Why tench is most favourite fish to catch?

[Huanzhou Zhu]

Just wondering, what makes the tench the most favourite fish?

And don’t take me wrong, I do like fish tench, although only during the closed season.

 

[Alex Warren]

Personally, I think they’re the perfect ‘second’ species for those that predominantly fish for Barbel.

If you’re lucky enough to have access to a venue that hold Tench of specimen weights, you don’t even have to change your rods & reels!

They accept most, if not all, of the baits that a Barbel angler would have in the bait cupboard or freezer.

Tactics aren’t drastically different either, i.e bed of bait and feeder or lead over the top with a hair-rigged morsel. Although, my preferred way of catching them is flicking out a peacock quill, fished lift method style into a jacuzzi of pin-prick fizzing (nothing better in any type of angling, in my opinion).

They fight like tigers. Personally, I think if they’re above a certain weight - around 5-6lbs, I suppose - you’re never really sure of their size until you get that first slap of the paintbrush tail on the surface. The first one of those in Spring always a welcome aspect of the fishing calendar.

The time of year is great too. Nature coming back to life after a winter slumber. Dawn and dusk always seem to be ‘turned up to 11’ in Spring.

Finally, those little teddy bear eyes…

‘April is the cruelest month…’. T.S Eliot obviously never went Tenching. Silly bugger…

I only managed a couple of sessions last season and the same the season before. Covid & work. Hoping to get out a bit more this Spring.

 

[Rhys Perry]

Something special about a tench, they're so different from most other British species.
If you're old enough to remember a time when carp weren't everywhere, the tench would likely be your first 'proper' fish caught float fishing as a kid, so it holds a lot of nostalgia I'd say.
Now his tench waters are so rare they've become special for all the wrong reasons, same with crucians, sad really.

Also they're quite pretty, well I think so!

 

[Richard Isaacs]

3rd place for me just below our fantastic toothy predator….. what’s not to love about tench besides the fact they can be a bit of a mission to keep a hold of
Green fish with red eyes that don’t half know how to pull back.
Gotta be caught on a lovely soft float rod to really appreciate what they are all about.
If it wasn’t for tench then the closed season for me really would be a 3 month break from fishing altogether.

 

[Clive Kenyon]

In this region tench are very scarce in the public waters, but I didn't realise how scarce. An 18 hectare lake I have been fishing for tench for the last two years without success has been drained for repairs to the dam. They took out just over 4 tonnes of fish of which just 10.5 kilos were tench! In another smaller lake there were 900kg of fish removed, almost half of which were invasive species and just one solitary kilo was attributed to tinca tinca.

Tench and grayling were in my top 5 of favourite fish before coming out here. Now I only have a top 3

 

[Joe Winstanley]

I love tench fishing. Are my favourite species? Between April and June almost certainly! Apart from the fact they fight hard, for me it's also lot about the time of year and the location.

For me there is nothing more magical than tench fishers dawn on a 10,000 year old Cheshire/Shrops mere in May and June. Cup of tea in hand, watching the mist rise up of the water waiting for the first signs of tench rolling in your swim. I often do overnighter just to make sure I'm by the water at 4am all ready to go.

They are almost a curious enigmatic species, frustrating so at time, but it's all part of the charm. Baits that work one day, suddenly don't the next. A good tip I was given by a top tench angler was always to take at least 3 choices of hookbait with you, for me that's nearly always maggots, corn or 10mm fruit boilies.

Fingers crossed they won't have spawned before the two test matches V NZ in June TMS and tench fishing with the sun ones back is my idea of heaven.

 

[Matt Smith]

I love tench fishing. Are my favourite species? Between April and June almost certainly! Apart from the fact they fight hard, for me it's also lot about the time of year and the location.

For me there is nothing more magical than tench fishers dawn on a 10,000 year old Cheshire/Shrops mere in May and June. Cup of tea in hand, watching the mist rise up of the water waiting for the first signs of tench rolling in your swim. I often do overnighter just to make sure I'm by the water at 4am all ready to go.

They are almost a curious enigmatic species, frustrating so at time, but it's all part of the charm. Baits that work one day, suddenly don't the next. A good tip I was given by a top tench angler was always to take at least 3 choices of hookbait with you, for me that's nearly always maggots, corn or 10mm fruit boilies.

Fingers crossed they won't have spawned before the two test matches V NZ in June TMS and tench fishing with the sun ones back is my idea of heaven.

Snap to all of that Joe, just swap in Yorkshire gravel pits for your mere and casters and worms for your corn and boilies! Harder and harder to find/access good waters though

 

[Joe Winstanley]

Snap to all of that Joe, just swap in Yorkshire gravel pits for your mere and casters and worms for your corn and boilies! Harder and harder to find/access good waters though

Fair point regarding casters, great tench bait that I’ve probably underused. I’m crap at keeping lobs, but mates have cleaned up on them on southern gravel pits. Paternoster running rigs, fished on a long drop - old school style!

 

[Huanzhou Zhu]

It seems it is harder and harder to fish tench in the natural water? My club lake has some tench there, but the lake is also occupied by the swimmers and boats...

 

[Richard Turner]

It seems it is harder and harder to fish tench in the natural water? My club lake has some tench there, but the lake is also occupied by the swimmers and boats...

And if it's not swimmers and boats, it's carpets!

 

[Tim Marks]

It seems it is harder and harder to fish tench in the natural water? My club lake has some tench there, but the lake is also occupied by the swimmers and boats...

Apologies for a slight thread hijack.

A guy I know owns 3 lakes/pits somewhere in the west London area. He hates anglers and says that all they do is moan. He takes more money in one day of open water swimming than he does for a seasons fishing. And he says the swimmers say ‘thank you’ when they leave.

The anglers also expect him to be there every day shooting cormorants; yet they still won’t pay sensible money.

I have a suspicion that one of his lakes used to be a famous specimen tench water (which I have fished!).

PS I’m biased because I run a fishery.

PPS I still love tench fishing !

 

[Chris Jones]

Just wondering, what makes the tench the most favourite fish?

They aren't necessarily my absolute favourite, but they are one of three.

In my case, the reason for their status is that they occupy a fine line between being a viable target and being a relatively difficult target. The crucian might be a fourth favourite but they happen to be an unrealistic target locally. The fact that tench fight really well for their size is also a significant factor.

One thing I do find is that lots of people say that they are their favourite fish. However, not many are prepared to put their money where their mouths are when presented with the chance of fishing a venue with fish to a decent size. Similar can be said of plenty of non-carp obsessed coarse anglers.

 

[Joe Winstanley]

One thing I do find is that lots of people say that they are their favourite fish. However, not many are prepared to put their money where their mouths are when presented with the chance of fishing a venue with fish to a decent size. Similar can be said of plenty of non-carp obsessed coarse anglers.

That is a very accurate observation.

 

[Matt Smith]

One thing I do find is that lots of people say that they are their favourite fish. However, not many are prepared to put their money where their mouths are when presented with the chance of fishing a venue with fish to a decent size. Similar can be said of plenty of non-carp obsessed coarse anglers.

Good point. Possibly due to the tench ‘season’ being so short or the carp waters having waiting lists that are decades long? And in reality, are there even that many venues that fall into the bracket we’re talking about? Genuine question as I am very much not in the know

 

[Tim Marks]

That is a very accurate observation.

What’s the definition of ‘not many’.

I’ve been in numbers of small syndicates for tench waters, bream waters, roach waters as well as more obvious carp waters. All the non carp tickets were limited and usually sold out. At the time I was a serious speci angler - so high enough up the ‘grapevine’ to find out about these waters early enough to get a ticket… the deal was you joined these places at the start because if you waited for the second season and the fishing had bern good; you then couldn’t get in ! I think it’s called FOMO these days.

Examples being; Englefield - bream/tench, Broadwater - bream, lower Mill (CWP) roach and tench etc etc. I didn’t join willow pool (roach central for a number of years) but thats another example.

I can also remember back to the old June 16 start date and getting to waters days before the start to secure a swim ! A mate once went to a Kent water (Johnson’s) 14 days early !

 

[Mark Walker]

As a kid tench we’re the most likely big fish I would catch. The lakes had a handful of old big carp but they weren’t realistic targets for me. I float fished for whatever came along and hoped for a tench. They were my favorite species until I discovered barbel and I always made time to fish for them and always float fished even if feeder fishing was likely a better method. Just something about being by a lake at sunrise watching a float and the bubbles knowing something was going to happen.
Both barbel and tench have now been overtaken by Steelhead as my favourite fish but tench will always hold a special place.

 

[Lee White]

I do love a bit of tench fishing and I'm enjoying more as I fall out of love with carp fishing the idea of linear and the like are just not me even the local club waterso are the same all the gear no idea stoner/plonkies who most probably aren't even bothered to try just get high

Wow I went on one there no its has said it's spring it's the battle the looks theyou do have it all a true coarse sports fish

 

[Graham Elliott]

We suffer in Hereford for tench waters.

And even some further afield in the Cotswolds have been stocked up with carp carp carp.

I fished a local lake a few days ago. To be honest it was simply a nice day to get out, and I only took bread and diced spam.

Over 100 carp mainly between 2 and 10lb.!

Still trying to find somewhere at a reasonable distance with the chance of a double.
Will join SCAC and Also fish Horcott tench lake.

Fished Lemmington Spa waters last season and had days of up to 35 tench, good fun but probably max size 6lb.

Every single lake seems to be stuffed with carp, and then some, And some that have Specimen carp seem to remove the Tench.

Don't really want to queue up at places like Linear but what choices....Anyone got a Syndicate that'll take a tenchfisher?

HORSESHOE full up it seems.

 

[Mark Swaby]

Last Winter we bought 28 very big Tench 6lb + for one of our smaller club lakes. At £18.50 a pound they are the most expensive fish to stock. They were all very long and lean fish ,some will be doubles come May. They were unwanted fish from a Carp Fishery which to me is really sad. Carp anglers do seem to look down on any other species that can pick up a boilie. I think Tench are very popular with older more traditional anglers. Maybe its something to do with the old June 16th closed season start and going Tench fishing

 

[Paul Thompson]

We suffer in Hereford for tench waters.

And even some further afield in the Cotswolds have been stocked up with carp carp carp.

I fished a local lake a few days ago. To be honest it was simply a nice day to get out, and I only took bread and diced spam.

Over 100 carp mainly between 2 and 10lb.!

Still trying to find somewhere at a reasonable distance with the chance of a double.
Will join SCAC and Also fish Horcott tench lake.

Fished Lemmington Spa waters last season and had days of up to 35 tench, good fun but probably max size 6lb.

Every single lake seems to be stuffed with carp, and then some, And some that have Specimen carp seem to remove the Tench.

Don't really want to queue up at places like Linear but what choices....Anyone got a Syndicate that'll take a tenchfisher?

HORSESHOE full up it seems.

Graeme, I've suffered this perennial problem for 20 years or so since moving here. Loved my tench and stillwater bream fishing back in Bedfordshire.
I'm still searching for somewhere close by but to no avail. I'd be happy to travel to Shropshire to a mere somewhere but information is so hard to come by and like you say, most places just seem to be stuffed up with carp.
It's the one thing I miss from home.