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The Tempting Tench: Expert Tips to Improve Your Fishing
In Matt’s first article on the Angling Direct blog, he shares his experience of targeting tench at Mythe Pool, Tewkesbury.
Skip to...Matt's Story
Angler’s Bio:
Based in Worcester, I am a 33-year-old angler that has been fishing for as long as I can remember! I am an all-around angler and get as much happiness catching a 10oz roach as a 30lb carp. My favourite species to target is the tench, although I always look forward to some winter pike fishing.
By reading my articles, I hope to inspire people to chase the same excitement, satisfaction and sometimes frustration I crave. Hopefully, young and old anglers will learn about the wonderful sport we love.
How I Started Fishing
My dad taught me how to fish. We went to pools and canals where I was tutored in using a float and feeder. I have fished the River Severn by the Royal Worcester Porcelain and ventured to beautiful, parts of Wales where I learnt to cast a fly.
In the years to follow, I transferred my skills to specimen fishing. My first fishing trip concluded with the biggest perch I had ever caught weighing over three pounds!
There is so much pride to be had in possibly catching a beautiful trout on a fly pattern that you created and tied yourself. That is what makes us wake up at ridiculous o'clock in the morning and walk mile upon mile of riverbank looking for that perfect spot.
Why I Love Fishing
Every angler has their reasons for the unconditional love they have for the sport. For me it’s that bolt of excitement whenever the float goes under, the rod tip twitches or my bite alarm bursts into life.
The adrenalin rush of not knowing what could be on the other end. It’s also the knowledge that you are doing everything right and that the hard work and the sometimes days of preparation have paid off.
Fishing at Mythe Pool
Carp are present but seeing them on the bank is a rarity. They are wise and seldom make an appearance. The few photographs I have seen of these old warriors show incredible-looking two-tone gold and bronze commons and dark oak-coloured mirrors with apple slice scales.
Rich also tells me of an orange-bellied common which has evaded his capture for a long time. I have received plenty of videos of different fish up to and over 30lb taking floating dog biscuits from one of his many walks around the pool fish spotting. There are also rumours of an elusive Catfish hiding somewhere amongst the gloomy depths but who knows?
Tench Fish at Mythe Pool
In this article, I will delve into time-tested strategies to tempt and conquer the tench fish. From the best baits to ideal fishing spots, anglers of all levels will gain valuable insights to enhance their tench fishing game. I share my secrets of successful tench fishing so you can elevate your angling skills.
For this tench fishing session, I headed off to Mythe Pool, a private club water controlled by The Birmingham Anglers Association (BAA). At around six hundred meters long and almost as wide as the river Severn which runs along its one side it has become a venue I visit regularly, and I can be found here many a summer evening as it is only a short drive from my work in Tewkesbury.
A fellow angler and good friend of mine Rich has spent countless hours secateurs in hand carving pathways to the edge of the lake. Rich is a font of knowledge when it comes to Mythe and he often regales me with tales of his trips 30 years earlier when all the pegs were fishable. He has an in-depth encyclopaedic knowledge of every peg on the pool and has a story to tell for practically all of them.
However, clear spots can always be found in amongst the thick blankets of weed and most of the pegs have a splendid patch of lilies or a deep clear hole in which to place your tench fishing bait.
I selected a peg with a thick wall of weed opposite, framing a hole flanked with lilies at my feet and to my left. The water was crystal clear in the margin gradually gaining a green hue the further you look out towards the centre of the pool.
This pool seems to be a bit of a mystery and I don’t think anyone knows for certain what creatures call it home. Bream are also in abundance with weights of over 100lb frequently being caught on the method or cage feeder favoured by most of the regulars. Large bags of fish are also caught on the float, and this is my chosen method for the day.
Some split shots have sharp edges and squeezing directly onto your line can cut into it and cause breakages under pressure.
When the tench takes my bait and lifts the shot off the bottom the float will rise and almost lie flat, however, it is suggested that you strike before it reaches that point.
When is the Best Time for Tench Fishing?
Though still water specimen hunting is usually based around bolt rigs and bite alarms, there is a period generally from mid-May where more traditional methods for catching tench are particularly effective.
How To Find The Perfect fishing spot for Tench
The warmer temperatures and longer days cause them to move into the margins in search of emerging insects. Therefore, fishing at such close quarters means the bolt rig will prove less productive and a float fished correctly will produce a lot more fish and more than anything else will provide a much more rewarding trip.
You may find that the heat of the warmer months causes a large amount of thick weed to grow. Therefore, only half of the pegs at Mythe Pool are fishable at certain times of the year.
What is the Lift Method?
On this tench fishing trip, I fished using the lift method. My float is held in place by two rubber stops and is set at a float and a half-length over depth with a shot on the lakebed 4-10 inches from the hook bait depending on how confidently the fish are biting.
I pinch my shots onto a small piece of braid threaded onto my line using a rig ring also held in place with rubber stops. Doing this means there are no weaknesses in your tench fishing set-up.
I strike into a small greedy perch half the length of my worm. Placed in the keep net, hook re-baited and repositioned I waited once more.
What is the best bait for Tench Fishing?
For tench bait, I tossed a few golfball-sized lumps of groundbait and a scattering of sweetcorn into the channel.
I cast out my lobworm and tightened my line pulling the float to where red meets black. I also drop a handful of sweetcorn and chopped worm into the margin. I place these freebie baits next to the lilies if the deeper water doesn't produce a bite.
Can You Catch Tench During the Day?
I hadn’t arrived particularly early for the tench fishing session in question, however, during the summer you have plenty of daylight.
Though tench fishing is generally considered an early morning or late evening venture, I got to the lake at around 9 am. I had chosen my peg, and set up for around half past 9, a good few hours after Mr and Mrs Tench were having their breakfast!
Catching the Wrong Fish
My first bite came after about ten minutes of being set up! It was slow and tentative. The float lifted a centimetre and settled again, a few seconds later it did the same and started creeping slowly to the left.
A plump almond-shaped body, black fins, and a wide paintbrush-like tale. Tipping the fishing scales to 5lb 8oz, I was pleased with my first Mythe tench. A quick photo and into the keep net she goes.
The sun had decided to hide for a while behind the clouds giving my already red forehead a break from the heat. This June had so far been bright and sunny every day and didn’t look like it was going to change any time soon. A decent-sized bream was my next piece of the action, around the 4lb mark.
A slow, short fight then like a wet flannel it floated to the surface and slid motionless towards the bank. A few of these in the keep net wouldn’t be a bad result for the day but it was not the prize I was after.
With five perch in the keep net and a few more bream, I decided to mix it up a little and try a fishing bait cocktail. A Dendrobaena worm with a single grain of corn, on a size fourteen hook. I sat patiently as the float twitched.
Jet black like tar which only accentuated the glowing red of its eye. A truly special capture. Returned safely it was time to pack up.
How To Land A Tench
My success was found when it was heading towards midday, during the summer. The sun was beating down hard. My polarised glasses cut through the water to show a few dark shadows lurking below, sifting through my ground bait.
Finally, the float darted upwards, this happened so quickly that it was almost flat before I had a chance to strike! I lifted into weightless air, weightless nothing.
I re-baited my hook, recast to the same spot, and sank my line, tightening up the slack I waited this time determined not to lose concentration.
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I didn’t have to wait very long for another take I was wide awake this time and after setting the hook my rod bent double. The 6lb line groaned and creaked painfully and my clutch rasped as the fish pushed itself into the mass of weed in front of me.
I managed to bully it back into open water and after a taxing battle, I saw the olive-green shape and red eye break the surface.
A few strong beats from its powerful tail with ineffective bids for freedom and she gave in and slid into the web of my landing net. What an immaculate specimen.
- Fish the Margins: The warmer temperatures and longer days cause tench to move into the margins
- Use a Float: A float fished correctly will produce a lot more fish and a much more rewarding trip.
- Patience and Persistence: no matter how many nuisance bites, keep trying!
- Swap Your Bait: Take a selection of tench baits to encourage them and not other fish to take your rig!
- Prepare to fish difficult swims: You may have little choice when it comes to heavy weeds.
After another small handful of corn and a ball of ground bait, I was rewarded with another characteristic tench bite. My float pushed up out of the water and I lifted into a second heavy fish and my rod is almost wrestled from my hands. She dives to the weed almost confirming to me this was another tench, and a particularly angry one at that.
The fight was relentless with strong headshakes and lunges. The fish was holding the bottom and refusing to show itself. I lowered my rod pleading that it will release itself.
After spotting movement, I tightened up again to feel the erratic pulling. The fish surfaced and came into view for the first time. It certainly was the target fish but this one was unlike any I have caught previously.
Shielded by a large clump of weed she had decided to bring with her I could just make out the typical bright red eyes and dark paddle-like fins.
What a Clonker!
The last tench was a lucky capture. This fish could easily have been lost. She looked in every way just like your average, everyday Tench but the colour of this fish was like nothing I had seen before.
I emptied my keep net of 7 bream, the other tench from earlier and too many silvers to count! I laid my fishing net out on the bank to dry, content with a successful day.
My dad taught me how to fish. We went to pools and canals where I was tutored in using a float and feeder. I have fished the River Severn by the Royal Worcester Porcelain and ventured to beautiful, parts of Wales where I learnt to cast a fly.
In the years to follow, I transferred my skills to specimen fishing. My first fishing trip concluded with the biggest perch I had ever caught weighing over three pounds!
There is so much pride to be had in possibly catching a beautiful trout on a fly pattern that you created and tied yourself. That is what makes us wake up at ridiculous o'clock in the morning and walk mile upon mile of riverbank looking for that perfect spot.
Expert Tench Fishing Tips and Techniques
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The riverside bank at Mythe Pools is a jungle and rarely fished. An untrodden terrain with thick, overgrown bushes, steep slopes, ditches, and barbed wire making their utmost effort to bar your progress.
It shows venturing out to hidden gems can pay off! Although, you will probably end up with a few leaves and twigs in your hair and down your collar, and maybe a rip in your favourite fishing t-shirt. But you will find some of the most beautiful, (although somewhat tight) swims from which you may temp a bite or two for the tempting tench!
The tench is one of my favourite species and although the conditions are not ideal with the heat and weeds, it goes to show, there is still a chance of a bite! Mythe Pools should be approached in the same way you would tackle a lake you had never visited before no matter how many times you have fished it previously.
Based in Worcester, I am a 33-year-old angler that has been fishing for as long as I can remember! I am an all-around angler and get as much happiness catching a 10oz roach as a 30lb carp. My favourite species to target is the tench, although I always look forward to some winter pike fishing.
By reading my articles, I hope to inspire people to chase the same excitement, satisfaction and sometimes frustration I crave. Hopefully, young and old anglers will learn about the wonderful sport we love.
I have my own fishing website also that expresses my addiction to angling!
How I Started Fishing
Why I Love Fishing
Every angler has their reasons for the unconditional love they have for the sport. For me it’s that bolt of excitement whenever the float goes under, the rod tip twitches or my bite alarm bursts into life.
The adrenalin rush of not knowing what could be on the other end. It’s also the knowledge that you are doing everything right and that the hard work and the sometimes days of preparation have paid off.
Fishing also brings me peace, calm, and solitude. Not having to worry about the daily grind. Not thinking about that electricity bill that needs to be paid by the end of the month. Not thinking about the meeting, you have Monday morning, or the pile of paperwork you have waiting for you on your desk. Using your pastime to forget, escape and unwind.
Related Articles:
Why Summer Pike Fishing Can Be Harmful
Master the Art of Feeder Fishing: Top 5 Rigs for Success
Mono vs. Fluorocarbon vs. Braid: What Line is Best for Freshwater Fishing?
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