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Anyone who's ever caught these members of the perch family may have noticed their similar appearance. Many may even confuse one fish with the other, but zander and pike-perch, although closely related, are two different species. They have numerous differences. In this article, we'll show you how to distinguish these toothy striped fish.
It's worth noting that fishing trips to the Putorana Plateau won't allow you to catch any of these predators, but you can catch the river tiger taimen or other salmon relatives. The reserve's waters are home to numerous species of noble fish, including whitefish, char, lenok, grayling, and others.
What are the differences between predatory fish from the perch family?
When catching zander and bersh, many people don't notice any significant differences between the fish. In fact, these perch relatives are remarkably similar; even their close relationship doesn't indicate they are the same species.
Zander
A large predator native to various Siberian bodies of water, including the Ob and Irtysh, the pike perch is unfortunately not found in the rivers of the Putorana Plateau Nature Reserve. It is related to perch and has a distinctive striped pattern. Other characteristics of the pike perch include:
- The long body begins with a pointed snout, which features a large mouth with fangs and numerous small teeth. Fishermen appreciate the fact that, unlike pike, this arrangement of teeth prevents them from gnawing through fishing line.
- Brown stripes that run across the entire body, from top to bottom.
- The scales are small and silvery.
- The back has a grey-green tint, and the belly is white.
- The tail is equipped with a powerful fin, while the others have specks.
- Like perch, pike perch have sharp spines that straighten out when being caught and can injure the angler.
- Predatory individuals can reach several kilograms in weight and grow to over 1 meter in length.
This commercial fish is found not only in Siberian waters. It prefers warm rivers and lakes in Europe and Asia. Its habitat includes the Baltic, Black, Azov, and Caspian Sea basins. Pike perch can be caught in Lake Balkhash and Issyk-Kul.
Bersh
This predator is closely related to the pike-perch and perch, but it is found in the Volga basin, in rivers such as the Volga, Dnieper, and Don. In rare cases, it can be caught alongside pike-perch in tributaries and rivers of the Caspian, Azov, and Black Seas. However, the fish is not found in lakes.
How to distinguish pike-perch from zander
The differences from the first relatives are the following:
The zander doesn't grow very large. A specimen can reach a maximum length of half a meter and weigh about one and a half kilograms.
- The fish does not have fangs in its mouth, like its relative, which fishermen in some regions call the fanged one.
- The muzzle is more blunt in shape.
- The stripes on the body are significantly larger in size than those of the pike perch.
- The zander's scales are significantly larger.
- The eyes of individuals also have differences; in pike-perch they are smaller in size, although the predator is larger than its relative.
These are the main differences between these fish.
Conclusion
Although zander and bersh aren't caught on trophy fishing trips in the Putorana Plateau, they are extremely popular, even though they aren't related to the noble salmon family. These predators have delicious meat, and they're not bony. Both species make powerful, tasty, and, most importantly, very healthy delicacies, which adds to their popularity.
Perch fishing is exciting and challenging, and the fact that they don't damage fishing tackle, particularly line, is considered a huge advantage. Moreover, even the predators that inhabit stagnant lakes don't have the distinctive swampy odor of, say, large pike. And with the help of this publication, any angler can distinguish zander from bersh.
