Improve Your Coarse Fishing Magazine - Issue 378 (PREVIEW)

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Make your next tench a whopper!

June 29 – July 27, 2021

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ISSUE 378

Top all-rounder Rich Wilby details exactly how to catch the bigger tincas

WE SOLVE YOUR RIG, BAIT & WATERCRAFT PROBLEMS

YOU CA FANTAS N LAND T LIKE T IC FISH HIS NOW !

ECIES P S P O T R U O Y R O F S IC EASY TACT Carp on the waggler Refine your approach to catch more

Scrap tradition for big bream Why it's time for a modern feeder approach

P LU S

Learn how to tie a barbel feeder rig

Canal silverfish

Discover how to get a bite every drop in

BUYERS' GUIDE BANKSIDE SUMMER THREADS

In pursuit of perfection Barlow Country Club, Derbyshire

Is there a fishery that delivers everything any angler could possibly want? We join Richard Thomas at a venue that’s getting pretty close with top marks from all its visitors Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

14 IYCF | Issue 378

FISHERY FOCUS An in-depth guide to the best stillwaters, rivers, and canals that you can fish for the price of a day ticket

W

E ALL have an image in our minds of what the perfect fishery looks like. Very few of us, however, have managed to find a venue which exactly matches that dreamy utopia.

Take a moment to imagine about what would be on your wish list and there is every chance you’ll envisage a range of lakes each offering a different challenge, with a stunning backdrop from any peg you fancy occupying for a session.

It’ll be a truly mixed fishery where an abundance of silverfish live alongside a range of bigger surprises that could show up at any minute. There’ll be facilities that provide the convenience we all crave in the modern world, including a highly rated café and tackle shop, clean toilets and parking close to most pegs.

Add to that an atmosphere where anglers of all abilities are welcomed with open arms, with no one sitting in judgement when you make a simple mistake such as casting slightly beyond your swim’s boundary.

Now let’s snap back into the real world. You may think that you’re asking too much to find somewhere that would get a full house on your scoresheet, but we’ve uncovered a true gem where anglers are struggling to find anything remotely amiss.

Derbyshire’s Barlow Country Club has been operating as a fishery for several years but it wasn’t until 2019 that the quest for perfection began.

With new owners taking the reins, ambitious plans for a complete revamp were soon taking shape. A new café, enhanced roads and parking across the complex, a rethink of the stocking and rebuilding pegs all came into the equation. It looked like a long-term blueprint but fast-forward to this day and they’ve achieved the lot in just two years.

MAIN: There’s nothing imaginary about the attraction of gorgeous Narnia lake INSET: Richard Thomas with an immaculate chub, just one of many species at Barlow Country Park

www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 15

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Make your next tench a whopper!

The tench season may be short, but it can still be fish-filled if you get your approach nailed. We speak to prolific big-fish catcher, Rich Wilby, to find out how he gets among specimen tincas…

Words James Furness Photography Rich Wilby

I

F TENCH are your favourite species you may often feel a little hard done by. After all, they are only really on the coarse angling menu for a short period in the warmer months.

It is this short window of opportunity, however, which is one of the main appeals of the species for top all-rounder Rich Wilby.

24 IYCF | Issue 378

“As much as I love catching carp, they can be caught all year round and are almost always on offer. Tench, big ones especially, are really only a viable target in late spring and summer. This means I always look forward to this period and can focus all my attentions on them for a brief time before moving on to other species,” explained the former Drennan Cup Champion.

TACTICS

TACTICS: FEEDER SPECIES: TENCH DIFFICULTY:

www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 25

Master the margin feeder The pole is the automatic choice for many when fishing in close. But Adam Rumble says it could be time to swap to a feeder to plunder the margins...

Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

TACTICS: FEEDER SPECIES: CARP DIFFICULTY:

30 IYCF | Issue 378

TACTICS

A

TTRACTING a few fish close to the bank is unlikely to prove difficult at this time of year, but getting them to take the hook is another thing all together.

With fish appetites at their highest around this time of year the sound of a few more morsels hitting the surface will see them racing to the dinner table.

Chaos inevitably erupts as the fish charge around the peg to make sure they are first to the food and when you’ve got a pole rig in the middle of the carnage, it rarely ends well.

A tail brushing up against the line will send the float tip flying under and when you strike, the hook is likely to end up foul-hooking that lump. The end result is almost certainly a lost fish and, more often than not, a well and

truly trashed rig. So how can you prevent this from happening?

Adam Rumble reckons the best way is to ditch the pole and turn to the feeder for short range assaults.

“Most anglers use the pole exclusively for fishing down the margins and just in front of them. The feeder only comes out for attacking areas that are located further out,” he said.

“There are several advantages to using rod and line close in, however, and the biggest of them all is that it will all but eradicate foulhooking issues.”

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WHAT’S THE DIFFEREN A METHOD AND A HYB The ‘king’ of carp feeders is far from dead but there’s a pushy new ‘prince’

F

OR many years the Method feeder dominated the stillwater carp scene.

The tactic enabled anglers to accurately fish their hookbait over a small pile of pellets or groundbait and when carp took the bait they would get hooked against the feeder’s weight.

This relatively foolproof tactic proved to be

HOW TO LOAD A HYBRID FEEDER

the downfall of many carp and accounted for some colossal match weights.

Then, a few years ago, the Hybrid feeder burst on to the scene and it quickly became the ‘go-to’ choice for many anglers.

On the surface, these two styles of feeder are very similar and you may rightly wonder

what the difference between the two is. After all, they are both filled with the same baits and are fished in conjunction with the same short hooklinks and types of hookbaits.

When you dig a little deeper, however, there are a few key differences between these two feeders…

HYBRID FEEDER

Take a large helping of micro pellets and pour them into the feeder

Push a 6mm pellet hookbait into the top of the pellet filling

BEST FOR: l Deeper water

l Casting longer distances

l Protecting the feeder contents l Cooler conditions

The Hybrid Take more prepared micros and squeeze them into a dome on top

The gently-squeezed pellets break down fast, revealing the hookbait

44 IYCF | Issue 378

You’ll notice that the Hybrid feeder has a raised rim around the bed of the feeder. This means that the contents of the feeder are better protected as it falls through the water. The majority of your payload will get to the bottom still attached to the feeder. This is great on deeper water where it takes longer for the feeder to reach the deck. Even if the Hybrid doesn’t land quite right on the cast, a large percentage of the pellets will remain intact, whereas with

a Method feeder there’s a chance they will all be knocked off on impact. The raised sides also create a much tighter bait presentation as even when the pellets have broken down they remain much closer to the feeder. Hybrids are also super quick to load as you simply ‘thumb’ the bait into the feed area and there’s no need to use a mould. You can then alter the breakdown time depending on how hard you compress the feed on to the feeder.

AN

L

LI N G S ANG KI L SY

The Method The Method dominated the commercial scene for many years as it’s an incredibly effective tactic. Just because many anglers now favour the Hybrid style of feeder, doesn’t mean the Method has suddenly become less effective. It’ll still catch you a lot of fish! One particular advantage which the Method has over the Hybrid is that it can hold more bait. So if you want

to quickly get a decent pile of bait down, this is the one to use.

You can even add extra bait, by ‘double-skinning’ your method.

To do this, load the feeder normally with a mould, before adding another layer of pellets to the mould and applying that to the feeder as well. The bait also breaks off the feeder quicker on a Method and you’re effectively fishing within seconds.

I EA

that’s trying hard to steal fishing’s feeder crown...

SKILLS

EA SI

QUICK

ING

SY ANGL IN

LS I EASY

GL

NCE BETWEEN FIX BRID FEEDER? G

IL SK

HOW TO LOAD A METHOD FEEDER

A hair-rigged hookbait goes on a thin layer of pellets and/or groundbait

BEST FOR: l Shallow water

l Getting more bait into the swim l Quicker bait breakdown

Cover with more loosefeed mix so that the mould is overflowing

l Warmer weather

METHOD FEEDER Give the feeder an extra-hard squeeze to seal in the bait

The finished feeder is streamlined for accurate casts

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Time to refine the pellet waggler It is one of the most prolific summer tactics, but John Hudson believes that revising your approach may be required to produce the goods Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

46 IYCF | Issue 378

TACTICS: FLOAT SPECIES: CARP DIFFICULTY:

T

HE pellet waggler took the commercial scene apart when it first came into widespread circulation.

Anglers aimed to make an abundance of noise by crashing in the chunkiest floats they could find, with fish storming into the peg in the belief that such commotion signalled their next meal.

Bites within a split second of the float breaking the surface were inevitable and big weights galore were recorded.

Its widespread effectiveness has waned to some extent but some anglers have continued to bag up with it.

That success comes down to evolving their approach, with the best in the business adopting

TACTICS a completely different mindset to what was first associated with the pellet waggler.

John Hudson still rates it as one of the most effective tactics around, but even if you were to only briefly watch him in action, you’d see it’s nothing like what first hit the scene more than a decade ago.

“If you want to catch on the pellet waggler now, you need to have a more refined approach because fish have wised up to a big float crashing into the water,” said John.

“It’s all about sneaking your rig into place and using a hookbait that sinks in a manner that appeals to these cagey fish.”

Feather the rig so the hookbait lands away from the float

Regular casting is the key to success when fishing the pellet waggler

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Half a pint of pellets please!

While it can be tempting to increase the quantity you feed in summer, Tom Bainbridge is adamant that keeping it to a minimum will produce bigger catches Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

TACTICS: POLE SPECIES: CARP DIFFICULTY:

58 IYCF | Issue 378

TACTICS

N

O MATTER how much bait you chuck in at this time of year, the fish are going to mop it up.

Fish in your favourite water are bound to be hungry, especially as their planned feeding spree in spring was put on ice as a result of lower than average temperatures.

Logic dictates that the more grub you put in, the more fish will be drawn into your swim. While there’ll be a strong temptation to pile it in, Tom Bainbridge reckons you should resist that urge and take a leaf out of your winter mindset when tackling commercial snake lakes.

The Matrix-backed angler spends a large proportion of his fishing time on these narrow waters and is well known for his preference for a frugal feeding regime.

“If you are fishing close to the far bank of a snake lake, you are putting a rig into an area that the fish naturally patrol,” says Tom. “They swim along the far bank all day and you only need a pinch of bait to stop them in their tracks and tempt them to pick up the hookbait.

“Half a pint of pellets is all you need to get a bite almost every drop in from quality fish.”

www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 59

Fish better with...

DES SHIPP

Brush up on key angling skills with England International Des, to put more fish on the bank

THIS MONTH: CORRECTLY PUT LINE ON YOUR REEL

T

HE pellet waggler, Method feeder and bomb are all deadly approaches in summer but there is one thing you need to master to bag up on any of this trio.

Correctly spooling up a reel is absolutely vital to your chances of success. It will make sure the line peels off freely, enabling you to hit O: HOW T the target zone on every single cast.

Many anglers will have put fresh line on their reel before but many will have done a few things incorrectly during the process – and that can have an impact on your results.

This month I reveal my six-step process to spooling up properly.

UP SPOOL RLY E P O R P

A properly spooled mainline will cast further

66 IYCF | Issue 378

1

2

SHALLOW SPOOLS

USE A ROD BUTT

Many old-school reels had spools that would take 300m or more of line and required the use of cheap line as backing before putting on the mainline. Many modern shallower spools require just 150m-200m of 6lb or 8lb line and can be used without backing.

Attach your reel to the handle of a rod butt. It might not seem essential, but doing this will enable you to maintain tension on the mainline during the spooling up process. This makes sure that the line goes on smoothly and is evenly distributed throughout the spool.

3

4

BAIL ARM POSITION

ATTACH THE MAINLINE

Open the bail arm in preparation for attaching the mainline to the spool. If you forget to do this, you’ll turn the reel handle to get started and nothing will happen as the reel won’t be able to draw in any line.

Also pass the line through the butt guide before attaching to the reel.

Attach a mainline to the spool. With 150m of line on the spool, you’ll never get close to that knot and it won’t come under pressure. Once attached, close the bail arm and place your hand on the rod butt and gently over the line. This creates the tension that produces good line lay on the spool

5

USE WATER Throw your mainline into a bucket of water and start to wind. Wetting the mainline makes sure it flows on to your reel nicely. Keep an eye on your spool as you make progress and aim to finish with the mainline sitting just below the lip of the spool.

6

SECURE THE MAINLINE Once the mainline is on the spool, you need to keep it secure for storage.

Place the end of the mainline behind the line clip and it won’t spiral off once it is put away.

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A GUIDE TO...

SUMMER WEAR Make sure you remain cool and comfortable while you’re busy banking loads of fish this summer...

KUMU CALACA TEE RRP: £19.99

A

LTHOUGH summer was a little late arriving, it is thankfully well and truly here now!

So, it’s safe to put away the thermal suits for a few months (touch wood!) and crack out the T-shirts and shorts.

With anglers becoming ever more fashion conscious, new clothing releases from tackle companies are becoming increasingly common. This month we take a look at some of our favourite new items...

KORUM HOODED DRI-ACTIVE LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT RRP: £27.99 Korum’s new Dri-Active material is designed to wick moisture away from your skin, keeping you cooler in summer and warmer in winter. The soft material makes this top ideal for roving and other more active forms of fishing while the hood provides extra protection against the elements.

As well as making an ideal outer layer in the warmer months, it can be worn as a base layer when it’s cold.

Sizes: M – 3XL www.korum.co.uk

80 IYCF | Issue 378

Although a relatively new brand, Kumu has quickly built a big following thanks to bold and unique designs. Part of the spring/summer 2021 launch, the Calaca Tee is inspired by the famous Mexican Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival mask, but with an angling spin. The T-shirt has a subtle chest pocket print and a large two-colour backprint.

It’s made from a super soft 140gsm combed cotton for ultimate comfort and quality.

Sizes: S – 4XL www.kumuclothing.co.uk

PRESTON INNOVATIONS T-SHIRTS & POLOS RRP: £15.99 & £21.99

TACKLE

Top match brand, Preston Innovations, recently released a whole load of new clothing items, including these stylish T-shirts and polo shirts. The light grey marl T-shirt features a large printed design on the front and the black version has white logos on both the front and back.

Both the black and grey polo shirts have more subtle embroidered branded detailing on the chest and sleeve.

Sizes: M – 3XL www.prestoninnovations.com

KUMU COCOON SWEATSHORTS RRP: £29.99 Available in khaki or black, these items features the same super soft brushed back fabric as Kumu’s popular Cocoon joggers, but in a slightly lighter 280gsm weight for the warmer months.

They have an elasticated waist with a chunky drawcord, zipped pockets for your valuables and rubber patch branding.

Sizes: S – 2XL www.kumuclothing.co.uk

KORUM OLD SCHOOL iD POLARISED GLASSES RRP: £17.99

SHIMANO TRICAM T-SHIRT RRP: £19.99

Available in two styles – Amberjack and Dorado – the Old School iD polarized glasses provide traditional frames with modern lens technology. Made with soft rubber sections for comfort when worn for long periods, they are designed to minimise outside light interference, which improves the effectiveness of the polarising lens. These remove surface glare from the water and make it easier for you to spot fish. www.korum.co.uk

Made from 100% cotton, this new addition to Shimano’s Trench Wear range has a camouflage pattern body and tan sleeves.

It’s perfect for summer stalking sessions where you want to catch close in without alerting fish to your presence.

Sizes: M – 3XL www.fish.shimano-eu.com

PRESTON INNOVATIONS JOGGER SHORTS RRP: £21.99

The Black Jogger Shorts are both durable and incredibly comfortable. They feature two pockets which incorporate YKK zips, which are extremely strong and ideal for storing items such as keys, wallets and phones.

Sizes: M – 3XL www.prestoninnovations.com

DAIWA D VEC POLO RRP: £19.99 Daiwa has just launched these smart new D Vec polo shirts in a choice of three colours. Made from 100% polyester, they are lightweight, breathable and super comfortable.

They feature the Daiwa logo on the left sleeve and black detailing down the sides.

Sizes: S – 2XL www.daiwasports.co.uk

FORTIS ELEMENTS TRAIL SHORTS RRP: £44.99 Packed with technical features from the fabric to the cut and fit, these robust breathable shorts combine performance, comfort and weather resistance. Designed to enable a full range of movement when climbing trees or crouching down to hold a fish, they are also water repellent.

Sizes: S – 3XL www.fortiseyewear.co.uk

www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 81

CARP Q&A

IN ASSOCIATION WITH STICKY

WHAT’S THE BEST BAIT FOR A BITE ON BUSY VENUES

ASK US A QUESTION...

Email: IYCF@bauermedia.co.uk Write to: IYCF Magazine, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA www.facebook.com/iycfmag @iycfmagazine

Q

What baits would you use to have the best chance of drawing fish into your swim on a busy day-ticket lake where it isn’t always possible to get a peg close to where fish are showing?

BETA I POWD NE ER

Steve Weekes, email SCOTT LLOYD: First of all, there aren’t any magic baits out there. If carp aren’t in your swim then you simply can’t catch them. Unfortunately, on busy lakes this is often the case. However, if you have the odd fish coming through your area, I can think of no better bait to stop them in their tracks than The Krill Active. The super soluble coating helps boost the attraction of the bait, without having to use copious amounts of it. This would suit a swim with only a little fish activity because you can fish cautiously on the bait side of things while maintaining maximum attraction in your swim.

Having witnessed the effectiveness of The Krill Active on underwater cameras, I have no doubt it will buy a bite when very little else would!

2.3MM TS PELLE

KRIL POWD L ER

Betaine is a brilliant booster for your bags

Q

Being newish to carp fishing, I am intending to use a zig rig for the first time at a very large lake. Can you explain the benefit of soaking my intended floating bait in an oil-based additive the night before. Is it correct that the oil lays a film on the top of the water around the floating bait, thus drawing in carp feeding on the top?

Kurt Watson, email

102 IYCF | Issue 378

TOM MAKER: Zig fishing is one of the

most productive methods of angling and if you don’t have it in your armoury, there will be missed opportunities!

When flavouring baits, I tend to steer clear of oil-based attractants, as they don’t work as well on hookbaits as they do within a spod mix.

Instead, I prefer super soluble, extremely thin, bait sprays.

My favourite has always been Peach & Pepper. It is such a cool

old-school flavour that works everywhere I’ve taken it.

In reality, flavour isn’t the most important aspect when using a zig. I find colour and depth are far higher up the pecking order. Depending on what the carp are feeding on naturally, they can pick and choose their favoured colour on any given day. Then, as the weather conditions change, they will also alter where they swim to follow the natural hatches. Get the depth right, then the colour, before you worry about flavour.

YOUR CARP QUESTIONS ANSWERED

BY STICKY’S EXPERT ANGLERS Take plenty of boilies for long summer sessions

Q

What baits, other than small pellets and crushed boilies, could I add to my solid PVA bag mix to really give it an edge?

Jamie Law, email JIM WILSON: Solid bags are one of my favourite methods and I am partial to using small pellets and crushed boilies if the mood takes me. The small pellets play a major role in compacting the bag, which in turn makes it fly true when casting.

However, with the method becoming more popular, I have added a couple of extras to my bags to help them stand out. Both ingredients are powders, again, keeping with the theme of small baits to ensure my bags stay super compact.

The first is Krill Powder. This light, fluffy powder is extremely attractive to all species and, thanks to its texture, sends out a scent trail around the bag to help draw in carp from further afield. With the Krill Powder positioned in the nose of the bag, in the centre, among my favoured 2.3mm Bloodworm pellets, I add a teaspoon of Pure Natural Betaine Powder.

Betaine has been used in baits for a while now and the natural variant I use from the Sticky line up is perfect for adding neat, straight from the tub. It is an extremely soluble feed stimulant, which really adds a kick to your little parcel of food.

Q

What baits would you always take with you for a 48-hour session during summer?

Lee Patrickson, email JONNY FLETCHER: The summer is the best season for using large quantities of bait as the fish have mostly spawned and will be looking to replenish their energy.

I always take plenty in the warmer months. For a 48-hour session I would

think nothing of taking a large bucket of prepared particles and at least one 5kg bag of boilies. You can always take it home and freeze it if you don’t use it but, often in the summer, fish will get through it quickly. If you don’t give them enough, they could move on to the next swim and leave you with an average weekend catch report rather than a red-letter session!

In terms of the actual baits I take to the bankside, I tend to use Manilla Active because I’m a huge fan of nut-based baits. I’m predominantly a boilie angler so that pretty much makes up my approach.

Nice and simple with a complete nutritional food source for them to home in on and digest with ease!

I’ll also use mixed sizes because I prefer to keep them guessing when they’re picking up the bait. I’ll usually go with 12mm and 16mm sizes.

Q

What is the best hookbait for surface fishing when you need to cast a short distance? I’ve tried bread but it kept coming off the hook?

Specialist baits are best for fishing on the surface

Craig Taylor, email Powders add attraction and keep bags compact

LANCE BARTON: While bread certainly has its place for surface fishing, it can be a nightmare. To help keep everything easy and, in my opinion, more effective, I use dedicated floaters for my surface angling. Sticky’s Krill Floaters are packed full of attractants and are perfectly healthy for carp to eat.

The range includes both 6mm and 11mm pellets, which I mix together to create a similar feeding situation to fishing on the bottom. The smaller pellets get the fish competing and make them much easier to catch. To boost the mix even further, I add a little Cap Oil and Krill Powder. This makes the Floaters more active and helps flatten off the surface for a better presentation. For hookbaits, I tend to use matching Krill Floater Hookers.

They have a rubbery texture and can be used on a hair or straight on the hook for several secure casts.

Catching big carp off the top is great fun in summer

B

IT of a tench theme running through this month’s column.

I do love my tenching but the past spring was as cold and wet as any I remember and everyone I’ve spoken to has agreed – sport in general has been very poor. Of course, as the month came to an end, temperatures soared and there were bites to be had, although this coincided with the closing days of the closed season and a return to the rivers beckoned. I will obviously be drawn to my beloved Trent, but it can be a notoriously slow starter so I might just stick with the lakes for a few more weeks. I’ll let you know what I decide to do next month.

Week one...

For the past two years I’ve looked across to a swim on the far side of the lake. It keeps calling to me: “Come and fish me, Bob...” Trouble is, I knew the only way to get there was to load up my barrow and push the gear a very l-o-n-g way. One thousand, four hundred and 45 yards to be precise. Each way. Across two railway

lines. Negotiate two complicated clapper gates. I know because I’ve analysed the trek on Google Earth dozens of times and played out each step in my head.

Unfortunately, access to the original swims has been compromised. ANPR cameras snapping your car number plate, parking fees charged by the hour, or else. On top of an increase in the day-ticket fees, plus the access gates have been permanently locked so you have just as far to barrow on either bank. You might think the owners don’t want you fishing there and you’d possibly be right.

So I loaded my barrow and pushed.

It helped to distract my mind and not think of the distance, especially Decent fish bu with my dodgy kidneys. Shows how t th as too many sl e tench won 5-4 well I’m doing though, only having ipped the hook to stop once for a breather.

The spring has been cold. Would the tench finally have woken up? Out went on a healthy curve and to feel the satisfying two feeder rods and I settled myself in for jagged fight of a decent tench. And just what might be a long wait. But 40 minutes as I was enjoying the moment the other in the right-hand bobbin shot up and bobbin dropped backwards before jumping wedged itself against the Delkim which straight up to the rod as a second tench was warbling away at me, insisting I pick joined the party. This is what it’s all about! up the rod.

How satisfying it felt to have 12 feet of Of course, my luck being what it is, the carbon come to life in my right hand, take first tench somehow slipped the hook, so I put the rod down, picked up the second one and leant into an equally impressive fish, only for this one to fall off as well. I couldn’t believe it. Tench don’t fall off. They have thick rubbery lips. It’s impossible.

Oh no it isn’t. And then things went quiet for an hour before another explosive bite almost gave me a heart attack. These tench leave you in no doubt when you get a take.

This one was played very carefully to the net and a good fish it was, too.

I’ll not drag this tale out. I hooked nine fish and landed just four. One of the fish I landed was hooked on the cheek and that led me to wonder whether the five fish I’d lost had been hooked outside the mouth or possibly foul-hooked. It was the only conclusion that made sense.

I clearly had fish in my swim on numerous occasions, but were they actually feeding? Not one fish was seen to roll through the whole day. There was one other angler on the lake, directly opposite the swim, me, and he went home with a dry net.

I had fish in but were they feeding?

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Week two...

I’m beginning to think we will see summer before we see spring this year. There I was, parked outside Frisby Lakes, near Melton Mowbray, at 5.45am and the dash informed me it was a mere eight degrees outside. The forecast was for it not to get much warmer and it would rain. Catching tench should be synonymous with gnat bites, not frostbite.

Dan duly opened up and let me in. He had invited me down to give the Boys Pit a go.

Run as a nature reserve, it rarely gets fished and everything about it is pristine. Indeed if I sat down with a blank piece of paper to design a fishery it would look exactly like this. Loads of little bays surrounded by bushes and trees, big lily pads scattered around, lush green vegetation, fluctuating depths and birdlife galore.

It’s the sort of water that lends itself to one rod fishing but I wanted to experiment so set up both float and feeder rods. The far line would be fished with a block-end feeder loaded with red maggots. I would fish a float line close in baiting with nice fresh casters.

I set up a brolly from the off as it was already ‘spitting’, as Peter Kay says. A stiff

breeze blew left to right and I was dressed in my winter thermals to ward off the cold.

Tench fishing isn’t supposed to be like this but, fortunately, no-one told them.

The first bite came on the bolt rig setup when I least expected it, the Delkim startling me as it’s prone to doing so early into a session. Tench number one, a nice chunky female. After that, fish came regularly, but of a smaller stamp.

My next five were all males, oversized fins, pure muscle and adrenaline charged athleticism. Perhaps this is why it’s called the Boys Pit! At some point the rain came down quite hard but I didn’t really notice. I was completely absorbed in the fishing. By 2pm I had 13 fish in the net and it was time to think about packing up, reluctantly.

“Come back whenever you fancy it,” said bailiff, Dan. “And next time you should try the main lake. The tench are much bigger in there, run to doubles.” And you know what, I most certainly will.

If you fancy giving Frisby a go, visit the website or give Dan a call on 07495 632909.

ped up, but I needed to be well wrap the fish the cold didn’t worry

e s, a pictur Sometime sand words u tells a tho

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