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Fishing for sabrefish or saberfish
Chesha, Czech, saber fish, saber, sidewall, mower – all these are the names of one fish, but more often it is called sabrefish. The fish has an elongated body and peculiar proportions. Appearance gives out in it, pelargic fish. It lives in the water column at depths of up to 30 m. It leads a semi-anadromous lifestyle, many populations go to feed in desalinated sea waters. Adult fish larger than 15 cm can switch to feeding on juvenile fish. Young fish mainly feed on phyto and zooplankton. The size of the fish can exceed: a length of 50 cm, and a weight of more than 2 kg. There are known cases of catching trophies of about 3.5 kg. It lives in rivers, stagnant and slow-flowing reservoirs. Leads a sedentary lifestyle. In the case of an increase in the number of fish in the population (in reservoirs or lakes), the growth of fish may slow down and the overall size of the fish may decrease.
Ways to catch sabrefish
The choice of tackle for catching sabrefish depends on the season and fishing conditions. The fish lives, despite the upper mouth, in various layers of water, including at the bottom. She receives most of her nutrition in the middle layers of the water. In addition, during the period of departure of insects, it actively feeds on flying insects. In this regard, it is worth choosing fishing methods. In the spring, it is better to catch sabrefish on bottom gear, including “running bottom”. In the first half of summer, preference should be given to float gear. In the second half of summer and early autumn, sabrefish can be perfectly caught on spinning and fly fishing gear. In autumn, again, it is better to catch fish on bottom gear.
Catching sabrefish on spinning
Most local anglers prefer to catch sabrefish with natural baits. Despite this, spinning fishing can be a lot of fun. The main factor in choosing a rod is the use of intended lures. This is an excellent object of fishing when fishing with light and ultra-light tackle. In the case of sabrefish, as well as with other “conditionally non-predatory” fish, this is the use of small baits. For this, spinning rods with a weight test of up to 7-10 grams are suitable. Specialists in retail chains will recommend a large number of micro wobblers and other baits. The choice of line or monoline depends on the desires of the angler, but the line, due to its low stretch, will enhance the manual sensations from contact with biting fish. Reels should match, in weight and size, a light rod. Rod length is limited by the features of light and ultra-light rods. This is not always convenient on large bodies of water. Often anglers compromise by using high power rods because long rods are more comfortable for long distance casting. For boat fishing, the choice of length depends more on the size of the boat and the experience of the angler. Small rowing boats require the use of short rods, especially if a mate is in the boat. In the case of using “heavy” rods, it is convenient to catch with the help of “bombard-sbirulino”. In addition, sabrefish are caught on multi-hook rigs for “long casting” using decoys.
Catching sabrefish on the bottom gear
The sabrefish is caught on various bottom gear. One of the most effective ways can be called the so-called. “rubber band”. Moreover, if fishing takes place in the course, then natural nozzles are not used. Instead, foam rubber or pieces of red gum are placed on the hooks. Running donka is also a very popular type of fishing, and is used on rivers. The sabrefish responds well to feeder gear. Feeder and picker fishing is very convenient for most, even inexperienced anglers. They allow the fisherman to be quite mobile on the reservoir, and because of the possibility of point 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. Nozzles for fishing can be any nozzles, both of vegetable or animal origin, as well as pastes and so on. This method of fishing is available to everyone. Tackle is not demanding for additional accessories and specialized equipment. This allows you to fish in almost any water bodies. 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 the reservoir (river, reservoir, etc.) and the food preferences of local fish.
Catching sabrefish on a float rod
Fishing for sabrefish on a float is probably the most popular type of fishing for beginner fishermen. It should be noted that fishing for sabrefish in the lower reaches of the Volga is quite a trivial task. Features of using float gear for fishing depend on the fishing conditions and the experience of the angler. For coastal fishing for sabrefish, rods for “deaf” equipment 5-6 m long are usually used. Match rods are used for long-distance casting. The choice of equipment is very diverse and is limited by the conditions of fishing, and not by the type of fish. As in any float fishing, the most important element is the right bait and bait. In summer, many anglers catch sabrefish on adult insects (gadflies, grasshoppers, etc.), often without using sinkers.
Fly fishing for sabrefish
With the advent of fly fishing fashion, sabrefish fishing has become even more exciting. Taking into account the fact that it responds to various imitations of insects, fishing techniques are used, both from the surface and for sinking flies. The choice of tackle is connected with the preferences of the angler himself, mainly one-handed rods and lines of medium classes. In most cases, fishing for sabrefish takes place on large bodies of water, so long-distance casting is important. To do this, we recommend medium – long lines with a delicate presentation for fishing with “dry” flies and rods of class 5-6. In the case of fishing for sinking lures, in deep, fast water bodies, the use of sinking lines is justified. In other cases, sets of sinking undergrowth are quite suitable.
Baits
As already mentioned, sabrefish responds well to various artificial baits, including flies, medium-sized spinners, wobblers, and more. In addition, various tricks are used. From natural baits, fish slices, a worm, and various larvae are used. Fishing for adult insects has been popular for a long time: grasshoppers, various flies, wasps and others. It is worth noting here that fishing for fry is no less successful; various gear is used for this.
Places of fishing and habitat
In Russia, sabrefish is common in the European part. In the basins of the Baltic, Black, Caspian, Azov seas. Penetrated into many reservoirs of Central Asia. Especially popular is catching sabrefish on the Volga. Successfully caught in the Kama, Ural, Terek, Kura and other rivers. Actively inhabits reservoirs. Cases of capture in the Moscow region are not uncommon. In the Northwest, the range of this fish extends to most of the bays of the Baltic Sea. It is found in the lakes of Pskovsko-Chudskoe, Ilmen. Enters the rivers Volkhov, Zapadnaya Dvina, Neva, Neman and others.
Spawning
The fish becomes sexually mature at the age of 3-5 years. Northern sichel populations mature later. There are some differences in the spawning behavior of fish. Fish living in the Baltic Sea basin spawn in one go, and the southern ones spawn in portions, so their spawning is more extended in time. Spawning time is also different: in northern fish it takes place in May-June, and in southern fish in April-May. Fish spawn both in rivers and reservoirs, in desalinated areas of the sea. The caviar is semi-pelargic, after fertilization it is in a suspended state near the bottom.