Spring Carping: Part Seven, Secretly Tenching.

 Now this particular outing was supposed to be my first overnighter of the season in search of Tench. On a water not known for the species beyond more than the occasional by-catch on carp tactics. Numbers and sizes aren't well known and although last summer I saw half a dozen patrolling the margins I didn't see anything over the "five pound mark". Although respectable the effort I think required to catch these awesome fish would be vast, so for that return I am trying to convince myself there are larger specimens mixed in with the carp in what isn't a big expanse of water.

 Knowing the target audience is one thing but selecting them successfully is going to be the greatest challenge of all. The carp in this lake are present into the 'thirties" and numerous "twenty pounders" are also resident here. I would be lying if I said that didn't want any carp on the Tench gear as I am fond of a good scrap.

 I was joined the other evening by my brother Richard as we set out our stall for a good nights fishing.

 Having pulled a 12 hour day at work on the tools I aimed to grab a couple of hours kip later on in the night. Knowing I had a packed day at work the next morning I needed to be fresh and after putting a decent bed of bait out over a clear gravel spot I put two rods spaced approximately 15ft apart, either side of the patch. Once the rods were out our little social began and caught up on the last couple of weeks gossip and polished off a few burgers, good times. Just needed some fish to roll in now...

 Rods out at 830pm and we were still up and nagging at 0320 when finally one of the rods went off. Of course it wasn't one of mine and Rich was latched into an angry carp which decided to kite out of the bay he was fishing and straight through his other rod...carnage! Utter carnage.

 When we finally got the configuration right in untangling the other rod we slipped the net under a pristine common (later weighed at 18lb 8oz) and got a few photos with a happy captor. By no means a big fish by this lakes standards, however the lack of action suggested we should be thankful for whatever came along, my wish was simply any run on my rod would be a Tench. Twenty odd minutes later the left hand Delkim went into meltdown and I quickly jumped on it as the line peeled off the spool at a 100mph! I knew immediately that it was a carp on the end and it felt quite heavy at distance, could it be one of the big girls? or was the distance + the 9/10ft depth enabling the fish to fight harder than I am used to?.

 A good few minutes passed and slowly the carp was being drawn closer to the waiting net, in the torch light a shape appeared just under the surface and gradually shrunk as it slipped over the cord, not to be disheartened it was a fish, even if not my target species.

19lb 2oz common the reward of a hard fought battle.

 A couple of photos and she was ready to go back to her watery home, neither us blanked and by this point the dawn chorus was in full swing...no chance of sleep by this point. Around 0530 my left hand rod came to life again and thinking I was in again I wound down to the fish and felt a quick bump and a few thuds through the rod only for the tension to completely ease. Now I almost convinced myself it was a Tench and was a little annoyed at myself for not gaining better control at the beginning, two or three seconds before I disengaged the baitrunner I think cost me the fish by poor hook-up. Lesson learned! I hope.

 As the dawn chorus started to ease the carp decided that they would all start to head on to the top but with just 45 minutes available before we had to go I decided to bring the rods in and go it alone on the top, frustratingly the carp were only Daphnia sifting and my crust would remain untouched.

 leaving on time meant I could shower and change at home then jump into the van and off to work so we had to be gone by 620am. Reluctantly as that time came and went we pulled ourselves off and off home, a carp each and a case of what could have been with the dropped run. We learn all the time eh!