aiming for tench this year

[moonlight angler]

I know it is too early for them but because it is new year was thinking later this year I would like to aim for some good tench fishing action.

 

I have caught some on and off whilst feeder fishing for carp at my local but nothing more than 2LB and I know tench have been caught upto 7LB.

 

What I was wondering is any suggestions on how I can mainly target the tench.

 

I'd prefer to be feeder fishing so how to bait for them and which baits etc would be great help!

 

BUT if I have a better chance by float fishing then I might give that a go even though I am not very good at it :S

[Anderoo]

Ooh goody, the tench fishing topics have started early this year!

 

What kind of lake is your local? Gravel pit with marginal slopes, bars, islands? Little pond with lillies and overhanging trees? Deep or shallow? Are there a lot of small roach/perch/rudd/etc. or lots of carp to contend with?

 

How to target the tench will mostly come down to how to avoid the other species.

[Dick Dastardly]

How to target the tench will mostly come down to how to avoid the other species.

 

 

Or how you target other species and fail to avoid tench!

[moonlight angler]

Ooh goody, the tench fishing topics have started early this year!

 

What kind of lake is your local? Gravel pit with marginal slopes, bars, islands? Little pond with lillies and overhanging trees? Deep or shallow? Are there a lot of small roach/perch/rudd/etc. or lots of carp to contend with?

 

How to target the tench will mostly come down to how to avoid the other species.

 

it's a pond of about just above an acre and the bottom is siltyish (might just have made my own word up haha) theres a couple of islands with overhanging trees.

 

there arent any small roach/perch/rudd etc and the only other fish are a small number of bream BUT lots of carp from a couple of pounds to 15LB.

[Dick Dastardly]

To be honest I would just carry on using the same feeder tactics that have caught you carp and tench on the other water you mention. Ive caught an awful lot of big tench in the past whilst carp fishing and last season actually targeted tench on one water using scaled down (well slightly scaled down as the tench there as Im sure Anderoo can tell you as well! go like stink!) carp tackle and tactics.

 

Give that a go as a starting point as least you will have a bit of confidence in your method and bait.See how it pans out and modify it (if needed) from there.Dont over complicate your aproach though.

 

Cant teach watercraft on the net but a simple way to start is by locating the areas that the tench prefer. A short cut to a lot of trial and error is to simply note others catchs as well as your own.

[Kappa]

There are a few things to spring to mind here!

 

Think about when you are fishing. On most lakes tench feed best at dawn, some places the feeding stops once the sun is up. So get there early, preferably before dawn so you are fishing as or before it gets light. On two waters where I first caught big tench I would arrive at dusk, bait up and then take my time tackling up etc in the dark. It was very rare to get tench before 2 or 3am and likewise much after 6 or 7am.

 

Personally I much prefer float fishing for tench. Whilst bolt rigs can be very effective you don't know if they aren't working well. When float fishing, by definition you are watching the water. On the lake you describe you should be able to see the tench bubbling as they feed. Firstly if you take a walk at dawn it may help you actually locate the tench. Secondly if they are bubbling well in your swim but you aren't catching you know you are doing something wrong and you can try changing baits, depths, hook size, hook length etc etc. It is very easy to sit behind a motionless tip or bobbin and think there are no fish there or they aren't feeding.

 

Good luck!

 

Rich

 

Oops forgot to mention. Be accurate. Make sure your feeder lands in exactly the same spot every time. If you float fish try to keep your feeding very accurate and as tight as possible!

Edited January 7, 2010 by Richard Capper

[Anderoo]

I used to fish a little lake that sounds very similar, although it was very weedy and had very few carp in it. The best way I found of fishing it was floatfishing in the deeper spots close in, near to weed or trees - as close as possible. The best results were on caster over hemp (always use some hemp for tench!).

 

If you want to use feeder tactics, scaled down carp gear can be effective, although the rig I use would be useless in silt! As Rich says, fishing at the right time of day/night will be your biggest advantage in avoiding the carp, although I expect you'll catch plenty of them. Baits like caster, corn, mini boilies all work, as do fake baits if you want to avoid the tiddlers.

 

However, on a nice little pond I'd just go for a simple running groundbait feeder rig, find a nice spot as close in as possible, and keep nice and quiet!

[Tigger]

Early in the year I'd go for a good sunny day and fish the latter part of the day when the waters warmed up the most and just before it starts to cool down again. I'd put in a mix of crumb maggot and corn in the shallower parts of the pond and just fish over it with either a float or feeder...which ever I preferd on the day.

Don't forget the shallows will warm up the quickest in the early part of the year and the tench will come right up feeding in them.

[Dick Dastardly]

Here you are Moonlight in return for starting me thinking about warmer times here's a few pics to wet your appetite!-

 

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/Burgess...hl=tench+wigham

[chesters1]

if there's carp use 22mm boilies either you'll get tench or bream