Fish is of great importance in nature and in human life. It is food for birds, a link in the nutritional chains of all living organisms. The main value of fish as food products lies in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Fish oil is rich in vitamin D, which is very necessary for children and adults.
One of the representatives of the perch fish is the bersh fish, whose second name is the Volga pike perch. This is a large schooling predator that belongs to the genus of pike perch: its photo can be seen below.
Description
Bersch is the rarest representative of the perch family. In appearance it is very similar to pike perch, however, features of perch are also visible in its appearance. This is a narrow-bodied fish covered with dense, hard-fitting scales. The dorsal fin has sharp rays (spines). The general color is greenish-gray, with dark transverse stripes.
Bersh, unlike pike perch, rarely reaches large sizes. Occasionally there are individuals weighing up to 2 kg, but in most reservoirs the weight does not exceed 1.5 kg, and bershis weighing 1-1.2 kg are considered large. In most cases, the catches contain fish weighing from 300 to 800 g.
Distributed in large rivers of the Azov-Black Sea and Caspian basins. Common in the Volga and some of its large tributaries. Unlike pike perch, it does not live in medium-sized rivers or any lakes.
An adult bersh feeds on small, narrow-bodied fish, which it can swallow whole, without holding it with its teeth. Basically, these are gudgeons, as well as sprat, which have proliferated recently. In reservoirs it often forms local accumulations.
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Where is it found?
You can catch and properly prepare for catching Bersh fish by knowing its habitat. Thus, a river and its tributaries such as the Volga can be considered distinctive characteristics and territorial affiliation. You can often find Bersh and perches living together here, because the water temperature allows both fish to feed properly and cover the required distances along the river mouth.
You can also find this type of fish in the mouths of the Seas - the Caspian and Black Seas. Taking into account the latter, fishing for Bersha is also carried out at the mouth of the Dnieper in Ukraine, where there are excellent places for catching this type of deep-sea predator. Their feeding habits allow them to lie on the bottom and feed on minnows, just like pike perch. At the same time, it is very easy for an experienced fisherman to distinguish between individuals of young pike perch and Bersh. Therefore, fishing can be carried out throughout the year.
Main differences from pike perch
An experienced angler will immediately distinguish a bersh from a pike perch, which it is most similar in appearance to. The head of the bersh is slightly higher than the pike perch, the snout is shorter. Larger eyes, more like perch eyes, are clearly visible. The stripes on the body are clearer and brighter. The spots on the dorsal fin are much more pronounced than those of pike perch.
The entire gill cover of bersha is covered with scales, and the scales on the body are larger than those of pike perch. It is very easy to distinguish a caught bersh by the absence of the famous pike-perch fangs; its mouth is “equipped” only with small teeth, like a perch.
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Spawning
Bersh becomes sexually mature at the age of more than 4 years. Depending on the reservoir and the course of spring, spawning occurs between April and May, with water warming above 10 degrees. The spawning pattern is similar to pike perch. Eggs are deposited in “nests” on sandy soil in places with good flow. As a rule, these are shallow places - spits, rifts.
The nests are guarded by the male until the larvae hatch from the eggs. Juvenile bersha stay in shallow waters, feeding on zooplankton. As they grow up, young bershi move to deeper areas and switch to feeding on fry.
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Habitats
Bersh is an inhabitant of the deepest places in a reservoir where there is a current. Avoids standing water. Unlike pike perch, which go out to feed in the shallows, spits, bersh appear in shallow waters only during spawning. In other periods, it lives at depth, near the bottom. In the Volga reservoirs, the bersh is located near the riverbed, at maximum depths.
In recent years, the number of bersha has increased slightly, and it has “mastered” rivers in which it had not previously been found or was rare. Naturally, the stopping places of bersh schools depend on the availability of forage fish.
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Fishing on Bersha
A peculiarity of catching this predator is its preference for winter fishing, which is carried out in more frequent cases. But, in the summer, this individual can be caught when hunting for pike perch or perch, using a boat and the usual spinning rod, with attachments for deeper immersion and appearing at the bottom of a lake or river. In this case, we can judge the Bersh fish as a predator that firmly settled in the sand in the summer and is not ready to get out into the warm layers of water. You can also distinguish the features of catching a predator in winter by type:
- from ice;
- from being in a boat.
Choosing the first option is preferable to reservoirs, but when choosing a boat option, you can choose river beds for the period of autumn and early winter, when the water is not yet covered with a thick layer of ice and can allow fishermen to move along the flow and river bed.
Fishing in winter involves the use of a jig. And here you shouldn’t choose a very large and thick fishing line, just 0.2 mm is enough. This will deter the predator and more practically position itself above its habitat while remaining completely unnoticed.
Finding a fishing spot
Based on the biology of this fish, the search should begin from the deepest places. In rivers and reservoirs these are channel areas, and in these areas the bersh gravitates not only to dumps, but can also stand on relatively flat areas, but invariably at depth.
Often such areas are located far from the coast. If there are bottom anomalies in the channel or near it - sharp drops, snags, stones, then these places need to be examined first.
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Lures and tackle
As for a true predator, almost all gear used to catch predatory fish is suitable for catching bersh.
In open water:
- jig equipment, including lead ones;
- sheer luster;
- rigs with dead fish;
- bottom live bait gear;
- fishing from boats in a vertical line with large jigs with animal baits.
From the ice:
- sheer luster;
- balancers;
- jigs with animal baits;
- bottom gear with animal baits.
Dead fish (for example, sprat) and cut fish are most often used as animal baits; earthworms are much less often used.
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Diet
This type of predatory fish must have its own special diet, which allows the silt to quickly recover after moving for a long time under water pressure and fast currents. Therefore, like pike perch, the fish feeds on minnows, hunting them like a real predator. Many fishermen take this into account when setting out with the desire to hunt for this specimen and take into account the choice of deep-sea occurrence. The idea of Bersh fish begins with searching for the depth of the river section where they are fished.
This allows you to more productively approach the selection of bait and choose the optimal bait options, taking into account the mouth of the river and the existing Halo of minnows. Despite the fact that in this case fishing for perch or pike perch can also be carried out. But in the case of the first. There will be much more individuals than in a usual lake or reservoir, since there are frequent cases of detection of this type of fish in the estuaries of rivers during spawning. This should be taken into account during certain fishing periods and when choosing bait.
Fishing methods
Spinning
In open water, spinning is the most common method. Since bersh is a bottom fish, priority is given to jig gear. When targeting bersh, you need to take into account that the size of the bait should be small. Vibrating tails, twisters and slugs up to 3, maximum 3.5, inches long are used.
More often, bright “acid” colors are used, which are clearly visible at depths. “Edible” rubber performs well. As a working bait, we can also recommend a small mandula or foam rubber of various colors. When fishing with these baits, you need to strictly stick to the bottom.
It has been noticed that bites occur more often when the step is low, when the bait is dragged along the bottom, or when the bait is pulled briefly. A simple shaking of the rod tip when the bait is on the bottom or retrieving it from the depths to the dump also brings results.
Bersh reacts much worse to an aggressive or high step. In general, he rarely chases prey, preferring a weakened “victim”. Due to the fact that bersh are more often adjacent to pike perch than to pike, the use of metal leashes is not advisable. We can recommend fluorcarbon leashes up to 0.4 mm thick . They save not so much from the teeth of the fish, but from cutting edges and friction of the cord on shell rock and bottom snags.
Plumb fishing
In principle, in the summer you can catch bersh from a boat using all the traditional winter methods - vertical lures, balance beams, large jigs, or use a dead fish on a tackle. In this case, you can raft a boat along the riverbed edge and fish for interesting places. If there are no bites, you need to change the depths at which fishing is carried out - move from the riverbed to a riverside dump or vice versa.
Bottom gear
Successful fishing can also be done using bottom gear. In this case, it is better to use a feeder that allows you to deliver the bait to the river bed. One or two leashes are equipped with single or double hooks with a bait of cut fish or whole small fish. It is recommended to periodically make a short reel in order to somewhat animate the nozzle.
Winter spinners and balancers
Bersh are successfully caught from the ice using characteristic “pike-perch” gear - balancers, narrow spoons. A good effect is obtained by attaching a piece of fish to the hook of a spinner or balancer.
You can attach a frozen sprat to a large jig and tap on the bottom, then wait a pause of 10-30 seconds, at which time a bite often occurs. From time to time it is useful to lift the bait 20-30 cm from the bottom by shaking it.
In winter, schools of bersh often stay in one place, so you can count on good fishing for several days.
Passive gear
Many fishermen also catch bersh using “postavushki”. This can be pure bottom gear with a heavy sinker and a hook on a leash with a baited fish or cut fish. At the end of the fishing line there may be a large jig weighing 10-30 g with a nozzle.
After lowering the tackle, the slack in the fishing line is taken out so that the nod is lightly loaded, after which the fishing rod is installed near the hole and you can wait for a bite.
Typically, in winter, bersh bite well on passive tackle. Some fishermen place entire “batteries” of fishing rods with sprat on the ice. To control the gear, long, hard nods with brightly colored tips are used. The bersh bite is often very delicate, especially in the dead of winter.
For winter gear on bersha, monofilament fishing line with a diameter of 0.2-0.3 mm is used.
What does a river predator eat?
Bersch bites in spring and autumn. Winter fishing rarely brings a catch, since the fish hide under snags at the bottom and practically do not feed. The basis of the food is small fish, mainly gudgeon, but also fry of other fish species often become prey for predators.
Bersh are caught using live bait or using a variety of fishing gear - spinners, twisters, and jigs are used.
For your fishing to be successful, you need to know some secrets of catching bersh:
- the fishing line should be of medium thickness;
- It is better to choose a large and elongated jig;
- sprat, perch, and gudgeon are used as live bait.
The fish bite actively in the mornings, until 12 noon. After this, small specimens of pike perch are usually caught on a fishing rod or spinning rod. During winter fishing, you need to use an inertial reel, and for bait, bloodworms, worms, and larvae are suitable. Catching bersh is not an easy task, so the caught fish is considered a real trophy.
Bersh is a desirable catch for any fisherman
Note! Bersh is listed in the Red Book, so before fishing you need to check whether it is prohibited in your region.
