An area know as the 'Struggs' (® Buffalo Si - River Masters) those likeminded anglers that fish this neck of these quiet woods know it has a repetition for throwing up some fishy imposters within these largely untapped waters. Not only have carp been spotted here and pike have been caught which is unheard of because of the turbidity, but more recently there have been rumours of Tench been mulling around as well.
Now the Tench, well it stands on his head to feed and makes one hell of a mess on the bottom. Fiddles with the bait for ages before he takes it. The legendary 'doctor fish', he is supposed not to be eaten by pike. However nobody's told the pike that yet. !!!
To be fair I've heard from a couple of sources now when I have been trudging the towpaths that in years gone by when this canal was non-navigable that it was chocked full of week and gin clear. There were plenty of Tench to be caught apparently, are there any left ?
For this short (isn't it always) after work session I'd take a float rod with some red maggots and worms and some groundbait mixed with some 2mm grubber pellets (with the addition of some chopped worm), and naturally have a Zander rod out, because well there are Zander here after all.
The Tench were spotted where the bank is high and there are reeds on towpath side. To be fair I have fished this area before, because you can tuck yourself away from the towpath and get in and amongst the reeds. Now early June mornings, with the mist rising slowly off the water, are traditionally associated with Tench.
Very few of these fish are caught in the depths of winter, and the capture of a Tench weighing three and a quarter pounds by an angler fishing through the ice makes strange reading. Such incidents cause little more than a ripple of surprise in angling circles, though. The pattern of Tench fishing in summer, when the temperature is high and reed-growth luxuriant, remains un- altered. Very little of it is done in canals, or in any other water, once the first frosts begin to whiten the banks.
It was once thought that Tench hibernated in the mud all through the cold months. Available evidence indicates that this theory is largely false. What is more likely is that Tench lie dormant, eating very little and using up a minimum of energy. I once observed a Tench lying close to a decaying reed- bed one November afternoon at Somers Packington fishery.
It did not move when I tossed a stone into the water, and it even allowed me to prod it with my rod-tip. There was no exterior evidence of disease. Eventually, it swam away very slowly. There seemed to be little doubt that this fish was in a semi-torpid state.
In their proper season of summer, canal Tench sometimes feed well but are not often seen, except in the clearest of water. They can sometimes be located by signs of 'bubbling' - patches of bubbles rising to the surface, usually in or near reed-beds. If bubbling can be seen, that swim is always worth trying. The bubbles could be caused by bream, but Tench are the most likely cause.
I think it would be true to say that Tench seldom rise to a surface-fished bait during daylight hours, so for all practical purposes it would be largely a waste of time to look for them at this level. In the clearest of water, they may occasionally be seen cruising through the reeds or, perhaps, feeding off the underside of lilies.
But in general, the angler seeking Tench should not expect to see them often. In-fact an area I know where some reside the angler caught them in the dark by fishing a foot from the bank over some freebie pieces of sweetcorn, I've earmarked that for a future session so watch this space.
Anyway better get fishing hadn't I !!!!
Anyway for a good forty five minute or so the float was sitting nicely with some reasonable clarity the Zander rod just to my right.
Some thunder and lightning and some rain kept me entertained because the odd little bob there wasn't much happening. Then the circus appeared, you see boat after boat after boat, after well you get the picture and I couldn't get in to a rhythm.
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