Tinca on the top?

[MaggotDrowner]

I was at a club pond the other day and there were LOADS of tench swimming around in the upper 2ft of water so I had a go at catching one on the top with floating bread and dog biscuits. I only managed to interest the waterfowl and gave up after an hour. I think the fish had other interests other than food that day...

But do tench feed on the top? I have caught them well off the bottom when fishing for roach and rudd on the drop but never on the surface.

[Robbi]

were they spawning perhaps ? or at least getting ready too ?

[MaggotDrowner]

were they spawning perhaps ? or at least getting ready too ?

That's what I mean by "I think the fish had other interests other than food that day".

[MaggotDrowner]

were they spawning perhaps ? or at least getting ready too ?

I think they might have been, Robbi. That's what I mean by "I think the fish had other interests other than food that day".

[Robbi]

Ah ! sorry matey, i'm a bit slow tonight !

[AshbyCut]

In this picture (taken in August 2010) there was a tench cruising just below the surface of a small pond (approx 60 yds x 25 yds) whose surface was covered by a shoal of an estimated 150 to 200 rudd (see the posting in the Rudd thread).

[Dave Burr]

Tench do cruise about like carp but I think you are right MD, they were almost certainly looking to get 'at it'.

I once fished a shallow lake on a caravan site. No fishing was allowed but the owner wanted to remove some grass carp from the pool so three of us had a go one day. We surmised that feeding them on the top and picking out the grass carp was the best way about it and set about throwing crust hither and yon. What we had not banked on was the two million ducks and their ability to spot a Mother's Pride bag from a thousand paces so all sorts of brolly waving and decoy laying was put into place.

Ultimately, the water was alive with tench, none of us saw a carp but each of us caught between 20 and 30 tench, mainly off the top or on very slow sinking bread. In short (eventually), yes, tench do feed off the top especially if its through a weed bed.

As an aside, there were a couple of eels of around 4lbs that were also taking crust off the top! Its just a case of opportunistic feeding I suppos. I failed to get an eel to take due to the number of tench and ducks competing but I would have loved to have a crust caught eel on my angling CV, that would be a bit special.

[Colonelgsc]

I recall, in the mid 70's, visiting the Yateley Car Park pit during the close season, to bait up only, I should add. I watched a couple of hundred or more of the Tench we were after, packed shoulder to shoulder, just basking in the afternoon sun. It was a memorable sight, not to be repeated before or since.
Those were the days when my car was often the only one in the car park, even on a Saturday morning.................until the word got out, and the 'bounty hunters' moved in. The rest is history, as they say.

[JerryC]

I've caught many tench over the years on the top and up in the water whilst fishing for carp, for some reason most of them have been male.

[Shaun Harrison]

I too have had Tench off the surface from more than one water. The Tench could be suffering a bit of an oxygen crash as well though. This stormy weather can create issues.