Head fish. Rotan - a fish that can survive even in the most critical conditions

I managed to catch a 120 kg carp with a bait

Of course, avid fishermen will simply pass this news by. But this is in vain. After all, what do we even know about carps, except for their amazing taste?

Many fishermen strive for years to catch the catch of their lives, for others it is a sport. But no one has yet been able to catch the largest carp weighing 120 kg with a bait.

But in the fish center on Bungsanlam Lake, a 40-minute drive from Bangkok, such specimens are really found. And one local fisherman managed to catch an individual almost two meters long and weighing 120 kilograms.

The age of this barbel is approximately 10-12 years old, they are already old and very fat. For such a relatively poor country that lives from fishing, a catch of this level is the goal of a lifetime. He caught a carp on an ordinary line with a special tackle. It is clear that we had to fight long time, because carps of this size are very strong and treacherous.

Here, simple luck and muscle strength can do nothing. The main rule to remember in the fight against such living creatures is not to give her a moment's rest. Constant jerks weaken the fish, it is forced to lose a lot of strength precisely on such chaotic movements. The next step is to bring the fish as close to the shore as possible.

As long as the fish is strong, this is difficult to do. Everything, after a couple of hours of struggle, they managed to bring the carp to the shore and catch it in a snare. After measurements, it turned out that this is the largest freshwater fish that could be caught on a bait.

Is this the only case of a huge carp being caught?

Although, the carp caught in Bangkok is not yet the champion among fish of this family. In the Belgian Lake Ostend in 1937, a river monster raged for six months, which terrified local residents and tourists. Only when it was possible to catch this beast, the amazing truth was revealed.

It turned out that the river "monster" is a carp of the barbel family.

The age of our hero has already exceeded 30 years, so it is not surprising that he surrendered almost without a fight. The fish was sick and was able to live for about five more years in a special pool.

Interested in the biggest pike? In the article you will learn about the largest fish of this species.
In this one, they will tell you about mutant fish that are found in the Volga River.

Most of the male population of the planet spends a lot of time on the shore of water bodies in anticipation of a bite of fish. And some of them happened to catch fish of impressive size, which was then photographed and the photo, along with stories and legends, went online. But for the most part, these are just legends. But there are also official data that are listed in the Guinness Book of Records, they include the largest pike and not even one, and they will be discussed in our article.

In 1930, the first largest pike in Russia was recorded, and the fact of catching a pike, which weighed 35 kg, was also officially registered for the first time. The place of fishing was Lake Ilmen. Many fishermen say that these are not isolated cases, but they simply keep silent about the success because they are afraid of unnecessary noise and confiscation of the catch.
In the state of New York, a maskinong pike, weighing 32 kg, was caught on the St. Lawrence River, the fishermen could not pull the catch on their own, so they had to help with a boat.
In Sortavala, the fact of catching the largest pike weighing 49 kg was recorded, live bait was used as bait, the pike is also not small in size, to be more precise, 5 kg.
In Lake Uvldach, which is located in the north, a huge pike was caught, the weight of which was 56 kg.
There are also facts of catching a significant pike on Lake Ladoga and in Ukraine, but its weight is not very impressive, which cannot be said about its age. Official sources reported that the oldest pike in the world lived for about 33 years.
An interesting case is that occurred in the Netherlands, where a predator was caught there, the length of which was 120 cm, and it took only 10 minutes to pull it out. The fish was released into its native element immediately after photography and measurements.
And relatively recently, in 2011, in Canada, the fact of catching a pike 118 cm long was recorded, which literally a few days later was beaten by anglers on the St. Lawrence River, catching a predator 130 cm long.

The huge pike has always been and will be the subject of fables, legends and stories that anglers have been compiling for several centuries. The most notorious legend says that the largest pike in the world was caught in Germany. Its weight was 140 kg, and the length was 5.7 meters. It also mentions the record age of the fish, which was 270 years; this was based on the data obtained about the ring, which was put on the fish in 1230 by order of Emperor Frederick II.

The skeleton of this fish was in the museum of the city of Mannheim for quite a long time, pleasing the eyes of tourists and not bothering anyone. But one fine day, scientists decided to check the authenticity of the exhibit. And they proved that this is just an assembly of the bones of several dozen smaller predatory fish. So it's nothing more than a legend.

But despite stories of this kind, giant pikes exist and are constantly recorded by representatives of the Book of Records. We talked about official data above, so I think there is no point in duplicating, but still we will pay a little attention to large pikes caught in Russia.

The record pikes in Russia are considered to be predators who lived to be 20 years old and weigh from 16 kilograms. Most often, such trophies come across on Lake Ladoga. But the fishermen are constantly silent about them, motivated by the fact that the fish will be taken away, and we will not get anything.

The largest pike caught in Russia was caught and officially registered on the Ladoga lake mentioned above near the city of Sortavala, the fish weighed as much as 49 kilograms 200 grams, and was caught on live bait - a pike weighing 5 kg, which had just been caught on a wobbler and dragged to the shore.

An angler from Germany named Stefan Gockel broke the previous record while fishing in the Netherlands. He managed to catch a pike 120 centimeters long, and he fought it out quite quickly, about 10 minutes. Rybak surpassed the previous record holder by only 2 centimeters. The fish was fixed, measured and released into its native element.

In Canada, a fisherman named Mark Hutton was purposefully hunting for the trophy, and on September 26, 2011, he finally caught it. The length of the large predator was 1.18 meters, which is only 2 centimeters less than the previous catch.

These records are for the common pike, but I think many of you may be interested in its American cousin, the muskie pike. Angler Mark Carlson Rockford caught such a specimen 132 cm long and weighing about 27 kilograms. The biggest pike in the world was caught by trolling and fought for about 15 minutes. In keeping with the tradition of our American colleagues, the trophy was photographed and released.

An equally significant record was set by Michael Forgeon on the St. Lawrence River in the USA, he also caught a 130 cm long muskinong by trolling.

I would like to provide more information about the record pikes in Russia, but alas, it is quite difficult to find reliable sources of information in our country. What is the same Putin's pike worth, which has become another "zadvigon" from everyone's favorite and popular media.

Big pike fishing video

Video about catching a giant pike on the Moroshka River with an artificial frog, a walker and a jitterbug. Interesting video, in which the techniques and tactics of catching are not shown, but the bites of a large pike and its hauling are clearly visible.

Video compilation of world records for catching large pike. In short, this is a photo of a large pike, which is designed in the style of a slide show and is accompanied by music. But many of you came to see the photos, so the thought of the video will be of interest to everyone.

If we talk briefly about the video, then this is a two-minute video, stuffed with swearing, which accompanies the playing of a pike, weighing about 15 kilograms. Why did I add his court? That's because it's interesting to watch, and our Russians caught fishermen, so it's much more interesting than foreign videos.

Biological characteristics of the species

Rotan belongs to the perch-like order of the firebrand family. In addition to its classic name, it has a number of others, such as grass, firebrand, rotan firebrand, etc.

It is customary to rank it among the gobies known to fishermen, but this is erroneous, since both species belong to completely different families. It is very easy for a beginner to confuse them, since outwardly both species are quite similar, and an inexperienced eye can be mistaken if several significant differences are not taken into account. If you know the description of rotan, you can’t confuse it with other types of fish, since it has signs that are unique to it.

Having figured out what one and the second look looks like, a significant difference will become visible. Rotan and goby differ in color, size, shape of the head and body, size and shape of the fins. For example, in the first, the head takes on a practical third of the entire body, while in the second, this indicator is more modest. Main Feature, which allows you to accurately determine the type of fish is the number and shape of the pelvic fins. Unlike the single, sucker-like ventral fin that the goby has, the rotan has two small fins.

The size of the rotan mainly varies from 10 to 15 cm, but sometimes there are large rotan, the length of which reaches 25 cm, and weighing 500–600 g. In very rare cases, a huge rotan, weighing up to a kilogram, falls on the hook.

The color varies between gray-green and dirty brown. Firebrand fish can change colors depending on the characteristics of the reservoir, namely the color and pollution of the water, light, bottom characteristics, etc. During the mating season, males darken, females remain lighter in color.

Sexual maturity occurs at the age of two years. The total lifespan averages about 5 years, but some individuals live up to 7–8 years.

There are opponents to this opinion. In some cases, with the help of this species, on the contrary, it is possible to correctly balance the number of individuals of valuable breeds relative to the volume of their food. For example, if the number of crucians in a reservoir exceeds the allowable indicator, then there will not be enough food for them all. In such cases Weight Limit, to which crucian carp can grow, will be very small. Rotans, eating fry, destroy unnecessary applicants for food, so that each individual crucian feeds fully, and as a result, it grows to large sizes. Therefore, there are also reservoirs where rotan is allowed to be found.

Rotan nutrition

If you learn everything about rotans, then we can conclude that this is not a weedy fish, but rather an active predator that can feed on almost everything that the environment rewarded it with.

The fry cannot boast of a variety in the diet, the food for them is zooplankton, but what the adult rotan eats is much more interesting. In the process of development, it begins to feed on caviar, fry and medium-sized fish species, leeches, newts, and amphibian larvae. He also does not disdain his fellows, and a relatively large rotan can attack a representative of his own species, which does not differ much from him in size.

Rotan breeds very quickly and if its population is not kept under control, then in a very short time it can completely exterminate other valuable fish species. To prevent this, other predators are launched into the reservoir, for which rotan will already be a real delicacy.

For hunting, rotans gather in flocks and jointly attack shoals of other fish species. Eating its prey one after another, the predator is quickly satiated and goes to the bottom of the reservoir, where it lives until the food eaten is digested.

Thanks to the powerful jaw and large mouth, rotan easily swallows prey, which is not much smaller in size. Gradual swallowing does not interfere with his breathing in any way.

Despite the presence of many floating prey species, rotans feed on insects from the surface of the water and extract various larvae from the muddy bottom of the reservoir.

Behavior at different times of the year

In the period from May to June, rotan spawns, and one female produces huge offspring - up to one thousand eggs. It is constantly protected from other fish by males. Of course, it is possible to protect caviar only from those predators that rotan can defeat. But, for example, with a perch, which may appear near the offspring, he should not even try to fight.

They catch rotan throughout all seasons of the year. He is gluttonous and bites perfectly in any weather. Even in winter, experienced fishermen can catch good volumes of this fish in the first ice.

The behavior of a predator in winter is not the same as that of other species, which, during a particularly cold period, stray into flocks and look for warmer areas. Rotans do not do this and prefer to hunt and feed alone.

The only thing that can make them form flocks is severe frosts, in which the reservoir freezes completely. At this time, the predator feels a lack of oxygen and a decrease in temperature, which makes it huddle in groups for the sake of survival.

Even if the water column freezes completely, and the reservoir turns into one continuous ice floe, unfrozen areas remain around flocks of rotans. This is due to the fact that riba releases substances that do not allow the temperature of the water to drop to an indicator that is less than necessary for normal life. Before the onset of heat, the predator is in suspended animation, and when the temperature rises, it comes to life again and can appear in its usual places.

There are no more tenacious fish in local reservoirs. Even crucian carp, which can live in very limited and extreme conditions, cannot be compared with rotan.

Ways to catch rotan

You can catch this fish day and night, there will always be bites. The only difference is that at night the catch may be slightly smaller. Her bites will seem phlegmatic to many, but you should not hesitate here, and when the first signs appear, you need to cut. If you miss the moment, the rotan can swallow the bait so deeply that it will not work to pull it out with your hands.

Excellent results are obtained by a light rod equipped with a nod or a float and a mormyshka. The thickness of the fishing line is not of fundamental importance, since rotans usually do not pay attention to this. To protect yourself from losing tackle, it is better to equip the fishing rod with a fishing line with a diameter of 0.15 mm to 0.2 mm.

Spinning for micro jig also allows you to catch a lot of fish if it is interested in the bait. Tackle should be thrown a little further than the intended location of the predator, and then perform wave-like wiring. Usually a bite follows after the second or third cast. Rubber baits should be used flavored. Their rotan takes more willingly.

Many practice fishing using spinning using the drop-shot method. In this version, a sinker clings to the end of the fishing line, and closer, at a distance of about 50 cm, there is a hook with a bait.

Winter fishing is carried out using conventional winter fishing rods equipped with a nod or float.

Lures for rotan

Since this species of fish is predatory, then it takes better baits of animal origin. For catching rotan firebrands, dung worms, maggots, pieces of mollusks, ribbons of lard and animal meat are used.

Fish of other species, or rather, its meat, are effectively used for catching rotan. The predator does not disdain the meat of its fellows. Many experienced anglers note that the largest specimen was caught by them on a bloodworm. If other animal baits allow you to regularly catch fish of 200-300 grams, then the bloodworm often brings a record 500-gram catch.

Lures of plant origin attract less predator, especially if he has a choice between a piece of meat and corn, then the predator living in the reservoir will most likely not take the latter.

Moving jigs and wobblers also give good results when fishing. Thanks to this, spinningists can always boast of a good catch.

Rotan- a predatory freshwater fish with a memorable appearance. It has a short, elongated body, covered with medium-sized scales. The head is large with a large mouth filled with several rows of sharp, small teeth. Depending on the habitat, the color of the fish can vary from grayish-greenish to brown, and during spawning it becomes completely black.

Lifestyle

Rotan perfectly adapts to any living conditions, even the most difficult ones. He feels quite normal in winter during periods of severe frost. When the reservoirs completely freeze, the fish burrow into the silt. Also, without any problems, it survives the partial drying up of reservoirs in summer time. Other predators are not able to survive in similar conditions. In large reservoirs, the main competitors of rotan are perch, pike and pike.

Habitats of rotan

This fish prefers reservoirs with stagnant water, while rivers with fast and medium current do not favor. Basically, rotan can be found in ponds, overgrown lakes, swampy reservoirs and old rivers.

The most promising places for fishing are the coastal zone, especially where bushes grow, there is underwater vegetation, thickets of water lilies. Also, this fish can be found near the trees that have fallen into the pond. Rotan hunts, as befits a real predator - hiding in an ambush, waiting for prey.

Food

Despite the fact that rotan is a relatively small fish, it is quite voracious and almost omnivorous. The fry feed on zooplankton, and as they grow older, the diet becomes more diverse. Leeches, fish eggs, tadpoles, fry can serve as food. In reservoirs with a shortage of food, rotan can eat fry of its own species.

Development and spawning

Rotan grows up to 25 cm in length. In favorable habitat conditions, it can gain weight up to 800 g, but such specimens are very rare. Basically, this fish weighs in the range of 250-300 g. And it lives on average for about 4-5 years, although some individuals live up to 7-8 years of age.

Rotan is ready for reproductive activity already in two years. Spawning begins in May-June, when the water warms up to 15-20 o C. One female is able to spawn up to 1000 eggs, which she lays on underwater vegetation, plant roots, driftwood, etc. And the task of the male, in addition to fertilization, is the protection of masonry.

Photo of rotan fish

Fishing for rotan

Various tackle is suitable for fishing on rotan: a spinning rod, a nod for summer fishing, a float fishing rod, you can even simply tie a hook with a nozzle to the forest. The fish actively bite from spring to the very first ice, then the bite becomes weaker, but does not stop at all.

Rotan very actively attacks the bait and almost immediately swallows it along with the hook. Thanks to this activity, the fish almost never get off, but the angler must have a device with him with which he could get the hook.

Regardless of the time of day, rotan tries to find any shelter (grass, mound, snag, etc.) and hide there. Since this is a predatory fish, it is preferable to use moving baits for catching it.

Catching rattan on a mormyshka

In the summer, good results can be achieved if you use jig tackle. In this case, it is desirable to choose a heavier mormyshka, and a forest with a diameter of 0.14-0.16 mm. For fishing with such a bait, a rod 3-4 m long is best suited. And at the end, at a right angle, a gatehouse should be located.

The technique of fishing for mormyshka is not complicated. You need to lower the bait to the bottom, and then begin to smoothly lift the tip of the rod up and at the same time shake it slightly. If the rattan bites, then the guard will react, although the bite will be transmitted even along the rod. It is at this moment that you need to cut.

Catching rotan on a float rod

You can use any flywheel model, a line with a diameter of 0.1-0.15 and a float with any load. Since rotan is not shy in terms of thick lines, you can do without a leash. The bait can be dung or earthworm, maggot, any meat, chicken skin.

Catching rotan on spinning

Any spinning rod is suitable for rotan fishing. The optimal length is 3 m. Of course, you can choose longer or shorter models. But in the case of a shorter rod, it will be more difficult to catch coastal windows. And when using too long spinning, it will be much more difficult to get into small clearings. When choosing a reel, you can give preference to any ultralight model, and instead of scaffolding, it is advisable to use a braid.

The range of spinning baits is quite diverse, but for fishing on rotan the best choice there will be rubber baits in the form of twisters, silicone worms, etc. Their use will make rotan spinning fishing much more effective and efficient.

Catching rotan in winter

It is best to catch winter rotan on the first and last ice. The fishing rod can be of any design, the main thing is the sufficient elasticity of the whip on which the winter reel is installed. The diameter of the scaffold can vary within 0.15-0.2 mm. When using large mormyshka and winter spinners, the nod should be chosen harder.

The fishing technique is as follows: you need to lower the lure into the hole, wait until it reaches the bottom, and then raise it a little. Then perform several oscillatory movements and make a sharp swing of 30-40 cm. Then a pause of up to 5 seconds, after which slight oscillations follow and everything starts from the very beginning, that is, the lure must be lowered to the bottom, etc.

As an additional bait, you can use pieces of meat or chicken skin.

Video catching rotan

Rotan in cooking

From this fish, like from any other, you can cook many delicious dishes. In addition, rattan meat contains vitamin PP and minerals useful for the human body: zinc, fluorine and others.

Rattan cutlets

To prepare this dish, you will need the following products:

Rotan carcasses (without entrails, fins and head) - 1 kg;
Onions - 2 pcs.;
Boiled egg - 2 pcs.;
Raw egg - 1 pc.;
Semolina - 2 tbsp.

Twist the fish, onions and boiled eggs in a meat grinder, add a raw egg, semolina, salt and pepper. Mix everything well, form meatballs from the minced meat and roll them in flour. Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan and after it heats up well, put cutlets in a frying pan and fry them on both sides until cooked.

If desired, cutlets can be stewed in a sauce, for the preparation of which you will need:

Sauteed onions in vegetable oil - 2 pcs.;
Tomato paste - 6 tablespoons;
Water - 1 tbsp.;
Sugar - 1 tsp;
Spices.

Put the cutlets in a saucepan, pour over the sauce and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

stewed rotan

Wash the fish, clean, remove the insides and heads. Put the carcasses in a deep frying pan, alternating layers of fish with vegetables (carrots, onions and tomatoes). Add a little water, sunflower oil, lavrushka, salt, pepper and simmer until tender. The dish is considered ready when the bones become soft.

Bage

To prepare this dish, you will need large rotans. Initially, you need to clean, gut, wash the fish and separate the fillet, which should turn out to be 600 g. Cut it into pieces, roll them in breadcrumbs and fry in vegetable oil. Put the finished fish on a plate and pour over the sauce. It turns out a very tasty and original dish.

To prepare the sauce you need:

Garlic - a few cloves;
Walnuts - 150 g;
Wine vinegar - 2 tablespoons;
Dill / parsley;
Salt pepper.

Twist garlic together with nuts in a meat grinder, add cooled boiled water, finely chopped herbs, vinegar, salt, pepper and mix well.

Novice anglers and people who are not engaged in fishing quite often confuse rotan with an ordinary bull. These two species are quite similar in appearance, which very often mislead fishermen. But despite this, there is practically nothing in common between them.

The homeland of the predator is the Far East, from where it was brought to European part countries. It is considered a weed fish, but in many fish farms it gets along well with other species of representatives of the ichthyofauna.

Origin and distribution

Rivers and lakes located in the European part of Russia, as well as in other European countries, are not the original habitats of rotans. The origin of the species originates from the Far East, as well as the northern part of Korea and the northeastern part of China.

The inhabitants of these areas were familiar with this fish long before it appeared in the Dnieper, Volga, Danube, Dniester, Don and other large rivers, as well as their tributaries.

Rotan was a rarity!

Before the start of a wide and rapid distribution, the predator could not be found anywhere in the world except for the Amur, as well as rivers, lakes and swamps located in its basin.

There are several versions of the distribution of the predator in the waters of Europe. According to one, rotan was brought to St. Petersburg at the beginning of the century as aquarium fish. It is very easy to care for him, because he is not picky in food, and most importantly, he is very tenacious. He behaves quite peculiarly, thanks to which it was very interesting to watch him.

After some time, for some unknown reason, rotans were released into a nearby reservoir, where they began to multiply and spread rapidly.

Another version says that rotans were brought to the European part of the country during the times of the USSR, from which their global expansion began.

Type characteristic

Rotan fish is the only representative of the perch-like family of firebrands. In addition to its classic name, it also has a number of others, such as grass, firebrand, firebrand, Amur goby, etc. The last name can be disputed, because it has nothing in common with a goby.

These two species differ in body shape, size, color, shape and size of the head and fins. When considering all the differences, the difference will be visible even to inexperienced fishermen. If a goby and a rotan-fish are compared, photos of one and the other species will help to see the difference.

Rotanas grow on average up to 12-15 cm in length. This indicator is the most common. Despite this, sometimes there are representatives of firebrands that have reached a length of 25 cm and weigh more than half a kilogram. The largest specimens that were recorded had 40 cm bodies and boasted an impressive weight - about 800-900 g.

The large head of the fish occupies about a third of the entire body. The huge and powerful mouth has many small and sharp teeth, which are arranged in several rows.

The color can be dirty brown or gray-green. The hue changes depending on the transparency and purity of the water, the color of the bottom surface. Males acquire a darker color during the mating season, females remain light.

The average life expectancy is approximately 5-7 years. Rotans can breed upon reaching 2 years of age.

Nutrition Features

Many believe that rotans are weedy fish, but having understood their behavior and lifestyle, we can conclude that they are rather active and dangerous predators. In nutrition, they are unpretentious and eat everything that they can find in the expanses of the water world.

The fry feed only on zooplankton, so their diet does not differ in variety. As they grow, they gradually move on to more serious food. Over time, matured individuals begin to actively eat the caviar of other fish, amphibian larvae, and leeches. When enough strength is gained, newts, small fish species, as well as fry of larger representatives of the ichthyofauna become their victims.

A distinctive feature of this species is that its representatives are not particularly squeamish about cannibalism. In the absence of a sufficient amount of food in the reservoir, rotans hunt their relatives. Very often the victim is not much smaller than the attacker.

They mainly hunt collectively. They gather in flocks and attack shoals of other fish, quickly saturate, exterminating their victims one after another, and then go to the bottom of the reservoir, where they stay until the food they have absorbed is digested.

Lifestyle and interesting lifestyle features

Having understood the lifestyle of rotans, you can learn a lot more interesting things. Most anglers admire their phenomenal survivability. They can survive in such reservoirs, where, it would seem, there are no conditions for this. With a lack of oxygen in the water, many species of fish die, but not rotan. He feels great and also increases his population.

Rotan is even more adapted to life in extreme conditions than crucian carp. He is able to survive the most severe winter, when the reservoir turns into one continuous ice block. Before the onset of heat, it is in suspended animation, then it wakes up and leads a familiar lifestyle.

They eat all the babies!

You can add up legends about the voracity of rotans. In many cases, where a predator appears, other fish disappear after a while. Its population is not declining, since it has few enemies in water bodies, and its reproduction rate can be envied.

Perch, pike-perch, catfish, and pike prey on rotans, which somehow prevent the rapid increase in their population.

There is also a positive side to gluttony. In some fish farms, rotans are used to reduce the number of fish grown valuable species fish. In this case, more food will fall on the remaining fish, and it will grow to a large size.

Catching rotans

You can fish for this predator with a light fishing rod equipped with a nod or float, as well as spinning. It is caught throughout the year in any weather.

Bites are phlegmatic, so if the fisherman has the slightest suspicion of her, you should pull out the bait. Otherwise, the rotan will swallow the bait so deeply that it will be very difficult to pull it out with your hands. It is recommended to use an extractor to protect your fingers from injury.

Micro jig fishing gives good results. In this case, the bait should be thrown a couple of meters further than the intended location of the flock. The wiring should be wavy. So the bait attracts the predator better.

In winter, fishing is carried out with the help of winter fishing rods equipped with a float or a nod.

When fishing with a rod, it is recommended to use baits of animal origin. Since rotan is a predator, he will not even look at plant food. Suitable earthworms or dung worms, pieces of molluscs, bloodworms, maggots, meat and lard, fry, chicken skin, etc.

When fishing with micro jig, it is better to take flavored baits. In this case, the predator will be attracted not only appearance but also the smell.

Watch a video on how to catch rotan.

There are 3 types of rotan in total, but only one is common in Russia - grass or firebrand, aquarists call it the Amur goby. Rattan should not be confused with rattan - this is different types fish. Rotan - the only representative of the genus of firebrands, belongs to the species of ray-finned. Despite its modest size, it is an active predator that can threaten fisheries as it feeds on fry. valuable fish. However, many fishermen use it as bait for large predators; rotan is no less popular in cooking.

Appearance

This is a small nondescript fish up to 14-25 cm long, weight does not exceed 500 grams - the size depends on the amount of food and habitat. Firebrands 40 cm long and weighing 800 grams are considered record-breaking. Instances of maximum size are extremely rare, although rotan lives up to 15 years. The average life expectancy is 7-10 years, rotan reaches sexual maturity by 2 years.

It has a dense short body, a large head and a large mouth, several rows of sharp teeth. The gill covers have a soft spine directed backwards, while the fins are soft, without spines at all. Because of the fins, rotan is very similar to a representative of goby fish. The main difference is the ventral fins - they are paired, located close to the head and rather small.

The scales are dull, medium in size. The color of the fish varies, but mainly gray-green and dirty brown tones predominate, the belly is gray, there are spots and stripes. AT mating season the fish turns black.

Lifestyle

Despite its small size, the Amur goby is a predator, moreover, active and quite dangerous. This is due to its fertility and ability to destroy all other species in a single reservoir. The firebrand lives mainly in stagnant waters, in which there are no conditions for other predators. If natural enemies(salmon, eel, perch, pike, zander) are present, the number of rotan is usually small, and the size is small - up to 200 grams.

Depending on the age, the Amur goby eats:

In "infancy" zooplankton;
At an older age, the diet is "diluted" with benthos (microorganisms that live on the bottom) and small invertebrates;
Adult fish prefer tadpoles and eggs of other species, leeches, newts, even small fish. They do not disdain cannibalism either - they devour smaller rotans.

Spawning occurs in late spring-mid-summer. Sexually mature (two-year-old) Amur gobies begin to breed: females lay up to a thousand eggs, which are then guarded by males.

habitats

The ideal habitat for rotan are stagnant ponds with well-developed vegetation. They lay eggs on plants and objects. However, the fish survives well even harsh conditions: polluted water, drying up of the reservoir, etc. They can even survive freezing water: glycine and glucose inside the body bind free water, increasing the salt concentration. This lowers the crystallization temperature, allowing rotan to survive the cold season. However, completely frozen fish will not come to life.

Today, rotan fish, the origin of which is the Far East of Russia, the northeast of China and the north North Korea, as well as the Amur River and its tributaries, spread throughout almost the entire center of Russia. It is found in the rivers Ob, Dniester, Volga, Don, Dnieper, Ural, Irtysh and Styr, mainly in stagnant water bodies where there are no predators that can restrain population growth. In the twentieth century, fish got into Lake Baikal - many scientists regard this as biological pollution.

Spread between water bodies occurs during floods or with human participation. Since the Amur goby is an excellent bait for predators, it is easy to catch and tolerates transportation well, it is regularly caught and transported to other water bodies, where it remains and begins to breed. However, such distribution causes damage primarily to fishing and predatory fish, as the firebrand devours fry of more valuable fish.

Fishing

A large firebrand is often an object of fishing: it can be eaten and used as bait. You can catch rattan on:

earthworm;
Maggots and bloodworms;
Raw meat or lard, chicken skin;
Mormyshka and small spinners. Sometimes it is enough to attach red threads to the hook.

The main rule for catching rotan is to regularly (every 30-40 minutes) change the bait, which loses its attractiveness. It is best to catch firebrands in spring and summer - in autumn, rotan begins to hide, and in winter it usually flocks and goes to the bottom.

When caught, the firebrand usually captures the prey deeply, which is why it cannot break free. For successful fishing, a fishing rod with a hook and a meter of line is enough - rotan is picky. Due to its survivability, one rotan can be used as bait all day long.

Rotan in cooking

Despite the unattractive appearance and use as bait, the Amur goby is suitable for food. It can be boiled, stewed, fried and salted, soups, casseroles and even scrambled eggs and salads can be prepared. With proper preparation, it acquires an exquisite taste: for example, a fried firebrand is “sweeter” than similarly cooked crucian carp. The pinkish-white meat of the fish is dense and tender, has few large bones that are easily removed or stewed until softened.

A popular dish is rotan cutlets. To prepare them you will need:

500 g of rattan;
1-2 potatoes;
1-2 onions;
2 eggs;
flour or breadcrumbs;
1-2 tablespoons of butter;
100 g of lard;
Salt, pepper, garlic and other spices.

The recipe is the following:

The fish is ground through a meat grinder, oil, lard, spices, potatoes and onions are added to the minced meat;
Then eggs are beaten, mixed with flour or breadcrumbs and also added to minced fish;
Flour or crackers are mixed in until the consistency of the minced meat becomes dense enough to form cutlets;
After that, cutlets themselves are molded and fried in a pan on both sides.

"Composition" of fish per 100 grams:

Calorie content - 88 kcal;
Proteins - 17.5 g. Protein is easily digestible and is great for dietary nutrition;
Fats - 2 g;
Carbohydrates - 0 g;
Water - 70 g;
Vitamins: A, E, PP and D;
Trace elements: magnesium, manganese, iron, bromine, copper, potassium, sulfur, zinc, molybdenum.

decorative fish

Rotan can also be used as a home aquarium fish. They are unpretentious and well suited for beginner aquarists. "Domestic" fish have a richer color than the "wild" relatives, and usually smaller - up to 8 cm in length. Both dry granules and live bloodworms and tubules are suitable as feed.

They are less demanding on oxygen (easily tolerate its reduced content in water), and also feel good even in small cold aquariums. For example, 10 liters is enough for 2 individuals. The only condition of keeping is that there should be plants and decorations inside the aquarium, for example, a wicker snag, so that the Amur goby can hide in them.

Keeping firebrands with other fish is not recommended. Being predators, they can devour all the "neighbors", while there were cases when rotans attacked fish as tall as themselves. Sometimes firebrands needed 1-2 days to completely destroy the families of guppies or neon.

Rotan or firebrand is a small predatory fish that lives in stagnant water bodies. It is an object of fishing, used as bait for predators, as food or an aquarium pet. Despite its small size, it is quite dangerous for the ecology of a single reservoir, as it can completely destroy all the inhabitants.

It is called a toad, a firebrand, a live-eater, an Amur goby and a grass. In fact, we are talking about a fish from the golovyoshkovy family called rotan. What kind of fish it is, where it is found and how it looks, whether it can be eaten and what cooking recipes exist - all this is really very interesting.

The firebrand-rotan is the only representative of ray-finned fish of the firebrand genus. It is believed that this fish was originally found in the Amur River basin in the Far East. It is well known to the fishermen of North Korea and China. Today it can be caught in such rivers as:

Volga;
Danube;
Irtysh;
Dnieper;
Ural;
Dniester and others.

The grass or firebrand feels great in shallow ponds and lakes with stagnant water, where other predatory fish do not survive. It spreads during periods of high water, along with birds and with the help of humans.

In large reservoirs, this predator has enemies. Mostly salmon. In conditions natural selection its numbers are small, and the largest rotan rarely reaches a weight of more than 200 grams. Especially a lot of fry are eaten by perch - they simply do not have time to grow.

Some believe that rotan is a weed fish. Not at all. This small fish is an active and ferocious predator. Getting into the ponds of fish farms, it causes great harm, eating fry of especially valuable species, and its presence in the basin of the purest Lake Baikal is considered a real biological pollution.

Description and habits

Rotan has a short and dense body. The scales are dull, medium in size. Its color is changeable - from gray-green to dirty brown tones. Small spots and streaks are clearly visible irregular shape, belly greyish. When the mating season begins, the scales become black.

The head of the fish is large, the mouth is large, and, like many predatory fish, it is studded with sharp teeth. They are small and arranged in several rows, like a piranha. There is a gill spine, like perciformes, but it is soft. The fins do not have spikes. There are two of them on the back - one is longer than the other. The largest - pectoral fins they are soft and rounded. The tail also has a rounded shape. The appearance of rotan resembles gobies, which is why it is called the Amur goby.

Under good living conditions, the largest rotan reaches a length of 25 cm. If the conditions are less suitable, then growth does not exceed 14-20 cm. There are also record holders whose maximum weight is 500 grams.

Sexual maturity occurs at about two years of age. For spawning, the firebrand leaves in May-July. Each female lays about a thousand eggs. She clings to plants and various objects that have fallen into the water. This is where her mission ends, the clutch is vigilantly guarded by the male.

A good survival rate of rotan was noted. It tolerates partial drying up of reservoirs, water pollution and freezing to the very bottom.

The menu of this predator includes:

Sometimes he does not disdain carrion. Cannibalism is widespread among golovyoshkovyh. They are happy to eat their own caviar and fry.

In a small reservoir, where there are no other, no less ferocious, predators, rotan fish can destroy all other species in a short time, therefore it is considered dangerous. In large rivers and lakes, its numbers are controlled by pike, minnow, catfish and perch.

Amateur fishermen are only interested in large specimens. The firebrand has almost no small bones, it is edible and quite tasty. No special gear is needed when catching rotan. Any rod will do. The bait is practically irrelevant. The fish bites on a worm, pieces of meat or bacon, on bread, bloodworms, mormyshka and baubles. The bait is swallowed greedily and deeply. The main difficulty is take the hook out of the mouth.

Small rotan itself is used as bait when catching larger predators such as pike perch, catfish, pike and perch. Its survivability allows you to repeatedly cast such a bait. “In reserve” the firebrand is kept at home in an ordinary bucket or jar.

Dense and at the same time tender white-pink rotan meat is a real delicacy. You can cook a wide variety of dishes from it - from the most ordinary frying and smoking to gourmet fish under bage sauce.

The fish is cleaned as usual - the insides are taken out, if desired, the fins and gills are removed. Many do not spend time on the gills, but simply throw the head away while eating.

The flour is mixed with salt and pepper, you can add any spices to taste. Each fish is rolled in salted flour and fried over high heat until golden brown.

Crushed garlic, a little salt and water are added to sour cream. The finished fish is poured with this mixture and put on fire. Cover the pan with a lid. After boiling, keep on fire for 1-2 minutes. Served hot and cold.

Such an ear can be cooked from rotan and perch. It is cooked both on the fire and on the stove.. If a lot of small fish fell into the bait, but you don’t want to mess with it, then you can cook a rich soup with a minimum of effort.

Fish for broth is not cleaned of scales. It is thoroughly washed, the gills and entrails are taken out. A portion of the fish is tied in gauze and dipped in boiling water. As soon as the eyes of the firebrand turn white, it is taken out and a new portion is laid. There may be several such "bookmarks".

Potatoes and spices are added to the finished broth: roots, peppers, seasonings. When the potatoes are cooked, several completely peeled large fish, greens and crushed garlic are lowered. After a couple of minutes, the ear is ready. When cooled, it acquires a jelly-like consistency. Especially tasty on the fire!

The small head is washed and cleaned. Heads and large bones are removed, and everything else is twisted into minced meat with the addition of onions, a piece of fresh lard, garlic, salt and ground black pepper. Separately, a piece of bread or a loaf is soaked in milk. Thoroughly knead the minced meat, adding softened bread and an egg to it. He must stand a little. If excess liquid appears, it is drained.

Cutlets are formed, rolled in breadcrumbs or flour and fried in vegetable oil until golden brown. Served with any side dish.

There are many dishes that can be prepared from rotan. The fish is really delicious. The main thing is that it should be in sufficient quantity. To paraphrase famous saying- what is death for the fry, then the fisherman is joy ...

sudak.guru

Appearance

The scales are dull, medium in size. The color of the fish varies, but mainly gray-green and dirty brown tones predominate, the belly is gray, there are spots and stripes. During the mating season, the fish turns black.

Lifestyle

Despite its small size, the Amur goby is a predator, moreover, active and quite dangerous. This is due to its fertility and ability to destroy all other species in a single reservoir. The firebrand lives mainly in stagnant waters, in which there are no conditions for other predators. If natural enemies (salmon, eel, perch, pike, zander) are present, then the number of rotan is usually small, and the size is small - up to 200 grams.

Depending on the age, the Amur goby eats:

In "infancy" zooplankton;
At an older age, the diet is "diluted" with benthos (microorganisms that live on the bottom) and small invertebrates;
Adult fish prefer tadpoles and eggs of other species, leeches, newts, even small fish. They do not disdain cannibalism either - they devour smaller rotans.

habitats

Today, the rotan fish, whose origin is the Far East of Russia, the northeast of China and the north of North Korea, as well as the Amur River and its tributaries, has spread throughout almost the entire center of Russia. It is found in the rivers Ob, Dniester, Volga, Don, Dnieper, Ural, Irtysh and Styr, mainly in stagnant water bodies where there are no predators that can restrain population growth. In the twentieth century, fish got into Lake Baikal - many scientists regard this as biological pollution.

Fishing

A large firebrand is often an object of fishing: it can be eaten and used as bait. You can catch rattan on:

earthworm;
Maggots and bloodworms;
Raw meat or lard, chicken skin;
Mormyshka and small spinners. Sometimes it is enough to attach red threads to the hook.

Rotan in cooking

A popular dish is rotan cutlets. To prepare them you will need:

500 g of rattan;
1-2 potatoes;
1-2 onions;
2 eggs;
flour or breadcrumbs;
1-2 tablespoons of butter;
100 g of lard;
Salt, pepper, garlic and other spices.

The recipe is the following:

The fish is ground through a meat grinder, oil, lard, spices, potatoes and onions are added to the minced meat;
Then eggs are beaten, mixed with flour or breadcrumbs and also added to minced fish;
Flour or crackers are mixed in until the consistency of the minced meat becomes dense enough to form cutlets;
After that, cutlets themselves are molded and fried in a pan on both sides.

"Composition" of fish per 100 grams:

Calorie content - 88 kcal;
Proteins - 17.5 g. Protein is easily digestible and is great for dietary nutrition;
Fats - 2 g;
Carbohydrates - 0 g;
Water - 70 g;
Vitamins: A, E, PP and D;
Trace elements: magnesium, manganese, iron, bromine, copper, potassium, sulfur, zinc, molybdenum.

decorative fish

ohota.guru

Description of the fish

Rotan, or, as it is also called, firebrand rotan, grass, just firebrand, is a representative of the species of Ray-finned fish of the Goloveshkov family, the only member of the Goloveshki genus.

This unpretentious fish came to the European part of the continent from the Amur. Due to its nature, it quickly took root in freshwater stagnant reservoirs.

Outwardly, it resembles the shape of a bull. A characteristic difference is the presence of two small ventral fins, which are located near the head.

The teardrop-shaped body is covered with medium-sized scales. This fish does not have a permanent color. The color of the firebrand can be both gray-green and gray-brown, with chaotic spots and stripes. During the mating season, it becomes black, the abdomen usually remains gray.

Rotan is a predator. Like all representatives of this type of fish, it has sharp small teeth in several rows. Like the perciformes, the gill covers of the grass grass have a backward-pointing spike. Fins are soft.

Often, representatives of this species do not grow large, the largest individuals reach 25 cm in length. Life expectancy does not exceed 7 years, on average it is 4-5 years.

This fish lives in fresh water. The unpretentiousness of the firebrand allows her to live practically in a puddle. It easily survives both the complete freezing of the reservoir, and partial drying.

This predator feeds on small fish, leeches, newts, amphibian larvae. During periods of food shortage, rotans can eat smaller individuals of their own species.

Rotan fish (video)

Rotan in a pond - trouble or blessing

Initially, it was believed that the appearance of grass in a reservoir leads to the complete extermination of fish of another species. The ability of this predator to survive in any conditions and omnivorous nature allow it to live almost everywhere. Only pike, perch and catfish can compete with rotan. But under certain conditions, he eats their fry.

The appearance of this fish in the reservoir leads to a significant decrease in the number of other species, such as crucian carp and carp. But over time, fishermen began to notice that individuals of seemingly missing fish fall for the bait, while their size is surprising. All this directly depends on the rotan. Eating carp and crucian fry, the predator thins out the lakes, allowing the surviving individuals to reach large sizes.

Rotan is a predator

Many experts say that rotan has made a huge contribution to the conservation of species. freshwater fish, thinning out the livestock and stimulating individuals to grow. At the same time, he himself, on a good fodder base, reached large sizes.

No matter how opinions differ, the benefits of grass for the ecosystem are obvious.

Catching rotan

Fishermen note that fishing in places where the firebrand lives brings only pleasure. If you need to catch a lot of fish and in a short time - rotan is exactly what you need.

The fish bites on everything from a worm to a piece of bread. She is absolutely not shy and not picky. The only problem may be the size of the prey. The largest rotan that can be caught with a bait may not exceed a mass of 200 g. Rarely come across large individuals, especially if another predator lives in the reservoir. But if long-term and sport fishing is planned, look for another place.

You can even catch rotan with spinning baits. It is best to choose rubber for this purpose: silicone worms or bloodworms. The use of the so-called edible rubber increases the effectiveness, since the herb relies on taste buds when searching for food.

Unlike other fish, the firebrand can be caught at any depth, even in places where the proximity of the bottom is visible. You may not see it, but when casting a fishing rod, you should pay attention to the fact that a light shadow gives out prey.

Catching rotan (video)

Culinary characteristics

You can cook rotan as you like: fry, boil, stew, dry. The delicate taste of meat, the almost complete absence of bones provides housewives with a huge selection of recipes and additional ingredients.

Before you cook the fish, you need to clean it. This will not cause any problems, since the scales lag behind the skin easily, and the giblets can be quickly removed through an incision in the abdomen parallel to the head. After thoroughly washing the carcass, you can start cooking.

Pretty tasty fried rotan. It needs to be cleaned, salted, generously rolled in flour and fried in hot sunflower oil until light brown.

There are excellent recipes for soups and fish soup from rotan. When cooked, the meat will turn out white, somewhat reminiscent of sturgeon. Potatoes, carrots, onions, greens are added to the ear. You can flavor the broth with sunflower oil and sour cream.

In order not to bother with the bones, you can cook stew from the firebrand. To do this, washed and decapitated carcasses are placed in a container. Layers of fish are alternated with onions and carrots, flavored with tomato paste, a little water is added and simmered for about 5 hours under a lid. Cooking in this way ensures that the bones in the fish soften and can be eaten without risk to health.

fisherhook.ru

Rotan in Europe: an ecological disaster or a useful species in the fish industry?

There is no commercial fishing for firebrands. But, in private, the hero of the article is caught. Rotan bites exclusively on meat. The bite is great too. The peculiarity of rotan bite is that even with a slight fluctuation of the float, the fish can sit firmly on the hook. Light twitches of the fishing line animate the worm and provoke the rotan to bite.

In 1916, rotan was released into the reservoirs of St. Petersburg. Subsequently, it spread throughout Northern Eurasia, in most of Russia and many European countries. However, there are a lot of alternative names: sandpiper, rooster, greenfinch, goby, grass, farrier.

If there is silt in the reservoir, the released rotan will survive. Burrowing into the viscous bottom, the fish successfully exists in almost completely freezing rivers and ponds. The hero of the article also survives in reservoirs that dry up during periods of summer heat. Saves all the same sludge. Burrowing into it, the fish finds the necessary amount of moisture and oxygen. In freezing reservoirs, the predator winters perfectly in ice. In waters with a poor food content, these fish practice cannibalism, eating their smaller relatives. Having swallowed large prey, the firebrand lies on the bottom for several days to digest food. Most often they wait for their prey in ambush. The main type of rotan hunting is an attack on an unsuspecting victim from a hiding place.

Catching in the evening dawn or early in the morning is good for chicken skin, cut into strips. She keeps well in the water and is far visible. Rotan is found in all layers of water and how to catch it is a matter of taste for the angler. The main tackle for catching rotan, of course, is the usual float rod. The bait for this type of fishing is best served by "rubber" and wobblers.

www.membeduet.ru

What is rotan: description and range

Thanks to active bites, good palatability and moderate fat content, this species of predatory fish is a popular object of sport and amateur fishing. Resistance to sudden changes in temperature, oxygen starvation, polluted and stagnant water made the firebrand a frequent inhabitant of many lakes, rivers, ponds and reservoirs in most regions of Russia. Rotan massively lives in Lake Baikal, the basins of the Volga, Ural, Don, Irtysh, Kama, reservoirs of the Moscow and Leningrad regions.

Now the domestic range of rotan with some uninhabited areas stretched from the Russian-Chinese border (Ussuri, Urgun, Amur) to Kaliningrad region, Neman, Narva and Lake Peipus.

The firebrand is quite easy to distinguish from other representatives of the ichthyofauna by its characteristic appearance:

large head (1/3 body length);
the second dorsal fin is larger than the first;
rounded body with a refined caudal peduncle;
dense scales of medium size, covered with mucus;
a giant mouth with an elongated lower jaw and several rows of small sharp teeth that are periodically updated;
low position of the eyes;
grayish belly;
main color in ash-green and brown-brown tones;
lighter stripes and spots are randomly scattered on the sides.

Due to the similarity of the exterior, it is important to know the difference between a rotan and a bull. You need to pay attention to the pelvic fins - the firebrand has two of them, they are quite small and have round shape. In representatives of gobies, this paired organ for swimming, it grew together and became like a large sucker.

Rotan is characterized by medium-sized size and leads a daytime flocking lifestyle, adhering to the bottom and natural shelters (stones, vegetation, snags). In the catches, a fish weighing 200-300 g is standardly caught. Record specimens of 400-500 g aged 5-6 years are much less likely to bite. At the same time, the maximum mass of rotan reaches 750-800 g with a body length of 25-30 cm. Only individuals who have lived their entire lives (7-8 years) in comfortable and well-fed conditions can boast of such dimensions.

Rotan is an active, aggressive and constantly hungry predator, which is able to significantly reduce, and sometimes completely exterminate individual populations of other fish and amphibians, such as frogs and newts.

A favorite habitat of rotan are small reservoirs with a stagnant or slowly flowing environment and an abundance of higher aquatic vegetation. Thanks to special biological mechanisms and the mucous coating of the body, the fish seamlessly survives both critical drying up and complete freezing of a pond, stream, canal, lake.

The basis of the diet of the sleeper firebrand includes leeches, worms, larvae, small invertebrates, tadpoles, caviar and juveniles of other fish (bream, carp, crucian carp, gudgeon, carp, roach, loach). In addition, he is a pronounced scavenger and cannibal. The latter quality is especially pronounced in small ponds with a quantitative predominance of rotan. In turn, the grass is hunted by larger predatory fish. Depending on the size and characteristics of the reservoir, it can be perch, pike perch, pike, burbot or catfish.

Rotan remains active and has a great appetite throughout the year, which allows you to catch it both in open water, as well as on ice. Fish do not stop eating even in rain, windy weather, extreme heat and frost. Indefatigable appetite disappears only during the spawning period.

Thanks to huge mouth and a wide throat, a predator is able to slowly and confidently swallow prey of the same diameter as its own body. In this case, the stomach greatly increases in size, and the belly begins to sag. Then a well-fed fish sinks to the bottom, finds a safe shelter for itself and digests food for several days, remaining practically motionless.

reproduction

Sexual maturity of rotan occurs at 2-3 years. Spawning occurs in April-May at a water temperature of +15-18°C. Shallow water with dense vegetation or an abundance of solid substrate is chosen as a spawning ground, on which female sleeper lay a portion of several even rows of elongated and sticky eggs with a diameter of 1.3-1.5 mm. The pause between clutches is 2-3 weeks. In one season, each female is capable of giving life to 800-1000 fry.

During the breeding season, males acquire a mating black color, because of which the species received the nickname "firebrand". Immediately after spawning, they take care of all future offspring, guarding the clutch around the clock and fanning it with fins to enrich it with oxygen. The rotan larvae also remain completely safe, which hatch from eggs in 4-5 days and immediately switch to feeding on zooplankton. At the same time, a grown fry can already become a dinner for its parent, therefore it reliably hides in dense vegetation away from relatives and other fish.

Catching rotan

The grasshopper prefers a coastal shallow zone with a maximum concentration of fry, small crustaceans, amphibians, bottom larvae, which serve as the basis of its food base. In such a situation, catching fish on a classic long-range donk is impractical due to frequent difficult recasts. By open warm water the best tackle for rotan will be a fly rod.

Spring, autumn and cloudy summer days light spinning, for example microjig, shows itself effectively. Also, for quiet and accurate catching of large rotan, a vent or a donk from a bottle is suitable. In winter, fish are caught from under the ice with a live bait or nodding rod.

Bait selection

The gluttony and omnivorous nature of the species determines a wide selection of baits of animal origin. Predatory fish rotan bites well on:

creep, earth and dung worm;
bloodworm, maggot, caddisfly;
snail, shellfish, amphibian meat;
small live bait;
artificial baits.

Catching rotan on chicken meat and skin, pieces of beef and lard, strips of fresh fish is often practiced. Such baits allow you to concentrate on catching a predator and practically reduce the probability of bites of cyprinids: crucian carp, roach, rudd, etc. to zero. In crowded water bodies, rotan can stably peck at some plant baits (peas, bread, corn, dough).

Float fishing

Despite the small weight of the fish and moderate resistance when playing, the tackle on the rotan should not be too thin and withstand a breaking load of several kilograms. This is due to the peculiarity of the habitats of the predator, abounding in aquatic vegetation and bottom debris.

The best option would be a green or brown monofilament fishing line with a thickness of 0.1-0.15 mm. The installation of a leash is not necessary, but in order not to break off the entire equipment when hooked, it is better to arrange a separate installation of the hook using 20-30 cm thinner fishing line 0.08-0.12 mm.

Particular attention should be paid to the choice of a rattan hook, which should be large in size and with a long shank (No. 4-8 according to the international classification). Otherwise, the angler will constantly face the problem of pulling out a deeply swallowed bait. For the same reason, you should always have a long extractor with you.

The bite of rotan is quite specific. He often carefully takes the bait with his lips and slowly chews it. At the same time, the melting trembles finely, but remains in place. If a short and sharp cut is not performed within 1-2 seconds, the hook will be deep in the predator's throat and it will be difficult to get it back.

Despite the fact that rotan is a bottom fish, it carefully monitors the space above its head and immediately attacks prey swimming nearby. That is why it is advisable to adjust the tackle in such a way that the nozzle is 5-10 cm above the bottom.

Catching rotan with silicone lures

When using artificial baits (maggot, bloodworm, worm, crustacean), it is desirable to treat them with an attractant based on animal blood. If this is not possible, it is enough to wipe the nozzle with lard (lard) or roll in a pounded piece of chicken, beef or pork meat.

Fishing for rattan with spinning requires the use of ultra-light rods with a minimum test. In addition to silicone baits and jig heads, you can use micro-wobblers and small wobblers, such as Yo-Zuri Snap Beans, Pontoon 21 Cheerful 34 MR. The most catchy for rotan is twitching wiring with short and frequent jerks.

bottle fishing

In modern fishing predatory fish the classic “circle” tackle has been successfully replaced by a more affordable and cheap fixture made of sealed plastic containers volume of 0.5-1.0 liters. At the same time, the principle of operation and the installation scheme of the donkey from the bottle are not much different from the original. The upgraded tackle in the same way has a wound supply of fishing line, a sinker (sliding or deaf), a leash with a hook on which the live bait is located.

In equipped position plastic bottle floats vertically and 2/3 is hidden under water due to the tension of the sinker. At the moment of bite, the rotan pulls the fishing line and pulls it out from under the clerical gum, which serves as a stopper-limiter. This causes the tension to loosen and the bottle to float in a horizontal position, which is the signal that the fish are biting.

The reverse scheme can also be used, when a bottle from a horizontal one takes a vertical position at the moment the rattan winds up the entire stock of fishing line.

Taste qualities of rotan

The firebrand is a low-calorie fish (88 kcal per 100 g) that has white meat with a pleasant taste. Due to the high density of the fillet, it is equally well suited for drying, stewing, boiling and baking. In addition, excellent meatballs and fillings for pies are prepared from rotan.

Despite the lack of fat (<2%), в составе рыбы достаточно много полезных компонентов:

fluorine, chromium, nickel;
iron, magnesium, manganese;
easily digestible proteins;
vitamins PP, A, E, D.

The best way to cook rotan can be considered frying in vegetable oil. It is important to carefully remove the insides and season the carcass with pepper and salt in advance. According to culinary specialists, fried rotan is more “sweet” and juicier than crucian carp, roach and bream.

poklev.com

Origin and appearance

Looking at the photo, it becomes clear why rotan is called firebrand. This fish is distinguished by a large head, the body narrows towards the tail. Depending on the color of the bottom of the reservoir, the color of individuals changes. The darkest part is the back. The sides and belly may have a yellowish tint. Seasonal color change of rotan is associated with spawning. During this period, the fish becomes almost black.

The birthplace of rotan is the Amur River basin. In addition to our Far East, it is found in China and Korea. With the spread of the range, this predator, unusual for our places, began to pose a threat to the local ichthyofauna, since its diet consists of caviar and fry. Under favorable conditions, the weight of rattan can reach 1 kg or more, but catching one is a great success. The standard size of the "firebrand" does not exceed the length of the palm.

Migration from one reservoir to another occurs in two ways. The first is that fish can be deliberately relocated by humans. The second (natural) way is that its eggs are carried by birds. The voracity of rotan leads to the fact that over time in the pond, where it got through the water of fate or with human help, the species composition changes, and other fish gradually disappear. In rare cases, in parallel with it, perch and crucian carp coexist in the reservoir, but this phenomenon is also temporary.

Rotan belongs to the perch-like order, to the goby suborder. The huge mouth allows it to swallow rather large prey. The teeth are small, but sharp and there are many of them. This is clearly visible in the photo.

They are located in several rows. Dorsal fins - two. The one that is closer to the head is shorter, the back one is longer.

Features of behavior and nutrition

Not only is rotan a predator, but cannibalism is inherent in it. The fish feeds not only on the fry of other species, it eats its own relatives. Adult individuals eat almost all living things that are found in the reservoir, up to tadpoles and leeches. The diet of the fry consists of plankton and zoobenthos - living organisms that live in the bottom layer.

Rotan itself is a tasty prey for a larger predator. It becomes an object of perch and pike hunting. Pike are specially launched into the reservoirs to get rid of the voracious alien. Fishing for rattan is very interesting, especially in winter, but for pond farms, this fish becomes a real disaster. She does not know the sense of proportion, so she eats a lot. After being satiated, it can sit at the bottom for several days, digesting food.

In late spring, rotan goes to spawn. Spawning is extended in time from May to July. During this period, females become lighter, males darken. A growth forms on the head of the male, by which it is easy to determine the sex of the fish.

On average, the female spawns about 1000 eggs, yellow in color and oblong in shape. The male guards the future offspring, but after the larvae appear from the eggs, he loses all his caring and can feed on this very offspring.

Catching rotan

To successfully catch rotan, it is not necessary to have a lot of experience. During periods of its greatest activity, it is difficult to remain without a catch. He pecks both during the day and at night. The bait is swallowed so greedily that care should be taken to have an extractor at hand. Without it, it will be impossible to remove the hook and not damage the insides of the fish.

Catching rotan is effective at any time of the year. Neither heat nor inclement weather can spoil his appetite. In the summer it is caught on a float rod, less often on a spinning rod. The peculiarity of rotan bite is that even with a slight fluctuation of the float, the fish can sit firmly on the hook. The bite looks like this:

First, the float sinks a little;
Then it barely noticeably sways;
Then he goes to the side.

Sometimes nothing happens after priming. Rotan just shuts his mouth and stands without moving. This leaves its mark on the fishing process. In strong winds, bites may not be noticed. And only after you decide to check the bait, it turns out that the fish has been sitting on the hook for a long time.

Since rotan is a predator, there is an element of hunting in its behavior, but it does not have a strong desire to chase prey. Based on this, passive silicone baits are used when fishing with spinning. Installation - drop-shot. But the best summer tackle for rotan is considered to be a float fishing rod. It is very important that the hook is thin and sharp: the mouth of the fish is hard, it is not easy to break through it.

Like any predatory fish, rotan prefers food of animal origin, what kind of bait it is, it is better to find out from fellow fishermen right on the pond. He willingly pecks at:

Worm;
Motyl;
Maggot;
Zhivets;
Salo;
Lung and liver.

In some reservoirs, rotan is caught, as they say, on an empty hook - whatever you don’t attach, the bite will be provided.

Another promising bait is the intestines, moreover, of its own relatives. Everyone knows that very often he swallows the hook almost to the tail and in order to get it, you have to rip open the belly. These insides can be good bait.

When fishing with baits of animal origin, it is very useful to periodically move the tackle to activate the bite. Light twitches of the fishing line animate the worm and provoke the rotan to bite. Sometimes, to catch this fish, you have to work hard. If she does not peck in one place, it is necessary to change the location. This primarily applies to large individuals. They need to be looked for. Often they are lured with bait, which includes fish giblets.

Large rotan does not stray into flocks, but in winter you can often pull out several decent-sized fish from one hole. When the bite weakens or stops, it is recommended to move to another hole. Immediately after the ice melts, there is a lull, the rotan refuses any bait, but after just a few weeks everything changes, its usual voracity returns to it. After the opening of reservoirs from ice, rotan is the first to peck at summer gear.

Approximately in the middle of summer, catching large specimens stops. Reservoirs are covered with vegetation, approaches to promising places become more difficult, natural food becomes too much for a lazy predator to spend energy searching for a worm. But the little thing continues to move actively, its biting does not subside throughout the warm season.

We offer you to watch an informative video about catching rotan in winter.

samrybak.ru

Biological characteristics of the species

Rotan belongs to the perch-like order of the firebrand family. In addition to its classic name, it has a number of others, such as grass, firebrand, rotan firebrand, etc.

Having figured out what one and the second look looks like, a significant difference will become visible. Rotan and goby differ in color, size, shape of the head and body, size and shape of the fins. For example, in the first, the head takes on a practical third of the entire body, while in the second, this indicator is more modest. The main feature that allows you to accurately determine the type of fish is the number and shape of the pelvic fins. Unlike the single, sucker-like ventral fin that the goby has, the rotan has two small fins.

Sexual maturity occurs at the age of two years. The total lifespan averages about 5 years, but some individuals live up to 7–8 years.

There are opponents to this opinion. In some cases, with the help of this species, on the contrary, it is possible to correctly balance the number of individuals of valuable breeds relative to the volume of their food. For example, if the number of crucians in a reservoir exceeds the allowable indicator, then there will not be enough food for them all. In such cases, the maximum weight that crucian carp can grow to will be very small. Rotans, eating fry, destroy unnecessary applicants for food, so that each individual crucian feeds fully, and as a result, it grows to large sizes. Therefore, there are also reservoirs where rotan is allowed to be found.

Rotan nutrition

If you learn everything about rotans, then we can conclude that this is not a weedy fish, but rather an active predator that can feed on almost everything that the environment rewarded it with.

Thanks to the powerful jaw and large mouth, rotan easily swallows prey, which is not much smaller in size. Gradual swallowing does not interfere with his breathing in any way.

Despite the presence of many floating prey species, rotans feed on insects from the surface of the water and extract various larvae from the muddy bottom of the reservoir.

Behavior at different times of the year

They catch rotan throughout all seasons of the year. He is gluttonous and bites perfectly in any weather. Even in winter, experienced fishermen can catch good volumes of this fish in the first ice.

There are no more tenacious fish in local reservoirs. Even crucian carp, which can live in very limited and extreme conditions, cannot be compared with rotan.

Ways to catch rotan

Winter fishing is carried out using ordinary winter fishing rods equipped with a nod or a float.

fishelovka.com

Description of rotan

Since the second half of the last century, among foreign and domestic aquarists, rotan has often been called the Amur goby, which is due to the very characteristic appearance of such a fish.

Appearance

Rotans, or grassworts, have a dense and short body, covered with dull and medium-sized scales.. The rotan firebrand is distinguished by a rather variable color, but still grayish-green and dirty brownish tones are predominant, with a clear presence of small spots and irregularly shaped stripes. Coloration of the belly, as a rule, nondescript grayish shades. With the onset of the mating season, rotans acquire a characteristic black color. The length of an adult varies depending on the basic conditions of the habitat, but is approximately 14-25 cm. The maximum weight of an adult fish is 480-500 gr.

The head of rotans is quite large, with a large mouth, seated with small and sharp teeth, which are located in several rows. The gill covers of the fish have a backward-pointing spike characteristic of all perciformes. The main difference between rotan is the formation of a soft spine-like process and soft fins without pointed spines.

It is interesting! In a sandy pond, the scales of golovach-rotan are lighter in color than those of individuals inhabiting swampy waters. By spawning, approximately in May-July, the male turns into a noble black color, and the female, on the contrary, acquires lighter shades.

There are a pair of fins in the back area, but the hind fin is noticeably longer. The species feature is represented by a short anal fin and large, rounded pectoral fins. The caudal fin of the fish also has a rounded shape. In general, rotans in appearance very much resemble representatives of ordinary goby fish, but have a pair of disproportionately small pelvic fins.

Behavior and lifestyle

Rotanas are not able to survive when completely frozen, but when water freezes, due to glucose and glycerin, which are secreted by fish, the specific concentration of salts in tissues and water increases markedly, which contributes to a significant decrease in the crystallization temperature. Thus, immediately after thawing water, rotans can easily return to their normal life.

Perscottus glenii prefers stagnant water bodies, ponds and marshes. The fish of this species is very unpretentious to external conditions, including oxygen deficiency, but tries to avoid water bodies with a fast or moderate current. The only representative of the firebrand genus inhabits ponds, is found in small, overgrown and swampy lakes, as well as oxbow lakes.

It is interesting! Rotans are able to easily withstand the partial drying up of reservoirs and the complete freezing of water to the bottom in winter, and also survive perfectly even in polluted waters.

A sedentary fish, actively hunts along with other typical ambush predators - hiding in dense underwater thickets. In the last ten days of December, fish form significant concentrations in ice cavities, which are filled with air-ice wet masses. In this state of stupor, the fish hibernate until the onset of spring. In the water bodies near Moscow, rotan firebrands, as a rule, do not hibernate.

Lifespan

The average life span of rotan under the most favorable conditions is within fifteen years, but a significant part of individuals live for about 8-10 years.