While many anglers wait until late spring before targeting tench, Jordan Ariss likes to start fishing for them around mid-March.
Since doing so this season, he has landed a total of 35 fish from a Yorkshire park lake so far, proving that it pays to get ahead of others when targeting early-season fish.
“As winter ends, I regularly check the forecast, looking for any warmer spells throughout the day, which is a likely time for a bite. Alongside the weather, a good natural indicator is when the frogs start to appear. This signals a sure start to my tench campaign.
“Of course, I could wait until June, but my thinking behind fishing at this time of year is that there is far less natural food in the lake, which makes anglers’ baits far more appealing to the fish.
“My first tench session of 2026 was slow – they often are early on – but I managed to land two fish. That told me they were starting to wake up, and also where to fish.
“My starting point was the shallow areas of the lake, as these warm up the fastest. I look for open areas where the sun is hitting the water the most. After that early result, I returned a few times over the next few days, landing double-figures of fish to 6lb 3oz several times. I also had two bream, weighing 10lb 3oz and 10lb exactly.
“Rig-wise, I keep everything simple,using a maggot feeder on a heli or inline rig with a fluorocarbon hooklink and a small, popped-up hookbait of either buoyant maggots, casters or small boilies. I fish these on size 14 and 16 hooks and supple fluorocarbon hooklinks around 4ins long.
“I fish for one bite at a time, and the only bait in my swim is introduced through the feeder. I don’t like to confuse things with a selection of baits, as I think the tench can get preoccupied with a range of feeds, resulting in fewer bites. So, I stick with maggots. If a tench comes along there’s a good chance it’ll pick up my hookbait.
“If you’re looking for an early tench result this season, target the shallows, offer minimal feed, and be confident that the bait around your feeder is enough for a bite.”
IF YOU HAVE NEVER CAUGHT A TENCH, HERE IS A USEFUL BEGINNERS GUIDE...
