Wingham Fish-In Catch Reports 2013

[Steve Burke]

Dales,

 

http://www.boprc.govt.nz/media/32803/Report-0402-Potential%20effects%20of%20tench%20in%20NZ%20freshwater%20ecosystems.pdf

 

If you are keenly interested in tench the above site is just one of several suggested in my current Fish Biology Journal. While the work is done for/by NZ the bits are well documented foreign scientific papers. Just pick through those parts of interest to a UK angler.

 

As a side note. Having read a couple papers this morning they seem to be a predictable and fun candidate for matching wits.

 

Phone

 

Many thanks indeed for this link, Phone!

 

The paper makes fascinating reading and sums up a lot of the literature. It's well worth reading.

[Anderoo]

 

Immediately before the Fish-In Mark Cunnington had his first tench session anywhere for many years. His first 3 tench were all PBs at 8-07, 8-14 and 9-08! He then lowered his average with a 6-04!

 

All these fish came in the afternoon.

Thanks Steve, although I was wondering more about those targeting the carp and catching tench? I just got thinking as the circumstances of Errrm's tench plus your doubles and maybe Glyn's(?) seem to have quite a lot in common...

[Sharkbyte]

When shot I was actually in the bivvy watching, so there was no bankside disturbance. The camera rig itself I have never found to scare fish in the slightest. Usually quite the opposite. Besides, its current incarnation completely does away with the pole being left in the water and is probably the most discreet version yet.

I firmly believe that some fish (including the one in the footage) are sometimes wary of baited up areas. Thinking out aloud - the less angling pressure a water receives, the less the fish are used to encountering baited up areas. On a commercial, for instance, not a day goes by where the fish do not see a pile of pellet. It's normal. Not to mention the massive disparity between stock biomass and natural food sources and the need to eat what's there before something else does. Somewhere like Wingham it's going to be a comparitive rarity and those fish have absolutely no need to eat anglers bait. There's no denying that my bait sticks out like a sore thumb and compared to the background water chemistry, my spot probably stinks something like passing a Bodyshop when walking through Lakeside shopping center - very nice...... x1000%!

 

Anyway, here's some more footage. The first two fish are examples of the 'mouthful and run' fish, the last 24 odd minutes is continuous unedited tails-up feeding.

 

PS. If I was fishing Wingham again tomorrow I'd just take the gallon of maggots and tub of worms......probably blank, mind. ;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://youtu.be/32-PODPnZ58

Edited May 25, 2013 by Sharkbyte

[Newt]

Wow!! Great footage. It certainly appears that eyesight (at least, as we humans know it) is pretty well useless to feeding Tench - possibly only good for avoiding dangerous preds when they are up off the bottom in somewhat clear water.

 

They seem well aware of your line (if that was your rig) since they pretty much avoid hitting it and don't think much of the bait since they totally avoid/ignore it.

[arbocop]

It also shows that despite me blaming tench inactivity for my blank, they were actually moving and feeding - albeit spasmidically!

[Anderoo]

In my experience, big beds of bait or little piles of bait have not put off the wingham tench. Quite the opposite. They have never seemed to associate bait with danger. However, I think this is now starting to change.

[Steve Walker]

In my experience, big beds of bait or little piles of bait have not put off the wingham tench. Quite the opposite. They have never seemed to associate bait with danger. However, I think this is now starting to change.

Maybe you need a campaign of spodding likely spots all over the lake and then not fishing them

[Anderoo]

In all seriousness Steve, I did pretty well last year by baiting an area and then fishing away from it. That was more successful than fishing right on the bait, or fishing over/near no bait at all.

[Dave H]

 

 

I am starting to believe that at wingham and spodding is not the answer in fact it can ruin your chances.

A feeder or anything that stays close to your hook bait in a small combined area works to greater effect. for carp it certainly does.

[Anderoo]

Depends what, how much, where and when you're spodding probably!