Male or Female Tench?

[Zerkalo]

Not the best pic sorry.

 

[nutmeg]

Looks like a female tench, but like you say not the best pic.

 

[SeanB]

I'd say female too, nice fish either way though

 

[Zerkalo]

Yeah the fins aren't very big are they! Sorry about the pic. I tended to photograph them in the landing net so I could get them back as soon as possible. Funny thing is, this was the most male looking one out of 13 I caught! That means 13 female tench!

Look at the lips on this one too! Very big, look swollen or damaged?

 

[Dave]

Looks female to me

 

[Silverfisher]

I suspect female

 

[Zerkalo]

Same fish, slightly different pic. Most male looking one of the day. Maybe just a wimpy male?

 

[Dave]

(Not my drawing)

 

[Me and my lad]

Female.

 

[Zerkalo]

Is it unusual to have a bag of 13 all female? Spot the male?

https://www.maggotdrowning.com/foru...-tales-of-the-unexpected.221661/#post-2555796

 

[Tinca Steve]

Definitely female. At this time of year you will find a lot of same sex tench run together but when then temps are good for breeding you can sometimes find a single female will have several males in attendance.

 

[Sam Vimes]

Is it unusual to have a bag of 13 all female?

To some extent, it depends on the water. However, I can't think of any water I've fished where the number of males caught even came close to matching the females. Since the 11th of May, I've had forty tench. Only four or five have been male.

 

[tipitinmick]

I thought you’d some mysterious Tench / carp hybrid there Zerkalo. The shadow from your net made your Tench look to have more defined scales. I do need to pay specsavers a visit.
It’s a female by the way.

 

[Silver fan 82]

Not the best pic sorry.

View attachment 35839

Id say almost definitely female mate.

 

[robert d]

Not the best pic sorry.

View attachment 35839

Not sure , if its lips were continually moving its female

 

[MartinWY]

Thats a stunning fish in excellent condition. I'm jealous. Have only had one tench since my return and it was a baby of about 1lb.

 

[Silverfisher]

This has made me think I should have checked the couple I put in my pond purely out of interest.

 

[Simon R]

Easiest way to remember the difference is that males are far more bashful than females - their pelvic fins almost covering the vent whilst the females leave it all on show - also there's a pronounced 'bump' on the side of the fin where it's attached to the body of the fish.
Not the best photo but the bottom fish is male, the other two female.


Simon

 

[davepellet]

Defo a female
My wife used to think I was sad for wanting to know the gender of a fish, until I explained that if I caught a 3lb male I could expect there to be 5-6lb females in the same water

 

[squimp]

I think the biggest recorded male tench is over 10lb, maybe even 11lb.

a pal of mine had a mid 9 Male from Englefield many years ago.

there is some suggestion of ‘trans’ tench to part explain the odd really big male fish........

some places the females are considerably bigger, other places not so much.