Tricky Tench AGAIN!

[Catfish.017]

Up at the crack today to fish a little pool,I failed to find on Monday evening (senior moment perusing the map!) an old marl pit, small but deep with a mixed bag of stock. After a good look around I settled into a swim with lilys to the left and nine foot of clear but slightly peat? Stained water. A few balls of mash with a little corn and flake fished on the float. After a while a chap turned up, the unofficial custodian of th pool. He gave me the lowdown on the place before departing with the adjoined that the Tench aren't easy. By this time some bubbling had got underway but little movement of the float. Another angler turned up. He had fished my swim yesterday morning for two modest Tench before being smashed up by a decent Carp . He settled in to the swim to my left with a tree between us. This time he was using out and out Carp gear and about ten minutes in caught a two pound Tench on a big hair rigged lump of meat. Bubbles continued to come and go in my spot and despite trying a range of baits and varying the rig between lift method and laying a yard on, not a bite did I get! Only when I scaled down to a small bait on a 14 hook did I get positive bites, off tiny Roach and Bream! My 'companion, Tony got no more either and left at Ten am. I stuck it out til nearly midday , remembering past days on the 'Res' when I didn't catch until late in the morning but it wasn't to be, leaving me thinking that maybe the unsettled weather had some bearing on it. Oh well I'm off to the Canal now to catch a few Skimmers and Roach!

[Dave Burr]

Next time, there's always next time.

[Catfish.017]

Next time, there's always next time.

Yes Dave the rusty old cogs are already whirring! Not much I could have done differently really? Maybe legering ? It has worked in recent seasons on seemingly 'dead' swims at the 'Res' I'm more philosophical about these things nowadays, it always brings to mind a chapter in Howard Marshalls book (can't for the life of me remember the title?) on Failing to catch Tench on a French river.

[Grumpy]

I have been having the same issue with tricky Tincas this season.On one water a change to cockle with loose fed hemp did the trick.Out to a club lake tomorrow,couldn't get any cockles today so will give prawns a go,if my belly doesn't get them first!