“Once Spring Arrives and the Temperatures Begin to Climb My Thoughts Usually Turn to Big Gravel Pit Tench.” Alan Stagg Reveals How He Gets to Grips with Big Pit Tench
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BIG PIT TENCH DON’T BE SCARED Above: Success is often hard won on big pits, but take the challenge and the rewards are there for the winners. “Once spring arrives and the temperatures begin to climb my thoughts usually turn to BIG GRAVEL PIT TENCH.” ALAN STAGG reveals how he gets to grips with big pit tench. The waters can be daunting but that’s no reason to stay clear. Here’s how to fish them. nce spring arrives and My tench campaign usually starts gravel pits require substantial amounts the temperatures begin in April. The weather in early spring of time for the angler to succeed. Many to climb my thoughts can be unpredictable at the best of venues contain a good population of Ousually turn to big gravel times and April is often a wet month shoal fish, which graze the bottom, pit tench. By big I mean in excess and the temperatures can be variable - sheep-like in their search for food. of 10 acres which is quite large and sometimes cool, but sometimes warm At venues like these, when the right can be daunting to anglers who are (as this year). Big pits can look bleak methods and tactics are adopted, it can not used to them. These gravel pits and daunting at the best of times and it mean multiple catches are on the cards. are dotted throughout the country, can be very hard to get into the mindset When it comes to targeting big gravel usually close to motorways, as the of targeting the species when faced pit tench my chosen tactics and methods gravel extracted from them was used with these conditions. However, time vary through the months of May, June, for their construction. Most have now spent at the waterside with a plumbing July and August according to how the matured into the lakes they are today, rod learning the topography of the lake is fish are reacting and feeding and the with abundant weed growth and a never time wasted and can stand you in time I plan to spend on the bank each decent head of fish. Many of these good stead when the weather improves session. pits have produced the perfect habitat and tench begin to feed in earnest. for coarse fish species, which have A venue I am targeting at the moment grown to specimen sizes in these rich is around 20 acres in size and holds environments. Luxurious weed growth around 40 to 50 tench which, to be and depth variations harbour a wide honest, is a rubbish water to stock ratio. range of aquatic invertebrates that the Needless to say it has the reputation tench feast on throughout the spring in of being tricky and time spent on the readiness for spawning, a time when bank learning about the venue is what is these fish are at their biggest. needed to succeed. However, not all big 26|COARSE Fisherman |JUNE 2009 JUNE 2009 |COARSE Fisherman |27 BIG PIT TENCH DON’T BE SCARED Exceptional Fishing Equipment Top Bait And Rigs Maggots are my number one choice Specialist Coarse Fishing Rods for hook-bait. They are a fantastic The market place has been fl ooded with bait which fish can easily become ‘off the shelf’ rods many of which are preoccupied with and an item I rarely lacking in one respect or another and leave home without when targeting the real specialist demands the need for tench. The magnificent Mag-Aligner performance without compromise. often forms the basis of my attack when Hence the demand for our custom-built rods. using maggots as a hook-bait, a tactic The Peregrine GTi 11ft & 12ft 2 piece 1lb 12oz tc which I have written about before in This rod is certainly one of the best all-rounders money can buy. Sensitive, yet at the same time powerful enough to CF. The rig incorporates an Enterprise subdue any barbel. Optional tip section available grub, slipped over the eye of the hook, incorporating spliced quiver tip. Price £185, Twin tip rod £230 which creates a line aligner effect, The Peregrine GTX 12ft 2 piece 1lb 8oz tc enabling the hook to flip or turn in the Made from woven graphite the rod is as fish’s mouth, creating a very effective stunning in looks as it is to use. For those hooking mechanism. I always fish this who prefer a 12 foot rod, the GTX fi lls a rig helicopter style, with a large ‘O’ ring gap in the market with style. Power, sensitivity and lightness all add fixed to the bottom of the lead. This up to this new concept in is used to hold a PVA bag of maggots. design for the specialist Three white maggots are placed onto the Above: This Get On The Method Feeder barbel angler. Price £185 hook, which is then nicked into the bag large tench fell The Method feeder is another favourite before casting, and this creates a lovely to a maggot when tench are feeling bold and is The Peregrine Stalker pile of maggots on the bottom of the hook-bait fished a tactic which I often adopt when 10’2 piece 1lb. 12oz. tc lake and an area for tench to home-in on. with a PVA bag fishing short sessions during May and All the power and action needed for tight swims but still with a The hook-link I use is Sly Skin in 10lb, full of maggots. June. A brightly coloured bait popped sensitivity that belies its power. Designed unless the fish are showing a couple of inches to subdue any barbel that swims. Price £175 an obvious dislike to coated above the feeder can be The Peregrine SU Avon hook-link materials, which effective especially when 12ft 2 piece 1lb 10 oz tc is where fluorocarbon can Maggots are my number combined with a short The SU has a powerful, smooth progressive action be advantageous. I always hook-length of around that makes playing big barbel a breeze. This rod is at one choice for hook- home on virtually any river, big or small and will handle use a size 12 Mugga hook, 4 to 6 inches. This is leads from a single swan shot up to over 3 ozs. Price £180 which are perfect hooks a tactic which can be The (famous) Peregrine Flood Rod 11ft 9ins when Mag-Aligner fishing, as bait. They are a particularly successful Whether you use a spod, groundbait sling or catapult for No test curve on this one! This is a real fl oodwater specialists the curve of the hook works fantastic bait and when casting towards dream come true. A soft (?) top to allow the build up of debris feeding, make sure you use a marker float for accuracy. really well with this style of signs of fish activity such without the lead being prematurely displaced, but this is no On large waters it is easy to lose your bearings and end hooking arrangement. The as fizzing and rolling. quiver tip rod! This rod will cast up to 8 ounces! Yet again, by I rarely leave choosing the right materials the rod is powerful yet still has up feeding over too wide an area. set-up is devastating and, in When you are not sure the right feel for playing barbel. Price £190 my opinion, one of the most home without them when what type of bottom you The Peregrine Avon 11ft long distances. My chosen reel line full of crushed hemp and halibut pellets. successful rigs around in are fishing over, push Long Sessions Above: Although 2 piece 1lb 6oz tc Through May and June the temperatures Alan now uses consists of 10lb GR60, which offers good To this very oily mix I add liberal amounts modern day angling. I think targeting tench. the hook-bait into the A lovely sweet actioned Avon action will have risen somewhat and the tench a groundbait security when hooking any rogue big of hemp, various sizes of halibut pellets one of the major factors ball ensuring that the rig style rod. The rod is ideally suited will be active and on the search for food. sling for feeding carp that reside in these venues, which and dead maggots. I always make that makes this rig such a success is is not masked by any bottom debris. to meat trundling as well as more conventional tactics. During these months I like to adopt a groundbait you will often fall to baits intended for tench. sure I freeze any leftover maggots from once the rig hits the bottom, and if a big Various groundbait mixes are produced Light in the hand and long-stay approach, if time permits, and can use a spod to At the beginning of each session I like sessions throughout the winter for such enough PVA bag is used, it melts and for fishing the method, which all very versatile. A fi rm cash in on the time I have spent learning achieve the same to form a carpet of attractive particles occasions, it’s surprising how quickly they the maggots cover the rig, hiding the produce good mixes. It’s hard to beat favourite as a chub/ barbel summer about the venue in the colder months. result. in the swim and there is no better way amass. Once mixed, I favour a groundbait hook and hook-link. The weight of the the effectiveness of scaled pellets as rod. Price £180 Longer sessions allow you to build up than using groundbait to do this.