1,500 miles for four tench doubles!
The incredible run of big tench continues this week, topped by a campaign that’s seen one angler clock up over 1,500 miles to land a string of fish many can only dream of.
Species fanatic Dean Taylor doesn’t let the 500-mile round trip from his Cheshire home to a gravel pit in Kent get in the way of his passion for tench and his recent efforts were rewarded when he banked a total of 24 fish. These included four doubles with two fishing of 11lb 5oz and 11lb 4oz.
All his fish were fooled with feeder tactics and hair-rigged worms that were fixed in place with Korum Quickstops. The rig was cast over the top of a bed of chopped worms, casters and hemp.
“The distance doesn’t bother me, in fact, I’ve done the drive several times. Fish like these are worth every mile on the motorway,” said the Tenchfishers member.
“Along with the two elevens, I had two 10lb fish, two nine pounders, 10 over 8lb, including an 8lb 15oz male, which were backed up with some smaller fish.
Justin Grapes knows all about catching big tench – he was also celebrating after a weekend to remember at Bawburgh Lakes on the outskirts of Norwich, Norfolk.
After introducing 4kg of spod mix that was made from casters, maggots, pellets and chopped worms, he had the perfect start with a 9lb 9oz fish – and the next run produced a huge 11lb fish.
The next morning saw the Angling Direct-backed specialist use artificial maggots and caster hookbaits to land three more tench before feeding again – a move which saw him land eight more fish to 10lb 1oz on his third and final morning of the session.
Matthew Fernandez couldn’t believe his luck when he was allowed to go tench fishing just a day before his wedding.
The Dynamite Baits-backed specimen angler targeted a southern gravel pit and introduced a bed of chopped worm, red maggot, hemp and Dynamite Baits red krill groundbait over a thick area of blanket weed at 40yds – a tactic that produced an impressive 10lb 3oz fish.
“I ended up with five tench of 6lb 10oz, 7lb 13oz, 8lb 10oz, 8lb 13oz and a new personal best of 10lb 3oz – what a superb early wedding present!” he said. All Matt’s tench fell to Drennan maggot and open-ended feeders fished helicopter style with chopped worm on the hook.
Korum-backed Kevin Durman also recently returned from a session to remember with a
10lb 2oz fish.
He banked 11 fish with five of those all weighing over 9lb over a gravel spot at 70yds that he’d baited with Sonubaits hempseed and 2mm pellets.
A feeder packed with chopped worms with a worm hookbait was the winning combination for Kevin who was fishing a venue on Medway Valley Fisheries.
Scaled-down carp tactics are a real winner for tench – and this was proved by top specialist Paul Elt when he banked a fish that weighed just over 9lb.
The, Dynamite Baits-backed angler from St Neots, Cambs, fished a 10mm Complex-T pop-up over the top of a spod mix laced with crushed boilies.
His session also produced other big tench to 8lb 4oz, which were caught in a gulley at 40yds with a rig made from an ESP 20lb braided hooklink and a size 6 Drennan hook.
