Last minute social resulting in a red eyed monster!

It had been on the agenda for a long time for me and my best mate brad to have a social but having busy family schedules and working all the time it's hard to fit it all in! But we finally pencilled in a date and we stuck to it! The chosen venue was a private syndicate I'm a member of and brad would be fishing as guest. Brad wanted to have a go for the carp and I was undecided, carp or tench? Being later in the year I knew the tench would be empty but still on the feed! I decided to have a go for the tench. The night before the session I prepared a small bucket of fresh hemp. And got out a kilo of 12mm sticky baits krill boilies from the freezer to defrost, my tactics were to rake a couple of areas and fish open end feeders on the spot with krill Wafters as hook baits, usually I'd use maggot or caster but the eels in this venue are a nightmare so any maggot or caster would result in a very slimy session! I arrived at the venue at first light and secured two swims close to each other. My swim had a large set of pads in the left margin and that was were one of my rods would be positioned the other two further out in the lake. I began to rake the margin spot close to the pads but having done this previously on a work party it didn't take me long and the spot was nice and Clear ready to present a rig onto the area. 

I mixed some hemp in with some sticky baits krill active mix and added some whole and chopped krill boilie, i mixed this up and balled out 10 tennis ball sized ground bait balls onto the spot,my set up for my tench fishing on this paticular venue is three ESP 2 1/2 test curve carp rods. There old rods and I believe the test curve is probably around the 2lb mark now! Perfect for dealing with big tench and possible carp! The venue is berg weedy and snaggy so I don't want to be putting the fish at risk by being under gunned! I use three bait runner reels loaded with 10lb ESP synchro XT mono, again a line which can handle the heat if the push comes to the shuv. Tackle wise on all three rods I used a 2ft length of ESP lead corse and  I fished a open end Drennan 2.5oz feeders helicopter style  with a short 6" 10lb supple hook links with a size 10 super specialist barbel hooks, realible tackle which will help me land tench and maybe carp if I were to hook one. I opted to use krill Wafters on all three rods as the carp Angler's have been catching all there tench on boilie. I postioned the first rod in the margin beside the pads on the spot I raked. For the other two I fished a small gravel patch big enough for two rods, this spot was about 30 yards range so I spombed the bait out over this area. It was a very slow day with only a few fish moving about but I wasn't to fussed as I knew the bite times were around first light usually. Having boilies on I didn't opt to res cast regularly, something I would usually do when using maggot feeders. I simply re cast the rods before dark, replenishing hook baits and re filling the feeders. 

It was a beautiful evening and me and brad and my other mate had a good social! I fell a sleep thinking and hoping of  dawn and what suprises it could bring? I had a few liners through the night but nothing happened. It wasn't long and I was peeling my sleeping bag off of my face and I looked out over the water.. Usually I'd wake up for first light but with having a young daughter and working long hours I got lazy this time around and dozed back off which felt like a etinity before being awoken by an absolute churner! I was out and on the rod instantly! It was the margin rod! The rod I knew which would go off!! The fish kited rapidly out towards the main area of the lake! Peeling line and flat rodding me !! I thought it was a small carp at first! But the classic head shake gave the game away! But this was no small tench! The fight was intense and I didn't want to loose this tench! It fort so hard under the rod tip! Eventually I swooped the net under the fish like a mad man! And it was in the net! Brad heard all the comotion and came over to help with the weighing and photos! I was over the moon with the tench! And the epic photos Brad took for me! A true green monster! 

Catching this beautiful tench made me realise I'd neglected targeting the species this year, but my they'd be getting my full attention come spring and early summer that's for sure! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog I hope you've enjoyed it. Be lucky out there