✅ What is the difference between a roach and a rudd. Ram and roach - the difference between these fish, what are the differences from a culinary point of view

What is the difference between roach and rudd

3 minutes Author: Konstantin Pavlov 0
Roach and rudd are common inhabitants of our reservoirs, fishing for which is popular among domestic fishing enthusiasts. Experienced fishermen can tell them apart without any difficulty, but beginners often have questions and cannot always determine who got hooked.

In this material we will look at how roach differs from rudd, what features each type of fish has, and what characteristic places they live. For novice fishermen, this information will help them better navigate the reservoir and accurately recognize the caught representative of the ichthyofauna.

Bait for rudd

Most people going fishing are concerned about two main problems: what to use to catch rudd and why fishing is successful? When the first frosts appear, the fish gather in schools and tend to stick to the bottom. If you don’t cast the bait into the depths at this time, the fish simply won’t see it.

In order for fishing to produce results, you need to use bait, focusing mainly on the type of reservoir. It is best to fish using insects and their larvae. It makes sense to note that in warm regions the best effect is provided by plant-based foods. In cold regions, it is preferable to use small worms and insect larvae.

Rudd disdains earthworms if they are hooked as a whole, but greedily pecks at their individual parts. You simply need to put a piece of worm on the hook, and a successful catch is guaranteed.

External differences

It is not difficult to distinguish both of these types of underwater inhabitants. Outwardly, these fish have similar characteristics, but there are even more differences in them. The first photo below shows a roach, the second one shows a rudd.

The characteristic differences between rudd and roach are:

Body shape. The rudd has a rounded body, somewhat reminiscent of a crucian carp. The roach is more elongated and driven.
The size of the rudd's head in relation to the body is larger than that of the roach. The mouth is directed upward, whereas in the roach it is straight and smaller.
The fish's eyes are approximately the same size. However, in roach they have a reddish or orange tint, in rudd it is white or light yellow.
The dorsal fin of the roach is located on the same level as the paired ventral fins. In the rudd it is shifted closer to the anal. In the first, the number of rays in the dorsal fin is from 10 to 12, in the second - 8–9.
The rudd is easily recognized by its bright red fins. Roaches have orange, light red, yellow or even gray fins, depending on the region and habitat conditions.
How to distinguish fish by color? The scales of the roach have a silvery tint, with a slightly bluish tint on the back. The rudd is golden, dark green or olive on top.

Another difference between roach and rudd is the presence of mucus on the body of the caught fish. The roach is covered with a rich layer of slippery mass, so holding it in your hand is quite problematic. Rudd has rough scales and is less slimy.

These representatives of the ichthyofauna have approximately the same size. Most catches include specimens weighing from 50 to 300 grams. However, they can grow up to a kilogram, therefore, by this indicator it will not be possible to distinguish between roach and rudd.

Rudd

One of the species of freshwater fish of the Carp family, order Cyprinidae. It is considered the most common lake fish, since it is found everywhere, in addition to the oldest and most obscure lakes.

The rudd inhabits many Central Asian and European water bodies: it lives in lakes and rivers that flow into the Caspian, Black, Azov, North, Baltic and Aral seas. This fish was introduced to Morocco, Tunisia, Madagascar, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada. However, in the last two states the attitude towards the rudd is somewhat hostile: here it is considered a harmful species that displaces local species of aquatic inhabitants.

The rudd is considered a thicket dweller, since it chooses places with standing water, usually small overgrown bays. This species is less common in flowing rivers and open water: the rudd does not approve of turbulent and fast flows, because with its forms you cannot particularly frolic in an unrestrained current. At night, the rudd is inactive, and on sunny, calm days it rises in schools to the surface of the water. In winter, rudd gathers in deep places, where it lies until spring. As a rule, it feeds on insect larvae, worms and algae, and large rudd do not neglect small fish.

The rudd is considered the most beautiful fish in water bodies. Every fisherman will first admire its shining scales and only then put this fish with scarlet fins in his fish tank. Her body is quite tall, slightly compressed on the sides, covered with dense, tightly fitting scales that glow with a golden sheen. The rudd's back is brownish-green, its belly is silvery-white, and all its fins are bright red or crimson. Externally, this fish is very similar to roach, but differs from its relative in the red spot at the top and the orange tint of the eyes. Her head is not large, her mouth “looks” up. Body weight can range from 0.3 to 2 kilograms, and height - from 15 to 50 centimeters.

How to choose

To make a rudd dish tasty, you need to choose it correctly. First of all, look at the eyes of the fish. They should be convex, light and bright. The presence of turbidity in them is the first sign of spoilage.

If the fish is fresh, then when you press on the carcass, the meat will be quite elastic, and its surface will quickly recover.

If the rudd smells unpleasant, there are stains, mucus, or damage on its surface - these are signs of spoilage and such fish should not be purchased.

How to store

You can store rudd in the same way as other types of fish. To keep fish fresh longer, there are several ways:

Stun with a blow to the head with a wooden hammer. After this, it should be laid in a thin layer in a basket and stored in a ventilated place in the shade, covered with a wet rag on top.
To preserve fish for a short period of time - no more than a day - it must be washed, allowed to drain, placed on ice in a glacier and covered with a rag.
For longer storage - up to 2 days - the fish should be placed in a basket or loose box (to drain water) and sprinkled with finely crushed ice (40-50% of the weight of the rudd). Laying is done as follows: ice is poured into the bottom of the basket with a layer of 10 centimeters, fish is placed on top in 2-3 rows depending on its size, then again a layer of ice and 3 rows of fish and, finally, ice in a layer up to 20 cm thick.
To preserve rudd for up to 7 days, you need to use ice-salt mixtures. Then the temperature of the fish can be brought to -8 ° C depending on the ratio of ice and salt, which can reach 2-10%. With this method, you can store fish, depending on the temperature and its quality, from 7 to 15 days.

You can also freeze rudd to keep it fresh. It is easiest to freeze fish while ice fishing when it is -15°C outside - at this temperature it freezes quickly. To do this, the fish is placed on purified ice in one layer. When the fish freezes, it is placed in a sealed box. To do this, sawdust is poured into it, covered with cloth, then fish is placed, covered with any cloth and covered with sawdust. Such a box of fish should be stored in a cold room. At other times of the year, it is better to freeze fish in the freezer - there it retains its original qualities.

Remember that before freezing the fish must be in impeccable condition - the carcasses must be processed carefully, avoiding mechanical damage.

You can also store fresh fish in the refrigerator at a temperature from 0 to +3 ° C, but without the entrails.

First, it is gutted and cleaned. Then they wash and wipe with a napkin to remove moisture. Place the fish in the refrigerator in a bowl covered with cling film or in a container with a lid.

If you are going to store the fish for 2 days, you can sprinkle it with salt or use lemon juice, which will lightly marinate the meat, making it more tender.

The maximum shelf life of rudd in the refrigerator is 2 days.

In cooking

The culinary qualities of the rudd are not as good as their appearance. The meat has a very specific taste, which not everyone likes. But if you approach the preparation of this fish with skill, the result can be more than impressive, and those around you will not suspect what kind of fish they savored.

Rudd is fried, baked, stewed in milk, salted, smoked, dried and stuffed. Spices, marinades, sauces and herbs help improve its taste. True, when preparing fish soup for rudd, it is recommended to add other types of fish, since due to the low fat content of the fish soup, it does not turn out to be very rich.

But the main dish made from rudd meat is considered to be cutlets, which turn out to be especially tender and melt in your mouth if you follow the recipe. The fish is washed, cleaned, the pulp is separated and passed through a meat grinder with the addition of bread, lard, onions, and garlic. An egg, salt and pepper are added to this mixture. Then cutlets are formed from it, rolled in flour and fried. Broth is made from fins and bones, poured over fried cutlets placed in a pan and simmered over low heat. With this cooking method, the cutlets are juicy and tender.

If you remove the skin from the rudd before preparing the cutlets, you can stuff it with the prepared cutlet mixture, place it on a baking sheet lined with foil, grease the carcasses with mayonnaise or sour cream, wrap it in foil and bake in the oven for 35-50 minutes. at a temperature of 180-200 degrees.

Fried rudd is no less tasty, especially if you rinse it thoroughly before cooking in a strong salt solution (this will improve the smell and taste). In addition, rudd stewed in milk is considered a tasty dish, and in the store this fish can be purchased salted, which is an excellent snack for beer.

This fish goes well with vegetables, olives, eggs, and mushrooms. Vegetable stew gets an excellent taste if you add fish meat to it.

Rudd dishes are usually served as a side dish with mashed potatoes or boiled green peas.

Many people do not like rudd because of its bonyness and specific taste, but knowing some secrets, you can easily cope with these problems:

To preserve the taste and beneficial properties of frozen fish, you need to defrost it in the refrigerator. It is not recommended to use a microwave oven or hot water.
To get rid of the characteristic taste, rudd can be soaked in milk or washed with saline solution.
Before frying the fish, it is recommended to make cuts on the sides so that the small bones are well fried and become soft.

Habitats

Roach and rudd can also be distinguished by their habitats. Rudd mainly loves water areas without a current or areas where the water flow slows down and there is no need to spend effort fighting it. For this fish, the presence of algae is important. You will never meet her on a clean day. You should look for this underwater inhabitant in the following locations:

Where does the rudd live?

This fish does not live in areas where there is a strong current. The habitats of these fish are different. They are found in river bays and oxbows, flowing ponds, both small and large lakes and reservoirs. Selects the quietest areas where reeds, grasses, water lilies and other vegetation grow. In addition to food, there is always shadow there, which serves as a good refuge from predatory fish. In addition, there is some pattern. Closer to the coast, small fish live in shoals among algae and driftwood in polluted areas. Mature fish, although they come to the shores to feed, spend most of their time in the wild, picking up watery, overgrown heights far from the shore. The main habitat of rudd is bays and oxbow lakes, in addition, flowing ponds and reservoirs where many different plants grow. Here it can often be found in company with bream, tench and crucian carp. She leads an almost sedentary lifestyle, staying in one area of her choice. As a result, rudd is not found everywhere, but in some places where its numbers will be numerous, but finding such areas is extremely rare.

Ram and roach: the difference in fishing

Roach that spawns in fresh waters and feeds in desalinated waters is called semi-anadromous roach. This fish caught in the Caspian Sea basin will be called roach. Fishing for semi-anadromous roach in the Black and Azov Seas is already a ramming operation.

Such species of fish grow and develop faster than ordinary freshwater (live) roach, which does not go beyond the traditional spawning site. It is worth saying that roach, ram and roach gather in schools of fish before spawning, which makes fishing easier.

Roach spawning

For the most part, roach is still a freshwater resident, but there are two renegades from the main family: Taran, a resident of the Azov Sea, and Vobla, a resident of the Caspian Sea. Although they live in the sea, they go to rivers to spawn. After spawning, they return back to their native land. Both fish are readily caught on an industrial scale, since these species of fish are considered commercial.

Not only sea roach go to rivers to spawn, but almost all freshwater roach, also, if they have the opportunity to get into the river to spawn, go upstream to search for the most favorable places for laying eggs. At the beginning of spring, a huge number of our brother waits for the end of spawning to catch roach on the way back to the sea. It is especially wonderful to watch the spawning of this red-eyed fish; usually this rather friendly company begins to foam the surface of the water in an attempt to shed eggs.

Cooking salted fish

Roach and ram differ not only in habitat, but also in size, that is, in morphological characteristics. Roach, for example, is larger than ram and even more so roach. Despite the external differences, these types of fish are prepared according to the same recipes.

Traditionally, this fish is salted, dried and dried, while ram gave the name to the entire assortment of small-sized salted dried fish - ram. Consequently, this pseudo name can hide a ram, a roach, and the same roach.

It is better to salt this fish in a dry way, that is, rub it with salt.

Small fish are only cleaned of scales (and even then not always), half-kilogram carcasses are better cleaned of entrails. Place the grated fish carcasses in rows in a wooden container and sprinkle thoroughly with table salt.

The fish will be salted in a refrigerated room for at least two weeks. Larger carcasses may require more for salting. At room temperature, pickling time is a week.

Fishing with roach

Vobla fishing is one of the favorite pastimes of young and experienced fishermen. If you are going to go fishing for roach, then it is best to fish in late April or early May, when roach activity is highest. You will need the necessary gear, bait, and also a little theoretical knowledge about this fish. We invite you to study our article to take note of useful information, as well as watch an interesting video.

Spring is the best time to catch roach. The fish comes to the surface when the water temperature reaches six degrees. Until this moment, the roach overwinters in deep holes, which is why winter fishing for this fish will not bring impressive results.

In March, the roach bite begins when the ice has already melted. Bloodworms and maggots should be used as bait. Since after wintering the fish are hungry, feeding is not required, but at this time the roach is inactive. You can catch only two or three fish in a few hours, so if you are not setting a good catch as your goal, going fishing just to relax, this option is suitable for you.

In April, a full-fledged bite begins, during which you can use any type of gear. Vobla is perfectly caught with a regular fishing rod, as well as with donks and feeders. At the beginning of the month, it is better to go to wide rivers, using earthworms and dung worms as bait, and by the end of April it is advisable to move to small bays.

When the water temperature rises to twelve degrees, the roach will live close to the shore, so the fishing rod should be cast no further than fifteen meters. In this case, weather conditions must be suitable. The sun must be bright, and a light breeze will also be useful. You can use crackers and millet as bait to lure fish closer to the shore.

If you still decide to go winter fishing, then you should go to shallow water areas, drill an ice hole and use a light fishing rod. Bloodworms and corn should be used as bait. Don't forget to bring a quality tent, as it can get quite cold near the water in winter.

Dried fish

Before salting the fish, it is allowed to dry for several hours. Then they are treated with salt, as with dry salting, strung on a fishing line through the eye sockets (small fish can be collected in bunches of several pieces) and soaked in a saline solution for two days.

By the way, if you dry fish in the summer, then the salting time in the solution is no more than a day.

Subsequently, the ligaments are removed and washed with water. Hang the fish in an open, well-ventilated place; you can cover it with gauze to protect it from insects and dirt.

Dried ram will be ready in 2 weeks. Please note that in summer you need to monitor the fish more closely, as a product exposed to the sun may become bitter.