How do you get tench to feed

[SteveE]

I have fished Frimley 2 several times over the last couple of months, specifically for tench and so far have caught just two fish. The fish seem pre occupied with natural feed and rarely take a hook bait. How do I turn them on? I know fish are feeding as bubbles are seen all around my bait.

Can anybody offer suggestions?

[rhornegold]

SteveE,
Lots of particles, prebait a few area's over a week or two and fish over the top with squats or casters.
Everybody who fishes for Tench has the same problem at times.
Check the posts for Tench in the last 6 months you will find some good advise.
Bob

[SteveE]

Thanks bob,

Last week took that approach, however fished corn over hemp and caster. tried maggot but caught nothing but perch. Guess I just have to plug away.

[benzonar]

I fished the Summer Pit on Sunday very close to where the big carp hangs out in the bottom corner. I put down a bed of corn and fished feeder with luncheon meat. At four o'clock the swim looked like one big jacuzzi and the tench just started coming out. I fished slack lines as it was only about eight feet away. Lots of big crucians were also rolling in the area but I couldn't hit into any of them. Anyone got any tips!

[benzonar]

Thanks Ian.
I tried the float but kept getting bothered by the Roach. What sort of area do the Crucian feed in, top, middle or bottom?
Ian, I saw some big crucian, and I mean big.
Has anyone had that big carp out as well, he tends to stay in the snags and looks like he is at least 25lbs.

[PaulG]

I was down on Sunday morning as well, fished from 5 until 9, without getting a single Tench or Crucian. Only had a few bites which could have indicated either species, had a few small rudd though !

I have found that the Crucians will feed almost anywhere in the lake, just a case of keep the loosefeed going in, and fish the most delicate float that you have got. I use a 2 bb canal float.

Maybe see you down there sometime.

Paul

[benzonar]

Paul,
I found a lovely spot for the tench. Not much leeway to cast out far, and a jungle of nettles to get through, but well worth it. The Odd Couple (the 2 big carp) were cruising around all afternoon, but didn't want to know.

[Nat_Ev]

Double post.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Nat_Ev on 03/07/01 03:11 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

[Nat_Ev]

If it helps i used to fish pit 2 alot a few years back for carp - but caught a few monkeys aswell. A good spot is from an area we used to call the 'point'. Its the large swim that curves out to one end of the island (not the boards end). I used to chuck a few handfuls of trouties down and sit back and watch 'Tench TV' while waiting for the carp. This area is one of the best, only about 1 rod length out just past the grass in the margins. Another good spot is to the left of this in the canopy style swim with the snags to your left. I used to watch Monkeys pick up my carp rigs all day and not hook. If you had a smaller lead/hook, you would have them easy. Trouties and crumbed sweet boilies were the favourite meal.

Cheers.

[PaulG]

Re the raking of a swim. I too do this, on some lakes it pays to wait, like you do Steve, until the usual Tench feeding time has passed, and then drag a rake through a few times. As you say it nearly always brings a few bonus fish. Other lakes seem to respond by raking a swim before starting a session. Also has the benefit of putting any carp to the other side of the lake, useful if you are trying to concentrate on Tench. Obviously because of this you sometimes have to be very diplomatic in using a rake ! Depends how busy the place is.

Interesting though, throwing a rake out in darkness, scares the s**t out of geese sometimes /images/forum/icons/wink.gif

Paul

[PaulG]

Raking doesn't always work though, and I'm a bit suprised at the Summer Pit result. That lake is quite heavily surrounded by trees, and certainly some of the swims, especially the new ones I guess would have a lot of rotted leaf debris on the bottom. Which if disturbed by a rake would surely put up more crap than anything else, and would put the fish off ?

PaulG

[benzonar]

I had a conversation with one of the baliffs on the Basingstoke Canal who regularly rakes his swim when Tench fishing. He actually claimed that in some instances the Tench would follow the rake through the water due to all of the natural food being uncovered.

[scorpio]

The most effective float I have ever used for most of my float fishing is the stillwater blue type... It has a bristle type tip which is 3" or so long with a streamlined balsa body and will register the slightest of bites..... Bulk the shot around the float itself and use no.8's to **** it..... if you have a problem with nuisance fish you can actually use these floats for the lift method but instead of having all the shot to be lifted 3 or 4 no. 8's will give a very good indication.

Tony