Chris Hunter was pleased to land this plump tench on a recent trip to a local gravel pit after a much later start than planned.

“I had planned to get up at 4am, grab a quick coffee and get to the lake by 5am. Unfortunately, my phone battery died, the alarm didn’t go off and I eventually woke up at 9!

“When I got to the lake, I settled for a swim with the wind gently blowing directly into it, I quickly found a clear gravel spot around 50 yards surrounded by thick weed. I then spombed out and a nice oily mix of pellets, groundbait, hemp and maggots onto the area.

“I fished one rod on a helicopter maggot rig and the other on a 45g In-Line Flat Method Feeder with a small white pop-up. The method feeder produced two bites in quick succession, but unfortunately, I only managed to land the one, losing the other in the dense weed.”