Identification.
Rudd aredeep bodied with a rather small head. Head scaleless, the mouth steeply angled to open on the upper edge of the snout. Dorsal fin short based, rather high, its origin vertically behind the level of the base of of the pelvic fins. Anal fin with 10-11 branched rays. The scales across the belly of rudd form a sharp keel.

Rudd coloration, deep greeny brown on the back, sides bronze yellow, ventrally creamy. All the fins are reddish, the pelvic and anal fins are blood red. Iris of the eye golden with a red fleck above it.

Habitat.
Rudd lives in oxbows and backwaters of large lowland rivers, also in lakes. Has been widely introduced to less typical waters. Thrives in heavily weeded waters and survives in areas where dissolved oxygen is low.

Food.
Young rudd feed on insect larvae, crustaceans and algae, larger specimens feed heavily on plant matter but will also eat insects.

Breeding.
Spawns April to June amongst dense vegetation and at the edges of reed beds. The eggs stick to the plants and hatch in 8-15 days.

Statistics.
Can be found throughout the UK, but may prove to be a challenge to catch. The current UK rudd record is 4lb 10oz.