Club Secretary Dave Martin reports:

There are lots of tench in our Members Lagoon but they have so much natural food that they are difficult to tempt on our anglers baits.  Over the past decade we have had single session catches of upto four tench but more often we catch just one…or none at all. On 17th June our club trustee and committee member Sean Hinchliffe hit the jackpot.  In his previous session, a few days earlier, he caught a few perch but no tench, although he did see lots of signs of tench in and near to his swim.

Sean reports on his 17th June session:

‘I’ve just returned from a morning session at the members pond.  There was plenty of fish activity from when I arrived with fish fizzing everywhere and sizeable fish also topping on numerous occasions.

At 5am I caught a 3lb 8oz Tench on floatfished red maggots. I was certain that more fish were going to be caught.  30 minutes later a very positive take on my floatfished banded pellet but didn’t connect and then just at 7am the float dipped quickly.  When I just about got it into the net after a very strong fight I realised that it was a huge tench. This weighed exactly 6lb. It was great to see so much fish activity during that early morning, there were numerous fish on the feed’.  ‘I was thinking about that big tench all weekend.  I was over the moon to catch the first one, but to follow that with the 6lb one was like hitting the lottery.  I had a permanent smile all day. What beautiful fish they are, and to think we have so many of them in our small pond is really quite amazing.  Sean’

Dave reports:

The next morning I had planned to fish there myself.  I also saw lots of fish activity.  Floatfishing red maggots I missed rather too many bites and I lost one fish that was probably a tench.  I did catch a tench but mine weighed only 1lb 5oz, and it was joined by a small carp and a perch.  But, on 17th June 2021 I was lucky enough to catch one there weighing 6lb 3oz (see pictures on website gallery).

So roll on a seven pounder.  Sean and I will be trying for one all summer long, until at least the end of September.