First Tench session
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Freshwater Fishing
Forum Name: Coarse Fishing
Forum Description: Anything coarse here....
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=114320
Printed Date: 06 Nov 2026 at 10:49am
Topic: First Tench session
Posted By: o Neill
Subject: First Tench session
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2015 at 4:52pm
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First opportunity this morning to go for Tench at my local venue. After a spring of cold south westerlies this morning drizzle and North westerly was a welcome change. The calm conditions and drizzle kept all but one other water sports user at home and thankfully in the shallow water he decided on a different course of paddling for the rest of the morning. Spent the first hour feeding the swim until the Rudd turned up, ended up with a dozen fish up to a pound but in great condition. In between first Tench run ended in disappointment when the feeder broke the surface to show it tangled around the main line and sure enough metre out from the net the main line gave out at the feeder!  re-rigged, Rudd returned for the next hour then the "second " Tench took. Netted the fish an absolutely perfect fish more like a rugby ball it was one of those moments I wish I had embraced modern technology and had a phone to take the pic. Knelt down to unhook on the mat and there was another trace in her, my one! same fish had broken off an hour earlier. Both hooks removed and she powered off to hopefully successfully spawn. More Rudd followed then a second 3lb Tench, by this time the ripple was developing along with the rain, then it went dead,the ducks were all on the bank going to sleep and it seems to be the same with the fish. Couple more casts to use up the ground bait and the corn went to a couple of pigeons that had steadily got more confident during the morning. Hopefully more northerlies coming to get the fish moving......
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Replies:
Posted By: David Robson
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2015 at 8:25pm
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wanna disclose "my local venue" ------------- I only fish on days that end in "Y" |
Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2015 at 9:42pm
| Not on a public forum. Can PM. |
Posted By: David Robson
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2015 at 9:44pm
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that would be great ------------- I only fish on days that end in "Y" |
Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 19 Nov 2015 at 12:07pm
| Possible second trip this weekend. |
Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 21 Nov 2015 at 7:28am
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gale westerlies at 6am and heavy rain forecast I'll swop the coarse gear for a float tube and go tubing instead tomorrow.
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Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2015 at 2:05pm
| The wind on Sunday put paid to that option! Look again next weekend. |
Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2015 at 4:46pm
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6am and it was chucking it down but little wind so once to brolly was up and gear in place didnt take long for the first couple of Rudd and an excellent 3lb tench. Went quiet until the wind came up but with the passing showers a quiet hour at the lake. Steady run of Rudd up to a pound followed then a slight wind change created a great ripple. Over the next hour four tench up to 4lb but the condition was the best Ive ever seen, normally one or two in good condition but all four fish (hens) were (well are) deep broad fish, all slid back.  By 1pm ground bait was used up, still catching Rudd I packed up to go and look at a couple of other swims...
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Posted By: southernwanderer
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2015 at 5:26pm
| Have they finished spawning up you ways yet? They damm hard to get on the feed when they're in that state of mind! |
Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2015 at 5:46pm
| Seems not yet to have started, sessions do take some work to get them on the feed and then only for a short time, fished this morning from 6.30am to 1pm and it was only an hour with the wind change that got them moving. |
Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 11 Dec 2015 at 6:38pm
  Couple of excellent fish this morning before the westerly went southerly and turned the bite off completely.
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Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 15 Dec 2015 at 7:20pm
Heading out another session tomorrow trying a new swim which Ive not fished for a couple of years but will have a light westerly into my face which could be a good thing. Fish cannot be long off spawning now. Overcast showers in the afternoon so will look to lure fish for a perch later in the day, ordering some drop shot gear over the silly season so I can target them. Tomorrow have a range of Owner Rapala style lures to flick around.
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Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 17 Dec 2015 at 2:26pm
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A new swim did not fire at all, water was stirred up from the persistent westerlies and probably not helped by the bright sunlight which didn't cloud over till mid afternoon when the heavens opened. Not even the Rudd turned up. Could be that the Tench are now spawning anyway. Personally I think if if the winds not from the north the fish simply turn off. Session saved by a lure rod and half dozen perch up to a pound, but even that was challenging with all the suspended leaf matter in the water, stirred up by the wind catching on the hooks and lure body. Anyway new feeder rod on the way.
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Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2016 at 1:05pm
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Back on the water for the first time again this year now that the weather is cooling down and wet weather on the way. Plan to fish two swims over two days.
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Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 15 Sep 2016 at 12:01pm
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New season kicks off this weekend! Going to look at a spot in the reeds that has held my interest in past years may just though need to be in the waders to land the fish! Ground bait is mixed and most gear in the car ready to go.
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Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2016 at 5:17pm
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Frustrating start at 6am with the clouds already motoring across the sky and the willow tree out front being more than stirred by the wind. Bugger it! Decided I would give it a hour, wind died away completely, clouds broke up so after a full breakfast arrived at my swim at 10am. Starting to rain, well tried to, so gear set up groundbait ready and first hour brought little. Then the first catfish then another. Roy arrives and my luck changes first of several nice Rudd followed by the first Tench of the spring. A lovely 3 pound hen, soon followed by another Rudd and another slightly smaller hen Tench! First ones Ive caught in September! Then the catfish came on again so with the corn all but used up I battled the now strong wind and rain for 6 small perch on the spinner before heading home to dry out. Roy has the pics so I'll let him add those. Next time I will give the new swim a go need to be in the waders though to clean it out a little first! |
Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 5:27pm
  The two tench from the weekend. At the time I thought they were both hens but looking at the pics the first one with the size of its fins could be a male. 
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Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 5:28pm
| hmm two pics are in my pictures file but do not appear here. |
Posted By: Fishb8
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2016 at 7:26am
------------- Be yourself; everyone else is already taken |
Posted By: Fishb8
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2016 at 7:38am
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Something very odd going on with posting pictures, right now. ------------- Be yourself; everyone else is already taken |
Posted By: Reel Deal
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2016 at 2:29pm
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Are tench any good to eat? nice looking fish! ------------- The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men's lives the hours spent on fishing - Assyrian Proverb |
Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2016 at 2:47pm
| no it's also important to remember that the fish is under pressure from kio destroying their habitat and illegal fishing from some. the venue itself has warning signs that fish should not be eaten due to water quality issues that are on going. I am going to table a rule change proposal in line with other regions to have a zero catch and kill rule to protect the species . |
Posted By: Fishb8
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 12:40pm
   Tench pics ------------- Be yourself; everyone else is already taken |
Posted By: JW
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 1:43pm
| Great stuff. If my old man sees these I'll never get him back out on the salt next time he's over. His favorite freshwater fish. Always had a bit of a tench fetish. One of my favorites too. Had no idea they were in NZ in numbers. I bet they grow huge. |
Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 5:26pm
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Thanks i have had several expats say the same to me on the bsnk they are a special fish tactically challenging , moody and a powerful fighter. they are not that well spread but where they are they have anglers who really enjoy their sport otaku Wellington Canterbury and north Otago have fisheries out region has suffered from carp problems. going to fish a new venue nextweek that might have them in. my pb is 6 1/2 pound caught three times by three anglers in two weeks from the same swim(different part of the lake) .I know of one over seven pound caught in the 90s. the more of us who fish (and release) these the more likely they will get the protection they deserve ok off my soap box. |
Posted By: lemmy
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 5:36pm
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Tinca Tinca are really cool fish to target called the doctor fish by many as as lots of other species rub up aside them to get a coating of the protective slime to coat other wounds and scrapes ,I think the record is 8.5 lbs in NZ but I have personally seen double figure ones in Lake Pupuke . |
Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 6:25pm
| I'm certain there are double figure fish here. Yes the current record is 8 pound 3 oz still a great fish . |
Posted By: Muppet
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 9:18pm
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Nice one boys good old Tench was always a stubburn fighter 6 1/2 pounds a great PB. I caught one near 10lb back in the UK once a bloody beast got no photo's though just two mates there. Though most I caught weighed about 5lb. My method was simple a hook and slow sinking bread pinched on or two bits of corn lobbed into the weed fringes. Then I would pinch another piece of bread between the first and second guide and pull it down a little and watch the belly in my line. When it went tight and that bread between the guides twitched up I would strike sometimes I used a bottle cap from a washing up liquid bottle as cheap bite alarms! Funnily enough my softbaiting is watching the line in the exact same way its all the same this fishing lark. |
Posted By: o Neill
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 9:38pm
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Now we have all the hi tech gear fish are still the same. Going to try plastic corn soaked in Scopex next. Also corn soaked in strawberry flavouring. |
Posted By: Muppet
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2016 at 9:52pm
| Get all flavoured and coloured corn back in UK o Neill. The range of baits is incredible I know guys who use cockles from the jar for Tench and Bream. I always was old fashioned bread barely sinking on the hook or a whopper worm under a float. |