Having ended the river season on a high, courtesy of Sonu's crab Pellet Os, with two double figure barbel and a chub of 6lb 9oz among the highlights of the last five days I was hoping my close season tench and bream fishing would carry on in the same style.

It was not to be. Method feeders loaded with Super Carp Method Mix and pellets slowly began to produce a few bream to plastic corn hookbaits in mid April. Daytime fish to just shy of nine pounds. The tench were noticeable by their absence.


In early May I heard of some good bream catches being made from a southern pit I fish occasionally, but work prevented me getting away. I knew this pre-spawn feeding binge wouldn't last long and I might miss out like I did last year. For once the unsettled weather worked in my favour and the bream were still being caught by the time I managed to fish for them just before the late May Bank Holiday.


Method feeders were the chosen tactic again, this time using Match Method Mix to bind some particles, fished over a light bed of the same particles and Tuna Spod Mix. Despite a spod falling apart, another being cast off and a reel that was making grating noises the fishing went well. Over two nights I landed seven bream, all doubles, topped by a male of 13lb 14oz and a female of 14lb 6oz. Still no signs of tench though.


It was a short week after the Bank Holiday and I was again chained to the workbench. By the time the weekend came round I was desperate to head south again. This time I was hoping the tench had woken up. A late arrival saw me managing to plumb up and get some bait out just before dark. Hemp was the basis of the feed, plus a mix of pellets and red maggots.


During the journey my maggots had sweated up badly and I had forgotten to pack a spare bucket to put them in to breathe. I had a mix of dry Hemp and Hali Crush with me to use on one rod as a method mix aimed at the tench. I sprinkled some of the dry stuff into the maggots and in the morning sun they began to dry off. I've used hemp and Hali Crush with maggots before (when they haven't needed cleaning) and I'm sure it adds to their attraction.


When dawn broke on the first of June there was, at long last, plenty of tench activity but it took a while for my plastic casters to be found. The tench famine was over and I had a really fat six pounder in the net. Two hours later I was staring down at an equally fat fish that spun the needle round to 9lb 9oz. Two months of scratching around thinking the spring campaign was heading for failure then in two sessions the despondency was dispelled. This feast and famine aspect, with the hope of good times just around the corner, heightens the joy of fishing, I think. No doubt I'll be back to scratching around for fish again though!