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Silver fish🇬🇧 Native🌱 Good for beginners

Ruffe

Gymnocephalus cernuus · Also called Pope

A small, slimy, spiky relative of the perch. Often caught by accident, but a fun little fish.

A speckled ruffe resting on stones underwater
Photo: Tiit Hunt · CC BY-SA 3.0
Typical size
1 oz – 3 oz
A good one
4 oz
Length
8 – 15 cm
Best time
All year, especially in coloured water

🏆 British record: 5 oz 4 dr (0.148 kg), West View Farm, Cumbria (1980)

How to spot it

Olive-brown with dark speckles, big glassy eyes and lots of slime. Its spiny and soft top fins are joined together (a perch's are separate), and it has no stripes.

Where to find it

Slow rivers, canals and deep, murky lakes. Ruffe live on the bottom, often in deeper water.

Find waters near you

Feeding habits

Bottom feeders on bloodworm, insect larvae and tiny creatures. They bite well in coloured water and at dusk.

Best time: All year, especially in coloured water.

Favourite baits

  • Small worms

  • Maggots

  • Bloodworm

How to catch it

Float on the bottom

Canals and slow rivers

Rod
Whip, pole or float rod
Reel
Fixed-spool or none
Line
2 lb line
Hook
Size 18–20
Bait
Small worm or maggot

Fish the bait right on the bottom. Ruffe often take a bait greedily, so strike promptly.

Handling and rules

Watch the spiky top fin and the sharp gill covers. Ruffe often swallow the hook, so a disgorger is essential.

📜 Rules and seasons

On rivers, streams and drains in England and Wales there's a close season for coarse fish from 15 March to 15 June. Most lakes, ponds and canals are open all year, but check the water's own rules.

Check the official rules on gov.uk