how can i catch a tench?

[Dom]

hey

i have been fishing for tench 3 times now and all i have managed to catch is tiddlers not even 1/2lb. how can i catch bigger tench? would appreciate any tips that are out there

thanx
dom

[PikeHunter]

Try using bigger baits?

[Dom]

i have used so far maggots, sweetcorn, bollies, pellets and lobworm

no idea if they are any good and how best to present them

[apak692000]

When i tench fish i allways use a swim feeder loaded with maggots and 3 red maggots on the hook size 16.
always works for me or if your want the bigger tench fish like you would for carp but try luncheon meat or halibut pellets.

Andy

[Wayneuk]

Try fishing weedy areas or right up to lillys. Like any big fish once they get big or bigger they have proberly been caught a few times so get you terminal tackle spot on and maybe if you can get away with it go to a size 18. If your catching smaller ones your not doing much wrong anyway.

[BoldBear]

Originally Posted by Dom

hey

i have been fishing for tench 3 times now and all i have managed to catch is tiddlers not even 1/2lb. how can i catch bigger tench? would appreciate any tips that are out there

thanx
dom

Hi dom,

Assuming you are fishing a water that actually has big Tench in it then you need to do a little homework. to find out which areas of the lake the larger ones are usually caught from and why.
Find out what the bottom is like together with any different depths and don’t ignore the Margins.

Location:
Tench have small red eyes that are very sensitive to light which is one of the reasons why large Tench are rarely caught on or near the surface and why they can be caught close to the margins in the early mornings and late evenings but tend to move away into deeper water or move into thick weed beds or under thick Lilly beds once the sun gets high in the sky away from the bright light.

Although Tench can be caught at night they are not really known for feeding through the night and the best times to fish for them is either the early mornings and late evenings but you can sometimes follow them into the deeper water once the sun gets higher in the sky and carry on getting bites.

In lakes that are shallow and don't have any deeper areas (estate lakes etc.) they tend to move into thick weedbeds or under thick lilly beds to escape the bright mid-day sun as it gets higher in the sky; which can sometimes make them hard to get at unless there is a cool breeze providing some ripple to break up the surface. however they will seldom travel far from shade at these times.

I find that once the lillies start to die back in late autumn the larger Tench which are not so worried by predators seem to steer clear of the rotting lillies and start to get caught more often in open water; I think this may be be caused by the stench of the rotting lilly leaves.

In the warmer months they often betray their presence by sending up clouds of ‘tiny’ bubbles moving along as they browse along the bottom looking for bloodworm and other food items in the gravel and silt; however they don’t always send up bubbles.

On waters where the silt is fairly deep the Tench often don’t see a bait presented directly on top of the silt because they are preoccupied with burying their heads in the deep silt looking for bloodworm etc.; which can be very frustrating for the angler as he sees the bubbles move right across where his bait is and just continue moving with only a tremble of his float as the Tench brushes his line; however on waters with gravel bottoms or with a thinner layer of silt then these bubbles are a good indicator of good sport.

Baits:
Baits are many and can vary from water to water but some of my favourite Tench baits are Caster, Bread Flake, small lively Redworm, sweetcorn, fishmeal pellets (halibut/crab/Active-8) and fresh maggots (the list goes on).

Methods:
I much prefer to fish for Tench using a waggler fairly close in against beds of Lillie’s or weed beds or under overhanging bushes however some of my Tench fishing is done out in the middle of the lake near to overgrown islands or weed/lilly beds or on the top or sides of gravel bars making casting a float impractable; in this case I will leger for them and for feed I use PVA stockings packed with loose feed or use a feeder if I can't reach them with my catapult or the wind is spreading my loosefeed too wide.

If I am float fishing I fish slightly overdepth with around 3 to 5 inches of line laying on the bottom.

Another good method to use on slightly harder bottoms is the ‘Lift method’ using a single large shot and a short hooklength and fishing slightly overdepth then putting your rod in its rests and winding in till your float cocks properly; this works brilliantly because of the way Tench often feed over hard bottoms; by tilting down and picking up your bait then returning to the upright position which results in your float lifting and starting to lay flat before sailing away; resulting in a Tench hooked cleanly in its bottom lip. (see picture below).


Groundbaits/Loose feed:
I often use loose feed containing samples of hookbait and other small morsels of bait (Casters/sweetcorn/small pellets etc.) but usually I lay a bed of good groundbait to try to get the Tench moving into my swim and getting their heads down over my bait.
Most good sinking groundbaits (not soft cloudbaits) are good especially if they contain either sweet Mollases, blood meal, corn meal and/or fishmeal, sprinkled with a few sampes of whatever you are using on your hook.

I hope this helps you to catch one or two decent Tench and I look forward to reading your reports.

Tight lines
Keith (BoldBear)

[Dom]

thanx for the replys guys

with all this info i hope to start catching the big tench and can hopefully show you my results.

dom

[nightriderm]

I am sure there are many variations but where I fish,I catch a lot of Tench on red coloured baits.I also fish with a hair-rig with my home made boilies/pellets.

[saraho512]

i was fishing at the brayford in lincoln and i saw about 12-15 massive tench it was about 11am and they were heading for the shade of the bridges by the uni i have only been fishing for 2 weeks so i will eventually get me one of these lol , i am glad i found the forum cause i will try the methods shown on this thread !

[davisskeggsm]

I went fishing at monk lakes and caught a brace of tench at hooked a third but didn't land it.
Bait: I used a feeder filled with sweet corn ground bait, and on the size 18 hook I put a piece of sweetcorn.
I casted out just inches away from the reeds and caught just 9 minutes after casting :)
Tip: I seem to find using cheap sweetcorn is defiantly the best as it is harder (asda smartprice works a treat)

Good luck with the fishing
Tight lines