Ruffe
By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026
The ruffe fish (Gymnocephalus cernua), also called the pope, is a small member of the perch family. Adults are typically around 20cm long, and few anglers set out to catch one.
They tend to turn up on maggot or bloodworm. The float dips and you swing in what looks like a tiny perch, only slimier, speckled instead of striped and bristling with spines.
Here is how to identify a ruffe in the UK, tell it from a perch, and handle it once it is on the bank.
How to Identify a Ruffe
Two features settle it. A ruffe has one large, continuous spiny dorsal fin running along its back, and a slightly downturned mouth.
The rest of the picture:
- Colour: olive-brown to golden-brown back, paler sides and a yellowish-white belly.
- Markings: darker mottling or speckling over the back, flanks and fins, with no bold stripes.
- Feel: a slimy coat and a rough, spiny outline in the hand.
- Size: usually 20cm (about 8in) or less.
The dorsal spines are sharp. Wet your hand and smooth the fin down from front to back before you unhook the fish, so the spines lie flat against its back instead of into your palm.
If the fish in your hand fits none of this, our fish identification guide covers the small coarse species that get mixed up most. The one a ruffe is confused with most often is the perch.
Ruffe vs Perch: How to Tell Them Apart
A ruffe is not a young perch. It is a separate species, and three features separate the two on the bank.
| Feature | Ruffe | Perch |
|---|---|---|
| Dorsal fin | One continuous spiny fin | Two clearly separated fins, spiny front and soft rear |
| Flank markings | Mottled or speckled olive-brown, no bars | Dark vertical bars |
| Lower fins | Speckled, not red-orange | Red-orange pelvic fins |
| Mouth | Slightly downturned | Not a useful cue |
| Typical size | 20cm or less | Often much larger |
Check the dorsal fin first. On a very small perch the bars can be faint and the fin colour weak, but the fins still give it away: one joined fin means ruffe, two separate fins means perch. If the fin is folded flat, lift it gently from the front with a wet finger and look for the gap between the spiny and soft sections. No gap, no perch.
For the bigger fish, see our perch species guide, or browse the other coarse species that share the same swims.
Where Ruffe Live
Ruffe fish are bottom-dwellers. They typically live in lakes, canals and slow-moving rivers, grubbing along the bottom for insect larvae and other small invertebrates. That habit is why they so often pick up a bait laid on the bottom for something else.
Whether ruffe belong in a particular water is a separate question. Their native status in the UK varies by region and nation, and the GB Non-native Species Secretariat (NNSS) is the body to check. The best-known case of ruffe where they do not belong is Loch Lomond, covered below.
To find out whether a water holds ruffe, ask the club or fishery.
Size, Diet, Spawning and Lifespan
Ruffe stay small but mature early and produce a lot of eggs, which goes some way to explaining how quickly they can spread.
| Topic | What is known |
|---|---|
| Size | Typically around 20cm (about 8in); maximum figures quoted are about 25cm to 29cm (10 to 11in) |
| Diet | Mainly bottom-dwelling invertebrates, especially chironomid larvae, which anglers know as bloodworm |
| Spawning | Mature at 2 to 3 years; spawn from about mid-April to June, moving into warmer shallow water |
| Lifespan | About 7 to 11 years |
A female ruffe can lay roughly 130,000 to 200,000 eggs. Combined with maturing at 2 to 3 years, that helps explain how ruffe can establish quickly once they reach a new water.
Catching Ruffe: Baits and Methods
No one fishes for ruffe for their size, but knowing what they take gives you bites on a slow day and tells you what to change when they keep taking baits meant for other fish.
The baits that work mirror their bottom diet: bloodworm, maggot, pinkie and small worm.
Present the bait on or just off the bottom. A float shotted so the hookbait touches bottom suits canals and slow rivers, and a light leger or small feeder does the same job on stillwaters. Hooks of around size 18 to 22 are typical.
Ruffe bite freely, which makes them a pest on bloodworm or maggot fished for bream, silver bream or tench. A bigger bait such as bread or corn on a larger hook often cuts down small-fish bites, though not entirely. Unhook any ruffe quickly with wet hands and return it straight away.
Best for: bites on a slow canal session. Skip if: you are fishing big baits for specimen bream or tench.
Why Ruffe Matter Outside Their Range
A fish typically around 20cm long has become a conservation worry at Loch Lomond.
Ruffe were first recorded in Loch Lomond in 1982, probably introduced by pike anglers using them as live bait. They are now reported to be abundant there, with concern that they eat the eggs of the powan, a rare native whitefish. Refuge populations of powan have been set up in other lochs.
Introduced ruffe have also competed with native fish in North America’s Great Lakes.
Never move live fish, including bait fish, between waters. For the legal position, check with the Environment Agency in England, the relevant authority in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, and your fishery.
Ruffe and the Rules: Licence and Close Season
Ruffe fall under the same rules as any other freshwater coarse fish. In England and Wales (and the Border Esk region), you need a rod licence to fish for freshwater fish, including on private waters. Under 13s need no licence, and 13 to 16 year olds need a free junior licence. Check the current price on GOV.UK, or see our fishing licence guide.
In England, the coarse close season runs from 15 March to 15 June inclusive on rivers, streams and drains. Clubs and private fisheries can extend it but not shorten it. Stillwater and canal rules vary, so check the local fishing byelaws and our fishing seasons guide. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules, so check with the relevant authority.
Frequently asked questions
Is a ruffe the same as a pope?
Yes. Pope is another name for the ruffe, Gymnocephalus cernua, a small member of the perch family. Both names refer to the same fish.
Is a ruffe a baby perch?
No, it is a separate species. A ruffe has one continuous spiny dorsal fin and mottled colouring with no vertical bars, while a perch has two separate dorsal fins and dark stripes.
What is the British record ruffe?
British rod-caught records are kept by the British Record (rod caught) Fish Committee, which updates its list as new claims are ratified. Check the committee's current list for the up-to-date ruffe weight.