The Sessions- May 2025

Tench Success

My April fishing was mostly about Bream and I really enjoyed it with a few blanks and some very successful trips with Bream to 15-00. With spring being so warm I knew it wouldn’t be long before they spawned so carried on fishing for them into May hoping for one big female before they spawned.

My plans would then turn to Tench.

1 May 2025 – Walthamstow Reservoirs

This was my ninth trip to Walthamstow this spring and was more of a recce trip before the weekend where I could fish the Saturday night, I wanted to try different areas in case I didn’t do well in the draw and would have other areas I would hopefully feel confident in.

When I went in to pay for my ticket the bailiff said he had seen signs of spawning, that’s not what I wanted to hear, but with consistent temps up to 27 degrees in the previous few days it was looking more likely.

I loaded the barrow and walked the length of the Lockwood bank looking for signs of rolling fish and or spawning fish. There were only three of us at the gate so no urgency to get a swim so I could have a good look round. I got to the bottom end of the reservoir and did find signs of spawning but they were all small fish and not many, with Carp amongst them.

I went back along the Higher bank and set up a few swims along, I wanted to see if some of the bigger fish that were not ready were moving down that end of the reservoir, if I felt they were all spawning I planned to go home and start my Tench fishing.

I fished until midday and didn’t get a single line bite or see any more fish rolling or in the margins so I decided to move back up to the top end to try to locate the bigger fish.

I walked the length of the reservoir and saw Bream rolling on the other side so walked round and set up again. It was very hot and not the best conditions but I had located fish that appeared to be feeding.

I put 10 spombs of hemp / caster / 2mm pellet at 11 wraps and fished two rods on fake caster and one on a 12mm Pandemic wafter, with all three on method feeders.

I fished up to the finish time at 19:30 and had Bream rolling over the spot in the evening but didn’t get a bite.

3 May 2025 – Walthamstow Reservoirs

I was content the Bream were not spawning so drove down nice and early, got parked up, barrow loaded and was ready for the draw. Neale was at the gate so we hoped to get a draw where we could have a social and enjoy the fishing together. True to form as in most cases I didn’t get a good draw at all and came out second last, but I did get the swim I wanted which was good but on a different side of the reservoir from Neale.

The weather was good with a lot of cloud and cooler temps at 21 degrees and the Bream did not appear to be spawning. I put a good hit of bait out to start with, 1kg groundbait, 1 pint of casters,1 pint of hemp, 1pint of dead red maggots and some 2mm pellets. The rigs were all set up with 70g method feeders, 5” Camo Silt Trickster hooklinks to a size 10 Target Barbel hook, one on fake casters, one on a 12mm Pandemic wafter, one on a 12mm Pandemic wafter tipped with fake corn.

The wind was a strong north easterly and it had cooled down considerably but I still felt confident of a few bites during the night, and my new friend kept visiting the swim.

The first bite came at approx. 17:00 and was a lovely start at 12-10 on the Pandemic rod. I gave the swim another hit of bait at 19:00 ready for the night.

The action didn’t start until 22:30 when the Bream moved over my bait and I had two quick takes with doubles at 10-07 and 10-15.

These were followed by two more before midnight at 12-05 and 13-05 with the caster and boilie/corn rods getting the takes.

4 May 2025

I had another just after midnight at 12 plus that got out of the net while I was wrapping and recasting the rod, and I topped up the spot with 10 spombs of bait. This didn’t work as planned as they seemed to move away for two hours before returning and \I had another three at 10 plus, 10-12 and 12-05 before it all went quiet.

I didn’t get the monster Bream I hoped for but now we were into May I felt it was time to move onto Tench.

9 May 2025 – Beds Lake

I missed the Tench fishing last year due to being in Thailand most of May so was really looking forward to it and decided to start on a Beds lake I’d been meaning to fish for a couple of years now.

The weather had stayed cooler with daytime temps at 14 degrees all week but was due to warm up into the 20’s over the weekend with easterly winds. I left work at lunchtime and arrived at 16:00 and found one of the better swims available so put a bucket in there while I looked around, with none of the other free swims looking any better I set up in the swim, called the Fridge, as it was almost completely shaded from the sun by trees.

A school boy error had allowed my Deeper battery to run dry so I did it the old fashioned way with a marker float and found a slightly deeper gully at 5 feet amongst the low lying Eel weed and clipped all the rods up, and then tied pole elastic to ensure I hit the same spot each time.

I started off by spombing out 1 pint of casters, 1 pint hemp, some 2mm pellets and some chopped worm and then set the rods up. All three were set up with 45g method feeders, 5” of Camo Silt Trickster braid to a size 12 MWG Super hook, baited with two fake casters, and I was fishing by 19:30.

It only took an hour for my first fish from the venue and what a cracker to start with at 9-01 😀

10 May 2025

I had nothing through the night and was woken by a Bream at just after 04:00. It was clear and chilly at 5 degrees and I topped up the spot with 10 spombs of mix and had another three bites through the morning with a small Carp and two Tench at 6 plus and 7-08.

The rest of the day was warm, sunny and quiet. I topped up the swim with 10 spombs at midday and again at 18:30 and I’d added a liquid booster to my method mix, the bites started again two hours later with another small Carp and Tench at 7-15 and 8-10, although not prolific the average size was pleasing. I put another 5 spombs out at 22:00 before hitting the sleeping bag.

11 May 2025

I was up at 04:30 and the night had been quiet so I didn’t put any bait out straight away as I knew the previous night’s bait would still be there. The bites started an hour later and it was a brilliant mornings fishing with non-stop action, I had three bites in an hour, Tench at 6 plus and 7-05 and a good Bream came off.

I put the rest of my bait in and it went quiet for two hours and then started again with Tench at 7-06, 8-03, 6 plus and a hook pull, and two Carp to a stunning 32-02 to finish a brilliant session on a new water.

17-19 May 2025 – Beds Lake.

I couldn’t wait to get back and arrived early morning to find the lake very busy. It was cold at 5 degrees after a much cooler week with north easterly winds so with the wind still in the same direction I wanted to be in a similar area to the last session. I walked round the lake and identified a swim up the other end called Paddies that would be well worth a look on a south westerly and made a mental note of it.

I set up in a corner swim for the morning and early afternoon knowing I’d be able to move back into the Fridge at teatime, that all went to plan and I was fishing again by 16:30.

Apart from a brief two hour spell on the Saturday afternoon it was a very quiet all weekend, I had three to 7-12 but they were still full so I planned to return in two weeks after my long stretch at work.

30 May 2025 – Northants Lake

The Beds lake was closed as the Carp had started spawning the day after I left so the club closed the lake for two weeks and that left me with a dilemma on where to go. I had the Northants lake I’d been fishing for a few Springs and a lake out in Norfolk I wanted to try, in the end I went to the Northants lake and that turned out to be an inspired choice…..

I got to the gate for opening at 08:00 and drove onto the fishery to find it very busy, I’ve said previously that Thursday is the new Friday and do people actually go to work, it was packed!! I drove round to the bank I wanted to be on with the south westerly wind blowing straight onto it and found most swims taken apart from the one I wanted so I parked up behind it securing the swim. I then walked the length checking the other free swims and chatting to the people fishing, most were blanking and all going home that morning and by lunchtime they had all gone.

I set up and got the leading rod out, I knew the swim well so knew how deep it was and where the spots were I just need to check the weed situation. After a few casts and slow retrieves I found the weed was not as thick as my last trip two years ago and I clipped up at five and half wraps right on the edge of the Eel weed. I then got the spomb rod out and baited with 1 pint of casters, 1 pint of hemp, half a pint of scolded pellets with a good dose of my liquid booster, once that was completed I set the rigs up complying with the barbless hook rule and was fishing by 10:00.

The wind was strong and had a chill to it, so I had two tops on and looked across the lake and people were in shorts and topless on the back of the wind, still I got the kettle on, sat back on the chair and enjoyed being back on the lake again.

Just over two hours into the session the middle rod went and line poured of the spool, initially I thought Carp as it took some line and felt heavy but I could then feel the tell-tale signs of a Tench, I slowly teased it back through the weed and had it beat on the surface and reached out with the net, it took one last lunge and buried in the marginal weed about six feet down. I tried all my usual tricks of waiting with minimal pressure on the rod but it didn’t move, in the end I had to go in up to my thighs and poke it with the landing net, on the second prod it came out and after one run it slipped into the net.

I laid it on the mat and it looked massive and I knew it was the one I’d been waiting for, a double at last, I slipped her in the sling and closed my eyes, the digitals stopped at 10-14, I was so happy, what a fish, a stunning stunning Tench!!

Over the next two hours I had two more good fish at 8-02 and another big fish at 9-05. I topped up the spot at 17:30 with approx. half what I put in on the first bait up and had one more Tench before dark at 6 plus.

31 May 2025

I had nothing through the night but was woken with a screamer at 04:20 with another nice fish at 7-11 and then went onto suffer two hook pulls in the weed.

The rest of the day was very quiet with just the odd line bite but I had a good day chatting to fellow Tench Fishers member Richard Clarke and we went into the night and into June fearing the Tench may start spawning imminently and I’ll tell you about the rest of the session next month.

Until next, tight lines and be lucky 😊

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