Ripus fish: description, habitat, fishing, cooking recipes

Ripus fish belongs to the representatives of the salmon family, and to be precise, to the category of whitefish. It also has other names, such as “vendace” or “Pereslavl herring”. Prefers to lead a flock of life in close proximity to the bottom. Vendace is quite prolific and fresh smells like fresh cucumbers. This article aims to acquaint the reader with this amazing fish, its behavior, and its beneficial properties.

Description of ripus fish

Appearance

Ripus fish is characterized by a slender, elongated body. The back is distinguished by a dark greenish or blue tint. The sides of the ripus are silvery, and the belly is pure white. The scales on the body do not hold tightly, so it is not at all difficult to clean this fish, and the fins are not distinguished by a bright brown color. The fish is able to grow up to half a meter in length, with a weight of about 1,5 kilograms.

A distinctive feature of ripus is that it has a characteristic aroma of fresh cucumbers, if freshly caught.

Where does the ripus fish live?

Ripus, like most salmon species, prefers cool water. Therefore, this fish is found in water bodies located closer to the northern latitudes. These are Lake Ladoga and Onega, as well as water bodies of the Russian Urals and Siberia.

Fishermen of the Chelyabinsk region catch this fish in numerous reservoirs of this region, both in paid and wild ones.

It prefers to be at depths from 3 to 5 meters, choosing quiet areas of the water area, closer to the coastal zone, where placers of stones are found at the bottom.

It mainly feeds on zooplankton and small fish such as smelt.

Spawning period

At the 3rd or 4th year of life, this fish can already spawn. This happens in November-December at depths of 1 to 1,5 meters.

Each female ripus is able to lay up to 3 thousand yellow eggs and not large in size. Ripus fry appear in 14-16 days.

Commercial catch

Ripus fish is characterized by fatty and very tasty meat, which determined the industrial approach to catching ripus. In the Urals, this fish is caught in large volumes and, to some extent, it is a breadwinner here.

Ripus is also grown artificially on special farms in the Chelyabinsk region. Ripus fry are launched into water bodies in the spring, and in the fall they are caught to sell or cook something.

Ripus fishing

To catch a ripus, you should know its habits in order to determine the places where it likes to be. In the process of catching ripus, a chebak also comes across. Most likely, ripus should be looked for where there is a chebak, since it can be part of the diet of ripus.

Where is it caught

Repus is a schooling fish, so if you get on a school, you can provide yourself with a catch. Fish do not like fast currents, so they choose quiet water bodies or areas of water where there is no current. It can be located both at depth and not far from the coast, if the bottom is sandy interspersed with stones. Often found within small islets located on various lakes.

When is the best time to catch ripus?

Since the ripus is considered a relative of the whitefish, fishing has similar features. They begin to catch it when strong ice is established on the reservoirs. This period continues almost until spring, when a real flood will not allow fishing at all. Somewhere at the end of winter and spring, ripus bites are the most intense, which means fishing is the most productive.

A characteristic feature of catching this fish is the fact that ripus must be caught at night. According to experienced anglers, the greatest success awaits those fishermen who organized the highlighting of their holes. This can be done either with a flashlight or with car headlights. It all depends on imagination and possibilities.

When fishing at night, and even in winter, when there is severe frost outside, a tent will never interfere. For example, on Chelyabinsk Lake Uveldy, many fishermen who regularly come to this reservoir have equipped warmed houses here, many of which today resemble a tent camp.

Tackle features

This fish is caught on an ordinary winter fishing rod with a hard tip. Start fishing from the maximum depth, gradually reducing it. It can be at any depth, so ripus is caught “vertically”. For greater effectiveness, you should not catch on one mormyshka. As a rule, they are knitted on a fishing line several, at a distance of about 30 cm from one another.

It is better to use a stiff fishing line so that it does not twist, but the hook should be light and thin.

It is advisable to always fish on one hole. This is especially true for those fishermen who decide to fish in the same tent. If you drill two holes side by side, then the line may become tangled due to the fact that you have to fish at great depths. As a result, the process of fishing will turn not into an interesting activity, but into a waste of time.

Types of baits

To catch ripus, fishermen use a wide variety of baits. Bloodworms are considered the most common, although not bad results can be obtained by planting insect larvae, such as burdock flies or bark beetles.

Some anglers prefer ordinary pieces of lard. Therefore, if it is possible that it is better to take several different baits for fishing, and in the process of fishing it will become clear which one the fish liked more.

Useful properties of ripus fish

Ripus is a valuable commercial fish, thanks to its fatty and tasty meat. It is highly valued in cooking, but Ural housewives are more familiar with ripus.

Basically, this fish is salted, but often fried and baked in the oven. She was also loved by many because she has a small number of bones, which simplifies the process of its preparation.

Presence of vitamins and minerals

Ripus fish meat contains such useful components as:

• Phosphorus.
• Omega-3 fatty acids.
• Magnesium, etc.
• In addition to microelements, the presence of vitamins, including vitamin PP, is noted.

The presence of nutrients in this fish allows you to optimize the work of almost all internal organs of a person, including the cardiovascular system, the central nervous system and the immune system.

Calorie content of ripus

Fish meat is considered low-calorie, because in 100 grams contains only 75 kcal. In this regard, ripus meat can be attributed to a dietary food product.

Ripus Recipes

Rice Cake

To make a pie you will need:

• 0,5 kg of ripus fish meat.
• Xnumx chicken eggs.
• 2 onions of medium size.
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
• 50 grams of butter.
• 400 grams of yeast dough.
• 0,5 cup rice
• Salt and spices to taste.

How to cook properly:

1. The fish is cleaned and butchered with the bones removed. The result should be 2 fillets of ripus meat.
2. Eggs and rice need to be boiled.
3. Roll out the dough and put rice, fish, eggs and chopped onion on it.
4. Salt and pepper everything on top, then roll the pie.
5. Lubricate the top of the pie with egg yolk, after which it is placed in the oven, heated to 180 degrees. The cake should be cooked for one hour.

After the cake is ready, it is served to the table. As a rule, a cold cake is no longer so tasty.

Fried ripus

You will need the following ingredients:

• Kilogram carcass of fish.
• Lemon juice.
• Vegetable oil.
• Garlic.
• Pepper to taste.

Technological stages of preparation:

1. The fish is cleaned, cut and washed, after which the fish fillet is prepared.
2. A frying pan is taken, a little vegetable oil is poured into it and chopped garlic is added.
3. After that, fish fillet is laid out in a pan, poured with lemon juice, salted and peppered.
4. Fish meat is fried on both sides until a golden hue appears.

Ripus is served with baked or boiled potatoes.

Salted ripus

The following components will be required:

• 1 kg fish ripus.
• Bay leaf.
• 2 tablespoons of salt.
• Water – 1,5 liters.
• Spices (cloves and allspice).

How to cook properly:

1. Fish is being prepared: cut with the removal of the entrails.
2. The fish is sprinkled with spices.
3. The brine is prepared: salt, bay leaf, cloves and allspice are added to the water. Put on fire and bring to a boil. After that, it is allowed to cool to room temperature.
4. The fish is placed in a jar and completely filled with brine.
5. In this state, it should be about 2 days.

Salted ripus is served with vegetable oil and onion, cut into rings.

Ripus is mainly present on the tables of the inhabitants of the Urals, since this fish is found in this region. Thanks to its tender and tasty meat, it is highly valued by the local housewives.

Fishing for ripus in winter is exciting and exciting. Every angler prefers to catch this tasty and healthy fish.