A handful of soil fools first double-figure tench

Anglers that try something a little different will often reap the rewards – as proved by Geoff Collins when he banked his first double-figure tench in the shape of this 10lb 13oz specimen.

After seeing a big fish in the margins he lowered in a simple feeder rig baited with four maggots on a size 12 hook.

This on its own wasn’t enough to tempt the wary tinca, but the introduction of a handful of soil from the bankside created an enticing cloud around his feeder and encouraged the fish to get its head down.

“I thought the muddy soil would create a natural cloud in the water and the tench would feel more comfortable feeding inside it,” Geoff told Angling Times. “Just a few minutes after doing this my biggest ever tench was in the net…what a result.”  

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