Jump to content

10-06 record Wingham tench


Steve Burke

Recommended Posts

Very nice! Seems to me with so many fish in the mid to high nines, there might be even bigger fish still to come - can you see any clues in the shape of the frequency distribution of recent tench weights in the returns book?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 38
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Many congratulations Steve,

 

...and congratulations to Glynn also

 

 

Now here's a thought. Monday to Wednesday - cold NE wind - not the best conditions

 

Four people fishing, Steve, The two bailiffs Terry and Glynn, and myself.

 

Terry and I blanked (discounting some small perch)

 

Steve and Glynn one fish apiece.

 

ie 4 anglers managed two fish in four days - but WHAT fish!

 

I have heard it said many times that the exceptional fish is very often the only fish of the day - coincidence ? or do exceptional fish behave differently to the crowd ?

 

 

RNLI Governor

 

World species 471 : UK species 105 : English species 95 .

Certhia's world species - 215

Eclectic "husband and wife combined" world species 501

 

"Nothing matters very much, few things matter at all" - Plato

...only things like fresh bait and cold beer...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very true Vagabond, on my last session when I started catching a lot of smaller tench I thought (correctly!) that I'd struggle to get one of the big ones. I would much rather catch one fish of that calibre than a whole stack of smaller ones.

 

Anyone know what time Glyn's was caught?

 

I think it proves what Steve has said, that the big ones are loners.

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very true Vagabond, on my last session when I started catching a lot of smaller tench I thought (correctly!) that I'd struggle to get one of the big ones. I would much rather catch one fish of that calibre than a whole stack of smaller ones.

 

Anyone know what time Glyn's was caught?

 

I think it proves what Steve has said, that the big ones are loners.

 

I think that holds some water, my 9-14 came at 01:00 in the morning and that was the only fish I took outside of daylight during that session.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations Steve, a cracking fish.

 

I'd also hold with the loner theory for the larger fish - all my large (for the water I was on at the time) tench have come relatively out of the blue, often at times of day when I'd not have expected them.

 

Will

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations Steve and Glynn cracking fish. Jusgt what I was after at Wingham. I'm hoping to get some big ones out of the Thames this year. Once again, well done, roll on next week I can't wait to get out again :)

 

lyn

One life, live it, love it, fish it!

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It wasn't the only tench I caught. I had another of 7-03, plus lost a third. I also had a brace of 2lb perch.

 

However all came at different times, so yes the double was probably a loner.

 

Of course you do catch big tench amongst a big bag. However all my largest over the years at Wingham have come by themselves, often outside the normal feeding times. For instance the 10-06 came at 9.30p.m. My previous PB came at just after midday and was the only fish of the session.

 

My light groundbaiting is based on what I feel is best for the bream, that seem to move around in much smaller groups than the tench. This tactic reduces my chance of a big bag of tench, but I reckon it increases the chance of catching one of the big loners.

 

Here's what I posted in a previous topic after Vagabond mentioned that many of his best tench, regardless of the type of water, came late morning after the normal feeding spell:

 

"Wingham was stocked with 2 varieties of tench, one black from a Kent estate lake, the other green from a Surrey pit. At first the black tench continued to feed dawn and dusk despite changing their environment. These days, like most gravel pit tench, the peak feeding time is from before breakfast to mid-morning, and with less evening feeding than there used to be.

 

Interestingly, over a period of years some of the black tench have also changed colour, becoming blotchy. As a result it's been possible to clearly identify individuals. Whilst more or less every swim at Wingham produces tench, it's significant that the same tench are caught from the same small area of the lake year after year. Moreover, some swims produce green tench, others black. A few produce both, but at different times of the day. Here I suspect that patrol routes intersect. This suggests that tench, at Wingham at least, are territorial.

 

You may have read about tench "playing games", chasing each other through holes in Canadian pondweed. I don't go along with this. Instead I believe that the real explanation is territorial aggression, with the "families" defending their home area against intruders.

 

However, like Vagabond, many of my biggest tench at Wingham have come out of the blue and after the normal feeding time - often just before lunch. Mine too are often solitary catches. Could it be that these fish are loners, and simply too big to be seen off by the local family?

 

It's certainly a possibility that fits the facts."

 

I'd add that these loners may be bigger because they don't face so much competition from shoal members. Additionally they may feed for longer, hence being caught outside of the normal times.

 

It's interesting that several other shoaling species also have "stay at homes" and wanderers. Indeed I've just been reading an article by Dick Walker on a monster chub found dead on his stretch of the Ouse. It was never caught, although seen and possibly lost, moreover in a number of different swims.

 

BTW, the tench being caught at Wingham are now nearly all the same light green/yellow colour so it'll be hard to identify individuals. Having said that mine did have a black spot behind its dorsal.

 

These yellowish tench are all young fish and we've been able to watch them grow at an incredible rate, and overtake their parents. It's got to the stage where nobody seems to bother photographing eight pounders, and more and more nines are being caught. Indeed, one member (who also posts on here) last week called eight pounders just small ones! They're the equivalent of 2 pound roach!

 

I wonder what the future will bring, let alone the next few weeks?

Edited by Steve Burke

Wingham Specimen Coarse & Carp Syndicates www.winghamfisheries.co.uk Beautiful, peaceful, little fished gravel pit syndicates in Kent with very big fish. 2017 Forum Fish-In Sat May 6 to Mon May 8. Articles http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/steveburke.htm Index of all my articles on Angler's Net

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Over there tommorow despite the warnings of rain and cooler weather. I have been itching to get over but the phone calls from the lads imn the week has made me even keener! Maybe just the one more tench trip!

And thats my "non indicative opinion"!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fabulous Tench, congratulations, sounds like the Wingham record will be eclipsed again before long. what a great water.

Happiness is Fish shaped (it used to be woman shaped but the wife is getting on a bit now)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We and our partners use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences, repeat visits and to show you personalised advertisements. By clicking “I Agree”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.