Spawning of pike perch: place, conditions and time

Pike perch is a valuable prey fished by fishermen throughout Russia. The value of the predator is an interesting process of fishing, since the fish is quite strong, has a large body size and good taste. Fishing for pike perch is possible throughout the year, except for the only period - spawning. The spawning time of pike perch is a special period in the life of the fish, during which the predator behaves completely differently than usual. In most regions, fishing is prohibited during the spawning season.

Conditions for spawning pike perch

Content

The fanged one becomes sexually mature and capable of reproduction at 3-4 years of age. Typically, females acquire the ability to lay eggs at the age of four years, and males a year earlier. Before spawning, the pike perch already has time to develop to a weight of 0.5-0.7 kg with a body length of 30-40 cm.

When winter ends and the ice cover begins to melt, the fish begins to actively feed. The pike perch prepares to spawn by storing up fat. During the spawning period, pike perch will need a lot of energy to get to the place, pick up a mate, release eggs and fertilize them. At the end of winter or early spring, the predator moves closer to the shore or to shallow areas of the reservoir where schools of fry live. Now is the best time to catch large fanged specimens; trophies are often caught on the hook.

Fishing for pike perch is possible throughout the year.

The preparation time for pike perch takes up to one month; all the time it feeds heavily. The specific period when spawning begins cannot be determined precisely; it all depends on the temperature. The water temperature for spawning pike perch should be between 10-18 °C. In the warm regions of Russia, fish go to spawning grounds in April, in the central part of the country - in May, and in the north, favorable conditions occur in late May or early June. Now most of the reservoirs are entering their usual banks, which symbolizes the end of the spring flood.

Pike perch usually lives in schools; often a group of pike perch consists of a hundred individuals or more. Large fish do not like to stay in schools; they are more comfortable alone, where it is easier for them to find food. After the end of the period of active feeding, the fanged one goes to the spawning ground. The fish swims slowly, absorbing all the food it comes across as it goes. Due to the preservation of the instinct to eat, many anglers hunt pike perch with spinning rods or float gear with live bait.

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Spawn time

Puberty in a fanged predator occurs at the age of 3-4 years.
By this time, the fish has managed to gain weight in the range of 500-700 g and reach a length of about 30-40 cm. This is interesting!
Males become sexually mature one year earlier than females. Immediately after the end of winter and the disappearance of the ice shell from the surface of reservoirs, pike perch begins to feed intensively before spawning. The predator moves to shallow waters following schools of fry. Sometimes the fanged robber has to move long distances upstream. Experienced fishermen consider this period the best time to catch trophy specimens.

When the time comes for pike perch to spawn, small representatives gather in large groups. Large fish prefer to stay alone.

After intensive feeding, schools of pike perch begin moving to the spawning grounds. The movement is quite slow; along the way, the fish continue to hunt, which local fishermen take advantage of. They watch for a passing flock with live bait fishing rods or spinning rods. The total preparation time for spawning is 3-4 weeks.

The exact spawning time of pike perch depends on water temperature. The optimal mode for reproduction ranges from 10-18ºС. If in the southern regions spawning can begin in April, then in the middle zone favorable conditions begin only in May or June. By this time, most rivers have already entered their banks after the spring flood. Females begin laying eggs in the late evening or at night.

Places where pike perch spawn

The fanged fish spawns approximately after mid-spring, at which time it begins to actively look for a place where it will build a nest for eggs. Predators leave in groups from deep places in the reservoir and swim to the shallows near the shore.

Frequent spawning sites for pike perch:

eriki;
small channels;
oxbow lakes on rivers;
bays.

Spawning of pike perch in the spring occurs in the listed places, even among the inhabitants of lakes and seas. Now all individuals tend to leave their homes and swim in flocks to suitable sections of rivers.

Spawning is carried out in pre-prepared nests

The predator prefers to make nests in areas of rivers with lush vegetation, snags and other debris. As the mating season approaches, large flocks disperse and small groups of 2-3 males form. If the individuals are large, there is only one male in the pair. Usually, among a group of males, only one participates in the breeding process, which is larger than the rest.

The spawn is thrown into pre-prepared nests. In advance, the female prepares the nest in a secluded place; she actively fans the area with her ventral fins to remove remaining debris and vegetation. The female clears the bottom, creating a clean surface for the eggs. There is work here for the males, who level the ground with their noses. Together, the fanged ones create a depression at the bottom 5-10 cm deep. Pike perch likes to make oval recesses for masonry up to 0.6 m long. Along the perimeter of the nest there are roots with branches that perform a protective function.

There are regions of Russia where pike perch is endangered. The fish simply does not find a favorable place to lay eggs. To help the predator, people arrange suitable spawning grounds. After all, random scattering of eggs leads to the death of all offspring.

To make an artificial spawning ground, vegetation is removed from the bottom and special nests are made from branches or stainless steel. A substrate is placed inside the frame: nylon ropes, vegetation roots. To mark spawning grounds, small floats are attached to the edges.

Spawning period for pike perch

Depending on the water temperature in the reservoir, spawning of pike perch can begin in mid-April, or maybe at the end of May. In the southern regions of our country, where the water warms up faster, pike perch spawning begins by the end of April, and in the middle zone - by the end of May or beginning of June. When the water in the river warms up to 8-10 degrees, pike perch begins to gather in mating groups.

At this time, pike perch, usually devoted to riffles, rapids and other areas with strong currents, goes to unusual, quiet places - with almost a complete absence of current and with a wide abundance of aquatic vegetation. Mating groups of pike perch choose shallow places for spawning: from 0.5 to 3 m. Even a 3-meter depth is rather an exception - the spawning grounds of pike perch are usually located in calm places with a depth of 0.5-1.5 m.

During spawning, schools of pike perch begin to look for a suitable substrate for spawning. Usually these are branched roots of reeds and water lilies, various shrubs, as well as flooded or coastal trees (willow, alder and others). It also happens that pike perch spawns in flooded meadow grasses at a depth of 0.5-1 m.

Spawning of pike perch is a very interesting, observational process. One mating group consists of one female and two or three males who constantly accompany her. First, the female prepares the nest. Having selected submerged roots suitable for spawning, she begins to actively fan them with her fins, forming waves and removing the remaining soil from the roots. Then the entire mating group levels the hard soil near the spawning area with their noses. As a result, an oval-shaped space is formed, deepened by 5-10 cm, into which the eggs will be spawned. The size of the nest usually depends on the size of the fish. Their diameter can vary from 20 to 70 cm. Spawning usually occurs at night. At one time, the female spawns all the eggs, while only one male participates in this process, and the rest move away. At the end of spawning, the female swims away, and the male who fertilized the eggs remains to guard the spawning ground. It is often called the “guard” pike perch.

It will guard the spawning area until small larvae begin to hatch from the eggs. The duties of the “guard” pike perch are very important. During the ripening period of the eggs, he actively fans them with his fins, which promotes aeration and prevents silting. If you scare the “sentinel” pike perch, after a while it will still return to the nest. If you catch it and do not release it back, all the eggs will die. Pike perch is not known for its good fertility: in one spawning the number of eggs barely reaches 200 thousand.

Despite the high numbers in many reservoirs, pike perch may simply disappear from them. Often, large bodies of water and reservoirs do not have places suitable for spawning pike perch. And without a spawning ground, the eggs are spontaneously swept out and soon die. In a problematic reservoir, you can save pike perch by creating artificial spawning grounds for it, in which it will willingly lay eggs.

Immediately after the end of spawning, pike perch have a short period of activity. Unfortunately, it ends quickly, and the fish bite weakens. Before the spawning period, the activity of pike perch is very low; only the most avid anglers were able to catch it. But with the onset of the May holidays, the bite already becomes satisfactory, gradually improving every day until the end of the spawning period. The most active pike perch bite is observed from mid-July to the end of August, and then gradually decreases.

How does pike perch behave before spawning?

Before spawning, pike perch gains strength and feeds heavily. Fans of fanged fishing always know when the pike perch goes to spawn, and go fishing in advance - a couple of weeks before sending it to the spawning grounds. Usually the pre-spawning zhor coincides with the flood. Now the predator is swimming close to the surface in search of food - various fry. Flocks of fry can be seen scattering on the water.

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To build a nest, fish swim in search of a secluded place

The fanged one is not distinguished by active or unusual preparation for spawning. The fish is energetic, but not too much; there are no noticeable signs of mating on the water. Only occasionally can tails protruding from the water be noticeable. The female takes a position upside down and sways with smooth movements. Mostly the process occurs at night, so few people see it. Then the fish swim in search of a secluded place to build a nest; when they find it, they begin to arrange it.

When does pike perch begin to spawn?

Pike perch begins to spawn when the average daily air temperature is about 15 degrees. In this case, the aquatic environment should warm up to 14 degrees. In the middle zone, this period occurs in mid-May. In the southern regions - in the second half of April. In reservoirs of northern latitudes, the “fanged” one begins to spawn at the beginning of summer.

Pike perch, which lives in the reservoirs of the southern regions, is ready for procreation already in the fourth year of life. The predator of northern latitudes becomes sexually mature only at 6 years. This factor explains the relatively small number of “fanged” in the waters of the north.

After the ice melts, the pike perch actively feeds, trying to stock up on fat reserves for the spawning period. As soon as the water warms up to 12 degrees, it begins to gather in flocks and moves to the places where spawning will occur. In search of suitable areas, the fish is able to cover distances of tens of kilometers. Semi-anadromous individuals living in sea estuaries often travel a path longer than 200 km.

While moving to the spawning grounds, the predator continues to feed heavily and is well caught on artificial baits:
twisters and vibrotails 7–10 cm long;
foam fish (mandulas);
wobblers of the “fet” and “shad” classes;
oscillating spinners of the castmaster type.

During this period, the “fanged” one can also be caught with a donk or an elastic band. Roach, gudgeon or bleak no more than 10 cm long are used as live bait.

Start of spawning of pike perch

The female with a male or several males goes to the prepared nest and begins to lay eggs. The fertility of pike perch is quite high, since one large individual weighing 8 kg is capable of laying 300 thousand yellow eggs in a clutch. Some clutches can reach 1 million eggs. One egg has a diameter of approximately 1 mm. All eggs are fertilized by a male selected for size. The largest pike perch gradually fertilizes the clutch.

The remaining individuals, if there were several males in the group, are engaged in protecting the future offspring. When the spawning of pike perch begins, the predators are aggressive; they scare away the fish swimming nearby, blocking access to those who like to feast on caviar.

Male defenders, often he alone, must periodically clean the masonry, washing off silt from it and aerating the water. If the protective pike perch is caught, the entire clutch dies.

It is impossible to say exactly how many days the spawning of pike perch lasts, but usually the process takes from 10 to 20 days. The eggs develop relatively quickly and after 1-1.5 weeks they already reach a size of 15-20 mm, now the shell opens and the fry comes out.

It is impossible to say exactly how many days the spawning of pike perch lasts.

When does spawning of pike perch end?

Under favorable weather conditions, the spawning period of pike perch lasts about ten days. In the event of a sudden cold snap or heavy rainfall, the fish may interrupt the breeding process. Spawning resumes only after the water temperature has returned to 14–16 degrees. During a cold, rainy spring, some individuals do not have time to spawn, and the eggs die.

In the middle zone, pike perch spawning ends in the last days of May. The fanged predator of the southern regions completes the breeding process at the end of April. In northern reservoirs, the end of pike perch spawning occurs in mid-June.

The predator begins to respond to fishing baits two weeks after spawning. During this period you can catch him:

for silicone baits;
on a foam fish;
for oscillating lures of the “jig” class;
for tail spinners of various modifications.

During daylight hours, fishing is carried out at a depth of 3–6 m. At night, the predator goes out to feed in shallow water areas with a depth of up to 1.5 m, where it can be caught using floating shad-class wobblers 7–9 cm long.

The increased feeding activity of the predator after spawning lasts about ten days. Then the bite begins to gradually fade. In mid-summer, pike perch can rarely be caught during daylight hours. In warm water, it comes out to feed only at dawn and in the dark.

Pike perch after spawning

After most of the young hatch from the eggs, the adults leave the clutch and go to deep places in the reservoir. The young animals continue to grow rapidly, the pace of development directly depends on the food supply. At first they feed on the egg substrate obtained from the eggs, and then they switch to plankton.

If conditions are conducive to the development of pike perch, by winter the fry reach a length of about 20 cm. In conditions of lack of food, young animals rarely cross the 10 cm line. As soon as the temperature drops significantly, the growth of the fry stops until the weather warms up.