Do you use a special reel for feeder fishing?

[Tigger]

Just wondered why you singled me out for doing it.

 

Anyway, the tench rigs I've been using are fixed or at the very least, semi-fixed, in the old sense of the term, with say a cage feeder and a stop a few inches above it to create a bolt effect.

 

We tried hitting bites on completely free-running rigs but these tench seem awfully skittish. They have a little stab at a bait and then eject it just as quickly and they don't come back for seconds. I think many of them have seen the bank on more than a few occasions.

 

 

A couple of years back I actually did my own little test when fishing for tench. I used two rods set up right next to each other and with the bait about a foot or so appart. I set one up as a running rig(bait on hook) and the other with a semi bolt rig, bait on a hair and a hook length of 2 to 4 inches. Both rods where pointing directly at the bait and used bobbbins as indicators. I did use baitrunners (shimano 5010's) for this method but only put the free spool on on the rod set up with the bolt rig. I noticed that the rod with the running rig had attension and it looked as if the tench where picking up the bait (causing the bobbin to jiggle about up and down) and they would often leave it where as on the bolt rig they where hooked as soon as they took it and gave super screeming runs. I think the tench I hooked on the free running set up actually hooked themselves (against the weight of the bobbin) as when they moved off they also bolted and caused the bobbin to rattle on the rod so no need to strike like you would when using a quiver tip or swing tip.

[Andy Macfarlane]

After much experimenttion, I find the bolt-setups used in conjunction with a short hooklength and a hair-rig have definitely out far more fish on the bank and that's what I'll be doing for the most part next year. What is odd though is I've had a fair number of fish on the waggler and not necessarily on the bottom, employing a lift rig and they're mostly sail away takes, so why they feel so threatened by a free-running rig is a bit of a mystery.

[Tigger]

so why they feel so threatened by a free-running rig is a bit of a mystery.

 

 

I think it must just be the more shy tench(others just much away regardless) that can feel the resistance before the hook sets, then spit it out, with the bolt they don't have enough slack'ish line to enable them to eject it before the hook does set. That's me theory anyhow as I can't think of ewt else.

[Anderoo]

It's the way tench usually feed that can make them so tricky. As they up-end for long periods, they don't move very far and have all the time in the world to suss out a potential trip to the bank. Plenty of time to spit the hook out and bugger off never to be seen again!

 

As much as I hate to say it, small sharp hooks, short hooklengths and semi-fixed leads/feeders have made tench fishing quite easy. Fishing traditionally with lift method float fishing or running feeders might be more 'cricket', but there's no doubt in my mind that scaled-down carp tactics are way more effective.

[Tigger]

It's the way tench usually feed that can make them so tricky. As they up-end for long periods, they don't move very far and have all the time in the world to suss out a potential trip to the bank. Plenty of time to spit the hook out and bugger off never to be seen again!

 

As much as I hate to say it, small sharp hooks, short hooklengths and semi-fixed leads/feeders have made tench fishing quite easy. Fishing traditionally with lift method float fishing or running feeders might be more 'cricket', but there's no doubt in my mind that scaled-down carp tactics are way more effective.

 

 

Funny enough Anderoo I can't ever remember missing a tench bite on the float. I usually use a lightish float set up so there willl be very little resistance for the tench to feel until a strike like a panther that is

[Anderoo]

Funny enough Anderoo I can't ever remember missing a tench bite on the float. I usually use a lightish float set up so there willl be very little resistance for the tench to feel until a strike like a panther that is

 

True, you might not miss many bites on the float, but you can bet your mortgage that for every bite you see a dozen tench have sucked in and spat out your bait with no indication at all!

[Tigger]

True, you might not miss many bites on the float, but you can bet your mortgage that for every bite you see a dozen tench have sucked in and spat out your bait with no indication at all!

 

 

It depends on how you have your sensitive float set up. I have mineset up so sensitive that if a daphnia swims past it it will register

[watatoad]

It depends on how you have your sensitive float set up. I have mineset up so sensitive that if a daphnia swims past it it will register

 

IMPRESSED

 

:bigemo_harabe_net-193:

 

:bigemo_harabe_net-195:

[Andy Macfarlane]

True, you might not miss many bites on the float, but you can bet your mortgage that for every bite you see a dozen tench have sucked in and spat out your bait with no indication at all!

 

That's a distinct possibility. The float doesn't seem to register a bite nearly as often any of the legered baits, so you could well be right. There's really nothing between the two. They're very often identical baits presented on the bottom, side-by-side.

[Anderoo]

It depends on how you have your sensitive float set up. I have mineset up so sensitive that if a daphnia swims past it it will register

 

Is that lift method or standard waggler? Do you know for sure that it's showing every bite?

 

Even though I'm convinced no float set-up can be as effective as a little bolt rig, I'm sure that the bolt-rigged bait gets picked up and spat out a lot too...