| STEVE INNES | |
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Get Started with Specimen Tench Part 2 – BaitsIntroductionContinuing from my first article where I discussed the best way to get started on catching specimen tench, Part 2 looks at that critical subject bait.
Wherever possible I have tried to use statistics from our group records to substantiate this missive and drawn on a wider perspective of tenching too, in order to identify current trends. The group now has over 200 members so I do consider this a good statistical base to rely upon, with many hundreds of fish being captured annually. Bait Evolution I think most anglers appreciate that just about any bait will capture tench as they have a pretty catholic taste when it comes to their diets. Classically these fish were often captured on lobworm, brandling or bread paste (often flavoured with aniseed or custard powder). Then the boilie era arrived thanks to the pioneering efforts of Fred Wilton and many tench anglers made the switch to homemade HNV’s.
The maggot was the original particle bait but the early successes of Rod Hutchinson and his seed particles got many tench anglers thinking about mass baiting too. The next trend was pellets/seeds in their various forms and more recently the arrival of artificials. So in reality I can see 5 clear evolutionary stages. Today four broad classifications exist. Traditional (maggot, caster, worm, bread, meat), Particles (including corn, maize, hemp), “Specials” (boiles, pastes, pellets) and the Enterprise/Berkeley Artificials in all their forms. The latter is the new kid on the block and a substantial development which is growing in momentum. Carping Similarities It is no surprise that tench bait development closely mirrors that of carp anglers. The record tench choked down a boilie and many significant specimens are accidental captures by carp anglers. The principle difference is how that bait is presented as tench are not generally tolerant of heavy carp rigs. This means smaller boilies (10/12ml) are fished on lighter rigs and hook sizes rarely exceed a 10. Maggots find their way onto size 12/14/16 hooks and not maggot clips! Monofilament hook links are still more popular than their braid counterparts enabling a balanced rig to be achieved. You only have to watch Korda DVD’s to see how cute the tench are at getting away with it compared to the carp! Just watch Part 1 and see the tench avoiding popped up baits over a bed of particles. So similar baits yes, but a more delicate approach rig wise. This is an important consideration as bait alone will not put specimens on the bank. The Bait League Table 2005 (all fish over 6lb)
For 2005 boilie caught tench have moved up to high 30% from an average of 34%. Tench anglers seem to be in two camps about their use, some do – some don’t. There are acknowledged boilie venues like Sywell for example, however the current absence of nuisance fish in many pits means that the high tech baits are far from first choice. The maggot and other traditionals still account for 61% of all tench captures. Red maggot is considered to give an edge and many tench anglers swear by them. The variety of boilies used are legion but big name brands such as Mainline (Activ Maple 8), Richworth (Tutti Frutti), Dynamite (Squid and Octopus), would all be in a top ten.
As regards flavours some of our members do flavour their maggots. I was a great fan of Tench Magic (aka: Archies Aftershave!), but classics like strawberry, maple cr  When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community.
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