avoid a downpour which never arrived.The sky was as black as Newgates knocker but other than a few spots no rain to speak of.
 

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8am ‘till 4.30pm today for a total blankety blank. Not a sign of any fish. Fog this morning, high pressure and slight wind from an easterly quarter probably says it all. Off to the SWS Larkfield complex on Friday for the weekend with number one son, he’ll be targeting the carp….me ? .. Tench off course 😁
 
With the rivers being out of sort so much Ive also started my tench campaign much earlier...well I say started, 6 blanks on 4 different waters I was starting to consider the bream but thankfully last weekends session came good. First came to method feeder with a small wafter , 3 more came to heli mag feeder. 2 short (half hour) feeding spells throughout the day. Considering how nice/warm some of the other sessions were I didnt have much hope when it went from a sunny morning to a half hour halestorm by the time id set up 😄

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I wish I could report some success from my trip to Larky 2 but alas I’ve added another blank to my diary. Two Tench were sighted, first by my son, in my swim while I was setting up my bivvy. It rolled about two rod lengths from the bank but didn’t wait about. The other was on my second morning when I saw a Tench “porpoise” but not in my water. I was due to fish into Sunday but when I saw the weather forecast for the Larkfield/Snodland area decided to pack up on Saturday evening. I was glad I did when I awoke to yet more poring rain on Sunday morning. Out for another go either Tuesday or Wednesday or possibly both, still have rather a lot of maggots who need swimming lessons, that’s if the blighters haven’t “turned”.
 
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. 😁

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Back to earth with a bump yesterday. Baits out at 6.30am but not a twitch for me. My mate Phil had a carp of 24-10 at about 10.30am but that was the only activity ‘tween the two of us. Packed up and headed for home at 3.30pm as the excitement was too much for me 😛IMG_8573.jpeg
 
LIFT METHOD ANYONE? (See below)
Bill what an afternoon! What I love about fishing is all the unknowns as well as new methods to learn and enjoy. This might not be the right place to post? But thought as it was tench I'd try. I've done a fair bit of research and ultimately it'll come down to trying the method out but DO people fish the lift method for tench? And if so what's your approach/ set up please? I've never targeted them specifically but I'm looking to do a few sessions on the tiverton canal this spring into summer hopefully thanks Jon
 
The lift method is basically a very average way of float fishing - IMO.

Having fished it a lot when I was learning to catch tench on a float, I eventually worked out it is flawed and there are better ways.

These days, I would float leger, lay on, or best of all fish close to, but off the bottom if I was tench float fishing.
 
Hmm interesting Tim thanks for your thoughts. I've never really fished it like I say so open to hear people's experiences. I did fish essentially stret pegging a few years ago for carp. I had a ssg 3inchs orb so from the hook then a short length of quill attached top and bottom but laying flat on the surface. The float would either pull asking the surface at times rise of simply pull under. This was fished in the margins vegetal but was good fun. Again my understanding of the lift method is that tench feed at a different angle to carp for example and being over depth there less charge of them hitting or feeling the vertical line to the float?
 
My biggest issue with the lift method is foul hooking.

If you lay on or float leger you can separate the hook from the line going up to the float- which helps reduce the problem.

Best of all just fish a waggler set up and put the bait an inch off the bottom. I used to 'trot' for them with a stick float on some of the Lea valley pits because they actually used to 'flow' as they were part of the flood relief scheme.
 
Im starting my tenching next week, looking forward to it. Tim, surprised you'd fish your bait on the waggler an inch off the bottom, would have thought a couple of inches over depth ? That said I was using the pop up maggot feeder rig last season but I found bottom fished baits outfished it.
 
I fish the lift for Tench now and again on a canal and have never found a problem with foul hooking, I generally use a drennan drift beater float as you don't need much shot on the bottom to give a very positive lift indication.
I have thought about a slightly over depth waggler instead, as I do wonder about having a large shot 4 inches from the hook....
 
Jon Kennard said:
LIFT METHOD ANYONE? (See below)
Bill what an afternoon! What I love about fishing is all the unknowns as well as new methods to learn and enjoy. This might not be the right place to post? But thought as it was tench I'd try. I've done a fair bit of research and ultimately it'll come down to trying the method out but DO people fish the lift method for tench? And if so what's your approach/ set up please? I've never targeted them specifically but I'm looking to do a few sessions on the tiverton canal this spring into summer hopefully thanks Jon
Click to expand...
Hi Jon,

Great to hear you’re going to give the Tinca’s a try. As you probably realise I love ‘em, they just beat Barbel as my favourite fish ( wrong forum to admit that 🤣), that’s probably because I have some very good Tench fishing on my doorstep but have to travel for Barbus so I spend more time each season after Tench. I used to do a fair bit of float fishing for them and use the lift method. I actually love the bite, the lifting of the float is magic to me and have to admit that foul hooking hasn’t be an issue for me but Tim has much more experience than me so will be thinking about it a little more when I do get the float out.
I remember that you are in Devon but can’t remember exactly where? There’s some very good Tench fishing at Rackerhayes Complex at Newton Abbott and some very decent fish in the Exeter canal. If you want me to try and find out more about these fisheries I can put my feelers out on The Tenchfishers forum for you.

Regards

Bill
 
Late start in my local today, baits out at 8.15am. I blame the beers in the Turkish restaurant last night 🤣
First bite at 10.50am resulted in a 5-07 female Tench, next bite an hour later was obviously not a Tench but it did fight a bit (little bit) and after a little while slipped my net under what is now a new PB Bream of 12-07. Like the PB Common Carp of last week not my target fish but it was BIG, had to admire it I must say. What a fifteen or bigger looks like must be awesome. Another hour passed and a drop back bite this time, another female of 6-12 that thought it was a carp, one hell of a scrap ! Last action of the day was three quarters of an hour later a fish of 6-13. A fish longer than the 6-12 and will be a biggun in six weeks time when she’s carrying a bit of spawn. I’m back down later in the week with a life long friend who’s coming up from near Fareham in Hampshire. Fingers crossed he can beat his PB of 5-12 🤞 The attached picture of the Bream is not good but the landing net is a 32” to give some scale. The two Tench are the two 6’s.

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Bill Walford said:
Hi Jon,

Great to hear you’re going to give the Tinca’s a try. As you probably realise I love ‘em, they just beat Barbel as my favourite fish ( wrong forum to admit that 🤣), that’s probably because I have some very good Tench fishing on my doorstep but have to travel for Barbus so I spend more time each season after Tench. I used to do a fair bit of float fishing for them and use the lift method. I actually love the bite, the lifting of the float is magic to me and have to admit that foul hooking hasn’t be an issue for me but Tim has much more experience than me so will be thinking about it a little more when I do get the float out.
I remember that you are in Devon but can’t remember exactly where? There’s some very good Tench fishing at Rackerhayes Complex at Newton Abbott and some very decent fish in the Exeter canal. If you want me to try and find out more about these fisheries I can put my feelers out on The Tenchfishers forum for you.

Regards

Bill
Click to expand...
Thanks Bill lovely fish right there again!!
That bream is a dustbin Lid what an incredible creature. Lovely tench to the first one takes it for me. I'm in North Devon in was looking at waters in the southwest so thank you. Newton Abbott is about 1.5 hours away im guessing. I think the tiverton canal will be me place to try initially. I've got a friend who's fished it a reasonable amount with tench to 6lb. Its be over the moon with anything like that! I've got to travel for pretty much all my fishing saving the bass and sea fish. Good surf tomorrow so mustn't grumble 😃👌. Keep the reports coming like seeing them
 
Jon Kennard said:
Thanks Bill lovely fish right there again!!
That bream is a dustbin Lid what an incredible creature. Lovely tench to the first one takes it for me. I'm in North Devon in was looking at waters in the southwest so thank you. Newton Abbott is about 1.5 hours away im guessing. I think the tiverton canal will be me place to try initially. I've got a friend who's fished it a reasonable amount with tench to 6lb. Its be over the moon with anything like that! I've got to travel for pretty much all my fishing saving the bass and sea fish. Good surf tomorrow so mustn't grumble 😃👌. Keep the reports coming like seeing them
Click to expand...
I forgot about the Tiverton Canal ‘till after I’d posted Jon. A chap in The Tenchfishers has had them to similar size as your friend. I’m meeting up with the SW Regional organiser at The Tenchfishers SGM on Saturday, I’ll do a bit of “fishing” for you👍
 
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