Tench and Rose Tinted Spectacles

[BoldBear]

I was just thinking (I do occasionally contrary to popular befief) we used to catch loads of Tench in the old days that were a lovely deep green with tints of yellows & gold on their undersides and even the occasional hint of red glinting through in the light; but nowerdays they all seem to be a dull golden brown. Why is that??. Was it because the waters that we fished were thick with canadian pond weed and water insects which caused the colours to be more vivid? or am I looking back through rose tinted spectacles and it's just because the Tench we catch now are bigger and grow faster ??

Edited March 20, 2009 by BoldBear

[wayne baker]

I was just thinking (I do occasionally contrary to popular befief) we used to catch loads of Tench in the old days that were a lovely deep green with tints of yellows gold and the occasional hint of red that glinted through in the light on their undersides; but nowerdays they all seem to be a dull golden brown. Why is that??. Was it because the waters that we fished were thick with canadian pond weed and water insects which caused the colours to be more vivid? or am I looking back through rose tinted spectacles and it's just because the Tench we catch now are bigger and grow faster ??

I know what you mean i have noticed that as well. Im no expert but i would say its most likely down to growth rates. If im not mistaken fish colour pigment is quite slow developing and if the fish grows to fast they tend to be paler. I think pike are a good example of this. It could also be down to other factors like diet and water quality

[Guest tigger]

BB I still catch the really deep green tench in some pretty much unfished waters. One particular water is very clear andyou would imagine the tench would be pale but funny enough there mostly dull olive green. There are the occasional lighter coloured ones. I don't see any with the orange bellies or deep yeollow bellies like I used to catch when I was an early teenager. This weather is perfect for the tincas ....BB you'd better go christen your new rod bud I reckon late afternoon/early evening when the waters warmed up.

[BoldBear]

Yep the weather is warm and the sun is shining and I can't keep my mind from wandering away from work and through my office window, but I'm hoping to get a few hours in after Tincas tommorrow afternoon/evening, I can't wait.

Edited March 20, 2009 by BoldBear

[Anderoo]

Water clarity is probably a factor - with more carp around now, and therefore less clear water, fish can be less vivid.

 

On gravel pits where the carp are very few and the water generally clear and weedy, you still get the lovely buttery, primrose tench. The colour of tench (like many species, e.g. perch) does change a lot depending on where they live. In fact hopefully Steve Burke will see this and explain how tench even change colour when taken from one water and put in another!

[BoldBear]

I remember once when my small garden pond started leaking; I put some goldfish into a large garden water butt, after a few weeks the water became a rich pea green colour and when I returned them back into the repaired pond they were a vivid red/gold colour which seemed to fade again after a time so I assumed it was the algie they were eating which made them change their colour.

 

Most of the waters that I fish now have Carp in them and are quite a muddy colour and as you say Anderoo Water clarity in these waters is probably a factor as to why the colours are less vivid.

 

I would love to read what Steve Burke has found about how tench change colour when taken from one water and put in another!

Edited March 20, 2009 by BoldBear

[Guest tigger]

The colour of fish does vary for a number of reason......diet, tempreture, time of year and the depth/clarity of the water. If you catch say some Perch and there deep dark colored with bright red fins, put them in a bucket within a short time they will go a pale washed out colour so they can change colour quite quickly.

 

 

I just thought about my tropical reef fish I used to keep in a large aquarium and how they used to line up in a que to be cleaned of parasites etc by the cleaner wrass, they would change colour in front of your eyes while being cleaned allowing the wrass to go inside their gill cover and mouths. Maybe the colour change is due to their feelings/mood/menatal state or to allow the wrass to see the lice/parasites.

Edited March 20, 2009 by tigger

[Chris Plumb]

I've had a few vermillion tench from Yateley's Summer Pit - one I recall had a very reddish underbelly...

 

 

C.

[Steve Burke]

On gravel pits where the carp are very few and the water generally clear and weedy, you still get the lovely buttery, primrose tench. The colour of tench (like many species, e.g. perch) does change a lot depending on where they live. In fact hopefully Steve Burke will see this and explain how tench even change colour when taken from one water and put in another!

 

I'll dig a pic or two out and post again. I'm shortly off to interview a couple of prospective new members.

[BigKev]

here's one i had at the begining of last season it had some quite distinct red blotches