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How to catch canal tench

by Tony Grigorjevs |

Published on26th May 2026 at 2.07pm

Darren Massey is one of the nation’s leading canal anglers, and if you fancy catching something that pulls back a bit, he’s got the perfect tonic for you.

Tench are becoming more common in our canal network, and if you do some homework to find out where they are holding up, you can have a fantastic day on the bank.

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Feed your lines differently

Where possible, you should aim to have three lines, but they must all have the same depth so that you can use the same rig and make a quick switch.

Fishing close to cover is best, Darren has two lines separated by a couple of metres. One is against a far-bank bush and the other is in open water, close to where he can see lilies growing up from the bottom.

It’s impossible to guess what the fish will want to eat on the day, and each area should be fed in a different way to increase your chances.

Your swim in open water can receive three balls of groundbait laced with maggots and casters at the start, while the other two lines can get around half a big pole pot of reasonably finely-chopped worms, casters and maggots.

One of those lines can also be loosefed quite frequently with a few casters via a catapult to keep something falling through the water.

If a certain style of feeding is clearly dominating, you can change one other line to the same approach, allowing you to rotate them while still having a back-up option if the mood of the fish suddenly changes.

When it comes to hookbaits, rotating the loosefed items is the best way forward.

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Grab their attention

The venue is only a short canal, and it is rarely bothered by boat traffic. That leads to the water remaining clear once the weather warms up.

This allows the fish to hunt food mainly by sight, and Darren has lost count of the number of bites he has had within seconds of the hookbait hitting the deck.

The tench are likely seeing it falling and then pouncing, so you should make every effort to slow that fall down a little as the hookbait gets into the bottom layers.

Lay the rig in and then hold the float a foot or so above the surface, very slowly lowering it down once the rig is straight.

You should also lift and drop the float on a regular basis, trying to generate a response from any fish that missed it when the rig first went in.

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Balance the tension

A strong elastic that allows you to haul fish away from the cover immediately is important, and Darren uses a grade 14-16 Edge Tackle Latex Hybrid. He runs a bead to trap the elastic that comes out of the top kit’s side puller, allowing the tension to be adjusted according to the angling situation you’re faced with.

It must be set with enough power to beat the powerful initial runs of the tench, which can be pretty fast, while also making sure that there’s enough give that the hook isn’t pulled out of their mouth.

A little trial and error may be required, and the snaggier the swim is, the tighter the elastic will need to be to give you the upper hand.

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Remove weak spots

Where possible, fish your mainline straight through to the hook so that there are fewer knots and weak points in your rig where a big fish may break you.

You don’t need to fish too over-gunned for tench, and you can be more than confident of putting fish to over 5lb in the net using 0.15mm mono, even in swims that are weedy.

Darren uses a 4x14 long-bodied dibber-style float that is shotted with five No8s, strung throughout the rig to aid the slow fall of the hookbait. Your hook can be something like a size 13 Kamasan B711.

If the water is really clear and you are struggling, you can put on a hooklength of 0.13mm fluorocarbon. This is because it is almost invisible underwater, potentially improving your chances of getting a few more bites.

CHECK OUT THESE SUPERB TENCH RODS AND REELS TO MATCH!

Stand up for battle

Venues with clear water can be easily penetrated by sunlight, and that leads to rapid weed growth.

You may be able to see lilies below the surface all around you, and when you land a tench, the rig can be covered in a green, stringy weed.

If a fish is allowed to plough straight through these features, there’s a good chance you’ll get broken and lose it. To help combat this, you need to instantly pile pressure on to the fish to get it away from any visible snags.

Once that’s achieved, stand up and hold your pole high to pull the fish closer to the surface and away from the deck.

Before doing this, of course, make sure that you’re using a pole that can handle the strain.

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