Tench fishing tips for shallow lakes

As the angling calendar moves into April, I’m keen to catch some early season tench. I’ve found that shallow lakes warm up more quickly than deeper ones and I know a few lakes with the potential for some decent tench.

Early season tench from shallow lakes — I love my early season tench fishing

I love to catch tench on the float as you can see a lot more of what’s going on in the swim. I decided to fish using the lift method which is a classic technique for tench fishing.

I’m using a Korum Glide 13 ft float rod combined with 8 – 10lb line on my reel. This may sound a bit heavy, but there are lily pads in the swim that are yet to reach the surface, so I need to be able to control the fish away from these snags.

I love using my Korum Glide rod float fishing for tench

With the lift method you get two types of bites, either the float slides away, or rises and lays flat once the fish lifts the weight of the inline olivette when they pick up the hookbait.

I decided on a size 14 hook if I was using maggots as bait and something a little bit bigger when using worms on the hook.

Lobworms used as bait — Lobworms are the perfect bait for early season tench

I baited up a couple of swims with maggots to draw the fish in. I don’t like to put too much bait in during the early season, just trickle the maggots in, a little and often.

One of the biggest in the lake

Within a short time I was into my first tench of the year which was fighting more like a carp. After a few minutes it was in the net, and a good fish too.

I moved into the second swim after the disruption of catching a tench in the first, but bites weren’t forthcoming, so I moved back into the first swim after half an hour or so.

I’m glad I did, as within a short while, I was into another tench on a juicy lobworm on the hook. I was over the moon with two early season tench on the float and it’s still April.

A few weeks later I was back, the weather had warmed up a bit and the lily pads had now reached the surface of the lake. I filmed a video for korum using the stunning new Korum quill floats.

A centrepin gives more control

I also switched to using a centrepin reel which is brilliant for float fishing for tench as it gives me so much control over the fish and I feel more connected.

Centrepin for more control — Using a centrepin gives me a lot more control

Although the weather was warmer, I felt that the shallower lakes were a better option than the deeper pits. I decided to fish a shallow lake I hadn’t fished for a few years, but things didn’t go to plan.

First fish was a good sized bream, followed by another five in an hour. I didn’t even know there were bream in this lake, but it’s still good fun on the centrepin.

Bream with tubercles — This bream has tubercles on its head, so it’s getting ready for spawning

I use JW Young and Sons centrepins, my two favourites are the Triton True Pin that I use for specimen sized barbel and chub with 8lb line. The other is the Trudex mk3 which I load with lighter 4lb line for quality roach and rudd.

They are stunning centrepins and wonderful to use either trotting on the river or float fishing on a lake.

Centrepins from JW Young and Sons — These centrepins from JW Young and Sons are a joy to use

Things didn’t go to plan

On to the next session with my fishing mate Dan. Again, things didn’t go to plan. I was catching loads of perch, then a nice rudd, a roach and finally, after several hours, a decent tench.

Rudd on the centrepin — A nice rudd on the centrepin – quite a mixed bag while targeting tench

So you can catch tench early in the season, if you concentrate on shallower lakes which warm up more quickly than the deeper ones.

I really enjoyed my early season tench fishing and a few surprises along the way. Something to consider for next March and April. Have fun and be lucky.

Watch the video