Two Tench

[Catfish.017]

Last Summer I had a few nice Tench from the Anglesy Branch Canal at Brownhills. This cut has virtually zero boat traffic with gin clear water and luxuriant weed growth. I didn't visit it until late July last year, the weed at its peak but a few clear spots to fish helped by a little light raking. Last night I could see the weed was quite sparse where I caught last year; there was more growth further along but the water is much shallower here as opposed to the four foot in my preferred area. So I moved in to last years favourite pitch and fed some mashed bread. Even without my Polaroids I could clearly see the bread on the bottom. I didn't stay there long. At the end of the canal where it butts up against Chasewater it widens out into a shallow pool maybe fifty by eighty yards. When I stopped catching last year I wondered if the fish moved into this pool for the Winter.
Last night, thinking the Tench may still be up there I walked on to give it a look. Straight away I could see it wasn't the easiest place to fish, marginal reeds and Flag Iris grew in a six foot wide belt most of the way around. There were a few small gaps where maybe someone had fished previously but it looked tricky in the main. I found one such gap partially closed up but with a few square yards of lilys on the inside left and a straggly bunch straight in front. I found about three foot depth between the two patches and thought that will do.
So in went some mash followed by my float tackle. It didn't help that I had brought the Roy Marlow persuader rod which is less than ten foot long, a twelve footer would have been far more suitable in the circumstances. I used my landing net to part the outer reeds slightly and give a decent view of the float.
A good Carp showed several times out in the middle and small Rudd? topped occasionally but of Tench there was no sign. The evening drifted on and as the air cooled, the midges became troublesome. Fortunately I had packed the repellant after an itchy night on the T&M canal on Monday!
Some better looking rises began to occur as the sun dropped, I wondered if they may be Rudd. If so they are going to be real good ones judging by the swirls? I had a few casts at them, just about reaching their range, one cast obviously landing on top of a Carp! Small fish ran the float along the surface a few times but no positive takes. Then I glanced down at my baited spot by the lilys and saw bubbles! , just a couple of little clusters but I m mediately I forgot about the Rudd and gently positioned a bait in the spot. It wasn't there long as the float slanted away and I struck into a lively fish. After a good tussle I just managed to net a four pound Tench without getting a boot full of Water! I fed a little more mash and despite there being no more bubbles, got another of three pounds.
I was well pleased with that outcome after the initial doubts. I'm going back tonight but with those possible big Rudd in mind.

[EricW]

Those are nice tench for a canal. People often ask me on the towpath if I have caught any but I haven't seen one myself on the Ashby for 35 years.

[Catfish.017]

There's none around Fradley either Eric, on the T&M or the Coventry.