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A genus of small fish, consisting of several species. Despite the characteristic appearance of a bottom fish, with long antennae, it belongs to the perch-like order. Russian names – “red mullet and sultanka” are associated with the presence of a mustache in this fish. “Barbus” is a beard, “sultan” is a Turkic ruler, the owner of a long mustache. Despite its small size (20-30 cm), it is considered a valuable commercial fish. Some individuals can reach 45 cm. All red mullets have a rather large head. The small mouth is shifted down, the body is elongated and slightly flattened laterally. In most species, the body is colored unevenly in reddish hues. Most often, flocks of red mullet roam along the bottom in the coastal zone at depths of 15-30 m. But some individuals were also found in bottom depressions up to 100-300 m. Fish lead an exclusively bottom lifestyle. Most often, flocks of sultanok can be found on a sandy or muddy bottom. The fish feeds on benthic invertebrates, which it finds with the help of its long antennae. In winter, sultans go to the depths, and with warming, they move back to the coastal zone. Sometimes fish can be found in the estuarine zone of rivers. In the first year of life, the fish quickly grows in size, which can be about 10 cm. In Russia, red mullet can be caught not only in the Black Sea region, but also on the Baltic coast, there is a subspecies – striped red mullet.
Fishing methods
Sultanka is one of the favorite objects of fishing for residents of the coastal cities of the Black Sea region. Be sure to indicate that there are restrictions on the catch of this fish. The size of the catch should not be less than 8.5 cm. For catching red mullet, bottom and float gear is used. As with most sea fishing, rigging can be fairly simple.
Fishing with a float rod
Features of using float gear for catching red mullet depend on the fishing conditions and the experience of the angler. For coastal fishing, rods are usually used for “deaf” equipment 5-6 m long. For long-distance casting, match rods are used. The choice of equipment is very diverse and is limited by the conditions of fishing, and not by the type of fish. As already noted, snaps can be made quite simple. As in any float fishing, the most important element is the right bait and bait. Some anglers believe that there is no need to use baits and bait to catch sultanka. It should be noted that this is not entirely true. In any case, the use of animal bait brings only positive results.
Fishing with bottom gear
Red mullet responds well to bottom fishing rods. It is very convenient to use traditional gear, such as “elastic band” or “snack”. Fishing with bottom rods, including feeder and picker, is very convenient for most, even inexperienced anglers. They allow the fisherman to be mobile on the pond, and because of the possibility of spot feeding, quickly “collect” fish in a given place. Feeder and picker, as separate types of equipment, currently differ only in the length of the rod. The basis is the presence of a bait container-sinker (feeder) and interchangeable tips on the rod. The tops change depending on the fishing conditions and the weight of the feeder used. Nozzle for fishing can be any nozzle, in the case of a sultanka, of animal origin. This method of fishing is available to everyone. Tackle is not demanding for additional accessories and specialized equipment. It is worth paying attention to the choice of feeders in shape and size, as well as bait mixtures. This is due to the conditions of sea fishing and the food preferences of local fish.
Baits
For catching sultans, animal nozzles are used. Here you should definitely keep in mind that the mouth of the fish is small. Accordingly, when using large baits, it may lose interest or simply “wag” them. Sea worms, mollusk meat, shrimp, fish slices, and invertebrates are used for nozzles. For bait, the same ingredients are used, they are crushed before use to attract fish with the smells of animal flesh.
Places of fishing and habitat
Sultanka is distributed throughout the eastern coast of the Atlantic and adjacent seas. The fish populations of the Mediterranean and Black Seas are very well known. In the Sea of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbAzov, red mullet comes across not so often. Especially a lot in the eastern part of the Black Sea. As already mentioned, there are species of goatfish living in the North Atlantic to the Baltic Sea. In addition, there is a multi-banded goatfish that inhabits the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Spawning
Sexual maturity in sultans occurs at 2-3 years of age. The spawning period is stretched for almost the entire summer time, from May to August. Portion spawning, each female spawns several times. Fertility is quite high, up to 88 thousand eggs. Spawning takes place at depths of 10-50 m near the sandy or muddy bottom, but the eggs are pelargic and after fertilization rise to the middle layers of water, where after a few days it turns into larvae.