Where to fish
Catching sabrefish in the Lower Volga and Akhtuba is simplified by the fact that schools of fish are easy to identify by the concentration of seagulls above the water. This means that below the saberfish is hunting for fry.
The fish prefers deep places on the river not far from the shore. The current likes it slow, with whirlpools. You will not find saberfish in a strong or, on the contrary, very weak current. But some kind of obstacle to the flow on or below the water (at least three meters deep) is an indicator that you will find saberfish there. She will give herself away with regular bursts. If you find such a place, you will have a catch.
Catching sabrefish from the bottom
Photo by the author
If in the middle of the summer, with an abundance of flying insects, saberfish are easy to detect by their characteristic splashes when they pick up food from the surface of a reservoir, then when the weather gets colder, their flocks go deeper. And then fishing with bottom gear can be very effective. It is only important to know the habitats of this unique fish in all respects.
Both local (residential) and semi-anadromous saberfish, as a rule, stick to rather deep areas of the reservoir, devoid of aquatic vegetation. In general, it must be said that this fish is quite heat-loving and its number decreases from south to north. Although along the Volga the saberfish rises quite high in other years, entering large and medium-sized tributaries. In addition, some Volga reservoirs are inhabited by a residential form of saberfish. Unlike the semi-anadromous fish, it does not make long pre-spawning migrations. Typically, flocks of saberfish prefer inland seas, extensive reservoirs, flowing lakes and mainly large rivers.
Like most carp fish, sabrefish feeds all year round, except during spawning, when its activity is mainly aimed at prolonging the genus. In the third year of life, the saberfish becomes a predator, eating mainly juveniles of various fish and small fish such as bleak, verkhovka, bystryanka, sprat, and smelt. Chekhon is often called a high-water fish. I would not say this, since I know well that flocks of sabrefish feed both in mid-water and at the very bottom.
With the appearance of the first signs of autumn, usually during Indian summer, the saberfish bite intensifies. If in summer it is most active mainly in the early morning or evening hours, then with the cooling of the upper layers of water, its schools increasingly begin to be pursued by clusters of fry that have grown over the summer. Moreover, the bite of sabrefish is not limited to daylight hours, continuing into twilight and at night. During this period, on large and medium-sized rivers, the location of saberfish striking fry at the surface of the water can be easily determined by the concentration of gulls, which more often than usual dive after wounded fry. A fattening school of sabrefish, usually consisting of fish of the same age, does not stay in place for long, being constantly on the move. And it’s best to hunt for sabrefish in “cauldrons” with a spinning rod. But as the weather gets colder, the upper layers of water cool, aerial insects disappear, and accumulations of small food fish follow the plankton to depths where the water is warmer. It's time to fish with bottom gear.
As a rule, the “cauldrons” where sabrefish hunt for fry are located far from the shore and it is not easy to detect schools of fattening fish without a boat and binoculars. However, on small channels of the Lower Volga even during this period you can find saberfish not far from the shore, especially where the main channel forms calm and deep reaches.
WITH QUIVERTYPE
Any method of catching sabrefish is selected depending on the location of this fish in each specific case. Fishing with bottom gear is especially effective in early spring and late autumn, when schools of saberfish often feed at the bottom rather than in the upper layers of water.
The basis of the tackle is a fishing rod, usually up to 4 m long. Compared to a spinning rod, instead of a tulip, this type of rod uses removable tips of varying hardness - quivertips. This is a very convenient and effective tackle for catching sabrefish from the bottom. You can fish with both a sinker and a feeder. But, in my opinion, it is more promising with a sinker, especially if you are fishing from an anchored boat. In this case, your bait, as when fishing with a running bottom, can examine not only different water horizons, but also, moving along the bottom, attract the attention of sabrefish. When fishing for sabrefish, I place the leash slightly higher than in the rig for traditional bottom-dwelling fish - usually 0.5-1 m from the end sinker or feeder. It’s even better to put 2-3 leashes, the distance between which is at least 40 cm.
After casting, it is better to hold the rod in your hands. The bait used is a worm, maggot, whitebait, sliced fish, and various “sandwiches.” The main condition is that the bait must stay well on the hook.
For quivertip fishing, open and closed plastic feeders are very easy to use, they allow you to use bait economically and are excellent at attracting flocks of sabrefish, especially in moderate currents next to the main stream. However, it is difficult to fish with such gear in strong currents. Usually I tie two leashes above the feeder: one half a meter from it, and the other slightly higher. Through the holes in the closed feeder, the plant components of the bait are washed out by the current, and small maggots or food bloodworms gradually come out. Open feeders are less economical. All of the above applies mostly to catching resident saberfish. Semi-passing sabrefish, when they roll downstream in the fall, can be caught without bait - with a spinning rod called a picker.
FOR A HALF BOTTOM
In the absence of modern bottom gear, some fishermen catch sabrefish, especially in the twilight, with the so-called “half-bottom”, although it would be more accurate to call this gear a donkey with a float alarm. Instead of traditional bells and plumb lines, it uses a float attached to a fishing line at a distance of 0.5-1 m from the tip of the fly rod. The bite is determined by the pull of the float or its sagging in the opposite direction. But usually, with a sharp grip, the fish hooks itself. The half-bottom is usually caught during daylight hours. This gear can be especially effective after heavy autumn rains, when saber fish come close to the shore to feast on washed-off food in the muddy water.
When hooked, the saberfish behaves in a peculiar way: it resists quite strongly and twists the rig. Therefore, do not give in any slack, otherwise the hooked fish may escape. The saberfish has weak lips and this factor must be taken into account when hooking and fishing.
WITH RUBBER SHOCK ABSORBER
You can catch sabrefish from the bottom, in mid-water and even near the surface on a donka with a rubber shock absorber, accordingly upgrading it for specific fishing conditions. Coming to the Lower Volga in the autumn, we sometimes got tired of chasing pike perch and pike perch and switched to harvesting sabrefish. This was partly explained by the fact that, while walking along the shore with spinning rods, we paid attention to the characteristic splashes of sabrefish in one place or another. By evening, the splashes ended, which meant that the flock of sabrefish went into the bottom layers of water. Since each flock in September-October usually stays within a certain section of a river or channel, the idea of catching sabrefish with an elastic band came up. We then camped on Akhtuba. And in the first few days I became convinced that it is best to determine the location of saberfish by splashes on quiet evenings.
On one of these evenings, my friend and I pumped up a rubber boat and, rafting downstream, settled not far from the camp, where a rather calm stretch began behind the cape. It took about half an hour to wind up two donks with rubber bands and lower the bait balls at the location of the hooks. In addition, between the leashes I attached a light spiral feeder to each bottom, as an addition to the main bait. In general, the gear looked like this. Hooks No. 8 were attached to the main fishing line with a diameter of 0.4 mm and a length of 50 m on three short leashes. The leashes made of fishing line with a diameter of 0.16 mm were located at intervals of 40-50 centimeters. The leashes were connected to the main line using the “loop-to-loop” method. We used small dung worms and maggots as bait.
After some time, the bites began. I took a medium-sized saberfish. Often she caught herself. We returned to camp at night, when everyone was asleep. And in the morning we weighed the catch - almost 6 kg for two. The advantages of the “elastic band” include the fact that in the autumn you can successfully fish with fry, for example, with a verkhovka, sprat or small bleak (we were not able to get a fry on that visit, so I can’t say anything about fishing with this bait) . As for the disadvantages of this method, it is the need to transport cargo by boat. Not every angler has had the opportunity to catch the fabulous bite of the silvery beauty - saberfish. But we all know how tasty this fish is dried or raw smoked.
Vladimir Tarkhanov October 10, 2013 at 00:00
What does the saber fish eat?
Among the baits, the priority is grasshoppers, flies, and worms. Large sabrefish take well on three- and four-centimeter fry. The grasshopper's legs need to be removed. Place any bait firmly, without drooping. They are often caught on wasps - there are more of them on the lower Volga than grasshoppers. In addition, two or three fish are caught per wasp - by the time they taste the bait, they swallow the hook. Experienced fishermen prepare wasps in this way: they leave a can of condensed milk open, and soon the wasps cling to the inside. All you have to do is pour boiling water inside, and the bait is guaranteed.
How to catch correctly
Fish hears and sees perfectly. If you are frightened by the first awkward movements when catching one fish, the whole flock will leave the place chosen by it and you for several days. In addition to the fact that rude noise is unacceptable, the fisherman needs camouflage. Catching sabrefish from a boat is preferable to constantly sitting on the shore. After catching several specimens in one place, the bite stops, but the fish splashes nearby. The boat makes it possible to swim closer without attracting attention and continue the hunt.
Chekhon will not let you sit in one place. If the bite has stopped, it is useless to “wait for weather by the sea”; change your location. When going fishing for sabrefish, you need to have in mind several places where this fish is definitely found, and move from one to another.
Chekhon is caught by supplementing the wiring with other methods. First, the usual one is used and the first prey is caught. When the bait, floating at the same depth, remains unclaimed, the sinker is raised on the fishing line closer to the float, and several fish are again caught. The bite has disappeared - the sinker is moved to its original place and passed through the bottom layers.
If you are fishing from a boat, do not make long casts, do not scare the fish. Lower the nozzle close to the boat. Now, with vigorous, frequent twitches, pull the nozzle towards you. Be patient and don’t rush to hook a fish that tries the bait – it will run away. On the contrary, loosen the line and let the bait sink and float with the flow. Only when the float dives and starts moving, hook.
But don’t think that the saberfish has already been caught, it will show itself yet. A typical specimen of the Lower Volga saberfish weighs 200-400 grams (less in the Volga, more in Akhtuba), and it resists decently while you fish it out. Move away from the hooking zone as quickly as possible, not allowing you to jump out of the water, so as not to scare away all the fish in the water area. When you get tired (it will take about a quarter of an hour), take him to the boat and take him out of the water. She seems immobilized, but this is a deceptive maneuver. Grab the front fins with your hand and hold tightly - the saberfish will not give up without a fight. If you immediately throw the catch into the boat, you will regret it - there will be a lot of noise, and jumping out is not a problem for it, it is better to slowly lower it into the cage.
The first successful fishing for sabrefish will make you fall in love with this fish and hunting for it. In the future, you will come to a good place - where there are fish and there is a place to stay comfortably. For example, at the Zavolzhye recreation center, 100 km from Astrakhan, where you will find everything you need for a great time and successful fishing.
Catching sabrefish: secrets, photos and videos
Description of the species, lifestyle of sabrefish
The sabrefish (lat. Pelecus cultratus), a fish of the carp family, has a very unusual body shape - it is highly flattened and resembles a curved saber. For this, it is sometimes called a “saber” and a “cleaver.” The scales of this fish have a bright silver color, the mouth is small and strongly turned up, which is explained by the peculiarities of the diet. Adult saberfish are predators. It lives in large flocks, but is very cautious and timid.
In our country, saberfish live mainly in the south; there is a lot of it in the Caspian and Black Sea basins. It prefers large bodies of water and can stay at depths of up to 30 m. On the Lower Volga, including Akhtuba, there are residential (never leaving the river beds) and semi-anadromous (entering the riverbeds from the Caspian) forms of sabrefish.
On Akhtuba, in the Three Rivers region, saber fish usually reach a length of up to 40 cm and a weight of up to 0.5 kg, but there have been cases of catching individuals weighing up to 1 kg. The minimum permitted size of sabrefish caught in the Astrakhan region according to fishing rules is 22 cm.
Chekhon spawns from April to June, during the period of high water and at a water temperature of at least +10 °C. At the same time, the residential form of sabrefish spawns in shallow waters, laying eggs on aquatic plants, and the semi-anadromous form - directly in the stream on the surface of the water (its eggs are carried by the current to the Delta).
Another feature of sabrefish is its very active, mobile lifestyle, characteristic of most pelagic fish. She does not like standing water, overgrown ponds and muddy shallows. She needs space, depth and streams of clean water, rich in food. The main diet of sabrefish consists of insects and larvae, worms and fish fry.
Habitats of saberfish on Akhtuba
This fish, even more cautious than the asp, never comes close to the shore during the day, and at night goes to the depths and into channel holes. But during periods when there is a lot of food (insects, larvae) on the surface of the water, saberfish can walk in the surface layer almost around the clock. As the water gets colder and there are night frosts, you need to look for sabrefish at the very bottom - its food sinks there.
Chekhon is a schooling fish; the number of individuals in a school can vary greatly: from several tens to hundreds of specimens. Small flocks of sabrefish “graze” in creeks and small pools, while large flocks prefer rapids and riverbeds. On the water, saberfish reveal themselves with small splashes, which are especially noticeable early in the morning or late in the evening.
Frightened by a strange sound, a school of saberfish immediately goes into the depths and can return to its original place only after a few hours, and sometimes the next day. Schools of sabrefish are often accompanied by asp, which stays a little deeper, hunting both the fry that is being scared away and the sabrefish itself. The minimum distance at which you can bring a boat to a flock of sabrefish usually does not exceed 30 meters, while you must maintain silence, but there is no need to worry about camouflage - it has been noted that sabrefish do not react to bright colors.
How and what to catch sabrefish on Akhtuba
When catching sabrefish from a boat, you need to anchor 30 meters upstream from the place where the school was spotted. Next, it is advisable to wait about five minutes for the fish to calm down. In this case, it will not be superfluous to have a supply of anchor line, since a disturbed flock can gradually move downstream and the fisherman, releasing the line, will conveniently follow it, remaining at casting distance.
As artificial baits for catching sabrefish, spoons, spinners and streamers in combination with spoons are usually used.
Spinner spinners (rotating spoons) are rarely used, as they do not fly well in the wind, and in this case you will need to send the bait at a distance of at least 40 meters. You can actually use some models of spinners from Daiwa and Lav MD - they have a weighted core. The shape and color of the petals in this case do not matter.
