Read the article with FishingTheSpot: the ruffe fish
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See the fishing tripsThe Ruffe fish
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The Ruffe fish belongs to the Percidae family. Its normal size is 5-10 cm but it can reach a maximum of 25 cm. The life of the Ruffe is about 4 years. The breeding period takes place between April and May. The female can deposit between 40,000 to 1,000,000,000 oocytes in several layers. It can be fished from June to March.
Its length rarely exceeds 12 to 15 cm at 5 or 6 years (maximum 25 cm for a weight of 400 g). Its body is high, yellow-green with black spots; its belly is yellowish to matt white. It has two dorsal fins that touch each other. The anterior dorsal fin has sharp rays. Its operculum ends in a strong thorn. Lonely, it hides during the day and goes out to feed at night. It's a groundfish.
The Ruffe fish lifestyle
The Ruffe is a benthophagous fish. The head ornaments are sensory channels that, combined with a very sensitive lateral line, allow the Ruffe to detect its prey and feed at night. It feeds on invertebrates (insect larvae, zooplankton, chironomids, amphipods, oligochaete), small crustaceans, mollusks, annelids, plant debris, eggs and fish fry. When populations of perch and Ruffe coexist, the perch hunt mainly by sight during the day while the Ruffe feeds at night thanks to the greater efficiency of the dimples on its head and lateral line. It continues to feed in winter (no hibernation).
During the spawning season in April-May, the Ruffe forms schools. Spawning takes place in water between 10 and 18°C. Egg laying can be done in several stages. The 1,000 to 6,000 eggs, 1 mm in size and white to yellow in color, are deposited in viscous strands on rocks and vegetation in shallow water. After 8 to 10 days, the larvae about 4 mm long and equipped with a vesicle emerge. Growth is quite rapid (females grow faster than males) and sexual maturity is reached after 1 to 2 years.
The Ruffe fish habitat
The Ruffe is present in slow-moving waters, better adapted to its reduced swimming capacity. It appreciates the gravel or sand bottoms of ponds and lakes, but it is also present in rivers. It has a fairly good tolerance to degraded environments.
This fish is native to Central and Eastern Europe. The Ruffe can be found from southwest England to the Urals. It occurs in the southern part of Scandinavia and appears to have been accidentally introduced into Scotland and North America.
The Ruffe fish angling
Although small in size, the Ruffe is a fish known to be aggressive. It is fished with roach lines. Animal bait is mainly used to bait this fish. For Ruffe fishing, there is no minimum size or maximum number of catches imposed.
