Description
A fish of cool, flowing rivers, sensitive to pollution.
How to identify it
Large sail-like dorsal fin with spots, small mouth, adipose fin.
Appearance
Elongated, tapered body covered by relatively large scales arranged in regular rows. The background colour is silver-grey, with a darker back; small black spots are scattered over the front part of the flanks. The mouth is small and set slightly back under the snout, suited to taking food from the bottom or the surface. The large dorsal fin, taller and more colourful in males, is what immediately tells it apart from trout and whitefish.
Habitat and habits
It lives in cold, clean rivers with brisk current, where water quality stays good all year; it is also found in some lakes. It prefers long, even runs over gravel and cobble, the tails of pools and the stretches below riffles, where the water carries insects and small crustaceans. Unlike the trout, it often occupies the open current rather than cover under the bank. In the cold months it tends to gather in groups in the deeper areas. It spawns in spring on gravel in the current.
There's more in the app
This species' bite index, recommended baits and methods, and the rules of the day for every water. Offline too.
Soon on Android and iPhone
