Tench season

[Bob Watson]

After yet another winter without wetting a line for pike, tomorrow could be my first tench session of the year.

Anyone started yet?

[Oldskoolfool]

Trickling a bit of bait in ready but not had a go yet

[delboy]

Any time now, water temp was 46f today,got the rake and the pigeon conditioner etc ready

[Jack H]

Will be looking at doing some in the next month or so. Have a few lovely small ponds which hold both tench and some nice crucian carp. Perfect for a bit of float fishing

Jack

[Steve Dennington]

Not until 16th June (my main tench water has traditional close season). It'll be mostly carp for me until then.

[Bob Watson]

Not until 16th June (my main tench water has traditional close season). It'll be mostly carp for me until then.

I'll try for carp when I get sick of not catching tench

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

I shall have a more concerted effort for them this year from marina and try not to get distracted by the carp as I did last year although I shall let it warm up a bit 1st.
The little tench in my tank is quite active as are the other fish like the Koi in the pond.

For tench that are basically river fish and dont see much bait, what should I use?
I was thinking of feeding dead red maggots and hemp with snails, possibly a little corn and popped up maggots, worm, snail or corn as hookbaits, what do you think?

Cheers , Alan

[Bob Watson]

I shall have a more concerted effort for them this year from marina and try not to get distracted by the carp as I did last year although I shall let it warm up a bit 1st.
The little tench in my tank is quite active as are the other fish like the Koi in the pond.

For tench that are basically river fish and dont see much bait, what should I use?
I was thinking of feeding dead red maggots and hemp with snails, possibly a little corn and popped up maggots, worm, snail or corn as hookbaits, what do you think?

Cheers , Alan

I've never caught a river tench but I don't suppose they know they're not in a lake, I'd just go with the usual suspects!

[Bob Watson]

Looks like my plans were scuppered by my youngest grandkids 1st b'day party today. Nobody tells me anything until the last minute

[suffolk si]

Never got into early season tench, I like sitting there on a summers morning in my shorts watching bubbles and feeling the sun on my face, same with crusians. Be May time when I start thinking tench and crusians.light at four in the morning and pleasant weather, I had some cracking morning and evening sessions last year often getting a dozen fish in a few hours before or after work.. can’t wait for that again

[Stewlaws]

Never got into early season tench, I like sitting there on a summers morning in my shorts watching bubbles and feeling the sun on my face, same with crusians. Be May time when I start thinking tench and crusians.light at four in the morning and pleasant weather, I had some cracking morning and evening sessions last year often getting a dozen fish in a few hours before or after work.. can’t wait for that again

Same here Si, feeling the warmth and watching bubbles....my go to was liquidised bread with maggot.

I would hit morning or evening ..... would talk to some guys who were in swims all day and packing up mid evening with no catch, I found last hour was the best, they switched on and became active feeders.

[stubbojo]

remember turning up on a tench venue 3.30am in summer..... on a big shallow lake back in the 80s , in cheshire and you would struggle to get a swim ......the tench fishing was top dollar on there .

steve

[Daniel]

Had my first go for tench this morning on a shallow little lake that warms up quickly in the sun.
Simple heli rig set ups with maggot feeders and bunches of maggots on hair rigged maggot clips were the tactics as they're a bit too far out for float fishing this early in the season.
I managed twelve fish up to 8lb, sadly only one of them was a tench, it was about 3lb,, the rest were all bream!

I prefer tenching when it's a bit warmer and the lily pads are up. You just can't beat the sense of anticipation when the bubbles appear and start inching towards your float, bring it on!

[Mattjb]

Had a go on a lake with the cane and pin today but only one small dip of the float. The chap next to me had one of 3lb but most were blanking ,maybe the water hasn’t warmed up quite enough yet

[stubbojo]

some crackers coming out here to 10lb last week when temps were up ......

steve

[Daniel]

Popped out last night and put a dozen spombs of corn, 4mm pellet, hemp and a pint of dead reds on a clear spot next to a patch of lily pads at 40 yards.
I was on the bank at 5am and at 5:08 I had my first tench.
A heli rig with an open end feeder filled with more of last nights prebait, with a little added chopped worm, capped with groundbait combined with a 4" hook length and a worm kebab on the hair took most of the 23 fish this morning,
A groundbait loaded method feeder and an 8mm pink water picked out the better fish.
Nothing over 6lb, the average was 3lb, and I bloody loved it.

I'll be targeting them with float and centerpin soon, but they don't start patrolling the margins until the waters warmed up a bit more yet, I can't wait

[delboy]

Well done boy , that is a fantastic catch of tench , bet there aint many carp in your lake .

[suffolk si]

I had a go this evening on pin and float, mudpigs crashed the party and my knuckles are smashed up from the handles on the pin lol .Good sport but no tincas, too early for me still tbh

[Daniel]

Well done boy , that is a fantastic catch of tench , bet there aint many carp in your lake .

Only the odd carp left as they were netted and removed a few years ago.
It's mainly tench, bream and crucians with a good head of smaller silver fish.
The bream like the open water so if you bait up tight to the pads they don't bother you too much.

[delboy]

Well done boy , that is a fantastic catch of tench , bet there aint many carp in your lake .

Only the odd carp left as they were netted and removed a few years ago.
It's mainly tench, bream and crucians with a good head of smaller silver fish.
The bream like the open water so if you bait up tight to the pads they don't bother you too much.

How refreshing , the carp were taken out( as long as they were given a new home that is) As long as your lake is not one of them s**t hole commercial places I think that is a win win result.

[Daniel]

Well done boy , that is a fantastic catch of tench , bet there aint many carp in your lake .

Only the odd carp left as they were netted and removed a few years ago.
It's mainly tench, bream and crucians with a good head of smaller silver fish.
The bream like the open water so if you bait up tight to the pads they don't bother you too much.

How refreshing , the carp were taken out( as long as they were given a new home that is) As long as your lake is not one of them s**t hole commercial places I think that is a win win result.

It's a club lake and about as far removed from a commercial as you can get.
The carp were netted with the help of the environment agency and relocated into one of our other lakes that already contains a large head of carp.
It's a lovely place to fish, I just wish the current bloody committee were as active as the guy they've ousted and actually got things done instead of just thinking about it!

[delboy]

I am jealous boy,you have something special there , and back in the day more often than not , if you had a good tench water then you had a good pike water as well..........as it happens my biggest ever pike came from a good tench water

[Bob Watson]

Had a couple of 5lber's yesterday on a two night session. Not my target species but quite welcome all the same.

[piker al]

Had a couple of 5lber's yesterday on a two night session. Not my target species but quite welcome all the same.

Good tench them Bob, what where u targeting?

[Daniel]

Had 16 tench this morning, a low six plus a couple of fives and the rest were all 2-3lb.

Simple method feeder tactics did the business this time.
2mm pellets moulded on to the feeder combined with a 4" hook length, a size ten hook and a hair rigged 8mm mainline tuna flavour wafter.
I started on large Preston feeders and swapped to the medium size when the fish turned up to avoid overfeeding.

Only a handful of tench were caught by the 4-5 other anglers who were all fishing the float at close range, the waters still too cold for that imo.

[Bob Watson]

Had a couple of 5lber's yesterday on a two night session. Not my target species but quite welcome all the same.

Good tench them Bob, what where u targeting?

Carp for a change, I'd normally be fishing for tench or roach but fancied a change.