It all started when my brother Conor, who lives in Stoke-on-Trent, invited me over to his house for a few days consisting mainly of fishing and relaxation. On the first night, the conversation over dinner inevitably turned to fishing and my brother mentioned a local lake that was home to some decent sized carp but also some truly enormous tench. My interest was piqued immediately. I have caught decent tench in the past, mainly from commercial fisheries and my local canal in Retford, Nottinghamshire. Decent fish yes, but nothing over 5lb.

We spoke at length about how to tackle this particular water, the rigs and baits he had used in the past and the resulting fish he had taken. Conor tends to lean more toward carp, whereas I like fishing for anything, from small roach on the canal in winter, to catching large catfish on hot summer days. Because of Conor’s enthusiasm for carp, virtually all of the tench he had caught were accidental captures (most of them coming to Sticky Baits Krill boilies, fished on bolt rigs). Although large, these fish were not taken regularly, so a change of tactics was the order of the day.