The fish has interesting ancient names - "Pereslavl herring", "royal fish". This is a freshwater lake species belonging to the salmon family, whitefish and subspecies of European vendace, exceeding the latter in size. And ripus is growing twice as fast as vendace. About the features of an unusual fish - further.
How to recognize ripus?
In length, the oblong and slender body of the ripus resembles the structure of herring, it reaches 46 cm, the maximum weight is 1.5 kg. In appearance it resembles a whitefish or vendace.
The back is dark gray with a bluish or greenish tint, the sides are cast in silver, the color brightens towards the abdomen, and it turns white. The scales do not fit snugly on the body and are easily cleaned off. The caudal fin is dark gray. The ventral, pectoral, dorsal and anal fins are translucent in gray-brown tones. Like all salmon, it has a small adipose fin.
Habitat
This movable fish is huddled in flocks and prefers to live at a depth of three to five meters in cool and quiet water. Most often, it swims in lakes and reservoirs located closer to the northern latitudes.
Its homeland is Lake Ladoga and Onega, from where it passed to Lake Peipsi, Seliger and other lakes of Karelia. Later it already appeared in the Ural and Siberian reservoirs, where it was released in the 30s of the XX century.
She prefers quiet coastal sections of reservoirs with a rocky bottom and clear water. Therefore, she doesn’t live near big cities, they go for her away from “civilization”.
What does it eat?
Most flocks of predatory small fish go hunting in the evening, looking for zooplankton. The menu of a ripus that has grown has become more varied, crustaceans and other varieties of bottom dwellers are added to it;
Spawning
Puberty in fish is later and falls on the third or fourth year from birth. This is a very prolific species; the female ripus lays up to 3,000 eggs. Spawning begins in late November or early December, when the water temperature drops to + 4 ... + 5 ° C and lasts no more than 3-5 days.
For spawning, fish moves to higher layers of water - to a depth of 1.5-3 meters, preferring areas with a sand and pebble bottom. Caviar, which is small in size and yellow in color, does not bury in the ground. Eggs develop within 140-160 days, and larvae hatch on average for 15 days.
Fishing value
Ripus is famous for its fatty and tasty meat, which is rich in healthy substances and is appreciated for its high gastronomic qualities. Therefore, fishing for it is quite wide, especially in the Urals. There it is mined in large numbers by fishing cooperatives, having bought a license to catch a certain number of individuals, and also bred artificially. In the spring, fry are released into natural reservoirs, and in the fall they catch already full-fledged fish.
Useful properties of ripus
Any fish is necessarily included in the menu of proper and healthy nutrition. The ripus is no exception. This is a valuable type of fish, which is characterized by a high content of fat (up to 6.5%) and omega-3 fatty acids. The mineral composition does not fail either; it is rich in magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, fluorine, chlorine, nickel and others.
Of vitamins, nicotinic acid or vitamin PP accounts for a large proportion. People who want to lose weight can safely include it in the diet, since 100 g contains only 75 kcal.
It beneficially affects the functioning of the main body systems - cardiovascular, immune and nervous and internal organs. Fatty acids in tandem with phosphorus help the body absorb calcium better.
Cooking Application
The hostesses like to cook this fish and there is an explanation for this:
- it is easy to clean;
- there are few bones in it about 10%;
- fish during heat treatment retains all its useful properties.
It is tasty in fried and boiled form, it is steamed. The ripus is an ideal filling for pies and dumplings. By the way, in Finland, it is the main ingredient in Finnish pie, which is the national dish of this country. And also it is smoked, salted, pickled and dried.
No less significant in cooking is its caviar. It is also very tasty and healthy.
Fishing
Going fishing for a rip, you should remember:
- A more active bite is observed in the dark, because at this time the fish prefers to go in search of food.
- It should be caught in quiet places of lakes with sand and rocky shallows, as well as in depth.
- The most successful fishing is observed when the first solid ice is established, which lasts until spring floods. In lakes with cold water you can catch it year-round.
- When winter fishing, you should not make several holes nearby to prevent tangling of the woods of two fishing rods, otherwise the fisherman (or fishermen) will spend a lot of time untangling gear.
Since the ripus lives in a flock, once you get on it, you can get a good catch in 2-3 hours. She usually bites on the "rise", that is, takes food from the bottom and begins to rise, not at all resisting. But if you sit up and do not hook in time, the fish will make a “farewell gesture” with its tail, safely leaving the hook.
They start fishing from maximum depth, gradually reduce it, and "probe" the entire thickness of the water, since the ripus can rise higher in search of food.
Winter fishing equipment for ripus
Many anglers, going for a rip in the winter, take a tent with them. Of course, it will not add much heat, but it will protect it from the wind. Before you start fishing, you need to make a hole, so that a drill forgotten at home can put an end to the whole event.
Ice fishing at night also requires at least some kind of lighting - it can be a flashlight or light from car headlights.
For successful fishing, it is necessary to highlight the holes, then, as experienced fishermen say, the ripus will peck better, so they will definitely take the backlight, it is better to use the LED. She is lowered under the ice. Light attracts plankton, for which he hunts.
In places of ice fishing, a whole tent city appears on the lake. Each tent has its own light source. Therefore, choosing a place for fishing, it is worth moving away from the neighbors, and especially not getting in the center. The more light, the more the fish is dispersed throughout the lake, which negatively affects the bite. Therefore, it is better to settle a little further away from others.
Who decided to fish the whole night so as not to freeze is worth buying a gas stove. But it is worth considering that the ice begins to melt from the heat, so you need to fish only on strong ice, and put a rubber mat or a layer of straw under your feet. This will protect the shoes from getting wet. And also for convenience they get an armchair or chair.
Choose gear
For fishing, an ordinary small winter fishing rod with a hard tip is suitable. Since the fish floats at different depths, they catch it “vertically” and one can’t do with one mormyshka (a hook soldered into a pellet of lead or tin). They are knitted at once several pieces on a fishing line (anglers immediately attach up to 10 pieces), making a distance of 60-100 cm between them.
The fishing line is chosen long and rather rigid so that it does not curl. Its optimum thickness is 0.25. Since the fish does not capture the bait, but absorbs it along with water, it is better to choose hooks thin and light, the optimal sizes are No. 10 and No. 12. It is necessary to lower the fishing line very slowly, this is achieved due to the low weight of the sinker (up to 1.5 g), and a nod equipped with a feather helps to catch the weakest bite.
What to catch ripus on?
This predatory fish pecks well at bloodworms, insect larvae - bark beetle or burdock. Some anglers catch it well in small pieces of bacon. Therefore, it is better to take several types of bait and experimentally find out what the fish prefers to “eat” now. When mounting the bait, the sting of the hook is left open. Vegetable bait is not used.
Before fishing, fish are well fed, the best bait is considered to be marmysh (fresh-water crustacean amphipod) in boiled form, which is crushed and mixed with sand. When the bait settles to the bottom, then several feeders filled with crustaceans are lowered. Each of which opens at different depths, and forms a post from bait.
After complementary feeding, the fish begins to respond. But it is necessary to feed it without fanaticism, because after eating, the ripus ceases to be interested in food, no matter how tempting it may be. It is also easy to hook with beads without a nozzle.
Breeding and growing ripus
Over the past few decades, the ripus population has decreased significantly, this is due to environmental degradation, uncontrolled fishing, poaching, in addition, this species is considered endemic, as it occupies a limited range.
During spawning, fishing on ripus is prohibited. Therefore, the ripus is an object of artificial fish breeding and acclimatization. It is acclimatized, for example, in the reservoirs of the Urals, where it feels rather well there. Interestingly, in ripus Urals, puberty occurs earlier, in the second year of life.
In artificial conditions, it is grown in ponds. Planting material is caviar at the last stage of development, it is delivered from fish factories and placed in baskets. They are placed in a pond at a depth of 1.5-2 meters, and the distance between them is 50 cm.
Then the eggs are incubated. Pure fine gravel or small stones fall asleep at the bottom of the baskets, and cover it on top so that no other fish gets into it. After some time, larvae hatch from the eggs. They leave the baskets and set off for free housing in the pond. The site should be without vegetation and far from gutters.
When cultivated in one summer, ripus from eggs grows to 60 g. To obtain a commercial herd per 1 ha of a reservoir, it is required:
- larvae in the amount of 3 thousand pieces;
- fry 1500 pieces;
- yearlings, that is, young growth this year, 200 pieces.
If yearlings are left for the second summer for feeding, then for the winter they are transferred to wintering ponds, where they are adjacent to yearlings of carp.
Interesting Facts
There are certain facts about ripus fish that are good to know:
- Freshly caught ripus smells like fresh cucumber, like smelt. The usual fishy smell appears after 2-3 hours.
- This fish deteriorates very quickly; its maximum shelf life is only 1 day.
- Why are ripus called "royal" fish? Previously, there were a lot of fish in Lake Pleshcheyevo, on the banks of which stands the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky, previously belonging to the reigning family. Fish from this lake could be caught only for the royal Lenten table, the rest of the people were forbidden to engage in fishing. In violation of this law, a person was deprived of his life. Hence the nickname "royal fish."
- Incidentally, the coat of arms of the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky still depicts vendace, a close relative of the ripus.
- In Finland, it is very popular. It is the main ingredient for many national Finnish dishes.
- The ripus eats a chebak, therefore, where it is found, then most likely there is a ripus.
So, the importance of ripus fish is clearly underestimated. Residents of Russia are wary of unfamiliar species of fish, but in the Urals, for example, it is very popular, it is useful and has tender meat. And winter fishing on ripus is an occupation that many experienced fishermen like.