Plagued by baby fish

[TrevBoy]

My local venue is host to a number of tench, but it is also host to a huge number of small silver fish. Is there much I can do to prevent my baits being attacked as soon as they hit the water? Luckily the water is clear enough at the moment to be able to see if my corn actually makes it to the bottom still on the hook, as these baby fish will attack anything.

 

If that wasn't bad enough, I can see that there are a few bigger roach which I wouldn't mind catching. How would I go about attracting them instead of the fry?

[Peter M]

why not try artificial corn on the hook over loose fed real corn or maybe a banded halibut pellet. I fish a lake that is like that and i was being murdered by small rudd last month so the next time i went i used banded halibut pellet, i only had one proper bite but caught a PB tench of 5 and a half pounds.

[TrevBoy]

My local venue is host to a number of tench, but it is also host to a huge number of small silver fish. Is there much I can do to prevent my baits being attacked as soon as they hit the water? Luckily the water is clear enough at the moment to be able to see if my corn actually makes it to the bottom still on the hook, as these baby fish will attack anything.

 

If that wasn't bad enough, I can see that there are a few bigger roach which I wouldn't mind catching. How would I go about attracting them instead of the fry?

 

Interesting - will give it a go. Thanks

[Jeffwill]

My local venue is host to a number of tench, but it is also host to a huge number of small silver fish. Is there much I can do to prevent my baits being attacked as soon as they hit the water? Luckily the water is clear enough at the moment to be able to see if my corn actually makes it to the bottom still on the hook, as these baby fish will attack anything.

 

If that wasn't bad enough, I can see that there are a few bigger roach which I wouldn't mind catching. How would I go about attracting them instead of the fry?

 

 

 

Try sweetcorn, hair rigged, two pieces mounted with the opening (soft part) facing each other, the shrapnel can attack it but they can only get at the outer skin and it will stay on. It does work though bigger ruddd/roach will probably take the whole lot

[Anderoo]

My local venue is host to a number of tench, but it is also host to a huge number of small silver fish. Is there much I can do to prevent my baits being attacked as soon as they hit the water? Luckily the water is clear enough at the moment to be able to see if my corn actually makes it to the bottom still on the hook, as these baby fish will attack anything.

 

If that wasn't bad enough, I can see that there are a few bigger roach which I wouldn't mind catching. How would I go about attracting them instead of the fry?

 

Yes, there are a couple of tricks.

 

The small silvers often come up in the water and take baits on the drop, so keep feeding them maggots, off to one side. That'll keep most of them out of the way. Fish on the bottom for the tench, in a way that gets your bait down quickly (leger/method/float with a lot of shot down the line). For feeding, use heavy groundbait or a bait dropper to get past the small ones.

 

Secondly, use bigger baits. Forget maggots and caster uless you can get them to the bottom and they remain unmolested. Pellets, corn, lumps of luncheon meat, big lumps of breadflake, on a decent sized hook. A good lump of flake on a size 10 or 12 hook may sort out the better roach.

 

The other option is to fish elsewhere - either a different swim or another lake. In summer on some lakes it can be almost impossible to avoid them, unless you use boilies.

[bluerinse]

I have nearly always found that if you keep feeding maggots and caster into you swim, the bigger fish will move in and push the smaller fish out, The only question is how long before the bigger fish move in. Sometimes it takes Half an hour other times 4 hours or more!!