More Than Just Carp!
More Than Just Carp!
Written By Stuart Walker
As an all-rounder I love to fish for different species depending on the time of year. This might be Chub fishing on a cold winter’s day, roving for Barbel on a crystal-clear river or throwing lures around for an all manner of species at home and abroad. Variety is the spice of life as they say and it’s no different in fishing.
Unfortunately, a lot of anglers new to the sport go straight into Carp fishing and to a lesser extent Barbel fishing and fish for nothing else. I can understand this as both species are easily accessible, grow big and both fight hard but a lot of anglers leave the sport after a few years once goals are reached when single species fishing. However, there is so much more on offer in the lakes and rivers we fish to keep the interest high and offer new challenges and learn new skills.
One of my favourite fish to target is the Tench especially in the spring and summer. Once located they are not too hard to catch and are great fun on balanced tackle. Good Tench waters are hard to come by in Yorkshire, down South and in the Midlands it’s a different story with lots more options available. I don’t mind travelling to good venues but recently when everyone was off on furlough during in Covid, it became impossible to find some peace and quiet at some of my favourite venues. I decided I needed to find a new challenge and venue closer to home.
Many moons ago I had fished Alderfen before they were trees! and caught some stunning Rudd close on 3lbs, I even managed the front cover of the Angling Times this was in part due to a fantastic picture taken by specimen hunter Matt Brown. After doing a bit of up-to-date research I came across the now Isle Fisheries run by Mark Gregory which incorporates the Alderfen complex and the Mesters complex. I google mapped the Mesters complex and fell in love with it straight away. It was my type of water, mature with stunning surroundings, and after a good chat with Mark confirmed there was more than just carp worth targeting. A good head of Tench, with monstrous Rudd and Bream that very few bothered with.
So in early Spring 2021 I set out to fish my first season on the Mesters complex mainly focused on the Tench but with an eye out for those elusive monstrous Rudd. When I first set my eyes on the lakes I wasn’t disappointed it looked stunning. For me part of the fun is learning a new venue and working out where the fish will be at different times of the season. I spent a good amount of time just mapping out the lakes and marking areas I thought might be worth targeting. One thing I learnt straight away was Mesters is very weedy, perfect for Tench!
My plan was to used scaled down carp tactics using a method feeder and small boilies and use just two 1.75lb TC 12ft rods coupled with 12lbs line and size 10 hooks. With a plan B to float fish with 6lb line close in once the water warmed up, the most enjoyable way to catch Tench! I normally fish maggots for Tench but due to the hoardes of small Rudd its not an option. As the Tench will see a lot of Boilies from Carp anglers it’s the obvious choice and the method feeder also sits nicely on the weed.
My first visit was a blank but was chuffed to bits on my second visit to catch three Tench up to 5lbs a real confidence boosted on a new venue. As spring moved on it was clear this was not a typical spring and was one of the coldest on records. I was mainly fishing evenings and mornings staying for just one night. Apart from one other blank I was getting into some good steady action with 3-5 Tench a session. The first indication I was fishing somewhere special was when I caught a 8lbs 5oz Male Tench, indicating there would be females present over the magical 10lbs mark. I continued trying different areas and not just fishing the same swims where I had caught previously. I found the Tench were quite evenly spread out and even catchable on the float in some of the deeper swims once the water warmed up, which took a while!
I did have a couple of red-letter sessions where I couldn’t keep two rods in at once, always a sign of a good days Tench fishing. My best day was 14 tench to 7lbs 12oz, a 15lbs Grass Carp and two rudd to 2lbs fantastic fishing as good as it gets. Over the spring I caught some nice Bream along the way and a few carp too. The fishing was a bonus really as its just a stunning place to fish.
Really looking forward to next season, hoping to target the Rudd a bit more in the summer and enjoy fishing the lakes with some normal spring and summer weather.
Tight Lines
Stuart Walker
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