Gravel Pit Tench Fishing

We hope you enjoyed Phil Spinks’ latest video in his Specimen Series where he targets tench at Bawburgh lakes. To help you follow Phil’s tips on Gravel Pit Tench Fishing, we have broken down a quick list of the angling gear that Phil used on the trip.

Fishing Rod: Advanta Discovery RVS Twin Tip Rod

With a test curve of 1.75lb, Phil chose this Advanta fishing rod because the lakes at Bawburgh, like many lakes during spring, can be very weedy and contain some very large hard fighting tench. These Advanta rods are powerful enough to cope with hard fighting tench and the odd rogue carp as well as being soft enough in the tip section to use smaller hooks without the risk of hook pulls.

Fishing Reel: Shimano Baitrunner X-Aero RA Reel

This Shimano fishing reel was used in size 6000 by Phil in his video. Phil chose this reel as it is one of Shimano's flagship bait runners, providing a second to none drag and line lay. The X-Aero RA reels pair up perfectly with the RVS rods from Advanta and Phil says that a decent baitrunner is a must as most of the bites when targeting these big pit tench are very fast.

Fishing Line: Nash Bullet Mono – 12lb

To the purist tench angler, a 12lb fishing line may sound over the top, but Phil explains that due to his venue; Bawburgh lakes being very weedy and containing some savage gravel bars, that the 12lb monofilament line is a must, especially with the lake producing some giant hard fighting tench over the years.

Feeders: Drennan Bolt Rig Feeders

Phil loves using these feeders from Drennan for gravel pit tench fishing as they hold lots of maggots and sit perfectly on the lakebed thanks to the feeder flat shape. These Bolt Feeders can be slightly tricky to cast on windy days, but most of Phil’s tench fishing with feeders is close to medium range.

Bite Alarms: Delkim Txi-D Bite Alarm

Delkim Alarms are one of the best bite alarm manufacturers on the market, but the reason Phil rates the TXi-D alarms so highly is for their sensitivity which is useful for detecting line bites and to know when the tench are feeding in your swim. You need to know exactly what's happening in your swim so that you can then gauge how much bait to feed and when to top up.

Bivvy / Fishing Shelter: Advanta Discovery CX One Night Stand Bivvy V2

Phil prefers a smaller bivvy as used in his video as it will fit into the smallest of swims. During the day you can open the front of the Advanta bivvy completely giving you a perfect view of the lake, whilst still having the option of extra protection if the weather turns rough. The One Night Stand bivvy is quick and easy to set up if I need to move swims.

Landing Net: Prologic Classic Carbon Landing Net

This 42" landing net is better suited for big tench fishing as it allows you to rest the tench safely in the water while you are preparing your weighing scales and camera equipment. As you saw in the video, this net can deal with the triple take but a small net would certainly be more challenging.

When filming this episode, Phil stated:

"It's quite common to catch carp while fishing for specimen tench, in fact, my personal best carp weighing 52lb 2oz was caught while targeting tench."

Fishing Bait: Maggots, Casters, Hemps & Pellets

The biggest mistake Phil witnesses is tench anglers not taking enough bait with them on a session. Phil’s bait choice leans towards smaller food items such as maggots, casters, hemp, and micro pellets as these baits tend to keep the tench feeding on your spot for longer without the risk of over-feeding them.

Phil will easily use a gallon of red maggots during a 24-hour session whilst adopting the baiting method of feeding little and often. This method is a must to build your swim and keep the fish in front of you. Pop into your local AD to pick up some fresh live baits.

Of course, this video also features Phil’s scales, unhooking mats, terminal tackle, spod rods, bedchairs, sleeping bags, and more which can all be found across the AD website.