Massive Tench

Timing is everything when you're targeting big tench at their peak weight. They’re literally at their heaviest around the last two weeks of May before spawning. I’d planned a session with the guys from Drennan, hoping to get some live action on film, but it quickly turned into a nightmare when the lake was closed due to carp spawning! I was setup, rods out, just waiting for the gates to open—only to be told it was hometime. Talk about bad timing.

Fast forward exactly two weeks and I was back in position, rods out again and ready for some jolly green giants. The lake I fish is a big 30+ acre gravel pit in the Nene Valley, full of carp, tench and pike. My PB from that water was 9lb 14oz—caught four years ago and ironically my first ever tench from there. At the start of 2025, I set my goals for the year and a new tench PB was right at the top.

Armed with a set of the new 2lb Drennan specimen tench and bream rods, I was absolutely buzzing to be back on the bank. I picked a swim on the west side of the lake where the wind had been piling in for three days, and I’d already seen a few fish show. A quick lead about revealed loads of Canadian pondweed but, more importantly, a few clear areas in the margins—one of which was a nice gully running parallel to the bank, about 18 inches to 2 foot deeper than the surrounding area… perfect tench patrol route!

Since joining the Hinders Bait Team last year, I’ve been really impressed with the massive range of baits and liquids they offer. I’m particularly loving the 5kg bags of Mini Combo Pellets—they’re ideal in groundbait, spod mix, or moulded around a method feeder. Loads of different sizes, flavours and colours all in one bag—no need to mess about mixing loads of different ones. I added some fresh casters and used the water from the Hinders Prepared Hemp to get the mix just right.

Half a dozen spods of Hinders finest went in over the three rods, and all I had to do was wait for Jack, Drennan’s media guy, to arrive. About half an hour in, I had my first bite—but it came off as it charged straight into the weed bed to the right! Gutted, but still confident.

An hour later, after spodding in a bit of worm and French hemp, the same rod ripped off—and I got bitten off by a pike! Same thing happened again minutes later, which didn’t exactly fill me with confidence. I was tempted to switch from maggot feeders and worm kebabs to method feeder with imitation caster, but I stuck it out as the worm kebab had worked the week before.

Next bite came about an hour later—and from the first run, I knew it was a tench. It powered into a weed bed and locked up, but I kept steady pressure and soon had it moving again. A short scrap and in came a beautifully built tinca just over 8lb. Big sigh of relief—and perfect timing, as Jack had just set up the camera!

Three more spods of particle went out and all rods were re-baited and dropped back in the gully. About 20 minutes later, the right-hand rod screamed off again. This time the fish stayed in open water and gave me a proper scrap—savage runs, rod bending, carbon doing its job. After a few hairy moments at the net, we were staring at an absolute unit of a tench—fat as a pig and broad across the back. We weighed her… just over 9lb. Buzzing! Biggest tench I’ve had while out filming.

Jack had to head back to Oxfordshire shortly after dinner, but not long after he left I had another giant—9lb 10oz—a big-framed fish that really tested the tackle. Topped up the spot with more pellets, hemp and caster, and sure enough I was soon into another 9lb-plus fish.

As the afternoon faded into evening, the action slowed and I finally got a minute to put my feet up. Sod’s Law… that minute was all I got! The left-hand rod, which I’d moved slightly off the baited area, ripped off and after another epic battle I landed a 9lb 14oz, matching my lake PB. That was it for the night—I reeled in for some well-earned kip.

Woke up the next morning to find it had rained overnight. Disaster. Maggot migration in full swing—they were everywhere. Up the van, all over the swim, and hardly any left in the bucket. Worms had pretty much all escaped too. Not ideal. Still, I thought I’d have a chuck while packing down.

I’d just got the third rod out when one of the others ripped off. Chaos followed—rod wiped out, tangled lines, feeder tethered in weed. But then, the mother of all tench popped up on the surface, tangled and unable to move. Only thing for it… I waded in.

As I’m stood in the lake unhooking this beast, Andy the bailiff rolls past.

“How you getting on, Si?”

I could barely speak. “Mate… you’ve gotta see this creature.”

He nearly fell in when I lifted the net. The colours were unreal and it was built like a Clydesdale. I was nearly in tears trying to hold it together. We zeroed the sling and Andy lifted her up.

“What’s your PB?”

“10lb 8oz. Don’t tell me it’s 9lb 15oz…”

Andy’s face said it all. “No mate… not even close.”

He turned the scales so I could see… and the needle kept going… 12lb 4oz. A proper freshwater leviathan. A new lake record. And the tench I’ve been dreaming of for years.

Massive shout out to Jack for dropping everything—baby duties and all—to race back and get it all on film. Legend.

Mission well and truly accomplished.

Top Tip: Spray all your hookbaits and feeders with Hinders Betalin before every cast. Just look at the results, buzzing!

🎥 The new Drennan Specimen Tench and Bream Rods (1.75lb and 2lb) hit shops this weekend. Keep an eye out—and check out the video from the session!

-Simon