Fishing is an experience that brings a person closer to nature and for me brings back floods of memories from when I was a boy. Setting out from home in the country with a rod and reel , wandering the green fields for hours looking for that secret pond. At the age of 17, around when I purchased a car and discovered the opposite sex, fishing became something of a distant memory. In recent years however I have discovered once more my passion for f fishing fishing fishing. Now in the UK is the time that the illusive Tench awakens from its winter slumber to start patrolling the growing weed beds looking for food. This for me represents the most optimistic times of the year in the northern hemisphere, we have broken the back of winter and the days are growing longer, the temperature rising with every passing dawn chorus.



Now is the time to brush of the Tench gear and start visiting those magical ponds that I used to visit as a child. All you need to catch a Tinca Tinca, the latin name for these green hard fighting course fish is a rod, reel, line, a landing net and some bait. I usually use 8 lb main line with a hook length of around 2.2lb leading to a size 14 barbless hook with a waggler float. To entice these wily fish I often use sweetcorn but as it is early in the season I intend today to use good old fashioned chopped earth worms. So as the dawn chorus approaches I rise out of my bed and get a quick coffee to wake me before I set out on the journey to my first pond. The walk takes about 15 minutes and straight away I can see fizzing on the surface of the water; a sure sign the Tench are stirring the bottom looking for a tasty morsel.

Quietly I approach the water and bait my hook with the chopped worm. As the line hits the water and the bait sinks the rising anticipation together with the morning colors makes life perfect for one second. Almost immediately the float is knocked by something in the depths and again. My hands tremble again a knock, another then the float starts to move across the water and suddenly disappears below the surface. A quick strike of the rod and contact, the rod bends double and the fight is on. From one side of the pond to the next, from weed bed to weed bed I turn the Tench from the impending snag. After 10 minutes of intense arm aching fight she is ready for the net. A beautiful 6lb 2oz lady of the deep caught by a man reliving his youth once more.

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