Biggest tench of the year so far landed!
No wonder specimen anglers across the country are getting excited – a rack of double-figure tench and bream catches proves that sport for both species is well and truly on the up!
In a week that saw air temperatures reach highs of 25ºC it was little surprise that it took just a few days for the biggest tench of the season to come over the net cord.
Chris Stothard hooked into this 10lb 4oz tinca to beat Hugh Boyle’s previous effort by 7oz.
The Tenchfishers member from Hampshire bested the fine specimen on the last morning of a 60-hour session targeting a southern gravel pit.
After a fruitless first 24 hours, Chris finally put some fish on the scorecard with tench of 7lb 15oz and 5lb 3oz, but he had to wait a little longer for a true monster to grace his net.
He told Angling Times: “The previous catches encouraged me to stay put – I had further sightings of tench during the next 24 hours, but no bites. No-one was catching!
“On my last morning, however, it all came good.
“I had a 7lb 3oz tench at first light, followed by a 6lb 6oz fish half-an-hour later.
“I started a slow pack down at 7am then, 15 minutes later, the left rod was away, and what felt like a big fish was powering off to my left.
“I had to ease her out of an unseen snag but luck was on my side and she soon came out and into the net.
“I knew I had what I had come for – a spring double without an ounce of spawn in her, weighing in at 10lb 4oz.”
All Chris’ tench fell to worm hookbaits fished in conjunction with helicopter feeders, 10lb mainlines and 8lb mono hooklinks.
He fished his rigs to the side of a gravel bar over a bed of hemp, casters and mini pellets.
Two-times Drennan Cup winner Dai Gribble had an influence on the next big tench catch when he helped guide Phil Riley to a 10lb 1oz specimen.
Phil had joined Dai for a 30-hour session on the banks of Oxfordshire’s Linear Fishery when his new personal best for the species devoured his hair-rigged worm hookbait.
Dai told Angling Times: “Phil was over the moon with the catch. It’s fantastic to see the anglers’ reactions on these guided trips, but there’s no better way of proving that my rigs and tactics work than with the capture of a double-figure tench.”
The two men Spombed out a mixture of 2mm pellets and hemp to a gravel patch at 45 yards to help produce the bite.
The guided session also provided Phil with a number of other tench to 6lb 10oz, bream to 10lb 2oz, as well as a bonus 2lb 1oz roach.