Tench picture

[Dunk Fairley]

Did the fish come from a shallow water? If it did, then it could well be a slim girly, possibly shortly after spawning.

[Anderoo]

Thanks everyone. It's a young fish from deepish (about 8') water. It was caught well before spawning, but when all the other females I caught were heavy with spawn. At the time I thought it was a female which was yet to fill up or had somehow spawned very early.

 

There's a reason I didn't say what it weighed! I don't have separate male and female tench 'PBs' though, so I'm not trying to up a PB. Just interested, as I can't say either way. If it was a male, it was very big. If it was a female, when fully in spawn it would also be very big!

 

Here a picture from the other side:

 

 

[Dick Dastardly]

  wyeknot said:

You see, the 'muscles' that are normally seen just above the ventral (pelvic) fins are the male reproductive organs and develop as the fish matures.

 

Regards,

 

Steve C.

 

 

Thanks Steve another thing Ive learned.

[Kappa]

  wyeknot said:

You see, the 'muscles' that are normally seen just above the ventral (pelvic) fins are the male reproductive organs and develop as the fish matures.

 

Thats what I thought! given the size of this fish though I think it must be mature!

 

On that note I can't decide which sex it is as either one would make this fishes weight obsene!

 

Rich

[oneillbox]

i am 100% definate that it is a male fish, the fins are the give away, the pronounced muscles are only visible in about 90% of male fish, but the female NEVER has male fin shape, this is 100% definate a male !!

[Dick Dastardly]

  oneillbox said:

i am 100% definate that it is a male fish, the fins are the give away, the pronounced muscles are only visible in about 90% of male fish, but the female NEVER has male fin shape, this is 100% definate a male !!

 

So the "males" that dont show these "muscles" havnt reached sexual maturity for some reason then?

[Dan Dan]

gay tench?

[Anderoo]

Steve Burke had a secret 3rd option - sterile female?

[Guest tigger]

  oneillbox said:

this is 100% definate a male !!

 

 

Without a doubt. If you look at Tincatincas male tench he caught at the Wingham fish in appart from the swollen sexual organs the fish are very similar. The Pelvic fins on a male tench are thicker and bigger than the female and are very close to the anal fin. The females pelvic and anal fin are much further appart.

[Kappa]

Sorry for bringing up an old topic. I'm reading Len Head's book 'Tench'. He mentions captures of hermaphrodite tench, I reckon this tench is one. Interestingly he mentions some can spawn e.g. The record male from Bures (not sure when) was caught and witnessed by several Tenchfishers members and pronounced male as it had all the accepted male features. Yet the next year the same fish was caught again but this time full of spawn!

 

Of course some species can actually change sex too so maybe that can happen in tench?

 

Rich