Contents
Bersh fishing
The second name of the fish is the Volga pike perch. A freshwater fish of the perch family, a closely related species of zander. Some fishermen joke that bersh is a mixture of zander and perch. The bersh has no fangs, the cheeks are covered with scales. The coloration is similar to zander, but lighter and the number of stripes is less. The main difference is the size, in rivers it usually grows no more than 45 cm and weighs up to 1.5 kg. It grows better in reservoirs, where it can reach a weight of 2 kg. The ecology and general behavior of the fish is similar to that of the zander of the corresponding size, but there is a difference in that, due to the lack of fangs, the bersh hunts smaller prey. Fangs help zander to capture and hold the victim. In addition, the bersh has a narrower throat. In view of this, specialization in hunting is a smaller prey, compared to its “big brothers” – zander.
Bersh fishing methods
Catching bersh along with zander is a popular fishing. When fishing with natural baits, this can be fishing for live bait or pieces of meat. To do this, you can use both various rods, and zherlits, “suppliers” or mugs. On artificial lures, bersh is caught with traditional rigs, which are used when catching pike perch and perch. On large bodies of water, many anglers practice fishing from boats, “adrift” or at anchor. No less popular is trolling fishing on reservoirs and large rivers. In winter, in some regions, bersh fishing, like zander, is a special tradition and a specialized type of fishing. Ice fishing is carried out using traditional jigs and spinners and specialized lures and tackle.
Catching bersh on spinning
Bersh is an active predator. For fishing, a huge number of spinning lures have been invented. The main criterion for choosing a rod in modern spinning fishing is the choice of fishing method: jig, twitching, and so on. The length and test is chosen according to the place of fishing, personal preferences and the baits used. Do not forget that rods with a “medium” or “medium-fast” action “forgive” much more angler’s mistakes than with a “fast” one. It is advisable to purchase reels and cords corresponding to the selected rod. The bite of a bersh on spinning lures often looks like mild “pokes”, so many anglers advise using only cords. Due to the weak extensibility, the cord better “transmits” careful bites of fish. In general, when catching a bersh, various “jigging” fishing techniques and appropriate baits are more often used.
Winter fishing
In winter, bersh is caught quite actively. The main way of fishing is sheer lure. In winter, fish constantly move around the reservoir in search of food. The main task for successful fishing is the search for active fish. The choice of baits depends on the fishing conditions and the desires of the angler. There are many methods for successful fishing. In many cases, traditional lure is carried out with the replanting of small fish or a piece of fish meat. A huge number of specialized baits are made for this fishing, one of the options is the so-called “bales”, the main task of which is to create the illusion of feeding prey. In addition to natural baits, silicone baits or colored elements made of wool or plastic are used.
Catching bersh on various gear
In the summer, bersh can be successfully caught on live bait using float rods. Bersh, along with perch and pike perch, is actively caught on various types of setting gear using baits from live bait and pieces of fish meat. It can be various zherlitsy, “circles”, leashes and so on. Of these, the most exciting and exciting is justifiably considered catching “on circles.” This method can be used both in stagnant water bodies and in slow-flowing large rivers. Fishing is very active. Several gears are installed on the surface of the reservoir, for which you need to constantly monitor and change live bait. Fans of such fishing use a lot of devices for storing nozzles and gear. For example, we can mention special cans or buckets with water aerators to keep the live bait as long as possible. Bersh actively responds to fly fishing lures. For fishing, traditional fly fishing tackle is used for catching medium-sized fish. These are single-handed rods of medium and large classes, switches and light two-handed rods. For fishing, you will need fairly large, sailing or heavy lures, and therefore lines with short “heads” are better suited for casting.
Baits
As already mentioned, a large number of specialized spinners are used for winter fishing. There are quite a few home-made options that can surprise those who are ignorant of fishing with their “originality”. In addition to spinners, a variety of volumetric baits are currently actively used: balancers, winter wobblers and their modifications. In some cases, large mormyshkas or spinning rigs for silicone baits are used to feed the “dead fish”. In summer, many anglers use baits designed specifically for catching pike perch and bersh: foam rubber and polyurethane fish; weighted streamers; multi-component baits made from tinsel and cambric; spinners made of metal tubes and so on. The main lures on the bersh have proven themselves to be various jig nozzles and equipment for them. Some fairly large species can be supplied with additional leashes and hooks. Currently, most of these baits are made of silicone. The choice can be very diverse and is directly related to the fishing conditions. For fly fishing, large, voluminous streamers are used, in the case of fishing in holes, they are heavily loaded, with the use of rapidly sinking undergrowth.
Places of fishing and habitat
The habitat of the bersh is the basins of the Black and Caspian Seas. The distribution is limited, some authors call it “Russian pike perch”, but it is known that fish populations also live west of the Dnieper, at the mouth of the Danube and other rivers. In Russia, bersh is distributed not only on the Volga and its tributaries, but also in the Don, Ural, Terek and other rivers of the basins of these seas. It is believed that the bersh is actively expanding its habitat, has spread in the Kuban River and its tributaries. Introduced into Lake Balkhash. In rivers and reservoirs, the way of life is similar to zander. At a young age, it prefers to live in flocks, large bershees adhere to bottom depressions and a solitary existence.
Spawning
Matures at the age of 3-4 years. Often spawns near perch and zander. Builds nests at depths up to 2 m on sandy soil. Bersh guards his nests. Spawning, depending on weather conditions, takes place in April-May, as it is portioned, it lasts about a month.