Lamprey: features and methods of catching

There are some baits that are considered rare. They are not as popular baits as worms or maggots, but in terms of their catchability they can seriously compete with them. Such baits are also called wild baits.

It is difficult to obtain such baits due to their scarcity or the difficulty of obtaining large quantities. Lamprey larva is considered one of the most effective wild baits.

River lamprey larva is an excellent bait

They are often called sand sanders. They are an excellent bait for catching fish. It can move on the hook for a long time, thereby attracting many fish. They are extremely difficult to obtain, but doable, and they lead a very modest lifestyle.

You can catch pike perch and even pike with a lamprey larva. The chub loves this bait very much. If you use it, then prey will be found every hour, guaranteed. You can throw such bait with bottom tackle in the evening, and in the morning you will get a pleasant surprise - a fairly large chub.

The sandfish really has some kind of magical powers, because it can lure a chub out of any hiding place. And if there is at least one individual of this fish in the fishing place, then it will definitely be caught.

Many fishermen consider the minnow an unattainable luxury, because it is very difficult to find, despite the fact that lampreys are found in many bodies of water. It is difficult to find due to the fact that the appearance of the sand miner is very unremarkable, and it hides well at the bottom of the reservoir or in thickets.

How to catch a lamprey?

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Lamprey

has delicious taste and is a real delicacy that was valued back in Ancient Rome.

The appearance of the lamprey is in many ways reminiscent of the loach, but this fish has a thinner body, there are no paired fins, and the body is without scales. Several species of lamprey live in our freshwater bodies. After the larvae emerge from the eggs, this fish can remain in the larval state for about 5 years. The length of the larvae can be 20 cm.

In addition to its gastronomic qualities, this fish is highly valued by fishermen, as is its excellent bait. The larvae of this fish are excellent for this purpose; they are very mobile and resilient, attracting many predatory fish. You can get larvae in the places where they live.

Lamprey in the larval state prefers to live in places with sandy and muddy bottoms of rivers and streams. The larva makes horizontal passages in the bottom formation. Typically, for life, the lamprey larva chooses places where there is wood debris, bays and creeks with a weak current. Lamprey is usually absent from swampy and stagnant bodies of water.

How to get a lamprey larva

? This is a fairly simple method; for this you will need an ordinary iron bucket, a shovel or a wide metal ladle. Next, use a bucket or other object to scoop up a certain amount of muddy soil. Pour it onto a flat surface of the bank and level it out. Soon the larvae will reveal themselves with their quick, characteristic movements. And here you can no longer hesitate, the larva can instantly slip out of your hands and very quickly burrow right into the shore.

You can catch larvae using another method. To do this, you need 2 pieces of turf of approximately the same size, and attach them with the earthen part to each other. Then you need to make holes in these pieces of turf with a thin stick or wire. Then this “trap for lamprey larvae should be laid on some kind of mesh frame and immersed in water in the habitat of the lamprey larvae

. After 2-3 days, you can check the trap; larvae will probably be living in it. Other organisms, dragonfly larvae, leeches, and water worms can also live there. All of them, like larvae, can serve as excellent bait.

Storing lamprey larvae is not difficult; they can be kept in any container, as long as the water temperature is not too high. The lamprey larva is very sensitive to increased water temperature and this can lead to the death of the larvae. If the weather is hot, the water in the container where lamprey larvae are stored should be changed more often. Lamprey larvae can be stored in a cool, dark place for about 2 weeks, at a temperature no higher than 15-17 degrees. Glass or aluminum containers are best suited for storing larvae. The dishes should not be filled with water to the very top. The optimal amount of water should not exceed a distance from the bottom of 12-15 cm.

Fishing with lamprey larva

Typically, small lamprey larvae are used as bait on float gear, and medium and large larvae are excellent bait for bottom gear. Small and medium-sized larvae, as a rule, are placed on single hooks, through the mouth and removed through the abdomen. As for large larvae, they should be placed on doubles behind the back of the larvae, or on two hooks, with one hook hooked behind the back and the second in the mouth with the outlet in the front of the abdomen. For greater reliability, to hold the wriggling larva on the hook, you can fix the removed hooks with small pieces of rubber.

When fishing, the lamprey should be kept at the very bottom; the larva will not be able to burrow into the mud, since the hooks will hold it. Lamprey larvae are loved by pike, perch, asp, ide, chub and pike perch. There is no need to rush when biting. You should let the predator swallow the larva and only then hook it. It often happens that when a predatory fish bites, it detects itself.

Lamprey fishing

It is almost impossible to catch lamprey with ordinary fishing gear. But there are other ways to catch it. This fish is mainly caught using a variety of traps. One of these methods is catching by light during spawning. So, powerful electric lights are placed along the riverbed, and traps are pre-placed in spawning areas. The lanterns are placed in such a way that only a small passage remains, through which the lamprey falls directly into the set traps.

Lampreys are also caught with beetroot (muzzles). Such fishing is carried out even on an industrial scale. Burak is a tackle in the form of a mesh cone with metal or plastic rings from 70 cm to 80 cm long. In the wide part of the muzzle there is a funnel, which is plugged with a stopper. The snouts are placed on a long rope, the distance between the traps is about 70 cm. Then the structure is lowered to the bottom of the river in those places where the lamprey lives throughout the night. Encountering such traps on its way, the lamprey enters them, and there is no way back for it. On average, about 50 lampreys fall into one beetroot per night.

Lamprey fishing

It is also carried out using traps for catching loaches. This method is usually used by fishermen on the Onega River. These traps look like a barrel made of splinters.

These splinters are fastened in 3 places using ropes and a hoop made of metal or plastic is put on top. On one side of such a trap, the bottom is made closed, and on the other, a special funnel also made of splinters is inserted. These traps are placed in those parts of the river where there are stones and placed in one row.

You can also catch this fish using hems; they are usually installed in such a way that they fit tightly to one another. They are then attached to pins. These are special structures made of stakes that partially block the river in those sections of the river along which lamprey migrates.

The main places for catching lamprey are the Lower Volga, Neva, Kura, Onega, Narva. In rivers such as Onega, Neva and Narva, all lamprey caught is marinated on an industrial scale. Narva pickled lamprey is especially famous. This is a truly delicious delicacy.

Published: 07/01/2014

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general information

It has many names, it all depends on its habitat. For example, it is called eel, gander, loach, minnow, spindle. But, this is not a fish, but just its larva, which will eventually grow into a full-fledged lamprey. The gerbil has no scales or bones.

Its length reaches only 2-3 cm, and it has not yet developed gills. She lives in almost all clean freshwater bodies of water with a good current. In most rivers it can be found, only in small quantities.

The development of the larvae into a full-fledged fish takes several years. She loves sandy or muddy bottoms. You need to look in creeks or where there is a lot of algae growing on the sandy bottom. If you need to look for larger individuals, then they live on the rifts.

The most difficult thing is not the search, but the extraction. To do this, you need to remove the top layer of soil and very quickly move it to the shore. And after that they look for larvae in the soil. They are incredibly slippery and agile, making them difficult to catch. Sensing danger, they burrow into the ground or hide in the water.

What kind of fish can you catch with this bait?

This bait is mainly used for catching large fish that like to hunt in riffles. You can catch a lamprey larva:

• Chub
• Bream
• Guster
• Yazya
• Soma
• Pike-perch
• Perch

Lamprey larvae. Tips for preparing and storing bait

Many fishermen are accustomed to catching exclusively predatory fish with live bait, but there are live baits that can also be used to catch peaceful fish, and even very effectively. Such bait can be the so-called lamprey larva, or in some regions simply a loach. The lamprey larva is the highest level of delicacy among fish such as ide and chub, and about predatory fish such as catfish, pike perch and perch, one can simply say that this is the number one bait fish. Catching catfish is a separate topic, but if you leave the bottom tackle with a lamprey bait overnight, in the morning, a catfish will definitely sit on the hook, even if it is slightly larger than the bait.

Lamprey lives throughout the European part of the Russian Federation, exclusively in rivers with clean water. It can live in small rivers in their upper reaches, resembling a stream. This is a small fish with no scales on its skin, reaching no more than eighteen centimeters in height. The lamprey does not live long as an adult; having reached sexual maturity in the fourth year of life, it spawns and immediately dies. All four years before spawning, the lamprey arrives as a larva and lives, burrowing into the bottom soil, almost never coming to the surface. The lamprey larva looks like an adult fish when fully formed, the only difference is that it has no eyes. The larva feeds on food found in the bottom soil, insect larvae and sediments, half-decomposed algae. Catching larvae is very difficult, but with some skills, this task is completely solvable.

Read: How to catch fish with cheese bait

First of all, you should find a place on the reservoir where these individuals are likely to be located. Such places are very diverse; it can be a fast current with sandy soil or a quiet backwater with a muddy bottom. There are several ways to obtain the larvae of this fish; they are dug up with a bayonet or shovel, taking the soil to the shore, or scooping up this soil with a bucket. There is only one principle here: pull the soil ashore and only by carefully sorting it with your hands can you find larvae in it. The larvae are very slippery and shifty, reminiscent of large worms, it is very difficult to hold them in your hands, but over time, you can get used to it. Using a bayonet shovel, dig for larvae while standing waist-deep in water. Having previously found a shore that drops steeply into the water, with a large root-plex of coastal grass. In this steep bank, retreating a little more than thirty centimeters from the surface of the water, a piece of soil is cut out with a shovel and rolled out onto the shore. This work is done as quickly as possible so that the larvae cannot run away. By dividing the root plexuses and disassembling them into the smallest parts, the larvae are removed and placed in a container with clean and fresh water.

Read: DIY cockroach for chub

It is necessary to store the larvae with frequent changes of water so that it does not have time to heat up and is saturated with oxygen. Otherwise, the larvae will quickly die. The lamprey larva is mounted in two ways. The first method is when the hook is inserted into the mouth opening and the sting of the hook is removed at the fourth hole, from the side below the head, which resembles gills. The second method is when a double puncture is made with a hook, in the middle of the larva, in the area of ​​the dorsal fin. A larva planted using these methods remains alive for about two days and catches fish perfectly.

Finding and catching lamprey larvae

In order to find a sand drill you need to find a suitable place. They can be overgrown or silted areas in a reservoir, as well as creeks where there is a slight current. The depth in the place is not particularly important; the most important thing is the presence of a good layer of silt, about half a meter deep. It’s easy to feel the depth of the silt; you just need to go into the water and feel how deep your feet go.

But even if there is a suitable area with a sufficient amount of sludge, this does not mean that larvae will be found in it. Sometimes you have to probe a lot of areas before luck smiles.

To find it, you need to scoop up a layer of silt and pour it onto the shore, after which you should very carefully scan the turned-up silt in search of the desired bait. Checking with your hands is most effective, because you can feel the movement. Place the spoils in a bucket with a small amount of water and algae.

When you are sure that there is the desired prey on the site, you need to scoop up the silt with more suitable equipment. You can make a ladle with a long handle, which is turned towards the person. Using such a bucket will greatly speed up the digging process, and there will be no need to go deep into the water. This is very convenient, especially when the weather is cold and you don’t want to freeze. You need to pull the soil ashore very quickly so that the prey does not have time to escape.

If even several attempts in different places do not give results, then you can try to dig deeper. After all, there is a possibility that the lamprey sensed danger and hid deeper. Sometimes it can be found in the soil layer under fallen leaves or near the roots of plants.

Lamprey fishing

In our country, three species of lamprey are known: river, stream and sea (anadromous). Since ancient times, this fish has been considered a delicacy, and its larvae have been considered an excellent bait.

Lamprey was once found in abundance in the Leningrad region and the rivers of the Baltic basin, in Lakes Ladoga and Onega, as well as in the northern seas. Now its catch here is limited, and during spawning it is prohibited. For example, in the Narova River, only professional fishermen are allowed to catch lamprey on the basis of licenses issued for installing a certain number of traps. Fans can catch lamprey in the Volga (Caspian lamprey) and in the Far East (Pacific lamprey, as well as Far Eastern river and Siberian brook lamprey). In each region, the rules for catching it should be clarified.

Lamprey and its features

The methods of catching lamprey differ from the methods of catching ordinary fish, because the lamprey has a number of biological features and is a jawless cyclostome. Strictly speaking, cyclostomes are the predecessors of fish. Instead of teeth, lampreys have cartilages, in adults the intestines are atrophied, and instead of bones, lampreys also have cartilages. Adult lampreys are parasites: they attach themselves to large fish with their suction cup mouth and feed on their blood, grinding the flesh of the victim until it dies. It follows from this that it is useless to catch lamprey with any bait using ordinary gear.

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Adult lampreys are very fatty (they are 20% fat) and tasty. However, their body, completely devoid of scales, is covered with mucus that is poisonous to the human stomach. Toxic substances do not decompose during cooking, so higher temperature treatment is required - lamprey must be fried or baked in its own fat; To preserve the fried lamprey, marinate it immediately. Lampreys prepared in this way are extremely tasty.

Lamprey spawns in May and June, but rises from the sea to spawn not only in spring, but also in autumn. On the Volga, as in other places, the lamprey fishing season begins in winter, when it is especially fat and has already entered the river. When the lamprey enters the river, it stops feeding. Spawning occurs in spring at a temperature of 16 °C. Females lay eggs in nests prepared by males at the bottom. After spawning, lampreys die. Lamprey larvae are not similar to adult individuals; they live buried in the sand and feed on bottom organisms - for this reason lamprey larvae are called sandworms or gerbils. They make great bait. They are obtained by picking them out by hand from the scooped up bottom sediment. The Caspian lamprey undergoes metamorphosis after 4 years, becomes an adult and goes to sea, only to enter rivers to spawn a couple of years later.

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Lampreys are caught in different ways: by hand, with nets, and various traps. Using gloved hands, they collect lampreys that have attached themselves to the stones. Sometimes they are scooped up with a net. Traps are cone-shaped structures made of rods, into which it is easy for the lamprey to swim, but impossible to get out. It is convenient to catch lamprey, using the fact that it does not tolerate bright light. Therefore, bright spotlights are installed under water, leaving a dark corridor where the lamprey rushes. Here the lamprey is scooped up with nets or traps are set. Nowadays, amateur traps are also made from plastic bottles.

Lamprey

Storing lamprey larvae

When fishing, they can be stored in a container with a small amount of water, but you need to monitor its temperature, because they can die in warm water. If it’s a hot day outside, then you should change the water often and put the container in a cool place.

At home they can be stored in a dark and cool place; if the storage temperature is approximately 16 degrees, the larvae can last for about two weeks. It is better to store it in a glass jar, into which you pour a little water. You can add soil taken from a reservoir to the container, then the sand drill will be buried in it and can live even for a month.

Methods for catching lamprey

It is caught all year round, but is best from August to February. The structural and nutritional features of the lamprey require specific fishing methods. Most often they use various devices such as a hedge trimmer, a snout or a lichen, less often - a net and very rarely - their own hands. Sometimes they use the so-called light corridor - a trap at the end of a dark corridor between two streams of light. The lamprey cannot stand light and rushes along it in panic, avoiding illuminated places, and falls straight into a trap. The devices have one principle: the fish crawls into them, but cannot get back out.

Traps vary in shape and size:

1. The smallest is the minnow, a type of snout. It looks like truncated cones inserted into each other. The length is 75 centimeters, the larger base is 30 centimeters in diameter, the smaller one is 15. A removable cone 30 centimeters long with an inlet diameter of 5 centimeters is inserted into the larger one, the smaller one is plugged with a stopper to facilitate fish removal. Material – veneer, rods, metal. Often made from five- or eight-liter bottles.
2. The muzzle (beetroot) is a double scissor. Material – veneer or rods.
3. The conch is essentially the same muzzle, only made in the shape of a barrel. A funnel up to half the length of the barrel is inserted into one side. Material – veneer.

Modern hems for lamprey come in different shapes and are made of knotless nylon.

An improved fishing spider top with 8 inputs will allow you to catch 3-4 times MORE FISH!

In winter, traps are placed under the ice or in gullies. At other times, they simply block the riverbed. Traps are placed along the shore or in shallow places with currents, immersed and firmly attached to the bottom. The entrance to them is directed against the movement of the fish.

Read! Fishing for carp on the river

Fishing with lamprey larva

Smaller specimens are used for fishing with a float rod, and larger specimens are used for bottom tackle. It is better to lower such bait to the very bottom; it will not be able to bury itself in the mud, because the hook will hold it tightly. It will wriggle and raise a cloud of dust, which will interest many fish, especially predators.

When it starts to bite, there is no need to rush to pull it out, the fish may break loose. You need to wait a little until the fish has completely swallowed the bait, and only then hook it. In this way, the prey will hook itself. The equipment must be tugged periodically to prevent the sand drill from burrowing and hiding at the bottom.

Place on the hook

This larva is very slippery, so it is very difficult not only to pull them out of the mud, but also to put them on a hook. Smaller specimens are placed on a single hook. The point is passed through the mouth and out through the abdomen. Large larvae should be put on a tee to prevent them from falling off.

In this case, one or two of the hooks are put on the back, clinging to strong skin, and the other is threaded into the mouth and out through the abdomen. To prevent the bait from slipping and running away, it is fixed with pieces of rubber, which are placed on the points of the hooks.

Lamprey habits and habitats

Lamprey is a nocturnal bottom fish. She does not like light and very often sticks to stones or snags located at the bottom, and, if possible, also buries herself in the silt. The lamprey spawns only once in its life, after which it dies. The egg hatches not into a fry, but into a larva called a sandworm. Most of all it resembles a worm and least of all an adult lamprey. In this state, the fish spends most of its life, about five years, and grows up to twenty centimeters.

Lampreys are found all over the globe, but not many species are edible. In Russia, river and brook lampreys are found in the Northwestern region and the Volga basin. Regardless of habitat, it spawns exclusively in fresh water. The length of an adult lamprey rarely exceeds forty-five centimeters, and its weight is one hundred and fifty grams. Fish live no more than seven years. Sandworms feed on microorganisms and detritus. An adult lamprey either does not feed at all or is a parasite on other fish.

Read! Fishing for pike from the shore

Reviews from fishermen

This kind of bait is used quite rarely, but those fishermen who have tried fishing with a sand drill are very pleased with the result.

A user under the nickname LAVER writes that the lamprey larva is an excellent bait; I use it to catch predators. It's just a little difficult to catch. I tried using a mesh shovel, when you pull out the soil and immediately wash it, then only pebbles and larvae remain in the bucket. Grade:

User Andrey 81 writes that he was once fishing, catching crucian carp, when he went into the water, he felt something swarming under his feet. I pulled it out, and it turned out to be small lampreys. Local fishermen suggested. It turned out that this was an excellent bait; that same evening I caught several burbot on them. Grade:

User Kostya467 writes that he caught this bait several times. At first I put it on incorrectly, and it constantly slipped, but after I adjusted, the bite began regularly. In just a few hours I caught 5 chubs and several perches. A very cool thing, but it’s difficult to catch; I had to dig for several hours until I found a good place. Grade:

User Yuri writes that this is the best bait. It catches almost everything, including large sizes and absolutely no small things. It is a pity that there are few larvae and they are difficult to find. I would use this on every fishing trip. Grade:

User vsk2002 writes that if you fish with a sander, then it is simply impossible to return without catch. Someone is sure to bite even on the most unfavorable day for fishing. Mostly catfish and pike perch were caught. The bait is very cool, it can live on a hook for a long time, wriggle, luring prey. But even if it is dead, it will still remain desirable for fish. Grade:

What other baits can be used to catch river fish?

The following can be used as natural baits for catching river fish:

• Long-eared flathead
• Tubifex
• Leeches
• Caddisfly
• Whipfly larvae
• Mayfly larvae
• Bark beetles
• Beetle larvae
• Kuznechikov
• Horseflies
• Ovodov
• Dragonfly larvae
• codling moths
• Worms
• Maggot
• Motyl

Lamprey larvae are very much valued by fishermen, because they give simply amazing results. With their help you can catch a lot of different valuable and tasty fish. The most important thing is to find such bait and catch it.