PB tench today on my second ever river outing

[tipitinmick]

Personally I wouldn’t get too hung up about the weight. A picture of such a beautiful creature would be enough for me. And what a beautiful creature it is. Aren’t Tench gorgeous.

Note to self ….. get off your arse Michael and go catch a Tench.

 

[MartinWY]

Personally I wouldn’t get too hung up about the weight. A picture of such a beautiful creature would be enough for me. And what a beautiful creature it is. Aren’t Tench gorgeous.

Note to self ….. get off your arse Michael and go catch a Tench.

They have always been my favourite fish. I love the way they take on a particular colour in response to their home water. The first proper fish I ever caught was a tench of 4lb 5oz. I think I was 14 and I nearly fell in the lake out of excitement.

 

[tipitinmick]

They have always been my favourite fish. I love the way they take on a particular colour in response to their home water. The first proper fish I ever caught was a tench of 4lb 5oz. I think I was 14 and I nearly fell in the lake out of excitement.

Forum member Scribe still falls in the lake.

 

[Robwooly]

As you say, I'm now starting to wonder if theres a double in there...

Steady on there chap, a double's pushing it a bit, there's probably seasoned tench anglers reading this thinking good luck on that one

Personally i'd be happy with any fish as others have said the old tench are such a stunning fish, plus with the markings on the flank on that one you will be able to tell if you get that same fish again, that would be a good quest.

 

[davylad]

I've caught more tench this year than ever before, nowhere near the weight of that one mind, a superb fish. I had around 20 yellowish ones last week, only up to a couple of pounds, but some of them were very yellow. For some reason unknown to me, tench are showing very well on quite a few local venues.

 

[MartinWY]

Steady on there chap, a double's pushing it a bit, there's probably seasoned tench anglers reading this thinking good luck on that one

Personally i'd be happy with any fish as others have said the old tench are such a stunning fish, plus with the markings on the flank on that one you will be able to tell if you get that same fish again, that would be a good quest.

It's alright, I know I just got lucky really.

The river seemed very healthy though and I had a good snoop around. Wildlife was plentiful with bucket loads of water snails, insects and such, just ideal for them to grow big I reckon. In general the area was full of life. I saw buzzards high above, kestrels, many species of dragonfly, damsels, various butterflys, beetles, all manner of things. Oh and not one but two, of the rarist of rare creatures, the environment agency employee.

The biggest thing for me is knowingly fishing a place where specimen fish live. I always had a problem believing there were fish present to specimen proportions in any water I fished, no matter what I was told. Now I know they are, at least in this water, I can cope with endless blank sessions, just for that one chance.

 

[MartinWY]

I've caught more tench this year than ever before, nowhere near the weight of that one mind, a superb fish. I had around 20 yellowish ones last week, only up to a couple of pounds, but some of them were very yellow. For some reason unknown to me, tench are showing very well on quite a few local venues.

20, wow thats quite a catch!

Can I ask, was that from one venue? What is the water like in terms of colour and clarity?

 

[JayD]

A lovely looking fish Martin, well done. Along with roach and chub, tench are my favourite fish.
In 60 years of fishing I've never had a tench from a Yorkshire river. The only one I've witnesses, was back in the 70s, in a league match, on the Wharfe at Ulleskelf. It was November, a very cold, rainy day, with the river carrying 4 or 5 ft of extra. The guy above me had drawn a slack, and hooked what he thought was a big chub. I went help him land it, because the banks were dodgy, it weighed about 4lb, his only fish, and got him in the money. I blanked!

John.

 

[MartinWY]

A lovely looking fish Martin, well done. Along with roach and chub, tench are my favourite fish.
In 60 years of fishing I've never had a tench from a Yorkshire river. The only one I've witnesses, was back in the 70s, in a league match, on the Wharfe at Ulleskelf. It was November, a very cold, rainy day, with the river carrying 4 or 5 ft of extra. The guy above me had drawn a slack, and hooked what he thought was a big chub. I went help him land it, because the banks were dodgy, it weighed about 4lb, his only fish, and got him in the money. I blanked!

John.

Comments like yours make me appreciate how fortunate I was. Just can't take these things for granted at all. Beginners luck it is then.

 

[JayD]

Comments like yours make me appreciate how fortunate I was. Just can't take these things for granted at all. Beginners luck it is then.

There's always an element of luck in angling Martin, although some dispute it. I think it's much more a case of being in the right place, at the right time, and then choosing and applying, the right method, in the right way.

Yesterday, I had my first outing this year, I was feeling unsure about whether to go or not. I eventually set of late, just chose a venue more for convenience than anything else, one that I almost knew wouldn't produce, and ended up with just a handful of Tommies, a pound plus eel, and about 3 dozen minnows!
Wrong place, wrong time, and wrong conditions, but I enjoyed just being by the river, trotting a float through, and watching the wildlife.

John.

 

[MartinWY]

There's always an element of luck in angling Martin, although some dispute it. I think it's much more a case of being in the right place, at the right time, and then choosing and applying, the right method, in the right way.

Yesterday, I had my first outing this year, I was feeling unsure about whether to go or not. I eventually set of late, just chose a venue more for convenience than anything else, one that I almost knew wouldn't produce, and ended up with just a handful of Tommies, a pound plus eel, and about 3 dozen minnows!
Wrong place, wrong time, and wrong conditions, but I enjoyed just being by the river, trotting a float through, and watching the wildlife.

John.

I love catching minnows, its been years. Theres a childish fun about catching a bunch of them that makes me feel like a kid again. Just a tiny hook on a line with single maggot. If you know of a good minnow venue in yorkshire, i'd love to know about it so i can take my little lad.

 

[smiffy]

The Minnow just takes everything on the chin. Other species fade in and out over the years, with Gudgeon disappearing completely locally, but the humble Minnow is always there year after year. Saved my bacon once or twice in Winter leagues

 

[JayD]

I love catching minnows, its been years. Theres a childish fun about catching a bunch of them that makes me feel like a kid again. Just a tiny hook on a line with single maggot. If you know of a good minnow venue in yorkshire, i'd love to know about it so i can take my little lad.

Wharfe at Wetherby Martin, it's full of the little buggers, if you get the right wrong swim! Even later in the year after the first frosts, when I'm after roach/dace, it's suicide to use maggot, a change to caster or hemp, slows them down a lot, but you still get a few. The upside is the number of big perch that are showing.

John.

 

[MartinWY]

Wharfe at Wetherby Martin, it's full of the little buggers, if you get the right wrong swim! Even later in the year after the first frosts, when I'm after roach/dace, it's suicide to use maggot, a change to caster or hemp, slows them down a lot, but you still get a few. The upside is the number of big perch that are showing.

John.

Fabulous. Who's book is that on please?

 

[davylad]

Unfortunately Martin it was on a local commercial, just like a canal mind. I remember catching a tench in a match at East Stoke on the Trent, the only one I ever saw caught from the river.

 

[Dave Spence]

You must be buzzing mate, wonderful fish. Well done

 

[MartinWY]

You must be buzzing mate, wonderful fish. Well done

Cheers Dave. I was and still am. Still in shock I think. Planning the next outing already but not sure whether to go back there, or somewhere else. I know I will revisit some day though.

 

[The Landlord]

What a cracker, well done Martin. I've also had a decent season for tench so far....nothing bigger than 3lbs though but I've caught them on most sessions, whereas last year it was mostly carp.
Agree that it's interesting with the variations in colour. They differ on all our club ponds, from deep green to very pale gold & also a silvery green hue.

 

[Silverfisher]

We done indeed I can only imagine how well that must have gone in a river at that size!

Watched my grandad get one out the Thames a couple years ago that certainly wasn't that big but it had me thinking it was either a barbel or a record perch! Different animal to the Stillwater ones for sure, still had the doggedness but it properly ran as well which was quite un tench like.

 

[Sam Vimes]

I have no expectations of ever catching a tench from flowing water. I doubt that escapee tench would last very long in the higher reaches of the Dales rivers I fish. There's no chance of one existing in such rivers naturally.

I love catching minnows, its been years. Theres a childish fun about catching a bunch of them that makes me feel like a kid again. Just a tiny hook on a line with single maggot. If you know of a good minnow venue in yorkshire, i'd love to know about it so i can take my little lad.

Head upstream on almost any of the Dales rivers. I tend to fish size 12/14 hooks and bunches of maggots in an effort to avoid minnows. It still doesn't work. A 16/18 and a single maggot will see you catch minnows until you are sick of the sight of them.