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Chehon is an unusually tasty fish, especially in the form of a ram. But to catch it is not so easy because of the behavior of this fish. This, in turn, requires the use of a special fishing technique, in contrast to the traditional approach, which is used for catching, for example, carp, roach, pike and other fish. The structure of her jaws is such that she always feeds in the water column and does not feed from the bottom. To catch sabrefish, you need to have certain skills. Despite this, many anglers are happy to go fishing for sabrefish.
This fish is found in the rivers flowing into the Azov, Black, Baltic and Caspian Seas. It prefers to develop large rivers and reservoirs, while completely ignoring small reservoirs, especially if they have thickets of aquatic vegetation.
Chehon can grow up to 60 cm in length, weighing about 2 kg. As a rule, fishermen come across individuals weighing from 200 to 500 grams. The life expectancy of this fish is about 12 years. The chehon has a long, saber-like shape. Therefore, it is almost impossible to confuse it with another fish. As for the color, it has a silver tint, although dark colors predominate on the back. It has a rather short dorsal fin, which is located above the anal fin. If in the process of fishing a similar fish is caught, then this is undoubtedly a sabrefish. Her capture requires a special approach, which will be discussed in this text.
Where to catch sabrefish
This fish prefers to be in that part of the water area where there is a fast current and great depth. During the day, when the sichel is feeding, it moves along different horizons and can be found at the very surface of the water. With the onset of twilight, it goes into the depths and only the next morning will again begin to rise closer to the surface.
The sabrefish spawns in the month of May. Depending on the weather conditions or climatic zone, these dates may be shifted in one direction or another. The beginning of spawning is characterized by the rise of sabrefish to the upper reaches of the river. At the same time, she can actively peck at various nozzles. This fish goes to spawn in flocks, so you can immediately catch several individuals. If the sabrefish has ceased to be caught, then the flock has left and you need to wait for the arrival of the next accumulation of sabrefish.
The movement of sabrefish for spawning has its own peculiarity. It moves only in the deepest places of the reservoir. At the same time, it does not come close to the shore, especially in the daytime.
Each flock includes individuals of the same size, so the catch is characterized by fish of the same size. Although you can meet mixed flocks, but this is very rare. After spawning, this interesting fish returns to its original places. Chekhon should be looked for:
- near deep holes;
- on the border of slow and fast current;
- in deep waters;
- in areas with a fast current;
- in areas of rifts and underwater spits;
- in large bays free from vegetation.
The sabrefish is caught in the upper or middle layers of the water. This means that they do not catch sabrefish from the bottom and some equipment used for catching other types of fish from the bottom will not be suitable for catching sabrefish. At the same time, she prefers to stay in clean areas without aquatic vegetation, which have a significant depth. You will never meet her on the shallows.
After spawning, the sabrefish returns to their permanent habitats, where they constantly move around the water area. At the same time, she does not depart far from her favorite places.
If there was a bite of a sabrefish, then the fish is in the area of this place and the likelihood of subsequent bites is quite high. This fact can serve as a guide to a promising place and in the future you can count on a good catch.
Chekhon does not like to come close to the shore, therefore, long-distance casts will be required to catch it.
At night, it makes no sense to catch sabrefish, as it sinks to a depth or hides in safe places.
They catch sabrefish mainly on bottom gear, in which leashes are used, up to 2 meters long. It is desirable that the nozzle has good buoyancy and can be in the water column without sinking to the bottom. If you put a foam ball on the hook, along with the bait, then the result will not be long in coming. The sichel grabs the bait at the moment when it slowly sinks to the bottom. You can not use foam, then the baited hook will reach the bottom and then bites of other fish, such as roach, silver bream, bream, etc., are possible.
When to catch sabrefish
The sabrefish shows its maximum activity in pre-spawning zhor. Somewhere from mid-April and for 3 weeks, this fish is preparing for spawning. The preparation lies in the fact that she is gaining strength after the wintering period. During this period, she is actively caught, as she is ready to swallow any bait. Considering the fact that sabrefish cluster in dense flocks, there is a possibility of catching a dozen specimens in a very short period of time. After that, biting may stop altogether until the next flock approaches. When the sichel is busy with the process of spawning, she stops eating altogether. The activity of this fish resumes after spawning, when it gets sick and returns to its favorite places.
In fact, sabrefish begin to be caught from the moment the surface of the water is freed from ice and its active biting continues until the first ice appears on the surface of the water. In the middle of summer, with the advent of heat, sabrefish bite better from early morning and hours until 10 am, and also from 18 pm until dusk.
After the departure of the heat and the arrival of cold weather, it pecks better before dinner, when the upper layers of the water warm up well.
In winter, this fish is practically not caught, although some anglers manage to catch sabrefish from the ice in winter. Unfortunately, this requires serious knowledge, experience and skills.
What do you need to catch sabrefish
We can say that sabrefish is an omnivorous fish, and yet it prefers baits of animal origin. It could be:
- muckworm;
- bloodworm;
- maggot;
- live;
- grasshopper;
- fly;
- dragonfly;
- butterfly;
- wasp;
- food, etc.
As practice shows, sabrefish is especially partial to maggot. A combination of maggot and bloodworm works well. Therefore, when going fishing with an eye to catch sabrefish, you should have with you the main bait – maggot.
As a rule, several, from 2 to 5 maggots, are put on the hook. Moreover, the best option may be a combination of maggots of different colors. Shades of white and red or white and yellow work well. Now it is not a problem to purchase multi-colored maggot in specialized outlets or grow it yourself, if you wish. You should not get too carried away with colors and two colors are absolutely enough.
The sabrefish prefers to take bait suspended in the water column. Therefore, in addition to bait, it is better to put a foam ball on the hook. In this case, the foam is placed first, and then the bait. As a rule, in such cases, hooks with a long forearm are used to fit all the necessary elements on it.
When using live bait, large sabrefish are caught more, although the size of the bait fish should not exceed 4 cm. Still, sabrefish cannot be larger than pike, so it makes no sense to use larger fry.
In the summer, when there is an abundance of various insects in nature, sabrefish are perfectly caught on them. These can be butterflies, wasps, various bugs, grasshoppers, etc.
As a tool for catching sabrefish, various gear is suitable, such as a feeder, a float rod or a spinning rod. The sabrefish is caught both stationary and in the wiring.
Catching sabrefish on spinning
Spinning has long been associated with universal fishing tackle, although its main purpose is to catch predatory fish. The sabrefish can also be classified as a predatory fish, since it often feeds on small fish. A variety of artificial baits can be used to catch sabrefish. It can be:
- vibro tails;
- wobblers;
- twisters;
- various baits made of edible rubber;
- male.
Good results can be expected when using vibrotails. At the same time, large sabrefish are caught more on such baits. This is due to the fact that small sabrefish still do not chase fry much, preferring to feed on various insects or bugs.
When catching sabrefish, they choose the usual stepped wiring. Baits are thrown both downstream and against it. If the fish is interested in the bait, then a bite will follow immediately. At the same time, it should be remembered that sabrefish is mainly dispersed in the middle and upper layers of the water.
How to catch sabrefish
When catching this fish, the following main gear is used:
- bottom fishing rod (feeder);
- float rod;
- spinning.
You can catch sabrefish in other ways, for example, fly fishing or with the help of a bombard (sbirulino). Unfortunately, such fishing techniques require serious skills, so they are rarely used. Despite this, such gear has maximum catchability, especially the bombard.
The most affordable and effective way to catch sabrefish is a bottom tackle or feeder. About this gear and will be discussed further.
Feeder hunting technique
After you have chosen a suitable place for catching sabrefish, you can start feeding the fishing point. To do this, the first 5-10 casts are carried out without a leash, but with a feeder full of bait. For starters, you can take a larger feeder to feed the place faster. In this case, 5 throws will be enough.
After that, the feeder changes to a regular one and a leash with a hook is added to the equipment. The bait is put on the hook, and the bait is stuffed into the feeder. The length of the leash on the sabre case can reach up to 1,5-2,0 meters. Naturally, this complicates the process of casting tackle, but the capture of sabrefish is guaranteed. With a lead length of less than 1,5 meters, in addition to sabrefish, other fish can be caught, such as roach, rudd, silver bream, etc.
The consistency of the bait is selected in such a way that it is washed out of the feeder in no more than 5 minutes. Every 5 minutes you should check the tackle if there are no bites. If there are no bites for a long time, then this is most likely the result of an incorrect choice of fishing place. After all, this fish prefers specific places with good depth. If the depth is insignificant, then it is hardly possible to meet sabrefish in this place.
Float fishing technique
Given the nature of the behavior of this fish, it is better to catch it in the wiring. In this case, the tackle is thrown and released with the flow. At this point, the line is gradually etched off the reel. At the same time, you need to be prepared for a bite, which can happen at any time.
In normal, classic fishing with a float, it is necessary to regularly set the bait in motion, as the sabrefish attacks the bait that is in motion. As soon as the fish detects a moving bait, it will immediately attack it.
Spinning fishing technique
When using spinning, slow stepwise wiring is carried out. At the same time, there is no need for additional animation of the lure. The main thing is that it is in motion. Therefore, wiring is carried out only with the help of a coil. When going fishing with a spinning rod, you should know that the sabrefish stays in areas where there are significant differences in depth, as well as in the area of pits and depressions. If the throw turned out to be effective, then you can not hesitate. The next cast is carried out at the same point. The fact is that the sabrefish keeps in packs and having caught one individual, you can count on the capture of several more specimens.
Recently, more and more spinners are using edible rubber lures. It differs from ordinary silicone in that various attractants are introduced into its composition. Therefore, the bait has its own specific aroma that attracts fish, including sabrefish.
In addition to silicone baits, sabrefish bite well on wobblers. It is very important to choose the right bait size. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that you will have to catch individuals weighing from 200 to 500 g, and models of small sizes are suitable for this.
Videos catching sabrefish
Training video on catching sabrefish on the feeder
“Catching sabrefish on the feeder” Our fishing!
For spinning ultralight
Catching sabrefish on spinning ultralight