Tench

Tinca tinca

Tench (Tinca tinca) is a hardy European cyprinid that lives in warm, still freshwater and is famous for its olive-gold body and tough fighting spirit. It feeds mostly near the bottom on invertebrates and plant matter, and is a popular coarse-fishing species in ponds, lakes, and slow rivers.

Freshwater

Tench reference image — Encyclopædia Britannica Editor Thomas Spencer Baynes and William Robertson Smith, public-domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Identification points

Small barbel at each corner of the mouth
Thick olive-bronze body with very small, deeply embedded scales
Rounded fins and a distinctly red-orange eye in many adults

Habitat

Shallow to moderately deep, weedy lakes, ponds, backwaters, canals, and slow rivers with soft mud or silt bottoms; often found among reed beds and submerged vegetation in warm, low-flow water.

Bait notes

Best on sweetcorn, bread, worms, maggots, casters, pellets, and fishmeal or groundbait mixes; a small pop-up or wafters can work over light baiting in summer.

Behavior

Mostly benthic and crepuscular, tench root in mud for bloodworms, insect larvae, snails, and detritus; they become more active in warm water and can be wary in clear, pressured fisheries.

Caution

none notable

Fishing notes

Fish near weed edges, lily pads, and soft bottoms with light ledger or float tackle; feed a small, regular baited area and use a sensitive bite indication, as tench often mouth baits subtly.