Anybody got any tips for tench? i'm gonna have a go at my uncle's lake next spring for them, but we've not caught any big ones for a good while, only odd small ones now and again.
The last time there was a big one out was by me with my argos rod float fishing a while ago.
I'm thinking of taking out my float rod (not the argos one lol) and having a go as it seems it'll be even harder on the fly.
What flies have people been successful on? would plumbing the depth and using a san juan worm or buzzer over groundbait work?

Hi Kcon,I remember catching quite a few small tench purely by accident while fishing for trout,several years back.I was swinging a team of small buzzers round on the breeze at the time,Arthur Cove style.
Mind you the water I was fishing (a small weedy reservoir on the outskirts of Edinburgh) was stuffed full of tench at that time. I believe the angling club who were leasing it in those days, drained it and netted all the coarse fish out..... dont ask me why.
Apparently there were some tench in the 4-5lb class in amongst them but I was only hooking wee fellies,12ozs up to a pound or so.
Scrappy wee guys though and good fun on light fly gear.You might have to attract them into a swim first on a less prolific water..?
Good luck...

Humbie Resy? Believe that after several attempts at removing them they are still pretty abundant!

Norm

Thats the one Norm,I heard they put the fish that they netted out into the Humbie quarry..... That would be getting on for 20 years ago though I guess.

Yep,

They have had several goes over the years. The biggest attempt I can remember was probably 20 years ago. The tench were put into the Union Canal, Winchburgh Pit, Humbie Quarry, Paddy Higgins Quarry and even Kirky Pond. Think the only place they didn't thrive was in Humbie Quarry

The original tench had a long lineage having originally been stocked by monks in medieval times (or so the rumor went). There also used to be loads of roach in the reservoir. It always seemed to me that it would have been better ruining the place as a coarse fishery rather than trying to make it into a trout fishery....

Norm

John Goddard had an article in FFand FT awhile ago. Perhaps one of the forum members can recall the issue.

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