Tench Tinca tinca

DISCRIPTION:
Tench are possibly the most hardy of all coarse fish, able to live in very poorly oxygenated water and, as such, they are often the only fish to survive after a pollution incident. They are also strong fighters, and have gained a loyal following among specialist anglers, with two clubs dedicated to the species in Britain alone. You are certainly not going to mistake the species for any other. Deep, thick-set, slimy and tiny scales covered in a thick protective mucus which makes it beautifully smooth to touch. One pair of barbules. Colour is predominantly olive, and the eye is small and red. They have a maximum length of 60-66 cm and a maximum weight of 6.8-7.3 kg.

AGE:
Maximum of 20 years.

LOCATION:
A bottom feeder found in very slow and still waters.

BEHAVIOUR:
Mostly solitary, occasionally in small groups.

FEEDING:
Natural foods include fly larvae, pea mussel, worms and pond snails.

SEASON:
Spring and summer, feeds most aggressively in the first few hours of daylight , there is certainly a special kind of magic to watching bubbles break the surface around your float tip as the dawn mist rises off a lily-lined lake.

HABITAT:
Still or very slow moving waters. Does well in soft-bottomed lakes with rich vegetation.

BAITS:
Bread, maggot, sweetcorn, brandlings and worms. Groundbait, hookbaits in bait- dropper, swimfeeder or blockend.
The Fens are full of Tench they love the muddy waters.