Tench are one of Britain's favourite fish, and it's not difficult to see why. With their stunning green colouration, that piercing red eye and the spirited fight they put up when hooked, there really is nothing else like them in our waters.
While tench populate everywhere from canals to reservoirs, when anglers think of really big fish often their mind drifts to exclusive syndicates or gravel pits in the south, but there are are few special fish around in other places, if you know where to look.
Joel Martin had been targeting carp on a large park lake in Yorkshire, but after seeing some huge tench he switched his attention to these fish and it couldn't have gone any better, banking an enormous 12lb 3oz fish that obliterated his personal best in the process.
IF YOU HAVE NEVER CAUGHT A TENCH, CHECK OUT THIS HELPFUL GUIDE...
"I have been targeting an extremely busy park lake in Yorkshire over the summer. Not only do you have the challenges of other anglers, but the general public, dogs and other water users add a whole different dimension to the fishing," Joel told us.
"The Lake in question is around 90-acres and only with only a handful of fish to target, it can be difficult. Up until this point, I had been chasing a number of carp around the shallows over the past few months, that was until I noticed some really big tench in amongst them," he added.
After becoming aware of the tench in the lake, Joel switched all his attention to targeting them, if for anything, his own peace of mind as to just how big they actually were. The carp rods were packed away and he got out his tench setup to begin fishing for them exclusively. Opting for a helicopter rig, tied in conjunction with a Drennan Feeder bomb and a short four-inch hooklength with maggot and corn hookbaits, it wasn't long before he found a few fish.
"Although I had a few sessions which were successful, catching quite a few fish up to around 9lb, I was still convinced there were fish much bigger in the lake," he said.
"Then it happened. I got an absolute melter of a take, and I truly believed I had hooked a carp all the way until it hit the net. I was absolutely blown away, what a stunning tench and at 12lb 3oz, it was a new PB to boot."
THE BEST SPECIMEN RODS ARE PERFECT FOR CATCHING BIG TENCH.
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