White bream: description of the fish, differences from bream and silver bream, habitats, fishing methods and gastronomic value

The carp family has dozens of representatives that are widely distributed throughout Russia. Many members of the family are commercial fish and objects of recreational and sport fishing.

A special place in the family is occupied by bream - the only fish in the genus Abramis brama. Its young specimen is called the bream. The bream is a conspicuous fish, having a certain body structure that is not characteristic of all cyprinids. Body flattened laterally. Because of this feature, in the fishing community the fish was called “plywood”. The scoundrel is a very cautious fish, it is also called “scoundrel fish.”

This representative of the river fauna is extremely popular in the fishing community. It is valued for the taste of its meat and its character, which makes fishing interesting. In order for the catch of fish to be successful, the angler needs to know the characteristics of this fish, its character and habits, which change with the seasons.

The white bream is similar to many representatives of a huge family, but it is most similar to its ancestor bream and white bream.

What is the difference between bream and white bream?

Many inexperienced fishermen are sure that bream and white bream are different species. They are very similar, but have a number of differences that will disappear over time. After all, a bream is a young individual of bream up to 3 years old. White bream form the largest population of bream. The weight of the bream varies from 300 to 700 grams. Bream are much larger than their descendants.

However, the main difference between the bream and the bream is the color of the scales. The bream has silvery scales. In an adult, the scales have a brown, bronze, reddish and golden tint. If the catch contains a fish weighing 1 kilogram, but with silvery scales, it is a bream, and if the scales have already acquired a brown tint, then it is already an adult bream. In addition, the young fish does not have a hump, which it will acquire during its life. The bream got its name because it is, under the guise of bream, a young specimen of this bottom-dwelling fish.

Difference between white bream and bream

Discussions sometimes arise between anglers about the difference between bream and bream. Strictly speaking, in ichthyology there is no such species of fish as the bream. It was invented by fishermen, separating fishing for bream and bream, since the methods of fishing for these fish are somewhat different.

In scientific terms, a bream is an unripe and unformed bream. Its behavior differs from the behavior of its older relatives, therefore the methods of catching representatives of this bream family are somewhat different.

As soon as an individual gains a kilogram, it can be called a bream. Another reliable criterion by which bream and bream are distinguished is the distance between the ribs. If it is larger than a finger, then we have a bream, if it is smaller, then it means a bream.

As mentioned above, bream have a bronze and brown tint. The bream has much smaller scales than the bream. It is smaller than that of crucian carp and roach of the same size. And, of course, the gastronomic value of bream is much higher. When we evaluate the taste of crucian carp, we note that palm-shaped specimens are the most delicious and appetizing. In the case of bream, this cannot be said. The white breams are only suitable for salting. Bream are good fried, smoked and dried. They have more fat and the meat is very tasty.

Differences between silver bream and white bream

If white bream and bream can be distinguished by the color of their scales, then it is much more difficult to find the differences between white bream and silver bream. Gustera is a unique representative of its family and forms the genus Blicca. This fish is very similar to a young bream, and the task of distinguishing them is overwhelming for inexperienced fishermen.

The first obvious difference between the two fish is the color of the pectoral and ventral fins. In the silver bream they are reddish-pink, while in the white bream they are solid gray. The bright fin of the silver bream makes it too noticeable for a predator. She is a tasty prey for pike and pike perch. That is why, living next to a predator, the fish learned to become almost invisible. Its red fin may change color to grey. Then, the resemblance to young bream becomes phenomenal.

However, there are differences that can be seen by the experienced eye of an angler. The scales of the bream are much larger than those of the silver bream, and the body is flatter and laterally compressed. The eyes of a young bream are much smaller than those of its opponent. The silver bream has two rows of teeth, while the white bream has one row. Experienced fishermen know these distinctive features and will identify their catch in a matter of minutes.

Description of the species

Despite the uniqueness of the genus, there are different species groups of fish, which are determined by their prevalence and habitat. The most famous include common, Danube, eastern and Volga bream. All of them have a strongly laterally compressed rounded body, which is characterized by an abnormal height of 1/3 of the length of the body. The main differences are color and size.

The standard is officially considered to be the large common bream, which is characterized by:

sides of brown, brown or golden shades;
fins are gray with a dark border;
yellowish belly;
a compact head with large eyes and a small retractable mouth-tube for sucking in small-sized plant food, which clearly answers the question of whether the bream is a predator or not.
scaleless keel between ventral and anal fins.

White bream fish

The largest population of bream is represented by immature young animals up to three years old and weighing 300-700 g, which are distributed in all reservoirs of Russia, with the exception of rivers with too fast a flow or a rocky bottom. Historical confusion has led to the fact that the fish, which is similar to bream and is in fact one, received its own name - bream.

Many inexperienced fishermen are sure that bream and bream are different species, and try to find differences between them, which, of course, exist, but disappear with age. In addition to their smaller size and weight, the difference between the white bream and the bream is visible in the elongated body and silvery-white color of the former. A more difficult task is to find the differences between young bream and silver bream. This is another unique representative of the cyprinid family from the class of ray-finned fish, which alone forms the monotypic genus Blicca.

Gustera: similarities and differences from young bream

Fishing for bream on lakes and rivers in many parts of Russia often gives quite interesting results. The cage may contain identical fish in appearance with minimal differences in color. Some have pectoral and pelvic fins with a red or pink base and a gray tip, while others have a solid dark gray color, sometimes with a black border. It is the reddish-pinkish fins that are the first clue to the question of how to distinguish a silver bream from a bream.

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The silver bream is not a large fish; it rarely grows to weigh more than 600-800 grams and remains a desirable trophy for pike, pike perch, and large perch all its life. That is why in reservoirs with an abundance of predators it has to become as invisible as possible, which leads to the disappearance of the red tint of the fins. And then the external resemblance to young bream becomes phenomenal.

White bream at spawning

But regardless of the habitat, the physiological differences between the silver bream and the white bream, originally laid down by nature, are always preserved:

a flatter and laterally compressed body, which gave rise to the appearance of local names for the fish: flatfish, plywood, flatfish;
proportionally larger eye size in relation to the size of the head;
equal length of both tail fin feathers;
larger scales.

The last sign is the main one and allows you to accurately distinguish between the silver bream and the white bream. In young bream, the number of rows of scales from the lateral line to the first ray of the dorsal fin is 14 or more. The silver bream has 10-12 rows. Just a little time and fishing experience is enough for this difference to be quickly determined by eye.

Habitats of the bream

Naturally, the habitats of the bream are located where its older brother, the bream, is found. Ubiquitous in water bodies of Central and Eastern Europe. Feels great in the basins of the Caspian, Azov, Baltic, Black and North seas. The population in Russia is very widely represented. It was introduced artificially to the region of Western Siberia. There are a lot of bream in the basins of the Yenisei, Irtysh, and Ob. The fish reproduce very quickly. In addition, bream and bream adapt to environmental conditions. It is found in the rivers of the Urals, on the border with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Widely distributed in the Republic of Kazakhstan, on Lake Balkhash and the Ili River, Syrdarya.

Habits and nutrition

The habits of bream are quite conservative and predictable. Being a schooling fish, it prefers a sedentary lifestyle in rivers, reservoirs and lakes with weak currents and well-warmed water. At the same time, this species can successfully acclimatize in cold water bodies and slightly saline bays. Bream living in the sea are forced to lead a semi-anadromous lifestyle and rise up rivers to spawn and feed.

When examining in detail the question of what small and large bream eat, you can immediately notice a special love for cereals, small crustaceans, mollusks and various boneless organisms: worms, larvae, insects, etc. There are also cases when an adult grabs a fry. The fish spends most of its time at the bottom, choosing deep and silty places.

During sunny periods it rises closer to the surface to bask, but at the slightest noise or threat it immediately goes deeper. It is her timidity and caution that are the main factor complicating fishing.

In autumn, the habits of bream change. Due to the short length of the day and lower water temperatures, it switches from morning and evening feeding to constant feeding in order to quickly accumulate a sufficient supply of fat for the winter. In October, the habits of bream once again undergo dramatic changes - the fish gather in large schools and little by little go to the depths for wintering, but at the same time retain their appetite. This explains the possibility of successful winter fishing for both white bream and large bream.

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Lifestyle of a bream

The bream is a fish that leads a bottom lifestyle. Lives in packs. The white bream lives in rivers with weak currents. It needs standing, warm water, with a muddy bottom, holes, snags, and creeks. Shallow rivers with fast currents and cold water are not inhabited by bream. Large schools of fish gather in dams, since there the water warms up as much as possible and a lot of branches gather. Loves silted bottom overgrown with algae and grass. Fish can also be found in lakes.

With the onset of cold weather and the approach of winter, flocks of bream become larger. They descend into the deepest places of reservoirs, looking for depressions that will serve as wintering pits. In these pits, schools of fish are in a state of stasis.

With the arrival of spring, the water begins to warm up, and the bream emerges from its winter shelter. This fish, leading a sedentary lifestyle, does not change its inhabited territories.

The main condition for its life, in addition to warm, stagnant, calm water, is an abundance of food. The white bream is an omnivorous fish, consuming both animal and plant foods. Its diet depends on its habitat. Since the bream is a bottom-dwelling fish, its menu is appropriate. The structure of its mouth is designed in such a way that it collects food from the bottom with elongated lips. The fish cannot grab large food, again due to elongated lips.

The plant diet consumed by the bream consists of: algae seeds and their shoots, plant particles. Stretching out its lips, the bream seems to be vacuuming the bottom, looking for food among the silt and sand.

The fish also likes to indulge in animal food, including: insect larvae, crustaceans and mollusks, bloodworms, caviar of pike, perch and carp.

Fish breams are harmless, leading a peaceful lifestyle. However, a representative of this species has many enemies. Predatory fish are not averse to feasting on juvenile bream, because it is easier to catch them than adult, neat fish. Hunting bream is not difficult. All you have to do is break into the school, grab the fish, stunning its fellow fish, and then eat them too.

The second danger for the bream is humans. A large population of fish, tasty meat - this makes bream and bream desirable prey for anglers.

Where are bream found and live?

Bream habitats are quite extensive. The native habitat of this fish is Central and Eastern Europe. They are not found in the south and the Far North, and are not found in Italy, Spain, Iceland, or Sweden. Typically, large bream are found in the lower reaches and mouths of large rivers, the Dnieper, Don, Oka and Samara. Bream are found in many large lakes, Seliger, Ladoga, Onega and other lakes, and they also live in sea bays.

Since the bream fish is very numerous and lives in many freshwater reservoirs, bays, lakes and rivers, it occupies almost the most important place among other carp representatives. These representatives of the carp family are found very rarely in the open sea, in salt or brackish water, probably due to the fact that they become blind from salt water. That’s why they stick to the sea and are found in areas with fresh water flowing in from rivers.

In general, bream fish love quiet, warm water with a muddy or clayey bottom, and therefore bream are most often found in flowing lakes and river bays. They live in large numbers on the seashore, in bays, and at the mouths of large rivers, where they gather in huge flocks in the second half of summer and until autumn. In the fall, part of the fish mass again enters the rivers and chooses deep holes and depressions in the bottom in quieter places, laying there for the winter, but most of them remain near the seaside, in bays, where mostly bream are caught with winter gear from the ice by fishing enthusiasts.

All year round, except summer and spawning time, bream live in large schools. During spawning, in the spring, they split into small flocks, usually by age, and begin to gather again in large masses from the end of July or early August. Sometimes other fish, roach and silver bream, are found in these schools, this is due to the fact that their spawning times and places are almost the same.

The usual habitats of bream in rivers are deep pools and clayey pits under steep steep banks. In grassy areas of rivers, they are usually found only during spawning. And in lakes, especially in ponds, there are reeds and reeds nearby, where they feed. In such places, catching bream using a float rod can be successful. In bays and lakes, this fish likes to be in holes where the bottom is clay or silty, but without abundant mud. In sandy areas, bream fish are rare. But breams prefer to stay near the sandy bottom.

In September, breams approach deep places for the winter, but they always winter separately from adult individuals. Adult fish are sometimes found in sandy areas, mainly at night, while searching for food. But with an abundance of food in their pits, they rarely come out of them and fatten on the spot or nearby, leaving the pits only after a flood. If the fish is not disturbed, then it does not leave its habitat, where it lives for a very long time in one place. This fish is completely sedentary, which can only leave its favorite place if necessary.

Methods for catching bream

An adult specimen of the carp family is of commercial importance and is caught everywhere. The white bream is not caught on an industrial scale, since its size does not correspond to the permitted size. Recreational fishing for this species is permitted, but the size of the “plywood” must correspond to the minimum size allowed for catch. In different regions it ranges from 10 to 32 centimeters.

However, if an angler aims to catch a bream, then for successful fishing it is necessary to know the characteristics of the fish. This fish is also called the “scoundrel” and this is due to its cunning, timidity and caution.

You can catch white bream using a float rod, feeder or donka. The best baits: worms, maggots, bloodworms, bread. The white bream and its older brother peck on raw lard. The best time for fishing is morning and evening.

The bream's bite is accurate; it will not grab the bait. When you see the float leaving smoothly, you need to wait intently. The bream tries the bait. Having tasted it, he will begin to eat it, and the jerks will be more active. At this moment you should hook the fish.

If fishing occurs in the winter season, then you should fish in pits with jigs. The main requirement is thin tackle. The thinner the line, the greater the chance of success. The main rule when hunting for bream is maintaining silence. You should not make noise both on the ice and on the shore in the spring. You should drill 3-5 pairs of holes, feed them and sprinkle them with snow.

Be sure to feed bream and bream. Since this fish is very neat and cautious, it will not immediately respond to bait. It will take time. It is better to use aromatic bait, based on barley, pearl barley or corn. Animal supplements of chopped worms and maggots are guaranteed to bring the bream to feed.

The most effective way is to catch bream using several fishing rods with different jigs. One should play and the other should catch. The game should be smooth, without sudden movements.

The same baits that are used as bait should be used on the hook. It should be noted that a particularly catchy bait is the so-called sandwich, when bloodworms and maggots alternate on the hook.

Since bream and bream are desirable fish for fishermen, water farms are engaged in breeding and preserving the population of this species. In the last century, commercial catch of this fish reached 120 thousand tons. These days the numbers have decreased by 3-4 times. People monitor the reservoirs where the bream lives, and in cases of threat to the population, special seines and artificial floating spawning grounds are installed. In addition, a ban on catching fish below a certain size also helps preserve the population of this fish.

Common features

You can recognize an ichthyan inhabitant by its body structure, as well as by its diet. The habitats of all species are also not much different, so next we will consider everything that distinguishes it from other fish in water bodies.

part of the body	description
dorsal	narrow and short
caudal fin	not symmetrical, the upper part is shorter than the lower part
anal fin	has 30 beams, helps maintain stability
head	small in size relative to the body, has two rows of pharyngeal teeth, 5 pieces in each

The annual gain in the first four years is 300-400 g, then a sexually mature individual gains no more than 150 g per year.

It is worth noting the difference in the sexual maturation of bream; in northern waters it is achieved at 5-7 years of life; in southern latitudes, a representative of cyprinids can reproduce already at 4 years of life.

As a home, the fish chooses deep places in the water area with minimal current; it will also be attracted to options with abundant vegetation nearby.

How to choose bait for bream

Spring bait

To fish in reservoirs with a current, it is necessary to add viscosity ; for this, clay from the reservoir and pea flour are used. Fraction : small, but always with the addition of large pieces of live maggots and food bloodworms. Color : light Smell : coriander is the best option Additives to attract large fish: instant corn, crushed peas, scalded maggot

Summer baits

In the summer heat, many complain about a complete lack of bite , but this is not always true. Properly selected bait can attract the attention of bream even in the heat. June: worm, maggot, corn, peas, pasta. July: steamed barley, maggot worms in the form of sandwiches. August: bread, pasta, corn, maggot worm. Temporary decreases in temperature indicators will entail a return of bream to animal types of bait ; vegetable bait should be offered in hot weather.

Autumn lures

In the autumn, bream continue to be actively caught on the feeder; groundbait and bait, as before, should work in tandem in such gear. As the temperature drops, bream will again want “meat” baits. September: earthworm and dung worm, maggot, hominy, bread, steamed cereals. October: bloodworms, worms, less often maggots. November: maggots and bloodworms, plant-based baits will not work. It is important to understand that the bait used in crushed form must be added to the bait.

Winter lures

In winter, bait for bream is very important; it is more difficult for passive fish to attract attention . Therefore, the selection of bait should be approached very carefully. December: sandwiches made from pieces of worms, bloodworms and maggots, less often boiled peas are used. January: bloodworm, worm. February: worm, bloodworm, semolina, peas. You can experiment and try using the dough as bait; at the end of February, bream can respond well to this species.

Gastronomic value of bream

Despite the abundance of bones, the meat of the bream is highly valued in cooking. It is very tender, tasty, full of healthy ingredients and vitamins: C, P, B, D.

The gastronomic value of bream lies in the fact that its meat is saturated with micro and macroelements: iodine, calcium, potassium, magnesium. Regular consumption of this fish has a positive effect on the human body and the functioning of its organs. There are a huge variety of recipes for preparing white bream. The meat is delicious in any form: fried, dried, smoked or dried.

River fish is prized among both experienced fishermen and beginners. Healthy, tasty meat, an interesting process of catching - all this makes the fish a desirable catch in the fishing world. Having studied the behavioral characteristics of the fish, its taste preferences and character, you can go to the reservoir in search of a young bream.