Tactics for Tench (tinca tinca)

Different waters call for different tactics. My main consideration when choosing a tactic for a given water is the type of bait it is possible to use. Mainly the size of bait dictates how to approach them. Fred Taylor wrote that "I believe baits are inside tench's mouths more often than we realize and that each time this happens it constitutes a bite which should be struck" - I do too (and watching the Korda Underwater movies has reinforced that belief). I also believe that the smaller the bait, the harder it is to actually see that a Tench has taken it into it's mouth. Whole prawns, large bits of crust, a lobworm and other large baits generally yield very positive indications. When fishing with a few maggots or a grain of sweetcorn, on the other hand, indications can be quick bobs of the float. To be continued...