Roger's Angling Pages
The Rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus		Carp family Cyprinidae

This fish is very similar to the Roach. It can be easily recognised by the rear position of its dorsal fin, its deep red fins, as opposed to the Roach's yellow ones and its yellow and orange iris, as opposed to the Roach's crimson one. Its pharyngeal teeth make up two rows and its mouth is turned upwards, whereas the Roach's mouth is in the central position. The silvery sheen of the large scales on its sides changes, as the fish grows older, into a golden yellow shade. The Rudd can be found over most of Europe in sunny and slow-flowing or still, lowland waters, where it can find suitable plant food. It usually stays near the surface on sunny days but when it is cloudy it remains near the bottom. It spawns in spring on flooded vegetation, where the female lays several thousand eggs. Once it reaches river ponds or overgrown reservoirs it spreads quickly. The largest Rudd can weigh over 2 lb, but fishes weighing 1 lb are considered good specimens. In Scandinavian waters they have lived to 19 years.

Fishing for Rudd allows a wide range of choice in terms of fishing methods and baits. Similar techniques as those used for Roach can be employed if fine equipment is used. When using a float, the depth of the hook is set at about half that of the water, although fishing near the surface can also be rewarding. If no other bait is available, a bit of alga or a piece of lettuce will do. During hot summer days, towards evening, fly fishing with artificial or natural insects is possible and quite often a favourable response is obtained by tapping the rod. Rudd provides good bait when fishing for predators, especially Pike.