Norwegian record Tench: 3.96 kg

About Tench

The tench (Tinca tinca) is a stocky member of the carp group with a deep back, a thick tail root and tiny scales set in thick, slimy skin. It is olive green to dark brown, often with a golden sheen, and has a pair of short barbels at the corners of the mouth. It can grow to about 70 cm and 7–8 kg, but in Norway fish over 3 kg are uncommon. Tench like warm, nutrient-rich, weedy waters with soft bottoms. They are mainly active at night, rooting through the mud for snails, midge larvae and other small animals. The species is not native to Norway: it was stocked in the south as early as the 1800s and has since spread along the Skagerrak coast and into Innlandet, largely through illegal releases. Tench is on the Norwegian alien species list with high risk (HI, 2023), so it must not be moved to new waters.

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Lovdata, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Ferskvann
• Best month: Juni

See the species guide

Biggest Tench in FishComp

Caught a Tench? Log it in FishComp.

How to register a Norwegian record

1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.