Tench are a hardy freshwater fish with olive-green colour, red eyes and a reputation for being a bit of a quiet achiever. Aussie anglers who chase them like the challenge, because they fight well on light gear and usually turn up when you fish slow and patient.
In Australia, tench are mostly found in southern freshwater systems like farm dams, lakes, slow rivers and weedy backwaters. They like still or gently flowing water with soft mud bottoms, plenty of weed and a bit of cover around the edges.
Tench feed close to the bottom, rooting around in mud and weed beds for worms, insect larvae, snails and other small aquatic tucker. They are not flashy feeders, but once they switch on they will work through an area steadily, especially where food is easy to pick up.
Tide timing does not really matter for tench because they are a freshwater species, so FishCast users should treat tide as a low-impact factor here. Low light is usually better, with dawn, dusk and overcast days often getting them moving more confidently in the shallows. Light to moderate wind can help by rippling the surface and pushing food into margins, but strong wind can make presentation messy in smaller lakes and dams. Swell height is not relevant for tench in inland water, so it has little to no effect on their feeding activity.
A light spin or float outfit is ideal, with small hooks, light line and simple running sinker or waggler-style rigs doing the job. Worms, corn, bread and small dough baits all work, and a bit of quiet berley can help hold fish in one spot if they are nosing around.
Tench can survive in low-oxygen, murky water better than a lot of freshwater fish, which is why they often hang on in old weedy ponds and muddy dams.