There are a large number of rivers and reservoirs on the territory of Russia. This provides truly inexhaustible opportunities for successful and exciting fishing. Freshwater bottom fish is a healthy and nutritious product that contains essential animal proteins, amino acids and valuable microelements. The diversity of river fauna and flora allows fishing enthusiasts to get vivid, unforgettable experiences, enjoying many different fishing methods.
Bottom fish that live in our country have behavioral and characteristic features. Let's look at some types of bottom fish that are found in Russian water bodies.
Perch
Perch is one of the most common fish living in domestic reservoirs. It lives in clean, oxygenated water and prefers a rocky or sandy bottom. Perch fishing is available all year round. Experienced fishermen know that perch bites more readily in the morning and evening hours. As bait, it prefers bloodworms, worms, and fry.
Flounder spawning
The spawning time for each taxon is different and depends on the region, the timing of spring, and the rate of water warming (up to +2-5°C). The general breeding season for most species falls between February and May. But there are exceptions - turbot (large diamond) goes to spawn in the Baltic and North Seas in April-August, and polar flounder spawns in the ice-covered Kara and Barents Seas in December-January.
To learn more:
Haddock: sea fish or river fish?
Puberty occurs between the 3rd and 7th years of life. Females are characterized by high fertility; one clutch can contain 0.5-2 million pelagic eggs with an incubation period of 11-14 days. Deep (7-15 m) coastal areas with a sandy bottom are chosen as spawning grounds, although flounder successfully spawn at depths of up to 50 m due to the high buoyancy of the eggs and the absence of the need to attach them to a solid substrate. The swimmable fry has a classic vertical shape with symmetrically developed sides. Zooplankton and small benthos serve as nutritious food base.
Zander
It is a cousin of the perch. Prefers to live in deep-sea reservoirs with a rocky bottom, where shelter can be easily found. Every angler dreams of getting a trophy in the form of a pike perch, whose maximum weight is close to twenty kilograms! On average, the weight of pike perch varies from three to five kilograms. Pike perch bite all year round, but are more likely to bite in the cold season, at dawn. That is why it is more advisable to hunt pike perch in winter, when the ice has become strong. Artificial baits - spinners, wobblers - are actively used as bait.
Pike perch loves to eat fry or pieces of fish.
River flounder
The species Platichthys flesus, large in population but poor in related taxa, has successfully acclimatized for permanent residence in fresh and slightly salty water. It is distinguished by a rounded body and spines on the lateral line. The sighted side has a dull brown or olive-brown color with chaotic yellow and dark specks. It will grow up to 3 kg with a body length of 50 cm.
For full development, the clutch of flounder must constantly receive a fresh supply of oxygen due to drift in the water column (pelagic eggs). But this is only possible in a dense salty environment (from 10 ppm). In freshwater rivers, the larvae do not maintain buoyancy, sink to the bottom and die, so the fish go to sea to spawn.
To learn more:
Smelt - features and varieties, beneficial properties and how to cook
The cool Baltic is ideal for these purposes with a vast basin, low salinity (11-12%), a long coastline, moderate depths of 30-50 m and a rich food supply. The river species is also officially called the Baltic flounder due to its wide distribution in the coastal zone, inflowing rivers and the sea.
Star flounder
The species Platichthys stellatus lives in the northern waters of the Pacific Ocean (Bering, Okhotsk, Chukchi, Sea of Japan). The freshwater form inhabits lagoons, bays and lower reaches of rivers (150-200 km from the mouth). It has left-sided eyes, dark color (greenish, brown), wide black stripes on the fins and star-shaped spiked plates on the eye side. Due to its distribution, the taxon is also known as the Pacific river flounder. The usual size of the fish is 50-60 cm and weighs 3-4 kg. There are frequent cases of catching large individuals weighing 7-9 kg (75-90 cm).
Black Sea Kalkan
The fish is similar to flounder, but belongs to a separate family called Scophthalmidae. Inhabits the North Atlantic and the Black, Baltic, and Mediterranean seas. It grows over a meter in length and weighs up to 20 kg. It is distinguished by the left location of the eyes, its round shape and a large number of tuberous spines scattered over the entire surface of the brown-olive sighted side. In addition to the marine environment, it thrives in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Southern Bug, and Dniester. Due to the increased salinity of the Sea of Azov due to the shallowing of the inflowing rivers, the Black Sea flounder has spread to the mouth of the Don. A smaller subspecies also lives here - the Azov diamond, which will grow in length to 40-45 cm.
Arctic flounder
A cold-resistant Arctic species (Liopsetta glacialis) with an elongated oval body of a uniform dark brown color and brick-colored fins. Prefers soft silty soil. Inhabits the Kara, Barents, White, Bering and Okhotsk seas. It reproduces in winter under ice, at negative water temperatures (down to -1.5°C). Often the warm feeding season is spent in the low-salt lower reaches of Siberian rivers. Found everywhere in the Kara, Yenisei, Ob, Tugur.
Som
Catfish is the largest and strongest representative of bottom fish living in Russia. It is found in deep reservoirs with muddy and dirty water. It prefers a rocky bottom, dotted with various types of natural shelters: snags, holes, pools. To successfully catch catfish, larger baits are used. He loves to eat frogs, fried sparrows, crayfish, and pieces of fish. Unlike its counterparts, catfish actively bite in rainy and hot weather.
Flounder: a very flat fish
There are approximately 500 flounder-like fish on the planet. They live in all oceans and seas - from the icy Arctic waters to the hot tropics.
Mostly flounder fish stay in coastal zones. Some species of these fish can enter rivers and rise quite high in them. Certain species live at very significant depths.
In the seas surrounding Russia, 30 species of flounder are found. In the literature you can see various names for flounder - salt, rhombus, limand, gloss, sole, and this is not a complete list of names.
Sea flounder (Pleuronectes platessa).
Flounder has a tall body shape, it is strongly flattened on the sides, and the shape is asymmetrical.
That is, those parts that look like the back and stomach are actually the sides. In some species the left side is located below, while in others it is on the right side. Identifying the bottom and top of a flounder is not at all difficult, since the top side is dark with patterns, and the bottom is light.
Flounder has an unusual shape and body structure.
Although adult flounders have a distinctive body shape, newborn flounders are difficult to distinguish from other fish species because they have a symmetrical body and eyes on either side of the head. As the flounder grows, one eye begins to move to the edge of the head. This is due to the fact that the body grows unevenly. Therefore, over time, both eyes end up on the upper side. But there are several species in which the eyes are located directly on the edge of the head.
Flounder leads a sedentary lifestyle, living on the bottom.
Sexually mature individuals prefer to lead a bottom lifestyle. They lie motionless on the lower part of the body, while completely burying themselves in the ground, and only the upper part of the head with the eyes remains on the surface. They burrow into the ground very quickly. It happens like this: the fish, lying on the bottom, makes wave-like movements with its body, as a result the soil rises, and the fish buries itself into the resulting depression.
Flounder can change the color of their upper body to match their bottom. They imitate the color of the bottom so well that they practically merge with it. Only sighted species of flounder can camouflage, while blinded species do not have this ability.
The flounder's eyes are on its side.
Flounders move very little. Almost all species are poor swimmers. While swimming, flounders move their anal and dorsal fins. They mostly move flat, but when threatened, they turn on edge and their speed increases. When the fish breaks away from the enemy, it turns to the bottom with its lower part and buries itself in the ground.
What appears to be the belly is actually the sides of the fish.
Flounders feed on a variety of worms, bottom fish, mollusks and crustaceans. Some individuals reach only 6-7 centimeters in length and weigh several grams, but there are also large species that reach a weight of up to 300 kilograms.
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Burbot
A representative of the cod family, it is found in the European part of Russia, in Central Asia, and in the Far East. During the long winter, the spawning process takes place. Therefore, burbot fishing is actively carried out in the fall. In the summer season the fish don't bite. Burbot is a relatively small fish. Its average weight varies from one to two kilograms. It is recommended to use worms, frogs, and small fish as bait.
Bream
This representative of the carp family prefers to settle in quiet, deep-sea reservoirs with rich flora. The average weight of bream reaches three kilograms. The spawning season begins in the spring, so bream fishing is active in the winter, as soon as the ice gets stronger. Bream readily bites on plant bait. Experienced fishermen use legumes, pearl barley, and seeds.
Carp
Carp prefers to live in reservoirs located in southern Russia. This is a large fish, whose maximum weight reaches twenty kilograms, breeds in lakes and rivers with rich flora, abundantly saturated with oxygen. Spring is the spawning period for carp, after which active biting begins. Given the large weight of the trophy, along with floats, fishermen use bottom gear. Carp readily bites on earthworms, maggots, and plant bait. All summer the carp experiences hunger, which fishermen are quick to take advantage of. Quiet fishing is successful fishing, as the carp is afraid of extraneous sounds.
crucian carp
Inhabits silty, calm reservoirs throughout Russia. The exception is the rivers and lakes of the Far North. Fishing for crucian carp is not possible during the spawning period, that is, in the spring. It is activated on cloudy and rainy days, and in winter during snowfall. Fishermen use both fishing rods and bottom gear. Crucian carp loves to eat earthworms, maggots, grasshoppers, steamed corn, pearl barley, and buckwheat.
Roach
One of the most common and popular fish, living in almost all domestic reservoirs. The maximum weight reaches three kilograms. Roach fishing is active all year round, with the exception of two spring months. It is recommended to use worms, white bread, and maggots as bait.
The list of bottom fish living in Russia can be continued endlessly. The most common and popular types are listed above. Knowing the characteristics and preferences of fish will make fishing as effective and exciting as possible. As they say, no scales, no tail!
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Many North Sea groundfish, such as cod, flounder, anglerfish and sole, are included on the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) list of species outside biologically safe limits.
- The European saltwater is widespread and not endangered, but overfishing has led to population declines and catches have declined in many areas. For example, bottom fishing in the English Channel and Irish Sea is on the verge of collapse.
- These fish grow slowly; now, catches rarely include individuals older than 6 years, although their life expectancy reaches 40. The world resources of large predatory and bottom fish in 2003 were estimated at 10% of the resources before the start of mass industrial fishing[33][34] [35].
