Fish of the loach family: species, description, habitats, fishing

Loaches belong to the family of ray-finned fish, representing the carp order. This species of fish is common in fresh waters of North Africa, as well as in most waters of Europe and Asia. To date, 70 loach species are known, which are included in 26 genera and represent two subfamilies.

In our strip, such representatives of this large family as common loach, char, sloth, loach and others are more common. This article provides information about the loach habitat, their way of life, the nature of their behavior, as well as the features of fishing for them.

Loach family fish: information

Appearance

As a rule, the body of these fish species is elongated and is spindle-shaped or slightly compressed on the sides. Quite small scales can be seen on the body, but some of these species do not have scales at all. This fish does not have a large mouth that does not have teeth, and antennae are located around it, the number of which can reach 12. At the same time, the eyes are small, and the fins located on the back are very short. The anterior part of the swim bladder is placed in a bone capsule, and in some species the swim bladder is placed directly in such a capsule.

Fish of this family do not differ in variegated coloring, therefore, mainly brown, gray, yellow, brown and black shades prevail. This coloring does not allow predators to notice the fish at the bottom. In addition, some of them may change color depending on the habitat.

Loaches grow up to 18 cm in length, although there are individuals with a length of 30 cm, or even more. In this case, much depends on the availability of food resources.

Habitat

Representatives of this family are found in the freshwater reservoirs of Asia, Europe, the Malay Archipelago, as well as in the reservoirs of North Africa.

As a rule, these fish choose water bodies of different nature: they can be cold mountain streams with a fast current, or rivers warmed by the sun’s rays, flowing through flat terrain and not distinguished by a fast current. In addition, they are found in lakes and ponds with stagnant water. Moreover, they are not demanding on the purity of water and can feel great in the presence of a large amount of silt and a lack of oxygen.

What do loaches eat

The diet of these fish consists of various living organisms living on the bottom. In addition, they eat insect larvae, including caddisflies. Loaches go hunting in the dark, that is, at night or late in the evening.

Spawning period

Representatives of loaches, which have chosen mountain rivers for life, prefer to spawn in conditions when the water warms up to +8 degrees. Females lay their eggs on sand, rocks, or aquatic plants.

Those representatives of this species that inhabit ponds and lakes with stagnant water spawn at higher temperatures. Usually females lay their eggs on plants.

Before the spawning process, loaches take on a brighter color, with the presence of yellow and red hues. At the same time, a “pearl rash” appears on the body of the fish, in the form of characteristic tubercles.

Behavior

Representatives of this family are distinguished by the presence of the so-called abdominal breathing. Therefore, loaches can live without problems in wetlands, with a minimum amount of oxygen.

They prefer areas with a muddy or sandy bottom, which they use as their cover, burrowing into the sand or silt. They lead mainly a nocturnal lifestyle.

Fishing

Due to their small size and behavior, loaches are not of commercial interest. In Russia, sloth char, one of the brightest representatives of loaches, is of industrial interest. The fish is distinguished by quite tasty meat and serves as one of the components for cooking fish soup. In addition, char is used as bait when catching predatory fish.

The loach is bred artificially in some fish farms in Japan. Sometimes a loach can be seen in an aquarium, since it has a rather interesting coloring, and it is unpretentious in its content.

Species of fish of the loach family

The loach family consists of numerous species, among which there are the most known species.

Loach

The common loach inhabits most of the reservoirs of Eastern and Central Europe. This representative of the loach family has a yellow-brown back, a yellow belly, and black stripes are located on its sides. The direction of the stripes is along the body. There are also albino loaches, which are distinguished by their white color, although they are quite rare.

Vyun chooses reservoirs with a slow current and swampy shores. Moreover, the loach is found in the backwaters of large rivers, in lakes with a muddy bottom, as well as in swampy ditches with water. The loach always keeps to the very bottom, constantly burrowing into the silt to hide from its enemies.

The loach is able to live in water bodies with a low oxygen content, thanks to the internal organ, which is filled with air. To do this, the loach has to rise to the surface in order to fill this organ with air. As a rule, he does this at night, when he goes hunting to profit from something. Many experienced anglers use this fact of his behavior by setting various traps for the night.

The maximum length of the loach is about 25 centimeters. The loach does not tolerate sunlight, therefore, it is active at night.

After 2 years, the loach becomes a sexually mature individual. Loach spawns in spring, like most fish. The female is able to lay up to 100 thousand eggs at a time.

European char

The body of this fish is brown in color, with dark spots located along it. European char can grow up to 18 cm in length, while the average individuals grow up to 12 cm in length. Females are usually smaller than males. The loaches inhabit simple reservoirs of Eastern and Central Europe, as well as the rivers of Siberia and the Far East. Char, mainly inhabits reservoirs with running water, although it was also found in ponds with stagnant water.

The charr spends the main part of his life at the bottom of the reservoir, hiding in snags or in the roots of trees. Fish lead a solitary lifestyle or live in small groups. Charrs feed on various larvae and small invertebrates, as well as small insects.

This fish spawns in May. Females lay their eggs on the sandy bottom or on plants. In turn, charr fish is included in the diet of such predatory fish as trout.

Tibetan char

This representative of loaches is distinguished by a naked body with a skin fold that runs from the eye to the stigma. The fish is not large and grows up to a maximum of 12 cm in length, although there are individuals that have grown to 16 cm.

This small fish is found in mountain rivers flowing into the Aral Sea, in the rivers of Tibet, in Lake Balkhash, etc.

This type of char prefers a pebbly bottom or a rocky bottom. Able to live both in very cold waters of mountain rivers, and in reservoirs warming up to +29 degrees.

The Tibetan char feeds on the larvae of various insects.

This fish spawns in the spring, at a water temperature of +8 degrees. During the breeding season, a “pearl rash” appears on the body of the Tibetan char in the form of characteristic numerous small tubercles.

Gubach one-color

It is not at all difficult to distinguish this representative of the loach family from other members of the family by the thick lips that surround the mouth of this fish. It is found in lakes, such as Issyk-Kul, while several subspecies of sloth are found here. The fish grows up to 23 cm in length.

Gubach is not of interest to fishers, despite its large number. At the same time, it is a favorite delicacy for zander.

Shchipovka

This is a small fish, up to 10 cm in length, inhabiting the waters of Europe and Asia. In Russia, it is found in the rivers and lakes of Siberia, as well as the Far East. The body of the spined loach is slightly flattened on the sides and is distinguished by a rather variegated color, where yellow color predominates, with the presence of dark spots.

This fish prefers quiet water areas of rivers, lakes and streams with a muddy bottom. As a rule, it burrows into the silt, while it can change its color to match the color of the bottom. The spinach feeds on various small living organisms, such as crustaceans or insect larvae. It is most active at night.

This small fish spawns in the summer, in June-July, at a temperature not lower than +16 degrees. Spawning continues until the end of the summer season. This fish is loved by some predatory fish, such as pike and zander. Spinning is also used by anglers as live bait to catch predatory fish species.

Asian pluck

This variety of loaches inhabits the warm reservoirs of the Kuban, the rivers flowing into the Aral Sea, as well as the basins of the Danube and the European rivers flowing into the Aegean Sea.

At the same time, the Asian loach differs from the common loach in that it prefers bodies of water with a rapid current.

Loach fishing

This fish is caught all year round with regular tackle. To do this, it is enough to arm yourself with an ordinary float fishing rod and patience. In addition, it should be remembered that loaches are active at night, therefore, it makes no sense to count on a catch in the daytime. At the same time, the tackle should have a thin fishing line and a small hook.

Used as a hook attachment:

• Worm.
• Maggot.
• Bloodworm.

Loaches are particularly survivable, so anglers use them as live bait to catch fish such as pike or zander. Such bait can remain active on the hook for up to a week, although this is usually not necessary.

Loaches are small fish that are found in most water bodies in Europe, Asia and North Africa. They are of no interest for commercial catch, however, amateur fishermen actively catch loaches. They are used as bait on a hook to catch predatory fish. Despite this, loaches are quite tasty meat. Therefore, they are caught in some regions for cooking various dishes at home. To catch loaches in sufficient numbers for a bait is a rather troublesome task. Therefore, many anglers use special gear that is installed at night and checked in the morning. As a rule, several dozen individuals fall into such gear per night.

Loach meat contains useful substances such as vitamins and minerals. At the same time, loach meat has a pleasant sweetish taste, and it is suitable for preparing various dishes. This fish can be fried, and you can also cook first courses from it, like fish soup. The ear is useful in that all useful substances are preserved in it.

In addition, in Asian countries, loaches feed on small insects, destroying many mosquitoes, including malaria. Therefore, it makes sense to talk about the significant benefits of these small fish.

If you show imagination, then catching loaches will not be difficult and then you can enjoy the taste of this unique fish.