The ruffe is a fish that belongs to the Perch family. Its closest relatives include chops and perches. Pike perch and percarine also have similar features. Most often, adult specimens reach a size of 12 cm and weigh no more than 25 g. However, sometimes there are specimens whose length is 20 cm and weighs 100 g. The average lifespan of a fish is 6 years, but some individuals live more than 10.
The ruffe is considered primarily a freshwater fish. Its appearance is determined by its habitat. Fish that live in deep reservoirs have a darker color and reach a length of 20 cm. If the fish lives near the shore, it has a lighter color and a relatively short length - up to 12 cm.
The fish is characterized by dull pink eyes that have a blue iris. The ruffe can live in fresh or salt water, forming small schools. It can hardly be called a popular fish. Ruffs are almost never used for industrial purposes. People practically don’t catch fish for themselves either. This is due to the small size of the body, a large number of bones, and the presence of spines on the body.
Types of ruff
The ruffe is an undemanding fish that can live in warm or cold water. It prefers places with a rocky, sandy or slightly muddy bottom. Fish require a lot of oxygen in the water. It also needs a fairly fast current. Predatory fish cannot live in stagnant bodies of water. It is not found in shallow waters. In addition, fast currents are not suitable for fish.
The main types of ruff include:
- Don ruff
- it is also called bobyr, biryuchko, nosar. The fish lives in the basin of the Black and Azov Seas. A large number of ruffs are found in Europe - in the Dniester, Dnieper, and Southern Bug. The distinctive features of the fish are the wedge-shaped head and long snout. The Don ruffe has a retractable mouth and a white belly. Its back is yellowish in color. The length of the fish can reach 20 cm and weigh up to 200 g. - Ruff Baloni
- lives in deep water with running water near the shore line. In this case, the fish chooses steep banks that are located in the shade. Fish do not like places with soft bottoms. That's why it sticks in places covered with sand, clay or gravel. Ruff Baloni lives about 6 years. During this time, it reaches 17.5 cm and gains a weight of 45 g. The fish is also called the Czech ruff. It is found in the basins of rivers such as the Vltava, Laba, and Morava. The Baloni ruff also lives in Pripyat, the Dnieper, and the Danube. The distinctive features of the fish include a humpbacked body, a short and compressed snout and the presence of spines on the gill covers. The fish is also characterized by an unusual tiger color in a gray-yellow palette. - The striped ruffe
is distinguished by its rather impressive size, since it reaches a length of almost 30 cm and weighs about 250 g. But in fishermen’s catches, individuals measuring 18 cm and weighing 70 g are more often found. The fish can be found in reservoirs of Bulgaria and Ukraine. She also lives in Germany. The key difference is the presence of 3-4 stripes directed along the body. They are distinguished by an olive-yellow hue. The ruff has a retractable semi-lower mouth and a slightly elongated snout. The dorsal fin is fused and includes up to 19 rays. - Black Sea scorpionfish
- the only common feature with lake-river individuals is considered to be a set of spines. The fish lives only in salt water and is considered predatory. The ruffe is characterized by a large mouth and an elongated lower jaw. As the fish grows, it sheds its tight skin. Another important difference is the presence of poison in the fins and bone spines. The length of the ruffe can reach 40 cm. Its weight is about 800 g. This fish mainly lives in the Eastern Atlantic. It is also found in the waters of the Azov, Black, and Mediterranean seas.
Marine variety of ruffs
A fish that it is preferable not to meet “face to face” in sea bays and not to eat after frying is the formidable sea ruffe, a well-known representative of the flora of the Black Sea. Otherwise it is called scorpionfish.
It is also found in tropical and southern regions. The Black Sea inhabitant, a devotee of coastal stones, is brown in appearance and perfectly camouflaged in thickets of dense algae. Its dimensions are quite large, up to twenty centimeters in length.
- Sensing danger, the ruff is instantly able to spread its fins with poison from the sides and on the back.
- Therefore, handling it must be extremely careful so that it does not prick your hand.
- Stepping on a ruff while swimming is not so easy. Only noticing the approach, the ruff hastily retreats.
- Generally, caution must be taken during severe storms and large waves.
- At this time, it is almost impossible to notice the scorpion fish, and he does not always manage to leave in time.
Basically, a wound can occur if a person tries to get to know the Black Sea ruff more closely. Some divers, experienced fishermen and divers have suffered poisonous injections when they carelessly tried to unhook fish.
Ruffe spawning
Sexual maturity in fish occurs when they reach a length of 10 cm. This can happen as early as a year after birth. At the same time, the specific timing of ruffe spawning depends on the availability of food and the pace of their development. The older the female, the more eggs she lays. This figure can range from 10 to 200 thousand.
The spawning process takes place in several stages, which last for several months - from March to June. At the same time, the temperature of the water is not too important. Eggs can develop at +6-18 degrees. It takes 1.5 weeks for caviar to mature.
It is worth noting that ruffes can live in rivers and lakes with high acidity. This gives them the opportunity to survive in conditions in which other fish die.
The size of the caviar does not exceed 1 mm. It is laid on a solid base. Its functions can be performed by the bottom of a reservoir or underwater plants. Caviar is highly sticky and yellow in color.
Females spawn in reservoirs whose depth does not exceed 2 m. Males swim near the clutches, protecting the eggs from enemies. The larvae remain at the spawning site for a certain time and develop due to the presence of a yolk bladder. When the fish gain strength, they separate and begin to absorb zooplankton and other food items.
Social structure and reproduction
Photo: Ruff in the river
Ruffs always go to spawn in early spring. In lakes or ponds this happens at the very beginning of the ice melting. But in rivers - approximately until high water. Approximately the end of March-early April is the beginning of spawning. Ruffs have no special preparation for this stage. They can spawn in absolutely any part of the reservoir. Ruffes spawn at night or at least at dusk. Previously, the fish gather in schools of several thousand sexually mature individuals.
One female at a time can lay 50-100 thousand eggs, which are connected by a single mucous membrane. Stones, algae or driftwood, as well as other bottom irregularities, are an ideal place for eggs to attach. The fry emerge from the eggs after about 2 weeks. Almost immediately they begin to actively develop independently: eat and grow. An individual is considered sexually mature at the age of 2-3 years. But at the same time, the readiness for reproduction in ruffes does not at all depend only on age. Body length is also a determining factor. It is believed that for this the fish needs to grow to 10-12 cm. But with such a length, the female can lay no more than several thousand eggs during the first spawning.
Ruffs are not long-lived at all. The female ruffe can live up to a maximum of 11 years, but the male does not live more than 8. At the same time, according to statistics, fish die in natural conditions much earlier than this age. More than 90% of ruffs that are found in nature are individuals that have not yet reached 3 years of age. The majority of young fish do not survive to adulthood due to active natural competition, diseases and lack of oxygen and food in the winter. This is precisely what explains such a large number of eggs laid in one clutch. Often, only 1-2 of them will survive to adulthood.
Habitats of the ruffe
Ruffs live in many European rivers and lakes. The fish is found in the northern regions of Asia. The ruff is also widespread in Russian reservoirs.
The ruffe is a bottom-dwelling fish that does not move to the upper layers of water. Most often it swims in moderate currents and lives in bays. The ruffe is also found in lakes. It can often be seen at river mouths. In addition, fish are also found in salt water.
In addition, ruffes can be found in icy mountain reservoirs. At the same time, they are able to adapt to rivers with a wide range of temperatures - from 0 to +30 degrees. That is why ruffes pose a real danger to cultural reservoirs. They are able to absorb eggs from more valuable species.
Ruffs like ponds that have a clay, gravel or sandy bottom. However, they usually search for food in muddy areas. It is there that all kinds of larvae and benthic insects predominate. This fish does not like grassy areas. It mainly lives in clean and deep places, competing with bream and other large representatives of the Carp family. Optimal living conditions for ruffes include dim lighting of the bottom of the reservoir.
The ruffe is a schooling fish species. At the same time, sometimes flocks are very numerous. They often cover the bottom in individual channels and bays of the Volga. In this case, you should not wait for a bite from other fish species.
What does the ruffe eat?
Photo: Ruff fish
Ruffs are predators. They never consume plant foods. Ruffs mainly consume small crustaceans, as well as insect larvae. But the most dangerous thing for nature as a whole is that ruffes can consume caviar, boys and even other small fish. Because of this, they can cause significant harm to other populations.
If there are too many ruffs in a reservoir, this poses a particular danger to other species living there. These are benthophagous predators that primarily eat bottom dwellers. But in some cases they may well eat insects that fall to the surface of the water. Such insects are especially often collected by fry and young individuals who cannot yet hunt larger fish.
In general, the choice of what kind of food to eat depends specifically on the size of the fish. Rotifers are the main diet for newly born ruffes. Larger fry feed on small crustaceans, daphnia, cyclops, and bloodworms. Young adult ruffs love worms or leeches. But adult large individuals prefer to hunt small fish.
Interesting fact: Ruffs are very voracious. They feed all year round, including winter, when almost all other species prefer not to eat. That is why the growth of ruffs continues constantly.
But at the same time, the most difficult thing at this time is just to find food to feed themselves, because in essence they do not feel full. But due to their active lifestyle, ruffes are not as prone to obesity as some other types of fish. The ruffe hunts most during twilight - it is most conducive to finding food for these fish.
Interesting fact: Ruff can hunt in complete darkness. It does not need vision to find prey. A representative of the population has such a developed lateral line that it detects even the smallest fluctuations in water, helping to recognize the approach of prey even at considerable distances.
Ruff lifestyle
The ruff's lifestyle takes place in lakes and rivers. It is also found in deltaic parts of rivers and desalinated sea bays. In reservoirs, ruffes choose near-bottom coastal zones and open places with a clay bottom. In deep lakes and reservoirs, fish often rise into the water column. In rivers, ruffes avoid areas with currents. They live only in deep reaches and bays.
The ruffe is considered a schooling and relatively sedentary fish. But during the spawning period, it enters rivers that flow into lakes. For wintering, fish can leave the mortuary parts of the reservoir.
The diet of the ruffe is based on small benthic organisms. The fish mainly feeds on bloodworms and jigs. However, if there is a shortage of them, they can eat other types of food. The ruff eats a lot of fish eggs and fry. Large individuals are often predators.
This fish is considered to be very voracious. Per unit weight it eats 6 times more food than bream. The ruff feeds throughout the year and even during spawning. During the day, the greatest activity occurs at dusk and night. In cloudy weather, the ruffe also feeds during the daytime. However, despite this, it is characterized by slow growth. Spawning is portioned. It takes place in spring and the first half of summer. The temperature is +4-18 degrees.
Application
Since the external characteristics of the ruffe are not very conducive to its quick processing, this fish is not particularly popular in cooking. Despite this, the ruff can be a decoration and addition to several quite tasty dishes. Since the stickiness of this fish is quite high, it is often used to prepare fish soup or aspic.
Ruff can also be fried and added to enhance flavor in other fish dishes. The ruff is great for making broth, which is then used as the basis for fish soup or various sauces. Cold smoked ruff, dried and canned, is also valued. Large ruffs can be fried, and small ones can be added to sauces or broths.
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Methods for catching ruffe
Purposefully fishing for ruffe is rarely done. But if there is such a task, you need to use good live bait. In the summer, catching ruffe is worth it at dawn, since during the day the fish become less active. In spring and autumn, the bite does not stop throughout the daylight hours.
For ruff fishing to be successful, it is worth finding some kind of depression at the bottom of the reservoir. In small holes there are whole schools of spiny fish. In addition, fishing can be successful in the area where individual stones, large trees, and snags are located. As bait you can use dung and earthworms, bloodworms, and fish eyes. No bait is required when catching ruffe.
When catching ruffe, it is recommended to use the following gear options:
- In summer, in still water it is permissible to use a float rod.
- On river currents it is better to use Bolognese tackle.
- For fishing from bridges and piers, a summer jig rod with a side nod is suitable.
- In winter, it is better to use a fishing rod with a nod and a jig with a bloodworm.
What does the ruffe bite on in summer and winter?
In open water, all kinds of bait of animal origin are used:
- earthworm and dung worm, a piece of crawling material;
- maggot, bloodworm, caddisfly;
- fish eye;
- bark beetle or burdock moth larva;
The main gear for catching brush is a float rod with a strong fishing line of 0.18-0.2 mm, which can withstand snags on plants and snags. Due to the small weight of the fish, it is better to use rods with a fast action and a super-sensitive tip. The float should be light, but with a high antenna in order to promptly notice and respond to a sharp bite. If you hook it too late, you will have to pull the rig out not from the lip, but from the throat of the voracious “borer,” which casts doubt on the rationality of its use as an effective live bait for a spinning rod, girder or donkey. Individuals caught in this way quickly fall asleep. For the same reason, you should not use a hook that is too small, especially with a short shank.
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Winter ruff fishing
Small perch fish remain active throughout the cold season, with the exception of severe winter conditions. Numerous schools spend all day exploring the bottom in search of food and are well caught using nod tackle (0.09-0.08 mm fishing line) with a small jig, onto which bloodworms, maggots or a piece of worm are attached. In winter, the ruffe reacts to turbidity in clean water and complementary food with the addition of chopped bloodworms, which allows it to attract and keep fish near the hole. The optimal biting time is morning and evening.
Nutritional value of ruff
Ruff meat is considered a low-calorie product. The energy value of 100 g of this fish is 88 Kcal. This allows you to use fish as part of your diet. Also, its meat contains a large amount of easily digestible protein and other valuable ingredients. In addition, the product includes many amino acids and trace elements.
The ruff is considered a not very popular fish because it is small in size and contains a lot of bones. However, it is sometimes fished for. This is due to the low calorie content and excellent nutritional value of the ruff.
Story
Ruff is a fish from the perch family. The key external difference between this fish and others is its flat body and the spines on its back, which are strong and sharp. Because of them, many housewives do not undertake to cook ruffe, choosing a less extravagant fish. The cheeks of the ruffe are covered with gills, and each of them has one needle. After a fish is caught, it can open its gills, bend its tail and put its crest on its back in a “fighting” position that it looks like a hedgehog. Thus, we can assume that the name “ruff” was given to her after assessing her external data.
The habitat of the ruffe is the fresh waters of Eurasia; in addition, it can be caught in the north of America. This fish is unpretentious in its natural environment and adapts perfectly to any living conditions.
