Tench aren’t always the easiest fish to catch and as they are rather sensitive to certain weather conditions, fishing for them in the wrong weather can ruin your entire session. In order to save you from blanking and help you catch more fish, I have put together this helpful article on the best weather for tench fishing.
The best weather conditions for tench include calm or moderate southern or southwestern winds, a slowly falling or stable low air pressure, moderate temperatures and an overcast sky. Fishing for tench before or after a storm front can be especially rewarding.
Keep reading this article if you want to find out more details on the best weather for tench. They’ll certainly land you more fish!
Pro Tip: Being able to keep an eye on the outside temperature and, even more importantly, on the barometric pressure, will definitely help you pick those perfect days for your tench sessions. A small digital weather station at home can be of huge help in that regard. You can find the weather station I use on Amazon here.
What Are the Best Weather Conditions for Tench Fishing?
I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours fishing for tench of all sizes. I have literally fished for them in all weathers. Some sessions I’ll never forget, while others, which didn’t go so well, were quickly erased from my memory.
But after each session, I put all the info of the present weather conditions in my little notebook and over the years (more than 15 now, to be exact), some very obvious patterns revealed themselves. Here they are:
Winds
Tench like warmer weather, that’s something I’ve learned early on. And winds from the south or west usually bring in warmer air.
If that air has some humidity to it, your sessions will most likely go even better! Tench really love warmer, heavier weather that feels like rain is on the way if you know what I mean. It makes them go absolutely nuts!
Barometric Pressure
Such winds are more often than not coupled with a slowly falling or a relatively stable low barometric pressure. In my experience, virtually all species tend to become more active during low air pressure systems, but tench really stick out in that regard.
If the air pressure is falling, you should definitely head out to the bank, because that’s really a signal for an upcoming active feeding period. It’s like they go from no activity at all to feeding as much as they possibly can. If and when that occurs, you’ll want to be ready!
Pro Tip: Low-pressure systems can really get the big tench girls going! Large specimens of more than 6lb demand the right type of gear, otherwise, you’ll have a hard time landing those strong and wild fish. If you need some helpful gear tips, make sure to also read my article on the best rods for tench.
Temperatures
No matter if you’re fishing in spring, summer, or autumn, the air and water temperatures should always be in the mild-moderate range.
Too cold temperatures will turn the tench right off, which is why it’s so hard to catch them during the winter.
On the other hand, too warm weather, in the middle of summer, can also disturb the tench’s appetite quite severely, even though they like warmer conditions.
Once again, the combination of southern winds and a low air pressure usually equals milder temperatures. So, more often than not, they’ll go hand in hand and offer you the very best of tench weather conditions.
RELATED ARTICLE: Make sure to also read this helpful article on the best time of day to catch tench
Clouds
Additionally, fishing under an overcast sky can be a really good idea, as clouds tend to keep the warmer air locked beneath them.
Here, we’re talking thick, greyish clouds that prevent most or all of the sunlight from getting through. Those are really brilliant when it comes to tench fishing.
As a bonus, clouds also mean lower light conditions underwater, which is always advantageous when fishing, as it offers the fish more cover to move and feed under.
Pro Tip: Does that mean you shouldn’t fish when it’s sunny? Not at all! Sunny summer days can spell really awesome tench fishing sessions as well. Just make sure that you got those southern winds and relatively low air pressure in place.
Do Tench Bite When it Rains?
Tench do feed and bite in the rain, but based on my experience, they do so far less than in dry weather. And while lighter drizzles are totally fine to fish in, the heavier the rain gets, the more inactive they will become.
Heavy rain will also make life much harder for you on the bank, which is why I generally recommend anglers not to fish in the rain. It’s just not worth it, in my opinion, and can definitely affect your fishing experience negatively.
Because not only are the tech harder to catch but both you and your gear will also get soaking wet. In the worst case, you even catch a cold and won’t be able to fish for a few days.
Instead, head out before or after bad weather strikes!
RELATED ARTICLE: Make sure to also read this article on the best ways of targeting really big specimen tench
Bonus Tip: Fish Before and After Thunder Storms
While fishing in the rain is not a good idea, targeting tench before or after a thunderstorm can be absolutely brilliant! Trust me, whenever I head out for a session while a storm was slowly building up, or just after one had passed, I always experience the craziest feeding frenzies.
It’s like the tench are eating their last supper! I think this has to do with a) the rapidly falling air pressure before a storm, and b) the slowly re-stabilizing conditions and the boost of oxygen in the water after a storm.
Obviously, heading out to the bank after a violent storm has passed is safer than heading out before one hits, although the benefits are definitely worth it. Just make sure you and your rods are away from the water before the first thunders arrive, it’s not worth the risk!
RELATED ARTICLE: Make sure to also check out this article if you want to read up on how to best fish for tench at night.
Worst Weather for Tench Fishing
I also wanted to give you the other end of the weather spectrum, because it’s easily happened that you feel the urge to fish and head out for a quick session, no matter the weather.
And while that’s totally fine to do, planning your sessions based on the weather can be a very wise thing to do if you want or need to optimize your time and fishing.
If that’s the case, you should avoid fishing for tench during the following weather conditions:
- Northern and eastern winds
- Longer periods of high air pressure
- Frost (especially during the nights)
- Clear skies
- Fog
Tench absolutely detest cold weather and I have found that chilly northern or eastern winds really turn them off almost completely.
Frost and cold nights also cause inactivity in tench and it’s gonna be rather hard to get them feeding in such conditions.
And finally; fog. Avoid heading out to the bank when it’s foggy. I don’t really know why, but much like carp, tench really don’t feed much at all in foggy weather.
I hope the tips in this article will help you catch more tench and optimize your fishing! The right weather conditions can certainly make a huge difference. Always keep that in mind. Tight lines!