Ruff is a small fish with interesting qualities. Ruff fish: description and photo of a freshwater resident

Ruff is a widespread fish in Russia, known for its sharp spines. Being relatives of perches, ruffes live in rivers and lakes with clean water and sandy or rocky bottom.

Features and habitat of the ruffe fish

The genus Ruff includes 4 species of fish, the most common of which is the common ruff. This is a small fish, the length of which is 10-15 cm, very rarely 20-25 cm. What does ruffe fish look like? ordinary?

The color of its body can vary from sandy to brownish-gray and depends on the habitat: fish living in reservoirs with a sandy bottom have lighter colors than their relatives from muddy or rocky lakes and rivers. The dorsal and caudal fins of the ruffe have black or brown dots; the pectoral fins are large and colorless.

Natural range The common ruffe ranges from Europe to the Kolyma River in Siberia. In the European part of Russia it is distributed almost everywhere. Favorite places Habitats: lakes, ponds or rivers with weak currents. Usually stays near the bottom near the shore.

In addition to the common one, the long-nosed ruffe, or privet, as local fishermen call it, lives in the basins of the Don, Dnieper, Kuban and Dniester rivers. This one is slightly larger than the common ruffe and has a dorsal fin divided into two parts.

To learn to distinguish between these two related type of ruff, useful to see photo of ruff fish ordinary and compare it with big-nosed.

You can hear about what is fish sea ​​ruffe , but this is incorrect, since all representatives of the ruff genus are exclusively freshwater inhabitants. However, in the seas there are many bottom-dwelling fish with sharp spines, which are often called ruffs by common people.

These species belong to other families and genera, so the name is biologically incorrect. To the question sea ​​or river fish ruffe, there is only one answer: the ruffe does not live in salt water. Who then is called the sea ruff?

Of the inhabitants of salt waters, the most similar to the ruffe is the scorpion fish. This is a ray-finned fish whose spines contain strong poison. It reaches half a meter in length and lives in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Since scorpion fish belongs to another order, further discussion will only be about freshwater fish –river ruff.

Description and lifestyle of the ruff

Description of ruff fish we should start with its habitats. In a reservoir, the ruffe stays near the bottom, preferring places with deep and clean water. Rarely rises to the surface. It is most active at dusk, as it is at this time that it forages for food. Doesn't like places with fast current, prefers quiet backwaters with cold and calm water.

The ruff is very unpretentious, so it also lives in urban rivers where the water is polluted with waste. However, this one is not found in stagnant bodies of water, as it is sensitive to a lack of oxygen. It lives almost everywhere in flowing ponds and lakes, staying close to the bottom at depth.

Ruff loves cold water. As soon as it warms up to +20 in the summer, the fish begins to look for a colder place or becomes lethargic. This is why the ruffe appears in shallow water only in the fall, when there is ice, and in the spring: at other times, the water in the shallows is too warm. And in winter, the ruffe is more comfortable at the bottom at great depths.

There is another explanation for the ruff’s habit of staying at depth: it cannot stand bright light and loves darkness. That is why ruffes like to stay under bridges, in pools near steep banks and among snags.

They find prey without the help of vision, since a special organ - the lateral line - detects the slightest fluctuations in the water and helps to find moving prey. Therefore, the ruffe can hunt successfully even in complete darkness.

Ruff fish food

Ruff fish is a predator. The diet includes small crustaceans, insect larvae, as well as eggs and fry, so multiplied ruffes can harm the populations of other fish.

The ruffe is a benthophage - that is, a predator that eats bottom dwellers. The choice of food depends on the size of the ruff. Newly hatched fry feed mainly on rotifers, while larger juveniles feed on small cladocerans, bloodworms, cyclops and daphnia. Grown-up fish prefer worms, leeches and small crustaceans, while large ruffes prey on fry and small fish.

The ruffe is very voracious, and does not stop feeding even in winter, when most other fish species ignore food. That's why it grows all year round. Despite the sharp spines on the fins, larger ones are dangerous for juveniles predatory fish: , And .

But the main enemies of ruffes are not fish, but waterfowl:, and. Thus, ruffed fish occupy an intermediate position in the food chains of fresh water bodies.

Reproduction and lifespan of the ruffe

Ruffs spawn in early spring: in rivers before the beginning of the flood, in lakes and flowing ponds - from the beginning of the melting of ice. IN middle lane In Russia this time falls at the end of March - mid-April. The fish do not choose a special place and can spawn in any part of the reservoir.

Spawning takes place at dusk or at night, with ruffes gathering in schools that can number up to several thousand individuals. One female lays from 50 to 100 thousand eggs, connected to each other by a mucous membrane.

The masonry is attached to bottom irregularities: stones, snags or algae. The fry come out only after two weeks and immediately begin to feed intensively and grow.

Ruffes become sexually mature only after 2-3 years of life, but the ability to spawn depends not only on age, but also on body length. What kind of fish is ruff capable of reproduction?

It is believed that for this the fish must grow to 10-12 cm. But even with this size, in the first spawning the female lays a smaller number of eggs - “only” a few thousand.

Ruff is not a long-livers. It is believed that female ruffe reach the age of 11 years, males live up to a maximum of 7-8. But the vast majority of fish in natural environment habitat dies much earlier.

In nature, approximately 93% of the ruff population is made up of fish under 3 years of age, that is, few even survive to adulthood.

The reason is that most fry and young fish are destroyed by predators or die from disease, lack of oxygen in winter or lack of food. This is why females lay such large clutches: only one out of ten thousand eggs will give birth to adult fish.

Almost every fisherman knows the ruff. This spiny fish does not live everywhere in our country, so it is quite possible that many have never caught it, but even in this case, they have at least heard of the ruff.

This little fish is quite interesting. It looks a little like a perch, but differs in fused dorsal fins, as well as a different color. On deep places, you come across dark, almost black ruffs from shallow water, I had to pull out pale ones with dirty green tint, ruffs. When pulled out of the water, the ruffe has the habit of spreading its fins and gill covers, exposing all the spines, and curving the tail towards the head. Thus, he is apparently trying to appear bigger and meaner, a kind of miracle Yudo, ruff fish. The ruffe is called “spiny” because of its dorsal fin, which, like that of the perch, is very sharp. Injections on the dorsal fin of the ruffe are very painful and, as a rule, hurt and do not heal for quite a long time.

Another, somewhat more offensive nickname that the ruff has acquired owes its origin to the thick layer of mucus covering the body of the fish. Because of this mucus, the ruff is sometimes called “snotty.” By the way, this mucus is very poorly tolerated by other fish. If you plant a ruffe in the same container with other live bait, then we can say that the rest of the live bait are no longer residents. After about 10-20 minutes, they will already float to the top with their belly, so take this fact into account, and when you have to use the ruffe as live bait, keep it in a separate container.

As a live bait, the ruffe, by the way, is very good. Burbot loves him very much, and other predators, like pike or pike perch, sometimes also don’t mind feasting on small spiny fish. The main charm of the ruffe as a live bait is that it is prickly. Its spines camouflage the hooks well, and the predator, having been impaled on the hook, still does not throw the prey, apparently attributing the sting to the fish.

Since the ruffe is a bottom dweller, and has a good camouflage coloring that hides it well from predators, you need to install the girders (or whatever you are fishing with) so that the ruffe is at half-water, or not far from the bottom, it will try to lie down on the bottom, and with its active movements, attract predators. In addition to using the ruffe as live bait, it is very good in gastronomic terms. Of course, frying small ruffs, which rarely grow more than 8-12 centimeters, is too troublesome, but what really comes out of a ruff is fish soup. It is the mucus of the ruff that gives the ear all the taste and aroma, therefore, as a rule, it is only gutted, but not cleaned.

Description of the brush

Types of ruffs

Ruffs represent a genus of fish that is part of the perch family. There are four types in total:

• - common ruff: found most often in Russian reservoirs;
• - Don ruff, which is also called nosar, privet: represents freshwater fish; distinguished by a light yellow color on the back and white on the belly; habitat - rivers from the northern part of the Azov and Black Sea basins; these are the rivers Kuban, Dnieper, Don, Dniester, Southern Bug;
• - Czech ruff, called Balon's ruff:
• - striped ruff: the species is similar to the ordinary ruff, but differs from it in the presence of dark stripes on the body; of 3...4 pcs., they are longitudinal and located on the sides of the fish.

Common ruff

Fish from typical ruffs. Its size is 8...12 cm, weight 15...25 g. Rarely there are individuals 20 cm in size, reaching a mass of 100 g. The latter are caught in the Ob, Ob Bay, in the Ural lakes. Average age ruffes in populations are 1...3 years old. Maximum lifespan of fish: 7 years for males, 11 years for females.

The common ruffe has a gray-green back of the body, yellowish sides, and the belly can be white or light gray. There are dots and spots of black color on the back. The same points are also present on the caudal and dorsal fin. The color of the ruff's eyes is dull pink. Sometimes a blue iris is visible on them.

The common ruff is not picky about the conditions of reservoirs. Prefers to live in a pack. The diet of the common ruffe is usually benthic invertebrates; sometimes - small fish, underwater plants.

The ruffe becomes capable of producing offspring from the 3rd…4th year of life, when it reaches its maximum size. Spawns in April-June. Eggs are laid 2…3 times. during the spawning period at depths of up to 3 m and does not protect it. The fry from the eggs appear in 5...12 days. at temperature conditions +10°С…+15°С.

It is the most common type. Lives in fresh water bodies of Asia and Europe. There are even in the USA (St. Louis River). Prefers bottom layers of water. Found in areas with gravel or sandy bottoms.

Catching ruffe: where, when and how to catch this fish

If you are convinced that the ruff is a very useful fish, and you want to catch it, then know that it is not at all difficult. Not many catch a ruff purposefully; more often, if they catch a ruff, they move to another place, because, as a rule, in such places, no one else takes the ruff.

Where to catch ruffs

This small fish is found in reservoirs, ponds, desalinated sea bays, lakes, and rivers. Lives in flocks, being mainly in deep areas of reservoirs. It is concentrated in bottom depressions, holes, and shady places where there is either no water flow or it is very weak. Situated on a sandy, gravel bottom.

You can find ruffe under a steep bank, next to Koryaks and bridge supports. Fish doesn't like straight lines sun rays, therefore in summer it is more often found in shaded places.

They catch ruff from the bottom, since it is always near it. The fish rises higher only exclusively for food, and then only for a short time. If you catch a ruff, then you need to throw the tackle again in the same place. The fish are schooling, so there will definitely be another bite. You need to fish until the bites stop, then transfer the tackle to another place.

When is the best time to catch ruffe?

They fish for ruffe all year round. The only exception is the period of its spawning (April-May. After the water warms up to +10°C). Before the last one there is always a gorging of fish.

Ruff fish, pecks on cold water. In the summer, of course, he also fishes, but less often, but catching ruff in the winter is pure pleasure. In rivers the bite is much better than in lakes; the ruff pecks confidently and greedily, practically not paying attention to what is put on the hook, sometimes even grabbing just a bare jig.

As a rule, you need to look for ruffe in winter near holes, edges, and in places where streams flow into the river. There ruff fish, gathers in large schools, and if you happen to find one, you can catch and catch all day.

The ruff is absolutely unpretentious in terms of tackle. It can bite on both jigs and float tackle. You can bait the hook with bloodworms, maggots, shrimp, pieces of raw or cooked meat, and sausage. You don’t have to bait anything at all - if the ruff takes well, then with high-quality play, it will even bite on a “naked” jig. True, the ruff is fickle, and sometimes it may simply not take, no matter what. The ruff shows the same inconstancy as in biting when choosing a “place of residence.” He can also be caught deep holes, from a depth of 5 meters, and in the shallows, with a depth of 20 centimeters.

In general, catching ruffe is quite exciting. It’s rare that a fish takes with such passion, giving such pleasure from catching. Just keep in mind that the ruff often swallows the jig so much that it is very problematic to remove it, so always have either a “fork” or more spare jigs with you.

Fishing for ruffe in open water

The most catchy period for catching ruffe is spring - before and after spawning. The fish bite well in the fall, after they leave summer heat and it gets colder. In summer, the ruffe is mostly passive and can be caught more or less well in the morning and evening. And then only in mild heat – otherwise the periods of active biting are quite insignificant.

The ruffe is a crepuscular fish that feeds at night, early in the morning and late in the evening. These periods of the day are the best for hunting him. Particularly good for ruff hunting is inclement weather, which lasts for a long time, and the sky is overcast with low clouds. During such periods, the ruffe's bite is active all day, fading only during the brightest hours.

Apart from what has been said, the activity and duration of the ruffe’s bite does not affect anything. It is not affected by vibrations atmospheric pressure, wind, rain. It can be argued that for catching ruffe, like burbot, the worst weather is the best.

In clear water, you need to look for ruffe in “dark” places. Fish can be found at the exits from the pits, especially if they are snags, but always in places with a weak current. Favorite places for ruffes are wooden bridges with low roadways, piles that remain from some buildings, landing stages, piers, and pontoon locations. It is in the shadow of the above that they can be found.

Tackle for catching ruffe in open water

This fish is caught with float rods and bottom tackle. You can use a summer jig, on which you attach a worm or bloodworm. The latter gear makes it easier to catch all sorts of obstacles, bringing the bait to the ruffe in the most secluded and inaccessible places for other gear.

Jig tackle is mounted on a 5...6-meter fishing rod. You can use any jig, but with a hook that has a long shank - it is easier to remove it from the fish’s mouth. Re-hooking is mandatory (a piece of worm, 2…3 bloodworms), it is guaranteed to improve the bite.

You can improve the tackle by tying a short leash with a hook above the jig. In this option, sometimes they even abandon the jig, replacing it with a small weight. They play with a jig simply: shake it near the bottom, knock on the latter. A bite is noticed by the twitching of the nod, which is installed on the tip of the rod.

There are certain problems when fishing with a fishing rod and float. They are related to right time hooking and lowering depths of the tackle. If you are late with the hook, the ruff will swallow the hook so that it is sometimes impossible to remove it from it. To improve the sensitivity of the tackle and not delay the hooking, you need to lower only the hook to the bottom - everything else is higher. The hooks for the ruff are small - No. 18...No. 20.

Ruff is usually caught without bait. There are fishermen who use them. Only animal baits are used - for example, they mix soil with pieces of worms and bloodworms. Moreover, it is better to suppress the latter well before throwing them into the water.

Catching ruffe from ice in winter

Ruffs are caught more often from the ice, as they are a passing fish when catching, for example, bream. This is explained by its reaction to winter bait, which usually contains a lot of bloodworms. If there are no other fish, you can hunt for ruffe.

Tackle for ice fishing for ruffe

The gear for it is simple: an ordinary winter fishing rod, a fishing line of 0.12...0.15 mm, a sinker at its end of 10...20 g. A 12...15-centimeter leash is attached above. A small float is placed on the fishing line, by which bites are judged. A nod can serve as a signaling device, especially when fishing during a thaw.

In places with shallow depths where there is no current, you can fish with a regular jig. But such tackle is inferior to the one described above in terms of fishing speed.

The attachment for both tackles is a bloodworm. They are strung in 2…3 pieces. In winter, ruffe are caught around the clock. They are fed in the same way as in the summer, with soil mixed with bloodworms.

Ruff recipes

Japanese ruff recipe

The dish is prepared from three ruff fillets, lemon juice, salt, pepper, half a glass of sour cream, 4 tbsp butter, 3 tangerines, 2 tbsp grated cheese, herbs.

Preparation procedure:

• - fish fillet is sprinkled lemon juice; set aside to marinate;
• - chop the greens, stew, adding oil;
• - pick up the fish and pepper it; put in a pan in which fried vegetables were previously placed;
• - place tangerine slices on top;
• - cover everything with grated cheese;
• - place in the oven for 20 minutes;
• - the fish is served with a side dish - crumbly rice.

Recipe for making fish soup from ruffs

For fish soup you need: 0.7 kg of ruffs, salt, onion, tbsp sour cream, pepper, 3 liters of water, tbsp flour, bay leaf, egg, carrots, 100 g celery, 2 potatoes.

Preparation procedure:

• - fish is prepared by cleaning it, gutting it, washing it; then add salt and place on the bottom of the pan;
• - fry chopped onions; finely chop celery and carrots; add all of the above to the fish in the pan; bay leaves and black pepper are also sent there;
• - fill the pan with water and place it on the stove; turn on the fire. Cook until the fish is completely cooked; the latter is taken out and the juice is squeezed out of it back into the pan;
• - add sour cream and egg yolk into a bowl, grind thoroughly;
• - filter the broth; add a mixture of sour cream and egg yolk to it;
• - prepare a sauté from flour: fry it, adding oil; pour in a little broth and stir; all this is poured into a pan with broth;
• - add chopped boiled potatoes to the ear;
• - bring the broth to a boil, remove from heat and serve.

Recipe for cooking ruffs in a slow cooker

For the dish they prepare: a kilogram of ruffs (you can use any other river fish), 5 onions, tbsp. vegetable oil, 2 tsp salt, 3 pinches of pepper, 3 pinches of fish spice, 3 tsp lemon juice, 1.5 tbsp tomato paste, tsp sugar, 3 laurel.

Preparation procedure:

• - scales are removed from the fish, gutted and washed; add salt, pepper, sprinkle with fish spice;
• - peel the onion, cut it into rings with a knife;
• - add vegetable oil to the multicooker container; lay out a layer of fish; on top - a layer of onion;
• - pour in a glass of water to which lemon juice has been added;
• - place the container in the multicooker; turn on the “Extinguishing” mode;
• - simmer for 40 minutes, open, add a glass of water in which tomato paste, sugar;
• - close and simmer for another hour.

Making fish soup from ruffs, video

Ruff soup always turns out to be very rich and tasty. However, there are many possibilities to make it even more sophisticated and unique. One of them is in the proposed video. In it you will learn how to add white fish caviar to it to make it even more refined and unusual.

The video is clear and detailed. He tells how to clean ruffs, and shows in detail the entire process of preparing fish soup from a traditional set of products and caviar of white bream and sorog.

Parkhomenko Roman Evgenievich

Reading time: 4 minutes

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The common ruffe is a fish from the perch family (Percidae), which forms its own unique genus (Gymnocephalus), consisting of 4 species. Close relatives of the taxon are percarines, chops, pike perches, ammocrypts, peppers and perches. Standard sizes do not exceed 8-12 cm with a weight of 15-25 g. In exceptional cases it grows up to 20 cm, gaining 90-100 g. Average duration life is 5-6 years (maximum - 10-11). Due to his behavior and physiology, he received several unpleasant nicknames - annoying, snotty, prickly.

Thanks to its expressive appearance, the fish is easily identified among other species:

• large head (up to 1/3 of the entire length);
• slightly flattened and mucus-covered torpedo-shaped body;
• large pale pink eyes and a mouth with bristly teeth;
• wide gill covers with spines;
• dense, small scales of the ctenoid type, which are characterized by the presence of ridges of teeth along the posterior edge;
• full lateral line;
• fused dorsal fin with a clearly visible level difference between 11-15 sharp (11-15) and soft (8-10) rays.

The basic camouflage color is represented by a gray-green back with dark spots, a light gray belly, and yellowish-golden sides. Black dots are densely scattered over the surface of all fins. Depending on the color of the water, the presence of vegetation, the type of bottom (sand, clay, stone, silt) and the specific morphological type general scheme color may vary significantly.

Geography of settlement and types

Small perch are unpretentious and feel excellent in cool and warm conditions. fresh water(from 0 to +35°C), choosing places with a sandy, rocky or moderately silted bottom. At the same time, the fish makes special demands on the availability of oxygen and current, avoiding stagnant, shallow and too fast areas. Such restrictions on gas exchange and constant renewal of the environment are key in determining the natural range of the ruffe, which lives only in large and small rivers, reservoirs, canals, flowing lakes and ponds.

All fishermen know this prickly king of the river. Some believe that an ear without a ruff is not an ear at all, others disparagingly call it “snotty” and disdainfully throw it away.

One way or another, ruffe fishing is carried out everywhere, but for the most part it is caught as bycatch. It is specially caught only by fish soup lovers or hunters of pike perch or burbot for bait as bait on girders or stavushi. Let's talk about the ruffe in more detail and pay tribute to this wonderful fish.

From ichthyology

Ruffs belong to the perch family, which can be seen even by their spiny dorsal fin and pronounced mouth. Unlike the elegant perch, the “snotty” one does not look so bright, Brown color its body is more likely to camouflage its owner from the encroachment of predators than to show off in fishing high society.

When taken out of the water, the brush “ruffles” greatly - it spreads its gills, opens its mouth, bristles with spiny fins, and finally curls into a ring, trying to unwittingly scare the fisherman; this often happens to beginners, women or children.

The body length of the thorny king is nothing at all - it barely reaches ten centimeters with a mass that rarely exceeds one hundred grams, and the little brush has plenty of enemies, despite its thorns, they are not averse to feasting on:

• pike;
• zander;
• burbot;
• large humpback perches;
• acne;
• catfish;
• salmon

Ruffs live mainly in rivers, although they are often found in large lakes of both natural and quarry types. But in various kinds of toad grasses, this lover of sand and pebble bottom and clean water doesn't survive.

Ruffs reach sexual maturity by two to three years, although in small bodies of water they can begin to reproduce at one year of age. Spawning among river kings is extended both in time and in water temperature. The spawning begins in April when the water is six degrees Celsius, and can end in June, when the water warms up to eighteen degrees Celsius.

The total life expectancy of the prickly species rarely exceeds one and a half decades.

The king feeds mainly on animal food: crustaceans, worms, mollusks, insects, which is why catching ruffe is carried out mainly on bloodworms or worms.

If we consider the reservoir as a whole, it is easier to name a place where this nosy and voracious fish does not exist. It happens that it interferes with catching bream on the channel edge, roach in the bay or perch under a steep bank.

Many fishermen, especially in winter period, they even abandon their habitual place to get rid of ruff bites. Catching ruffe in winter is complicated by the difficulty of removing it from the hook: it is prickly and slippery from the mucus that covers it.

Catching

Ruff is rarely caught purposefully, as we have already mentioned. But still, if you decide to treat yourself to a fish ear or you need a good live bait for burbot, you should do the following.

In summer, it is best to catch ruffe at dawn, while during the daytime the activity of the prickly fish drops sharply. But in the spring and autumn, its bite does not stop throughout daylight hours. Some fishermen note that the “snotty king of the river” bites especially well at midnight. But I can’t believe that there will be a hunter for such fishing.

Catching ruffe in winter, oddly enough, is also best at dawn, and lunch is the “king’s” lunch. But, in general, winter fishing for the thorny king can be more successful than in the open water season.

Both in winter and summer, the main thing in catching ruffe is to find some hole at the bottom of the reservoir.

In small depressions on the bottom there are whole schools of spiny fish. If you caught one snotty one, then rest assured that his comrades are waiting for your next cast to the same point.

When we talk about a hole, we mean any slight drop in the bottom in the most different parts body of water: in the bay, on the shallows, near the riverbed, and so on. In addition to pits, ruffe can also be found in places that other underwater inhabitants like, for example:

• snag;
• areas around hydraulic structures;
• rocky edges;
• individual stones;
• large trees fallen into the water.

You can catch this fish using animal baits such as:

• dung and earthworms;
• bloodworm;
• fish eye.

When fishing for ruffe, bait is not used, since the determining factor is the search for the place where it stands. spiny fish.

Tackle

When purposefully catching ruffe, four types of gear are used:

1. In summer, ruffe are caught in still water using a float rod.
2. On a river current, when fishing for this fish, it is best to use light Bolognese tackle, and fish both in a retrieve and at one point.
3. From bridges, piers and other similar structures to a summer jig fishing rod with a side nod.
4. In winter, ruffe are caught mainly on a fishing rod with a nod and a jig with bloodworms.

Often in winter, when fishing for bream, the ruff is the first to approach the baited spot. In this case, you have to catch it with a float rod, because there is no need to change the hole. The approaching bream will drive the uninvited guest away from the feeding table.

Ruff – freshwater fish of the Perch family, living in the waters of Central Asia and Europe. Lives in dams, lakes, near river banks with sandy and rocky bottoms. The ruffe is artificially cultivated in North America. It feeds on small fish, bottom invertebrates and some plants. The representative of the Okunev family received its name due to the ability to ruffle its fins while pulling it out of the water. This is a spiny, slimy and very unpleasant fish. Therefore, fishermen do not speak very flatteringly about it, considering it a weed species.

The meat of the ruff contains many bones, but is tasty and sweet. Distinctive feature fish is highly sticky, which is why it is often used to prepare aspic and fish soup. The benefits of the ruff are due to its balanced amino acid composition. nutrients, vitamins and mineral compounds. With regular use, carbohydrate metabolism improves, the condition of the skin improves, and the immune system is strengthened.

Fish soup - dietary dish, indicated for use by people during the postoperative period.

general description

Ruff has a memorable appearance, which is difficult to confuse with other fish. The body is short, curved in a ring. The mouth is small, lower, the snout is blunt, there are no fangs. Each jaw has bristle-like teeth. The color of the ruffe is gray-green with melamine brown spots on the back, dorsal, caudal fins and sides. Maximum length individuals are 27 cm, and weight is 500 g (at the 15th year of life). However, in most reservoirs there is a small ruff measuring 18 cm and weighing 200 g. natural conditions fish grow slowly and only in the presence of an intensive food supply and thermal regime does its development rate increase sharply.

There is high geographic and environmental variability of the ruffe. It can often hybridize with. Interestingly, the offspring resulting from crossing two species are more adapted to unfavorable factors environment: water pollution, temperature changes.

The ruffe is a typical benthophage. Its favorite food includes gammarid and chironomid larvae. If there is a lack of them in the reservoir, it switches to fish food (caviar, fry), zooplankton. With age, large representatives of the species become predators.

At 2-4 years of life, sexual maturity occurs with a length of 9-12 cm. Depending on the size, the female’s fertility is 2-104 thousand eggs. Spawning is long, starting in April and ending in June. Behind this period the female lays 3 portions of eggs on sandy, rocky soils.

The ruffe is very susceptible to eutrophication of water bodies and water pollution, which are the reasons for the decline in the population of the species.

Value for the body

100 g of the edible part of the ruff contains 88 kcal, 70 g, 17.5 g, 2 g.

The vitamin and mineral composition is presented as (2.905 mg), (175 mg), (165 mg), (0.43 mg), (0.055 mg), (0.006 mg), (0.004 mg), (0.0007 mg).

Biologically active substances, which are part of the fish exhibit the following properties:

• improve carbohydrate metabolism;
• support muscle tissue;
• strengthen bone tissue, reduce the likelihood of developing rickets and osteoporosis;
• reduce cravings for sweet foods;
• facilitate weight loss and stimulate calorie burning during intense exercise.

100 g of ruff fillet contains 0.055 mg of chromium, which is 110% of the daily dose. With regular use, it has a therapeutic effect on the human body: it facilitates penetration into cells through the membrane, improves sexual functions, metabolism of the myocardium, nervous tissue, and has wound-healing, ulcer-healing, thermogenic and anti-atherosclerotic effects. If there is not enough chromium, the levels in the blood increase.

Contraindications: allergies to fish and seafood, hypersecretion of gastric juice.

Cooking method

Ruff – small fish, containing many bones and very sharp spines, which is why it has no commercial value. Often she accidentally falls for the bait.

Before preparing fish soup or aspic from a ruff, it needs to be cleaned, and this is a very labor-intensive process. The slimy, thorny carcass is difficult to hold in your hands. Because of this, inexperienced cooks can prick all their fingers.

After cleaning the fish from scales, it is washed, placed in a gauze bag (to prevent bones from getting into the ear) and thrown into boiling water. The cooking time should not exceed 7 minutes. Then the carcass is removed from the rich fish soup, the juice is squeezed out, and the remaining ingredients are added.

Conclusion

The ruffe is a small freshwater fish with spiny fins. Due to the difficulty in processing the body, it is not grown on an industrial scale and is practically not used in cooking. Characteristic feature Fish is highly sticky, which makes it valuable for preparing fish soup and jellied dishes. Before heat treatment, the carcass is carefully cleaned of scales, placed in cheesecloth and boiled for up to 7 minutes, otherwise it will disintegrate and small bones will fall into the rich broth. Ruffs are not fried or dried.

With regular consumption of dishes from representatives of the perch family, carbohydrate metabolism and food digestion improve (by activating the secretion of gastric juice). In addition, fish is rich in proteins and microelements, which have a vasodilating effect and prevent the progression of the skin disease pellagra.