Taming Tincas

Friday 22nd/Saturday23rd April

Even though it was good Friday and pretty much everybody else was enjoying a nice sunny bank holiday, i was one of the unfortunate few who found themselves at work. Fortunately i was able to finish at lunchtime and head straight down to the lake for an overnighter. My old pal Rob was also down and seeing as hed been there since early morning i already had a pretty good idea of how people were on and what had been out before i even arrived.
It was very busy anglerwise by all accounts but Rob had managed to bag a couple of plumb swims and had already caught a couple before i arrived. I settled in the swim to his left, a spot id never fished before which gave me command of quite a bit of water well away from Robs swim. My chosen tactics were to fish small method feeders over a bed of groundbait which was balled in at about 60 yards range with a catapult. 
The session didnt take long to get going and turned out to be really productive. Seeing i was catching a few i jotted down a running total as i caught them, below is how the session panned out.


2.00pm - Arrive at lake and get set up
3.30pm - Lose fish
4.00pm - Bream 4-5lb
4.45pm - Lose fish
6.30pm - Mirror Carp 18lb6oz
7.00pm - Tench 4lb14oz
7.45pm - Tench 7lb11oz
8.15pm - Lose fish
9.00pm - Tench 5lb4oz
9.30pm - Bream 5-6lb
10.15pm-Tench 4lb8oz
10.30pm-Bream 6lb12oz
10.45pm-Tench 5lb7oz
11.15pm-Bream 5-6lb
12.00pm-Tench 5lb8oz -after this i wound in to get some kip!
5.00am - woke up and cast back out
5.30am - Tench 5lb6oz
5.45am - Tench 4lb12oz
7.00am - Tench 7lb11oz -this was a recapture of last nights biggy
7.45am - Lose fish
8.00am - Tench 5lb9oz
8.15am - Lose fish
8.45am - Tench 4lb
10.00am-Packed up


As you can see i certainly had some action! I was particularly pleased with the Carp because they are a relative rarity in the water and i landed it on a 5lb bottom. The 7lb Tench was a beaut and i was amazed to catch it again less than 12 hours later and i swear it actually fought harder second time around too! Rob also did pretty well landing 9 Tench, most of which averaged 5-6lb, plus a couple of Bream.
Below is some pics to remember the session by ............

7lb11oz

Action shot!

Nice carp, shame about my lily white legs!

First and smallest bream of the trip

5lb+

Something different

Monday 18th April

Just a quick update tonight cos im short on time. I had the urgent need to go fishing today for some reason and, feeling a bit adventurous, i decided to have an evening on a local pool i know in pursuit of a Catfish or two. As expected i had the whole lake to myself so i headed to an area where ive caught Cats from in the past and commenced fishing. Within 20 minutes of casting out my right hander rattled off and a chunky Carp was soon banked.

I was fishing big pellets and was getting bangs and pulls every few minutes so there was clearly quite a lot of carp activity around them. I wasnt there for an evening of mudpig action however so i switched both rods over to deadbaits.

After a quiet couple of hours i had a scorching take and hit into what felt like a juggernaut that was determined to make it to the far end of the lake. There was no mistaking what this could be, nothing can flat-rod you quite like a Catfish! After a short but thoroughly brutal scrap the fish was finally netted and it looked quite decent.......

At 18lb 4oz it was decent enough to be a new pb for me anyway!  Quality stuff, another short session pays off!

Park life

Saturday 16th April

Todays trip was back on the same pool as last week, a few fish had been caught during the week so it looked quite promising. I arrived in the dark at 5am and was surprised to find i had the entire lake to myself so I headed for the going area where the fish had been coming from of late. Its a public access lake and my chosen swim had the added bonus of being in a wooded area which meant that hopefully i wouldnt be getting bothered by people quite so badly as is often the case in other areas of the lake, not that im an unsociable sod of course!
Out went the feeders just as it was getting light and i was full of anticipation especially as one or two Tench were starting to show out in front of me. The lake was flat calm and the shiny black backs of the rolling fish glistened in the halflight. The resident birdlife was waking up too and the cacophany of noise, especially from the Geese, was unbelievable.

After about half an hour i recieved a slow take on the left-hander, i hit dogged resistance and it felt like a decent fish but unfortunately it came adrift after a few moments. Never mind, it was an encouraging start anyway and an hour later i was in action again. This one felt  a lot smaller and so it proved as a chunky 4lb male Tench was soon lying on the mat. It had a severely deformed bottom lip which left me wondering how the hell it managed to feed properly, it certainly wasnt a photogenic creature anyway so i put it back without one.

Whilst i was waiting for another bite i had a bit of a play with my new camera. There was a Heron in some treetops about 150yards away and after a bit of trial and error i managed to get a half decent shot (i think anyway) of it. Considering the distance i was quite impressed, ill be keeping my eye out for various wildlife photo opportunities now i know i can take useable pics at range.

Back to the fishing and it was approaching mid morning before i had any more indications. The bobbin slowly rose towards the rod in a very deliberate fashion and as i struck i felt the culprit bump off the hook. Probably a Bream? judging by the way the take developed it had to be.

I recast and within minutes i had an identical take on the same rod, sure enough the fish came to the surface imediately and surrendered in typical Bream fashion. A couple of minutes later and a Bream of about 5-6lb which looked as old as the hills was banked.

After that i couldnt buy another bite despite stopping well into the afternoon. The water clarity was very much clearer than last week and the bottom was clearly visible for a good way out. This was proved by the sheer number of Coot pickups i had over the course of the morning! The clear water combined with the bright sunshine probably didnt help my cause a great deal. Neither did the kids who ploughed through my swim in a rowing boat, the mega-annoying Swans that repeatedly swam through my lines, the 50th person of the day to ask me if id caught owt, the youths on bmxs racing up and down shouting to each other or the Ducks,Coots and Geese that seemed hell-bent on attacking each other right over my baited area all morning. Park life eh!

Ill definately be back for more next week.............

Cut Short!

Sunday 10th April

Firstly, apologies for no updates over the last couple of weeks, a combination of a nasty cold and the fitting of a new bathroom put paid to any chances i had of getting out last weekend. Thankfully however ive had the oportunity to get out a few times in recent days and although its been somewhat tough and slightly lacking on the fish front ive still enjoyed myself.
Thursday evening on a local club pool saw me targetting some Tench with little success. Id never fished it before but my old pal Phil had a bit of a result there earlier in the week and i figured it was worth a bash. Other than one missed chance i blanked but it gave me a good taster of the place and i will be back.
On Friday afternoon i headed for another local club lake, this one being a decent sized gravel pit. I didnt even see any sign of a fish let alone get any bites, another blank!
My next session was to be on Sunday and i needed somewhere which would give me a good chance of catching something in order to restore some confidence. As i racked my brains, one lake in particular kept popping into my head and after a quick recce on Saturday afternoon my mind was made up. With the bright daytime conditions of Saturday being predicted to continue into Sunday i figured an early morning start would give me the best chance of catching something.
I arrived at about 5.30 and setup in the half-light, out went two bolt-feeders baited with maggots and half a pint of maggots was then spodded on top of each. Once settled i sat back to soak up the atmosphere of the place, the dawn chorus was in full swing, mist was rising off the lakes surface and the sun looked pink as it tried to burn through it.

Nothing happened for a good while until around 8.30 when my right hander signalled a steady run. The fish had me backwinding from the off as it headed towards a large tree on the far bank. A bit of steady pressure saw it turn but unfortunately it began to kite to my left which wouldnt have been too bad exept that it went behind some nasty looking branches which were sticking up out of the water in the margin. I could feel the line grating and was just waiting for it to part. Amazingly, despite much tugging it all held together but now the line had looped around a solitary branch and the Tench was well and truly stuck about 15 yards out from the edge. I could clearly see it and had no option but to go in the lake to rescue it. I waded out and eventually managed to scoop it at full stretch with the net. At 6lb it was a nice fish and provided some consolation for getting wet!

After returning it my swim resembled a bomb site, my shoes were full of silt and i had a distinct aroma of wet dog about me. I packed up somewhat beaten but certainly not out of the game and i left with a mind to return for the evening stint.
I re-arrived at the lake for about 4.30 and setup in a different area to the morning. The action was surprisingly slow but i eventually managed to pull a small Tench of around 3lb out of the hat as the sun went down. That was the only bite i had but at least id managed to catch a couple over the course of the day.
The warm weather over the last week or so certainly seems to have got nature kick-started and summer only seems just around the corner. The Koi in my garden pond havent been as hungry as what they are now for several months, i darent put my fingers near the water in case i dont get them back!





Cooling off

Saturday 26th March

For Saturdays trip i was back on the pit i visited last week. The weather forcasters had given out a cold front coming from the north which meant quite a drop in temperature for this weekend and they were right. Daytime temps had been up to 17-18degrees in the week but as i drove to the lake the gauge in the car was hovering around 5degrees, not good for Tench.
When i arrived i was surprised to see that the lake was really busy, in fact i couldnt get anywhere near the area i fished last week as it was totally stitched. With this in mind i decided to head around the far side which looked pretty clear . There was a couple of other chaps also unloading their cars so i had to be quick, oh the joys of day ticket waters!
After a Linford Christie style sprint i arrived, totally knackered, at a peg which gave me good command of quite a bit of water without the threat of other anglers cutting me off. Once id composed myself i set about having a lead around to check the weed situation. I found that the clearest area seemed to be to the left of the swim at around 50yards, anywhere closer or to the right of the swim was hopelessly weeded out so i decided to put all my eggs in one basket and fish both rods to the clear spot.

Shortly after casting in the Roach started attacking the baits the same as last week but i was using long hairs so it took a bit longer before the inevitable happened and i hooked one. Over the course of the morning i ended up hooking several but they seemed to be a better average size than the ones last week. All were 8oz+ and i weighed the biggest at 1lb2oz, a nice fish.
I wish the Tench and Bream were as forthcoming but unfortunately they werent! A nice Bream rolled over my baited area at lunchtime and gave me a nice confidence boost but it wasnt to be, other than the Roach, nothing else wanted to know. A Carper fishing nearby had a Bream of 10lb+ and another had a 22lb Mirror but they were the only other fish to be caught around the whole lake as far as i know.



After packing up at teatime i stopped off to have a look at another pit id been tipped off about and was quite impressed with the look of the place. It was a far cry from the pit id fished earlier in that there wasnt a soul fishing on it whatsoever! Thatll do me i thought, once the weather improves ill give it a bash.

Too early for a Tench? Never say never!

Sunday 20th March

With the rivers finishing last week it had been my intention move onto to a couple of commercial fisheries ive had my eye on for a Perch or two but as ever, my fickle nature came into play and wrecked my plans.  A conversation with a mate last week got my Tench juices going and by the time the weekend came around i had a session planned on a pit at Tamworth where i had a few last year. We had some frosts over the last couple of nights and i had some doubts about whether the Tench would be moving yet, the pit holds some good Bream aswell though so if the Tincas werent on it then hopefully the Bream would be.

I arrived at the lake and the conditions look pretty damn good, calm, mild and overcast with a slight drizzle in the air. The water in the pit is always as clear as tap water and its very shallow so i needed any help the weather could offer. Looking out across the lake there wasnt much sign of anything fishy going on so i opted for a spot which gave me good access to some slightly deeper water off the end of an island which i reasoned could be a good area to pick off any passing fish.

A few exploratory casts told me that there was still a lot of tough old blanket weed about left over from last year but fortunately the clearest area seemed to be exactly where i had intended to fish off the end of the island. I rigged up two rods with the ever faithful maggot bolt-feeders and cast them out.

Once settled the rod-tips banged intermittently as Roach attacked the maggots and after a while one of about 6oz hooked itself. I went on to get several more over the next couple of hours and i got the feeling that i had to do something to ward them off a bit so that the Tench and Bream could get a look-in.

I started by upping the hook size and utilizing a maggot clip on a hair with the intention being that it would look a bit too crude to the Roach and that even if they did pick up the bait then they wouldnt hook up due to the length of the hair. It didnt work, i gave it an hour and they were still chewing on the maggots and i even managed to catch a couple more. I wasnt happy with how the rig looked either, im not a fan of maggot clips and i felt that there was way too much metal on show at the business end for the Tench to pick up the bait.

After a bit of a think i replaced the black-cap maggot feeder with a small open ended feeder packed with groundbait. I dropped the hooksize down to a 14 and instead of a clip i used a micro ring on a long hair and threaded about 7 or 8 maggots onto a length of line which was then tied to the ring. The resulting rig was much more low profile and i was well happy with it.

After a while of fishing the new setup i was still getting the odd twitch from the Roach but nothing like as bad as before. I had a feeling they had been homing in on the maggots coming from the feeder and mopping them up before anything else got a chance to find them. Now i was using maggot-free groundbait, it wasnt AS attractive to the Roach and there was still going to be some food particles around should anything bigger come along.

Time was ticking away uneventfully but as it approached 4oclock i had another Roachy take. I picked up the rod, struck and was pleasantly surprised when it took on a bit of a curve and the fish on the end actually pulled back! I soon netted a rather tatty looking Tench of about 3lb. It could well have been the smallest in the lake but it was concrete proof that there was one or two on the feed!

Pleased at getting one under my belt at last i rebaited and recast both rods for the last hour. I had to clear off by 5 if i was to get home in time for the sunday roast but even so i was well confident of another take beforehand. I had just started to tidy some gear up when the right hander signalled a fast take, the baitrunner was properly hissing as i picked up the rod. This one felt a bit bigger than the last and despite it finding some reeds in the margin i eventually managed to scoop it out and confirm a weight of 5.2.

A passerby did the honors with the camera and after returning it i called time and headed for home. I was quite happy having put my earlier doubts to rest, the pit hasnt got a huge stock of Tench and to get a couple in March was pretty good i thought.
I really should go Perching next week before the Carp get mega active but if the Tench are feeding then i fear it may already be too late!



Final week on the rivers

Monday 7th March

After the Roach success over the weekend i was keen to get back on the rivers because the last week of the season has usually been pretty successful for me in the past. If i had known what it was going to be like this week beforehand though i dont think id have bothered!  The weather given for Monday was not good for fishing, an overnight frost accompanied by sunshine and clear blue skies made for some incredibly bright conditions.
I started the day on the river Derwent fishing for Perch and despite trying several swims i couldnt get so much as a sniff. The water was as clear as tap water which didnt help. A move to the Trent had me faring no better although the water there did have a little more colour to it. In order to save the trip i dropped in on the Soar on my way back and scratched out a Chub of about 4lb on breadflake.

Tuesday 8th March

Headed for the Trent with Chub in mind but conditions were identical to yesterday and i couldnt buy a bite. Bread, cheesepaste and worms couldnt tempt a sausage so i headed for the Soar again. I missed a bite first cast and then that was it, total blank!!

Wednesday 9th March

Feeling like i was in a bit of a rut i decided to head to the Dove for a change. The weather was somewhat different to that of the last couple of days being cloudy with a stiff breeze. I fancied it for a Perch or two but after a couple of hours of dropping lobs under any likely looking bushes and in various slacks i was still biteless. The wind was making bite indication tricky cos i only use a 3/4oz tip for Perching and it was being blown about all over the place.

Eventually i had a couple of decent plucks and connected  with what felt like a good Perch to start with but turned out to be a Chub of around 3lb.

After that i headed back to where id started and within minutes the tip slowly pulled around and i hit into a decent fish. I could feel the line grating through some overhanging branches and a large boil followed by the glimpse of a stripey flank was all i saw before the hooklink parted, gutted. No more action came after that and i headed for home somewhat disappointed.

Saturday 12th March

I decided to grab a quick evening session on the Derwent on Saturday, target Perch. Ive not fished the Derwent much at all this season mainly because ive not had my usual Derwent tickets which is a shame cos ive had some really great results from there in past years. I aim to redress the balance next season but anyway back to the present, i arrived at about 4ish and there was a couple of anglers already there without a great deal to report. Conditions looked spot-on, very overcast, mild and no wind whatsoever, i was very confident of some action.

I settled in a spot where a large raft of debris had collected around a semi-sunken tree and placed my legered worm alongside it. I kept a steady trickle of maggots going in and knew from past experience that although this area usually only yeilded a couple of bites a session they were usually good fish. After a while the tip jagged quickly and i struck too soon and missed it, cursing myself i placed the bait again and waited.

By now it was getting darker by the minute and i knew time was running out, it had started to drizzle aswell which wasnt pleasant. Just as i was thinking of calling time i had a pluck on the tip and my hand automatically moved into hover position over the rod. Ten minutes later nothing had developed and it was too dark for another cast so i packed up scratching my head somewhat. The other lads downstream reported a couple of nice fish but they too said it had been hard going.

Sunday 13th March

I was in two minds as to what to do today on what was to be my last trip of the river season. After a gruelling week i really wanted to make the last session count. The given weather was dull and wet in the morning before brightening up for the afternoon. I thought about heading back to the Derwent seeing as it had produced one or two Perch to other anglers but after the time ive put into the Dove this season and the disappointment of losing a couple of biggies, i was drawn back to it in a bid to settle the score.

I got up a bit later than id planned and i had to sort some bits for the kids but even so i was pleased to be headed up the A50 by about 8.30. Even as i drove i still couldnt decide where to go but as i approached the turnoff for the Derwent i found myself putting my foot down and driving past it, the Dove it was then.

I was pleased to see only one other car in the carpark and i headed straight to the scene of my last Perch encounter. It was drizzly and overcast and i was well confident. As is usual with the Dove it soon knocked me back down to size and i was fighting an uphill struggle to get a bite. A couple of small Grayling fell to the worms though which boosted me a little cos id not caught Grayling on lobs before. The temptation was there to switch to maggots and start hauling but i was there for a Perch and nothing less would do.

I wandered downstream and found some likely spots but some rather over-friendly bullocks had decided i was far more interesting than eating grass and wouldnt leave me alone. As soon as i sat down i was surrounded which isnt great when your trying to be a bit stealthy!

In the end i had to leave that field altogether, even a tap on the nose with a bankstick didnt deter them. It was a first for me, ive never been cowed off the river before!
By now it had brightened up considerably and i was convinced my chances of a Perch had gone. I sat down next to a nice looking slack and cast in whilst i pondered my next move. I was taken completely by surprised when the tipped suddenly pulled around hard and stayed there. I picked up the rod and it became apparent i was connected to a nice Perch and i soon had it ready for netting. Trouble was, the net was still sticking out of my rod bag which was  out of reach at the top of the bank! I had no choice but to pick the fish out of the water by hand, no mean feat when your 3ft above the water, good job im a lanky bugger! At 2lb12oz it turned out to be my best from the Dove so far.

After photographing and returning it i had another put-in whilst i tidied my kit up and couldnt believe it when i had another bite straight away. I bent into it and it headed towards to middle of the river whereupon the hook pulled. Bloody hell theyre like buses! I chanced another cast and had a repeat performance, this time however i managed to stay connected to the fish and soon had it ready for netting, it was a similar size to the first one .  As i reached for the net there was a huge swirl where the fish was and i was gutted to see a very large Pike slowly swimming away with my Perch firmly clamped in its jaws. I was still connected to the Perch but there was always only going to be one winner in this tug of war and i was soon winding in minus my hook.
I retackled and stayed in the spot for another hour but unsurprisingly any remaining Perch had melted away and i had no more bites. The Sun was out in force now and i decided to call it a day happy that id finally had a half decent Perch from the Dove.

Well, thats another river season done and dusted . I really enjoyed the Chubbing and learnt a lot which will be put to use next season for sure. I didnt do nearly enough Perching and i wouldve liked to have done a bit more Barbel fishing but theres always next time around. Im looking forward to it already!