Ruffe

Identification

The ruffe is a small, stocky perch relative with a distinctive large spiny dorsal fin that runs from head to tail — two dorsal fins fused into one, unique among Dutch perch species. The color is yellowish-brown with dark spots and speckles across the entire body. The slimy skin and spiny gill covers are characteristic. Don't confuse the ruffe with a small perch: ruffe lack the distinct vertical bars and have a more rounded snout. Typical catch size is 8–12 cm, with occasional specimens reaching 20 cm.

Behavior & ecology

The ruffe is a true bottom-dweller that lives in schools on the beds of canals, rivers, and lakes. It is particularly active at dusk and night, locating food using its highly sensitive lateral line. Its diet consists mainly of midge larvae, worms, small crustaceans, and other benthic organisms. Ruffe spawn in spring (April–May) in shallow, sheltered areas where eggs are deposited on aquatic plants or stones. As prey, ruffe are an important part of the diet of pikeperch and eel — the correlation between ruffe and these predatory fish is very strong in our data.

Fishing techniques

The ruffe is not typically a target species for anglers but is very frequently caught as bycatch when fishing for perch and pikeperch. Those wishing to specifically target ruffe should try:

• Light float fishing with a fine hook (size 16–20) and a small piece of worm or maggot just above the bottom
• Drop shot with very small soft lures — ruffe readily bite slow-moving lures near the bottom
• Feeder fishing with small worms or maggots on the bottom

Best results come in summer (July–August), when nearly 45% of all ruffe catches occur. Fish canals and harbors, preferably at dusk.

In the Netherlands

The ruffe is one of the most common fish species in the Netherlands, with observations across nearly 1,000 unique areas. It occurs most frequently in canals (28%), rivers (14%), and waterways (9%) — typically the larger, deeper waters. The ruffe is an excellent indicator of healthy fish stocks: where you find ruffe, you almost always find bream, perch, roach, and pikeperch. Despite its small size, ruffe plays a crucial ecological role as a link between benthic organisms and predatory fish.