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How to catch Vendace

Coregonus albula (Linnaeus, 1758)

About Vendace fishing

The vendace is a slim and streamlined freshwater and brackish water fish belonging to the family Salmonidae, featuring a distinctive adipose fin and a lower jaw that extends noticeably beyond the upper jaw. The back displays a bluish green or brownish tone complemented by silvery flanks and a clean white belly, growing typically to around twenty centimetres in length with a maximum potential size of forty eight centimetres. It inhabits open pelagic waters of deep, clear lakes as well as diluted coastal areas, operating primarily within cool temperature bounds and depths ranging down to twenty four metres. Schools of individuals feed selectively on planktonic crustaceans and microscopic aquatic organisms while migrating towards shallow gravel or sandy shores during the autumn spawning period. Though primarily targeted by commercial fisheries for its delicate roe and flesh, it forms an essential component of northern European aquatic ecosystems.

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Average size

    20 cm TL

  • Market value

    Medium

  • Habitat

    Freshwater, Brackish, Saltwater

  • Season

    Spring, Summer, Autumn

  • Also known as

    European cisco, White fish

Vendace

Adipose fin

Small fleshy adipose fin characteristic of salmonids.

Superior mouth

Upward-pointing mouth indicates a pelagic feeding habit.

Vendace fishing facts

Characteristics

  • Typical size

    20 cm TL (max 48 cm TL )

  • Typical weight

    0.2 kg (max 1 kg )

  • Preferred temperature

    2.1–4.5 °C

  • Depth

    6–24 m

  • Longevity

    10 years

  • Body shape

    Fusiform / Normal

  • Commercial?

  • Vulnerability score

    35.1

Best hours

  • Dawn

    First light

    Peak

  • Morning

    After sunrise

    Peak

  • Midday

    High sun

    Low

  • Afternoon

    Late day

    Low

  • Dusk

    Last light

    Low

  • Night

    After dark

    Active

When to fish for Vendace

01
January
02
February
03
March
04
April
05
May
06
June
07
July
08
August
09
September
10 Now
October
11
November
12
December

How to catch Vendace

Tips for catching Vendace

Anglers targeting this delicate pelagic schooling fish focus their efforts on deep, cold northern lakes and clear glacial waters during calmer weather windows. Since these fish feed almost exclusively on microscopic zooplankton rather than larger fish or bottom dwellers, standard predatory lures prove ineffective, requiring subtle presentations instead. Use light tackle with fine lines, small floats, and tiny hooks baited with micro invertebrates or bloodworms suspended precisely at the depth where the pelagic schools are located via sonar. Calm mornings and evenings offer the best success when schools rise closer to midwater columns or near drop-offs. Ice fishing with small vertical jigs tipped with microscopic natural baits provides exceptional sport during frozen winter months.

Other names for Vendace

Local and alternate names anglers use for Vendace.

  • White fish
  • Vendace
  • European cisco

Best equipment to catch Vendace

Compare fishing methods for Vendace — sized kit for each technique.

Note: Typical fish is 0.2 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.

Best lures and baits for Vendace

Ranked lures and natural baits from every method, best first.

How Vendace migrates — Anadromous

Grows at sea and swims into rivers to spawn. Target the run as fish leave the ocean and push upstream.

How Vendace migrates — Anadromous 1. Eggs: Laid in fresh water, usually well up the river. 2. Juveniles: Grow in the river, then head downstream to the sea. 3. Adults: Feed and grow at sea. 4. Spawners: Run back up the river to spawn.
Fresh water Estuary Sea

1 Eggs

Fresh water

Laid in fresh water, usually well up the river.

2 Juveniles

→ Sea

Grow in the river, then head downstream to the sea.

3 Adults

Sea

Feed and grow at sea.

4 Spawners

→ Fresh water

Run back up the river to spawn.

Some populations never go to sea and complete the cycle in rivers and lakes.

Hover or tap a number to read each stage.

Diet and behavior of Vendace

Prey and predators of Vendace

Prey is what Vendace eats. Predators are the animals that eat it.

That is how it feeds, and how it is hunted.

Prey

What it eats

Predators

What hunts it

Fish

  • Coregonus albula larvae
  • Esox lucius recruits/juv.
  • Gymnocephalus cernuus larvae
  • Lota lota juv./adults
  • Perca fluviatilis larvae
  • Phoxinus phoxinus larvae
  • Salmo trutta trutta juv./adults
  • Sander lucioperca juv./adults

Where Vendace lives

Lives near the bottom but swims in the water just above it. Cover the lower column, not only the mud.

Habitats
Freshwater, Brackish, Saltwater
Depth zone
Sublittoral
Continental shelf · 6–24 m
Water column
Benthopelagic
Just above the bed

Where this species lives