Both rods then were given a liberal sprinkling of trout pellets

As I drove past the lake I could see the swim was free but I had to drive a further half mile until I got to the gate and then negotiate the potholes and brambles before I was finally settled in there. The weather was very hot but a gentle southerly wind was blowing into the fallen tree where I had caught both the carp from. From the bank behind the tree I could see a couple of dark shapes soaking up the evening sun. Without wasting any more time I went back to the swim and set up, a light lead and single boilie soon resting on the gravel beneath the outer branches. I put the other rod on the gravel hump up to my right about 30 yards out, I was confident of this producing something, it had always been a very reliable spot over the years when I used to fish the lake before. Both rods then were given a liberal sprinkling of trout pellets. The evening passed quietly. The wind finally dropping, completely becalming the half dozen sailors on the water. The temperature though did not seem to drop and it became very oppressive. As darkness fell a big full moon showed its presence high in the sky giving the whole scene some kind of erriness. I was woken from this daze by a large black back slicing through the water over by the gravel hump. Not sure whether or not it was carp, tench or bream I crouched by the rods down at water level expectantly. Once more a back sliced through the water, I could now see they were bream, big ones at that. Retreating back to the bedchair I laid down watching the stars above just milking in the atmostsphere being all alone on a fantastic water. Nothing else happened and I must have dozed off because the next thing I remember was being woken by some squabbling coots in amongst the branches of the fallen tree. It was still very warm despite midnight having passed an hour before; the moon was still illuminating the vegetation all around. The lines still hung slack from the rod tips, a piece of floating weed caught up on the hump one as the line touched the surface of the water. I was just thinking of getting up and flicking the offending weed off when it came to life. It slowly began to creep across the surface as the line it was caught round began to tighten. I was off the bedchair in a flash as the first few short sharp bleeps of the buzzer sounded. The strike met with a good solid weight as the fish responsible thudded away slowly gaining line. The fight itself was not dramatic but the resistance was strong enough to wonder whether here was a carp after all, for some reason I had bream in my mind when I struck. The fight became far more dogged close in and it was difficult to force the fish off the bottom in the deep margins. Finally it rolled on the top, a deep flank but not overly deep, for the first time I realised it was a tench but of large proportions. The large net engulfed it at the first attempt though and in the moonlight I gazed into the net at a long deep flanked female tench. I have caught many 7 and 8lb tench in the past but this was a little bit special that was for sure and thoughts of my first double figure tench raced through my mind. On the mat it looked even bigger, the size 6 hook embedded in its bottom lip, its mouth being comparable indeed with a carp of similar size. On the scales I held my breath and after an age I settled on 9lb 13oz. Wow indeed, this was time for celebration. I started fishing this lake for exactly such a fish and I remember seeing my first 9lb tench on the bank on opening day in 1986 when a chap caught it from, yes you guessed, the side of the very hump I had just caught this fish from. Sure it would have been better to catch it on tench tackle but at that moment I could not have cared less. The fish looked superb in every way, fin perfect with seemingly very little spawn in it, at least it did not have a distended belly at all. I did not want to sack it, I rarely sack any fish up these days, however I may regret that decision as the ever so reliable camera was not so reliable this night due to the exceptional atmospheric conditions. Without delaying any further though the tench was soon recovering in the margins before with a flick of its tail it slowly swam down the margin shelf, possibly never to be caught again. I was sweating in just a T-shirt and sweatshirt and a pair of jeans as I rebaited and recast. I was not surprised to hear later it was the warmest May night for fifty years. The rest of the night remained the same, the moon finally disappearing behind the trees as dawn arrived. A carp crashed out far out in the lake as I watched at around 5am. Too far out in the lake for me but some of the chaps may have been tempted to row a bait out I guess, not for me though, after all I canít swim! I had a look in the fallen tree as the sun got up, not a fish to be seen, the day was perfect for stalking, I would be back within a day to do just that, for the time being though I packed up and left for home.

Have fun!