Terry ‘Theo’ Theobald has been tench fishing over at Linear Fisheries in Oxfordshire recently and, despite tricky conditions, he managed to land this pristine tench weighing just over 8lb.

Theo’s number one rig for targeting tench in the Spring is the Bolt Rig Feeder with Buoyant Maggots presented on a hair. The feeder is loaded with plenty of red maggots and fished over a bed of hemp, caster and dead red maggots.

“Critically balancing your hook bait is vital. Not only does it ensure that your hook bait is presented correctly, but it also means when it is picked up by a fish it behaves just like the real maggots and is sucked up right into the back of the mouth,” explains Theo.