Roger's Angling Pages
The Tench Tinca tinca		Carp family Cyprinidae

The Tench is an important sporting fish, belonging to the Carp family. The body has the characteristic cylindrical shape and is covered by elliptical scales, the greater part of which are firmly embedded in the thick mucus-coated skin. At the corners of its fleshy mouth there are two small barbels. The most common basic coloration is dark green, brown-black and sometimes a golden shade is predominant, but usually all these are blended together. At present it lives almost all over Europe, from where it has been exported to fresh places. It inhabits still or slow-running waters which have warm inlets with an abundance of aquatic vegetation and muddy bottoms. The Tench has been introduced to and has settled down in colder waters, such as those of the Alps up to a height of 1,600 m above sea level or in peat-bog lakes with acid waters. The Tench is a traditional pond fish in central Europe, where it is reared with Carp or on its own.

The Tench breeds in the second half of June or in July and the larval Tench barely weigh 0.2 oz at the end of the first year, although by that time they can be sexually differentiated. This distinction is, however, easier with older fishes than younger ones. The males have thick fin rays and enlarged ventral fins, which often reach behind the anal passage, in contrast to those of the females, which are narrower, shorter and do not reach that far. Their growth is slower in poor waters situated high above sea level than in the rich waters of the lowlands. Experience of pond rearing has shown that the females grow faster than the males. In some waters the Tench grows to a weight of 6 to 9 lb, but this is unusual and a 2 lb fish is regarded as a fine specimen. J

It is a well-known fact among anglers that the Tench plays with the bait for a long time and this is best illustrated by float fishing, when the float starts dancing about. It is not therefore advisable to be too hasty in hooking this fish. It is best to fish for it before breeding starts, when the Tench is busy looking around for food and moves about in shoals, since at such times one can expect several fishes to bite in quick succession. These fishes bite best early in the morning and in the evening before dusk. They reveal their presence by the gentle waving movements of water plants and the subsequent rising of bubbles, released from the bottom. The best bait is white maggots or worms fished near the bottom or close to it, but bread paste and potatoes are also effective. It likes to eat freshwater molluscs and therefore thrives well in warm river ponds and muddy waters, where such organisms are relatively plentiful. After hooking, the fish should be steered away from the undergrowth and bushes, as it always tries to hide in them. Tench can survive for several hours when carried on dry land if wrapped in a damp tea-cloth. In older fishing journals it was often argued that predators, especially Pike, never attack Tench, but I have seen a Pike caught by using a Tench.