Beaten by Blackleach (again)

Another 4.30am start, enthusiasm and optimism running high and a level of expectation fills the car as I leave with my dad to drive the 5 miles to Blackleach.
Corn/meat/pellet and hemp - method feeder on alarms - all set to go - we even changed the peg to pick one slightly further round the lake where I have had tench from before.
One rod cast 30yrds in 8-10ft of water, the second 40-45yrds out and the third(my dads) was on the float 15yrds out in 8 ft of water.
The first 2 hrs was slow, grebes and coots in abundance but no surface activity from the fish - an old boy came round and talked to us - a fisherman who stays away from this water but walks round daily - his views were that it is fishing slow and the catch rate has gone down over the last few years - this is consistent to my views but what I need is catching advice right now - he gave it "fish Gorse Pit instead".
A little while later another regular talker came round to join us and described what he had seen of late - a few good tench all in 1 and 2's but no bag ups - there was still no silvers showing. The second guy is a keen predator angler and has fished this water for years but only bothers with the pike and eels.
He again told us stories of his 30lber and a 6lb eel - something I do believe as I saw a 4lb+ dead one the day after he had told me he caught and released one at that weight.
Still no action - so a rebait was required - I kept doing this every 45mins.
After nearly 4 hrs and just as I was thinking of packing up - I got a run - it never tore off - just 4or5 bleeps but enough to strike at - I bent into the strike on the rod at 30 yrds which I had fished meat over soft pellet on a method feeder - but nothing - I was gutted.
There were 2 other guys on the water - one had gone after 2 hrs - I spoke to the second as I walked back to the car - he missed one take and had a 6lb pike on double red maggot - but no silvers.
I think my all out tench approach may need re-thinking - its obvious they are there meandering around - but not in big enough numbers to be anything significant in catch rate terms and all the other fish occupy the opposite side of the lake where the silt bed is - for the moment anyway - the bream don’t really move unless spawning but the silvers do come out and play and to get 20 fish in 4hrs is common once they go for it.
So what should I do?
Is it a sit on the water for all hours and take what I can, or put in 10kg of vitalin etc and fish a couple of days later or build up a small amount of feed in one clear spot and hope and wait.
The conundrum continues - what is for sure - I was beaten by Blackleach yet again