Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Big tench from carp water – Ian Jones
Mirrors and commons are the primary target at many big fish waters but other species are lurking beneath the surface as Ian Jones finds out
THE growth of specimen carp fishing in recent years has been colossal, with more newcomers than ever before making it their first port of call. Visitor numbers to waters aimed at the bite-alarm brigade have swelled, with the large volumes of bait that are being piled in helping the fish pack on the pounds. But the vast majority of these waters have experienced a different lease of life in the past. Back when catching carp was nowhere near as fashionable as it is now, these same fisheries were still regular haunts for anglers who had other species at the forefront of their minds. Tench, bream, roach and perch were what got people out of bed before carp came into fashion. But what has happened to these fish? Although they may not be frequent visitors to the bank, these fish are still very much alive and kicking and are growing at an incredible rate. Boilies, pellets and other high protein baits that are introduced on a daily basis may be aimed at attracting specimen carp, but they can’t possibly hoover up every single morsel. This leaves plenty for the other species to feast upon. Leicestershire’s Frisby Lakes is a prime example of a prolific fishery where the ‘other’ species don’t get the attention they deserve. Anglers are always raving about their latest big-carp haul, but only a handful do things a little bit differently and have rediscovered the forgotten attraction of the complex.
Giant tench
Pull up in your car and set eyes on the water and you might just be tempted to turn around and head elsewhere. Not because of the scenery or how well the venue is kept – it’s a stunning setting that the management clearly works for hours on end to maintain. It’s the sheer size of the Main Lake that might make you think you will need a huge stroke of luck to land on any feeding fish, with more than 35 acres of water to go at. You’d be forgiven for thinking that you would need heavy duty tackle to launch a large feeder to the horizon, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. More often than not, the biggest tench in the lake can be caught within inches of the bank. As with all fish, they will come to the feed and with bait being piled in close to marginal features on a daily basis, the tench know they will get a much more nourishing meal if they don’t stray too far from the bank. While one view of the lake may make it look like an inland sea, a short walk around the bank will open up a whole new world, with lots of intimate bays covered with lily beds and reeds that are constantly twitching as fish mooch around. So we’ve established that Frisby is always going to be good for a few bites. But are any of the tench that little bit ‘special’? Catch a 4lb tench at most fisheries and you
have banked a good-sized specimen. At Frisby that would be a baby! Hundreds of fish over the 7lb-mark roam the lake and if you have never banked a double-figure specimen, this is an excellent place to try and break that duck. With so much bait going in, it’s clear to see why these fish are growing at such a rate.
Hybrid tactics
When you think of traditional strategies for tench the float is the first tactic that springs to mind. There is no doubt that a finely dotted waggler dropped within inches of the dense cover will produce, but it’s important to consider how the fish are used to feeding. Specimen carp anglers exclusively use lead or feeder tactics, with the Method a particularly effective approach at Frisby. If it works well for the carp, it will work for the tench when scaled down a touch. The tench will be used to feeding on beds of bait that are tightly packed together and scattering in large quantities with a spod or catapult will do the complete opposite and spread the freebies all over the swim. Pellets and boilies are, without doubt, the most heavily used baits by carp anglers. This means the tench are highly dependent on them too and they play a big part in my attack. Hemp, corn and casters are also mixed in with my Sonubaits Hemp and Halibut groundbait to give the fish plenty of different options when they come into the swim to graze. On waters such as Frisby you need to consider how people fish for both carp and tench and then combine both tactics to give yourself the best chance of success.
Tackle testers
Although I only live around 30 miles from Frisby, I’d never actually been to see what all the hype was about. Now was the time to set the record straight. With just a day session to get my teeth into the venue, I feared that I would struggle to draw the fish into my area in such a short space of time. It’s never hard to locate fish on small lakes, but on something as big as this my bait could be
miles away from them! But the management were adamant that watercraft would prevail – pick a peg with features and the fish won’t be far away. Armed with my tackle, the walk to choose a swim began and it’s fair to say it took a while to settle down, stopping at numerous spots that took my fancy before taking another few steps. Eventually I dropped my kit on an old boat launch, with a long marginal reedbed down the left for me to cast my Method feeder at. It screamed tench as did so many other pegs! With a fair bit of weed and silt, a short period raking out a spot would have a two-fold advantage. Firstly, it would clear an area for me to fish into and it would also stir up the bottom, unearthing natural food which would encourage any fish lurking nearby to investigate. Several balls of groundbait were thrown over the spot before I walked back to the peg and cast the rods – baited with three buoyant plastic casters or a 10mm pineapple pop-up – over the top. Time would tell whether I had got it right. The initial excitement led to me thinking sport would be instant, but with an hour gone that hadn’t been the case. My mind started ticking over thinking about the tweaks I could make but, just as I was drifting off into my own little world, the alarm screamed and I sprang into action. The first few nods on the rod tip indicated a tench was attached to the other end but my thoughts changed when the fish ploughed off at a rate of knots into open water, stripping line from the reel. Surely one of the resident carp had gatecrashed the party? Nope. A fin-perfect 6lb tench was in the net five minutes later. That marked the start of a golden hour during which four others of a similar stamp showed up, each one looking like it hadn’t been on the bank in an age. Frisby Lakes is an incredible fishery, but it’s not alone. There are dozens of dedicated specimen carp fisheries that have a lot more to offer than first meets the eye.
“Surely one of the resident carp had gatecrashed the party? Nope! A fin-perfect 6lb tench was in the net five minutes later”