Tench and crucians are synonymous with feeding at dawn and dusk, but Mike Lyddon shows how you can fool them during the hottest part of the day
IT’S NO secret that low light levels are preferred when tench and crucians are your primary targets.
When the morning mist lingers inches above the surface and the nearby fields are saturated with dew, both iconic species will be on the munch.
Have a baited rig in the water at this time of the day and your chances of success are high, but as soon as the sun rises higher and the temperatures ramp up, it all becomes a lot more hit-and-miss.
Although anglers will be on the bank at the best time, most of them won’t want their day to end by 9am.
They’ll still have their eyes set on keeping fish coming, and while many will tell you that a long and unproductive spell is almost guaranteed until early evening arrives, Mike Lyddon simply refuses to accept this.
“A lot of anglers only get one day a week on the bank, and they want to make the most of that by being in with a good chance of regular bites,” explained Mike.
“There’s no getting away from the fact that dawn and dusk are the best times for tench and crucians, but by adjusting your tactics, you can still catch steadily even when the temperatures peak.”
Slow build-up
Arrive at prime time and it’s a wise idea to put down a bed of bait for tench and crucians. They’ll be on the hunt for food, and now is the time to capitalise on this.
That all changes as the heat kicks in, and their appetite diminishes.
“Your mindset must be a lot more negative, as the fish won’t be that hungry. As you would in winter, you need to minimise the amount of food in the swim so that the few mouthfuls they have lead to them taking the hookbait.
“I don’t bait up at all if I am fishing during the day – the attraction of the feeder alone draws in a fish or two,” he said.
Mike uses a traditional flatbed Method feeder, but what he moulds around it will be an eye-opener to some.
“I use groundbait, but it is mixed to a very stodgy consistency – it’s almost like concrete, if I’m honest!
“Irregular casting is part of my approach, and when small fish are active and the bigger ones less so, you need to guarantee that there is still something there for your targets to eat when they show up.
“Stodgy groundbait clings to the feeder for a long time and it is constantly leaking off attraction to draw fish in. I’ll often reel in and some will still be attached to the feeder frame. This may sound ridiculous, but it’s caught me a lot of fish over the years.”
