How is a chub different from an asp and how are they similar?

Yuri 03.11.2020 682

Despite the fact that fishermen do not particularly favor them, asp and chub still arouse some interest among a certain category of hunters. Nature has awarded the fish with a similar appearance, so it will be difficult for novice fishermen to distinguish these species from each other. To finally understand how an asp differs from a chub, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with a detailed description of each representative of the ichthyofauna.

Main differences

Since both representatives of the ichthyofauna live in similar conditions, the external similarity is quite expected. Distinguishing them from each other is not as easy as it seems, so novice fishermen often confuse the fish. However, there are still distinctive features. If you look closely, you will notice that the scales of the chub are slightly smaller and slightly darker than those of the asp. Almost all scales have a dark edge. The fins of the chub are brighter.

This is interesting! The chub does not have a stomach, so it is difficult for it to get enough. Thanks to this feature, the fish grabs almost everything that comes its way.

Fish Chub

As for the size and shape of the body, the difference can be seen by placing two fish of the same age next to each other. They are also distinguished by eye color. So, in the sheresper they are silvery, with a narrow golden border around the pupil. The chub has shiny eyes, with a brownish spot in the upper part. Both representatives of the ichthyofauna live in the same environment and grow to approximately the same parameters. It is worth noting that, despite their similarity, the chub and asp are not rivals and rarely collide with each other: some competition is only observed in the autumn, when both fish begin to actively hunt for young animals and insects.

What does ide look like?

The description of the ide fish is similar to the description of other representatives of the dace genus:

The body is somewhat elongated, round in cross section.
The head is small in size, the eyes are located in the upper part, in the middle there is a small mouth with the edges down.
The scales are light golden in color, the head and gill covers are darker.
The fins have a reddish tint, the intensity of which increases as they approach the tail.

common ide
The color of scales and fins depends on the age of the individuals and the intensity of lighting.

The average lifespan of fish in natural conditions is 15 years. Since ide grows slowly, adult specimens range in size from 35 to 50 cm and weigh 3-5 kg. Particularly large specimens reach a record weight of 7-8 kg.

Types of ide

Orfa

The species Leuciscus idus is represented by several taxa. The most common varieties include the following:

Ordinary . The scales are light gray with a silvery tint. This is the most numerous representative of the species.
Orpha (or golden ide ). It can be distinguished from other subspecies by its golden-orange scales. It is almost impossible to meet this variety of ide in the natural environment. Initially, orpha was grown as an ornamental fish; later it was found that the subspecies could be an object of lake fish farming. Currently, golden ide is bred in closed reservoirs together with carp and other members of the family.
Amursky . A medium-sized ide, the maximum length of which reaches 25 cm, and weight - 250-300 g. This is a northern subspecies, whose range is limited to the water bodies of the Amur basin and Sakhalin.

Amur ide

What is the difference between a roach and an ide?

In everyday life, fishermen use two names for the species: ide and roach. Roaches are called young individuals that have not reached sexual maturity.

The age of a fish can be determined by the following characteristic features:

Roaches have lighter colored fins and scales.
Adults include fish weighing more than 500-700 grams.

Differences between ide, chub and asp

Some related species have such a similar appearance that even experienced fishermen cannot immediately tell which trophy they managed to get. Only with a detailed examination is it possible to establish what kind of fish was caught on the hook. Most often, ide is confused with chub and asp.

The main differences between them are shown in the table:

Body parts that are different	Ide	Chub	Asp
Fins	The edges of the fins are smooth or slightly concave, all of them are colored reddish.	The fins are round in shape	The fins are concave, there is a dark stripe along the edge, the dorsal fin is gray
Head	Small with a convex forehead	Large, round shape	Small with a flattened forehead
Eyes	Relatively large with a large pupil and a light yellow membrane	Small, the iris is amber in color	Medium size, with a green spot visible on the iris at the top of the eye
Scales	The scales are medium in size, the number of rows on the lateral line is from 56 to 62	Large scales, up to 48 scales on the lateral line	Scales are medium in size, with 67 to 78 scales located on the lateral line

When determining the species, it should be taken into account that the average weight of ide is 3 kg, chub - 5-7 kg, asp - 10-12 kg. The average length is 40, 60 and 90 cm, respectively.

CHUB

How not to confuse a chub from an asp?

Predatory fish live in many rivers and reservoirs. The chub does not like to settle in deep-water areas, but prefers deep rivers with medium or strong currents. Deep and stagnant water is not his element. With the arrival of the first frost, the chub moves to greater depths, where the current is not so strong - there it sits out all winter.

As for the sheresper, he changes his place of residence several times throughout the year. In winter, it sits out in depressions without a current, and after spawning and in the fall it goes to shallow depths with a weak current. In summer it is found almost on the very surface of the water.

The main differences between an asp and a chub come down to the difference in appearance. It can be determined by the following parameters:

head;
scales;
fins.

It is quite logical that a fish that has received an eloquently speaking name should have a head of at least an unusual shape. So it is: in the chub it is disproportionately large and has a rounded shape. The asp, unlike its relative, is more symmetrical in its proportions.

One of the main differences is the jaws. The asp, as a rather aggressive and active predator, has a frankly weak weapon. Despite the fairly powerful and strong jaw, almost all of its teeth are something like tubercles or protrusions. The chub is more dangerous in this regard - the pharyngeal teeth, located near the throat, are very powerful and are placed in two rows.

Fish Asp

Interesting! The strong jaws of the chub allow it to easily deal with even the durable chitinous shells of crustaceans and mollusks.

The scales of the chub are somewhat larger and have a greenish tint with a slight gilding. In the asp it is silver, with a pronounced blue.

The color and shape of the fins is another sign by which predators can be distinguished from each other. Thus, the anal fin of the asp has a truncated shape and is much narrower, but nature has awarded the chub with a rich red tint.

Features of asp

Asp is the largest representative of the carp family. Its second name is sheresper. Its body reaches 80 centimeters in length; this fish weighs on average 10–12 kilograms. The eyes of the Sheresper are always bright, pure yellow with a small green stripe.

An interesting feature of the asp is its way of life. Unlike its two brothers, this is a daytime fish. This means that he sleeps at night and you definitely won’t catch him during night fishing. These fish go hunting exclusively during the day. The most distinctive feature of the asp is its anatomical feature - a blunt rib that is located on the belly between the fins.

Behavior

External signs are far from the only factor that allows you to distinguish an asp from a chub. There are also differences in habits. The asp is obviously stronger than his relative. In pursuit of prey, it can literally jump out of the water. Butterflies, beetles and other insects flying over the surface of the water can become its victims. The chub acts more cautiously in this regard - it prefers to attack from cover or depth.

As for activity, the chub should take the lead here. It is in constant search of food, so it can be caught at any time of the day. The asp does not go out at night in search of food.

We tried to tell you about the difference between an asp and a chub, and we hope you can accurately determine who caught your bait. By the way, in “Sazanya Bay” both representatives of the ichthyofauna are actively caught along with other fish species throughout the season. We are pleased to offer our guests comfortable living conditions and affordable prices, which will allow them to get even more pleasure from their vacation.

What is the difference between asp and chub and ide?

If you take a closer look at the fish, you can find differences in appearance, behavior, and taste of their meat.

Differences in appearance

Asp, chub and ide live in similar conditions and have a similar lifestyle. This left an imprint on their appearance, giving it many identical features. At the same time, the roaches are taller and thicker than the sheresper, the head is shorter, more compact and with a smaller mouth. It has a darker stripe on its back, and its sides are lighter and without a bluish tint.

Chub are more difficult to distinguish from asp. But if you look closely, you will notice that its scales are smaller and slightly darker. The scales are all with a dark border. The fins are brighter and less saturated in color. The size of the head is somewhere between the sizes of the heads of the other two species, and the body too. The described differences are more noticeable if you put these three fish side by side. If we consider them separately, then, first of all, you need to pay attention to the scales.

Chub and asp. All fishing methods

Spring fishing with donks

After spawning, the chubs that have migrated to deeper places come to their senses for several days, then begin intensive feeding. Usually the spring water begins to subside at this time, but the rivers have not yet entered the banks and are quite muddy and fast.

Fishing with a float rod is inconvenient in those places where the chub prefers to stay and feed after spawning, so donks serve as the main fishing gear. They are usually mounted on spinning rods with an inertial reel, the hooks described in the book “Burbot. All fishing methods are used much less frequently - the chub is a strong fish, and it is much more convenient to fish it out using the shock-absorbing properties of the rod.

Having gone hungry during spawning, the chub feeds around the clock (taking a break from biting for a couple of hours after midnight). But still, most amateurs prefer to fish at night: small fish are less likely to attack baits and burbot can be caught as bycatch.

For fishing, choose areas with a flat bottom, usually sandy, with a uniform current of medium strength and a depth of 1.5–2 meters. Chub are very fond of staying near the places where streams flow into the river, and you should try to catch them there first.

The donkey equipment is standard: an end sinker, the weight of which depends on the strength of the current, a main fishing line with a diameter of 0.4–0.5 mm, leashes, one or two, 0.3 mm (in muddy water, especially at night, the chub is less demanding the thickness of the fishing line, but in the summer it’s not worth trying to catch it with such a rough equipment).

Some authors advise using thinner gear: set the main line to 0.2 mm, the leashes, accordingly, even thinner, and fish with a spinning reel. So, they say, it’s more sporting, the fish has a chance... I don’t know what’s sporting about an injured chub swimming away with a hook in its mouth. And the fisherman doesn’t look much like an athlete when he tries to untangle a thin line in the light of a flashlight, which is much more likely than a thick line that is prone to getting tangled. An inertia-free reel is less suitable for this type of fishing than an inertial one; why will be explained a little later.

Hooks are used No. 10 according to domestic numbering, sometimes smaller in size - when they bite small chubs, 400-500 grams.

Rice. 2. Donka for spring chub fishing: 1 - spinning rod; 2 — stand; 3 — bell guard (may not be used); 4 - main line.

Usually the fisherman throws 3-4 spinning rods at different distances from the shore, and then, having found the chub feeding area with one tackle, he throws the rest there too. If you have to cast a long distance from the shore, then it is difficult to see where the sinker fell at night. Therefore, after casting, the line is fixed: it is wrapped around the inertial reel drum by two return loops. If the chub does not bite, these loops are removed before choosing the tackle, and next time the sinker and attached hooks will fly to a different distance from the shore. And after a bite (successful or not), the latch remains in place and eliminates the possibility of “flight”; you just need to measure the force of the throw, otherwise, at the moment of a sharp stop in the rotation of the drum, the equipment may come off.

A bell is usually not used as a bite alarm. The chub’s grip is confident, sharp, and is indicated by the crackling sound of the reel set on the brake (if you use the lock described above, then after installing it you need to reel in the fishing line a few turns of the reel - the chub will pull off this reserve when biting). A spinning reel is inconvenient for such fishing: if its clutch is adjusted to a weak force that allows you to detect a bite, then before landing the fish you have to quickly readjust it. Fiddling with the clutch after a bite is fraught with the loss of fish, therefore, if you still have to fish with a spinning reel, then a bell or bell should be installed as a bite alarm.

The best bait is a lamprey larva (also known as a squeak, sand miner, and in the northwest many people mistakenly call it a loach). The larvae are obtained from coastal sandy-silty soil, scooping it up with a shovel. The best size of a squeak for bait is 10–12 cm; the smallest ones can be put on a hook, 2–3 pieces at a time. The larvae must be planted by the lips, otherwise they will certainly bury themselves in the bottom soil. If the sanders are too large, the number of “idle” grips of the chub increases; in such cases, it is necessary to use a tackle of two hooks: one hooked to the lips, the second to the middle of the back.

Where the lamprey is not found, it is replaced by a crawling worm. Fishing with it is not so convenient: the lamprey larva is very tenacious and holds on to the hook very tightly, allowing you to rethrow the bottom many times without changing the bait. And the crawler rarely withstands more than 3-4 unsuccessful casts. And even when biting, the chub has no chance of swimming away with half a minnow in its mouth, as sometimes happens when fishing with a worm.

The best bite begins shortly after sunset and lasts 2-3 hours. When it weakens, you can take a nap in a tent or by the fire - lightly, with half an eye, so as not to miss a bite: if a chub bites in the middle of the night, then it is usually a large specimen. Before dawn, the bite becomes active again.

As the water clears of turbidity and its level drops, night fishing with donkeys becomes less and less catchy and gradually ceases. But in some places, even in mid-June, chubs are still successfully caught using this method. By that time, the current usually weakens so much that rubber shock absorbers can be used, and the spinning rod is no longer used for casting, but only for playing fish. You can do without it - in the summer the chub is caught on small donkeys.

On small, narrow rivers, such spring fishing - thorough, with a bivouac set up all night - will not bring success; schools of chub wandering along the rivers must be looked for. They do this with a running bottom - a bottom rig with a sliding olive sinker is placed on a long, 4-6 meters, rod for float fishing. A guard is not used, the tackle is constantly in the hands and the bite is determined by touch. Fishing is done during the day, and in this case the use of thin lines and a spinning reel is much more justified.

Asp habitats

The traditional habitat is the warm waters of rivers flowing into the Black, Caspian, Baltic and other seas. In the Aral Sea basin, as well as in the southern territory of the Caspian Sea, specific species live that cannot be found in other places.

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This type of fish can also be found in channels and large reservoirs, although in much smaller quantities. Much more favored habitats are small rivers flowing into lakes, as well as lowlands located near dams.

In warm weather, you can try to look for asps at the bottom of holes located near shallow water. It can also be found there at night, and during the daytime it makes a number of forays closer to the rifts, which are the most preferred place for hunting.

The asp will have the most of them - about 65-73 pieces; the rest of the family will have from 43 to 60 scales. All other features will look like this: