Home > Fishing techniques > Catching night burbot: from finding a fishing spot to the reasons for the small caliber of the Belarusian burbot
The common burbot is the only cod fish that lives in our freshwater bodies. Outwardly, it is simultaneously similar to both catfish and cod. The body color of this fish is a kind of camouflage of dark brown or greenish tones with dark spots, spots and irregular stripes. The belly color is gray. Young males are almost completely black with a light belly. There are also individuals of absolutely amazing colors, for example, sandy yellow with spots in the form of rings scattered throughout the body.
Burbot habitats
Burbot in rivers can be found in small pools. They stick to coastal areas where coastal vegetation hangs over the water: bushes, willow branches... This object of amateur fishermen hides under fallen and flooded trees, boulders, and in holes. I had the opportunity to pull a couple of good specimens out of a flooded tire with my hands. The quieter the current, the more likely it is to catch burbot. Places with a flat and clean bottom do not need to be fished. In lakes and reservoirs, burbots stick to river-bed dumps and snags.
On an unknown body of water, you can start fishing places with dams, locks, dikes, and deep holes. Make sure that the bottom of your intended location is sandy or clayey, as burbots do not like to swarm in mud. This is the lot of loaches. Due to their nocturnal lifestyle, burbots boast excellent senses of smell, touch and hearing.
Finding loot
Burbots have poor vision, as they are nocturnal predators. In addition, the eyes of burbot and other fish are often affected by the larvae of the diplostoma helminth, which causes inflammation of the eyes and partial or complete loss of vision. This is not a problem for burbots, since they do not need vision at night. Another thing is white peaceful fish and predators leading a diurnal lifestyle. For them, vision is of key importance in terms of obtaining food. Therefore, sick fish (except for burbot) have a low weight and become prey for fish-eating birds.
This predator patrols its hunting territory at night, “sniffs out” its prey, sneaks up on sleepy fish and suddenly attacks. For a more accurate throw, burbots use a heightened sense of touch; they seem to feel the prey, creating, thanks to their tactile and taste buds, a three-dimensional picture of the environment.
The organs of touch of burbot are represented by the chin barbel, the skin of the lips, head, belly, caudal and pectoral fins. Due to instinct, even with slight tactile contact, burbots immediately rush to potential prey, even if this fish is many times larger than a nocturnal predator.
There is an opinion that burbots are characterized by purely bottom hunting. This is a misconception. Burbot rise to half-water and actively search for victims. This feature of hunting is, to one degree or another, characteristic of pike and perch. During the hunting process, burbots try not to move too far away from their shelter. If one burbot is caught in one place at night, then by morning there will be another one on that bottom. As they say, “a holy place is never empty.” Other lone predators – catfish and pike – also compete for territory. At the same time, competing burbots need shelters for daytime rest, and other predators need new hunting grounds.
An interesting fact is that competition can be both intraspecific and interspecific. Moreover, the more similar the hunting tactics are, the more likely the second variant of competition is. An example is the constant confrontation between pike and pike perch. As for burbots, they are at enmity with catfish.
Methods for catching burbot
Today we will talk about the two most common methods of catching burbot from ice:
- on zherlitsy, postavushki, “poke”. There are many names - the essence is the same!
- in a plumb line to the “snitch”. A special jig with a fish bait, which is tapped on the bottom, thereby attracting fish.
Zherlitsa (supply)
We will not mention the design of the vent itself in this article. There are a lot of them and each angler can choose the one he likes best. Beginner fishermen can buy a ready-made girder in a store, equip it correctly - and this will not be the worst option. Burbot is so unpretentious to the quality of tackle that it can be caught simply on a rope with a nylon leash and a hook, as they did in the villages. This hunter has poor eyesight, but his sense of smell is good. When searching for prey, it primarily focuses on the smell and lateral line, and only then on the organs of vision.
I repeat, the thickness of the line and the delicacy of the tackle for burbot are of secondary importance, so I suggest using a main line with a diameter of 0.4 mm and a leash of 0.3. They are necessarily connected to each other by a swivel and a clasp, into which a sliding weight, like an “olive,” rests, sliding freely along the fishing line. We select the weight of the sinker depending on the conditions: depth and current from 50 to 200 grams. The hook is a medium-sized double, it is better to select it based on the size of the live bait you caught. In our Ob realities, I would recommend using a soft tungsten leash so that the pike does not feed on your live bait with too much impunity. In addition, the leash simplifies the installation of live bait with a hook. An important point should be taken into account when equipping the vent - the nozzle should be located near the very bottom!
I recommend rigging live bait as follows. We push the leash through the mouth, bring it out behind the gill cover and thread the double into the loop of the leash, hooking it behind the back of the fry. No knots, simple and works great. Especially in the current, the fry stands with its head in the current, so it is easier for it to remain active longer, experiencing less water resistance. There are different ways to attach live bait, you can familiarize yourself with them in our article and choose the one that suits you best.
Burbot feeding
Factors determining the composition of the burbot diet: 1. Age. 2. Season of the year. The larvae's menu includes algae; the fry already eat plankton and insect larvae. The diet of adults includes gudgeon, ruffe, roach and small fish of other species.
Burbots are characterized by cannibalism. They also feed on crayfish and aquatic invertebrates. In the spring, during the post-spawning feast, the basis of nutrition for nocturnal predators is worms and young frogs. When the spring flood begins, the water washes frogs and worms out of their hiding places. In cold water, frogs are in a torpor, which makes them an excellent prey for burbot. The post-spawning diet is very active, since burbots need to gain fat, which will be deposited in their liver and will serve as a source of energy during summer hibernation.
All codfish, including burbot, love cold water. Their active feeding occurs in autumn when the water temperature is 10 degrees. As the water temperature decreases, the feeding intensity constantly increases.
Maximum catches are achieved in mid-November, when the peak of the pre-spawning feeding of the nocturnal predator is noted. At this time, burbots are more active in biting on pieces of roach, perch, crucian carp, and gudgeon. Active zhor continues until approximately the first ten days of December, which is determined by the weather.
Where are burbot found and what to feed them with?
Burbot is a member of the cod family. This is a rather strange fish, a cold water fish as it is called. For everyone it’s autumn, but for burbot it’s spring. The entire fish population swims barely, as they say, sleeps while moving, and the burbot becomes more active with every day and frost and mercilessly devours young fish. And under the influence of severe hunger, it can even attack its relatives. As a rule, burbot is caught in the dark, when it is most active. But here you need to know the places of its passages and stops. Burbot loves a rocky-sandy bottom, the confluence of streams into small rivers, springs into large rivers, not particularly deep, with a slow flow. You need to arrive at the river before dark in order to position yourself properly and set up fishing rods in places convenient for approaching. When fishing, you can light a fire right on the shore. The light of the fire attracts burbot. Tackle and bottom fishing rods can be set up in the evening and checked in the morning. You can attach burbot to pieces of fish. The bait is thrown into the water, the current carries it out, and the burbot picks up the bait and reaches the hooks.
What to feed burbot?
Usually it is successful to catch burbot from a boat using a knock - a large dark jig with a piece of fish attached. Often, burbot individuals are divided by age - each has its own place. There is enough depth and 20 cm where he can crawl in search of food. The bait is varied: from worms to bird giblets, but he still prefers loach, gudgeon, and ruff. By the way, to find out what the fish is currently feeding on, it is enough to familiarize yourself with the stomach contents of the first caught specimen. The main thing is to get on the burbot trail, then the entire winter period can be successful. Its bite is energetic, with a short pull. He grabs a bait bait and doesn’t move. The prey is caught in the mouth and will not slip out. When fishing, the burbot dangles, spins, curls up in a ring, reverses, and at this moment can either break the fishing line or throw the bait out of its mouth. A little gape - say goodbye to fish. During the spawning period, burbot gathers in huge dense schools in the form of a tongue several tens of meters wide and up to a kilometer long. As the water gets colder, the taste of the inhabitants of the depths changes; preference is given to fry. Therefore, in late autumn catches, large bream, roach, and ide are often found in the company of typical predators. The fish need to fatten up before the long, cold winter. Therefore, she hunts for the fry. It is more difficult for a fisherman to catch fry in the fall than in the summer, and it is not easy to preserve them. It is better to catch fish for future use, with a reserve for several fishing trips, and store them in a glass jar without changing the water. By the way, useful advice: under no circumstances throw any food to the fry: if it turns sour, it will kill the fish. And 3-4 weeks of fasting are not scary for them at all.
We previously wrote about how to feed crucian carp.
Burbot spawning
Burbots go to spawning grounds in late November. Spawning takes place in the upper reaches of rivers. Requirements for spawning sites: sand and pebble bottom, moderate current. During the spawning campaign, the fish makes itself known in places uncharacteristic for it. As the weather gets colder, the intensity of the bite decreases. Around mid-December, burbots become silent and spawn. Sexually mature individuals are those that have reached 3-4 years of age and are 12-20 centimeters in length. By the way, the size of females is larger than that of males. As a rule, spawning occurs at night. The optimal temperature for spawning is 2 degrees. Sub-zero temperatures have a positive effect on burbot spawning.
Prolonged thaws extend spawning until February.
Fertilized eggs mature in suspension. At the end of February, spawned burbots begin to actively peck. The productive period for anglers lasts until the water temperature rises to 12 degrees.
Why are Belarusian burbots so small?
Burbots living in Belarus are noticeably smaller in size than their relatives in northern Russia. Why? The small caliber of the Belarusian burbot is a consequence of:
There is no possibility of year-round feeding of burbots, which is associated with the European climate. The period of active feeding lasts five months - before and after spawning. And that's the best case scenario. Naturally, in this case, not the entire genetic potential in terms of growth rate is realized.
Low safety and survival rate of juveniles. The reason for this is that the eggs carried by the current become food for other fish. By the way, aquatic invertebrates feed on burbot eggs.
Eating burbot eggs in spawning grounds by roaches, perch, silver bream, and minnows. You probably didn’t realize that this is the reason for the weak bite of float fish during this period.
Reducing the number of reservoirs with optimal conditions for burbot spawning. This fish spawns in rivers and lakes with clean water. Industrial drains, cutting down trees along river banks, and land reclamation have a negative impact on the number of burbots.
Extermination of juveniles by fishermen due to the inability to release the caught burbot, since this fish swallows hooks very deeply. Therefore, to prevent juveniles from getting caught on the bottoms, it is necessary to increase the size of baits and hooks. If you fish with worms, then only with crawlers, which need to be placed on large hooks.
Fishing for burbot is prohibited in Belarus - a reminder for fishermen
Burbot is a predatory bottom fish, the only representative of the cod family that lives in fresh waters. Prefers rivers and lakes with cold and clean water. Burbot becomes sexually mature at 3-4 years, but under favorable conditions some individuals mature earlier.
In December, after the water bodies freeze, a massive movement of burbot begins to spawn. To preserve fish resources and create favorable conditions for fish reproduction, paragraph 107 of the Rules for Fisheries and Fishing establishes a ban on fishing for common burbot from December 25 to February 28. If during this period a fisherman catches a burbot, he must release the fish to the fishing grounds alive.
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Fishermen who violate the Rules for Fishing and Fishing are liable in accordance with current legislation. For each individual caught, the violator will compensate for the damage caused to the environment in triple amount.
Fishing ban in Belarus
The rules for fishing and fishing provide for protective measures: commercial fishing of all types of fish in wintering pits is prohibited from October 1 to April 15 . The list of wintering pits indicating their boundaries is indicated in the fish breeding and biological justification of water bodies.
To preserve the population of the common catfish , which becomes easy prey in winter, a ban on its fishing has been established throughout the republic from November 1 to March 31 . It applies to both commercial and recreational fishing.
There are also fish for which the cold is not a burden at all. Representatives of the salmon family, which include the Chud whitefish and European , begin the spawning period in late autumn. In this regard, fishing for Chud whitefish is prohibited from November 1 to December 15 , and European vendace from November 15 to December 20 .
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Memo for fisherman
Recreational fishing is prohibited:
- until July 1, 2021 on the section of the Neman River from the dam of the Grodno hydroelectric power station at a distance of 1000 m downstream of the river to the confluence of the nameless stream into the Neman River,
- annually from October 15 to April 15 in the bucket-type water intake area of the open joint-stock company "Grodno Azot" near the village of Pogorany, Grodno region, on a section of the Neman River 50 meters long from the boundaries of the water intake bucket upstream and downstream, as well as on the water intake bucket itself,
- annually from October 1 to April 15 on the section of the Goryn River in the Stolin region from the Dubrava fish hatchery to the Berezhnoe-Rubel crossing bridge with a length of 7 km and from the apiary of the New Pripyat agricultural production cooperative to the confluence with the Pripyat River,
- annually from October 15 to April 15 on a section of the Augustow Canal at a distance of 350 meters from its confluence with the Neman River to the edge of the concrete pier for ships “Dmisevichi”, farthest from the Neman River,
- until April 9, 2021 on the section of the Western Dvina River from the dam of the Vitebsk hydroelectric power station at a distance of 800 meters downstream to the confluence of the Luzhesnyanka River,
- until July 15, 2021 on Lake Osinovskoye in the Vitebsk region,
- until December 21, 2021 on Lake Dymanovskoye (Domanovskoye) in the Vitebsk region,
- until May 31, 2021 on ponds formed in the beds of the Oshmyanka and Leilubka rivers and located within the city of Oshmyany, Grodno region,
- until December 31, 2021 on a pond located on the Witch River within the city of Lyakhovichi,
- until May 30, 2021 at pond No. 4 near the village of Leilubka, Oshmyany district, Grodno region.
Do's and Don'ts
Deputy Head of the Vitebsk Interdistrict Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Plants Vyacheslav Soldatov reminds about safety measures during winter fishing. According to him, there are 4 main ways of catching fish from ice: using a float rod, using a jig, vertical lures and fishing with girders. Zherlitsy and mugs are the so-called live bait gear for catching predatory fish species: perch, burbot, pike, pike perch. They are very popular among fishermen. The girders used by fishermen are mostly homemade; industrial-made gear, as a rule, is used infrequently.
At the same time, the Rules for Fishing and Fishing prohibit fishing using circles, girders, stakes, kolobashki and other similar systems and equipment at night, as well as without indicating the surname and initials of the person doing the fishing. You cannot leave installed fishing gear without visual control - if detected, they will be confiscated by the fishing control authorities.
It should be remembered that anglers are allowed to fish with the simultaneous use of fishing gear of the same type or different types with a total number of hooks of no more than 5 pieces per angler.
Fishermen who are members of the republican state-public association “Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen” have the right to fish while simultaneously using recreational fishing gear with a total number of hooks from 6 to 10 per person.
To help fishermen, the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Plants has prepared a calendar with images and descriptions of the Red Book inhabitants of Belarusian lakes and rivers.
