Tench

Seasonal behaviour

Peak May to July on most stillwaters. They wake as the water warms past the mid-teens. Autumn fish are possible on mild, overcast days. Winter tench are rare for most anglers.

Where to look for the fish

Silt, lily pads, reed lines, islands, the first drop-off, and the margins of natural stillwaters and older commercials. They dislike a clean gravel desert.

Best venue types

• Venue type

  Natural stillwater

  Where they belong

• Venue type

  Commercial fishery

  Older, siltier lakes

• Venue type

  Pond / estate lake

  Estate lakes and farm ponds

Recommended methods

Ranked from the species–technique graph.

1. 01Method feederBanker on commercials and many natural lakes
2. 02Traditional wagglerQuiet margins and lily lines
3. 03Cage / open-end feederA bed of feed on silt
4. 04Pole fishingClose in, accurately, on a small pond
5. 05Paste fishingA change from corn on some commercials
6. 06Tench fishingThe whole approach
7. 07Insert wagglerA lift you can actually see
8. 08Lift methodThe classic bite
9. 09Laying onA still bait on the silt
10. 10Hybrid feederA quieter frame
11. 11Pole on the deckClose in
12. 12Chopped worm on the poleChop on silt
13. 13Canal feederA small cage on a wide pound

Recommended baits

• Bait

  Corn

  The tench bait

• Bait

  Maggots

  Grazing fish, small hook

• Bait

  Pellets

  On commercials and baited spots

• Bait

  Worms

  Over silt, often with chop

• Bait

  Chickpeas

  A particle change from corn

Recommended rigs

• Rig

  Method feeder rig

  Inline or elasticated frame, a four-inch hooklength, hair-rigged bait. Short, strong, and meant to be taken with the mouthful of mix.

• Rig

  Waggler setup

  Locked float, bulk around the base, droppers down the line, fine hooklength. The same skeleton covers traditional waggler and, with a dumpy body, pellet waggler.

• Rig

  Cage feeder rig

  A running or clip-on cage, a longer hooklength than a method, and a bait that sits just off the pile of feed.

Feeding approach

A small, accurate bed — a handful of corn, micros or maggots — then little and often. Build a dinner plate, don't carpet-bomb the swim.

Where in the swim

Dawn and dusk feeders. They bubble in the silt, cruise the pads, and will visit a baited spot with almost clockwork loyalty if you don't smash it. Wind into a bay helps. Bright high-pressure midday is usually dead.

Common mistakes

Fishing too far out when they're in the edge. A lead that's too light in silt. Giving up at 8am. Crashing about in the lilies. Hair-rigging huge baits when they're grazing maggots.

What to change if it isn’t working

If nothing by mid-morning on a summer stillwater, you are probably in the wrong bit of the lake, not on the wrong rig. Move to bubbles or the pads. Liners without bites often means they're off the deck — try a waggler.