Amazing and little-known species include fish from the family whitefish. It is noteworthy that it is quite difficult to systematize this type of fish, this is due to the fact that whitefish originate from the Ice Age and represent relict organisms that unite many races, tribes and forms.

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 also, depending on the type and shape, the location of the mouth may differ, from terminal to typically lower.

How to catch more fish?

I have been active fishing for quite some time and have found many ways to improve the bite. But it was and remains the most effective.

It attracts fish in cold and warm water with the help of pheromones included in the composition and stimulates their appetite. Suitable for both summer and winter fishing.

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 place of residence:

• Pelagic
• Coastal
• deep sea

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 spawning

Regardless of habitat and subspecies (with rare exceptions) Whitefish spawning begins at 4-5 years of the life cycle in males and at 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, while the fish is 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.

Conclusion

Whitefish is a very valuable species of fish; it is often compared to omul. But at the same time, unlike its famous brother, whitefish is much more widespread. It is found not only in most rivers and lakes of our Motherland, but also in near and far abroad.

The huge diversity of whitefish is associated with this fact, because living in different parts of the planet leaves an individual imprint on the entire species, creating many subspecies.

Whitefish are the brightest representatives of this strange world, clearly showing by their example all the greatness and beauty of nature in general and its water component in particular. In conclusion, I would like to wish everyone a great mood, success, good luck, and of course always only a big catch.

How long has it been since you had a really BIG CATCH?

When was the last time you caught dozens of HUGE pike/carp/bream?

We always want to get results from fishing - to catch not three perch, but ten kilogram pikes - what a catch! Each of us dreams of this, but not everyone can do it.

A good catch can be achieved (and we know this) thanks to good bait.

It can be prepared at home or bought in fishing stores. But stores are expensive, and to prepare bait at home, you need to spend a lot of time, and, to tell the truth, homemade bait does not always work well.

You know that disappointment when you buy bait or prepare it at home and only catch three or four bass?

So maybe it’s time to use a truly working product, the effectiveness of which has been proven both scientifically and in practice on the rivers and ponds of Russia?

It gives the same result that we cannot achieve on our own, especially since it is cheap, which distinguishes it from other means and there is no need to spend time on production - you order it, it’s delivered and you’re good to go!

Of course, it is better to try once than to hear a thousand times. Moreover, now is the season! This is a great bonus when ordering!

Find out more about the bait!

In each season, fishing has its own characteristics, which leave a lot of impressions for both professionals and amateurs. Even severe frost cannot force an avid fisherman to deny himself such pleasure. Catching a fairly large representative of salmon - whitefish - is no exception. Whitefish inhabit almost all regions of the northern hemisphere, so...

- fish of the salmon family. The body of the whitefish is compressed, the scales have a silver color, turning into dark on the back. The fins are dark, sometimes black in color. The whitefish has a lower mouth, although in some individuals it is almost terminal, depending on the reservoir. Whitefish generally has many species, which may differ in appearance, habitat, spawning time and much more.

Whitefish is common in cold countries in the northern hemisphere of the planet. In Russia, whitefish live in almost all water bodies of the Arctic Ocean.

• Maximum weight - 12 kg;
• Maximum length - 1.25 m;
• Life expectancy is 20 years.

Best bait for whitefish

The best bait for catching whitefish depends on how you catch it. If we talk about fishing with a rod, then by far the best bait for whitefish is live bait. To catch whitefish, live bait about 8 cm long is used. Narrow-bodied small fish should be used as live bait - this is whitefish’s favorite food. The following live baits are best suited:

When catching whitefish with a spinning rod, the best bait for it is a jig. Whitefish are great on jigs, especially orange, yellow and beige colored fish. The jig head should be chosen not too heavy and round in shape; these are the jig heads that show the best results when catching whitefish using a spinning rod.

Best places to catch whitefish

It is worth noting here that small whitefish are always caught near the shore, while large ones prefer to be caught closer to the middle of the river. When fishing for whitefish, the most important thing is to guess at what depth the fish is now. The fact is that whitefish often move in the water column and can be either at its surface or in the middle or at the very bottom.

Most often, whitefish are held just above the middle of the depth. That is, if the depth in a given section of the reservoir is 10 meters, then the whitefish will most often stay at a distance of 4 meters from the surface of the water. But sometimes the whitefish goes into the holes, driving out other fish from there, or rises to the very surface of the water. Therefore, if fishing for whitefish in the water column does not bring bites, you should fish other layers of water.

Best time to catch whitefish

Whitefish are caught all year round and in winter this fish, if it loses activity, does so only slightly and its fishing continues. Active whitefish fishing continues until mid-June. Around this time, the whitefish’s favorite food, the mosquito, flies out. During this period, the whitefish begins to feed almost exclusively on this insect, but some fishermen make baits similar to this mosquito and continue to successfully catch whitefish in the absence of bites.

After whitefish were caught very poorly from July to August inclusive, the pre-spawning feeding of whitefish begins in September-October. At this time, the fish is very active and rushes to any offered bait with particular greed. The autumn period is very successful in catching whitefish.

As for the time of day, whitefish are more of a night fish than a day fish. Therefore, catching it is more relevant during the evening-night-morning period. During the daytime, whitefish can actively feed only during the autumn feast, in cloudy weather, or when they are very hungry.

Well, you will learn more about whitefish fishing in this section.

Whitefish is a member of the salmon family. It lives mainly in water bodies of Europe and the USA, sometimes in northern Asia, as well as in the European part of the Russian Federation. There are approximately 40 species of this fish and it is difficult even for a professional to distinguish them. Only first-class specialists can guess what type this or that belongs to. They can be distinguished by habitat, environmental conditions, spawning and taste. You can buy fresh frozen whitefish from us by ordering by phone at 8-967-140-1008.
Spawning occurs in late autumn in shallows near the shore. Depending on the habitat, spawning can continue until the end of the winter months.

Whitefish fishing in the fall

In this article we will look at the answers to questions about how to fish for whitefish in the fall and winter. In autumn, catching whitefish is not difficult because it swims at the middle level of the reservoir. But there are also difficulties in that this fish is not used to being easily handled. She is very sassy and active. It is difficult to catch a large specimen, because it can swim to 15 meters in depth.

In the fall, it is necessary to take gear with large baitfish, because these fish are not caught on fry. Choosing bait is not a problem - it can be maggots or beetle larvae. The bloodworm will be superfluous due to its small size.

You can catch whitefish all day long; it bites even at dusk. You should try to hook precisely at the moment when the float is actively jumping. This is all because the fish is active and ready to fight with its prey.

It is easiest to catch whitefish on an Ultra-light spinning rod, because it will seriously resist. Attempts to break free can break a regular fishing rod or tear the fishing line. Spinning will help you quickly hook and pull out your prey.

Fishing in winter

To catch whitefish in winter, you need to think about gear and equipment, because not everything is suitable.
Required:

• fishing rod,
• jig,
• spoon,
• nod,
• bait.

It is much easier to catch whitefish in winter, because now the fish are not particularly active and respond well. For fishing, both vertical and horizontal spoons are suitable, which will attract you with their appearance even from a distance. Jigs will also work. The main thing is to take a fishing line no thicker than 0.12 millimeters.

The fishing rod can be anything, now everything should be for your convenience. You will quickly feel the bite, because it will be very strong.
It’s not difficult to find bait for whitefish, just go to a special fishing store and buy:

• bloodworm,
• mormysh,
• maggot,
• worm, etc.

You can buy one thing, or you can diversify the last meal of the booty.

A story about grayling on the first ice

The weather this year in our North is simply unpredictable. Early frosts, which were below -20 C in mid-October, quickly froze small rivers and lakes. Not far from the town of Mezen, in the Arkhangelsk region, there flows a small forest river called Pyya, which ice fishing enthusiasts visit throughout the winter. I am no exception among fishing lovers and have also fished before. The river is interesting because it has a small width, its depth is no more than a meter. The water level in it is affected by tides. The fish “living” in it are grayling, ruff and some whitefish. The current is not very strong, except during high tide when a large amount of water flows into the river. In this case, part of the water is poured onto the ice, which grows rapidly in cold weather.

At the end of winter, it becomes impossible to fish on it, since the thickness of the ice becomes greater than the length of the ice screw.

On October 25, I met a neighbor who had managed to go to this river in the morning. He boasted of a good catch, which caused me to have an attack of white envy. In the evening I called Alexey, my constant fishing and hunting partner. Consent followed immediately. We agreed to leave in the dark so that we could be there by dawn. How long does it take for a fisherman to get ready? All the gear is in order from last season, the worms are prepared, tea in a thermos in the morning, a few sandwiches and off we go!

We left on Alexey’s snowmobile, I was in the sleigh. All 11 km to the river seemed like a living hell. There was very little snow in the swamps and in the forest, everything was frozen, and the shaking was simply incredible. Just the anticipation of my first ice fishing filled me with excitement. But everything ends someday.

When we arrived at the river, it turned out that it was impossible to go down onto the ice on a snowmobile. The banks are quite steep and there is little snow, so there was no convenient descent. After walking about 300 meters on the ice, we stopped at a small “saucer”, where we usually catch grayling. The absence of holes gave us hope that the place was not fished and we could count on luck. It was easy to drill through the ice; its thickness did not exceed 10 cm. Having made 4 holes, we baited and lowered the fishing rods. As soon as I lowered the first one and began to prepare the second fishing rod, a sharp bite immediately followed. Did not have time. Hoping that the grayling had not gone far, he began to tug it slightly. The bite followed almost immediately, but the grayling was not detected again. We set out 4 fishing rods and began to wait. The bites occurred on the gear that we were not near.

Analyzing the situation, we came to the conclusion that the fish sees us. This place where we settled was not covered with snow, and we fished in an area with bare ice.

Periodically, the grayling pecked, running to the fishing rod on slippery ice was inconvenient, and it was especially difficult to stop. But the catch gradually increased. It was interesting to pull out the grayling; it was visible under the ice a couple of meters before the hole.

Two bites were very powerful. Grayling pulled fishing rods into the water, and only a lucky chance saved our gear. As usual, the largest fish remained in the river. In total, we caught 16 grayling weighing from 150 to 300 grams. Quite large specimens are also found in this river. Closer to lunch, a weak snowstorm began, the bite almost stopped and we headed home.

I have been using small jigs as bait for several years now. They are copper and brass colored underneath and covered with lead on top. They have a decent weight that copes with the current. A little higher on an additional leash I tie various flies, both on a tee and on a single hook. The colors of flies are green, red and brown. According to many years of observations, this is the color that grayling prefers. I use fishing line no more than 0.2 mm. The bait is usually an earthworm, which we try to prepare for the whole winter, maggots and bloodworms. Sometimes we use bait. Real village cottage cheese is considered the best. It is very difficult to get it, although we live in a rural area. Grayling completely ignores packaged cottage cheese from the store.

A few days later a thaw set in and all the snow and ice on the rivers and lakes melted. We went hare hunting along the black trail, but that's another story. It’s just that in more than 40 years of fishing experience there has never been such consistency in hunting and fishing.

Features of fishing on the Amur

• About the Amur River ⇩
• What kind of fish can you catch here? ⇩
• What gear should you use? ⇩
• Features of fishing in different seasons ⇩
• In winter ⇩
• In spring ⇩
• Summer ⇩
• In autumn ⇩

The Amur is a great river that flows through the territory of the Russian Far East. From a fishing point of view, this river is very interesting, but the greatest attention of fishermen is focused on the Lower Amur: here this river is full-flowing and there is a lot of fish in this place.

In this material we will tell you what kind of fish you can catch in the Amur, what gear you need to use for this, as well as what are the features of fishing in different seasons: summer, autumn, winter and spring.

About the Amur River

The Amur River flows in the Far East in East Asia. The length of this river is 2824 kilometers.

The name of the river comes from the base “amar”, “damur” - “big river”. The Chinese called the Amur River "Heihe", or "black river", and then "Heilongjiang" - "black dragon river". As legend has it, in ancient times, a good black dragon that lived in a river defeated an evil white dragon that sank fishing boats.

As a result, the black winner remained to live at the bottom of the river in the Khingan cheeks area, located on the border of the Amur and Jewish Autonomous Regions. Therefore, this river got its name: “Black Dragon River”.

The Mongols called the Amur "Amur Khara-Muren", which translates as "black wide river".

River pool Amur is located on the territory of three countries:

• Russia (995 thousand km², more than 50% of the total territory of the basin),
• China (44.2%),
• Mongolia (1.8%).

What kind of fish can you catch here?

In terms of fish diversity, the Amur holds the palm among many Russian rivers.

This reservoir is home to more than 100 species and subspecies of fish, of which more than 35 are commercial.

So, in the Amur you can catch the following types of fish:

• Far Eastern brook lamprey and Pacific lamprey,
• Kaluga
• Amur sturgeon and Pacific (Sakhalin) sturgeon,
• Siberian sterlet,
• Chum salmon,
• Pink salmon,
• Red sockeye salmon,
• Coho salmon,
• Sima,
• Kamchatka salmon,
• Malma,
• Kunja,
• Common taimen,
• Lenok,
• Ussuri (Amur) whitefish,
• Sig-hadars,
• Amur grayling,
• Asian smelt, as well as scarlet river smelt,
• Noodle fish,
• Amur pike,
• Ide (otherwise called Amur chebak),
• Far Eastern rudd (otherwise known as ugai or Brandt’s rudd),
• Black and white cupids,
• Lake minnow, as well as Manchurian lake minnow,
• Chekanovsky's minnow, Chersky's minnow and Lagovsky's minnow (or Amur minnow),
• Chinese minnow,
• Common minnow,
• Amur flat-headed asp,
• Chinese Afiocypris,
• Whiskered chub,
• Amur chebak,
• Various types of gudgeons: Siberian, Lena, Soldatov's gudgeon, Amur whitefin (long-whiskered), Khankinskin, chebak-shaped (Amur), Cherskog sloth gudgeon, sloth gudgeon, as well as Chinese (Amur) false gudgeon, Chinese lizard gudgeon, Amur long-nosed gudgeon, eight-whiskered gudgeon,
• Vladislavia,
• Guber horse,
• Motley (spotted) horse,
• Amur black belly (podust-black belly),
• Fine-scaled yellowfin,
• Black and white Amur bream,
• Mongolian Chanodichthys,
• Ordinary skygazer,
• Mongolian redfin ("sungarik"),
• Gorbushka,
• Bukley (or Amur brisket),
• Seaweeds: common, Ussuri, Buinnur, Korean,
• Yellowcheek,
• Amur trigub (tregubka),
• Gorchak: ordinary, spiny, Khanka, Light bitterling,
• Common silver carp,
• Amur-Chinese carp,
• White silver carp (tolpyga),
• Bighead carp (bigheads),
• Usan char (Siberian char),
• Eastern (Amur) loach,
• Far Eastern lefua (or eight-whiskered loach),
• Amur (Manchurian) Leptobotia,
• Common spike,
• Som Soldatova,
• Amur catfish,
• Killer whales: creaking orca, Ussuri (lash), Brazhnikov’s killer whale (malach, or blue), Herzenstein’s killer whale and baby killer whale,
• Perch-auha (Chinese),
• Common pike perch,
• Common perch,
• Decorated butterfly,
• Rotan firebrand,
• Eleotris,
• Japanese goby, striped three-toothed and Amur gobies,
• Southern flathead (or Far Eastern slingshot),
• Amur broadhead,
• Speckled sculpin,
• Burbot,
• Far Eastern navaga (or vakhnya),
• snakehead,
• Three-spined stickleback and nine-spined (small) Amur stickleback,
• Star (Pacific river) flounder,
• Striped Arctic flounder,
• Loban.

Often fish caught in the Amur have damaged areas and ulcers on their bodies. It is not recommended to eat such fish.

What gear should you use?

What gear to take with you when fishing depends on the time of year.

So, according to fishermen, in the spring preference should be given to:

• float rod,
• bottom tackle,
• spinning

Features of fishing in different seasons

in winter

For ice fishing enthusiasts, this river offers truly unlimited possibilities. On the Amur, ice accumulation begins in November, and the ice remains until April-May.

You can catch fish here in any weather, and even despite severe frosts, there can be excellent catches here.

So, if the day is clear, you can catch:

• pike,
• taimen,
• Lenka,
• whitefish,
• bream

The first three representatives, as a rule, are caught with live bait and lures, and bream and whitefish are caught with a winter float rod.

In the upper reaches of the Amur, where the river does not freeze in winter, grayling is pulled in with a Bolognese fishing rod.

Basically, in winter, fishermen on the Amur use simple gear, for example, a wooden fishing rod about half a meter long with a small reel and spoon. At the same time, some fishermen make their own fishing rods.

The main thing is to choose a catchable spoon. Homemade spoons are also very popular.

The size of the catch depends on the fisherman: some manage to catch many specimens, including trophies, while others manage to catch only a couple of dozen. As a rule, whitefish are caught as bycatch.

in spring

Active fishing for predatory fish begins immediately after ice drift - in April-May. During this time you can catch:

• Sazanov,
• crucian carp,
• taimen,
• Lenkov,
• whitefish

Crucian carp are caught using a float rod - hungry individuals greedily grab the prey. This kind of fishing is especially effective in the morning and during the day.

Also, during the spring, with a float rod, if you are especially lucky, you can catch bream, whitefish, carp, and burbot, but most often at this time this fish is caught on donks, using bread pellets, fish slices, and worms as bait.

You can also catch catfish or killer whales using a fishing rod with a float, where there is cut fish or a worm as bait.

In the spring, lenok and taimen are actively caught using spinning rods; fishermen usually come for this fish to the mountain tributaries of the Amur. And in the river beds you can find:

• Amur pike,
• top viewer,
• horse,
• burbot,
• whitefish

In summer

With the onset of summer, silver crucian carp, which remain in bays and shallow waters after spawning, are excellently caught on a float rod. It is caught with a worm or pearl barley. You can also catch carp weighing 1-2 kilograms using corn.

When using bottom tackle, catfish, whip killer whales, and small pike are often caught on a worm.

Closer to autumn, salmon enter the Amur, so the “high season” begins for fishermen using fly fishing.

in autumn

The most active fishing on the Amur comes with the arrival of the autumn months.

It is during this period of time that chum salmon, pink salmon and other salmon rise in the river to spawn.

At this time, on the feeder, using a worm as bait, you can catch:

• bream,
• crucian carp,
• carp,
• burbot.

Spinning, along with fly fishing, is truly the autumn tackle on the Amur. You can catch a completely trophy specimen:

• pike,
• yellowcheek,
• Lenka,
• taimen,
• Supervisor.

During the autumn months, a spinning rod can be fished around the clock, using wobblers during the day, and artificial “mouse” baits at night, which imitate the movements of small rodents.

In October-November, burbot and whitefish, as well as asp, are very active.

Fishing on the Amur River is wonderful at almost any time of the year, and... You can treat yourself to catching trophy specimens. And if the catch did not turn out to be too rich, then simply relaxing in these beautiful places will bring a lot of pleasure.

Read also:

Fishing along the shores of the White Sea

Of all our northern seas, the White Sea is the most accessible to visit due to its relatively short distance and good transport links. Its coast, with high granite cliffs, bays, coves, coniferous and deciduous forests, and invigorating sea air, is especially attractive.

The flora and fauna of the White Sea are diverse and quite abundant. There are up to 470 species of plants, 800 species of invertebrates, and more than 60 species of fish. The main habitats of fish in the White Sea are coastal zones of the sea with depths of up to 20-30 m, especially rich in flora and fauna, which is conducive to sport fishing.

In the sea, twice a day, the tidal current is replaced by an ebb current. The height of the tides on average does not exceed 2-3 m, and only in places close to the exit to the Barents Sea do they reach 7 m. The most favorable hours for sport fishing are considered to be the period from the beginning of the middle of the tide to the end of the first half of the low tide. At this time, fish approach the shoreline especially intensively and are better caught with sports gear.

In terms of its depths, bottom topography, different salinity, and therefore different distribution of fish, the White Sea is not homogeneous. The number of marine species of plants and animals is sharply declining in the highly desalinated Dvina, Mezen and Onega bays. There are no typically marine fish here: cod, haddock, catfish, pollock, etc. But in the Kandalaksha Bay and off the northern shores of this sea, with their saltier waters, many purely marine, saltwater fish live and come from the Barents Sea.

Hunting for such highly athletic and valuable fish as salmon and brown trout is extremely exciting. These are large marine, migratory fish that live part of their lives in the ocean, and go to rivers during spawning. Sport fishing for these fish in rivers is prohibited, and only in the sea can they be caught with sports gear. The average weight of salmon is 8 kg and the largest is 18, the largest weight of its related trout is 12 kg.

These fish stay at relatively shallow depths of the coastal zone of the sea, standing between the irregularities of the bottom. Their approach to the shore increases during periods of high tidal waters and winds from the sea. High waters contribute to their mass movement into or out of rivers. This is the most convenient time for fishing.

You can successfully catch salmon and trout in the coastal waters of the sea near almost all rivers, but especially on the Karelian, Kandalaksha and Tersky shores of the White Sea. For fishing, you need a fairly strong spinning tackle or a “tyrant” sea hook tackle. The latter is especially successful if luminous and noisy (with pellets embedded inside) underwater floats are used.

The baits are spinners with increased acoustics or animal baits: shrimp, sandworms, small fish, etc., and especially various aromatic baits (liquid animal fats or vegetable oils) that affect the very finely developed sense of smell in these fish.

The White Sea is also home to one of the most valuable salmon fish - nelma. True, this fish has already become quite rare, but still sometimes it comes across as a bait. The nelma spends most of its life in the coastal desalinated waters of the sea, where it feeds mainly on small fish. At sea, nelma does not make significant migrations and usually does not go beyond the bays located at the mouths of large rivers.

Nelma reaches a length of up to 140 cm and a weight of up to 40 kg, but usually its length is up to 1 meter and its weight is up to 12 kg. Nelma is a very cautious fish; it feeds more at dawn and at night. It is caught with a spinning rod, on the track, or with vertical lures. Small fish are used as bait, and spinners are small, oscillating, interspersed with light.

Sea whitefish in the White Sea are found along the entire coast, but in small quantities, with the exception of certain places where it is especially abundant, for example, off the Karelian coast, in Kandalaksha Bay. Inhabits pre-estuarine areas and lower reaches of rivers. The average length of sea whitefish is 30 cm and weight 500 g. There are fish weighing up to 3 kg.

Whitefish are caught with bottom and fly fishing gear; The baits used are shrimp, sea and earthworms, shellfish, and when fly fishing - various insects, as well as small white wood worms. The white sea fish includes the White Sea vendace, up to 23 cm long. It lives in the deltaic areas of the sea and the lower reaches of rivers. Caught with float and bottom fishing rods. The bait is the caviar of various fish, especially lumpfish.

Herring is the most numerous schooling fish in the White Sea; it is the main commercial fish, but it is also caught with sports gear - with very small hooks, and fish caviar is used as bait. They catch herring by eye with a tyrant.

Cod is a particularly interesting sporting fish. It lives and spawns mainly in the Kandalaksha Bay, off the Karelian and Terek coasts, the waters of which are highly saline.

This fish is caught both from the deep shore and from a boat, some distance from the shore, at great depths. They fish from the shore using a rod, and from a boat - holding the line with their hand and tugging it all the time. Cod are especially well attracted by the vibrations of the bait. Natural baits are also used: pieces of fish, sandworms, etc. But these baits also need to be twitched - this makes fishing more effective. Cod is found ranging in size from 25 to 70 cm.

Haddock is well caught using vertical lures. It differs from cod only in that it has large black spots on its sides, under the first dorsal fin, below the lateral line. Haddock, like cod, is a bottom-dwelling fish, purely marine, and cannot tolerate strong desalination; reaches a weight of up to 9 kg, a length of up to 70 cm.

Other cod fish, especially in winter, include navaga, as well as small pollock and cod fish. They are caught with float and bottom fishing rods, as well as with tyrants, using small hooks baited with sea or earthworms (in winter they use dried worms collected in the fall). Navaga is caught using narrow, short (5-8 cm) pieces of white oilcloth as bait.

Five species of flounder are found in the White Sea. Of these, three species - river flounder, polar flounder and ruffed fish - are local fish and are found in almost all areas of the sea. Two other species - sea flounder and ruffed flounder - come from the Barents Sea in summer to feed. Flounder is caught with float rods and tyrants, on small hooks, with the attachment of a Nereis worm, which can be found in abundance on sandy shallows at low tide.

Of sporting interest is catching large bottom fish - catfish. It lives in areas where the waters are less desalinated. Catfish lead a solitary lifestyle. Sometimes fish up to 80 cm in length are caught. Catfish feed on mollusks, crabs, shrimp, sea urchins, stars and other invertebrates, and occasionally catch small fish.

Catfish have highly developed conical and chewing teeth, which are used for crushing and grinding the dense skeletons of mollusks, echinoderms and crustaceans. Catching catfish with bottom rods begins in May; at this time, fish appear in coastal waters at shallow depths (10-15 m).

The rest of the time they stay much deeper, where catching them is already difficult. When fishing, you must use a steel leash; The catfish easily bites through other leashes. Catfish meat is very tasty, and large caviar is slightly inferior to chum salmon.

The caviar of lumpfish, which is successfully caught at shallow depths in coastal waters, is also very tasty. There are also fish such as snake-like eelpout, smelt, capelin, goby, sand lance, and sea bass is less common. You can also catch a variety of freshwater fish at river mouths; Quite large pike are especially common.

Sharks and rays are found in the White Sea, but they are among the rare fish in this sea. Only in the funnel and throat of the White Sea, as well as in the Mezen Bay, do sharks stay almost all year round, and often in large numbers. Sport fishing for sharks is very interesting, carried out with durable sports gear, using bait made from fish meat, seal and especially pieces of seal or other animal fat.

Two main routes can be recommended for sports fishermen. In the first case, from Arkhangelsk by regular steamer you need to sail to the Winter, Tersky or Lyamitsky coast of the White Sea. In the second case, the Moscow - Murmansk or Leningrad - Murmansk train will take you to the shore south or north of Belomorsk. The railway runs right next to the shore of Onega Bay, and the fisherman, leaving the train, will immediately find himself on the seashore.

Or from Kem station you can get to the seashore by taking a local train (Rabocheostrovsk). Here you can fish both near the shore and by going out to sea on a boat. From Rabocheostrovsk you can take a very interesting trip by boat to Solovetsky Island. Such a trip is interesting not only for the opportunity to fish in the coastal areas of the sea or numerous freshwater lakes on the island, but also to get acquainted with the architecture of the ancient Solovetsky Monastery.

From Chupa station by bus (or on foot - 4 km) you can get to the village of Chupa-Pristan, located in the depths of a long, deep and very picturesque fiord - Chupinskaya Bay. This fiord stretches for about 30 km and opens into Kandalaksha Bay. Small ships regularly sail from Chupa to the village of Keret; In about two hours you can get to the Keretsky timber mill and the village near it.

There is excellent fishing and interesting places to walk. You can fish well in other places on the coast, getting off at other stations following Chupa to the north all the way to Kandalaksha. From Kandalaksha, on ships of the local shipping company, you can get to the Kandalaksha and Tersky coasts. On the Kandalaksha coast it is especially interesting to visit the village of Umba.

Thus, there are many good places for sport fishing on the shores of the White Sea!

Each season has its own characteristics regarding fishing. Despite this, most anglers, both amateurs and professionals, get great pleasure from fishing. Even winter fishing, with its frosts and snowstorms, cannot stop avid fishing enthusiasts. Fishing for whitefish in winter is just as satisfying.

Whitefish is a salmon species and is found in almost all regions of the northern hemisphere. At the same time, you can find up to 50 species of this fish, whose habitat extends to Europe and Siberia.

Usually you come across individuals up to 20 cm in length, although there are also larger specimens, weighing up to 5 kg and up to 60 cm in length. Catching a trophy whitefish is a great success, although it can only grow to trophy size in large bodies of water. Despite this, catching a medium-sized whitefish is no less enjoyable. Most anglers go on winter fishing with the goal of catching this amazing fish.

Winter fishing for whitefish requires the following gear:

• fishing rods;
• bait;
• spinners;
• nod;
• jigs.

As you can see from the list, these are quite common “tricks” for winter fishing. It is quite obvious that the principle of catching whitefish in winter is classic winter fishing using the simplest winter fishing rod. Whitefish actively attacks both horizontal and vertical spoons, as well as jigs. A fishing line thickness of about 0.12 mm is quite enough. At the same time, it is desirable to have a minimum of spare fishing line. In severe frost conditions, the fishing line quickly freezes and begins to tangle, creating inconvenience for the fisherman. Whitefish attack yellow or gray lures. At the same time, it is perfectly caught with classic whitefish. Each hook on the spoon is wrapped with red thread for greater attractiveness.

Rod for winter whitefish fishing

To catch whitefish, the most primitive winter fishing rod with a classic set is used. The main thing is that it is comfortable and pleasant to fish with. Whitefish is distinguished by a sharp, powerful bite, therefore, it is not at all difficult to determine the bite. The main thing is to make the cut in time.

The thickness of the leash, as a rule, is chosen to be smaller than the diameter of the main line. If the thickness of the main line is 0.15 mm, then the diameter of the leader can be 0.12 mm. The nod is made of steel so that it cannot vibrate in the wind. Wind is a common phenomenon in the northern hemisphere, so it is the real master here. The spoon is selected according to the size of the fish, which is from 3 to 7 cm. At the same time, the spoon should have a narrow shape.

Whitefish bite no less actively on a jig, which has the shape of a petal, ball or comma. Experienced fishermen manage to catch whitefish using a double device: take a silver-colored jig, and above it, at a distance of 15 cm, tie a fly. The material for the jig can be the metal from which the spinner is made. Whitefish are attracted to jigs that make frequent oscillations. This fish can be caught both with jigs without attachments and with jigs with an additional attachment. As an additional attachment, an artificial crustacean is used, made of wire and a dark-colored bead, which is attached to the wire with a thread. You can secure the artificial crustacean using silicone.

Winter bait and groundbait for whitefish

Many types of bait, both natural and artificial, are suitable for winter fishing:

• mormysh;
• bloodworm;
• worm;
• bark beetle larva;
• maggot;
• silicone vibrotail.

It is believed that the best winter bait for whitefish is mormysh. This is a bait that will never leave a whitefish indifferent, and he will try to swallow it. Small whitefish are caught using bloodworms. Therefore, for such fishing it makes sense to use gray nymphs or amphipods. Millet mixed with aromatic substances works well as bait. This predator eats the eggs of other fish species, but using eggs as bait is not recommended. He does not take the caviar that is on the hook, as if he knows that now is not the season for it.

Complementary feeding rules

In winter, whitefish gather in schools and move around the reservoir in search of food items. Therefore, the main task is to get to the flock and make every effort to ensure that it remains for a long time in the fishing zone. To do this, bait is used, which is thrown into the hole in small portions to create a vertical cloud of turbidity, which may be attractive to whitefish. To make it look like a uniform column of food elements, the fisherman will have to work hard. But the result will not be long in coming, and the fisherman’s work will certainly be rewarded.

Good results can be obtained if you constantly change the bait supply mode, creating different throwing intervals. You can play with the nature of the bait. It is quite natural that such manipulations with bait create certain inconveniences. When throwing bait into the hole, nodding movements similar to a bite are observed. Sometimes, even an experienced fisherman finds it difficult to determine whether a bite is real or false.

If the fluctuations are repeated and very often, it means that the school of whitefish is rising to another level, which requires a revision of fishing tactics. To do this, you will have to switch to another fishing horizon, changing the fishing depth each time. This operation continues until the bait is in close proximity to the school.

Where to catch whitefish in winter

Like any other fishing aimed at catching a specific type of fish, whitefish fishing requires knowledge from the fisherman in terms of choosing a promising place. This question is especially relevant if fishing is carried out in an unfamiliar body of water. If there are fishermen on a reservoir, then it is quite natural that they occupy fishing spots. Despite this, you can try to identify catchable places by paying attention to old holes. In addition, you should carefully study the coastal topography. The most reliable way is to study the bottom topography, and this takes a lot of time. It doesn’t matter, but the result will manifest itself, and a sea of ​​positive emotions will be provided. To do this, you need to drill as many holes as possible in a certain part of the water area. The drilling pattern is selected depending on the size of the reservoir, its geometry and the nature of the coastline. If you find a rocky base or a significant difference in depth, you can safely talk about the catchability of this place.

Whitefish prefer to be in that part of the water area where the water is cleaner and the salt content is higher. Prefers to be in the upper or middle layers of water. With the arrival of winter, this fish gathers in schools and chooses deeper places for wintering. Usually, at this time, whitefish are caught at a depth of 3 to 5 meters. At greater depths, bites are also possible, but they are rare, but excellent specimens are found.

Small individuals prefer to stay in shallow water, while adults prefer to stay in holes, from which they emerge early in the morning or late evening.

Currently, most fishermen prefer to fish in paid reservoirs, where the result of fishing is predetermined. Such fishermen can be called lazy, and for them the main thing is not the fishing process, but the result, which a paid reservoir can provide 100%. It is quite natural that not every amateur fisherman can afford to spend extra money for pleasure, therefore, they manage, trying to create ideal fishing conditions for themselves in wild bodies of water. Many argue that ordinary bodies of water bring more pleasure than paid ones, even if the result is negative.

Whitefish bite

Whitefish is a cautious fish that takes down its prey with lightning speed. Being close to the bait, the whitefish grabs it while lying on its side and quickly tries to go to the depths. Therefore, the moment of a bite is a strong push that cannot be confused with any other action. At the moment of the bite, you should make a hook and immediately begin to fish out the fish in order to lead it away from the school in time, otherwise the school may leave this place. The whitefish has a very strongly developed survival instinct, so it resists very seriously, which sometimes leads to getting off the hook. If large specimens are caught, then an assistant will come in handy.

Winter lure fishing begins with the bait playing at the very bottom. If there is no result, the spoon gradually rises upward until a bite follows. The wiring used is the simplest, with pauses between cycles. Sometimes the spoon is changed to another spoon if no result is observed. The fishing process should not be accompanied by noise, otherwise the whitefish will leave the fishing spot at the slightest suspicion of danger. If the scales of a caught fish fall into the hole and begin to sink to the bottom, then the entire school may sink to the bottom.

The whitefish clings to the hook, mainly with the lower lip. This is due to the peculiarities of whitefish hunting tactics for potential prey. If you want to catch small individuals, it is better to go to the shoreline; if you want to catch large individuals, then it is better to head to the middle of the river. If there is no ice on the reservoir, you can use a boat, especially since during warm periods the whitefish leaves wintering pits and rises closer to the surface.

Video “Catching big whitefish in winter”

Video “Whitefishing in winter”