Braddock’s Sugar and Spice for Tench
Even if the weather can be a bit iffy at times spring is of course the finest time to go Tench fishing.
Targeting a silty gulley on 15 acre lake over three separate two night sessions spread over a six week period the approach was to use maggots enhanced with Braddock’s Sugar Spice additive over a bed of scalded pellet and hemp. Action was not necessarily instant as the fish generally took a few hours to home in on the bait, but once they arrived they stayed. I don’t like to be shy with bait at this time of year and typically use 7 pints of maggots and 4 kilos of spod mix over the 48 hour session.
Results over these sessions were quite superb with 42 tench and 3 double figure Bream landed.
Fish include seven 7lb+ fish, three 8lb+ fish, two 9lb+ fish and top top it off a beauty of 10lb 2oz.
I have used all of the spice blends over the years but I have found that leaving the bait to steep in them for as long a period as possible gives enhanced results. I spice the maggots a minimum of 24 hours before I am to use them, this allows the flavours and oils contained within the individual spices to permeate the skin of the maggot. This is not dissimilar to krilled maggots but gives you something different and far more complex.
I use the same approach when using corn or meat. Get it out of the tin the day before and spice it to allow the flavours to be drawn in.
Spicy hot maggot in the depths of winter – gudgeon love them.
Is it time to spice your bait up?
Best wishes
Dr Eric Roberts