TENCH-FISHING 59 



I set to work carefully, and barely was my float settled, when 

 " wriggle, wriggle, wriggle," it went, and after the usual pre- 

 liminary gyrations and bobs which the tench generally com- 

 municates to it, off it went ; I struck again, and got another 

 fine tench of nearly two pounds : after this the fun grew fast 

 and furious. Unfortunately, I did not keep score of the fish I 

 caught, as, finding I was having such great sport, I was afraid 

 of clearing the pond out, so I put most of them in again, merely 

 keeping three brace of two-pounders ; but I should imagine 

 that I must have captured about thirty fine tench, not one of 

 which would be under a pound and a quarter, and many of 

 them topped two pounds and a half. Where all these large fish 

 could have packed themselves in this mite of a pond without 

 ever attracting notice, I could not imagine. Tired of pulling 

 them out, I left off in the evening while the fish were yet biting 

 freely. I went there again the next day, and caught one tench 

 of three-quarters of a pound ; but, though I fished there many 

 times since, / never caught a tench afterwards. Tench at times 

 feed freely enough all day ; but the favourite feeding-time is 

 at dusk, and when you can barely see your float then they 

 will take if they take at all. 



Moderately fine tackle is desirable, but though the tench is 

 a slow, niggling, tedious biter, he is not so wary as the carp. 

 Oftentimes, however, he will play with and nibble at the bait, 

 and will leave it after all. When the biting has been going on 

 in this fashion I have found it a capital plan to expedite matters 

 by very gently drawing the worm away a few inches, when Dr. 

 Tench, thinking that he is going to lose his fee, usually comes 

 after it and takes it well. This is a peculiar speciality in tench 

 fishing which the angler will do well to remember, as it will 

 often stand him in good stead. Two or three shots will be quite 

 enough to sink the bait, and the hook should be about No. 7, 

 not larger. Tench will feed on gentles and grubs, but the best 

 bait by far is the red worm ; broken worms to be used for 

 ground bait, and a handful or two thrown in for one or two 

 days before fishing, will -no doubt serve as an aid to sport. 

 Tench are fonder of weedy ponds than carp, and a space of a 

 few square yards in the middle of banks of weeds is often a 

 favourite find for them. When once hooked, there is little fear 

 of losing your tench, though he makes a strong fight for his life. 



The tenacity of life in the tench is very remarkable : I once 

 carried one in the midst of a basket of other fish 100 miles 

 it was five hours at least out of water. It was at Christmas 



