Read the article with FishingTheSpot: the tench fish
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See the fishing tripsThe Tench fish
All year
25 cm
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The Tench fish belongs to the Cyprinidae family. It rarely exceeds a length of 50 cm for a weight of 2 kg (maximum 70 cm for 8 kg). He can live up to 15 years. It breeds from May to August. Fertility is 300,000 to 800,000 eggs. It can be fished all year round.
The Tench is a fish with a stocky body and compressed laterally. Its head is triangular with a small red-orange eye and a relatively long snout. Its mouth is terminal, small with thick lips and a well-developed barbell at each corner. Its characteristic caudal pedicle is rounded and short. Its skin is thick and viscous. Its scales are very small and covered with a thick layer of mucus. All fins are rounded. The caudal fin has 19 rays. The overall coloring is olive green (sometimes dark green or even almost black) with golden reflections on the ventral side. From the age of two years, males can be distinguished from females: they have ventral fins that reach the anus and the second ray of these fins becomes stronger than the others. It is a groundfish, rather shy, that can be found in small groups of maximum 4 individuals.
The tench fish lifestyle
The Tench is omnivorous. It feeds on bottom invertebrates and aquatic insect larvae. Young people also feed on algae. It becomes active at dusk, and searches the mud and meadows for food, especially at night. It only eats during the summer and overwinters in the mud in a passive state.
Breeding takes place between May and July/August in shallow, vegetatively rich and warm waters (21-25°C). Spawners gather in groups of 10 to 20 individuals to spawn. Tench eggs are very small and adhere to aquatic plants due to their high viscosity. Incubation lasts from 2 to 5 days depending on water temperature and light-sensitive larvae also adhere to aquatic vegetation.
The Tench fish habitat
The tench fish appreciates shallow, muddy and warm waters: slow rivers, shallow ponds, low altitude lakes.... She usually lives on the bottom. It has a good tolerance to low oxygen concentrations. During the winter, she stays on the mud where she hibernates.
The Tench fish is widespread in Europe except in Scotland, Scandinavia and the southern Balkans. It has been introduced voluntarily on all other continents and has been dispersed throughout Europe.
The Tench Fish Angling
As tench is mainly a nocturnal fish, the best times to fish it are in the evening or in the early morning. Fishing with the blow or the English are recommended techniques. The bottom of the line must rest on the bottom without moving to have a chance to catch this very suspicious fish. The positions to be given priority are located directly next to the plants where she takes refuge. The most common baits are maggots, worms, corn. The Tench is a fish that has potential for the development of pond fish farming.
