Lost All Our Tench (Garden Pond)

[Robwooly]

Recently got round to replacing the net at dads, we knew a heron was getting on during winter and thinned out a few goldfish and rudd which wasn't really a bad thing as the pond was getting a bit overstocked with successful breeding, however after doing a recent spring spruce up of the pond (like Dave's post) I was really surprised and dismayed to find our four tench gone when the water cleared. With dad's health taking precidence and him living in London meaning winter visits didn't involve the pond I feel it's totally my fault that the pond was on the backburner but it was one of those things.

Gutted for these tench as they were getting on for 40 years old as dad got them as fry swishing a net in a local pond way back when I was a small child. Still trying to work out how the tench were had as most the rudd actually survived including a golden one and quite a few white goldfish too. Can only guess that the tench got stirred from their winter slumber all groggy by the heron who was a persistent sod at getting under the net and in the water finding the smallest gaps, but the pond is over two feet deep in the middle so.. Another theory having visitied a club pond on a cold wintry day to find all the tench just milling about under the surface is that they aren't the bottom silt dwellers over winter we think they are?

Not sure if I have an answer so any suggestions welcome but I do feel these old tench have been as mysterous in their passing as they were in their long lives, just a bit upset we never got to see how long they could have actually lived for.

 

[Dave]

Are you sure they have gone though?

I've got three green Tench in my pond and thought they'd gone years ago as they were never seen.
Then last year they showed up, one is about 3lb the other two about 2lb.
I've not seen them again since.

 

[Me and my lad]

Are you sure they have gone though?

I've got three green Tench in my pond and thought they'd gone years ago as they were never seen.
Then last year they showed up, one is about 3lb the other two about 2lb.
I've not seen them again since.

I have similar in my pond. They went in and disappeared over the next few months. All thriving now.

 

[62tucker]

When did you last see them as tench should only live to 15 to 20 years.

 

[rudd]

Having stocked Tench in club waters over the years, they are the Houdini of the fish world.
Seen them stocked and not get caught until four years later.
There are seasons or even multiple seasons where they just disappear, all of a sudden they get caught for a while, then disappear again.

 

[62tucker]

I have 3 in my garden pond.
Even when it’s crystal clear they are still hard to spot.
Usually see them up feeding on floating pellets

 

[Robwooly]

I really do hope they show up, but we have both scanned the pond which is pretty clear but haven't seen them, we do have lillies/rushes so they could be tucked away, here's hoping.

As for their age I too have heard that they are supposed to only live for 20 years which makes these fish special, I would have been between 8-12 I would imagine when dad fished them out, late forties now so doing the maths makes 40 years old a pretty good estimate, one always had three weird spots on it's back in a triangle which made it identifiable.

Our pond was nothing special, not that big and these tench were bar of soap size all their lives, we have always had plenty of plants, decent filtration/bio and many times the water was cloudy, maybe an ideal environment for tench, aside from that heron of course, here's hoping they show but I fear the worst

 

[Simon R]

I have a pair of golden tench in the pond - every year I think I've lost them as they always seem to be the last fish to reappear - I've spotted one - possibly both but their markings are very similar and unless I spot them together I can't be sure they've both survived.

I do have a 20 year old crucian carp in the pond that I bought from the long gone Kinross Nurseries on the outskirts of Hutton Rudby in 2003.
Being non-ornamental it's tricky to spot but is the biggest fish in the pond by a considerable margin

Simon

 

[Me and my lad]

One occasion of having to do a full pond clean I thought I had lost my tench, they were in the lilly basket when I lifted it out. Don't give up hope.

 

[Robwooly]

We've done pond water changes and moved house with these fish and sometimes you find everything but the tench yet they would be there in an inch of silt at the end, I would have thought they would be coming up for food and/or visible this time of year as they used to feed in winter on warm days

 

[Foul hooked]

Years ago my grandad had a pond with a couple of tench in. Hadn’t seen them for years, but when the pond sprang a leak and he cleared it out, they were there buried in the silt at the bottom. He gave them to a neighbour who also had a pond.