Big vobla. Vobla: description, features, nutritional value, vobla in cooking

Fish ram and vobla are representatives of the carp family. They are semi-anadromous subspecies of the common roach. For a simple layman, there is no difference between them, but for an experienced angler, these underwater inhabitants are different. This will be discussed below.

Many ichthyologists and experienced anglers distinguish several subspecies of roach. Among them there are completely freshwater representatives, there are semi-anadromous fish, or living in brackish water:

• common roach - inhabits all freshwater reservoirs of temperate latitudes;
• Siberian roach, often called chebak - lives in the Urals, the Far East, in Siberia;
• Aral roach - lives in the Aral Sea and its tributaries;
• Caspian roach - found in the Caspian Sea, Balkhash Lake and the lower reaches of the Volga;
• Azov-Black Sea ram - lives in the Black and Azov Seas, the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Don and Danube.

The roach and ram are of the greatest commercial importance. The common roach and chebak are mainly the object of amateur fishing. Although the former are also hunted by anglers, especially during their spring run, when the fish goes to spawn.

Vobla

Vobla fish is a subspecies of roach that inhabits the Caspian Sea. Such underwater inhabitants are called endemics, since they live in a relatively limited water area and are an integral part of it. During the year it feeds on open spaces, and in spring it migrates to spawn in large tributaries, primarily the Volga.

The difference between roach and roach is in larger sizes. Thanks to a good food base, the fish reaches an impressive weight. The average mass of caught individuals is about 300 grams, it is not uncommon to catch specimens over a kilogram.

In addition, the vobla has differences in some minor morphological features:

• the fins are dark in color with a pronounced black rim;
• silver eyes;
• black spots above the pupils.

Vobla hibernates in the sea. At the beginning of spring, sometimes still under the ice, it begins to move into the river. It doesn't go far up. It enters various eriki, canals, oxbow lakes and sleeves, where it lays eggs in the reeds.

After spawning, the roach rolls back into the sea in scattered schools. Here the fish gain weight, actively feeding. This behavior lasts until late autumn. Then the Caspian roach gathers in schools, comes closer to the mouths of the rivers, where it spends the winter.

ram

Taran is a semi-anadromous form of roach that inhabits the Black and Azov Seas. It occurs in estuaries and bays, mouths of large rivers, such as the Don, Dnieper, Kuban, Danube, Mius and others, enters them during periods of seasonal migration, but does not rise high.

Consider how a ram differs from a roach:

• covered with smaller scales;
• has a higher body;
• paired fins have blackish edges;
• thicker lips;
• fewer rays on the anal fin.

Ram and roach have a difference in size. Thanks to a high-quality food base, the first one grows up to 50 cm with a body weight of up to 2 kg. Whereas the freshwater representative of the ichthyofauna rarely grows up to 1–1.2 kg, and even then, such specimens are found in reservoirs and in large rivers.

The Azov-Black Sea roach roach feeds in the open sea from April to September. The fish is actively eating off, gaining weight before the cold period. In October, when the water temperature drops to 15 degrees, it approaches the coastal zone in dense shoals, settles in estuaries and estuaries. Here he spends the winter.

At the beginning of spring, one can observe the pre-spawning run of the ram. Fish move in tight schools upstream, entering the oxbow lakes and channels, shallow waters and calm areas. Spawns in the morning and evening near last year's aquatic vegetation.

Photo 1. The dam is a catchy roach place during the spawning run.

For reference! The average fecundity of a female ram is about 50,000 eggs.

The hatched fry feeds on zooplankton:

• rotifers;
• chironomids;
• copepods;
• cladocera.

The grown juveniles, having rolled into the sea, switch to feeding on worms, molluscs, and crustaceans.

Differences between roach and ram

The main difference between roach and roach is their habitat. In the first it is more limited - the Caspian and the lower reaches of the Volga. The second representative of the ichthyofauna has the Black and Azov Seas, the mouths of large rivers flowing into them, and their lower reaches.

In appearance, the fish are very similar. Both have a higher body than the common roach. Reach impressive sizes, but there are some differences:

• rams have smaller scales;
• the roach has gray fins, the ram has a reddish tint;
• the ram has a half-lower mouth with thick lips, the roach has a closer to a straight one, like a common roach.

Both subspecies feel comfortable in both salted and fresh water. They tend to group in numerous shoals, consisting of individuals of approximately the same size.

Fishing for roach and ram

Catching ram and roach is not particularly different from each other. For these fish, it is best to go in the spring, when they have a pre-spawning run. At this time, the fishing of these roach subspecies is most effective. They are also successfully hunted after spawning and in the second half of autumn.

Ram and vobla are schooling fish that move around the water area. Therefore, the main task for the angler is to detect their shoals, and the rest is a matter of technology - well-chosen and tuned gear, selected bait and bait mixture.

Fishing for rams and roaches is carried out with float and bottom gear. The latter are more in demand, diverse and productive. It can be an ordinary feeder or a picker, a donk or a truck, an elastic band or a snack. Basic tackle based on a rod and reel looks like this:

• A feeder rod or for bottom fishing with a length of 2.1 to 4.2 meters, depending on the distance and fishing conditions. Lure test from 100 to 200 grams.
• Inertialess power coil with a gear ratio of about 4.2: 1, size 4000-6000. Representatives of the "old school" catch with Soviet-style inertia.
• Monofilament fishing line with a thickness of 0.3 to 0.4 mm or braided line with a breaking load of up to 5-7 kg.

A leash is tied to the main fishing line from a monothread 0.2–0.25 mm thick and from 30 to 80 cm long, depending on the activity of the fish and the horizon in which it rises upstream. A feeder or a lead load of the desired weight is used. The hook is selected for the bait and the potential size of the prey.

Photo 2. Catching roach on the feeder.

If the angler does not have a suitable rod, then the simplest ram tackle, made in the form of a banal snack, will help out:

1. We take a monofilament fishing line with a thickness of 0.35–0.4 mm and a length of about 100 meters and wind it on a reel.
2. At the end of the fishing line we tie a massive lead sinker, which is necessary to hold the equipment at the right point.
3. On the main fishing line we make several loops 2-3 cm long for attaching leashes. We knit the first 10–15 cm from the load. The distance between them is 20–40 cm.
4. Using the “loop in loop” method, we fasten leashes from fishing line with a diameter of 0.22–0.26 mm up to 30 cm long.
5. It remains to tie single hooks of a suitable size to the leashes.

The presented tackle, although it is inferior in sensitivity to the feeder and picker, but it has mainly in ease of manufacture and minimal costs for the purchase of its elements.

Catching rams and roaches with a float rod is practiced in places where long casting is not required, and fishing is short. These can be narrow channels, branches, long grooves under the coast, shallow areas with last year's aquatic vegetation.

Float tackle for catching rams and roaches in this case is selected light, but reliable enough to play heavy fish. The rod is telescopic, 5-6 meters long. The fishing line is monofilament, with a diameter of up to 0.3 mm with a breaking load of at least 3–4 kg.

Some anglers catch roaches and rams with match rods. In this case, inertialess reels with a size of 1500–2000 and thinner fishing lines are used, compared to bottom gear. This is possible in places with a moderate current, where the depths range from 1 to 3 meters.

Lures

Vobla, ram, like roach, belong to peaceful underwater inhabitants who are caught on baits of animal and vegetable origin. From the bait for their fishing can be noted:

• worm;
• bloodworm;
• maggot;
• caddis larva;
• burdock larva;
• grasshopper.

In cold water, the most preferred baits are worm and bloodworm. As it gets warmer, the other listed baits begin to work.

In the warm season, especially during the hot summer months, fish prefer vegetable baits. Of the most popular and affordable attachments for roach and roach fishing, we can recommend:

• steamed wheat;
• canned corn;
• dough.

Photo 3. For safety, corn is poured with sunflower oil.

Some anglers have successfully used small flavored boilies, commonplace bread crumbs, canned or fresh peas.

We must not forget about such a bait for roach as polystyrene foam. Being inedible, it attracts fish due to its positive buoyancy and fluctuations in the current. Foam balls are relevant in bottom rigs when the main bait or bait needs to be raised higher, since the ram feeds in the water column.

Lure

Catching roach and roach during their pre-spawning run does not require the use of bait, since the fish is constantly moving to the spawning places, and there is no point in trying to keep it at a given point. It is much more efficient to actively look for fish and fish directly on its "paths".

In warm weather, it is recommended to use a bait mixture, which will attract fish to the fishing area and keep them there for a certain time. To do this, you can use factory "loose", or you can cook inexpensive, but high-quality bait with your own hands. It is done like this:

• Pour one and a half liters of cold water into an ordinary enameled pan.
• Add to it 300-500 grams of peas, previously filled with water from the night.
• Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and simmer the peas for about an hour.
• Grind the boiled peas to a puree state. This is done using a meat grinder, blender or other improvised means.
• Add a tablespoon of sunflower oil to the prepared pea puree.

Instead of vegetable oil, peas can be ground with peeled sunflower seeds.

Advice! Instead of peas, you can use barley, barley, millet groats.

Arriving on a fishing trip, mix the prepared puree with the soil obtained on the shore or at the bottom of the reservoir. We form balls with a diameter of 5 to 10 cm. First, we make a starting feed by throwing them into the water from 7 to 10 pieces. After we toss a few pieces in 15-30 minutes.

Commercial value

Ram and roach are of high commercial value. Harvesting of these species of fish is carried out in the spring, when their massive spawning run is observed in the lower reaches of large rivers. The rest of the time they are not hunted purposefully.

Vobla and ram are good in the following form:

• smoked;
• dried;
• salty.

Important! Among connoisseurs of beer, dried roach and roach are especially appreciated.

Commercial fishing for roach and roach has recently become more tightly controlled, since its massive catch has led to a decrease in their population.

So, roach and ram are semi-anadromous subspecies of common roach, which are caught in the lower reaches of large tributaries of the Caspian, Azov and Black Seas, and directly in these reservoirs. The best time for fishing is the pre-spawning run in early spring, but in other periods you can count on their capture. The main thing is to choose the right place for fishing, tackle, bait and prepare delicious bait.

Vobla- a close relative of the roach. Outwardly, they are extremely difficult to distinguish. It is necessary to know exactly several important features of the species. Otherwise, you won't be able to find out. Vobla is one of the most common fish among fishermen (both amateurs and professionals). Due to the fact that this popular fish species has been so actively caught in recent years, the number is rapidly declining.

Origin of the species and description

Vobla belongs to the Karpov family, ray-finned. Outwardly very similar to roach fish. According to some reports, it is sometimes even referred to as roach, simply singling out as a variety of that species. In fact, this is an independent variety, which has important distinguishing features that allow the roach to be identified.

The vobla got its name in Rus' because of its rounded shape. By the way, in those days, many even called her in the common people "rabies". The reason was her very active behavior. When males and females of vobl rush to spawn in the mouths of the rivers, it is simply impossible to keep up with them. Therefore, their behavior is really unlike other fish - they are too actively breaking through other shoals of fish to their goal.

Video: Vobla

The length of an adult roach is about 30 cm, and the weight is up to 0.2 kg. There are also larger specimens. The main distinguishing feature of the wobble is the V-shaped caudal fin and the reddish sheen of the scales.

Over the past few years, the number of vobl has decreased by more than 6 times. Because of this, conservationists are sounding the alarm and calling for the protection of the species. It is possible that, if the trend does not change for the better, the roach will soon be listed in. To increase the number, they often began to breed roach artificially, after which the grown individuals are released into rivers and seas. This is done by specialized organizations, which at the same time call for limiting the number of individuals caught. At the moment, there are no restrictions in this regard. Vobla is uncontrollably caught not only with nets, but even with hands and nets. It is not difficult to do this when the fish goes to spawn.

Alas, due to the low cost of fish, fisheries are trying to take in quantity, against which the number continues to decline at a frantic pace. If other fish species are actively bred in reserves to preserve the species, then no such actions are taken in relation to vobl. But in any case, the issue can only be settled in relation to fishing. Do not discount the natural enemies of the vobla, which also contribute to the reduction of the population. Recently, there has been less and less other food in nature, so it is possible that natural enemies-animals will become no less dangerous for roach than humans.

Vobla- a fish popular throughout the whole, which every fisherman knows. This is a tasty and recognizable fish, common in both fresh and salt water. But, in order to further preserve its population, it will be necessary to limit catching or carry out additional artificial breeding.

Vobla is a fish of the carp family, lives in the waters of the Caspian Sea. During spawning in early spring, the vobla moves to the river waters of the Volga. On the Volga, the places where the vobla is found are important objects of fishing. The vobla feeds mainly on bottom-dwelling invertebrates or vegetation. During winter sleep, the fish lies motionless at the bottom and does not eat anything.

One of its distinguishing features is that the vobla lives in large flocks. In order to protect against enemies when predators approach, it adjoins large fish. Outwardly, it is a wide fish, the sides are flattened, the scales are large, the back is black, the belly is with a golden hue.

scientific classification
Domain	eukaryotes
Kingdom	Animals
Type	chordates
Class	ray-finned fish
Detachment	Cypriniformes
Family	Carp
Genus	Roach
View	Vobla
International scientific name	Rutilus caspicus

Often this fish is confused with roach, river fish. It is possible to distinguish roach from roach by certain characteristics: the first is larger, its fins are gray with a black border, there are black spots above the pupil, the abdomen casts a bluish-golden hue.

Vobla, Taran and Siberian roach (click to enlarge the picture)

Many argue about the difference between ram, roach and rudd and roach, and which fish tastes better. It turns out that ram, rudd and roach are related forms of roach. The roach feeds on plants, with a lack of food, the family begins migration in the hope of profit and moves from fresh water to sea water. Fish caught in the reservoirs of the Caspian Sea is already called roach.

The roach differs from the roach and the roach in the shape of the body: the roach is more enlarged in thickness. The rudd is distinguished by a bright color, the body is golden, the fins are red. " Every man to his own taste”, but only true gourmets and connoisseurs of fish can distinguish each representative of the carp family by taste.

It is better to salt this fish in a dry way, that is, rub it with salt.

Small fish are only peeled from scales (and even then not always), it is better to clean half a kilogram of carcasses from the insides. Lay the grated fish carcass in rows in a wooden container and sprinkle well with table salt.

In a chilled room, fish will be salted for at least two weeks. Large carcasses for salting may require more. At room temperature, the salting time is a week.

Dried fish

Before salting the fish, it is allowed to dry for several hours. Then they are treated with salt, as with dry salting, strung on a fishing line through the eye sockets (small fish can be collected in bunches of several pieces) and soaked in a saline solution for two days.

By the way, if the fish is dried in the summer, then the salting time in the solution is no more than a day.

Subsequently, the ligaments are removed and washed with water. Hang the fish in an open, well-ventilated place, you can cover it with gauze from insects and dirt.

Dried after 2 weeks. Please note that in the summer you need to monitor the fish more closely, as the product overexposed in the sun can become bitter.

Vobla and ram: fish or cooking method

As in the case of the name "ram", many consumers of the fish product think that "vobla" is nothing more than the name of a dish, not a fish. Most likely, such an opinion was formed due to the fact that recently the fishing on the roach has decreased significantly.

Unsightly conditions for the life of this species of fish have affected a sharp decline in the vobla population. In the preparation of ram and roach, the difference is absolutely not visible. But for some reason, true connoisseurs of dried fish believe that vobla is much tastier than ram.

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Vobla is recognized as one of the most important commercial fish of the Caspian basin, and the Volga in particular. Silvery, tight-fitting scales, sharp black lines of a flattened body, red fins, languid shadows under the golden-gray iris of the eyes and defiant stubbornness of the mouth - it cannot be confused with any other fish. The main competitor of the bream and a welcome beer delicacy to any table is the famous Caspian roach, otherwise the roach, Rutilus rutilus caspicus.

Family tree

Vobla belongs to the carp family and is one of the varieties of roach. Despite the fact that the fish belongs to the category of endemics of the Caspian Sea, each part of this water body is inhabited by separate subspecies of vobla:

• Turkmen (southeast);
• North Caspian (north);
• Azerbaijani (south and southwest).

Habitat and habits

Vobla changes its location depending on the season. In late autumn, the fish migrate to the sea, huddle in pits near the shore, cover themselves with a layer of mucus that protects them from exposure to cold temperatures, and fall into a somnambulistic state.

Already in early February, the hungry vobla begins to wake up. Individual specimens can be observed under the ice. By the end of the month, the fish stray into schools and begin to move towards the river. The sooner the sailor blows, and the air temperature rises to + 8 ° C, the faster the stroke is activated. From the end of March, especially in April-May, the fish fills the lower branches of the Volga, preparing for spawning. The vobla, which has grown fat during the winter, rushes into the reeds or ilmen, choosing even grassy shores, while flooded. In view of the rapid decline in water, many individuals die.

In summer, the roach spends in the Caspian Sea in water areas with a depth of 2-6 meters, gaining fat reserves for the coming winter. Grown up fry also migrate to the sea and until the very spring one cannot meet a single roach in the Volga.

The fish feeds on sedentary invertebrates, which are in abundance within its habitat. At the same time, the vobla itself is a tasty dish for predators.

mating season

The vobla spawns annually in April-May, about 5-6 times in its entire life. As soon as the fish wake up after hibernation, an active secretion of internal secretion begins - mucus, which gradually thickens, creating optimal conditions for the release of caviar. Just before the period of spawning, the vobla stops eating, consuming only its fat reserves. The eggs hatch within a week.

An interesting feature of the fish is the change in its appearance during this period. Both females and males are covered with specific warts. These hard outgrowths with a sharp apex are first milky, then brown-brown in color. There is also a "white cap". However, all this disappears after the release of eggs and migration of the vobla back into the sea. Exhausted after breeding, the fish has hypertrophied proportions: a huge thick head and a thin, elongated body.

• The largest recorded specimens of roach weigh 800-850 g.
• The average weight of a roach in the late 80s was about 180 g, and today it is fixed only within 140 g.
• When the vobla is caught and taken out of the water, it begins to release a special substance in composition and smell, somewhat reminiscent of bitter beer.
• "Dried vobla" has become a household name for the best fish for beer since the time of Frederick the Great, who first appreciated this appetizer.

Vobla is a unique fish, which is a pleasure to catch.