Tench fish: how it looks and what it eats, maximum weight, breeding, spawning

Tin is an interesting fish that loves a warm water environment and eats almost anything it finds on the bottom of the water. He is rather lethargic and becomes active only when it is time for a meal or when he is on a fisherman's hook. Pulling a tench out of the water is not easy, as it is saved by a slimy body. For many fishermen, catching tench is a special experience, probably because of its rarity (it is listed in the Red Book in some areas), unusual properties of mucus and blood, or delicious taste.

Line Description

Tinca fish (lat. tinca tinca) - the only species of the genus from the vast family of cyprinids, belongs to the species of ray-finned fish.And although they are the closest relatives to carps, they have completely different appearance and behavior - except that the tench has the same antennae near the mouth and it feeds by sucking particles from the bottom. This fish is actually yellow in color, but this will only be visible when all the mucus has been removed, giving the impression that it is shedding - hence the name. In addition, these fish can live up to seventeen years.

Why is it called like this

The tench fish got its name due to the ability to change the color of the scales. When the tench is taken out of the water, the thick layer of mucus darkens, and when it dries, it falls off. An alternative theory suggests that the name comes from the word "sloth" , as this species is known for its sluggish activity.

What a fish looks like

The average size of tench fish is 30-40 cm, but there are cases when it reached up to 70 cm in length. The heaviest specimens can weigh seven to seven and a half kg, and the fish most often caught by Russian fishermen are 230-690 grams.The body is strong and short with a dense layer of mucus that provides protection from predators and also helps the fish avoid oxygen deficiency during the hot summer months when oxygen in the water is insufficient.

The appearance of this attractive fish is unique; the color changes depending on the environment - if she lives in muddy water, she will be dark brown, and if she lives on sandy shores and in clear waters, then silver-green.

The tench's eyes are small and red, located deep in the head, which makes it look bulky. In addition, the pharyngeal teeth have curved ends arranged in a single row, and the tail is straight, without any strong notches or depressions; what's more, the fins are darker than the rest of the body and appear to be somewhat thick.

Outwardly, the tench looks like a crucian, but the second differs in the caudal fin, which has a "notch" , and fewer rays in the dorsal fin.The male and female tench are distinguished by their ventral fins - in males they are larger, and the second ray is thicker. Also, males are usually smaller than females as females grow 30-40% faster.

Varieties

There are no other varieties of tench in the wild, but scientists have obtained the Kwalsdorf and golden species through breeding.

The Kwolsdorf tench is quite large, with a typical weight of 1.5 kg, but otherwise looks typical. The golden tench has an elongated body and yellow-orange scales, making it popular both for fishing and for decorating artificial ponds.

In addition, tench species are grouped by habitat:

lake lines are large and live in large bodies of water;
pond lines are thinner than their lake counterparts and live in smaller bodies of water;
dwarf lines grow up to a maximum of 12 cm due to overpopulation of the habitat;
finally, river lines live in slow-flowing rivers and have a slightly curved mouth along with conspicuous thinness.

Habitat

Ling is found in many parts of Europe and in temperate regions of Asia. In Russia, it is distributed in the upper reaches of the Ob and Yenisei rivers and in the southwestern waters of Lake Baikal. He especially likes to live in places located near the following water bodies: Azov, Caspian Sea; and also near Black and B altic.

Fish prefer habitats such as river bends or canals with slow moving water, ponds surrounded by reeds or sedge, and lakes. It tends to avoid bright light, so it stays close to the bottom or hides among vegetation. Tench loves silt, because it is from it that he extracts food.

In the summer, it moves to shallow water with a warm temperature and a depth of no more than two meters. It does not require high levels of oxygen to survive, unlike other fish. When the weather is hot, activity slows down significantly.This species spends its entire life where it was born - adults live alone, while juveniles form small groups of 6-15 individuals.

The tench is usually lethargic and clumsy, but when he gets hooked, he shows speed and ferocity when trying to break free. Falls into hibernation and emerges in the spring when the water temperature reaches 4°C. In order to feed, the tench stirs up the bottom of the reservoir, as a result of which bubbles form on the surface, indicating its location.

How tench breeds

Puberty reaches about 3-4 years, when the weight reaches 200-400 grams. Spawning usually occurs in June or July when the water temperature is 18-20°C, although in Eastern Siberia it occurs in early August.

Lays eggs in calm waters and does it in several stages with breaks between them up to two weeks. The eggs are greenish in color and 1-1.2 mm in size, while the fish produces from 20,000 to 600,000 of these eggs.It takes 70-150 hours to hatch - a relatively short period - and the fry emerge 4 mm long. They then feed on yolk sacs for several days near their birthplace. After that, they group together and begin to feed on algae or zooplankton until they reach 3-5 cm by the end of their first year. A doubling of this size occurs by the fifth year, when the young grow to about 20 cm in length.

Sustaining life is quite a challenge for these miniature animals: they have to quickly find food and escape from being prey to all kinds of other fish (including their older brothers and sisters). Very few succeed, so baby tench are rarely seen in fisheries. The survivors hide in the vegetation, consuming ever larger aquatic insects.

Natural Enemies

The tench's mucous membrane helps protect it from those who want to eat fish meat, because predators are scared off by its slimy texture. However, fry and caviar, which are eaten with pleasure by waterfowl, perches, pikes, otters and muskrats, are destroyed in huge quantities. Caviar also disappears due to natural phenomena, such as a drop in the water level, which causes it to dry out.

If we consider the tench population as a whole, they are currently not in danger; however, there are several factors that have a negative impact on them, such as the decline in the quality of lakes due to human activities. The tench is also vulnerable in winter when the water level drops sharply, causing it to freeze into ice. In addition, their numbers are declining due to an increase in populations of rattan fish that feed on their caviar and fry.

Lin is listed in the Red Book of the Yaroslavl region, Buryatia and the Irkutsk region, and abroad he was given a conservation status due to the small population in Germany.

The nuances of catching fish

Spring comes in March and with it the tench season begins, which lasts until mid-May, when the fish go to spawn. The season usually closes with the onset of cold weather, around mid-October. Fishing for this lazy and cautious aquatic creature can seem tedious and difficult, but it can be made interesting if you know its behavior well.

For fishing, bottom and float rods are usually used, with worms or larvae being the preferred bait at the beginning of the season. Since aquatic plants begin to germinate later, their shoots or parts of leaves are recommended to be used for complementary foods. Toward the end of summer, for the best result, it is recommended to diversify the “treat” with peas, pearl barley, cottage cheese and dough.

When biting on pieces of bait, it often takes several minutes before the fish swallows them; at this time, the movements of the line are so subtle that anglers may mistake them for interest from small fish.

Pulling the fish out of the water is necessary when the float suddenly capsizes or sinks. If a large tench grabs the bait, it will resist strongly - fight vigorously and try to hide in the vegetation or burrow into the mud. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the fishing line is strong. The probability that the hook will pop out of the mouth of the fish is small, but it can happen.

Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionWhen the fish is exhausted from the struggle, it is carefully pulled ashore, not allowing it to splash, as this can scare away other fish. At the very end, it is worth using a net, since the mucus can save the fish, help it slip out of your hands.

Is selling fish profitable

The breeding of this species is not a particularly profitable business venture. However, it can become a pleasant pastime or a source of additional income.

First, you will either have to rent a lake from the state or build a small pond that meets certain criteria, such as clay soil and high water levels. For any of these options, you will need to obtain the necessary permissions before starting the project.

Sometimes fish are farmed for sale or people are charged for the pleasure of fishing. There are two ways that you can go: put one mature female and two or three males into a small pond, or purchase fry that weigh 35-40 grams at first, but with proper nutrition can reach 200 grams by the second year, and after three years - 400 grams.

Also, it's best to initially release one fry, wait for it to acclimatize, and then add relatives. However, no more than 500 fry should be kept per 50 square meters, because otherwise they will not have enough space or food.

Ling is a typical inhabitant of ponds, where crucian carp, carp and silver carp are also found. When planning to create a pond for the purpose of paid fishing, it is important to take this circumstance into account, since the tench is not an active fish, usually remaining near the bottom.

Determining the profitability of a business enterprise for breeding this aquatic inhabitant depends on many factors, for example, what types of fish will be adjacent to it, and what is the purpose of creating such a pond. Adults are fed with grain waste and combined feeds, and juveniles are fed with worms, grass seeds, and crushed potatoes.

Interesting facts

A few additional details to complete the portrait of the hero of the material:

The mucous membrane of this fish has antibiotic properties, which makes it useful for medicinal purposes. The researchers noticed that sick individuals swim up to he althy ones and rub their sides - this suggests that they are trying to heal themselves.
The fish is used as an ingredient in the preparation of homemade cakes - the filling from its meat turns out to be delicious and juicy. From a nutritional point of view, meat is low in calories (40-45 kcal per 100 grams) with a moderate fat content (3.5-3.8%).
Dietitians note that this fish is able to provide the human body with iodine, fluorine, phosphorus, vitamins A, C, E, PP, B2, B6 and B12, along with polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Ling is an attractive and determined fish with delicious meat. Fishing with it will be a pleasure for people who are energetic and have quick reflexes - thus, the angler will experience great satisfaction, and the family will be able to enjoy the fish during the meal.