Paid and free fishing in the Vitebsk region. Fishing in the Vitebsk region

The Vitebsk region is so rich in regions that the locals joke: there is one small body of water for each of them. Indeed, there are more than seventy lakes here, among which there are both small and quite large ones, and rest houses and camp sites are built on the banks of many of them. Some bodies of water give the impression of being wild, but they are not. It is on such lakes and rivers, according to professionals, that the most the best fishing in the Vitebsk region. Fans of underwater fishing come here, while they strive to climb into the cherished places. They are not at all afraid of the Spartan conditions: avid fishermen set up tents and sit for hours with a fishing rod in their hands, waiting for a good catch, which, I must say, is famous for fishing in the Vitebsk region.

Biting forecast

Those who are going to spearfishing should get a map of the region's lakes. After all, sometimes even very small backwaters are quite interesting for anglers. Each of the fishermen has his own preferences: someone likes to fish from a boat, and someone likes to fish on the shore. Yes, and the prey is different: some throw gear in the hope of catching a pike, while others rejoice at a perch or bream. Many people definitely study the daily fish biting forecast for Vitebsk and its environs. It is designed specifically for anglers based on weather forecast data, seasonal spawning calendars and periods of activity of individual species.

Catchable places

Fishing in the Vitebsk region is possible all year round. The only seasonal difference is that tench, carp or crucian carp are not well caught from the ice, because in winter they fall into a stupor, so it is quite difficult to catch them.

The most popular in the region are lakes Inovo and Obsterno, which have a heterogeneous bottom and are inhabited by crucian carp and bream, pike, perch and tench, but fishing from the shore is quite problematic. There is only one conclusion - you need a boat.

In deep Drisvyaty, the depth in some places reaches nineteen meters. Here you can catch not only predators - pike, catfish, pike perch and burbot, but also other crucian carp, vendace, ide.

Fishing in the Vitebsk region on Lake Dolgoe is famous for its trophy catches. You can fish here both on the shore and from a boat. The complexity of fishing lies in the large depth differences, so many anglers always use an echo sounder. Another body of water - Losvido - is rich enough. Even the one who holds a fishing rod for the first time can fish here. According to reviews, large roach and even a kilogram bream often come across. Other lakes are no less catchy - Plisa, Sho, Yuzhny, Serebryany Volos, Snudy, Strusno ... In addition, there are many rivers in the region, for example, the Dvina.

Fishing in the Vitebsk region (photos taken in nature and showing an excellent catch often become a pride and boast of a gambling fisherman in front of his comrades) annually gathers not only fans of "silent" hunting from neighboring regions, but even professionals from all over Russia. Many of them have long chosen one of the many lakes for themselves. Judging by the reviews, professionals really like fishing in Vitebsk and the region.

Winter fishing

In summer, those who prefer to fish from a boat or from the shore at sufficient depth come to the region. Nevertheless, winter fishing in the Vitebsk region is no less popular. However, not all reservoirs are suitable for it. In many of them, the fish falls into a stupor, and no one, even the most good bait unable to move her. We are talking about those lakes where crucian carp and carp mainly live, which, as a rule, are not caught here during the cold season. However, those water bodies where winter fishing is possible are literally filled with ice fishing enthusiasts. There you can catch pike and roach, perch and bream. Fishing in the Vitebsk region in winter is catchy only in those water bodies where the species composition of representatives of the underwater kingdom is diverse. In terms of excitement, it is practically in no way inferior to summer, apparently, therefore, all large and deep and large lakes are filled with lovers of ice fishing, "armed" with ice screws.

For pike

Winter fishing in the Vitebsk region is very diverse. Everyone chooses for himself exactly the method of fishing and the tackle that is most interesting to him, and goes for the fish that he likes best. There are especially many “pikes” in the region - people for whom the most significant trophy in ice fishing is a toothy pike. It is for her that they all hunt possible ways, one of which is the traditional zherlitsa. The results on the lakes are sometimes impressive.

In the winter catch, most often there is not only pike, but also asp with burbot, bream, as well as perch, silver bream. The ide with the chub pecks less often than others in winter.

What to catch

On the first ice, a hungry catfish can grab everything, but these will only be single bites. Many are interested in which are the most catchy. There is no single answer even for experienced anglers. Tackle and lures necessary for such an event as ice fishing in the Vitebsk region are selected only by selection. In this case, one rule must be observed: if your target is a pike, the size of the winter nozzle should be from five centimeters, and its weight is selected depending on the type of reservoir and the presence of a current.

The color of the winter bait for fishing on many lakes and on it is preferable to choose natural, but sometimes fish bite on ice and acid tones. This means that the angler should have a variety of lures in the box. For winter fishing even some summer ones will do

In the city limits

In December, especially on Sundays, in the port of Vitebsk, judging by the stories of experienced winterers, it is so crowded that sometimes people sit "elbow to elbow". The reason is that it was at this time that extremely reliable even ice was on the water. On the backwater in Vitebsk in January is also not deserted. Local anglers do not recommend bait fishing here. Manually from a depth of four or five meters, a perch or other large prey can be caught on the tackle, but it is not a fact that it will be possible to pull it onto the ice. Luck depends both on the strength of the fishing line and on the mormyshka with a hook. That is, as the locals say, for whom fishing in the Vitebsk region in winter has long turned into a “way of life”, you first need to decide: to be content with perches or rely on larger prey.

On the Dvina

The river is covered with “calm”, not alluvial ice somewhere in November, and it stays until April. However, fishing in Vitebsk on the Dvina is interesting both in winter and in summer. From migratory fish, salmon, lamprey enter it, and in the lower reaches - whitefish, river flounder and smelt. Permanently living species are pike with grayling, roach, bream, ruff, perch and burbot, ruff. Compared to other rivers, the water is remarkably clear. As a result of passing through numerous local lakes, a rather diverse fauna has formed in it.

In winter on the backwaters

In January, the Sheven backwater is a very fishy place. This is a site where a small river flows into the Western Dvina from the lake of the same name. The ice here is early and stable. Many on the backwater are caught at depths, in the very middle. In this case, the main science for the fisherman is to find the bottom and the correct wiring of the nozzle - very slowly, barely shaking it. Many winter roads are guided by a nod, since it is believed that those who have mastered this method the catch is much richer.

Backwaters closer to spring are no longer suitable for closing winter season fishing. Raised water begins to quickly wash the ice, so it becomes dangerous to fish from it. However, do not be sorry, because in this season only small perches with roach are found in the backwaters.

Of course, in many reservoirs in the Vitebsk region in winter there are not so many places for fishing. In addition, many locals have the opportunity to go fishing only on weekends. But if at least once a place gave a rich catch, then it becomes clear that there are no problems with ice fishing. As a rule, in many areas of the Western Dvina, from the very first hole, you can catch as many small ones as you like; in many places, it usually stands at a three-meter depth. Basically, many locals here are advised to fish on zherlitsy. Sometimes you can get a chub with such tackle. Contrary to popular belief, this fish is also caught on a vent with a main monofilament line with a diameter of 0.27 and a leader of 0.5 size.

Fishing forecast Vitebsk today - 20.08"19 .

Cloudy today with a chance of light rain, no precipitation in the afternoon. Temperature +19 C° in the morning, +23 C° in the afternoon and evening. The pressure is stable 741 mm Hg. The wind is weak all day, northwest up to 3 m/s. Leaves and thin branches of trees sway all the time. The waves are short and well-defined, the crests, overturning, form a vitreous foam.

Biting forecast bad 3 /10 . This month, the bite is generally good, pike perch and trout peck a little better, crucian, carp, rudd, bream, tench, chub, asp, perch, catfish and pike bite a little worse. Good weather for fishing. In cloudy weather, the fish biting is very good, especially before the rain.

Forecast for biting Vitebsk tomorrow - 21.08"19 .

It will be cloudy with no chance of rain in the afternoon. Temperature +17 C° in the morning, +23 C° in the afternoon and evening. The pressure will change slightly throughout the day. The wind is moderate all day, northwest up to 5 m/s. The wind raises dust and debris, sets in motion the thin branches of trees. The waves are elongated, the lambs are visible in many places.

Biting forecast will be weak 4 /10 . This month, the bite is generally good, pike perch and trout peck a little better, crucian, carp, rudd, bream, tench, chub, asp, perch, catfish and pike bite a little worse. Nice weather for fishing, but strong wind. In cloudy weather, the fish biting is very good, especially before the rain.

Belarus is famous for its fishing places and numerous reservoirs. Many avid fishermen go to the country just for fishing. Different regions of the country have numerous rivers and reservoirs. For example, in Vitebsk region Belarus has many rivers and lakes that are suitable for fishing.

Some of them are especially popular among fishermen and are famous for their successful catch.

When and where is the best time to fish in the Vitebsk region of Belarus?

Experienced fishermen advise fishing on the lakes of Vitebsk. There is a list of the most popular ones. For good fishing it is recommended to select one lake or river from the list.

You can identify some of the most popular places that are famous for their wonderful bite:

1. Western Dvina;
2. River Beaver;
3. Eastern Berezina;
4. Lake Long;
5. Losvido.

These rivers and lakes are the most popular among fishermen. Each place stands out with its own characteristics, but one thing unites them - the possibility of a rich catch and the convenience of fishing itself.

Fishing in the Vitebsk region is possible both in winter and in summer. IN autumn time year on the reservoirs there is a lull, since fishing is not the most successful in the fall. However, you can also try fishing in the fall.

Thanks to the anglers, a special map has been created - a fish one. It is a typical map image with marks about the most fishy places. There is a publication of forecasts for the success of fishing at certain times of the year. Also, there are marks on the fishing bases on it. The map is constantly updated and supplemented.

Here we covered the question of popular places for.

What bites in the Vitebsk region of Belarus?

In the Vitebsk region, a fairly large number of various fish live in reservoirs.

The most common types are:

1. Pike;
2. crucian;
3. Perch;
4. Roach;
5. Tench.

Also, you can catch catfish, pike perch, burbot. In different places, there may be more of some fish, and less of other species.

Rivers

In the Vitebsk region flows enough big number rec. There are small and major rivers. Almost all of them are suitable for fishing and are popular among fishermen.

The most frequently mentioned of them can be noted:

• Western Dvina;
• Shevinka;
• Luzhesnyanka;
• Usvyach.

The Western Dvina is the largest and most popular river for fishing. Fishermen come here from different parts of Vitebsk and the surrounding areas. There are many approaches to the river, which are already independently equipped by fishermen. There is a wide variety of fish here.

Shevinka flows out of Lake Zaronovskoe. Its length is 26 km. Rudd, roach, bream, pike are found in the river.

Luzhesnyanka is a river, 32 km long. Widely used for hunting fish. It has a lot of roach, pike, dace, chub.

Usvyacha stretches for 100 km, 31 of which are in Belarus. The river is quite rich in fish, fishermen catch perch, chub, pike, and roach in it.

Lakes and reservoirs

According to the reviews and advice of experienced fishermen, you can select the most successful places for fishing.

The most popular lakes are:

1. obsterno;
2. Hair North and Hair South;
3. Losvido;
4. Inovo;
5. Drysvyaty;
6. Plisa;
7. long;
8. Snudy.

How to catch more fish?

I have been active fishing for quite some time and have found many ways to improve the bite. And here are the most effective ones:

1. . Attracts fish in cold and warm water with the help of pheromones included in the composition and stimulates their appetite. It is a pity that Rosprirodnadzor wants to ban its sale.
2. More sensitive gear. Reviews and instructions for other types of gear you can find on the pages of my site.
3. Lures using pheromones.

You can get the rest of the secrets of successful fishing for free by reading my other materials on the site.

Obsterno

The main advantage of Lake Obsterno is the presence of a large number of access points to the water. In addition, there is a recreation center where you can stay for the night. The most favorable season for fishing in this place is summer.

The following fish are found:

• crucian;
• Tench;
• Pike;
• Perch.

Sho

Coastline about. Sho is heavily overgrown with various plants, so it is recommended to actively fish here mainly in the summer.

Successful hunting will be for the following types of fish:

• Roach;
• crucian;
• Perch;
• Pike.

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North and South Volos

These lakes are distinguished by their great depth and substantial size. The depth can be 20 meters. Fishing from a boat is optimal in this area. It can be done at any time of the year.

The catch mainly consists of:

• Roach;
• perch.

Losvido

This very popular body of water has a significant advantage - it is home to a large variety of fish species. Many fishermen use special devices here to accurately locate fish habitats.

inovo

Inovo is a large body of water that includes a group of 13 lakes. However, hunting here can only be done in the summer, because fishing from the shore is inconvenient and you have to use a boat.

In these places you can find a large number of fish:

• Perch;
• crucian;
• Pike;
• Tench.

Drysvyaty

The reservoir has a large size, and the depth in some places can reach 19 meters. For fishing, you need to use a boat, so it is best to fish here in the summer.

The fish in the lake is varied, you can catch on baits:

• Burbot;
• pike;
• perch;
• Sudak;
• Soma.

In addition, there are - bream, eel, ide, tench, crucian.

Plisa

The distinctive feature of this water body – water purity. You can fish here both from the shore and from a boat, so fishing can be done at any time of the year. There is a special recreation center on the shore.

Long

Lake Dolgoe is clear waters and a deep bottom, which can reach 50 meters. Predominant species of fish are predominantly observed here.

Snudy

Lake Snudy, like Strusno, has a rather inaccessible approach to water, therefore fishing can only be done from a boat. The advantage of this place is a large number of fish.

Paid fishing

Paid fishing mainly takes place on fish farms. This is due to the greatest opportunities for the fish farm in the construction of reservoirs. However, not all ponds allow you to stay overnight for fishing.

There are a large number of leased ponds in the Braslav region. On them, for a fee, you can engage in industrial fishing for subsequent sale.

You can fish for amateurs. There are about forty. You can fish on them at any time of the day, catch without any restrictions, stay for several days. But during this time it is allowed to catch no more than a predetermined weight. In case of an overabundance, you will have to pay a fine.

Where to go fishing?

Fishing in Vitebsk and the Vitebsk region is an abundance of fish, high-quality family vacations and a rich catch. In order for fishing to succeed, you need to use some tips. For example, many fishermen can recommend the most popular places for a great holiday combined with fishing.

They are:

• Fisheries "News"- is an excellent combination of "price-quality". First-class service, everything here is equipped for comfortable fishing. It is famous for its very rich catch. Not a single fisherman leaves here empty-handed. There are a lot of carp, in some places there are especially large individuals. It is very convenient that you can rent various equipment and fishing tackle;
• Fish base "Novolukomolsky". Here you can find everything you need for active rest. Those who wish can rent everything that is needed for cooking shish kebab and fish soup. If there is a desire to stay overnight, then there is an opportunity to spend the night in cozy apartments. The main type of fish is carp and crucian carp;
• Fisheries Hajdukovka. Considered a paradise for carp lovers. It can be called an excellent combination of "price-quality". There is a great opportunity to rent equipment for fishing and rent a house for the night. In addition, for connoisseurs of cooking, all conditions have been created for preparing delicious fish soup. Experts advise in this place to fish for spinning, then there is a chance to catch a big pike;
• Base for fishing Ptich. It stands out among other bases with a convenient location. The lake is surrounded by forest, which gives it a special beauty. According to experienced fishermen, very tasty pike is found here. There are small carps. Worms and any other variant of animal origin are widely used as bait, since most of the inhabitants of the lake are predatory fish.

What should you take with you?

Before you go to the chosen place, you need to take with you certain equipment that will be needed during fishing.

They are the following items:

1. Fishing rod / spinning;
2. Various fishing tackle;
3. Small penknife;
4. Warm clothes, especially for the cool season;
5. Tent, in cases where you are going to go overnight, or just if you want to relax on the shore;
6. Supply of food and water - during a long fishing trip, a supply of food is necessary;
7. Umbrella for protection from the sun - for the sunny season, when there is a high probability of getting a sunstroke;
8. A first aid kit and insect repellents - the latter is more likely to be needed only in summer;
9. Flashlight - preferably not alone and with spare batteries (especially if night fishing is supposed);
10. Navigator or compass - necessary in case the fisherman gets lost;
11. Fishing hooks.

Fishing reports - Vitebsk region

Many fishermen leave their feedback about fishing in the Vitebsk region. Some of them prefer hunting for fish on paid reservoirs, while others use free and accessible local shores.

Here are some examples of comments:

1. We went fishing with friends to the recreation center "House by the Lake". It is located on the shore of Boginskoye Lake. The fishing went well. Among the rich catch is mainly bream, but there are also small pike, tench eel and other species.
2. Recently visited the agricultural base "Dubrava" located near the river Drissa. The river is small, but it is considered very fishy. The bite didn't have to wait long. The catch was excellent, the fish caught different species.
3. I often go fishing on Lake Obsterno. I like the fact that there are many approaches to the water, each fisherman can find an individual place for himself. There are quite a few fish. There are bream, crucian carp, perch and other types of fish. In addition, there is a recreation center nearby, where, if necessary, you can stay for the night.
4. We go fishing with the whole family to the base with the name "At Evgeny's". It is located in the city of Braslav, Vitebsk region. Nearby is Lake Drivyaty, where we go fishing. There are a lot of fish in the lake, more than 20 species live. We usually catch eel, carp and zander there. Also, not far away are the lakes Nedrovo and Strusto. If there is a desire to change the situation, we go there. There are also quite a lot of fish in these lakes.

Autumn fishing report on Lake Sosna

We arrived at the shore of the lake early in the morning, when it was still dark. The weather was conducive to fishing - wind, temperature and pressure were normal. We settled down very quickly and pumped up the boats. They went out to the water. Since we often come here with friends, the shores are familiar, and everyone went to their favorite corner of the lake.

After a certain period of time, doubts crept in that the predator today did not want to peck at all. Neither the change of place nor the variety of baits helped. Toward evening it became clear that the assumptions were justified. Unfortunately, this time we came home no catch. We hope in next time catch will be.

Winter fishing with summer gear

That year we went fishing on the lake Slabodskoe. The weather in December was such that it was not at all difficult to conduct open fishing. The ice was almost completely absent, only there were small frozen areas near the coast. Fishing was carried out from the river, for which inflatable boats were used.

We tried to hunt in our favorite places since the summer and in new ones. We used spinning rods, tried to catch “on the track”. The baits used were yellow, vibrotails and spinners. The catch included several medium-sized and medium-sized pikes. We stayed for five hours, after which we went home quite satisfied.

Successful fishing in the Hajdukovka fish farm

This time we decided to try our luck on a paid basis. We arrived in the morning, quickly settled in a rented house and went ashore. Fishing was carried out from the shore, we decided not to go to the water. Although, it was possible to rent boats. The weather was good - summer, not hot, moderately warm. The water was practically standing still, there was no wind.

Lures used a variety of. The pecking was pretty fast. And the same, for any bait. Several dozen carps were counted in the catch. We spent a day, all hopes for successful fishing were justified. The next morning we left for home. We decided that this was not our last trip to this base.

Recreation and fishing were remembered from the positive side.

How long have you had a really BIG CATCH?

When was the last time you caught dozens of HEALTHY pikes/carps/breams?

We always want to get results from fishing - to catch not three perches, but ten kilogram pikes - this will be a catch! Each of us dreams of this, but not everyone knows how.

A good catch can be achieved (and we know this) thanks to good bait.

It can be prepared at home, you can buy it in fishing stores. But it is expensive in stores, and to prepare bait at home, you need to spend a lot of time, and, to be honest, homemade bait does not always work well.

Do you know that disappointment when you bought bait or cooked it at home, and caught three or four bass?

Som. Of all our freshwater fish The first place in size belongs, undoubtedly, to the som. In this respect, only one beluga surpasses it, but, as you know, it is an anadromous fish that enters rivers only for spawning. The appearance of the catfish is extremely original and ugly. According to the general shape of the body, it has some resemblance to burbot, but its head is much wider and flatter and makes up almost 1/6 of the entire naked body, covered with a thick layer of mucus.

His mouth is huge and armed along the edges with numerous, very small, but rather sharp teeth that look like a short brush; on the upper jaw there are two long whitish whiskers, and on the lower, somewhat protruding, there are 4 yellowish antennae, three times shorter than the first; the eyes are disproportionately small with the mouth and very close to the upper lip.

The tail, strongly flattened laterally, especially towards the posterior end, occupies more than half of the entire body; the anal fin is very long. The color of the catfish changes, depending on the water, also according to age and season, but most often its back is black, its belly is yellowish-white or somewhat reddish and almost always dotted with bluish specks; the sides of the body are blackish green and covered with olive green spots; the eyes are pale yellow with black spots, the fins are dark blue, the pectoral and ventral fins have a yellowish stripe in the middle.

In young catfish, the color of the skin and fins is sharper and brighter. Lake catfish are always darker than river catfish and their belly is gray-bluish. The appearance of the old, large catfish is disgusting: the head turns from whitish to dirty yellow and many water worms, like leeches, covering both the body and the head, stick to it. Catfish is the only European representative of the catfish family, whose species are quite numerous in South Asia and tropical Africa.

However, it is not found in all of Europe: it is not found in France, Spain and Italy, and r. The Rhine constitutes the western limit of the distribution of this predator. Common catfish lives with us mainly in the rivers of the Aral-Caspian and Black Sea basins, and it is most numerous in their lower reaches, especially the Volga and Kura; in the rivers flowing into the Baltic Sea, it is relatively small in number and does not reach such large sizes as in southern Russia.

The reason for this is a more intense pursuit, a comparatively small number of fish, i.e., a lack of food during a longer winter fast. It is highly probable that the catfish, like the carp, spread in central Europe already in historical times. In general, the geographical distribution of these fish in Russia is almost the same and continues to expand more and more, although in this respect the catfish is somewhat ahead of the carp.

IN Onega lake, for example, catfish appeared no more than 25 years ago. In the mouths of our southern rivers, especially the Volga, Kura, Don and Dnieper, catfish are among the most common fish; in the sea itself they adhere, however, river water. Under favorable conditions, catfish reach enormous growth. In the rivers of the Baltic Basin, as well as in the tributaries of the upper Volga, they rarely exceed 80 kg; however, on the Oder, famous for its abundance of catfish, back in 1830 a specimen weighing 400 kg was caught.

Catfish is one of the most sedentary fish and very rarely makes long journeys. For the most part, for decades, from a young age to a very old age, he lives almost all year round in the same hole, leaving it to look for food nearby, and then not always. Only in spring, in the hollow water, the catfish temporarily leaves its native pit and rises up the river somewhat, often entering the floodplain and floodplain lakes, where it often spawns.

On the lower Volga (probably in the lower reaches of other Russian rivers), the spring run of catfish begins with the beginning of the flood, in this case around mid-April. Sensing warm water, they wake up from their winter sleep and emerge from the pits into backwaters, lakes, sometimes into the sea, more often, however, rising upwards. Catfish cannot stand very muddy water and, like pike perch, sometimes even dies from it, and therefore each more significant flood makes it leave its hole and look for cleaner water at the mouths of small tributaries.

For the same reason, it rarely occurs in the hollow water in the riverbed and, until the very recession, keeps on the floodplain and in floodplain lakes. Like all other fish, catfish go the farther upstream, the larger and longer the flood of the river. In general, than smaller river and the less prolonged its flood, the more sedentary life this fish leads and the more often its spawning takes place in the very channel of the river, and not on the floodplain.

In the secondary rivers of central Russia, catfish cannot spawn on the floodplain, since they enter the banks by the beginning of May, long before the start of spawning. Most often, catfish spawn on floods in the lower reaches of the Volga, where the main income of water begins at the end of spring. A lot of time passes between awakening and the start of spawning, at least a month. During this period of wandering life, catfish feed heavily on fish, especially spawners, and thus reward themselves for a long fast.

At first, he also feeds on worms, which he pays almost no attention to in summer, not even particularly large ones. In general, the food of catfish is quite diverse, although exclusively animal. The main food is, of course, fish of all kinds and different sizes, from the smallest to the largest.

But, as, however, it is not difficult to see from its constitution, the catfish is not capable of prolonged pursuit and almost always catches fish from ambush, swiftly breaking into a passing flock or grabbing a close-swimming single fish with lightning speed. There is no doubt that the catfish owes this swiftness to its powerful and flexible splash, that is, the back half of the body with the tail, and that with the same splash it sometimes stuns several fish in a flock.

Chasing live bait, the catfish sometimes jumps out of the water, clumsily, in a bag, falling back, scattering water in a heap and deviating its tail somewhat to one side. Large catfish, over 32 kg, are very clumsy and clumsy, and therefore fish, especially large ones, are relatively rarely caught by them. However, such giants are known to resort to a rather ingenious trick to catch small fish; namely: they go aground or stand ashore in a place where there are a lot of fry of the year, also fir trees, bleaks, and lie motionless here, half-opening their huge mouth.

As soon as a flock of small things approaches the predator, unaware of the danger threatening it, the catfish draws in water and dozens of fish, carried away by a suddenly formed strong whirlpool, disappear into the mouth. In addition, the catfish, hiding behind a stone or snag, undoubtedly uses its whiskers as bait: the fish is seduced by these tender, fleshy, worm-like appendages, and, not seeing the catfish itself, comes close, and the predator, having improved free minute, swiftly grabs an inadvertently approaching fish.

Since this method of obtaining is not particularly reliable, fat catfish feed mostly on frogs, crayfish and shells, that is, large river mollusks from the genus Unio and Anudonta, and in the sea and estuaries, probably many others. Frogs, mostly green (Rana ridibunda), are a delicacy for catfish; lying at the bottom, he always carefully listens to see if a frog is croaking somewhere, immediately swims up to the singer and swiftly, opening his huge mouth in advance, rushes at her.

This weakness for frogs encourages the catfish not only to visit river grassy backwaters, but often get stuck in flood lakes; the most productive and interesting fishing is based on it, the so-called shredding. Catfish, especially large ones, do not give rise to anything living floating on the surface, and exterminate a large number of ducklings, goslings, as well as adult water birds. Often they drown swimming dogs, even calves, and several examples are known that large catfish were dragged into the water and drowned bathing children.

Catfish also eat any carrion that has fallen into the river, and from hunger they even throw themselves on rotten rags and even snatch linen from the hands of women rinsing it. Near the fishing gangs (trades) in the lower reaches of the South Russian rivers, especially on the Kura and Volga, catfish feed almost exclusively on the remains of the preparation of fish and at certain hours, when these remains are thrown away, they gather near the rafts in such a multitude and grab food with such greed that they represent terrible sight.

Spawning of catfish begins relatively very late, when the water reaches a temperature of at least 15 or even 16 ° R, generally almost simultaneously with carp, mostly in May. It is doubtful that anywhere in southern Russia, except for Transcaucasia, catfish were rubbed in early April. According to Varpakhovsky, catfish in the Kazan province spawn in the first half of May, which, taking into account observations in the lower reaches of the Volga and Don, is somewhat early.

On Klyazma, in the Vladimir province., Catfish begins to rub during the flowering of wild rose - in early June. Only the Lower Dnieper catfish can spawn at the beginning of May, maybe even at the end of April. According to Yakovlev, catfish spawning near Astrakhan, or rather, preparation for spawning, begins during the flood - in May, and according to Popov, on the Don, catfish rub from late May to early July.

This long period probably depends on the fact that it means the beginning of spawning and the final hatching of juveniles and the departure of old catfish from the spawning ground. The spawning ground, or tyrlo, of catfish happens in quite different places according to the conditions of the area, but, apparently, it is very rarely seen in the pit that serves as their permanent home.

The exception is, perhaps, only small rivers, where the catfish, of necessity, lead a completely sedentary life. In southwestern Russia, catfish spawn mostly in deep but quiet gullies and channels filled with sunken snags; on the Don, catfish rub against the reeds of the kugi or other grass, in shallow places; on the lower Volga - always in flood, in flooded meadows, mainly where old hay and last year's reeds float.

In flood lakes, catfish spawning is not seen as often as in channels, but even here they are sometimes seen before spawning in large numbers, in whole flocks. But although these catfish gatherings in areas teeming with catfish are accompanied by an extraordinary splash and rolling beats that can only be compared with the noise made by a herd driven into the water, although the catfish chase each other and even coil around like snakes, but this is not yet real " tyrlo”, but only, so to speak, the prelude of spawning.

Catfish gather in flocks and produce the described evolutions with two goals: firstly, they “spawn”, and secondly, the selection of spouses by the catfish takes place here. Somovye tyrlo is in some way a current, on which, however, the female half excels. In the same place, where there are few catfish, 3-4 males usually swim after the female, of which the catfish chooses one, probably the strongest; then, by joint efforts, the couple drives away the unimportant gentlemen.

There is a widespread belief among many industrialists in central and partly southern Russia that the catfish is clucking, calling for males with this clucking. Some even believe that the so-called catfish gurgling is based on imitation of catfish clucking, and not frog croaking. It may be that male catfish do sometimes go to shreds, believing to meet a female, since there seems to be no doubt about the ability of catfish to produce sounds, but since shredding is almost always done in summer, after spawning is over, it is obviously not catfish that attracts catfish , and a frog.

In any case, more accurate observations are desirable in this respect, and not mere unsubstantiated opinions. Having chosen a male for herself, the catfish retires with him to a secluded place on the spill or in the channel, as mentioned above, and digs a hole with her chest feathers (cams). This hole, the so-called "mud" of the Lower Volga fishermen, is sometimes up to 1 m or more deep. During spawning, catfish often float on the surface, turning upside down.

On a hot day, they lie in the sun in this position for quite a long time, “steam out the chick” - in the jargon of the fishermen. In all likelihood, spawning takes place not in one, but in several steps, but, like almost all other fish, it still has a lot of dark and unexplored. Young catfish, especially the first 5-6 years, grow extremely quickly. A month later, they are already 15 cm long, even in the Moscow River in July, 20-centimeter year-old catfish come across, hatched here, probably at the end of May.

In autumn, in September, catfish reach a weight of 400, even 600 g. Voronin says that in September, a catfish comes to Lake Pskov from the Great River, about 400 g in weight, moreover, a solid mass, probably for wintering. According to Brahm, a one-year-old catfish also weighs up to 600 g, and a two-year-old one - up to 1.2 kg, and, however, low or high water standing (in Western European rivers) has a great influence on growth: with low water, catfish grow twice as slowly, than with a large one.

Based on some fragmentary observations, I believe that for the first five years, the growth of catfish occurs almost exponentially, that is, every year the catfish doubles in weight; a three-year-old somenok at the end of May weighs 2.4 kg with a growth of almost 70 cm, a four-year-old - 4.8 kg, a five-year-old - 8-9.5 kg. A 16-kilogram catfish, having about 1.5 m in length, is at least 6, but hardly more than 8 years old.

The mother catfish is increasing in weight more and more slowly. Based on the fact that the catfish, transplanted from the Oka to the Archiresky pond near the city of Kolomna, at the age of 35 reached almost 80 kg in weight, and also taking into account that pond and lake catfish grow more slowly than river catfish, even with more abundant food, I believe that a 32 kg catfish is at least 12, a 64 kg catfish is at least 24, a 128 kg catfish is at least 50 years old and that the largest catfish weighing 240-320 kg have at least a century.

After the hatching of the fry, the catfish return to the pits that serve as their permanent residence, and, probably, the pairs are separated. In the lower Volga, around mid-July, masses of downstream catfish, after spawning, go back to the sea from the ilmens. Where there are few catfish, they live constantly in the deepest pits, and the deeper and more inaccessible it is, the more numerous and larger the catfish living in it. Catfish up to 8-12 kg do not particularly adhere to deep places, and they can be found in places at 1.5-2 m depth.

For catfish, it is not so much the depth that is important, but the inaccessibility of the place and the shade, and therefore they can often be found, especially in the south, under the so-called floats, that is, floating shores, under overhanging bushes, coastal canopies, willow and willow roots, under dams, etc. In rocky rivers, for example. Dniester and Bug, catfish are often found between stones and in large crevices in the community with burbots, which they persistently pursue.

The way of life of the catfish cannot be called completely nocturnal, since it nevertheless wanders more through the dawns than at dead midnight, and at times comes to the surface and generally declares its existence during the day. Both during spawning and after it, on quiet hot days, one can observe catfish that have come to the surface and, turning belly up, basking in the sun. In most cases, the appearance of catfish during the day portends bad weather, a thunderstorm or a change in the weather.

Very muddy water after prolonged rains and strong floods also cause catfish to the surface, forcing it to temporarily leave its hole and move to quiet places, backwaters with a sandy bottom and sometimes to the mouths of tributaries that were previously cleared of turbidity. But after a short summer rain, the catfish loves warm rain water very much and comes to the formed streams even during the day. Catfish shows particular anxiety during a thunderstorm and before it begins.

At this time, he can no longer lie quietly on the bottom, but clings to the upper layers, completely aimlessly swimming back and forth in his hole; in a night thunderstorm, he swims all night and at such a time even the most ancient of its inhabitants, the largest giants of the catfish kingdom, personifying the water ones, rise from the bottom of the pool. Indeed, they raise such a fuss that it is difficult to attribute it to fish. Floating on top, catfish roll over sideways, rarely sticking their heads out, especially during the day.

Most often they announce their presence with a characteristic strong splash, sometimes giving a big wave. Catfish exposes its mighty reach vertically and then strikes it with force to the right and left on the surface. Catfish splashes, except for the largest, however, almost every night through the dawn, leaving the pit for fattening and returning back to it. Sometimes, as they say, the catfish dozes at dawn, sticking its head to the surface and swimming with the flow.

Although, according to the opinion of South Russian fishermen, catfish zhor happens on a new moon (according to others, also at a loss), nevertheless, catfish feed daily or, rather, every night, although, perhaps, not with the same greed. Each small and medium catfish, up to 16-32 kg in weight, leaves its daytime shelter around sunset. Usually, the catfish first of all circles the entire pit, sometimes several times, then rises upstream, visiting mainly those parts of the river that abound with live bait.

It happens that in search of food, a hungry catfish is very far from its den, but nevertheless, by morning, it will certainly return home. It must be assumed that catfish, which are sometimes observed dormant, putting their heads on the surface, and floating with the flow, are those tired wanderers who have risen very high. In general, the paths of catfish to fattening, like any other fish, are more or less constant and are known to every observant local fisherman.

The catfish tracts can be identified the more easily because even swimming not on the surface, but at the bottom, the catfish leaves clear signs of its presence. When he swims in a shallow place, he leaves behind him a light strip, indicating his trace, and in the shallows ahead of him there is, as it were, a small wave. In addition, the catfish almost constantly “buruns”, that is, while swimming along the bottom, it touches various objects, from under which, just like from under the crayfish and shells it gets, air bubbles come out.

These bubbles are seen very often even where the ground is quite hard and not silty, which depends on the structure of the swim bladder of these fish, which communicates with the esophagus, why the catfish can voluntarily release air from the anus, like a loach. In cold weather, closer to autumn, the catfish lies at the bottom, not leaving the pit for days on end. Catfish, like a fish of temperate and even warm countries (almost all species of the catfish family belong to a tropical climate), is very sensitive to cold, and therefore stops feeding and lies before all fish, sometimes even (in middle provinces) in September.

On the lower Volga in August and September, the catfish, which returned to the sea a month or two ago after the end of spawning, again rise into the river and lie down in deep pits. Judging by the words of Voronin, a similar autumn movement, only the opposite, is also noticed on Lake Pskov. Profitable catfish, as you know, goes in September in masses to lakes for wintering. In October, all catfish are already in winter camps. In former times, in the Dnieper whirlpools, Don halogens and Volga pits, catfish lay in hundreds, solid masses, but now even in the lower reaches of the Volga it is difficult to find more than fifty pieces in one place in winter.

In the Urals, where all fish are generally little disturbed in autumn, catfish camps are no doubt more numerous. The catfish most willingly lays down under clayey steeps, where the shore is washed away and large pechoras have formed. However, it seems that for the most part, catfish dig out separate pits for themselves for wintering, or rather, hollows, sometimes up to 1.2 m deep, burying their entire head with “fists” in the silt.

Thus, the whole flock lies in an almost continuous mass, in one tier, and other large white fish often lie on them in several layers, most often carp, constant companions of catfish, which, due to their speed, rarely get prey even in summer. In winter, the catfish is completely safe for any fish, as it is completely motionless, does not eat anything and sleeps so deeply that it does not have time to come to its senses and show resistance when it is hooked with a hook and pulled onto the ice.

Catching catfish on hooks with a nozzle is done in quite a variety of ways: vents, bottom and float rods and, finally, floating, with a shred. But before proceeding to a description of these more or less hunting methods of catching catfish, I consider it necessary to give more details about the time and places of fishing, nozzles and indicate general rules pulling out. The most complete information about charr fish is here.

The best time for catching is in the summer, at the perfect end of spawning, that is, after the hatching of the catfish. Spring fishing, before spawning, is subject to many accidents and is not convenient everywhere; depending on the terrain, it sometimes lasts (from April) until the end of May and even the beginning of June. On Sviyaga, as local anglers say, catfish is best taken in late May and early June, but this is too late for the spring and too early (according to the terrain) for the summer period.

From the end of May, summer fishing begins only in the south and coincides here with the time of molting of crayfish; in the middle provinces, however, they begin to take soms only in July, even at the end of the month (R. Vorona); according to the remark of the Klyazma fishermen, the biting begins with the flowering of the wild rose and from the time the catfish begin to pester the leech, but, of course, it's not about the leeches. Even in the lower reaches of the Volga, the main fishing is carried out from the middle of July, when the downstream catfish goes back to the sea, spawning in ilmens and on river floods.

The summer biting of catfish lasts all of August and most or less of September, depending on the weather. Catching is successful only in warm weather, but in cold weather and prolonged bad weather, the catfish lie at the bottom and do not come out of the pit for fattening. According to some fishermen, catfish take the bait best on moonlit nights, although it cannot be denied that at such a time catfish willingly go to small places where they are caught, but rather accept, along with the majority, that zhor happens around the new moon and at damage generally on dark nights.

However, in some places, in May, that is, before spawning, catfish are better taken during the day than at night, and in the summer they are most often caught at dawn, before sunrise. During a night thunderstorm, they greedily grab the nozzle, if it is only launched close to the surface. Nights when it drizzles lightly should be considered the most convenient time for catching catfish: catfish love fresh and lukewarm rainwater and are most often caught on tackle at this time (Dombrovsky). It is quite difficult to determine the place of fishing, i.e., where it is necessary to put the lines, vents and fishing rods, since it depends on many conditions.

Only observation and experience can unmistakably indicate those points where somas are constantly or only passing through. An experienced angler will always determine if there are catfish by their characteristic splash and “bang”, but it is not worth catching catfish without prior reconnaissance. We can only say that it is more profitable to put hooks of various kinds not on the pit itself, where the catfish live, but at those points that lie on the path of the night travel of the catfish, which always goes along the same “path”. The easiest way is to put crossings, especially in small rivers, from one bank to another.

According to Dombrovsky, it is better to put “hooks” near a grassy rift rich in live bait, or near a shallow rift, on which both bottom and riding catfish could see the live bait, or on the bright side of the coast, i.e. facing northwest. good places the corners of the pits and shallows are considered, places with a weak current, with small thickets of grass in which rudd, plotichki and chubs are kept - the so-called (in the southwest) "zakabai". If the bottom is muddy, then the catfish occasionally goes along the bottom; here he expects to find either cancer, or crucian carp and molting; but most of the time it goes up.

Further, deep rifts should be recognized as good catfish places, overgrown on at least one side with ribbon-like, less often with some other grass that does not reach the surface of the water, and over which chub and rudd like to swim. Quite often, not bad places can be called short banks of pits protruding in one direction; these pits are almost always round, having one side with a circumference of 300°, and the other short, almost straight, and connecting adjacent rifts.

Catfish, moving from one hole to another, goes straight past this bank, and not along a rather long arc of the hole; there are a lot of such places on small rivers flowing meanderingly; if such a bank is unclean, due to willow bushes or rising algae, then the fisherman should take care before setting the hook to clean this place with a fishing scythe or simply with an oar, and the labor expended will very often be rewarded with good prey.

Good places for setting a hook should be considered chasms - pits that have vine bushes between their corners and the chasms proper, bare tree roots, living or withered. In general, it is most convenient to attach a riding hook where there are live bait fish: this is the best sign that can indicate in the next 2-3 nights the existence or absence of a catfish in a given place.

So, a plucked live bait will indicate that there is a catfish; alive - what else do you need to try the happiness of one or two nights; only where there are a lot of turtles, whiteness, ides and pricked catfish that knock the bait off the hook with their tails, it can be difficult to determine the quality of the pit. As for the bottom hooks, they are generally placed on the rifts in such a way that the nozzle (live bait, crayfish, ram bladder) falls on the junction of the pit with the rift and not far from the bottom; junctions of grinds and deep holes often serve as the seat of catfish, which will not slow down to see the nozzle.

Nozzles for catching catfish are quite diverse, but are almost always of animal origin. Although the catfish is unpretentious for food and eats everything edible, it is unlikely that it is fished for pieces of bread or hard-boiled porridge, which, however, can certainly be fed to the hook. Catfish prebait, if used anywhere, is only in exceptional cases, although it is undoubtedly useful.

Most often, bait, zherlitsy and fishing rods are planted with live bait. Live bait can be almost all breeds of fish; they should not only be very small or too large, and most importantly, it is necessary that they be “survivable”, i.e., have the ability not to fall asleep for a long time, even in warm water. In each locality, anglers have their favorite live bait, which, as it were, are preferred by catfish to all others.

Very good chub, also crucians and small molts; on the river Voronezh for some reason prefer the scavenger to everyone, because, probably, he does not like to hide in the grass; in other places - burbot, loach, small pike and lamprey or its larva - the blind bindweed; on the river In Voronezh, 1-1.2-kilogram ides are planted on catfish crossings.

For the most part, when fishing on weight and in still water, live bait fish are hooked under the dorsal fin, less often by the lips (on the current when fishing on the bottom) and even less often they sew the live bait to the hook or (on the Oka), passing the leash (copper) through the mouth and the anus so that the hook sticks out of the mouth. An excellent nozzle for fishing on the bottom is loach, but since it is planted by the lips, the catfish often tears it off; loaches (and burbot, and in the west also eels) should be put on a hook, after wrapping it with a rag, since these fish are extremely slippery.

Near Smolensk they catch a spindle (a blind vine), also catching it by the lip; catfish takes it from the tail and often chews. Some anglers prefer to use very large live bait fish weighing 1-1.5 kg for catching catfish, on the grounds that these predators take them more willingly. This opinion, however, is completely erroneous. On the lower Volga, catfish are usually planted with fry, that is, small fish.

In addition to live fish, fish and bird giblets serve as a bait, especially “ram bladder”, fried sparrow, starling, jackdaw or other bird, which is probably completely indifferent to catfish; finally, any meat in a large piece, no less than a fist in size. Almost all of these baits are not particularly tight on the hook, which is why they have to be sewn on.

When fishing for meat, in order for the hook to come out of it better when hooking, it is useful to cut a piece in half, insert the hook into the cut and tie the meat with a thread. To make the meat softer, it is sometimes smashed with a stick. The frog (mostly green, constantly living in water) is almost everywhere one of the favorite, if not the most favorite, baits for catfish, but in places where there are no frogs at all, they (for example, in the Vorona River) are not used at all.

The opinion that it is better to skin frogs is completely erroneous, since, of course, catfish will prefer a living half-dead one. The method of planting a frog will be discussed later in the description of zherlits and shreds. As for invertebrate attachments, the most common of them is crayfish, preferably molting, but hard-skinned is also suitable. Small catfish perfectly take on the cancer neck, moreover (it seems, 1-2-year-olds) and at a time when adults are not yet caught on anything.

Some advise to keep the molted crayfish on ice, where they remain for a long time. The crayfish is planted as always (see chub), but Esipov recommends the following method for catching catfish: a hook with a part of the fishing line is passed, starting from the end of the neck (tail) to its base, through the anus; then the hook is passed a second time from half of the neck, so that the leash forms a loop, and it is hidden in the body of the cancer, and the fishing line is supported.

It is very difficult to pluck a cancer planted in this way. For fishing actually on the bottom or with a float, the crayfish and cancer neck are indispensable. For a worm, or rather, a bunch of worms (mostly red dung) takes only small catfish and, moreover, in the spring. The shell or oyster (river shell - Unio and Anodonta) is highly respected by catfish in places, but it is both more difficult to get and more difficult to plant.

Occasionally, catfish is taken for eels or omentums. In the lower reaches of the Volga, the best nozzle for sloping catfish when catching it is considered to be locusts, which grassroots fishermen stock up with whole baskets or bags, looking for it in the reeds in flocks of rooks and kites circling over the place where it hatched. They collect locusts in the very early morning, at dawn, when the dew has not yet dried up, since it is milder and does not fly away. They keep it on glaciers, where the insect falls into a stupor and does not show signs of life, but soon comes to life in the sun.

Catfish is a very strong fish, but still it cannot rush with such swiftness as carp, barbel, carp, and is relatively weaker: it resists mainly by its mass, i.e. its weight, then, like a bottom fish, it strongly rests at the bottom, lying or touching underwater objects. The strength of the resistance depends a lot, however, on what the hook is hooked on: if it is in the mouth or in the lip, then the catfish, almost without feeling pain, goes ahead and often tears quite strong tackle; the catfish that has swallowed the hook is much quieter and goes up faster.

You should not just drag it too forcefully, as sometimes it happens that in a rush a large catfish, even swallowing a nozzle, not only breaks the string-line, but the hook jumps out of its inside with a piece of kutyr (stomach). In general, catfish rarely breaks, since the hook always hooks well in its fleshy mouth, but a fish that has been on the hook once does not go to the bait for a very long time and can only be caught this year in a different way, and not in the same way, and on a different nozzle . A pricked catfish, which has been in alterations, very often knocks the nozzle off the hook with its tail.

Most The best way pulling out small catfish consists in dragging it to the surface, to the boat, as evenly as possible and together slowly, without jerks and haste, non-stop sorting through the string with two fingers of both hands in turn. A catfish, tired enough on a fishing rod, goes up very quickly, especially if the hook is in its stomach: it hangs like a weight, lowering its tail and occasionally shaking its head.

Small catfish, up to 4 kg or more, must be pulled out without any ceremony and as soon as possible, unless, of course, they fell on tackle designed for even smaller fish; there is no special need in the net and it is better to drag the prey directly into the boat or onto the shore. Some (Radkevich) believe that even an 8-kilogram catfish, if you put your hand awkwardly into your mouth, can not only crush, but even crush your hand, but this is pure absurdity: at most, that an untired catfish, with convulsive movements, will tear off part of it with its toothbrush skin from fingers.

Larger catfish have to be dragged with both hands, grabbing the other under the gill, and smaller ones, about 8 kg, by putting them in the mouth thumb and pressing the index chin. For the most part, seasoned fish have to be stunned beforehand with blows of a butt or a mallet on the head, partly for the sake of great convenience of being pulled into the shuttle, but also because a large catfish in a boat, having come to its senses, easily throws itself over the side; in addition, he sometimes splashes very strong blows and even knocks the angler off his feet.

We should never forget that a 32-48-kilogram catfish can pull a fisherman off a boat or overturn the latter, and therefore, without first tiring the giant to complete exhaustion, you can’t drag him too soon, even if he walks (from the pain caused by a swallowed hook ) is very fast. Convinced of imminent death and seeing the hands of the fisherman, the catfish forgets about excruciating pain and, suddenly rushing, either breaks the tackle, or forces the fisherman to take an involuntary bath.

Some minor rules for pulling out caught catfish will be given when describing their fishing and roaming. The device of the girders is known: the main component of it is the flyer. The difference between pike and catfish vents is that all parts of the latter are made stronger: poles (pokes) are thicker, flyers are larger, strings are thicker, and hooks are larger; then, for the most part, catfish vents are placed not on small and grassy places, but on pits or near pits.

The best poles are considered to be birch and rowan, and the best roguli are made from josta (honeysuckle); twine, preferably Dutch, must withstand at least 32 kg of dead weight and must be tarred, i.e. soaked in a composition where leading role plays oil varnish, or at least tan (in a decoction of oak, willow bark). This is necessary both in order to protect it from decay, and because any predatory fish is reluctant to take light or white twine.

As for the hooks, they should be on basques (or on leashes made of copper wire), and have a significant size (zero numbers), and most importantly, strength. There is no need for double or triple hooks. by the most the best hooks for catching catfish, home-made, hand-made from bone steel are usually considered, but this opinion comes from the fact that anglers are completely unaware of the high grades of English hooks for catching large, mainly sea fish.

These hooks, such as Virginia hocks, are not inferior to Kirsanov's and other homemade ones, but they are much cheaper. The size of the hook depends, of course, mainly on the size of the nozzle. The poke, which can be up to 6 m long or more, sticks either into the shore or into the bottom; the twine wrapped around the flyer should not be particularly long, otherwise the catfish will lead it over the snags. The nozzle is launched differently - sometimes near the bottom, sometimes at half water, and sometimes almost on the surface itself (17-32 cm from it) - depending on the terrain, weather and other conditions.

In general, it must be borne in mind that for the most part the largest catfish are taken from the bottom in deep pits, and therefore the nozzle on the bottom vents should be larger. The bait is most often a live bait, planted or behind the back, less often (as, for example, in the Ryazan province.) Sewn to the hook in two places - at the head and at the dorsal fin. In addition, all other, already known, catfish nozzles are used. In order for the live bait to not describe too large circles, thus avoiding the catfish's mouth, the sinker must have a proportionate weight.

In places where there are a lot of grassy bays, the green frog serves as the best nozzle for catfish vents. However, it is better to catch it completely on top, without a sinker, hooking it with a hook (comparatively small) behind the back. Usually such vents are placed near the leaves of burdock and other aquatic plants. In an effort to swim to these leaves, the frog will constantly paddle with its hind legs, producing a rather strong splash, which attracts catfish from afar, which is why this method can be called the most perfect of all zherlichnyh.

Since when fishing with flyers it often happens that the catfish, having wound the fishing line, goes into snags and gets tangled there, and in any case lies at the bottom, saving its strength, then in southwestern Russia real vents are replaced by the so-called. "hooks", which in essence represent a simplified zherlitsa. There is no flyer here and it is replaced by a small supply of fishing line, 1 m, pinched into a split at the end of the poke. The latter is somewhat different from the pole pole or pole and has more in common with the fishing rod, as it must be very strong, quite flexible and resilient.

It should not be stuck very firmly into the shore or bottom, like a pole, so that a large catfish cannot break it or break the twine, but only pull it out. These pokes, like staves, should by no means be white, but dark (linden, sverb), which is why they sometimes have to be blackened, like twine. The very "hooks" used in the Kiev province differ somewhat from the usual ones, as can be seen from the figure (Fig. 191), and are prepared here on the spot by the fishermen themselves or locksmiths from thick telegraph wire.

The advantages of this hook over others, however, are very doubtful, and among hundreds of examples of English hooks one can find many much more reliable and more tenacious. The pokes are stuck in such a way that their free end is 1 m from the water; the nozzle, almost always live bait, should be either 35-52 cm from the surface of the water, or 17-35 cm from the bottom surface.

Usually they put both bottom and top hooks, the former having a sinker, while the latter do not. For fishing in strong places, “hooks” are indispensable, since the catfish, especially caught on a riding hook, for the most part remains in place; pulling off a supply of string, he is hooked with an elastic poke and, after floundering for a more or less long time, hangs helplessly on the hook; even if the poke is pulled out by him, he still rarely has time to hide in scrap and snags.

The similarity of hook fishing with catfish fishing is further enhanced by the fact that the angler always has to pull the caught predator on a poke, as well as on a rod, which is completely impossible with a long, several meters, zherlichnaya twine. A small supply of twine, however, is necessary, in my opinion, mainly for a more reliable strike.

A large catfish, from 16 kg in weight, carries the boat back and forth along the pit, so you have to be very careful and keep the poke with both hands towards the bow; but even then, if the catfish decides to “hit the bottom”, the bow begins to sink and the boat scoops up water. Catfish fishing by any means is possible only in clean places, free from scratches for a more or less significant distance, i.e. for the most part not in the very pits, but somewhat at a distance, in places where catfish constantly go for fattening.

Catfish are almost always fished from the shore, firmly sticking the rods into the ground or the dam frame when fishing in mill whirlpools; fishing from a boat fixed in place is for some reason not at all common, although the catfish is not at all afraid of it; there is no doubt, however, that it is much more convenient to fish from a boat, especially on rods with a reel. On short bottom rods, they usually catch only small catfish, about 8 kg, since it is very difficult to bring out large ones on short sixes.

The bait is a crayfish or a cancerous neck, less often a loach or a chub, hooked on the lips, and the sinker should be so heavy that the live bait almost could not budge it. It should be noted that even some somenki rests very strongly on the current, bending its wide reach into a ring, so that it is very difficult to move it. Catfish are very often found even at fairly decent rapids and at shallow depths.

A real hunting, quite active, method of catching catfish can only be called the so-called clochen, in which the angler is constantly moving, always holding the fishing line in his hand. The shuffling of catfish is known on many rivers of central, southeastern and part of northwestern Russia, but it is very strange that in southwestern Russia they have almost no idea about it, at least I could not find any indication of this anywhere.

In general, fishing for a clod fishing rod is somehow spread in places and is not always practiced even in rivers abounding in catfish, as, for example, on the river. Crow. This strangeness can most likely be explained by ignorance than by the assumption that in some places they almost do not take catfish on a frog - the main, although not at all exclusive, nozzle when flinging.

The very idea of ​​shuffling, as I noted above, has not yet been clarified with sufficient clarity: according to some anglers, for example. zapadnodvinsk, neman, klyazma, ufim and others, males go to shred, and the klokhtush imitates the voice of the (widowed?) catfish, which, as if at dawn, cackles or purrs three times, calling for males. For this reason, fishing with a wad of fish is carried out here (also on the Sviyaga River) very early, starting from the time of spawning, already at the end of May.

It is very strange, however, that the southern fishermen, who live in places much more abundant in catfish, say nothing about rotting during spawning, but believe that the catfish goes to roost because it reminds him of the croaking of a frog, or even because he believes that an animal is drowning. Only Potekhin says in passing that the shred used in the Saratov province produces a sound that makes a catfish.

However, as far as is known, the real waving of catfish is carried out only in Vitebsk province, where, according to Terletsky, the sounds produced by the “wab” very soon approach the catfish boat and then they are beaten with spears. In other areas, they always roam with a nozzle. The main accessory or feature of catfish shredding is the tool that catfish are lured with. Its principle is the same as that of the famous botal, and the Vitebsk somovy vab, or vabik, differs little from it, since this is also a kind of wooden glass planted on a stick.

A simple Central Russian klokush, or shred, has the form of a small plank 27-36 cm long, 2 cm thick and 4 cm wide, from one end of which a funnel-shaped depression is hollowed out no deeper than 1.3 m, and the other is crimped and tied to 22 - centimeter handle. A real hunting klokhtush, klokush, or catfish, is a somewhat curved crutch, about 44 cm long, made of wild cherry, mountain ash, elm or apple tree; at one end of the crutch, a hat or thickening is made, in which a small depression is hollowed out, the size of a three-kopeck coin.

As for the nozzle, the frog is considered the best for shredding; on the Don, however, the bait is most often a crayfish and the head of a dry ram, also an eel (a white larva of a dung beetle), a sparrow, a piece of meat. This diversity does not speak in favor of the assumption that the catfish goes to the cluck because it imitates the croaking of the frog. But it goes without saying that when fishing for a frog, it is very useful that the bug really seems to croak.

They almost always float, very rarely they anchor in the pit. The boat should be light; they fish together or alone, but always with one correct oar, and first they go up and then go downstream. On Klyazma, an iron ring is usually screwed into the nose of a botnik; a fishing rod is threaded through this ring, the free end of which (i.e., butt) is tied to the stern. This is done so that a large catfish cannot overturn the boat.

The fisherman, having arrived at the place (the pit where the catfish are kept), controls the oar with his left hand, and with his right takes the fishing line tied to the fishing rod attached, as it is said, and, releasing the hook with the nozzle (oysters) shallowly, slightly wraps the twine around his fingers and the same his hand rhythmically hits the bugs. Klokhtush makes such a sound, as if hitting the water with an overturned glass, only much louder (?); after three hits, the angler moves his hand to move the bait.

At this sound, the catfish approaches the botnik (it happens that there are several of them), leans on the oar so that the oars cannot be moved, looks at the bait and does not immediately swallow it, but, as it were, sucks, and hangs like a weight; at this moment, the angler releases a little bit of the line from his hand, then he hooks more strongly. If the catfish is small, it must immediately be dragged into the botnik; if it is very large, then it is necessary to lower the string so that it goes to the botnik's nose; in this way the hunter tries to reach little by little the sloping shore, where he emerges from the botnik and pulls out the prey, which, however, alone does not succeed soon.

Sometimes a large catfish at first weakly drags itself to the botnik, then, at the very side, it suddenly throws its reach out, touches the side, head down, headlong sinks to the bottom. Probably, with such a maneuver, he manages to capsize the boat, examples of which are not uncommon. Catfish are caught in the Klyazma on the clohtush only until mid-July. On the Don they talk a little differently. Twine - a strong linen or hemp cord, called here a cut, is wound around a small thick handle, which is held in the hand, lowering the hook with the nozzle to the proper depth.

They also fish from light launch boats together or alone, but at first they drive far up, keeping near the shore; then the fisherman swims out to the middle of the river, puts down the oar, stops rowing and lowers the hook with the nozzle into the water; with his left hand he holds the edge, and in his right he takes the clunker, because it is much more convenient to cluck with the right. Here it is customary to never wrap the string around your hand, because if the string is not wound up soon, then a large catfish can pull the fisherman off the boat. Catfish is best caught here on shallow rapids, where it goes out to hunt for fish.

But it is impossible to positively and accurately determine where the catfish takes better, because they catch it both in a deep place and in a shallow one, which depends on the weather and the time of year. When the fisherman feels that the catfish is on the hook, he begins to pull out the prey. Of course, they don’t stand on ceremony with catfish, but if the catfish is large or breaks strongly, then the fisherman does not pull it up at all, but rather lets the edge go a little, that is, allows the fish to wind part of the string from the handle. Thus, this latter almost completely replaces the coil.

However, the edge should not be allowed too much, as the catfish can run under the stern and lie down there. In this case, a block or board is tied to the handle and the edge is thrown into the water. Catfish, feeling more free, hurries to leave; the fisherman catches the line and starts to fish again. Having tired the catfish, which often drives the boat back and forth for a long time, it is carefully brought to the boat and, having stunned with a blow of the butt (ax), dragged into the longboat.

If the catfish is not brought out sufficiently, then with a blow of the tail along the edge of the boat, it sometimes overturns it upside down. The caught catfish is stunned on the head with a butt so that it cannot jump out of the boat and would not interfere with continuing to catch at all. The stunned catfish lies calmly or falls asleep at all, but often comes to its senses, begins to beat and the fisherman again resorts to the butt. In one evening, it is rarely possible to catch more than four catfish here.

Catfish are best caught on the Don in calm weather, in the evenings and in the mornings; in the evening he goes well to the tuft, from the time the sun sets until dusk; in the morning, before sunrise. Quiet weather is a necessary condition for catching catfish; in bad or inclement weather, the catfish lies at the bottom, not rising, and does not hear the shredding. In the upper stanitsas they huddle more in the evening than in the morning. The catfish comes across on the Don even during the day, but not on a tuft, and the hook is simply thrown into the pool.

Near the village in the evenings you can see several longboats on the Don; on each of them sits a fisherman (fisherman) and cries; will carry it away with the current - he will take the oar, turn from the middle to the shore and, resting, again go up and again turn to the very middle, and gurgle until he is again carried down or until the catfish sits on the hook.

Nod "crossbow" for winter bream fishing

Let's pay attention to a device that is unique in structure and capabilities - a nod "crossbow" for winter fishing. It has many modifications. It is done quickly, does not require large physical costs. With such a homemade nod, a catch in a couple of small breams in frost is guaranteed. All about how to make a nod "crossbow" for winter fishing with your own hands, read below.

Quality fishing rod for winter fishing - what it is

A winter fishing rod, unlike a summer one, is notable for its small length, compactness and simple design. Convenient models are equipped with a nod (gatekeeper). With such an element, you can count on the necessary game with bait and operational bite signaling. It is attached to the whip with a small clamp, electrical tape or wire. Homemade fishing rods with similar designs are not inferior to branded ones. The main thing is to do everything in the manufacture as professionals advise.

The nod "crossbow" for catching bream is the same winter fishing rod small size, which has a rubber shock absorber. The idea of ​​using such a mechanism is not new. The first such models appeared in the 70s. Models with gatehouse and on rubber shock absorber not everything is given away because of the time spent on manufacturing, however, those who are not too lazy to design a device note the high efficiency of the product.

Basically, the crossbow has a stainless steel frame with a diameter of 0.9 mm. The average length of the shoulders is 5 cm, the total width is 7 cm. A rubber ring serves as a shock absorber, which is put on tightly over the horns. As for the cambric, they are located on the six and the gatehouse. The best option for a crossbow fishing rod is a model in which the reel is not fixed quickly.

What is a crossbow in action? With it, you can fish with one tackle and any bait in different ways: at maximum depth with a rise, for a game, by slowly lowering the bait. When casting a fishing rod, it is not recommended to lower the tip of the nod as much as possible above the water. During the setup process, it would be nice to set the element to horizontal position. So it will better fix the bite. As for the gatehouse, it is already regulated in place. Adjustment for baits of a certain weight is carried out by increasing / decreasing the number of revolutions. An additional sinker can stand both on the line and outside it. Due to a well-designed design, when pulling out the fish, it does not feel the weight of the mormyshka and sinker during the lifting process.

Pros and cons of the "crossbow"

"Crossbow" is a winning option for bream fishing in winter. It is designed for use in severe frost and wind. Many take it for fishing on the current. All popular solutions are suitable as bait: vegetable food, maggots and worms, modern designs - jerks. Adaptations are enough for many years - 3-4 seasons for sure. Advantages:

• clear display of even the most cautious bite;
• simple, quick adjustment of the mechanism for baits of any variety;
• the fish does not feel the resistance of the nod, the weight of the hook, the nozzle.

The disadvantages include the following nuances:

• just smooth, slow play. With sharp, frequent movements, a nod rises;
• set up quickly. Immersion of the bait is only smooth.

"Crossbow" do-it-yourself: instructions for making

For the manufacture will need the following materials:

• waterproof glue;
• cambric;
• round fishing (aircraft model) gum;
• light and hard plate;
• steel wire;
• heat shrink tubing;
• whip.

For fastening, connecting raw materials, tools such as:

• scissors;
• pliers;
• matches

Steps for making a "crossbow":

1. Prepare a base from a hard wire, about 20 cm;
2. Attach the wire frame to the whip using heat shrink tubing. The distance from the end of the whip to the arc of the crossbow is 5-10 mm;
3. Apply waterproof glue based on cyanoacrylate to pieces of fine cambric for fishing line;
4. Attach the segments to the place of attachment of the frame and the tip of the whip;
5. Fold the elastic in half and tie the ends. The length of the segment should be such that it can be easily, slightly pulled, put on the frame;
6. Thread a loop of elastic into a silicone tube;
7. Glue a rigid plate to one of the ends of the cambric;
8. Insert the resulting gatehouse into the holes of the silicone tube so that it is between the veins of the gum. The arrow of the crossbow came out;
9. Attach the resulting arrow to the wire frame. Got a crossbow. Insert the finished design into the fishing rod.
10. Pass the fishing line through the access tubes and fasten the weight.

Adjustment is carried out by twisting the ends of the elastic band. As for the reel, the fishing line should slide out of it smoothly, without locking. Otherwise, it will be difficult to adjust. When setting up a homemade nod, the baited mormyshka should touch the bottom. The dimensions depend on the rod available and the angler's preferences. Design, the shade of the arrow, reel, can be anything.

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