Tench
The first tench that I caught since my return to angling this year, was caught by accident. I was at the estate lake and just glad to be out and fishing again after about a eighteen year absence. The lake is full of small roach and rudd, and it was these that I was fishing for. I had been steadily catching fish throughout the morning, when the float sailed away just like all the other bites. This time when I struck, I met very solid resistance. The unseen fish went to the left, trying for the lily pads. I managed to turn him, but he simply went off to the right, again heading for more lily pads. The fight continued, me with my heart in my mouth, and the still unseen fish, trying for freedom. The net is now in the water, and the fish is drawn over the submerged lip. I lift the net and carry it up the bank, and away from the waters edge. To say that I was stunned would have to be an understatement. The fish that was revealed when I parted the landing nets mesh was an enormous tench. I could not believe my luck. Beautiful bronze flanks caught the sunlight. I particularly noticed his bright red eye, and how stunning he looked. I unhooked him, still in the net, and took him back to the lake, and let him rest in the net until I was sure he was fit to let go. I remember sitting back in the chair, with my hands shaking from the pure excitement of the episode.
I poured myself a drink, and ate some sandwiches, while reliving the memory. I could not believe that I had been so lucky as to have hooked and landed such a fish. I had been fishing double maggot, and had varied the depth that I had been fishing at, in an attempt to entice more bites from the small roach and rudd. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I could hook a tench. They are a truly beautiful fish. I fished on, praying for another piece of luck, but just the single tench came to the net that day. What the session did start, was a desire to catch some more of this wonderful fish. Over the ensuing weeks I fished on for the elusive tench. The carp anglers said that occasionally they caught a tench by accident when fishing for carp, but collectively they agreed that the tench would have to be few and far between. I found that the best method of tempting the tench, was to fish within a foot of the bank, and close against the water lilies. As I was using a fourteen foot float rod, it meant sitting a long way back from the waters edge, and to start with I did feel a bit foolish looking at the floats top just a foot out from the bank, but it worked. Now this situating was a sure recipe for disaster, and it became apparent that I would have to fish a bit heavier, if I was to hook and not lose fish. I carried on float fishing, as it is a very pleasant way to fish. The bait was varied and I tried sweetcorn, maggots, worms, various home made pastes, bread and hemp. All caught tench. Sometimes I could temp more than one fish, and sometimes I blanked completely. I finished the season ledgering for them, as I believed that the float fishing method gave the fish a sight of the line as it ran down to the bottom. The tench could only approach the bait from one direction without running into the line. When ledgering, I could let a foot or more of the line, lay flat on the bed of the lake, so giving the tench less chance of spotting trouble. The catch rate did not improve, but I felt happier with the method. A problem that I was having was that occasionally, well at least once a session, I was broken by one of the large carp that the lake contained. The tackle that I was using was fine for the tench, but ridiculously inadequate for the occasional carp. I tried fishing heavier with a view that if a carp picked up the bait, then I would have some sort of chance of landing it. Well all that achieved was a compete cessation of tench bites. I reverted back to the original tackle, and accepted that sometimes I would get broken by a carp. Another fish came to light while fishing for the tench. The bite was just like any other, but when I struck into the fish, and it took off at a great rate of knots, I knew that it did not feel like one of the tench. I also knew that it was not one of the monster carp. He duly came to the net, and when I had a good look at him, I was pleasantly surprised to see a plump crucian carp. I managed to catch a few more of these fish over the coming weeks. How many of them there are in the lake, nobody seemed to know, but on tench tackle, they fight with great spirit. While continuing with this approach for the tench, I occasionally caught a better stamp of roach and rudd. One question that I ask myself, is although I have caught tench from the lake, I have never managed to catch a small one. I have asked other float fishing anglers who fish the occasional club match at the lake, but all say that they have never caught a small tench. It is fair to say, that there are not many of them that have managed to catch a tench at all. I would have thought, that with the hours I put in, and collectively the hours that the other anglers have contributed to the lake, someone at some stage would have hooked a small tench, but not so. The smallest tench that I have caught was twelve inches, and the largest seventeen and a half inches. The club stocked some tench into the lake about ten years ago, but very little has been seen of them since, they do not show even when the lake has been netted on the odd occasion. Does it mean that because of the large carp stock in the lake, the tench simply have not bred over the years, and the fish that I am catching are the original stock fish.
The best advice that I can offer at this time, is to set up well away from the water, and take it for granted that the tench will be under your feet. Tread carefully, being aware at all times that fish can feel the smallest of vibrations. Set up your tackle so that none of your rod is over the water, and gently lower your float or ledger into the water. No doubt you will feel a bit of a fool sitting ten or twelve feet from the bank, but it works. Try to fish close to water lilies as tench seek their shelter, and generally do not stray too far from their sanctuary. A swim where I had great success throughout all of last season is bordered by water lilies on both sides. The clear patch of water between the lily pads is no more than eight feet, but in all of my time fishing this swim, I never caught a tench from the open water between the pads, the bait had to right up tight to them. The tench did not seem to want to venture across this small piece of open water. Be as unobtrusive as possible, and stay well away from the waters edge.
January 2006. The tench fishing has been slow at the clubs new water, but I have managed to catch a few of them, so I can only hope that the fishing continues to get better. Without a doubt, my favourite fish.
