First Tench Sessions of the Year - May 2016

A nice spring tench caught right under the rod tip on the float

Tench are a great species, a truly magnificent fish that really fights well and is exciting to catch. Add in the picturesque venues associated with them, the misty dawns, lily pads and overgrown ponds - then you have all the ingredients for some quality fishing.

For me, there is no better way to catch a tench than on the float. I just love the traditional style of angling for them. Sure, bolt rigs and feeder tactics have their place for the long-stay angler or those fishing at range but my sessions tend to be shorter, so float fishing suits me just fine. I'm a sucker for the romance of it all if I'm honest and it takes me right back to my childhood where many a happy day were spent fishing tench pools with my grandparents.

Early in the year the tench seem to be a little easier to catch, especially before they spawn and this is the time I usually concentrate my efforts targeting them. They are also at their best weight at this time. 

A hard fighting male tench taken on the float

I like to find a nice spot with plenty of cover in close and introduce a carpet of feed at the beginning of my session. Usually 4 or 5 good sized balls of groundbait laced with a couple of handfuls of pellets and some hook bait samples. I tend to top up the swim after each fish or when it goes noticeably quiet. 

Sweetcorn, soft hooker pellets and worms are my favourite tench baits by far. A particularly effective combination has been a dyed red sweetcorn and worm cocktail, the tench just love it. There's nothing to beat the anticipation of watching 'tench bubbles' frothing up around your float as the fish get their heads down....you just know a bite is on the cards!

My brother and I have been fishing a few local ponds in recent weeks and have found some good fish on the feed. The thrill of hooking them at close range and the strength with which they try to evade capture is always a winner in my book. The power from their huge paddle tails always makes for an exciting fight. Bent rods and screaming reels is what it's all about for me and our recent tench fishing has not disappointed. We've found some stunning Sussex tench just recently. 

My brother with clonker of a tench that weighed in at 8.5 lb's