Clearwater tench

[Steve Walker]

Interesting problem on one of the local pits. It's a small gravel pit with a good head of tench to double figures. It sees fairly heavy pressure from the carp contingent but is hardly fished at all by anyone not sitting behind a set of bite alarms; it's right next to a couple of "commercial" style puddles, which attract most of the attention. There's a lot of weed, and the water is currently gin-clear. It can actually be fairly easy at times, but it needs a bit of colour in the water.

 

I've recently abandoned easier waters for this lake, simply because the tench run larger. See the last two entries. I've found that I can very easily get a lot of actively foraging tench in the swim by feeding particles (hemp, maggots or especially, pellets) but that once they are preoccupied with particles they aren't interested in larger baits. They also seem to be tackle-shy. I've seen them do this on that particular lake before; I remember one session in particular a couple of seasons ago when I couldn't get a bite on heavy tackle and larger baits, but a switch to single maggot on match gear got me smashed on the first three casts.

 

I hoped that I could pick up some fish by using a large and distinctive bait; I've tried flake, worm and mussels, to no avail. I've also tried bunches of maggots and 14mm soft pellets. The tactic I've got working now is to fish a piece of soft pellet on a size 10. I'm using a 6lb DoubleStrength hooklength, which they seem to tolerate, but ideally for bites I'd scale down to 4lb. I won't get many fish in on that, though, the swim is fairly snaggy. I'm using the float, and fishing a conventional waggler shotting pattern. I can get the fish feeding within a couple of rod lengths of the bank, and I like float fishing, so I'm reluctant to adopt carpy tactics. My concern is that while a #10 is a little bit of a meathook, I'd rather be using a bigger bait on a #6 or #8.

 

Anyone dealt with this before? Other options I'm bearing in mind are:

 

# Don't feed particles.

 

I'm not confident of this. I think I need loose feed to attract and hold the fish. Groundbait alone doesn't seem to work so well, and I'm reluctant to abandon a method which very obviously leads to lots of actively feeding tench in front of me.

 

# Fish particles on a hair

 

Not keen on bare hook rigs in this sort of situation because of the risk of foulhooking.

 

# Feed mashed bread and fish a big lump of flake

 

This is my plan for the next session.

 

# Stick it out on a big bait and hope that the larger tench are less tackle shy

 

Not convinced there's any reason to think this will work.

 

# Find a swim with more cover, where the fish may be more secure

 

Maybe.

 

# Go fish somewhere easier until the water colours a bit

 

 

So, I think there are two issues; preoccupation with particles, which I've seen described before in the context of carp, and tackle-shyness in the clear water. Thoughts?

[Unimexsol]

What about raking the bottom? This should disturb the silt etc and colour the water, Tench are often attracted by the disturbance and may go for larger baits that they think have been stirred up from the bottom.

[Anderoo]

If the tench are feeding on particles and maggot, that's what you'll need to use as bait. If you don't want to use carpy methods, fish a float lift-style with the bait hard on the bottom and fish a maggot/caster or two on a hair. (OK, it's a little bit carpy!) I doubt it'll increase any chance of houlhooking and it means that you can use heavier gear and land what you hook.

 

An alertnative is a method feeder, but that's a very different approach and I think not what you're looking for.

 

Have you tried for them at night or low light conditions (dawn/dusk)? That may make a difference.

[dave100]

Had this problem before, bites on light line=snap off, heavy line = no bites.

Richard Walker said you could use rope as line, if it is laid on the bottom. ie, leger.

So, leger with heavy line, pin it to the bottom with a back shot, use double strength or soft hooklength,(try both), and as for bait, it will be a waiting game, but the time it has worked for me, I have gone back to the old methods, a walnut size bait of plain breadpaste, size 8 strong hook, and wait.

The first time I tried it, was a missed bite, followed by a 6.4 male, at 1 oclock in the afternoon,

regards

dave

[Steve Walker]

If the tench are feeding on particles and maggot, that's what you'll need to use as bait. If you don't want to use carpy methods, fish a float lift-style with the bait hard on the bottom and fish a maggot/caster or two on a hair. (OK, it's a little bit carpy!) I doubt it'll increase any chance of houlhooking and it means that you can use heavier gear and land what you hook.

 

I was fishing lift-style, but I've found that a conventional waggler setup is much more effective. I've had plenty of success with the lift method in the past, and there's something about it that I find fascinating, but I don't really see any point in using it with small baits. It doesn't (in my opinion) give the best possible presentation and it's too sensitive to line bites. What it's brilliant for is presenting a larger bait than you could otherwise float-fish with.

 

I'm considering hair rigging, but I do think a large bare hook will increase the foulhooking risk. When they get their heads down you've got big clouds of bubbles and lots of movement of the float from line bites, so striking over the backs of the fish does happen.

 

An alertnative is a method feeder, but that's a very different approach and I think not what you're looking for.

No, not my cup of tea. Anyway, the swim is too tight for a quivertip, and I don't want to do the carpy thing. I could get a swingtip in, I suppose.

 

Have you tried for them at night or low light conditions (dawn/dusk)? That may make a difference.

 

I've been fishing 6:30pm until it gets too dark to fish. They seem to feed from about 7pm until about 15-20 minutes before it gets too dark to see the float. They may be going off the feed at this point, or they may just be feeding elsewhere. When I've night fished this venue in the past I've caught very little after dusk or before dawn.

[Steve Walker]

Had this problem before, bites on light line=snap off, heavy line = no bites.

Richard Walker said you could use rope as line, if it is laid on the bottom. ie, leger.

So, leger with heavy line, pin it to the bottom with a back shot, use double strength or soft hooklength,(try both), and as for bait, it will be a waiting game, but the time it has worked for me, I have gone back to the old methods, a walnut size bait of plain breadpaste, size 8 strong hook, and wait.

The first time I tried it, was a missed bite, followed by a 6.4 male, at 1 oclock in the afternoon,

regards

dave

 

It seems a shame to leger for them, though, when they're so close in. I think it probably would be the most efficient way of catching them, but to me it seems a bit like fishing for chalk stream trout with a worm. Hmm. Might swallow my principles and give it a go in the interests of science.

[Anderoo]

Sounds tricky! Have you tried a braided hooklength? It may be the stiffness rather than the diameter that's putting them off. I've got some 8lb gravel coloured drennan braid I use for tench, and it's great. Very thin and supple. You could try 6" of that with a good strong size 12 or 14 hook and a couple of maggots/casters. Then you could still use the float.

Edited July 21, 2006 by Anderoo

[Steve Walker]

Sounds tricky! Have you tried a braided hooklength? It may be the stiffness rather than the diameter that's putting them off. I've got some 8lb gravel coloured drennan braid I use for tench, and it's great. Very thin and supple. You could try 6" of that with a good strong size 12 or 14 hook and a couple of maggots/casters. Then you could still use the float.

 

Mmm, yes, I did think about doing that last night, and then got distracted and didn't try it. I've got some 6lb Drennan feeder braid which would have been ideal. Definitely a thought. The doublestrength is thin, but it's also a bit on the stiff side for a mono.

 

Yes, that might do the trick.

[markp]

Orhow about using a fluro carbon hooklength or 1 of the other low diameter lines, i swear by the wb clarkes match team{old silstar} a lot more supple than drennan double strength and still has a little bit of stretch in it.

[Andrew Boyd]

A couple of thoughts . .

 

Try supa-glueing grains of the free-bee particles to your hook.

 

The lift method, developed by Fred.J, works in some water and not in many others. Tench in my local waters will drop the bait if they feel the slightest weight of any shot ( even dust ). This had me changing to a waggler, like yourself, but making sure that all the shot were suspended "up" the line plus . . allowing a tail of about 4" to 5" resting on the bottom. Carefull shotting also reduces the 'weight' of the float. This allowed the fish to feel the bait and move with it to the point of no return. I do not experence deep hooking but if you find hooking deeper than the lips then shorten the tail a fraction.

 

Hook length - if your not keen using fluros try Hardys CoPolymer ( a fly fishing leader material ).

 

Good luck, look forward to hear of your experences.

Edited July 21, 2006 by Andrew Boyd