What kind of fish does smelt look like? Biological characteristics of smelt fish and methods of catching it. Where is smelt found and where does it live?

Smelt – small fish of the salmon family, reaching a length of 8 to 35 cm. A distinctive feature of the smelt is its strongly protruded lower jaw. Its back is brownish with a green tint, and its sides have a bluish tint with a silver tint. Smelt scales do not have a silvery pigment, so the scales appear to be translucent. The dorsal fin is located from the middle of the back along the spinal line. The body of the fish is elongated, oblong.

A fun thing about smelt is that freshly caught smelt smells like a cucumber!

She begins to reproduce after she reaches a certain age. For example, the Baltic smelt matures at 2-4 years, the White Sea smelt at 3-4 years, and the Siberian smelt goes to spawn only at 5-7 years. The largest smelt is considered to be Siberian. It reaches a length of 35 cm and lives up to 12 years.

Smelt: habitats

In summer and autumn, smelt are found in close proximity to the shores. To spawn, it can cover a distance of more than 100 km. Smelt is found in the White, German, Baltic and Arctic seas. It is also found in deep lakes located in the northwestern part of Russia. You can meet smelt in the Neva, Volga, Sestra, Narva rivers and in the Kuibyshevskoye, Gorkovskoye, Rybinskoye, Saratovskoye reservoirs.

Season and time of smelt fishing

For many anglers, winter smelt fishing has become a real hobby. Every winter, fishing fans sit for hours on the ice waiting for a bite. Winter smelt fishing can bring an angler up to 5 kg of fish. In winter, bites from this fish are very frequent, so you can meet a large number of fishermen in winter reservoirs.

It is in winter that smelt go to the mouths of rivers or rise 2-3 km from the sea along the river to spawn. Smelt are found in schools, so if you find a place where there is a school, it means the fishing was a success. Experienced fishermen stay on the ice in winter to catch smelt, because they know for sure that the bite is much more intense at night.

• Advice for fishermen: smelt bite more often at night if you shine a flashlight on the hole.
• And one more piece of advice: at the beginning of fishing, do not forget about fishing ethics, if you are not alone on a body of water, in a catchable place. You can read useful tips in my article about fisherman's ethics.

How and what to catch smelt with

In order to return home with a good catch of smelt, you need to thoroughly prepare for fishing. You need to provide everything: from gear to bait.

For fishing, use a short rod with 20–30 meters of fishing line measuring from 0.18 to 0.25. From 1 to 4 jigs are tied to the undergrowth. Live bloodworms are used as bait for smelt jigs. Just don’t freeze it - keep it in a tight box in your bosom. The weight of the sinker is selected according to the depth and current of the reservoir. To successfully catch smelt, tackle is placed in a row every one and a half meters. The rod needs to be secured in the shunga pulled out from the hole, because the fish can drag everything into the hole.

Fishing for smelt will be successful if you go with a lot of prepared gear. The fish move in schools, and if the active bite begins, there will be no time to tie the jig, because the fish will simply leave. Additional tackle will help save time and catch more fish. It is better to make holes across the current so that the gear does not get tangled.

Fishing for smelt will be successful if you use the smelt itself as bait. The first specimen caught is cut into pieces and used as bait. But this is not a panacea - you can use fresh herring, sprat, crucian carp or mackerel. The fresher the bait, the greater the catch rate. Just as previously noted, maggots, bloodworms or worms are used as bait.

Smelt is quite a tasty fish in cooking, and it is not for nothing that many fishermen come for winter fishing to catch only smelt. Dried, dried, smoked or salted smelt is an excellent dish for the table.

Source: https://tourist-fisher.ru/vse-o-rybalke/vidy-ryb/koryushka

Characteristics of smelt fish and fishing features at different times of the year

Smelt fishing is possible throughout the year, but among fishermen it is still considered primarily a winter species. The popularity of this predator lies in its unpretentiousness to bait, the ability to catch with various tackles, as well as high taste qualities and benefit.

The smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) is a widespread small schooling predator of the order Salmonidae. It is of great commercial importance: capelin (subspecies) alone is harvested annually up to four million tons in the world.

Smelt is interesting both as independent prey and as live bait for catching other predators that stay close to the school.

Smelt fish contains a lot of useful substances:

• vitamins A, B, D;
• selenium, iodine, fluorine, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, bromine, potassium;
• polyunsaturated fatty acid omega-3;
• amino acids methionine, cysteine, threonine and lysine;
• easily digestible proteins.

Smelt has an odor uncharacteristic of fish fresh cucumbers.

It is included in the diet for diseases of the cardiovascular system. Low-calorie smelt (150 kcal/100 g) helps reduce cholesterol in the blood and the disappearance of plaques on the walls of blood vessels.

Appearance

The largest smelt specimens reach 40 centimeters in length. The fish has a narrow, scaleless body and a toothed mouth with an elongated mouth characteristic of all salmonids. lower jaw. The color of the back is greenish-brown, the sides are silver.

The description of smelt is told by Petr de Crilon SonyKpK in his video.

Nutrition

Main food of smelt:

• zooplankton;
• whitebait different breeds fish;
• caviar.

The most intensive feeding of smelt occurs in spring and autumn, in close proximity to the coast. This is where the fish stay most of the year.

Reproduction

Smelt does not like warm water. Spawning begins immediately after the ice melts at a temperature of five degrees Celsius. Sea fish gather in huge schools and rise several kilometers upstream in the rivers. This is actively used by fishermen using nets.

However, not only fishermen follow schools of smelt going to spawn:

• schools of cod;
• seagulls;
• seals;
• and even whales.

Freshwater smelt search for bays and bays. The spawning process in fish is quite noisy, but short-lived - it can last only a few days.

Spawning grounds are located mainly on sandbanks. The fertility of smelt is 1.5-60 thousand eggs.

• bottom;
• sticky;
• light yellow color;
• with a diameter of 0.5-1.2 millimeters.

The fry hatch in an average of two weeks.

During spawning, the body of the fish is covered with small tubercles. Smelt usually spawns once, rarely twice, in its life, after which it dies or returns to its usual habitats.

Varieties

The family includes about ten species of smelt, including both marine and freshwater ones. The former are larger, usually stay in slightly salted waters and are considered a semi-anadromous fish. The latter are lighter in weight.

European smelt (smelt)

Smelt came from sea smelt. Differs from it in size - length European species does not exceed ten centimeters. Smelts live no more than three to four years, breeding at the age of one or two years.

This type of fish lives throughout the North-West of Russia and Europe:

• in coastal areas of the North Atlantic;
• in coastal areas of the Arctic Ocean;
• in Volga reservoirs and lakes in northern Western Europe.

The Gulf of Finland annually hosts a smelt festival: fishermen compete to catch and eat tons of seafood.

In Belarus, smelt is included in the Red Book. However, the fish's range is constantly expanding and its population is growing.

Asian smelt

The Asian toothed smelt differs from the European smelt in having a longer lateral line, strong jaws and a weight of up to 100 grams. Lives in coastal areas of the Arctic and Pacific oceans.

Smallmouth smelt

The common smallmouth smelt is widespread in the Alaska and northwestern Canada areas. The maximum body length is 25 centimeters, weight is up to 150 grams, life expectancy is up to eight years.

capelin

Capelin is distributed almost circumpolarly in the Arctic and northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The maximum body length is 25 centimeters, weight is up to 50 g, life expectancy is up to ten years.

Habitats and catches

With the exception of the spawning period, smelt almost does not change its habitat - mainly in the coastal zone. When searching for areas where it is found, you need to look for at least three meters in depth. The bottom is sandy or clayey, with little current.

Smelt prefers to stay in the middle water horizons, only periodically rising to the surface or sinking to the bottom.

• river mouths;
• bays;
• drops along the fairway;
• pits or hills in the form of tubercles;
• freshwater bays.

Selection of tackle and equipment

The smelt either bites very intensely or is not caught at all. During particularly active biting, barbless hooks are used. They allow you to spend significantly less time releasing each caught fish.

Float rod

For line fishing, Bolognese rods are used, and for long distances, match rods are used. However, smelt is more often caught with simple fly rods, since it usually stays close to the shore.

Gear requirements:

1. A carbon fiber rod with a length of three to five meters should first of all be lightweight. Catching smelt involves constant recasting.
2. Reel - any inertial or non-inertial reel of size no more than 2000 according to the Shimano classification.
3. The fishing line is thin, no more than 0.2 millimeters in diameter.
4. The float is bright, elongated, with a carrying capacity of one to ten grams.

To catch smelt, an original equipment is used - a tyrant. It is a submerged main line up to ten meters in length, to which three or four leashes are attached.

Tyrant's equipment

Requirements for tyrant leashes:

• material - fluorocarbon, almost invisible in water due to the refractive index of light close to it;
• length - from five to twenty centimeters;
• diameter - 0.12-0.14 millimeters;
• hook number 14-18 according to the international classification with a long shank.

Bottom tackle

Pickers and light feeders with fast action are suitable for catching smelt. Reels are spinning reels, size 3000-4000 according to the Shimano classification.

Spinning

Sensitive ultralight gear is suitable for catching smelt using a spinning rod.

Required spinning characteristics:

1. A rod with a test weight of up to 5-7 grams of fast and extra-fast action. Such blanks will provide sufficient sensitivity when placing miniature baits.
2. Inertia-free reel of small sizes - 1000-2000 according to the Shimano classification. However, budget designs do not always handle thin cords well. Therefore, when fishing for smelt, high-quality reels are preferred. famous manufacturers.
3. Braided fishing line with a diameter of 0.1-0.12 millimeters.
4. Fluorocarbon leader.

Lures for spinning smelt fishing:

• rotating spoons of size no larger than the first number according to the MEPS classification;
• silvery oscillating spoons, from two to three centimeters in length;
• edible silicone - vibrotails, twisters and worms up to four centimeters long;
• mini-wobblers up to four centimeters long.

Rotating spoon No. 0 Oscillating silver spoon Twisters, 40 mm Wobbler Kosadaka RAVEN XS, 40 mm

In addition, smelt are often caught with spinning rods and jigs. A slow action trout rod is required to properly animate this miniature bait. While wiring, lightly tap the sagging cord with its tip.

Winter tackle

For winter smelt fishing, any fishing rods are used. Most often, both amateurs and athletes choose “balalaikas” with a thin and sensitive nod. Due to the small size of the fish, the tackle is delicate - with a thin line and small hooks.

Jigs for catching smelt

For fishing, phosphorus jigs with a diameter of four to six millimeters are used. Larger baits will sharply reduce the number of bites, but larger individuals will begin to sit on the hook. In addition, in winter they use silver two-centimeter vibrators and tyrants.

Attachments and baits for catching smelt

Smelt is not too demanding and is caught using bait of animal origin.

Most often used:

• colored maggot;
• worm;
• bloodworm;
• burdock moth larvae;
• crab sticks;
• pieces of ruff or smelt itself.

When fishing with a tyrant, bait is not used. To attract attention, smelts use pieces of colored latex four to six millimeters long. In addition, threads are wound on the hook different color, after which it resembles a loosely tied artificial fly.

Feeding technique

When fishing for smelt, bait is often not used: it is often impossible to keep the school in place and it is easier to follow it. However, some fishermen bait the point with bloodworms, other animals and protein components - for example, milk powder. The bait is hidden inside balls of soil or clay.

Features of fishing in different bodies of water and different times of the year

Regardless of its habitat, smelt is voracious and not shy. The fishing strategy at any time of the year comes down to searching for a school of fish. The easiest way to detect accumulations is with an echo sounder. If a school is found, then catching a fish is most often not difficult.

in spring

Before and after spawning, smelt actively feeds. At this time, you need to look for it near the confluence of small rivers, as well as in areas with a flat bottom.

In summer

In summer, smelt are slightly less active and stay in the coastal zone. Quite often she enters the bays.

in autumn

The 24-hour feeding of smelt in the fall begins in September and continues until freeze-up. At this time, fishing is carried out using all known methods. When the weather remains warm in the fall, smelt stay in shallow water. It moves to depth only when cold weather arrives.

in winter

In winter, in search of smelt, you need to drill many holes and stock up on fishing line. If the reservoir allows, the fish can go to depths of about twenty meters. Depending on the weather, smelt are located in different horizons. The search begins, as a rule, a meter from the bottom.

Alexander Mazarchuk showed how to catch smelt in winter using dump needles.

You can also fish from ice at night. At the same time, the light does not scare away, but, on the contrary, attracts fish.

One of the peculiarities of smelt is that it prefers to winter in places with a flat bottom. Other fish prefer to spend this time in holes.

Catching smelt in winter on the White Sea from Vladimir Chetvertev.

Source: https://ylovkin.ru/povadki-ryb/koryushka-4047/

Where are smelt found - habitats and fishing spots

Smelt is a popular commercial fish, but despite its small size, it is of interest not only to commercial fishermen, but also to ordinary amateur fishermen.

Where are smelt found?

After herring, smelt takes second place among fishermen in the Gulf of Finland.

In addition to the Gulf of Finland, smelt can be found in:

• Lake Onega;
• Ladoga lake;
• The mouth of the Northern Dvina;
• White Sea;
• Arctic Sea;
• Baltic Sea;
• Barencevo sea;
• Neva;
• Volga;
• Narva;
• Sister;
• Meadows;
• Sistra;
• Rokkala.

The fish is also widespread in reservoirs, such as:

• Rybinskoe;
• Gorkovskoe;
• Kuibyshevskoe;
• Saratov reservoir.

Due to the complexity ecological situation Smelt is less common, but still found, in the rivers of Western Europe.

Description

Depending on the environment, smelt can have several shades, but in its mass its upper body is brown-green, and 2/3 of the fish’s body is silver in color with a bluish tint.

The fins of the fish have a gray-green tint. The body is oblong, length from 10 cm to 35 cm, and weight from 5 g to 375 g. The lifespan of smelt is from 1 to 7 years, and some Siberian specimens live up to 12.

Spawning

After ice drift begins and the water warms up to 40C, smelt spawning begins. To spawn in the spring, smelt rises from the Gulf of Finland to the Neva and the rivers flowing into the bay, choosing areas with a clean sandy bottom.

To lay eggs, the fish is ready to travel from several hundred meters to 270 km, and migration for the purpose of spawning can last up to the third part of the year.

Mass spawning lasts several days, reaching a peak at a water temperature of 90C.

Varieties of smelt

There are 10 species and six genera known in the smelt family.

In northwestern Russia, the following species have become widespread:

• smallmouth smelt;
• capelin;
• smelt.

The most widespread among the three species presented is the last one.

Also in the CIS there are two subspecies:

• Asian smelt;
• European smelt.

Smelt habitats

Due to the fact that smelt has acquired anadromous and residential forms, it should be divided by habitat (river fish and sea fish).

The habitat of the European smelt is:

• North Pacific;
• Arctic Ocean;
• rivers and coastal areas of the North Atlantic.

The habitat of the Asian smelt is:

• White Sea;
• rivers of Siberia and Far East;
• Baltic and North Sea;
• Ladoga lake;
• Lake Onega.

Smelt habitatsmallmouthmarine is:

• desalinated areas of the Arctic Ocean;
• Pacific Basin (Mackenzie River);
• Asian Basin (Yellow Sea).

This species has spread from Kamchatka to Korea, and from Alaska to California. To spawn, this species goes to areas with desalinated water (river mouths).

Habitat Features of Smelt

The main habitats of smelt are coastal zones, this is due to the fact that the fish is a predator and needs a large food supply, and there is also internal competition between individuals of the school.

Smelt is very demanding on living conditions and lives only in clean water.

On the territory of northwestern Russia, smelt fishing is mainly of a commercial nature, since a simple fisherman has the opportunity to catch a worthy specimen only in the sea and in in rare cases on a lake or river.

In the conditions of the rivers of Germany and England, where fish spend most of their time in rivers going inland from the mouth, this type of fishing is in great demand among local fishermen.

I have been active fishing for quite some time and have found many ways to improve the bite. And here are the most effective:

1. Bite activator. Attracts fish in cold and warm water with the help of pheromones included in the composition and stimulates its appetite. It’s a pity that Rosprirodnadzor wants to impose a ban on its sale.
2. More sensitive gear. Reviews and instructions for other types of gear can be found on the pages of my website.
3. Lures using pheromones.

You can get the rest of the secrets of successful fishing for free by reading my other materials on the site.

Is smelt only caught in salt water?

Is it possible to catch smelt in fresh water?

Illustrations

Hadiya Ulumbekova

The smelt season is in full swing in St. Petersburg. The first fish appeared in the city at the end of February, when they began to be caught in the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga, but only now the smelt has finally reached the Neva.

To understand how to choose and prepare smelt correctly, what is the difference between fish caught, for example, in the Neva and the Gulf of Finland, and why smelt is brought to St. Petersburg from the Far East, The Village talked to four experts - a chef, restaurateur, co-founder of fresh fish delivery and director of one of the oldest fishing companies in the city.

Place of catch

Not all smelt that can be bought in stores and on street stands is caught in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. Previously, the first fish was brought from the Baltic states, but now, after the introduction of sanctions, entrepreneurs began to organize deliveries from Kaliningrad.

The main thing you need to know about the Baltic, Neva and Ladoga smelt is that they are the same fish, just caught in the nets of fishermen at different periods of their migration. However, true connoisseurs believe that they can distinguish one from another by size, color and smell.

In addition, sometimes smelt is brought to St. Petersburg from the Far East. This fish belongs to the same family, but its properties are very different from the local one. However, most often Far Eastern smelt is brought to the central and western regions of Russia already in a processed form, for example, dried or smoked.

ALEXANDER ONISCHENKO

The fish differ primarily in size; the small ones mainly live in Ladoga; in the Gulf of Finland they are larger and can reach a length of more than 20 centimeters. Another difference is the color of the fish. It is darker in the bay.

EVGENY SIMONCHUK
(one of the largest smelt fishing companies in St. Petersburg)

Smelt from the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Finland, Neva, and Lake Ladoga are fundamentally no different. The only thing, perhaps, is that the fish are larger in the Neva. There is a high current here, and only strong individuals reach here.

Both the White Sea smallmouth fish and the Far Eastern catfish are called smelt; they really belong to the smelt family, but they have completely different organoleptics, a different taste and smell. These varieties are the largest, and their specific cucumber smell is almost not pronounced. And, of course, in St. Petersburg this fish is mostly sold defrosted. This is due to logistical difficulties. Even from Kaliningrad, it is quite difficult to bring fresh smelt: three borders need to be crossed, and the shelf life for chilled fish is only 72 hours.

EDUARD MURADYAN
restaurateur

They brought me smelt from Sakhalin. It's not like that, and it's not worth buying. More precisely, it’s worth it if you’re on Sakhalin.

Size

The price of smelt is directly proportional to the size of the fish. The larger, the more expensive. The truth is that when it comes to taste, things are not so clear cut. Among smelt lovers, there are those who like exclusively small fish, while others prefer medium-sized ones. But most people have doubts about the gastronomic value of large fish; its main advantage is convenience: large fish are easier to clean and easier to fry.

EVGENY SIMONCHUK
General Director of RK Lisiy Nos LLC

From my own experience, I can say that the most delicious fish is medium, about 14–16 centimeters in length. This is the most optimal size. We supply selected large fish - 20–22 centimeters, but we do it larger because our customers often ask for it. And we sell the rest without bulking, so that we can catch both large and small fish.

ALEXANDER ONISCHENKO
co-founder of the service “Delivery of smelt in St. Petersburg”

Indeed, the price of smelt primarily depends on its size. But there is one catch: selection significantly reduces its freshness period. So a twenty-kilogram box of smelt can be ruined for the sake of two kilograms of large fish. Fish really don’t like to be touched too much and spoil faster.

Large fish, of course, have more meat, but giants are usually not as tasty. The average fish is optimal in all respects. As for the small ones, they can be quickly fried whole and not gutted; they are often bought for beer .

ALEXANDER BERKOVSKY

Large smelt can be gutted, skinned, and even, if desired, filleted out of it - this is for those who don’t really like to mess with bones later. Medium-sized fish - cleaned, gutted, and it will be easier to separate it from the bones already in the plate. And the smallest fish does not need to be cleaned or gutted: it is edible entirely.

EDUARD MURADYAN
restaurateur

Any smelt is good, the main thing is that it is not very large, since it is pleasant to eat it whole with the spine and head.

Where to buy and how to choose

During the season, smelt is sold everywhere: in stores, on street stalls, in markets, and some companies deliver it directly to your home. Moreover, the price of fish in different places can vary greatly. Organizations protecting consumer rights only mislead: they report that all fish sold in the city has passed the necessary tests and is safe; It is strictly forbidden to buy fish on the street.

ALEXANDER BERKOVSKY
co-owner of the Clean Plate Society cafe and Mishka bar, chef

You can buy smelt everywhere: in stores, on street stalls, and from fishermen on Lake Ladoga. During the season, it is usually the same for everyone. Quality can be determined in the same way as with any other fish: by smell. It should smell fresh and cucumber. Moreover, you will never determine whether the fish was frozen or not: smelt tolerates freezing very well and does not lose its qualities.

ALEXANDER ONISCHENKO
co-founder of the service “Delivery of smelt in St. Petersburg”

First of all, you need to pay attention to how the smelt looks; there should be no mucus on the fish. Sometimes the fish seems to shine with fat - this means that it has been sitting for a long time; this can often be seen on trays that stand in the sun. Plus, you should pay attention to the gills: if they are bright red, it means the fish is good. And, of course, fresh smelt smells like cucumbers, everyone knows that. Although, for example, fish from Ladoga almost does not smell like cucumbers.

EVGENY SIMONCHUK
General Director of RK Lisiy Nos LLC

The main indicator of quality is price. The average cost of selected smelt at the beginning of the season is 450–600 rubles, and if you see a large fish for 350, this should alert you. Most likely it was brought from afar. Color is also important. If smelt from the Gulf of Finland and the Neva is initially black, but begins to lighten approximately on the second day, then the color of the White Sea and Far Eastern smelt does not change, it remains dark.

Fish that has been frozen can be distinguished by their eyes - they will be cloudy. Plus, you should pay attention to the width of the pupil; if it is narrow, the fish is fresh, and if it is dilated, it means it has already been sitting.

EDUARD MURADYAN
restaurateur

It is better to buy from fishermen. Choose by the appearance and smell of the gills. Good smelt smells of freshness and cucumbers. At the Kuznechny market there is always “elite”, that is, expensive. In May - on every corner.

How to cook and where to eat

There are many recipes for cooking smelt. It is baked, pickled, smoked and dried, but the main and most popular recipe is simple: the fish is simply fried in oil, first rolled in flour with added salt.

EVGENY SIMONCHUK
General Director of RK Lisiy Nos LLC

In my opinion, the best ways to prepare smelt are traditional ones. There are actually two of them - in a frying pan and on coals. Who likes it more? If the fish is very small, it is deep-fried and eaten like seeds. You can also smoke and dry smelt, but there’s nothing else you can do with it.

ALEXANDER BERKOVSKY
co-owner of the Clean Plate Society cafe and Mishka bar, chef

I really love pickled smelt: small fish fried in flour and doused with hot marinade with onions, carrots, and cloves. This is how they cooked it in my family, and it seems to me that it is a real delicacy - a super snack.

At Clean Plate Society we fry smelt in flour and serve with lemon and tartare. In a small fish, the bones become soft and it can be eaten whole, leaving only the head.

EDUARD MURADYAN
restaurateur

At the restaurant EM Olesya (Olesya Drobot, chef. - Ed.) makes the most delicate appetizer: “Smelt in three presentations with zucchini and basil”, at the Rubinstein cafe it is fried head on and served in large portions.

Cult of smelt

Several legends are associated with smelt in St. Petersburg. Among the most popular is the legend that Peter I loved smelt, called it the Tsar Fish and popularized it in every possible way. The second says that during the blockade, the spring passage of smelt along the Neva helped save the lives of many townspeople. Local historians have doubts about both legends. However, this does not prevent the creation of a new cult on their basis: for example, a monument is erected to smelt in St. Petersburg, festivals and exhibitions are dedicated, and a big holiday is organized in its honor once a year.

Smelt and smelt belong to a special genus (Osmerus) of the salmon family, which is distinguished by a rather large mouth, a longer lower jaw, numerous and large teeth and very delicate scales; the dorsal fin does not begin in front of the ventral fins, as in whitefish and grayling, but behind it; the lateral line is incomplete. Both fish differ from each other almost only in size, and belong to the same species.

Live smelt is very beautiful. Her back is brownish-green, somewhat translucent, since the dorsal scales are not lined with silvery pigment inside; The sides are silver with a blue tint on top and bottom. Males differ from females by a more prominent lower jaw, and during spawning by a larger number of warts on the head and lower paired fins.

Smelt is found in the northern seas of the Old World: the Arctic, White, Baltic and German. This is its main habitat, but in addition it is found in many large and deep lakes in Northwestern Russia and Sweden.

Smelt always travels in very large herds. It usually lives in deep sandy areas of the sea or lake, but to spawn it enters rivers, although it rarely rises very high along them and avoids fast currents. Its food consists of various small animals, exclusively small crustaceans: daphnia, cypris, cyclops, but large smelt almost feeds exclusively on the young of other fish or even on its own; Its sharp teeth also indicate the predatory nature of this fish. According to Kessler, this tendency of large fish to devour small fish of their own tribe is noticed especially in lakes where there is no other, more suitable food, for example, in Lake Valdai. Smelt is very voracious, and it happens that a three-inch fish is found in the stomach of a seven-inch fish.

These fish differ from all species of the salmon family in their vitality: when taken out of the water, they remain alive for hours, probably due to the fact that above the gills there are two small cavities in the form of bags in which water can be stored.

Of all the salmon fish, smelt is the most unpretentious and can easily be bred in any large lake that has sufficient depth and quite cold water. In England, according to Borne, this fish is even kept in ponds (probably key ones), and there it reproduces very well and strongly. It would be most profitable to breed smelt in the lakes of Central Russia, where it has a relatively significant value.

Calorie content of smelt

Amounts to 102 kcal per 100 g of product. It has good nutritional properties due to its high protein content. 100 g of baked smelt - 99 kcal. Moderate consumption of this fish will saturate the body with useful substances without harming the figure.

Nutritional value per 100 grams:

Useful properties of smelt

Smelt meat contains useful minerals and trace elements, such as iron, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, chlorine, molybdenum, fluorine. It should be included in everyone's diet, especially older people. Frozen, chilled, salted and smoked smelt are available for sale. The fish is very easy to clean, it has fatty meat, and it fries beautifully. Smelt is very tasty, rolled in flour and deep-fried.

The smelt fish is small in size and belongs to the salmon family. It has a long body, its size varies from 10 - 20 cm. The smelt has a greenish back, and the sides are silver with a blue tint. Males have a longer lower jaw than females. During its entire life, a smelt fish does not gain more than 300 g.

Interesting! Fresh smelt meat has the aroma of cucumber and watermelon.

Habitat

Smelt fish live in schools.

Its habitat is northern, cold seas:

• German;
• White;
• Baltic;

There is also lake smelt, which lives only in large lakes, such as:

• Ladoga;
• Onega;

Did you know? This fish can live for another hour after being caught. Due to the wide cavities of the gills, in which a large amount of water accumulates.

Kinds

• Asian smelt.
• European smelt.
• Sea smelt.

The first two species are very similar to each other, but the sea one is distinguished by its small mouth and short fin.

Compound

Smelt fish is rich in vitamins:

But most of all minerals in smelt:

• Potassium;
• Calcium;
• Magnesium;
• Sodium;
• Phosphorus;
• Iron;
• Chromium;
• Nickel;
• Molybdenum;

Beneficial features

Boiled, fried, smoked - in any form, fish is easy to clean.

It contains a lot of calcium and phosphorus, which are good for bone tissue. Vitamin B - for metabolism and nervous system. Smelt contains a large amount of potassium, which is essential for the body. It is important for water-salt metabolism. Smelt meat has a pleasant taste and can be eaten by children and the elderly.

Harm

This fish cannot cause harm to health unless there is an individual intolerance to the product.

How to choose

The following indicates that the fish is fresh and can be bought:

• The smelt's eyes should not be cloudy. Take fish with clear and prominent eyes.
• Press the fish with your finger; the body should not be deformed. The hole that has formed should quickly recover.
• The aroma of the fish will resemble the aroma of cucumber; if you do not smell such a smell, then the fish is no longer fresh.
• If you take a smelt fish across the back with two fingers, the carcass should not bend or curl.

Use in cooking

Smelt is easy to clean, making it easy to work with. It lends itself well to almost any processing. Fish can be fried, baked, boiled. The latter should be done very quickly because... the fish cooks quickly. If the fish carcass is about 10 cm, then it can be fried without gutting. It makes an excellent aspic and first courses.

Source: dom-eda.com

Fishing in the Leningrad region

Fishing has always been a favorite pastime of the male population Leningrad region. This is especially facilitated by the large number of various rivers, streams and lakes. Until now, many reservoirs are full of fish and fishermen have somewhere to roam. Moreover, the fish found in local, numerous rivers and lakes of the Leningrad region willingly go for both sports and amateur tackle. In addition, most of the Gulf of Finland falls in the Leningrad region. And the north of the region is literally strewn with clusters of numerous lakes. In addition to one of the largest and most beautiful lakes in all of Europe, Ladoga, such large lakes as Otradnoe, Glubokoe, Komsomolskoe, Balakhanovskaya, Cheremenetskoe and some others are popular among fishing enthusiasts.
As for rivers and streams suitable for fishing, there are about twenty-five thousand of them in the region. There are not many large rivers (Neva, Vuoksa, Svir, Volkhov, Luga, Narva, Plyussa), most of the river system is made up of small rivers, no more than 10 kilometers long.
In addition to natural reservoirs, there are six large artificial reservoirs in the region, which also supply fishermen with fish.
The total area of ​​all reservoirs in the region is more than 12,000 sq.m.

Survey

The reservoirs of the Leningrad region are home to about 60 different species of commercial fish, including such valuable species as salmon, whitefish, brown trout and smelt. All species of fish are divided into anadromous and semi-anadromous, which enter rivers and lakes, lake-river fish, which are constantly in local inland waters, and marine species.
Among the anadromous and semi-anadromous species one can distinguish Baltic sturgeon, salmon, whitefish, smelt, river eel.
The indigenous inhabitants of rivers and lakes include: roach, tench, perch, chub, bream, pike perch, dace, burbot, grayling, crucian carp, catfish, asp, rudd, whitefish, bleak, raw fish, loach, silver bream, river trout and many others, only about 30 species.
Among sea ​​fish, living in the Gulf of Finland, the most common species are cod, herring, sea pike, and eelpout.
In addition, valuable species of fish such as carp, trout, omul and nelma are bred in reservoirs for paid fishing.

Descriptions of reservoirs of the Leningrad region

Fishing reports in the Leningrad region

Types of fish of the Leningrad region

Perch is the most common fish in various reservoirs of the Leningrad region.

The habitat of pike perch is the southern coast of Lake Ladoga, some northern lakes, and the Vuoksa River, which has a length of 156 kilometers. Pike perch spawn in late spring – early summer, and spawning for pike perch is quite long, about a month. Like perch, pike perch prefers deep holes and creeks. It is caught almost all summer, but the best period is considered to be the beginning of autumn. Fishing with live bait, which includes small fish: gudgeon, bleak, smelt, is considered effective. Also used are plumb lures, bottom fishing rods and line fishing.

Burbot is a nocturnal predator, and like all predatory fish, it is very voracious. Found in almost all rivers of the Leningrad region. Spawns in winter, in December-January. Fishing is usually divided into three periods: autumn, winter and spring. In autumn, the bite begins in September and continues until the end of October; it is caught with a bottom fishing rod. In winter, the burbot bite begins after spawning, and it even goes for spoons; in the spring it is caught immediately after the reservoir is free of ice. Since burbot is a predator, it is caught with a worm, meat, a frog, or a piece of fish.

Carp are mainly found in prepared reservoirs with a fishing fee. It is well caught both with a regular float rod and with a bottom one. Loves millet porridge, bread, soaked steamed peas. Unlike many, it is caught only in the summer months. The best bite is at dawn.

Tench prefers quiet, calm, deep pools, well warmed by the sun. Not found in Lake Ladoga. Not too picky about water quality, inactive, mostly standing at the very bottom. Tench is a fish that loves solitude, so it is rare to catch even several fish in one place. It overwinters, buried in silt, fishing begins with the onset of warm weather, spawns in the summer, in the month of June, and gives preference to its own reservoir. The best bait is considered to be a red worm, the best fishing time is morning before 8 o'clock.

Bream, one of the most common inhabitants of reservoirs in the Leningrad region, loves deep clay pits. Spawning on shallows covered with reeds and reeds, spawning lasts about a month, in late spring and early summer. The best time for catching bream is considered to be the period before spawning and early autumn. Well caught on float rods. Among the baits it prefers are worms, bread and dough. For bream, bait is required. At night it can also be caught using a bottom fishing rod.

Roach can be found in any body of water. It is the main river fish, in the spring it stays throughout almost the entire reservoir, in the summer it moves into small tributaries and small bays. They usually spawn in early May. The main tackle is a float rod; the best baits are for bloodworms, worms and bread. Since the fish is standing quite deep, you need to make sure that the nozzle sinks almost to the very bottom.

Rudd prefers warm, still water in small bays and oxbow lakes or lakes with good aquatic vegetation. Lives at medium depths, rudd spawns in early summer, goes well for worms and bread. On lakes, it is good to fish where there are windows among the reeds.
Ide is pretty rare fish, found in deep lowland rivers and lakes with running water.

It is good to catch immediately after the ice melts, spawning in April and May. Best time biting, immediately after the end of spawning, in the summer in the morning hours before dawn, in the fall - in the late afternoon. It goes well both on a float and on a donk. You can fish with almost anything, from steamed peas to grasshoppers and dragonfly larvae, as long as you have good bait.

Although chub is considered only a river fish, it can also be caught in the Gulf of Finland. Spawn in May. Caught with a float rod, it also works well when fly fishing. Loves small insects, bread and cheese.

Dace is a small fish similar to a roach, found everywhere, prefers clean rivers with moderate currents. Spawns almost all spring from March until the end of May. Therefore, the best bite is in the summer, after spawning. It is well caught on a float rod with wiring and donks. It goes well on pieces of worm, and can be caught with fly fishing on any insect. In winter it is caught using bloodworms and maggots.

Cheese can still be found in the southern regions of the region, in the Svir and Volkhov rivers. Loves fast, cold water. Spawns in May or June. In the spring, before spawning, it is well caught on a donk; in the summer, it is better to catch it with a wire or from a boat using a float rod.

It’s hard to imagine our water bodies without pike, the most famous and insatiable predator of rivers and lakes. In water bodies it prefers to stay near the shore in thickets of grass. Large pike prefer deep holes and pools. The first bite begins as soon as the ice in the reservoir breaks down, the second bite immediately after spawning, which for river pike takes place in April, and for lake pike in May, the third period of the best bite is September and October. On Lake Ladoga and the Gulf of Finland, the best time is the first ten days of June, and autumn until the ice begins to form. Naturally, he prefers live bait - a small fish - but squints go very well with worms.

Catfish is a large fish found mainly in the southern regions of the region, the northern border runs along the Vuoksa River. Prefers deep pools, from which it emerges very rarely. Catfish are caught mainly at night, when it comes out to hunt. Caught on donkeys. Several worms, small fish, and crayfish are used as bait, but catfish are best suited to a frog.

Palia is a large fish of the salmon family found in Lakes Ladoga and Onega. Open only for recreational spinning fishing. Live bait is used as bait.

Golden (common) crucian carp prefers to live in overgrown reservoirs; it feels good in water of poor quality, where other fish simply cannot survive. Spawns in summer. It loves well-warmed water, so, unlike other species, it is great to catch on a hot day, rising to the very surface. It bites well on worms, bread, and cereals. Perfectly caught on a float rod.

Bleak is a small fish that lives in small schools close to the surface and lives everywhere in rivers and lakes. It is caught with a float rod; the best bait is flies, worms, and maggots. Spawning lasts from late spring to mid-summer.

Although the loach is found throughout the Leningrad region, it is quite rare. Loves heavily overgrown areas of rivers and lakes. Spawning at the loach in the summer months, it is considered one of the most unpretentious fish, will survive where all other fish species die. Some varieties of loach are used by fishermen as bait when fishing for trout.

Gustera prefers to stay closer to the shore in small flocks. It is found in all major rivers of the Leningrad region, Ladoga and other lakes; it spawns in May and early summer. The best biting period is the week before spawning; after spawning, the biting is quite stable all summer long. The best time to fish is late in the evening, just before sunset.

The ruff is rarely more than twenty centimeters. Probably inhabits all water bodies in the region. It can be caught all year round using a bottom rod, a float rod and a plumb line.

Trout is a valuable migratory fish, found in the Gulf of Finland, Ladoga and some other lakes. Spawns between October and December. It can be caught with spinning rods, track and fly fishing.

Eel is a valuable commercial species. There is a lot of it in the Gulf of Finland. It is part of the large rivers flowing into the bay. They spawn in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, then the larvae travel with the current to the shores of Europe, the North and Baltic seas. It is well caught from the beginning of summer until late autumn, using a bottom fishing rod with a worm or live bait.

The asp is now a rare predator, it goes to spawn in early spring, best period bites immediately after spawning, lives near rocky rifts. The best time to catch is early in the morning when he comes out to hunt. It is well caught using a float rod, spinning rod, or fly fishing; small fish, such as bleak, and large insects are well suited as bait.

Grayling prefers northern rivers and reservoirs. Leaves to spawn in May. A very voracious predatory fish. If it is in a body of water, you will immediately notice it by its high jumps out of the water. Caught exclusively in daytime. Stays near the shore, with trees hanging over the water. Stays sedentary in small flocks. The best time to catch grayling is considered to be the period after the May spawning. It is caught by wire and fly fishing, and prefers worms and large insects from baits.

Video online. Fishing in the Leningrad region. A tributary of the Neva. Grayling. Part 1

Smelt is a commercial fish throughout Baltic Sea, including the Gulf of Finland, is found in large northern lakes. During spawning it enters rivers. Holds in large schools. Spawn in May. Well caught before spawning.

Whitefish are distinguished by a variety of different species and subspecies. There are river whitefish and those living in lakes. Sea whitefish are found in the Gulf of Finland and the Neva. In Lake Ladoga there is a species of whitefish called ludoga. White whitefish live in the Volkhov and its tributaries. Whitefish are schooling fish, love cool and clean water. Whitefish spawn in late autumn. The best time to fish for it is March and April. In winter it’s great to fish with a jig.

River trout is every fisherman's dream. It is very cautious and timid, so it can be caught using a float rod mainly from the shore. The best time to catch it is spring, after the ice melts, and autumn before freeze-up. Insects, flies, and worms are used as bait. Large trout prefer small fish such as minnows or bleaks.

The Karelian Isthmus is one of the best places for fishing in the Leningrad region.

The best place for fishing in the Leningrad region is considered to be the lakes of the Karelian Isthmus, which separates the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga. There are more than 800 small lakes rich in fish. All lakes have different depths and have different bottom topography. The best lakes for fishing are Lake Pitkojärvi, Lake Prodolnoye, Lake Saucer, Lake Beloye, Lake Osinovskoye, Lake Maloe Shchuchye.

Reservoirs of the Leningrad region

Other bodies of water

Fishing on the lakes of the Karelian Isthmus of the Leningrad Region

Lake Kavgolovskoe.

Lake Krasnogvardeyskoye

Types of fish: perch, ruffe, pike, bream, pike perch, burbot, roach

Lake Nakhimovskoye

Types of fish: perch, roach, ide, pike, bream

Nakhimovskaya Recreation Center

Bases on the lake:

Lake Kirillovskoye

Types of fish: pike, perch, roach, crucian carp

Lake Big Longitudinal

Types of fish: perch, roach, pike, bream

Lake Glubokoe

Types of fish: perch, bream, ide, pike, roach, pike perch.

Lake Vishnevskoye

Types of fish: perch, pike, roach, ruffe

Lake Lembolovskoye

Types of fish: perch, ide, roach, pike, bream, pike perch

Bases on the lake:

Lake Pitkojärvi

Types of fish: bleak, ruff, pike.

Lake Beloe (Maloye Shchuchye)

Types of fish: Perch

Lake Osinovskoye

Types of fish: pike, perch

Lake Marchenkovo

Types of fish: roach, perch.

Lake Kharlampovskoe

Types of fish: roach, perch.

Lake Ulovnoe

Types of fish: crucian carp, bream, bleak, ruffe, perch, pike.

Lake Torikovskoe

Types of fish: roach, tench, perch, pike.

Lake Sukhodolskoye

Types of fish: roach, perch, trout, ide, bream, whitefish, grayling, dace, pike perch, salmon, bleak, pike.

Bases on the lake:

Lake Sudakovskoye

Types of fish: pike perch, roach, perch, tench, ide, bleak, bream, silver bream, burbot.

Lake Stepanyanskoye

Types of fish: roach, crucian carp, perch, pike.

Lake Stavok

Types of fish: roach, pike, perch.

Lake Semiostrovie

Types of fish: rudd, roach, perch, burbot, bream, bleak, tench, silver bream, pike.

Lake Svetloe

Types of fish: whitefish, carp, roach, perch, pike.

Lake Rakovoe Bolshoye

Types of fish: roach, burbot, perch, crucian carp, rudd, pike.

Lake Razdolinskoye

Types of fish: rudd, roach, perch, bleak, burbot, crucian carp, bream.

Lake Pravdinskoye

Types of fish: roach, pike perch, burbot, pike.

Bases on the lake:

Lake Poperechnoe

Types of fish: crucian carp.

Lake Polyanskoye

Types of fish: bream, roach, perch, silver bream, pike.

Lake Poludennye

Types of fish: roach, burbot, perch, bream, pike.

Lake Pokrovskoye

Types of fish: rudd, roach, perch, bleak, silver bream, tench, bream, burbot, pike.

Lake Nizhneye Podosinovskoye

Types of fish: rudd, roach, perch, silver bream, tench, burbot, pike.

Types of fish: roach, perch, burbot, pike.

Lake Podgryadovskoye

Types of fish: rudd, roach, perch, tench, pike.

Paid fishing in the Leningrad region

Nowadays, for those who like to sit behind a fishing rod, relax their souls in nature, the most the best option, this is fishing for a small monetary contribution on paid reservoirs. And that's why. Many, especially small rivers, lakes and other open bodies of water now present a rather sad sight; the banks are in heaps of waste and garbage, the bottom of many rivers is simply a garbage dump, and the water is polluted or poisoned with harmful products and waste from various industries. Fish, if it has been preserved and adapted to life in such conditions, is absolutely unsuitable for consumption.
And on those rivers and lakes where more or less normal conditions For the existence of fish, poachers are in full control, catching natural remains with nets, drowning fish with explosives or killing them with electric fishing rods.
Therefore, it is better to pay a little, but still get pleasure from fishing.

Fishing bases in the Leningrad region:

Bite forecast No. 1 for today

The forecast of the probability of a good bite for the Leningrad region is displayed in a digital value from 100% highest level fish bite for different times of day.

Forecast No. 2 for tomorrow

According to weather

Bite forecast

By lunar phases

Bite forecast

Weather forecast in St. Petersburg

Source: udochka.rybalkanasha.ru

Types of smelt

On this moment There are three types of fish: European, Asian and maritime. And they differ not only in physiological characteristics. These species also differ in the length of time they can live, as well as in weight. For example, the European one can live for three years, but weighs only eight grams. As for the length, in this variety it can reach 9-10 centimeters.

And another variety (Siberian) can live up to 12 years, and the length is 35 centimeters. As for weight, this species can gain up to 350 g. When calculating life expectancy, it is important to take into account the rule - the longer the fish matures, the longer it will live.

Appearance of smelt

As we already understood, the appearance of each type may differ from each other. Let's take a closer look at the appearance features characteristic of each variety of these fish.

Smelt habitats

Depending on the species, smelt can live in different places. The fisherman needs to know what to do if he needs to catch this fish. And you need to start by understanding the places where you can catch these fish. Let's find out where each species is found in more detail.

What food does lake or sea smelt eat?

Mostly all species eat zooplankton. This category of food products for this fish includes a whole range of “dishes” - cladocerans, mysids, cumaceans, and so on). Smelt also loves young fish quite strongly. She also has one dish that people also love - caviar. True, one cannot say that the diet of fish is the same as that of people. For example, all species usually eat most in the summer and fall near the shores where these fish can be caught.

Puberty

Every type of smelt lives for different number of years. We learned about this a little earlier. Since life expectancy can differ radically, the period of development of animals also differs significantly from species to species. For example, the European smelt begins to reproduce at one or two years of age, since the lifespan of this species is only three years. And the Siberian variety of this fish can begin to spawn after seven years, since this variety lives up to 12 years.

Spawning progress

The beginning of fish spawning may indicate end of ice drift. As soon as the water warms up to four degrees above zero, sluggish spawning of fish begins. A significant increase in the spawning rate can be judged if the water warms up to six or nine degrees. When these numbers have been reached, the fish begin to travel quite long distances in search of a place where they can reproduce.

For example, in the Elbe, smelt can travel about a hundred kilometers until it finds the most favorable place for breeding. If the potential prey lives in the White Sea, then the distance is somewhat shorter. This family of fish in this reservoir can cover a distance of up to three kilometers, which is a fairly short distance against the backdrop of the Elbe. The process itself usually lasts several days.

Features of spawning of marine smallmouth species

This species of smelt becomes sexually mature after one or two years of life. The maximum number of times this fish spawns is only three. Spawning usually begins in April and lasts until May. If smallmouth fish live further north, then spawning begins in June. Where are the eggs deposited? As a place where you can leave your future offspring, smelt chooses the surf zone of the seas, sand or algae. During one time, this type of smelt can leave up to 35 thousand eggs.

In general, it all depends on what city you live in. For example, in St. Petersburg you can catch smelt somewhere in December. True, usually only small specimens can be caught at this time. A catch of about 500 fish usually rarely exceeds six kilograms.

If you need to catch large smelt, then you need to wait until the end of January or the beginning of February. The thing about catching smelt is that it truly takes your breath away. In this case, two qualities are required from the fisherman: dexterity and endurance.

Tackle for smelt

To catch smelt, you don’t need any very expensive and elaborate gear, since this fish is quite light, and even not the most durable fishing rod, fishing line, and so on can withstand it. Another important thing in gear is convenience. They must be truly comfortable, since a person can’t catch fish. And since a certain skill is required when trying to catch smelt, convenience comes to the fore here. Also, comfortable gear greatly reduces the risk that the fisherman will be tired and will not be able to truly enjoy fishing.

However, the process of catching smelt is so unpretentious that you can even make a fishing rod with your own hands, and the fish will bite and pull out quite normally. One of the ways to create a homemade fishing rod is this: first you need to carve a cylindrical handle from high-density foam plastic. After this, the whole thing needs to be equipped with two support legs. For nods, you should use a coil spring. The free end of this spring must be equipped with a red foam ball.

Fishing line it is not necessary to use wide. This will not have much effect on the bite. Hard types of fishing line definitely cannot be used, as they interfere with normal biting. This happens due to their twisting. It is important to understand that since this fish is caught most often in winter, the fishing line will be in constant contact with the ice. Therefore, it will need to be changed every season.

Tactics for catching smelt

It is not advisable to start fishing at the beginning of the season and at the end of it, since very few fish are caught. To improve your biting results, you need to look for places that are as far away from people as possible. After all, large crowds frighten fish. Also, the place where you want to catch this fish, you need to look for such that there are no large differences in depth.

When a school of fish has been found, you need to set out about eight fishing rods. It is advisable to arrange them in a checkerboard pattern. Also good options: diagonally or across the stream. If there is no bite, then the fishing rod needs to be moved to another place. We thoroughly clean the holes from snow or sludge.

To improve the bite in weak currents, the line needs to be lowered 4 turns. Thanks to this, the play of jigs improves, which leads to an increase in the number of fish that fall on the bait. At the same time, it is better not to lower the line beyond this threshold. If this advice is violated, it may lead to a decrease in the quality of catching fish.

What conclusions can be drawn?

This is the basic information that can be used to summarize the above.

Source: ulov.guru

What does smelt eat?

Basically, any little thing that comes across its path - very small fish, eggs laid by other fish, and also collects silt from the bottom and strains out the organisms living there.

Is it easy to catch smelt?

If you use a fishing rod, then you need luck. Hook fishing has been known for a long time, and in some places you can catch up to 300 fish in a day.

The line should be very thin (smelt is shy), the sinker should be small and the hooks should be the smallest. As bait, you can use ordinary colored foam rubber, cut into small pieces of 0.5 by 0.5 mm. And, of course, any float to suit your taste, but preferably light.

Is it possible to catch three fish at once?

Smelt can be caught two or even three at a time (up to 5 hooks can be placed on the fishing line at a distance of five to ten centimeters from each other). A great joy for a fisherman is when 3 fish catch at once in one bite.

I remember we lived then in Nakhodka, Primorsky Territory, I was 10-11 years old at that time. We fished from the pier, where a ship arrived at approximately 1-hour intervals. The fish then, of course, all ran away, then appeared again. Dad has gone somewhere. And the men sat at a distance from me and caught. And then the smelt began to shoal, and my bite began to be simply fabulous. You don’t have time to cast the fishing rod - like one, two, or even three fish in one catch. The excitement is beyond words.

And then, out of the corner of my eye, I notice that the fishermen began to slowly approach me. They felt offended - their bite was sluggish, but for me, a little fisherman, it was one after another. When my father arrived, the fishermen were about three meters from me both to the right and to the left. But then the flock passed and the bite began to fade. We had to wait for a new jamb...

Is smelt only caught in salt water?

No, there are freshwater smelts - smelt. This is mainly a lake fish. And throughout the Gulf of Finland, smelt is the second most important fish after herring. Smelt is a relic of ice age. This fish is very sensitive to pollution, so it lives only in clean waters. Where rivers are heavily polluted, the number of smelt, and other commercial fish, has decreased greatly.

How does smelt reproduce?

Lays eggs on sand and small pebbles. The caviar of this fish is sticky. Fertilized eggs immediately stick to grains of sand and pebbles. The eggs carried by the current quickly develop and after a few days the larvae emerge from them. The smelt itself and its larvae are excellent food for more large fish. Smelt is very prolific, so its numbers are large.

How is smelt prepared?

Many people probably know that smelt has a slight smell of fresh cucumbers. Indescribable, amazing smell. The simplest smelt dish: peel, gut, salt and pepper. Place in a large greased frying pan and fry on both sides until golden brown. Separately, fry the onion (you can do without it). Fill everything with omelette. Overeating - take my word for it. There are other ways to prepare smelt, but this is the easiest and fastest. Real jam!

Cucumber smelt is a fish that belongs to the smelt family. It is also called root, naked. The scales are small and translucent. The abdomen is white-yellow, and the back is covered with greenish-blue scales. The appearance of the predator depends on the species.

Smelt is a largemouth fish. There are several rows of sharp teeth in the mouth and tongue, as the individual is considered a predator. A small naked fish eats fry, crustaceans, larvae, and eggs.

An individual can reach 350 g. The length of the root can be 10−40 cm. All varieties of smelt look approximately the same, but the Far Eastern smelt differs from the rest in its small mouth, lower jaw, which is pushed forward, and dorsal fin, which is also shorter than that of other representatives fish family.

A representative of the smelt family remains active in nutrition all year round.

Varieties

There are several varieties based on habitat, behavior, appearance and spawning characteristics. Dimensions, weight of smelt different types are different.

European smelt lives in the Baltic and off the coast of the USA. It is common for this individual to form large flocks that are capable of entering rivers to spawn. Representatives of this variety weigh 150−200 g, the size of the smelt reaches 20−30 cm in length. The individual has dense, large scales and a green-brown back. The body is narrow, elongated. This species is also called smelt.

The smallmouth naked lives in the Far East, near sea ​​shores and can enter fresh water rivers. This is a Sakhalin fish: it lives on Sakhalin, as well as in the south of the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka and in the waters off the coast, up to the northern part of Korea. This member of the family smells more like a cucumber than others, so another name is borage. The representative has a small mouth. It reaches no more than 9 cm in size and weighs 30 g.

Asian smelt lives in lakes (for example, Ladoga, Onega), seas (Baltic, Northern, White). This species of individual lives in the rivers of the Far East and Siberia. It is also called catfish smelt - Asian or American. It can reach 35 cm in length and weigh 350 g. It is the largest representative of the smelt and can live up to 11 years.

Lake smelt lives in northwestern Russia. The individual lives in lake water. The population is high, which allows it to be caught in industrial quantities. The fins of the individual are colorless. Weight - 20 g, length - 25 cm.

The lake root has a light-colored back so that it can be camouflaged on the muddy lake bottom.

Sea smelt is also called capelin. Another name is uek. Capelin can reach 22 cm and weigh about 60 g. There is a dark border on the fins, and the sides and belly of the smelt are covered with brown spots.

Different species of smelt choose the most suitable habitats for themselves. At the same time, the distribution area is extensive.

Habitats

Where is smelt found: throughout Russia, especially in reservoirs in the central part of the country, in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. Fish is caught in lakes Ladoga, Onega, White, the Baltic seas, the northern part of Russia, and in the Volga basin.

A representative of the smelt lives in salty and fresh waters. Naked is found in reservoirs with cool water, in the depths of seas and lakes or near coastline. The habitat varies depending on the species of the individual, since the appearance helps to camouflage itself taking into account the living conditions, since it is a predatory fish and it needs to hunt others.

Features of behavior

It is necessary to take into account the behavioral characteristics of individuals in order to choose the most favorable areas for fishing:

• representatives of smelt love depth, so it is worth looking for deep reservoirs with fresh or salt water;
• on various depths fish are able to hide from other predators or catch fry, smaller fish, in order to get food;
• in areas with thickets;
• in areas of the water area with different currents.

When choosing a place for fishing it is necessary to pay attention to places with a depth of 3 m. In this case, the bottom topography should be different so that you do not have to fish with an echo sounder.

You don't have to wait for hours to catch specimens. In a short period of time you can catch up to 500 fish.

• thin - for those individuals who are cautious and do not bite;
• nets or grabs - for catching fish that are in spawning conditions;
• three-wall networks;
• seines;
• spiders.

In summer, when fishing from the shore, sensitive tackle equipped with small weights and hooks is used. Use ultra-thin fishing line and the most sensitive float.

For bait, you can choose natural baits or those made from foam rubber material. Natural - live bait, pieces of fish.

If you fish from a boat, use gear that consists of a hook equipped with a long shank, organza, thread, varnish and beads.

Mount the gear like this:

1. Take the hook and fix it in a clamp or tank where the flies are tied.
2. The fibers are separated from the organza, which are then pulled into the eye of the hook.
3. The fibers are pulled along the forearm and tied with a mounting thread to create an analogue of the abdomen of an insect.
4. The tackle is strengthened with varnish, which gives a glow in the dark.
5. The final stage is attaching the beads and fixing them again with the same varnish. The beads are left within the eye of the hook to imitate the head of an insect.

For final installation, take an ice fishing rod with a nod, a 0.1 mm fishing line, 5 artificial baits, and a 3 g lead weight.

The tackle is assembled as follows:

1. Line is wound onto the reel.
2. Tie 3 leashes 10 cm long.
3. Hooks are attached to the leashes, and everything is secured with a reliable knot.
4. The leashes are attached to the main line, at a distance of 25 cm from each other.
5. Attach 2 hooks to the main line, but do not secure them. It is enough to thread the fishing line through the eye.
6. A load is secured to the main line.

Spawning

The lifespan of an individual depends on the species. The European one ages by 3 years, the Siberian lake cat can live 12 years.

The smelt season also varies depending on the species. The European spawns at 1 year of age, while the Siberian spawns at 7 years of age. Capelin prepares for spawning at 4 years of age and lives up to 9 years.

Males are larger than females and have more developed fins. Males are able to follow females over long distances. This is necessary so that individuals can find a suitable place for spawning. Near fish nurseries, it is important to ensure a good influx of prey, while other predatory fish should be avoided.

Individuals feed on zooplankton, eggs, and young animals. Most food is required in summer and autumn.

The start of spawning is after the ice drift. The water temperature should be +4°C. Smelt actively spawns at +6…+9°C. Reproduction continues for 2 weeks.

Nutritional value of smelt

The product is sold fresh or frozen; you can find chilled, smoked or dried fish of the smelt family on sale. The product is used to prepare baked, pickled dishes, soups and even okroshka. Juicy fish is combined with various sauces and side dishes.

The meat is tender, the fibers come apart easily, they are light in color with a gray tint. The peel can be peeled without difficulty. The bones of the fish are small and thin.

Smelt is a valuable food product, as it contains minerals and elements: zinc, selenium, manganese, copper. Fish contains vitamins that can strengthen and rejuvenate the human body.

100 g of product contains almost 18 g of protein, 2.5 fat, 0 carbohydrates. Total - 97 kcal. The product is considered low-calorie, so it can be used in dietary nutrition. There are fewer calories in hake, crucian carp, and flounder. Tilapia has the same calorie content.

Nutritional value changes during heat treatment. If cooked on the grill, the calorie content is low. But when fried or cooked in breadcrumbs, in oil, or even when consumed in dried or dried form, the product cannot be called dietary.

The fried dish has a calorie content of 109, the dried one - 221, and the dried one - almost 148 kcal per 100 g of product.

Valuable properties:

• strengthening the heart and blood vessels, restoring blood pressure;
• improving brain activity, strengthening memory;
• strengthening bone tissue;
• fight against anemia;
• improving digestion and accelerating metabolic processes;
• strengthening the immune system, improving intestinal motility;
• elimination of vision problems;
• rejuvenating effect - hair, nails, skin are filled with radiance;
• harmonization of the processes of the nervous system, which helps a person overcome disorders and stressful situations.

Despite the high nutritional value, this dish should not be consumed by everyone. There are contraindications:

• gastritis, gastrointestinal ulcers;
• individual intolerance to components, allergies to seafood;
• poisoning if a large amount of toxic components has accumulated in the meat.

Dishes from representatives of the smelt family are contraindicated for those with a high concentration of cholesterol in the blood. Smelt fish, valuable in terms of its content of useful elements, the benefits and harms of which are determined by the characteristics of human health, can be included in the diet if there are no contraindications indicated above.