Ide is one of the most common species of carp fish. In the northern latitudes of Russia, it is as popular as carp and even constitutes an alternative to it.

The ide is an omnivorous semi-predator, leading a flock of life up to a certain age, organizing flocks according to age. The larger and older individuals in it, the smaller it is, large fish prefer to stay alone, form temporary clusters only when absolutely necessary - during wintering and during spawning migrations.

It tolerates water salinity up to 10 g/l, therefore it can settle in river deltas and in slightly saline marine areas.
The usual length of the caught individuals is 30-50 cm with a weight of 0.6-2.0 kg, very rarely there are giants weighing up to 5-7 kg and 90-100 cm tall.

In Russia, the rules of amateur and sport fishing regulated minimum size fish caught, for an ide it is 28 cm. Smaller specimens need to be released.

Average life expectancy I. * 8 to 10 years. In places inaccessible to humans with a good food base, such as, for example, in Siberian taiga rivers, they live up to 20 years.
In some regions of its range, the ide is an important commercial object, constituting the majority of the fish caught.

Map of the range of the ide. Conditions for the existence of a species

Ide range includes the territories of the states of the former Soviet Union and the countries of Europe, except for those located on the Apennine and Iberian peninsulas. Ya lives in the river basins of the northern part of the Caspian Sea, the North, Baltic, Black and Azov seas, as well as in the rivers of the Arctic Ocean, from the river. Northern Dvina, which flows into the White Sea, up to the river. Lena is the largest water artery Eastern Siberia, found in the river. Amur.

The basin of the Aral Sea - the Small Aral is inhabited by a special subspecies I. - Turkestan ide(Leuciscus Cuvier), which is found mainly in the middle and lower reaches of the river. Syr Darya, in its delta and desalinated marine areas.

The ide settles in slowly flowing lowland rivers, as well as in lake-type flowing reservoirs: ponds, reservoirs, quarries.
It chooses deeper places with cartilaginous (clay with small pebbles), clay or muddy bottom: whirlpools, backwaters, especially under steep mountains and bushes hanging over the water.
The ide is hardy, undemanding to the temperature and composition of water, but tries to stay near key sources, tolerates sudden temperature changes and temporary pollution of the aquatic environment.

It is not found in North-Eastern Siberia, Crimea, the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia, our hero avoids the cold and fast-flowing water of the upper reaches of the rivers, which is why it is not found in mountainous areas.

Appearance and differences of ide.

Ide very beautiful fish. Its beauty is fully manifested in spring time- during the spawning season. Steel scales on the muscular body of Y. cast gold, especially on the head and gill covers.
As soon as the ide is turned a little, it turns from a silvery handsome man into a goldfish, and already at the next movement it can acquire a dark bronze color.

The lower fins of the fish glow with a red crimson, sometimes flowing onto the dorsal and tail plumage, the gray coloring of which usually does not shine with beauty. Contrasting colors of a dark blue back and a snow-white belly give the appearance of the ide a special attraction.

During the mating season, the head and body of males are covered with small white grains that disappear after spawning. Their number emphasizes the productivity of producers, and during this period they themselves serve as a distinguishing feature of males from females.

The ide is very similar to the chub and the roach, the roaches have a special resemblance - small individuals that have not reached 0.6-0.8 kg of weight.

A tall body, small scales, a short head, a convex and wide forehead, but not as huge as that of a chub, a yellowish-green iris of the eyes, a small and oblique terminal mouth - these are the features that distinguish the ide from its "opponents".

Ide spawning.

puberty ides are acquired at the age of 2-3 years, with a size of 20-25 cm and a weight of 250-300 g, in northern latitudes 1-2 years later. They spawn in early spring one of the first, after the recession of the flood, as soon as the water warms up to 6-7 Cº and the river is completely cleared of ice.

In Central Russia, Ya. spawning occurs in the second half of April, in the south of the country - at the end of March, in regions with a cold climate - in May. According to folk signs, Ya is ready for reproduction when the first buds bloom on birches.

During this period, river ides form flocks, gathering in them according to their age, and begin their pre-spawning run up the river, in search of breeding sites.
From large - navigable rivers, they move to shallow tributaries, choosing for spawning stony rifts from 30 to 70 cm deep with the remains of last year's vegetation, which serves as a substrate for their eggs.

During spawning, which usually occurs in the evening or early morning hours, males frolic, jump out of the water, and swim near its surface.

Spawning is fleeting, takes no more than 2-3 days, is carried out in one step and occurs according to seniority - the oldest spawners spawn first, the last to spawn the primogeniture roach. After spawning, the ides already roll down one by one to their former parking places.

During spawning, each female spawns from 40 pcs. up to 150 thousand eggs. On average, an individual weighing 1.5 kg lays about 70 thousand eggs.

After 7-10 days, larvae appear from the eggs, which for another 3-4 days weigh motionless, holding on to stones and plant remains due to a sticky secret produced by special cement glands.
Then, breaking away from their temporary shelters, the fry begin to swim and feed on their own, and until then they live off the mother's yolk sac.
They do not leave the place of hatching for another 3-5 days, and then they move to less dangerous places of the biotope - to the coastal zone.

For breeding, lacustrine ides enter the nearest mouths of inflowing rivers or go out to shallow coastal waters, provided with thickets of reeds. After spawning, they go to the depths and after a couple of days they begin to feed intensively around the clock, compensating for lost calories.

The first blossoming leaves on birch trees serve as a signal informing fishermen who know folk signs about the beginning of the post-spawning zhor of the ide.

What does the ide eat in nature

ide diet very diverse, as it is an omnivorous semi-predatory fish - eating both plant and animal food, up to small fish, molting crayfish and frogs.

Unlike predators, which do not eat regularly and can go without food for some time, semi-predators do not tolerate hunger, but compared to herbivorous fish, they do not need continuous food, as they fatten about twice a day.

After the birth, the fry of Ya. feed on phyto and zooplankton microorganisms.
The main food for the growing juveniles are small crustaceans in the form of various amphipods and insect larvae.

With a body length of 18-20 cm, they begin to attack small fish, eat fish fry, leeches, tadpoles and adult insects. In addition to them, the diet of roaches already includes soft shoots of aquatic vegetation and filamentous algae.

Of great importance in the life of river fish is the food supply of the reservoir, which is highly dependent on floods caused both by natural phenomena: rains, abundant melting of ice and snow, and the opening of floodgates of hydraulic structures - a regular event on hydroelectric dams and lock navigable rivers.

The increased flood current brings a lot of food, providing food not only for our heroes, but for the entire water resource.
Usually, during such floods, the ides stay on the stream of the watercourse, since the bulk of the edible mass is concentrated there. In the warm season, river Ya. feed more often at night and in the early morning hours.

The existence of lake individuals does not depend on floods, but the amount of precipitation is of great importance for their life, since they replenish reservoirs not only with fresh water, but also with food necessary for fish.
As well as their river counterparts, lake Ya. go out to feed on the neighboring shallows, only do it during the day, in rare cases in the dark.

Tackle and methods of catching ide.

The ide is of great interest to amateur and sport fishing as a large fish of a valuable breed, angling of which is possible almost all year round. Its meat has high gastronomic qualities and is a source of easily digestible protein, vitamins and elements necessary for the human body, for which it is valued by nutritionists.
Techniques for fishing an ide, in practice, are no different from the methods of catching a chub, as well as tackle for it.

They catch ide on a float, fly fishing, spinning and bottom gear.
Angling methods and type of tackle depend on the angler's personal preferences, and in some cases, on the fishing season.

For example, by winter ice omnivorous silver handsome is caught with special gear: nodding or float rod with a special winter float, which must be constantly immersed in water so as not to freeze to the surface of the water.

It is impossible to say when the fishing season for this fish begins, for the reason that it does not end, continuing all year round. Only during severe frosts does the ide stop pecking, but as soon as the sun warms up a little, it is right there.

The highest feeding activity of the ide is observed 5-6 days after its spawning, as well as with the onset of autumn cooling, marked by the first signs of leaf fall. The intensity of the autumn zhor is slightly weaker than after spawning, but it takes much longer, taking almost three weeks.

The best baits for ide.

It should be noted that the ide has a small mouth, so not large ones are used - spinners from No. 00 to No. 2, oscillating baubles and wobblers no more than 4 cm long, hooks on bottom and float fishing rods are used no higher than No. 5 PH.

The ide is a very cautious and shy fish that pays attention to everything, so you need to be quiet during fishing, mask your presence, use invisible tackle from a transparent monofilament fishing line with a diameter of 0.22 mm and leashes - 0.18 mm.

As bait for float gear insects are used: caddisfly, grasshopper, bear, May beetle, bark beetle, mayfly and their larvae. The ide responds well to the worm and bloodworm, especially in winter time. In addition, vegetable nozzles have proven themselves well: pickled peas dried in the air, corn, bread, etc.

Of all the plant baits, Ya is best caught on filamentous algae - silkworm, especially when fishing it into wiring. From the end of May, this vegetable nozzle works better than all the others, not only for ide, it is preferred by: chub, roach, ruff, rudd and other cyprinids, mainly on hot days when the fish does not take other baits.

Only young shoots with a length of at least 8-10 cm are suitable for the nozzle, a silken strand is also braided around the shank of the hook, tied to it, leaving a small tip of the strand free.

Filamentous algae grow at a depth of 10 to 50 cm on stones, snags, concrete structures: bridge piles, piers and stocks, constantly washed by water.

For bottom rigs you can use live bait from small tenacious fish: dace, minnow bleak, as well as small frogs.
The ide is considered picky - it is naughty when choosing baits, with the exception of dragonfly nymphs and bark beetle larvae, which it never refuses, immediately drowning the float.

Seemingly lazy and clumsy on the loose, the ide puts up strong resistance when caught on a hook: somersaults, jumping out of the water, and often achieves its goal by cutting the fishing line with the rays of the dorsal fin. While playing an omnivorous semi-predator, one should not loosen the line, anticipating such situations.

Ya * - ide for short.

This fish in varying degrees of concentration is represented in almost all water bodies of Europe. The exceptions are its southern and southeastern regions. In Russia, fish is found in most of the territory. Absent only in the region of Yakutia and the eastern part of the country.

The ide inhabits the rivers of the northern part of the Caspian basin (Volga, Emba, Ural). Fish lives in the rivers that flow into the Black Sea (from the Kuban to the Danube). True, in the Crimea it does not occur. By introduction, the species was brought to the United States, where it took root in the water bodies of the state of Connecticut.

The ide fish is a freshwater species. Although it easily tolerates brackish water and can live in sea bays. Distributed in tame ponds, rivers, flowing lakes. Dislikes fast, cold, mountain rivers. Prefers slow flow and deep places. It is easy to meet it near pits, whirlpools, bridges, bushes hanging over the water near the coast.

Fish don't hibernate. In winter, it easily tolerates significant temperature changes. It is a very hardy species among relatives.

Appearance

The length of adults reaches 35 ... 63 cm, their weight is usually 2.8 ... 2.0 kg. Although the largest ide caught by anglers is known, the length of which was 90 cm, and the weight reached 8 ... 6 kg. The fish lives 15-20 years.

The body of the fish is thick, with a shortened head. The mouth is oblique and small. IN different conditions habitat, depending on the period of the year, age, the fish may have pronounced or not very pronounced differences from each other.

In spring, the body of the fish gives off a metallic sheen. Gill covers, fish head appear golden. The colors change quickly when the carcass is turned in the sun. They can be golden, silvery and almost dark tones.

The lower fins are reddish. Sometimes the tail and top have the same color. The back is black-bluish, the belly is silvery, the sides are whitish. The eyes are yellow or greenish-yellow, with a dark spot located in the upper part.

Adult individuals are colored more intensely and brightly in comparison with roaches.

Differences between ide and chub

The ide is very similar in appearance to the chub. The differences are expressed in a lighter color of the back, a flattened body, a narrow head and mouth, and small scales.

The fish also strongly resembles roach. Although it has smaller scales, a light back and yellow eyes.

Nutrition

The ide fish is an omnivorous type. It feeds on animal and plant foods. In its diet there are insects, their larvae, worms, mollusks, aquatic higher vegetation. Feeding time is night and dusk. Place - areas with high flow rates.

reproduction

Ides become sexually mature at 3-5 years of age. Fish spawning usually occurs in the spring, in its second half. Schools of fish after the ice melts rush to their traditional spawning grounds. The body of males during this period is covered with yellowish small warts. There are about 2 times more females in the spawning herd.

The beginning of spawning in ides coincides in time with pike and perch. The water temperature in this case reaches 2°С…13°С. The duration of the spawning period is 1 ... 2 weeks.

Caviar is deposited at a depth of approximately 0.80 m, on the roots of underwater various plants, last year's bushes of herbaceous vegetation. Spawning is instantaneous.

Eggs in fish are round, 2.0 ... 1.5 mm in diameter. Their number in fish depends on its age, size and reaches 130 thousand pieces.

Ide fishing

Where to catch ide

The areas of water bodies where it is preferable to catch ide are different in different periods of the year. In spring, these are places with a rocky bottom, a fairly fast current, and shallow depth. By the end of May, the fish rolls into deep holes, where it should be looked for until autumn.

The ide is best caught in the evening, after sunset, and in the early morning, when the sun is still far from sunrise.

What to catch an ide

As a nozzle, when catching ides, they use insects, brown bread, crayfish, worms, and sometimes small frogs. For dung and earthworm, ide is best caught at the beginning of the season, from spring. Since May, bread balls are better, the size of which is about the size of a hazelnut.

When flying insects appear, the fish begins to “neglect” the indicated nozzles and prefers large nocturnal butterflies, grain bugs, grasshoppers, and various insects that fly near the water.

As a bait, steamed bread grains show themselves well. The effect increases with the addition of hemp izboina (cake), kvass grounds to them.

Fishing is always successful in wiring with bait from steamed peas, wheat grains. Especially if bait is used from steamed rye crackers.

Tackle and methods of catching ide

When fishing, various tackle is used: float, spinning, fly fishing, bottom. The fish grabs the bait pretty hard. Undercutting should be done immediately and decisively, but not abruptly. When playing, the ide resists strongly.

Catching an ide on a float rod

When fishing for any bait, except for insects, fishing rods are equipped with thick fishing line and medium-sized hooks.

The best way to fish with a float rod is to navigate in sections of rivers with a current. Perform it from a boat, you can from the shore (on a small pond). With this method, bait is necessarily used. Best hunting in wiring happens from dawn until 9-00 in the morning.

Catching an ide on the donka

Successfully catch ide and bottom gear. For example, the ide on the feeder often comes across at night, from dawn to dusk. The middle of the night is usually characterized by no pecking.

Using bottom gear as a nozzle, millet porridge, bread, lamprey larvae, cancer meat, crawling, dung and earthworms. To attract fish, a bait is used, which is scattered in balls, in bulk.

Catching an ide on spinning

Tackle

For catching this fish, gear used for perch hunting is used. A rod with a medium or fast action, with a test of no more than 25 g. A leash is not necessary if the pike does not often attack the bait. To increase sensitivity, it is better to use a braid.

The coil can be used standard, size 2500 ... 3000. Polarized glasses will help you better navigate the situation.

Lures

The ide is caught by spinning on a wobbler, on spinners and even on poppers. Among them, spinners such as "Long", "Comet" are considered the best. A special requirement for the quality of spinners is that they must start working at a low speed of wiring.

Considering that the mouth of the fish is small, spinners up to No. 2 are used. Although in the presence of large individuals they will fit and will issue good results and products No. 3 ... 4.

Particular attention should be paid to the condition of the hook in the nozzle. Its sting must be very sharp. This is important, since the ide, unlike, for example, pike, must always be hooked when biting.

Tactics and technique of fishing

It is necessary to catch in half-water, at depths of no more than 2 m. Depths of 1.0 ... 0.5 m are considered optimal among anglers.

Spinners are wired with average speed often on the verge of collapse. Even having found a place where the ide feeds, you should not hope for a quick bite. Fish, unlike, for example, pike, can attack the lure after 5 ... 10 empty casts.

It is important when fishing with a lure to often change the speed of the wiring, its type. It helps to change nozzles in size, color, appearance. Silence must be observed while fishing.

Fly fishing for ide

Tackle

On small rivers, it is more convenient to catch with a one-handed rod of class 5 ... 9. The cord is better than the “rocket head” type, floating, dark in color (dark green, black). The backing should also have a dark color, the length of which cannot be less than 60 ... 70 m.

The suspension type doesn't matter. The leash must be approached responsibly, especially in color. In August, for example, green is suitable, during spring floods - brown, in summer - colorless. The diameter of the fishing line is preferably 0.15 mm and above with a breaking load of over 4 kg. The length of the leash must be at least 3 m.

Fly fishing for ide in spring

You can start fly fishing for ide in the spring immediately after the reservoir is freed from ice. Fish are caught all day, periods of calm and cloudy weather are especially good. It is worth looking for prey in sections of rivers where there is a fast current, especially with its reverse direction. Catchable places are bottom pits, behind stones, in snags, near piles of bridges, hydraulic structures.

One of the best lures at this time is an imitation of an ant. It can be black, red, dry or wet. Later, a fly made in the form of a caddis larva becomes catchy. On rivers where there is no chub, an excellent bait is an imitation of the cockchafer (during its natural emergence).

Fly fishing for ide in summer

In summer, only the early morning and late evening hours become catchy. During the day, ide is practically not caught by fly fishing. Cloudy windless weather is also more promising. by the most catchy baits become flies that imitate the adult form of mayflies (only dry).

From mid-June to the onset of autumn, a caddis-shaped nozzle becomes relevant. Moreover, it should be knitted on hooks of size 12 ... 15 and in dry and wet versions.

Fly fishing for ide in autumn

In autumn, the ide again switches to feeding during the day, and therefore it is caught at this time. It is worth looking for fish near the main jets of the current, but not on them. Promising places under the hanging branches of shrubs and trees.

The most popular attachment is the small streamer. Flies connected under a grasshopper, cricket, butterfly, caterpillar, small midges can bring a good catch. Moreover, the latter are effective only in the evening.

In late autumn, the only bait that gives a catch on the ide is the fly under the dragonfly.

Ide recipes

The use of ide in cooking

The meat is white or yellowish in color. Its palatability is high, but it has a lot of bones.

You can cook various dishes from ide. At the same time, the fish is boiled, salted, smoked, baked, fried, salted. Meat is used as a filling in the manufacture of canned food, pies.

The taste of the meat depends on the time the fish was caught. For example, in the summer it gives off mud, and therefore it is soaked in salted water before cooking.

Calorie ide

The calorie content of ide meat is low, it does not exceed 116.5 kcal. The product contains vitamin PP, proteins, fats, trace elements (iron, chromium, fluorine, nickel, molybdenum).

How to salt an ide

For salting "Under the salmon" for 1 kg of fish, 200 g of salt, 100 g of sugar, various spices (coriander, allspice crushed) are consumed.

The fish is opened along the back with a sharp knife. The tail and head are cut off and used later for the fish soup. Remove the insides and wipe with a dry cloth. You can remove the spine and ribs.

From the inside, the layers of fish are sprinkled sparingly with salt, sugar, and spices. Fold in halves and place under oppression. Keep in the cellar, in the refrigerator for 2 days.

The resulting fish resembles a young salmon. It can be consumed immediately or further smoked.

Baking ide in the oven

Fish in the oven can be baked in pieces or a whole carcass. In the latter version, the ide is cleaned of scales, gills and entrails are removed. Cut off the fins, wash well. To remove the smell of mud, place it in a weak salt solution for 2 hours.

Minced meat is prepared from finely chopped 2 onions, juice of half a lemon, salt, red and black pepper. They stuff the carcass of the fish from the inside.

From the outside of the body, transverse incisions are made to the bones. Rub with a mixture of salt, pepper (red and black). Insert thin rings of lemon.

Pour vegetable oil on a baking sheet, place onion rings on the surface. The prepared ide carcass is placed on top. Coated with plenty of sour cream.

Next, the baking sheet is tightly covered with foil and placed in the oven, on top. Place another pan with water on the bottom. Oven baked ide prepared at a temperature of 180 ° C and 1 hour in time. A quarter of an hour before the end of the foil is removed.

Ide baked in sesame crust

To prepare the dish you will need: an ide carcass, 2 onions, 2 tomatoes, 150 g flour, 100 g sour cream, a glass of vegetable oil, half a lemon, 2 cloves of garlic, a little Goldfish spice mixture, 10 g sesame.

First you need to prepare the fish: clean, gut, cut off the fins, wash. Further, on the sides of the carcass, transverse cuts are made to the bones in increments of 1.5 cm. They are rubbed with the Goldfish mixture inside and out, poured over with lemon juice, its slices are inserted into the cuts. The fish is wrapped in cling film and left to marinate for half an hour.

Cut the onion into rings, stew it. Separately chop the garlic, cut the tomatoes.

The water formed after pickling is drained from the ide. Inside the carcass, garlic is stuffed into the cuts. The fish is then rolled in flour.

The fish is placed on the foil. A layer of stewed onions is placed on top, then a layer of tomatoes mixed with sour cream. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.

The fish is covered tightly with foil, placed for 1 hour in an oven preheated to 180 ° C. Vegetables and greens are better as a side dish.

The fish that we have to deal with when fishing belong to the bony class, that is, they have a skeleton and a corresponding shape that reflects their usual habitats. For example, white fish living in the zone of underwater vegetation have a high and laterally compressed body. Fish leading a bottom lifestyle (catfish, sculpin, burbot) have a flattened body shape. Most of the river inhabitants, who prefer fast water, have a spindle shape.

When moving and to maintain balance, fish use fins, which consist of bony rays and skin. Most fish have paired pectoral and ventral fins and single anal or anal, dorsal, and caudal fins. Some types of fish, such as pike perch, perch, have two dorsal fins, and the first of them is formed by hard spiny rays. In carp and barbel, the first ray of the dorsal fin is saw-shaped. Salmonids are distinguished by the presence of a boneless adipose fin, which is located between the dorsal and caudal fins.

The body of the fish is covered with scales, and some fish have more scales, others have less, and fish such as burbot and catfish do not have it at all. The scales grow in proportion to the growth of the fish, and the annual rings formed on it (as on a cut of trees) make it possible to determine the age of the fish.

Beneath the scales is skin containing glands that secrete a protective mucus. In bream, this protective mechanism is especially pronounced.

The vast majority of fish have a special organ, thanks to which they feel vibrations emanating from various objects. This is the so-called lateral line, which is on each side and is formed from special scales, they have hairs of sensitive cells. Given the fact that vibrations are transmitted over long distances in water, the importance of this organ for fish can hardly be overestimated. It is thanks to this ability that fish, especially predatory fish, orient themselves when localizing food objects of animal origin. It can be assumed that it is thanks to the lateral line that the most experienced (adult, and therefore large) fish, having caught vibrations from a fisherman stomping along the shore, do not react to any of his tricks.

The coloration characteristic of each species in individual fish can vary depending on the season (“nuptial dress”) or on living conditions (protective).

The respiratory organs for fish are the gills, through which the blood of the fish is enriched with oxygen.

From the point of view of the angler, it is important what and how the fish see above and below the surface of the water, so we will try to pay maximum attention to the organ of vision and consider this issue from the point of view of fishing.

The ability of a fish to distinguish surface objects depends entirely on the purity of the water and on the depth at which it stands. It turns out that the fish views the surface world as if through a round window, and it distinguishes objects located in its center best of all. As you move away from the middle of this window, the images of objects become more and more distorted as a result of the reflection of light rays from the water surface, and objects that are at an angle of about 10 ° to the water surface appear shortened and flattened. If such an object is motionless and its color does not contrast with the background, then it will practically not be visible to the fish.

Due to such a physical phenomenon as the refraction of light rays in water, the fish is able to notice the fisherman who has appeared on the shore a little earlier than one might imagine. The field of view of a fish, covering everything that happens above the water, can be represented as a cone with an angle of 97 ° and the apex in the pupil of its eye. The rest of the light is reflected from the surface of the water. The rays emerging from the water are refracted and "cover" everything on the surface, with the exception of objects located at an angle to the horizon less than 10 °. For larger fish located in the depth (Fig. 6), the space remains invisible A. Everything that is outside of it (zones b And V), she sees. For a fish floating on top, only the zone is available for viewing V. Thus, the deeper the fish is in the water, the less likely it is to go unnoticed by it. You have not yet had time to approach her, and she has already noticed “something superfluous” against the usual background and, therefore, possibly dangerous. And no one canceled the instinct of self-preservation. Therefore, it will be much harder to provoke her attack, even if she has not left her parking lot. If desired, knowing the depth of the fish, you can calculate the safe fishing distance. If, for example, a fish is standing at a depth of 3 m, then this distance for the angler in a sitting position will be about 8 m, and for standing at water level - 14 m.

Rice. 6. The field of view of the fish above the surface of the water

But still, you can get closer to the fish, since there is a “blind” space. This is a 20° sector (up to 40° for some fish), which is located on the side of the tail, from where you should approach the fish, which is at a shallow depth. This space sometimes allows you to get close enough to the fish feeding on top. If we take into account that in the course the fish almost always position their head against the stream, and in stagnant water bodies, fattening predators in most cases orient their heads towards the exit to the shallows, where small fish are usually located, then the problem becomes completely solvable. And if you also stand in front of a bush or snuggle up to a tree on the shore, then the chances of success will increase even more. Only now it is necessary to approach such a tree or bush, assuming in advance the possible localization and, most importantly, the position of the predator. That is why, when fishing from the shore, the first few casts should be made from some distance from the water's edge, and, completing the wiring, throw the bait ashore with a rod.

You should always take into account the fact that we often fish from a high bank, where all the objects and, of course, the angler are clearly visible. Fixed objects that do not stand out against the general background do not frighten the fish. In addition, they get used to plants moving under the influence of the wind, and therefore the smooth movements of the angler can also be hardly noticeable to fish.

The position of the sun is of particular importance. Try to catch, located in front of him or with side lighting. When illuminated from behind, the shadow falling from the angler and his rod will frighten the fish. The same goes for shiny objects.

The vision of fish plays an important role in their diet. Therefore, when fishing with artificial lures, we must take into account what and how fish see underwater. It has already been proven that they distinguish color and shades to a greater extent than people. Coloring will play an important role, especially in the case of the presentation of the bait at a depth not exceeding 2 m. At greater depths, due to the peculiarity of the penetration of sunlight through water, colors are perceived differently. At the same time, baits such as, for example, artificial flies floating on the surface of the water, are presented to fish against the background of the sky or the sun. Therefore, the colors will be inexpressive. Nevertheless, it is known from practice that when catching very cautious fish, the color of the fly can significantly affect the final result.

The fish sees a fly swimming towards it (Fig. 7). When the fly is outside the visual cone ( A), only a fragment under water is visible, and if there is no wind, its reflection on the surface of the water. Then the fish begins to distinguish between the wings of a fly ( b), and as a result of the refraction of the rays, they look curved. After the front sight enters the region of the visual cone, it becomes visible in its entirety ( V). The reflection of the underwater part of the fly on the surface of the water disappears.

Rice. 7. How a fish sees a fly floating on it

The sense of smell and taste in some fish are somewhat better developed than in humans. A certain role is played by the mustache, which carp, barbel, catfish, burbot, tench possess.

Many species of fish have a swim bladder, which for them is an organ of balance. It is single-chamber - in salmon, and two-chamber, allowing you to take a vertical position in the water - in cyprinids. Some species, such as the sculpin, do without a swim bladder at all.

The temperature of the fish, and hence all the biochemical processes that ensure vital activity, are directly dependent on the temperature of the water. This explains the decrease in activity (appetite) during sharp cold snaps.

Differences in the digestive tract, circulatory organs, etc. various kinds fish are not of fundamental importance to us, so we will not go into details at this stage.

Roach (Leuciscus rutilus)

This fish reaches sexual maturity at the 4-5th year of life. At this age, it usually reaches a length of 10–12 cm. The spawning period in different water bodies occurs at different times, but in general it starts from mid-May and lasts until the first ten days of June (Fig. 8).

The roach feels great both in small rivers, almost streams, ponds and lakes, and in large rivers. This species is very numerous and in quantity, perhaps, occupies a leading place among European freshwater fish. Nevertheless, in the north it is still much less than in the south, and in rivers with cold spring water, as in mountainous ones, it is almost never found.

Bream (Abramis brama)

The bream is a large fish and, under favorable conditions, reaches 5–6 kg. It lives both in lakes and reservoirs, and in rivers. The color of the bream depends on the characteristics of the reservoirs: in some - the sides of its silvery-dark shade, in others - silvery-yellowish. The fins are dark gray, the dorsal fin is short and high, and the anal fin is long and narrow (Fig. 9). No one has such a high body as a bream. freshwater fish. Similar to him only bream and partly white-eyed, but they have less weight. The bream becomes sexually mature at the 5th year of life, reaching a length of 20–27 cm. The structure of the bream's mouth allows it to extend its lips into a tube several centimeters long. This gives him the opportunity to get food from the silt from a depth of up to 6 cm.

Bream is a schooling fish. Breams gather in large flocks during spawning, at which time they come close to the shores. The bream loves places with a weak current, lives in deep pits, backwaters, gullies near steep banks, near sunken snags or blockages of stones, etc. Especially a lot of bream gathers above dams and dams. These places attract bream due to the absence of strong currents and sufficient depth. He prefers a clay bottom covered with silt. In lakes and reservoirs keeps at some distance from the coast. The bream feeds mostly at night, emerging from holes in the shallows.

Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus)

The rudd is reminiscent of appearance and lifestyle of roach (Fig. 10). Its usual weight is 150–250 g. Only a few specimens reach a length of 30–35 cm and a weight of up to 1–1.5 kg. It lives mainly in bays and oxbow lakes, in flowing ponds and lakes rich in aquatic vegetation. Keeps almost always at shallow and medium depths. The favorite habitats of the rudd are thickets of reeds and other aquatic vegetation. Spawns in April-June (and in some years in July) at a water temperature of 16-18 °C. It feeds mainly on plant foods - algae and aquatic plants, as well as insects. Unlike many other fish in the heat, it does not hide in pits and other cool places, but on the contrary, it goes out to bask in the sun and swims at the very surface of the water.

Asp (Aspius rapax)

Asp is the largest fish from the carp family. It reaches a length of 80 cm and a weight of 10–12 kg. The sides of the asp are silvery, with a slight bluish tint, the dorsal and caudal fins are with dark ends, the rest are whitish-grayish or reddish. The caudal fin is elongated, with sharp ends and a large notch. The mouth is wide and toothless (Fig. 11). The asp is an exclusively diurnal predator, feeding on small fish several times a day, usually at dawn, afternoon and evening. Its feeding is often accompanied by the so-called fight - strong, noisy blows at the surface of the water, with splashes and diverging circles, from which, escaping from it, small fish jump out. Sometimes the asp grabs the victim without a fight. Sometimes several medium-sized asps arrange a joint hunt. Asp's favorite habitats are deep pools, whirlpools, rapids with fast strong jets. A large asp has an individual hunting area near sandbanks and river rifts, where there are a lot of small fish.

Asp keeps groups of same-aged fish and only in a certain place. Spawns in the last days of April - May, when the water warms up to 10-12 °C. Caviar lays on the riffles. Juveniles feed on invertebrates and zooplankton. Having reached the age of two, the asp becomes a predator. The main food is bleak, which, like asp, stays near the surface of the water, although the gudgeon, which, as is known, lives at the bottom, often becomes its victim. In the stomachs of large fish, you can also find silver bream and white bream. It is interesting that even a large asp, which seemed to have already eaten fish, rarely misses a swimming insect. This fact, no doubt, is important for anglers.

Chub (Leuciscus cephalus)

In favorable conditions, the chub grows to large sizes. According to some reports, it reaches a length of 80 cm and a weight of up to 8 kg. The chub differs from other fish of the cyprinid family in its blocky body and broad-browed head, to which it owes its name. It has large scales with a slight golden tint, bright orange pectoral and ventral fins, and black dorsal and caudal fins (Fig. 12).

A young chub is a non-predatory fish, but, having reached a weight of 100–200 g, it begins to feed on small fish. A chub weighing 0.5 kg can already be safely attributed to predators, since fry predominate in the diet of fish of this size. At the same time, it is quite possible to catch a large chub on bloodworms, worms, steamed grain, greens, etc.

Chub - typical River fish, prefers fast-flowing rivers with clean cold water, where there are many rifts, with a rocky-pebble bottom. It does not occur in stagnant waters, including reservoirs, leaving them in tributaries. It lives in rivers near riffles, below and above them, on the shallows with a fast current, near bridges, near the pits of steep banks. Likes to stay in fast streams below dams. There is a chub and under the branches of trees hanging over the water. At night, in search of food, he goes to shallow sandbanks with an average current.

Ide (Idus melanotus)

The ide, along with the chub, lives on flat rivers with a moderate, rarely fast flow. It also belongs to cyprinids and reaches a weight of 6–8 kg (Fig. 13). Sexual maturity occurs at 5-6 years, while the length reaches 30 cm.

Immediately after the snow melts, the ide gathers in flocks and migrates to remote, located in the upper reaches of the rivers, and sometimes in the reclamation canals, spawning places. Caviar begins to spawn when the water temperature rises to 6–8 ° C, laying it on a sandy or pebble bottom. However, spawning is also possible in a flooded meadow, where the ide lays eggs directly on last year's grass.

Yelets (Leuciscus leuciscus)

Yelets, like roach, is one of the most famous fish of domestic reservoirs. In appearance, it is similar to the chub and, possibly, to the ide (Fig. 14). Prefer fresh and clean water, so it can be found in medium-sized fast rivers with clean water, after normalizing its level. Flocks of dace can be seen on the current above the clean sandy bottom, where the fish takes place behind the uneven bottom, sandy spits. In search of food, it often rises to the surface of the water.

On hot summer days, whole flocks of dace hide in the shade of algae, but do not stop actively feeding throughout the day. Closer to autumn, dace migrate downstream to deeper and quieter places, but you can catch them until the freeze-up.

The dace reaches sexual maturity at 2–3 years of age. They feed mainly on benthos, but large individuals are not averse to feasting on fry.

Bleak (Alburnus alburnus)

The average size of this mobile small fish rarely exceeds 15 cm in length, and its weight is 50 g (Fig. 15). It lives in almost every river, lake, reservoir. It keeps near the coast, in slow-flowing or quiet places. Especially a lot of it is collected above and below the dams and near the streams flowing into the river.

Bleak spawns at a water temperature of 17–20 °C, and spawning often stretches for a month or more, since most fish lay eggs in three to four stages with intervals of 1–2 weeks. During spawning, the bleak, grouping in large flocks, is an easy prey for predatory fish.

Carp (Cyprinus carpio)

It lives in ponds, lakes and rivers, reaching a weight of 30 kg or more. It feeds on bloodworms, other small insects, as well as slugs and crustaceans. He will not refuse a kindly offered worm. Raised in artificial conditions, often pays tribute to the culinary delights of anglers. It becomes sexually mature at the 3–4th year of life, while reaching a length of about 30 cm (Fig. 16).

Carp spawns at a water temperature of 18–20 °C, usually at the end of May – June. Spawning occurs early in the morning in shallow, well-warmed areas with underwater vegetation. Spawning is accompanied by noisy mating games, lasts 10–15 days, and when it gets colder, it can stretch for a longer time.

Barbel (Barbus barbus)

This fish lives in fast flowing rivers. The barbel differs from other fish in its trunk-like mouth with whiskers located on the upper lip and at the corners of the mouth (Fig. 17). Its powerful, almost cylindrical body is the best match for the habitats of this fish. Small specimens live on rocky rifts, while large ones prefer deeper areas with a rocky bottom and a fast current. The weight of the fish often reaches 4–4.5 kg. Barbels are rarely caught purposefully, more often when catching other fish they catch maggots, caddisfly larvae and fry. Special baits for barbel - goose (dragonfly larva) and crawl out. Sometimes he takes well on yellow cheese, peas and sweet corn.

The barbel reaches puberty by the age of 4, while growing up to 35 cm in length. The fish is very powerful, which attracts fishermen.

Pike (Esox lucius)

The pike is one of the fish that grows to large sizes and enormous weights. Under favorable conditions, according to some sources, it reaches a weight of 35–40 kg. Pike is an omnivorous predator: it devours fish, frogs, but mainly feeds on small fish, not sparing its relatives (Fig. 18).

Pike can be found in almost all rivers, lakes, reservoirs and even ponds with clean water. It keeps in pits, whirlpools below dams, near sunken snags lying at the bottom of stones, near steep banks and in other places with a quiet current or without it at all. The best places spring fishing pikes will be those where water becomes clear by the time of zhora. Usually these are the upper reaches of rivers flowing from lakes, or rivers flowing along a hill with a small spillway and groundwater suction. In summer, pike (especially small and medium ones) migrate in search of food to water thickets, sedges, where a lot of small fish gather at this time. The pike also hunts in shallow places, choosing for its ambush various objects lying on the bottom: snags, stones, etc. In autumn, like other types of fish, it moves to deeper places.

Pike spawns in April, immediately after the destruction of the ice cover. It reaches puberty at 2–3 years, while increasing in length up to 28–30 cm.

Walleye (Lucioperca sandra)

Pike perch has an elongated slab-like body and is distinguished by a characteristic fanged mouth with small teeth (Fig. 19). Gill covers without scales or partially covered with it. The color of pike perch is silver-gray with 8-10 transverse dark stripes running from the back to the abdomen. The dorsal fin is double, the front fin has sharp spiny rays, the pelvic and anal fins are light yellow. Pricks of the fin and spines of the gill covers of pike perch are very painful. Pike perch grows up to big size- more than a dozen kilograms. Usually, a pike perch weighing 3 kg, caught by an amateur fisherman, is considered large. It lives in many rivers and lakes, reservoirs and even in some clean deep sandy quarries in the basins of the Baltic, Black, Azov and Caspian Seas.

Pike perch is a schooling fish, usually keeps near the bottom, when feeding it can rise to the surface. It feeds on small fish of other species. Intensive feeding begins before spawning.

This fish reaches puberty in the 4th year of life, while its length is 40–45 cm. It spawns in April-May. In rivers, pike perch stays on pits, among blockages of snags, stones, sunken trees, near steep banks, near rifts, on the border of rapids and slow currents. Avoid areas with water thickets.

Perch (Perca flaviatilus)

This fish is easily distinguished by its appearance from other fish (Fig. 20). The rather large mouth of this predator is armed with small sharp teeth. Its length is approximately 20–35 cm. Small and medium perch keeps in flocks, picking up by age. In search of food, flocks swim in different layers of water, but usually move along the coast, adhering to thickets and depths of 1–2 m. Larger fish prefer deep holes.

Perch's favorite places are near steep banks, where tree branches hang low over the water, places with a blockage of snags, large stones, whirlpools below dams, pits, river mouths. In the rivers, the perch chooses places where the current is very quiet - backwaters with water thickets or bushes, among which he disguises himself and hunts for fry. A small thing jumping out of the water like a fan is a sure sign of perch hunting. In the early morning, perches stay at the very bottom, by 10 a.m. they rise 1–1.5 m higher.

Spawns from April to May.

Catfish (Silurus glanic)

This is the largest fish in our waters. Catfish feeds on fish, frogs, crayfish. However, he does not disdain either worms, or insect larvae, or other products of animal origin. Under normal conditions, this fish reaches a weight of 10 kg by the age of 10.

Catfish lives more often at the very bottom at great depths. Its back is black, the sides are somewhat lighter with dark spots, the belly is white with a yellowish-dirty tinge, pendulous. The body in the tail section is laterally compressed. The head of the catfish is disproportionately huge, making up 1/6 of the entire length. The huge mouth is armed with small teeth. Two long whiskers on the upper and four short whiskers on the lower jaw complement the appearance of this fish. The body is richly covered with mucus (Fig. 21).

The catfish spawns in May-June at a temperature of 18-22°C.

Podust (Chondrostoma nasus)

This species of fish differs from others in its pronounced upper jaw, although it is precisely because of this feature that it can be mistaken for raw. Its back is greenish-black in color, and its sides and belly are silvery-shiny. All fins, except for the dark dorsal, reddish hue (Fig. 22).

Podust usually lives in flocks and is found in waters that are characteristic of both grayling and barbel. It becomes sexually mature at the 3rd year of life, growing up to 20–25 cm in length. Adults reach a weight of up to 1.5 kg.

Spawns in March-April.

Syrt (Vimba vimba)

Syrt, or fish, with its upper jaw resembles a podusta, which is why in some regions it is mistakenly called so. The color of the syrty changes depending on the season. In spring, before spawning, the back becomes almost black, and the underbelly and lower fins acquire a red-orange hue. At other times of the year, the back of the syrt is gray-blue, and the belly is white with light yellow fins (Fig. 23).

The weight of the largest individuals rarely exceeds 1 kg. She prefers fast and clean water and willingly keeps on rifts. The diet of the syrty is mainly limited to benthos.

Spawns in May - early June. Spawning takes place in deep rocky areas with a pronounced current.

Brook trout (Salmo trutta fario)

Brook trout, or pied, is a predator. It lives in non-freezing rivers with very fast and cold water, therefore it does not tolerate temperatures above 15 ° C. The vast majority of individuals hardly exceed 30–35 cm in length and weigh more than 500 g. But, unlike mountain rivers, individuals up to 3 kg in weight can be found in reservoirs of medium latitude. Spawns in autumn and winter.

Spotted with red, black, and white (which is why they are called pied), the brook trout is very beautiful, although its coloration is largely determined by the color of the water and soil, the food, and even the season (Fig. 24). During the spawning period, it always looks darker. It becomes sexually mature at the 2-3rd year of life. After spawning, it rolls down and stays in deep sections of the river near flowing springs. small fish they feed mainly on aquatic invertebrates and crustaceans, while small fish predominate in the diet of adults.

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Outwardly, it resembles a pied, but differs from the last color. The entire body of this fish, with the exception of the pectoral, ventral, and anal fins, is covered with a dark spotted pattern, and longitudinal stripes of pink color run along the lateral line (Fig. 25).

The natural habitat of this species of trout is North America. It is found there both in rivers and in lakes, growing up to 5-10 kg in weight. The fish is very strong and playing it gives the angler an incredible feeling. Artificial stocking of reservoirs with this species is much easier and cheaper than with brook trout. However, rainbow trout do not breed naturally in our country, although they grow well and gain weight.

The way of life of the rainbow trout is somewhat different from the brook, which means that it should be caught differently, although most methods are effective in both cases. Rainbow trout occupies other places in the reservoir, more common on open water. He likes to gather in a flock, which is especially noticeable on the lakes.

Sea trout (Salmo trutta morpha trutta)

Sea trout, or brown trout, is similar in lifestyle to salmon (Fig. 26). This "wandering" relative of the brook trout becomes available to anglers as it travels from the sea upriver to spawn. A few individuals rise into the rivers in winter, but the bulk of the fish appear there in June. Spawning of brown trout occurs most often in November - early December. After spawning, some of the individuals die, and the fish that have successfully spawned remain in the rivers (in the “celt” stage) and usually fall prey to anglers already in February - March. The surviving brown trout goes to sea until the end of May. In many countries, fishing in the "celt" stage is prohibited. Firstly, from the point of view of the angler, the "Celt" does not cause strong emotional experiences. Despite the fact that brown trout almost always unexpectedly attacks the bait, exhausted by spawning, it is not able to deliver as many impressions when playing as a fish that has just entered the river and was caught before spawning (“silver fish”). In addition, the "Celt" that survived the spawning should not be the object of fishing, at least for ethical reasons.

Grayling (Thimallus thimallus)

This fish is often mentioned when they want to emphasize the high degree of purity of the water. Sometimes, due to their rather large scales, grayling is mistakenly referred to as a white non-predatory fish. The sides of this fish are light gray, the belly is silvery, the back is dark greenish with black spots. The fins are both yellowish and reddish. Its large dorsal fin with small black spots is beautiful, which is the main distinguishing feature of this fish (Fig. 27). The European grayling usually reaches a weight of 0.5–1 kg. Length - 25-35 cm, maximum length - up to 60 cm.

Males reach sexual maturity by 2 years, and females - by 4, while growing up to 35 cm. Spawns in March - April, but sometimes it can also be in early May. The fish is strong enough for its weight.

Distinctive features of fish similar in appearance

Usually, anglers rarely do not know the fish they are catching and easily distinguish it by appearance, but sometimes incidents happen, especially in cases when young individuals are caught on the hook. It is important to be able to distinguish between fish ethically, as many species have legal size limits set according to their sexual maturity. Fish that do not reach these parameters should be released into the water alive. Therefore, in order to avoid legal violations, in addition to the "Red Book" objects (there can be no question of catching them, unless there is a special permit for this), one should also be guided by the characteristic signs of ordinary fish. I must say that troubles can be not only on the part of fish protection authorities. I was a witness when, because of this, even individual athletes were disqualified, who could not distinguish between a bleak and a baby chub.

Podust and damp

The body of the podust is much narrower than that of the syrty, its anal fin is also narrower (9-12 rays), while the syrty's anal fin can consist of 17–25 rays.

The open mouth of a podust is not round, like that of a syrt, but a quadrangular shape.

Roach, ide and chub

Among these fish species, roach is distinguished by the red color of the iris, ide by a pronounced massive tail part of the body, and chub by a convex anal fin.

Asp and bleak

The incision of the mouth of the asp is much larger than that of the bleak, and extends beyond the anterior margin of the eye.

The lower jaw of the asp protrudes forward, while in the bleak both the lower and upper jaws are at the same level.

In bleak, the anal fin is almost not concave, and its front edge is located at the level of the dorsal fin. In the asp, the "cutout" of the anal fin is clearly visible, and it itself is displaced (its front edge) much closer to the tail.

Asp and chub

In the asp, the anal fin is wide with a noticeable notch, while in the chub, it is narrow and, on the contrary, convex.

In the asp, the lower jaw protrudes forward, and in the chub, both jaws are at the same level.

Chub and dace

In the chub, the anal fin is convex, while in the dace, it is either even or slightly concave.

The mouth of the chub is oriented at an angle (if you look at the profile of the fish), while that of the dace is horizontal.

Seasonal fish migrations

Having got acquainted with the characteristics of water bodies, as well as with the fish that we will catch, for the upcoming fishing we need information about the localization of fish depending on the season of fishing.

The localization of warm-water fish in spring is determined by their spawning grounds, which are usually located in the upper reaches of rivers, their tributaries, bays and spills.

Asp and pike spawn in floods, bream, roach and perch - in coastal areas rich in aquatic vegetation, carp - in bays overgrown with reeds, near its permanent habitat. Spawning time also determines the time of spring zhor.

Pike spawning with leftovers on the shore spring ice. Immediately after it, perch, ruff, ide, and dace start spawning, which finish spawning two weeks later than pike. Asp, chub, podust and roach spawn with them and after them. Their spawning ends two weeks later than the previous ones, usually in the second half of May. The end of spawning of bream, crucian carp, gudgeon falls on the first days of June. Then silver bream, tench, carp, pike perch spawn, followed by catfish and bleak.

After spawning, the fish, on average, “rests” for about two weeks in the places closest to spawning - on shallow shallows rich in vegetation with a quiet current, where the water is warmer and cleaner. The spring zhor also begins here, which continues during the period of rolling the fish to permanent habitats. During this period, predators are located near the channels, along which fish descend into the river from floodplain lakes. During the spawning period of ruff, roach, bleak, predatory fish, following them on their heels, devour them in large numbers.

The summer period of fish life begins (conditionally) with the end of the spring zhor. By this time, the fish, having eaten, takes its favorite places.

Each species of fish keeps in those areas where there are best conditions existence. For example, pike lives in grass or snags, while zander stays in pools during the day with access to sandbanks with a fast current, where it goes to feed at dawn. Asp can be found on wide stretches, and chub - on a stream with coastal vegetation, under the crowns of trees and bushes hanging over the water.

In summer, the zhor of predatory fish becomes short and capricious, with long pauses. The hours of the most active biting fall in the early morning and late evening. In the period of short nights, the fish feeds all night, with a break from 23.00 to 2.00. During the night hours of fattening, the fish comes out of the grass, comes close to the shore and keeps on shallow rifts. In the middle of the day, perch, pike and pike go to deeper places, whirlpools, under snags, in shady areas under bushes, in grass, where they can be caught from 11 am to 2 pm. In the early morning, catfish and pike perch are the first to come out for fattening, followed by perch, pike, chub and asp. In the evening, the sequence of zhora goes in reverse order.

At the beginning of September, fishing tactics practically do not differ from summer ones, but when the leaves begin to turn yellow, the fish gradually move to deeper places, choosing the most suitable pits for wintering.

With the onset of cooling, the water in the reservoirs becomes more transparent. Aquatic plants sink to the bottom. It is from this time that the most intense and long zhor of fish begins. But not all fish are the same. For example, in chub and asp, it ends by the beginning of October. At the same time, pike, perch and pike perch continue to feed intensively, and the zhor often intensifies as winter approaches.

The hours of morning and evening biting begin to lengthen, capturing more and more daytime. On cold autumn days, in dry weather, the fish stays at a depth near the bottom, but during the warming period, it comes out to feed on the shallows. At such moments, there is a particularly pronounced zhor of predatory species.

At the beginning of the autumn period, fish are caught from the bottom and at half-water, but closer to winter it is more often found at the very bottom.

With the onset of winter, water bodies, and especially those with stagnant water, freeze and fishing is done from the ice, which determines different requirements for both the tackle itself and the methods of fishing.

Before moving on to specific information about fishing, it is necessary to study General characteristics fishing gear, especially since the commitment of anglers to a particular gear is directly related to the fishing strategy.

Probably one of the most common and most suitable baits. Even with the general and craze for more modern wobblers and soft jig baits, the usual turntable has practically not lost its relevance at all.

I emphasize that the marks shown here are used for descriptive and illustrative purposes only.

CHUB

The chub is a resident, more often of small reservoirs, small, narrow. The most probable sites of the chub are shallow rifts overgrown with aquatic vegetation. Often, for its ambushes, the chub chooses deaf places with tree branches hanging over the water. Although the chub prefers places with a current, it never stands directly in the stream, always a little aside, behind some kind of obstacle. All these habitat conditions for the chub dictate the parameters of the rotating ones, according to which they are selected. First of all, they should be small in size and have a low weight, since the wiring of the bait is used in the upper layers of the reservoir, above the aquatic vegetation. The chub has been observed to be attracted to small baits that suddenly appear in its field of vision. The element of surprise is very important for attracting the attention of this predator; perhaps, the chub regards the suddenly appeared bait as some kind of insect that has fallen into the water from the overhanging branches of a tree. Such a moment “turns on” his predatory instinct well. So, small models of turntables, ranging in size from No. 00 to No. 2, are suitable for catching chub. The petal is better narrow, elongated - type Aglia Long. This shape of the petal is the most optimal for places with a current. Here are a couple of proven models - Mepps Aglia TW No. 2, Mepps Aglia No. 00 (bronze with front sight), Mepps Comet. The colors are preferably variegated.

ide

The ide, like the chub, prefers places with a current, but not too fast. The ideal place for catching ide is a small backwater, preferably with a steep bank, below the rift. The ide is especially attached to the branches of trees hanging over the water; in general, it is attracted to any vegetation, both coastal and aquatic. During the day, this predator prefers deeper places, likes to hide somewhere at the exit from the pit. In the evening, with the onset of twilight, the ide moves to the nearest shallows. As for catching the ide, there is one peculiarity in this matter, there is a certain seasonal factor. It has been noticed that from spring to the end of June, the ide prefers small rotating ones. These can be turntables from Myran - weighing from 3 to 5g; Blue Fox Vibrax #1; Mepps Black Fury No. 0 or No. 1 or other similar models. But such models need to be loaded a little, since usually the ide grabs the bait almost at the very bottom or in the middle layers of the water. Closer to autumn, the ide chooses places for hunting away from the coast. Baits at this time choose larger ones. The following models can be called the most productive autumn turntables - the same Myran, but heavier, weighing from 7 to 12g; Blue Fox Vibrax #2; Mepps Comet #2; for some places, even Agat weighing from 15 to 18 grams is suitable. As for colors, colorful models, with dots and stripes, are considered the best. An important point is the presence of plumage or a front sight on a tee, or at least just a gilded tee, sometimes this factor is decisive, which forces an indecisive predator to attack.

ASP

Asp is a predator, which is distinguished by its special caution and suspicion. Noticing a person on the shore or in a boat, the asp will try to move away from this place. Therefore, in the matter of choosing models of rotating

The ide fish is a typical representative of the carp family. It has long been caught on the territory of the European part of Russia and Siberia, it is also distributed on the territory of neighboring countries: Belarus and Ukraine. Juvenile ide, similarly to the bream, are called roaches.

Description and dimensions

The ide is a very beautiful fish. His scales give off a golden sheen, especially a lot yellow color on the gill covers, while the back has a black-blue color, and the abdomen is silver. This fish looks most elegant during spawning, adults are much brighter than roaches.

In a running case, the head looks small and has a mouth oblique from below. The eyes have a yellow iris with a greenish tint. The fins are colored red, the anal and ventral fins are especially bright. The average weight of an adult ide is from one and a half to two kilograms with a body length of forty to fifty centimeters, although record specimens reach a six-kilogram mark.

The ide is often confused with other representatives of cyprinids, especially with species such as chub and roach.

When our hero is caught in the by-catch with the indicated fish, the differences are still visible to the naked eye, for example, the ide differs from the chub in the following ways:

• higher body;
• less broad head;
• small mouth;
• small scale.

Differences from roach are also very obvious:

• yellow eyes;
• small scales;
• light back.

Age and spawning

Ides live for 15-20 years, and at the time of puberty, depending on the food base of the reservoir, ides come at the age of three to five years. Ide spawning is one of the first among cyprinids. The spawning of these beauties occurs when the water temperature warms up to 6-8 degrees Celsius, at this time the birch trees are slightly covered with a greenish mist of blossoming buds.

In central Russia and Siberia, ide spawning occurs in mid-late April, in the southern regions - at the end of March.

Like many other fish, ides rise to spawning grounds upstream and choose shallow, 50-80 centimeters, bottom areas with last year's grass or higher aquatic plants: reeds, cattails or reeds, on the stems of which caviar sticks. On the rivers, spawning places often turn out to be pebbly rifts with separate clumps of grass, in addition, part of the eggs are spawned by fish on snags or piles of hydraulic structures even during the spawning run.

Fish of all ages take part in the process of spawning, but families are divided by age. Usually one female is accompanied by 2-3 males. The number of eggs depends on the age and size of the fish, the largest "mothers" spawn over 120 thousand pieces, the diameter of which is about two millimeters.

Habitat

Izzy live in almost all water bodies of Europe, except for the southernmost rivers of Spain, Portugal and France. There is a lot of this fish in Siberia to Baikal, where the largest trophy specimens are found in the rivers.

Ide examine all the horizons of the reservoir in search of food, from the surface to the bottom. As for the favorite points in the reservoir, these are places such as:

• whirlpools in a moderate course;
• steeps;
• pits located after fast rolls;
• pits near washed-out shores;
• under overhanging trees;
• boundaries of jets with different flow velocities;
• return lines;
• elements of hydraulic structures;
• mouths of tributaries flowing into the river.

In winter, ides and roaches descend into pits with a moderate flow of water, look for springs in lakes and reservoirs or are located near the confluence of tributaries.

Nutrition

Ide, mostly large large individuals, feed exclusively at dawn, both morning and evening. This is explained, most likely, by the fearfulness of this beautiful fish. After all, they say that he is afraid of any big shadow, so he rarely gets caught in nets and nets.

Roaches can fatten throughout the morning, and on cloudy days they can feed at all until the sun sets below the horizon.

This is due to the fact that their main food is insects, which they prefer to eat, rising into small streams and streams, or under trees hanging over the water.

In general, the ide is classified as an omnivorous fish: it can also eat plant foods, and sometimes behaves like a real predator. The diet of our handsome man is:

• zooplankton;
• benthos;
• mulberry;
• filamentous algae;
• reeds, young shoots;
• bloodworm;
• insects and their larvae: grasshopper, dragonfly and others;
• caddisflies;
• mormysh;
• fish fry.

The instinct of a predator in an ide is especially strong in the fall, when the fish begins to fatten before a long winter and replenishes protein reserves in the body.

Catching

Due to the diversity in the diet of this fish, ide is caught with various gear: both designed for peaceful fish and for predators. They catch it from the shore, and from a boat, and in waders.

Fish are less afraid of a person who is standing in the water than a fisherman on the shore of a reservoir, therefore, on small rivers, fishing in waders or waders is preferable to coastal fishing.

The following types of fishing rods are used for yaz fishing:

• fly float;
• wire rod;
• Bolognese tackle;
• match rod;
• donka;
• feeder;
• live bait;
• fly fishing tackle;
• bombard;
• spinning;
• winter mormyshka.

It should be noted that ides respond very well to bait, which has flavors such as:

• birch leaves;
• burnt bone;
• sheep's blood;
• vanilla;
• unrefined oil.

Itself is bought in the store, any mixture for carp fish is suitable, or it is made by hand on the basis of ground grain, cake or breadcrumbs. Autumn mixtures are supplemented and weighted with soil or sand.

Indulging all the taste preferences of the ide, they use as bait:

• dung worm;
• shallow creep;
• caddis;
• bloodworm;
• mormysh;
• maggot;
• bark beetle;
• dragonfly;
• grasshopper
• the Colorado potato beetle if its hard wings are broken off;
• mulberry;
• reed shoots;
• fry;
• wobblers;
• small baubles;
• fly fishing flies;
• baubles;
• mormyshkus with a piece of fish;
• leech;
• peas;
• dough;
• mango talker.