John Bailey – The Kingfisher Diaries
March 9th 2010
Early Tench
It's been October since I've seen a tench and I miss them. If this warmer weather continues then, I guess, by the middle or the end of the month, we might have a chance of a tench out of the Lobster.
My tips? Attack the bottom end towards the fishermen's toilet block where there is somewhat deeper water.
Don't over bait. I'd try a mix of hemp, corn, casters and maggots. Perhaps with two casters and a maggot on a size fourteen.
I suggest you can get away with four pound bottoms as the weed is less of a problem at this time of the year. A size sixteen hook, too, is probably adequate. Barbless or squeezed down barb, if you don't mind.
I'd attack the tench with a float at this early time of the year simply because of the spot-on bite indication a float gives. I wouldn't be expecting a tearaway bite under most circumstances. There are all sorts of ways of setting your float up for tench but, on the Lobster Pot, I like to find the EXACT depth I'm fishing and then set the float about an inch or so over. My idea is, then, to put the bulk of the shot round the float and halfway down the line. The bottom three feet or so have barely any shot on whatsoever. I'll probably put something like a size eight on, four or five inches away from the hook. That's all. My plan is that the tench browse along the shelf, come to that enticing cocktail of maggots and casters and simply suck it in on the spot. What you'll probably find is that the float stirs and then just moves away as the tench sucks the bait in. I'd strike fast at any positive indication.
Watch out for bubbling. If the tench are really fizzing, even this early, you can put more bait in but I'd still be careful. You can put bait in but you can't take it out!
I'd forget the dawn starts at this time of the year. Peak times for me would probably be 10.30 until 4 o'clock, the warmest part of the day. I also wouldn't bother if there's a strong wind or rain in the air. Give me a mild, settled day with temperatures hopefully into double figures.
Finally, don't forget your landing net and your unhooking mat. I've noticed some of the tench in Lobster have shown signs of angling damage. Let's make this a thing of the past.