The biggest tench of the season!

The biggest tench of the season has been taken from a Midlands stillwater – a monumental specimen of 13lb 1oz. 

The plump tinca was banked by building contractor Nick Proctor, and smashed his old personal best for the species by more than 4lb.

The story behind the phenomenal catch typifies the challenge specimen anglers face when trying to extract a monster tench from weed-choked waters.

Nick solved that conundrum by taking to a boat to ensure his baits were presented effectively amid beds of intense weed growth. 

Speaking exclusively to Angling Times, the 39-year-old described his session to remember.

He said: “I arrived to the venue at Saturday tea time and fished right through to Thursday morning – only having a day off on the Monday.

“In this time I banked 14 tench and a 12lb 5oz bream – but the highlight by a country mile was the 13lb 1oz tench that I hooked on Sunday evening.

“It’s a 40-mile round-trip to the venue for me, and since the second week of April I’ve been down there in the boat as often as I could, raking and baiting a swim 80 yards from the bank with Vitalin – a muesli-style dried dogfood – sweetcorn and oat groats.

“On Sunday I went back out in the boat to re-rake and bait the swim with Dynamite Baits Red Krill groundbait, hemp, groats, chopped worm and caster – with that job done, I positioned my rigs over the top from the boat.”

To help hook any fish that came into his swim Nick fished 2½oz leads on three feet of leadcore attached to supple 15lb E-S-P Sink Link braid. 

His hookbaits incorporated red and yellow fake casters mounted on a piece of rig foam to critically balance the hook, which was a size 8 Fox SCS. 

“Because the weed was so thick I had to go out in the boat to land 14 of the fish I hooked,” Nick added.

“The 13-pounder, however, was the only one I did play from the bank as it fought more like a bream than a tench. 

“I felt I could ease it over the weed without too much trouble. 

“I’m not going to lie, the fight lasted only around five minutes and the fish didn’t put up much of a scrap – but when I clapped eyes on it for the first time it was by far the biggest tench I’d ever seen. 

“It was incredibly fat – but it wasn’t until I lifted it in the net that I knew it was a big double. I was in total disbelief. 

“Tench just don’t grow this big in the North West – no-one would have believed me if I’d just taken the picture so I rang Dai Gribble to come down to confirm the weight and witness the fish for me.”

Speaking to Angling Times, Dai said: “The tench was exceptionally fat, and it was an equally exceptional catch.

“I’d have thought it’s one of the biggest tench ever caught north of Birmingham.”