Tench angling enthusiasts from across the country recently gathered for a ‘festival’ to celebrate all things great about the iconic spring species at this year’s National Tench Championships.
Organised by the Tenchfishers, the friendly competition takes place annually, in which fans of the species compete for top prizes while spending a weekend on the bank in the company of like-minded individuals. Held at Oxfordshire’s Linear Fisheries on Oxlease Lake, this year’s event was heralded a huge success, and plenty of tench were caught, capped by a magnificent fish weighing 10lb 15oz for winning angler, Mike Simpson.
IF YOU HAVE NEVER CAUGHT A TENCH, HERE IS A GREAT BEGINNERS GUIDE TO HELP.
“Conditions were challenging at times, but between the 33 anglers, 23 tench were banked in total, spread right across the lake,” said Tenchfishers secretary, Ben Kennedy.
“The lake’s carp were feeding eagerly ahead of spawning too, and more than 50 were landed over the weekend.
“The biggest of these weighed 40lb 2oz, landed by Mark Churchill on 1.75lb test curve rods and a size 10 hook!” Ben added.
The title goes to the angler who catches the most tench, not the biggest total weight, and Mike Simpson’s four fish, including a near-11lb new personal best, catapulted him up the leaderboard on the final morning.
“I went into Sunday with a single tench of 7lb 14oz to my name, but a hectic couple of hours followed, in which I landed three more fish of 5lb 11oz, 8lb 4oz, plus my PB,” Mike told us.
“The big one fell to a small cube of bacon grill, hair-rigged and presented over a baited area 42 yards out. That fish sealed not only the individual championship, but the Specimen Tench award too!”
Other highlights included Daniel Wilding’s fish of 10lb exactly, also a new PB, as well as Dean Bradshaw’s float- caught 9lb 4oz female.
“I chose to go all-out on the float, fishing a waggler at close range over balls of groundbait, corn, chopped worm and red maggots,” a delighted Dean told us.
THE BEST FLOAT RODS ARE PERFECT FOR CATCHING BIG TENCH.
The results
1ST Mike Simpson
Four tench, 32lb 14oz
2ND Jamie Cuzen
Three tench, 22lb 10oz
3RD Malc Hough
Two tench, 15lb 10oz
4TH
Coops Cooperson
Two tench, 15lb 1oz
5TH
Adam Thomas
Two tench, 13lb 13oz
6TH
Tony Montague
Two tench, 10lb 6oz
