Hi and welcome to what is to become a monthly diary about my fishing trips, adventures, successes and failures – though hopefully not too many of the latter! My thanks go to our esteemed new editor for asking me to do this column as it’s the kind of thing I love to read when it is written by others – so hopefully you will enjoy mine!
So where to start? Well as I am writing this diary literally on the eve of the new river season it might be an idea to sum up how my close season fishing has gone.
As the title of the piece alludes to, I fish for far more than just the predatory fish for which I am perhaps best known and for me the close season months means mostly tenching, although this year it was also mixed in with a couple of sessions after carp and crucians.
Sadly, as far as the latter two go, there’s very little to report as both of the waters I targeted have a very low head of the species and this was confirmed with a smattering of blank trips. However, it was somewhat ironic that what the two waters in question did produce for me were numbers of tench!
My main target water for tincas though was Colney Lake on the Bawburgh complex in Norfolk. This complex is run by the Norfolk Anglers Conservation Association and has over the last few seasons been gaining a reputation as one of the best tench waters in the country. If you add to that the fact that there is safe, secure parking and some of the friendliest anglers about, you have a little patch of paradise that I just cannot get enough of. It has also been very kind to me over the years, my first ever tench from the venue was a then lake record of 11lbs 2oz and since then it has given me six other doubles, including a very rare double figure male. In short it’s not surprising that I just love fishing there.
This spring though has been very patchy with the tench all grouped up in just the odd swim rather than being spread around the lake as they would usually be. With the lake also very busy this has meant that getting a good swim has often been difficult but when things have gone to plan I have managed to winkle a few decent fish out.
I do have to confess though that in the case of the two biggest there was also a large slice of luck involved as with one I was just about to reel in the rod when it burst into life and my biggest tench of the spring, a beauty of 10lbs 7ozs, took when I was hanging on in the ‘one last cigarette’ mode!
My result of two nine pounders and a double – though not earth shattering – was a pretty reasonable return for my time spent there. One interesting facet of the tench fishing this year was bait choice. There’s always much debate amongst tench anglers as to which bait is best: maggots or casters. Personally I have always been a maggot man but this year I have been using more and more casters and have had some very good fishing; others on the complex swear by casters too, especially when combined with the use of PVA bags.
My set up comprises a block end feeder filled with maggots fished ‘chod’ style with a 4in hooklength of 10lb fluorocarbon and three fake rubber casters hair-mounted on a Fox Series 2 hook. This is then nicked through a solid PVA bag a couple of times before casting out – but do note you need to pay attention when hooking the bag as if you catch one of the casters with the hook point and burst it the bag will dissolve too quickly – as I occasionally found out to my cost…
So, with the tench fishing now winding down, it’s time to look forward to the new river season. Whether or not you agree with the close season, and personally I do, there’s nothing like the build up to get the juices flowing. I love all of the preamble to the new season and the pre-baiting, fish watching and bank walking are all things that go to increase the anticipation.
My targets at the start of the season are nearly always river carp and big rudd and last year I was fortunate enough to find a stretch of river that holds both and close season observation has shown both species to be present in the area again. My swim, which I have been baiting for the last two weeks, is now glowing gravel where the fish have tucked into my wheat and pigeon mix and I am absolutely busting for the clock to hit midnight on the 15th.
I shall be joined in my quest for a big river carp by George the ‘Tea Bitch’ and we have both been acting like kids this week geeing each other up and swapping tales about what we have seen when we have been down at the river baiting up. Most exciting is George’s spotting of two commons both of which he reckons will top 30lb, whilst I have seen a very big mirror and some quality rudd on days when the sun has been shining enough to allow spotting on what is quite a deep stretch.
So I will sign off for this month as it’s almost time to grab the sarnies from the fridge, the bait from the freezer and head for the river.
Yes ladies and Gents, Christmas is nearly here and hopefully there’s a nice big present waiting for me in the early hours! You will find out next month!
