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Where did rotan come from. Rotan fish photo and description. Taste qualities and interesting facts. Description and features of rotan

Catching rotan finds in Lately an increasing number of fans. The army of firebrand hunters on the first ice is especially numerous. There are fishermen who in general go only for this fish in winter, not recognizing any other.

The change in the situation with the Far Eastern monster, which was recently neglected by all, can be explained by the following factors:

fishermen tasted the taste of fish;
catching rotan is very reckless and exciting;
large rotan is a rare and desirable prey.

Ichthyology

Description

Rotan, or firebrand, is a fish of the firebrand family, the only representative of this genus. The homeland of this animal Far East Russia, the Amur river basin. It is also distributed in the north of the Korean Peninsula and in the northeast of China.

Contrary to popular belief that in European part It was brought to Russia by aquarists in the sixties and seventies of the last century, this is far from the case.

The first specimens of this fish were delivered to St. Petersburg before the revolution, in 1916, and from there a slow resettlement began in the country's water bodies.

Rotan looks a little intimidating. Its body is dense, rounded, the head occupies up to a third of the total size of the fish, hence one of its names comes from. The color of the fish depends entirely on the bottom of the reservoir in which it lives and varies from light brown to dark gray.

In length, rotan reaches 25 centimeters and weighs up to three hundred grams. The usual size that satisfies the angler are two hundred gram specimens. On the Internet there is a mention of caught specimens of more than a kilogram weight, although, according to the network, the maximum specimen cannot weigh more than half a kilogram.

Location

Weight gain depends entirely on the food supply in the reservoir. It has been noticed that small firebrands predominate in small ponds, frogs. Large rotans live in large flowing reservoirs with the presence of other predators that regulate their numbers.

Rotanchiki are excellent live bait when catching pike, perch and zander. They do not fall asleep on the hook for a long time and do not seek to hide in the grass thickets!

Although the Far Eastern guest has spread to almost all fresh water bodies, fishing for rotan is most promising in the following water bodies:

oxbow lakes of large and medium-sized rivers, flooded during floods
dams on small rivers;
large collective farm ponds.

In this case, the following factors must take place:

running water or springs;
the presence of a predator;
depth of at least two meters;
abundant aquatic vegetation.

Lifespan and reproduction

The life expectancy of a firebrand is small, up to 6-7 years. Spawning rotan begins at the age of two. Spawning takes place in fairly warm water, 18-20 degrees, around the end of May - beginning of June.

Spawning in rotans is quite quiet compared to neighboring crucian carp and other inhabitants of water bodies. At least there are no jumps, splashes or other noise on the pond. The female spawns on the stems of aquatic plants, the number of eggs exceeds a thousand, after which one of the males guards the clutch for some time.

Nutrition

Rotan is a typical predator. A barely hatched rotan feeds on zooplankton, growing up, they switch to other animal food. The diet of the firebrand is:

shellfish;
caviar of fish and frogs;
fry;
tadpoles;
insects and their larvae;
worms.

Among the firebrands, cannibalism is developed. This is partly why large specimens never swim in flocks, unlike small relatives.

Vitality

A separate chapter of the rotan's life is their fantastic vitality. Unlike carp, they do not burrow into the mud when severe frosts and freezing of the reservoir, but stray into balls. Here they are enveloped in mucus, so that a positive temperature is maintained inside their cluster. In this state, firebrands hibernate, even when frozen in ice.

Those who caught rotan in winter noticed that the frozen carcasses of rotan folded in a bag come to life when thawed and remain mobile even when they are cleaned and put in a frying pan.

Catching

Let's move on to a description of what rotan fishing can be like. You can catch it all year round, but in order to catch a fish of a normal, food, size, it is best to do this in autumn and winter.

Fishing in open water

Catching rotan in the fall, however, like spring-summer period is carried out in the following ways:

float fishing rod;
spinning;
a fishing rod with a side nod;
winter fishing rod with a nod;
winter live bait.

They don’t catch a firebrand, because mostly rotan lives in the coastal zone, where it is easy to get it with a float, in addition, this predator bites better on active bait.

float rod

As bait when catching firebrands with a float rod, use:

worms;
maggots;
fish fry;
snails;
leeches.

In October and November, before freeze-up, rotan perfectly takes on top melting, the intensity of its biting at this time is comparable to the activity on the first ice.

A floater is built on a rotan according to the usual scheme of a Bolognese fishing rod, but you should not be delicate with tackle, this predator can be caught without special ceremonies.

So, let's assemble a float for catching firebrands:

Telescopic rod 4-5 meters long.
A simple inertialess coil without bells and whistles.
Fishing line with a diameter of 0.18-0.22 mm.
A float of 1-5 grams.
Loading is simple, point or spaced - it doesn't matter.
Hook big size with a long forearm, as for catching perch on live bait, international classification number 8-10.

Fishing is done like this:

The depth of the reservoir in the coastal zone is measured.
The required depth is set on the fishing rod: when fishing with a worm, the hook should lie at the bottom, when fishing with live bait - 10-15 centimeters above it.
The tackle is thrown into the water.
With passive bait, you need to twitch the fishing rod from time to time, so that the bait drags along the bottom, tempting the rattan to bite.
Live bait fishing also requires a slight movement of the bait, especially if fishing takes place in calm weather and the float does not move to the side.

Rotan cutting should be done in a timely manner. It is difficult to determine this moment without experience. The fact is that rotan can approach the bait, and, having swallowed it with its wide mouth, stand still and suck it, as they say, to the intestines.

On the other hand, with an early hook, you can pull the bait out of the mouth of the firebrand, not allowing it to catch on properly.

Spinning

Like any decent predator, rotan is also caught on spinning. As we noted earlier, and this is used in float fishing, firebrands respond better to active lures.

Rotan bites especially well on microjig. As baits, miniature baits such as twisters and slugs are used. In silicone worms, it is better to cut off part of the body so that the firebrand does not cling to the long tail. In this regard, edible rubber will work well, which is able to deceive the firebrand with its taste, and he will not spit it out before the time of hooking.

Catching rotan on spinning is carried out either by dragging, or by a very small step, in one turn of the reel.

Texas and Carolina rigs work well on rotan, in which the bait is almost weightless and drags along the bottom like a leech or worm.

Side nod and winter fishing rod

Fishing with these two types of gear is similar. And here and there, one equipment and bait are used. These fishing methods differ only in the size of the rod.

The equipment of the nodding fishing rod in both versions is simple:

fishing rod;
nod;
fishing line;
spoon;
bait.

The spinner in these tackles is used to visually attract a predator, and the replanting of the bait tempts the rotan directly to bite. The nod should be noticeable from a distance on the one hand, and on the other hand, provide the bait with a lure with a smooth sweeping game.

As bait use:

Lung of birds and pets. It stays on the hook very well and bleeds well.
The liver has a good smell, but does not hold well.
Salo, it is also lard in Africa.
Chicken intestines cut into slices of one centimeter, in addition to the smell, attract rotan by swaying on the lure.
Worms. They are better used in summer, they work worse in winter.

Winter live bait

This tackle is an ordinary winter fishing rod, equipped with the following elements:

bright gatehouse;
fishing line, with a diameter of 0.18 millimeters;
sliding sinker;
stopper;
large live hook.

They put a top on the hook behind the back or mouth and release it into the hole so that the distance to the bottom is from ten to twenty-five centimeters.

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 active predator, which can pose threats to fisheries as it eats 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 maximum dimensions 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 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. IN 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 a 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 edible. 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 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 people think that rotan is 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 dotted 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, rounded. The tail also has a rounded shape. The appearance of rotan resembles gobies, which is why it is called the Amur goby.

At good conditions habitat, 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 champions, Weight Limit which 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 a short time destroy all other species, therefore it is considered dangerous. IN major 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 with 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, lower a few completely peeled big fish, herbs and crushed garlic. 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 it appears excess fluid, it is drained.

Cutlets are formed, rolled in breadcrumbs or flour and fried on 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

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. 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

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, 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

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

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 eats 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 complete extermination other kind of fish. 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 contributed huge contribution in 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 for short term- 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 booty. The largest rotan that can be caught on 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 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. Delicate taste of meat, almost complete absence 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 peeled, salted, generously rolled in flour and fried in heated 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 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 alternate with onions and carrots, flavored tomato paste, add a little water and simmer 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: sandman, 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. swallowing big booty, the firebrand falls to 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.

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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. Resistant to sudden changes in temperature, oxygen starvation, polluted and stagnant water have 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. It is necessary to pay attention to the pelvic fins - the firebrand has two of them, they are quite small and have a 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 size and leads a daily flock of life, 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 its huge mouth and wide throat, the 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. In open warm water, the fly rod will be the best tackle for rotan.

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 likelihood 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 monofilament line of green or Brown color 0.1-0.15 mm thick. 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.

Can also be applied reverse circuit when a bottle from a horizontal one takes a vertical position at the moment the rotan 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.

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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 fell 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, there is too much natural food 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

Rotan fish is better known to the inhabitants of the Far East, which is its homeland and where it was brought from. In Russia, or rather, in its European part, this species appeared relatively recently - at the beginning of the twentieth century. There is a version that rotan was brought to Petrograd as an aquarium fish. He is unpretentious to food and very tenacious, and watching his behavior in the aquarium was very entertaining. After some time, rotans were released into a local reservoir, after which they spread throughout Eastern Europe, including Ukraine and Belarus, where a huge number of this predator can be found. Prior to this, this species of fish lived in lakes, swamps and rivers of the Amur basin and was not found anywhere else in the world. It is believed that rotan is a weedy fish and the increase in its population in new territories has dealt a strong blow to the number of other, more useful and valuable species of ichthyofauna.

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. The main feature that allows you to accurately determine the type of fish is the number and shape of the ventral 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 tones depending on the characteristics of the reservoir, namely the color and pollution of 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, 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.

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 its own species, which does not differ much from it 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 water temperature 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 ordinary winter fishing rods equipped with a nod or a float.

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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 arranged 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.

This 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.

This is interesting! Rotanas are able to withstand the partial drying up of reservoirs and the complete freezing of water to the bottom in winter quite easily, and they 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.

Rotan fish or another name - Goloveshka is a perch-like fish that belongs to the Eliotriaceae family. It has a large head and a valky body that tapers sharply towards the tail. The color of this fish can be light and dark - it all depends on the reservoir in which it lives. The back of the rotan is always dark, and there are brown spots on the yellowish sides. All fins have stripes and dark spots. During spawning, males become almost black in color, and therefore, probably, rotans were called firebrands.

Rotan was brought to the European part of Russia by amateur aquarists from reservoirs located in the Amur basin, where it has spread widely, especially in slow-flowing reservoirs.

Rotan is a very voracious fish, it eats not only bloodworms and other aquatic organisms, but also fry of fish, even their own, does not disdain tadpoles. Therefore, where rotan is found, there is a problem with fish of other species.

In the summer, he is usually caught on:

float rod;
spinning.

On the float rod rotan is caught with a large and sharp hook, as it has very strong lips and a bony mouth. Therefore, such a hook is simply necessary. This fish is very greedy and therefore swallows the bait deeply and reliably, and in this case, a large hook with a long forearm will simplify the process of catching fish.

The main bait for catching rotan is a large worm. It is necessary to put it on a hook with loops so that the tails do not hang down. 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.

Catching rotan, video

The second interesting way to catch rotan is spinning. The bait for this type of fishing is best served by "rubber" and wobblers.

Rubber should be medium-sized, slowly sinking and without extra limbs. The slower the rubber is driven, the greater the success for catching this head fish.

Wobblers should sink slowly, float lazily, "zero". There is one more requirement for them - the wobbler is painted with very good paint and most importantly, the angler should not feel sorry for him at all. The teeth of this predator are small, but there are many of them, and therefore, when catching it, the paint flies off the wobbler immediately. But the catch is worth it, and you can see it in the photo.

Fishing for rotan, photo

How to cook rotan

The meat of the head fish is white and very tasty in any form. You can cook from it:

cold snacks;
fish soup or fish soup;
hot dishes;
pies.

Several recipes can be given.

Salad. Gut small rotans, and without removing the scales, stew for 15 minutes in a frying pan. Separate the meat, mash with a fork, add green or onion, green peas and mayonnaise.

Salad with cucumber and eggs . Take 500 grams of fish, pickled cucumber, two boiled eggs, onion. Stew the fish, separate from the skin and bones, cut into pieces, chop the onion, cut the cucumber and eggs, pour seasoning. Seasoning: 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, the same amount of mustard, a little bit of vinegar, salt and pepper.

Soup from rotans. This soup tastes soft and very fragrant, especially if you eat it on the second day. In cold water, put chopped potatoes, carrots, bay leaves, peppers, celery, parsley. Put on the stove and bring to a boil. Put about 15 small fish with heads but without gills into boiling water and boil for twenty minutes. The fish cooks quickly - it has white meat, somewhat similar to sturgeon, only slightly inferior in taste. You can add sour cream and greens to the plate.

Hot dishes

fried cutlets. When the catch is large and the fish is small, it is best to cook cutlets from it. Pass the fish washed without tails and heads 2-3 times through a meat grinder. Also crank the onion and carrot. Add 100 g of white bread, one egg, a piece of butter to the prepared minced meat. Mix everything well, form cutlets, roll in breadcrumbs and fry. Serve with mashed potatoes and herbs.

Head balls . Would need:

large rotan meat - 500 gr;
potatoes - 600 gr;
egg - 1 pc.;
vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. a spoon;
salt, pepper to taste;
flour for breading;
fat for frying.

Boil the ratan fish, separate from the bones and skin, mash with a fork. Mix with mashed potatoes, egg and melted butter, season with salt and pepper. Form into balls, roll in flour and fry. Serve sauces with ready-made balls - tomato or horseradish.

Kulebyaka fish. Dough: 1 tbsp. wheat flour, 2 eggs, salt to taste. Filling: minced rotan, carrots, onions, a tablespoon of butter, ground black pepper, salt.

Pour the flour on the table in a slide, make a hole in the middle, pour in the eggs, water, salt and mix the dough until it stops sticking to your hands. Leave to lie down in a saucepan for 1 hour in order to make the dough more tender. For the filling: add finely chopped onions, carrots, salt, pepper to the minced meat and mix everything thoroughly. Roll out the dough into a thin layer, put the filling, pinch the edges. Bake in the oven.

Calories, kcal:

Proteins, g:

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Rotan fish, which has the second name firebrand rotan, is a predatory fish and belongs to the family Goloveshkov. This fish is known for its voracity and special ability to disguise itself as the color of the environment (calorizator). Consequently, the color of the fish primarily depends on the tone of the water and the bottom and can be slightly green or almost black, as well as brown, gray and even yellow. Rotan is a small fish, the maximum body length reaches 25 centimeters, with a weight of about 500 grams.

Initially, rotan lived in the Amur River, in the Russian Far East, in the northern part of North Korea and northeastern China. In the 20th century, fish appeared in the Baikal basin, and it was also released into the reservoirs of St. Petersburg, which led to the spread of rotan in most regions of Europe and Russia.

There are three main types of rotan fish, but only one is found on the territory of Russia - a firebrand, which has a large head and a dark body color. Few people know about such fish as rotan, so the fish caught by the fisherman in the next region receives a new, newly invented “name”. At the moment, the following types of rotan are known: goby, wrasse, grass, blacksmith, firebrand, live-eater, goby, round timber and others.

Calorie content of rotan

The calorie content of rotan is low, it is only 88 kcal per 100 grams of product.

The composition and useful properties of rotan

Rotan, like any other fish, is recommended for dietary nutrition, as it is easily digested and absorbed by the human body. Fish meat is rich in low-calorie and easily digestible proteins, vitamins, which have a positive effect on the immune system and human health. The meat of rotan also contains the following valuable trace elements.