Description of the whitefish family
According to generally accepted opinion, whitefish belongs to the salmon family, but many scientists classify it as its own group of whitefish, along with nelma and whitefish.
The appearance of the whitefish is notable for its flattened body, which is protected by medium-sized scales, a distinctive feature is a small mouth with missing teeth on the vomer and upper jaw. In other areas, the teeth are extremely poorly developed and, over time, fall out completely.
There is another unusual feature. In whitefish, the upper jaw bone does not extend into the eye , and depending on the species and shape, the location of the mouth may differ, from the terminal to the typically lower.
Fish of these species are notable for their medium size, the standard length can reach half a meter, and the weight will be no more than one kilogram. The body is light in color with a slightly prominent darkish back and grayish belly.
Naturally, depending on the subspecies, the color intensity may vary slightly in one direction or another. The fins, on the contrary, always differ from the light body and have a dark, almost black color. It is worth noting that whitefish never have any spots on their fins or body.
Whitefish meat, even if most researchers classify it as a member of the salmon family (red fish), is white. It is noteworthy that it is distinguished by its tenderness and amazing taste.
By the way, in addition to everything else, it contains many vitamins, a significant amount of protein, and extremely important substances for the body, such as fluorine, nickel, chromium, malibdenum and zinc. Well, it’s not even worth mentioning about the excellent nutritional value and satiety.
The growth rate of fish directly depends on the temperature of the water, the oxygen it contains and the amount of suitable food. Whitefish feed on plankton, and as they grow, their diet includes fry and small fish.
Types of whitefish
Despite the fact that there are many types of whitefish, and at first glance it is not possible to organize this system, there is still a classification.
Whitefish are divided according to their habitat into three main types:
- Lake whitefish
- Passable whitefish
- River whitefish
The most common species is river whitefish. It comes to rivers from the seas and small lakes to spawn. Its distinctive feature is the darker color of the back and abdomen, as well as a small head with a blunt and rounded nose. The pelvic and pectoral fins are distinguished by pointed ends.
There is also a classification of whitefish depending on their place of residence:
- Pelagic
- Coastal
- deep sea
Lures, baits, groundbaits for catching whitefish
Usually bait is used when fishing for whitefish on lakes; usually fresh or boiled gammarids are used for these purposes. As for rivers, when fly fishing is carried out or when fishing, bait is not required. Iga is usually caught using baits such as small crustaceans, whitebait or boiled caviar. Artificial flies with hooks No. 4-6 are used as bait. Some Far Eastern and Siberian fishermen catch whitefish using homemade horizontal spoons similar to balance beams.
Habitat
Whitefish is a commercial fish species due to the fact that it is acclimatized in most of Russia and the rest of the post-Soviet space.
Particularly successful places for whitefish fishing are in the Gulf of Finland, Lakes Ladoga and Peipus, on the Kola Peninsula, where it mainly lives in large lakes such as Seydozero, Lovozero, Pankunyavr, etc. Whitefish are widespread between the Barents and White Seas and up to Chukotka.
It is found in the Baltic Sea, but in Transbaikalia there is an extremely amazing whitefish, identified as a special species. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it spawns in early spring . You can meet whitefish in the reservoirs of Alaska and Canada, less often in the seas and large lakes, where the whitefish waits out the cold.
Whitefish fishing in the Murmansk region - nuances
Rivers and lakes , as well as numerous reservoirs of the Murmansk region, are very rich in this agile and cunning fish. In lakes called Umbozero, Imandra and Kovdozero, the majority of the catch is whitefish, which begins its spawning in shallow water in the first autumn months.
While fattening up before winter, adult individuals try not to leave the coastal dump zone, the depth of which is usually from 8 to 20 meters. However, going to the depths for food is not new for whitefish. Its diet contains both insect larvae and various small crustaceans, as well as young fish.
This predatory fish is represented on the Kola Peninsula by several populations, which are still one species. The whitefish that lives in the southern part of the Murmansk region differs significantly from its northern counterpart in its aggressive behavior.
Fishing for whitefish in the fall in Murmansk works well with a spoon, which even catches small whitefish. This is explained simply - in the south of the Kola Peninsula, our predator has food competitors, primarily ide and roach.
Murmansk whitefish are predominantly lower-mouthed, while in other regions fish with upper and terminal mouths are found. That is why these whitefish rarely feed on insects directly from the water surface, and this usually happens only during the period of egg laying or mass migration of insects.
To catch its prey , the Murmansk whitefish emerges from the water, exposing not only its head, but also part of its back.
Also do not forget that fishing for whitefish and salmon is temporarily prohibited there.
What bait is sure to help in catching whitefish in the fall? You will get the answer to this question by reading this article.
And here you will learn how to properly catch ram in the autumn.
Whitefish spawning
Regardless of the habitat and subspecies (with rare exceptions), whitefish spawning begins at 4-5 years of the life cycle in males and 5-6 years in females . The beginning falls in the autumn, while spawning extends and often includes the winter months. This is primarily due to the length of the reservoirs where whitefish go to spawn.
The fact that in whitefish habitats there is a fairly long autumn and cold weather comes late also plays a role. If we indicate the timing more specifically, then the beginning falls in mid-September, and ends in November or December, the decisive factor here is the type of reservoir. For spawning, whitefish prefer shallow reservoirs, which is why whitefish leave the seas and large lakes for spawning and come to the river environment.
Comfortable water temperature for whitefish spawning will range from plus five to plus two degrees. Adults feed in shallow water, but in some cases whitefish can go to deep places, up to twenty meters. The fertility of females ranges from twenty thousand eggs, up to fifty thousand in some species.
The color of the caviar is slightly lighter than that of trout. Its whitefish preferentially target rocky areas.
Whitefish fishing
If we talk about commercial fishing for whitefish, it is carried out in reservoirs specially equipped for this purpose, where it is artificially reared.
The main whitefish fishing season occurs in the summer , when the fish are in search of food; whitefish can be especially often found in holes where there is a reverse current and on riffles in warm weather. Whitefish fry often live under high banks, where they unite in schools and stand under the coastline.
In turn, adults and large individuals opt for deeper places. For the winter, whitefish remain overwintering in deep holes, and for successful fishing you just need to find such a hole.
The most effective fishing period is considered to be fishing at the moment of the last ice, i.e. actually already in the spring. In this, by the way, whitefish has similarities with its brother – grayling. After the water is again enriched with oxygen, the whitefish begins an active search for food in order to gain fat lost over the winter.
It is worth remembering that due to its high fat content, whitefish, like grayling, are classified as highly perishable fish, therefore, after catching, you should either prepare to eat the fish, or salt and smoke it.
Whitefish fishing gear
You can catch whitefish using absolutely any tackle, because... in this regard, it is a very careless fish. However, some features are still worth considering. The telescope of the fishing rod should be about three meters long and be strong enough. The reel should be selected for landing large fish.
When using a classic float fishing rod, the depth of the fishing spot should not exceed three and a half meters. In other cases, it would be much more appropriate to use sliding float technology.
Lures for catching whitefish
In the natural environment of a reservoir, whitefish behave very aggressively, and often displace other fish species from their usual habitat, so catching whitefish is possible with live bait, and in general, whitefish can often be found in the habitats of fry or any small fish. In winter, by the way, it turns out to be successful in catching whitefish with a worm and fry.
Fishing for whitefish using a spinning rod
Usually on rafting, during short stops for rest and lunch, due to lack of time, anglers often rely on larger and usually predatory fish that are unpretentious to bait. In the North, the most common object of fishing is pike or perch. Accordingly, the baits chosen are quite large. Thus, accidental capture of whitefish is practically eliminated. Occasionally, it is caught by an angler while hunting for grayling. Small spinners and oscillating micro-spoons are in use here. But this does not happen so often, since such fish feed in completely different places.
I caught my first whitefish on Lake Chudzyavr on the Kola Peninsula. That is, if the route is a bunch of lakes and fast river channels, you can and should look for whitefish in the lakes. In this case, an echo sounder or any information about the bottom topography and depths received from local residents can be very useful. Often the bottom of northern lakes is an alternation of tables with varying depths and only occasionally encountered relief anomalies. As practice shows, whitefish gravitate towards shallow bays, where there are differences in depth, pebble mounds, dumps, and spits. It’s good if there are piles of stones at the bottom. Here, caddis flies are probably hiding between the boulders in sandy houses.
Whitefish are also attracted to underwater vegetation, in which insect larvae hide. Sometimes a school of whitefish comes close to the shore if in this place the bottom drops sharply into depth. It was in such a place that I managed to catch it for the first time with an oscillating micro-spoon.
Read: Secrets of winter spinning. Silicone crayfish
The greatest interest for finding whitefish on the river are the outlets of lakes with a barely perceptible current and shallow depth. And if there are boulders or rocky ridges in the riverbed, such a place should not be missed. Locals often catch whitefish using live baits, maggots, caddis flies and other larvae in the shallow river reaches. To be honest, I have never caught whitefish in such places with a spinning rod. Perhaps the fish here are behaving more cautiously. From all that has been said, we can conclude that whitefish prefer calm, clean water; they go out to feed in shallow places, where there are potential shelters for insect larvae. It is these habitat features that make it a rare trophy for a spinning fisherman. Indeed, in such places we often fish with large spoons for pike, but where micro-bait is used for grayling, that is, on riffles, rifts, and so on, there are no whitefish.
The greatest pleasure comes from catching whitefish with an ultra-light spinning rod. This fish resists no less than grayling, or even stronger, creating a real threat to the thin PE-cord. The braid I use is Japanese Varivas Master Limited 0.2. The cord is very thin, mainly used for catching perch with a microjig, but it has been “tested” several times in the North. I started not with the rod, but with the cord, because for working with oscillating micro-spinners this is the main component of the gear. With an average weight of baits of about 2 g, it is difficult to achieve a good casting distance, especially if the gear was intended for a large predator.
Read: Spinning rod with a multiplier reel
A thin cord allows you not only to cast the bait at the required distance, but also to have good control over the retrieve, since it has less sail. In addition, it is necessary to guide a very light spoon in the desired horizon. The current easily squeezes such baits to the surface.
I don’t see much point in purchasing a special rod for fishing with small oscillating spoons and spinners of minimal numbers. I prefer to use a proven “rockfish” spinning rod with a cast of up to 3 g. Making allowances for the fierce resistance of northern fish, I only slightly release the reel clutch. Such a rigid rod in its class, it would seem, should get in the way, but in fact it helps to clearly control the retrieve, feel the most accurate touch of the fish to the bait and make a timely hook. Any modern sports model with fine adjustment of the brake will be suitable for reels.
Now about the most interesting part. Even when you don’t have light gear with you on a trip, if you set out to catch whitefish (and grayling, by the way), you only need to have a small supply of micro-baits and, of course, patience. First of all, oscillating spoons from the area trout category, designed for catching pond trout. However, such lures work almost everywhere, it is only important to use them correctly. I mainly use handmade micro-spinners made by my Kharkov friend. But similar spinners are available from Japanese manufacturers. I must say that they catch almost everything, including roach and gudgeon. It is necessary to move very small oscillating spoons as slowly as possible, periodically feeling the bait touching the bottom. The same applies to “pinwheels” No. 00: 0 and 1 Larger ones are not suitable for catching whitefish, unless the density of the fish population is so high that the whitefish will rush to any irritating object. Owner S-21, S-31 hooks, as well as Gamakatsu No. 16 tees made of thin wire, are well suited for equipping micro-baits.
Read: “High-altitude” jig - casting spinning rod fishing from river banks
There are several varieties of whitefish - muksun, broad whitefish, pyzhyan, peled, Yenisei whitefish, etc. We had the opportunity to catch redfish in lakes on the Kola Peninsula, Yenisei river sieve in Vini, peled in the Polar Urals, but I have never heard of catching muksun with a spinning rod.
If the usual even movement of an oscillating spoon does not bring a whitefish bite, it is worth trying to fish with long pauses, forcing the bait to plan in the water column. When the bait moves evenly, swaying as it dives, bites often occur while falling.
The best time to catch whitefish with a spinning rod is in the evening, although in cloudy weather it can also be caught during the day. In the morning, whitefish can often be seen feeding from the surface of the water; this is fly fishing time. If the fish is spinning, but refuses to bite on artificial baits. You can attach a water-filled float and an artificial fly or a leash with a hook baited with a caddisfly to the spinning tackle and make a retrieve.
Whitefish is good lightly salted, but this dish is not for everyone. I recommend that all fishing travelers try not dried but fried whitefish.
