River Tench Fishing With Flatbed Feeders

River Tench on Flatbed Feeders wasn’t the plan when I headed out for some summer rudd fishing a few weeks ago, but a change of approach brought a few lovely surprises. Switching to flatbed feeders produced some cracking river tench, all on the quiver tip. They’re something I’ve not really caught in the past, which made these fish particularly welcome.

River Tench on Flatbed Feeders: a pellet-loaded feeder and orange hookbait held in a hand — The flatbed feeder presentation, with pellets and an orange wafter hookbait.

A welcome change from rudd

I love the fact that a session can take an unexpected turn like this. Rudd were the starting point, but the tench gave me something a little different to enjoy. If you’ve followed my rudd fishing, you’ll know there’s plenty to enjoy about targeting them in their own right. This time, though, it was the surprise visitors that really stood out.

Sonubaits 8mm Salted Caramel Spike’um Wafters beside a bag of 4mm Marine Green Stiki Method Pellets — The pellet and wafter combination used during the session.

The bait and rig combination

The bait pairing was straightforward: Sonubaits 4mm Marine Green Stiki Pellets and 8mm Salted Caramel Spike’um Wafters. I paired those with Korum Spiked Method Rigs. A flatbed feeder brings the loose feed and hookbait together in a compact presentation, rather than spreading them over a wider area. For more on this approach, have a look at my tench fishing with the Method feeder article.

An open tub of orange wafters held in a hand with Sonubaits packaging behind it — A closer look at the Salted Caramel wafters.

All on the quiver tip

Every one of these tench came on the quiver tip. There’s something lovely about watching the tip knowing the next bite might not be the species you originally set out to catch. I wouldn’t turn one outing into a hard-and-fast rule, but it was a useful reminder that changing the presentation can bring a different result. My tench rigs and tackle article covers another outing with these brilliant fish.

An angler wearing a green cap, sunglasses and a black Montane T-shirt beside the river — On the bank during a summer river session.

A few lovely river tench were a very welcome bonus to the summer rudd fishing. No elaborate conclusion needed here: a switch to flatbed feeders brought something new, and that’s exactly the sort of surprise that keeps me coming back to the bank.