fish identification

[hawb81]

i remember catching a few of these when i was in my teens but havnt seen them since i started up again i cant remember where i caught them from either i think i had a lot from the river vyrny at meiford and a couple out of the canal at swindon and caunsall

[david_avfc]

my dad won a match on the oxford canal with a bag of 200+ daddy ruffe, nothing else but ruffe, he had very sore hands afterwards i remember him telling me! there are still plenty on the oxford canal, it's a beautiful fish, A fish not many take a second glance at!! I was going to put one in my aquarium but decided against it incase it upset my goast carp and grass carp among other course fish. but always nice to catch a daddy ruffe. a 2/3 oz ruffe is a clonker...

[paul k]

We used to call them tommy ruffe, the grand union was full of them-better than a blank or a stickleback,eh?

[Ian.B]

Quite often see a few get caught at Hallcroft, always nice to see one when it's hard going

[stkflote]

I.ve caught a few Ruff from trent and mersey canal at shardlow
had some in last summer

[Larry Teepot]

still in the cut at small heath and lapworth........i must be an expert on them i catch them regular....also had a bullhead on a pinkie at lapworth in the weir overrun

[Picasso]

I caught 3 on saturday on the Bham worcs canal by the navi, and the guy next to me had 9, so still plenty about.

[nh6103]

still loads in the staffs worcs canal as well especially awbridge

[BIG COL]

We used to call them BORE PIGS in Worcester
I will always remember Tommy Pickerings face and the Stainforth National Squad we were Coaching for Div 2 National on the Severn
When i told them what we called them

[andrew65]

Ok would rather catch a bream in a match BUT the ruffe is a fish with real attitude!! I mean it bites when nothing else will ,they will take a 3 gram float and a massive lob straight under ,no worries and when u get them out they flair right up as if to say........... hey DONT MESS WITH ME ,IM HARD..lol lol
Often over here its catch the handfull of fish u have in ur swim first then switch to catch as many ruffe as you can before the end whistle goes!Slightly over depth ,shotted right down, hold back then let it go ever so with the current and they love B & J lots of it pure...............................I love them!!!

[isismad]

Ok would rather catch a bream in a match BUT the ruffe is a fish with real attitude!! I mean it bites when nothing else will ,they will take a 3 gram float and a massive lob straight under ,no worries and when u get them out they flair right up as if to say........... hey DONT MESS WITH ME ,IM HARD..lol lol
Often over here its catch the handfull of fish u have in ur swim first then switch to catch as many ruffe as you can before the end whistle goes!Slightly over depth ,shotted right down, hold back then let it go ever so with the current and they love B & J lots of it pure...............................I love them!!!

They really do have attitude. A Skin Diver with full apparatus surfaced in the swim I was fishing on the middle reaches of the Thames one afternoon. After thanking him for buggaring up my fishing I got chatting about what he'd found down there. Apart from locating some big chub (difficult as they are pretty shy) and pike he said the only fish he found that weren't scared of him were Ruffe. They literally were nosing around between his hands when he disturbed the silt on the bottom.