Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
James Furness explains Method tactics for big tench
IYCF editor, James Furness, details his simple Method feeder approach that is incredibly effective when targeting big tench
WHATEVER type of angler you are – match, pleasure, carp or specimen – you’re all going to enjoy catching tench in the spring. The first tench catch reports of the year are as synonymous with the arrival of warmer weather as daffodils and the lengthening daylight hours. In an ideal world you would be able to catch tench all year round like you can some other coarse species. Unfortunately, you only get a few months to realistically target tench. May is one of best times of the year for the species. You can find them in variety of venues from small farm ponds to canals. But gravel pits give you the best chance of catching a specimen-sized tinca. These waters are often rich in natural food that the tench can grow big on.
Benefits of the Method
Mention tench fishing and thoughts of wagglers cast to a patch of bubbles close to a set of lily pads spring to mind. But when it comes to targeting larger lakes the best tactics are somewhat less romantic! Think two rods, bite alarms and bolt rigs. Basically, scaled-down carp tactics. In reality, tench aren’t too dissimilar from carp in the way they feed. Being smaller than carp they will get closer to your rigs so things need to be more refined than if you were targeting specimen carp. But the principles and rig mechanics are essentially the same. Few tactics are more effective than a flatbed Method feeder. The advantages it offers are numerous. You get an attractive pile of loosefeed around your hookbait, there’s no chance of your hooklink tangling on the cast and it can be fished over almost any type of lakebed. Plus, the bolt effect it creates means if a tench picks up the hookbait, the odds are it is going to end up with your hook firmly in its lip.
Hit the clear spots
Most gravel pits have an abundance of weed. This makes them a perfect habitat for tench but can make fishing and presenting a hookbait a little tricky. If possible, try and spend some time at the venue with a marker float set-up before your planned session. If you can locate a clear area before fishing it will save you valuable time and prevents you risking spooking the fish on the day you fish with the repeated casting of a lead and large float.
Once you’ve located a clear area, be it gravel or light silt, trap the braid mainline in the reel’s line clip and make note of a far-bank marker. You’ll now be able to easily find the clear area again. There are several ways you can mark up the rods that you will use to ensure they are also cast to the clear area every time. You can simply cast them at the marker float and then clip up. If fish are already present, however, this creates unnecessary disturbance and although it may look like you are chipping the paint off the marker float from your viewpoint on the bank you could actually be a fair way off target. If you are fishing over a large clear area this isn’t too big a problem but if you are casting to a small hole in the weed the more accurate you can be the better. If you’re fishing fairly close to the bank you can walk out your marker float along the bank until you hit the clip and then place the lead and float on the ground. Next, place your rod alongside the marker rod so that the reels are level and then walk out your rig until you are level with the lead. Clip-up and repeat with any other rods you plan to fish with. If you are fishing further than 30-40 yards this method isn’t always practical.This is where you need a set of distance sticks. Start by laying a rod on the deck and push the sticks into the ground 12ft apart. Wrap the marker lead a couple of times around one stick so that it won’t come off and then wrap your mainline around the two sticks, counting how many ‘wraps’ it takes for you to hit the line clip.
Give them a feast
With a suitable spot located and your rods clipped-up, it’s time to put out some loosefeed to prime the swim. If you’ve got a decent shoal of tench in front of you they can quickly demolish a small bed of bait. If you want to hold them in your swim for the duration of your session you’ll need to feed a lot of bait. Using a mixture of smaller particle baits will enable you to introduce a large amount of tiny food offerings that will keep the tench grubbing around for ages but won’t overfeed and fill them up like large boilies and pellets would.
Hemp, parti-mix, small pellets, sweetcorn, groundbait and a few whole and crushed 10mm boilies make a great banquet for tench. And because the species spend their lives feeding on small invertebrates, natural baits such as dead maggots and casters should also be included in the mix. Having a variety of items in the concoction also gives plenty of options when it comes to hookbaits enabling you to experiment with different sizes, shapes, colours and textures to see which is the best on the day. Start by using a medium Spomb to make two dozen casts and create a large bed of bait over the area then regular recasting of the Method feeders every 30 minutes will help to keep a small amount of fresh bait going in. If bites are coming regularly and you are seeing signs of feeding such as small bubbles rising to the surface you’ll need to put out a couple more Spombs of bait after every few fish.
Short rigs for more bites
When fishing Method feeders it is imperative to use short hooklengths to increase the bolt effect. A 10lb supple braided hooklink of 3in-4in is perfect. When a fish picks up the hookbait on the end of a short hooklength it only has to move slightly to straighten out the rig and come into contact with the full weight of the Method feeder. On feeling the hook, the fish will then panic and bolt off, setting the hook in the process. There’s no need for a wild strike when fishing like this. Simply pick up the rod and bend into the fish as your alarm starts screaming. Fake baits are excellent hookbaits for targeting tench because they perfectly imitate the items in your loosefeed but are resistant to the attentions of small nuisance fish. If you’re fishing over a clear, firm lakebed you can using a sinking plastic bait or a buoyant one anchored with a split shot. Alternatively, if you are casting over light silt you can use a buoyant bait but without any shot on the hooklength and simply leave it to
“Few tactics are more effective than the f latbed Method feeder”
waft above the feeder. This ensures that the hookbait is clearly visible and doesn’t become mired in the silt. Your Method mix doesn’t need to be complicated. Groundbait, micro pellets and corn will leave a pile of attraction close to the hookbait.