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The Saratov region is a place where you can go fishing to your heart’s content. There are many small secluded lakes and ponds hidden among fields, streams and rivers, where different types of fish are found. And the Volga River flows here, where you can catch more than in many other rivers in Russia.
Geography of the Saratov region: reservoirs
The Saratov Region is located in the Volga Federal District. The Volga River, the main water artery of our country, divides the region approximately in half. To the west of it is the Volga Upland. The terrain here is hilly, few rivers flow into this bank. In the eastern part, the terrain is low, there are several rivers flowing into the Volga. Among them are Small Karaman, Big Karaman, Big Irgiz, Eruslan. There are several channels intended for navigation and land reclamation.
There are lakes and ponds, which are most often old rivers and streams, dammed in the old days, but now dried up. For the most part they are unnamed. Here you can catch crucian carp, rudd, tench and other fish species that are not very whimsical to the oxygen regime and prefer to stay in stagnant water. Here you can find lakes rich in perch, such as an unnamed lake located east of the city of Engels. The most popular here is winter fishing.
The western part of the region is less populated than the eastern part. The rivers flowing here belong to the Don basin and flow into it. There are many picturesque and beautiful places here. Fishermen are attracted by two rivers in this part of the Saratov region – Khoper and Medveditsa. These rivers attract spinning and fly anglers. Here you can catch chub, asp, and other riding fish. Unfortunately, recreation centers for anglers are located mainly on the Volga itself, and you need to go here, taking with you the entire supply of gear, a boat and other things for living in the open. However, for those who want solitude and communion with nature, these places are ideal.
There are many small reservoirs here, often not even marked on the map. However, fishing in such places is often very successful – precisely because poachers get here less often and there is no big pressure. For example, in Vyazovka and Ershovka, you can catch rudd and crucian well.
Most of the region belongs to the forest-steppe zone. Woodlands are rare here, and are usually represented by deciduous species. However, the shores of reservoirs are usually overgrown with shrubs, reeds, and there are trees. In the eastern part of the region, the situation is somewhat different – there are many lands covered with forests. The climate here is quite warm. Winters are mild, without severe frosts, but rivers and lakes are usually ice-bound and covered with snow. Hot days begin around May. If you plan to spend several days fishing, you need to stock up on enough salt so that you can salt and save the caught fish.
Volga
The main water artery of the region. There are many reservoirs on the Volga. In the north of the region there is the Saratov reservoir, which supplies water to numerous enterprises of the region, as well as cities and towns. Here is the city of Syzran. Most of the fishing bases are also located on the Volga, where you can stay for the night in comfortable conditions and rent a boat. Basically, they are located near the city of Saratov. This is very convenient for out-of-town anglers who come to the city by train or plane, and they do not have to travel far to start fishing.
When going fishing, it is worth remembering the rules of fishing. Local regulations prohibit fishing from a boat during the spawning season of the main fish species. Some other methods are also prohibited – fishing for spawning on a line, for a total number of hooks more than ten per angler, etc. There are restrictions on the maximum total weight of fish caught at any time of the year – no more than ten kilograms per person. Fish supervision on the Volga can be found quite often, and they can check both gear and catch even among amateur anglers.
Unfortunately, poaching on the Volga is on a large scale. First of all, people do this because of the low standard of living in suburban and rural areas. At the same time, the main poaching fishing is carried out precisely during the spawning period of fish. For example, a poacher catches about 50-5 kg of fish per day in a 7-meter-long mesh net in the summer, while this figure can reach 50 kilograms during spawning.
Widespread is the deep-sea setting of nets, which are then caught with the help of a cat. These nets often remain at the bottom, not found by the owners, and are a strong source of rotting and the spread of fish diseases. It is rather difficult to fight against poaching in the spring, since the movement of small boats cannot be stopped – in many places it is the only means of transport. Poachers often resort to fishing on bottom gear for spawning, on a ring, while the catches are quite large and can reach up to 20-30 kilograms of breeding stock.
In the coastal zone, you can successfully catch roach and rudd. On the Volga, the banks are often overgrown with reeds, and fishing is carried out in windows or on the border of the reeds. Roach and rudd reach large sizes here. Suffice it to say that rafts weighing two hundred grams or more are common here and make up the bulk of the catch of the float fisherman. Perhaps this is due to the fact that they are not of particular interest to poachers, as well as the release of their habitat due to bream fishing.
A spinning player on the Volga also has a place to roam. Even from the shore you can catch a large number of pike – in summer they are right in the grass. What can we say about the perch, which can be caught here even in spawning from the shore. Chub, ide and asp are often caught from the boat. Jig lovers can try to catch zander, but due to the abundance of nets, it has become an infrequent trophy. You can try to catch catfish – it is here and is active in the summer months. Sometimes you can catch such exotic fish as sterlet. Previously, she was common here, but now her capture is an exceptional phenomenon. Fishing for sterlet in permitted ways and within the permitted period is completely legal, but there are restrictions on the size of the fish caught.
Tackle
Going to the Volga, they usually prefer bottom gear. They are used both from the boat and from the shore. For float fishing from the shore, you should look for places, since not everywhere you can find suitable sites. But on small reservoirs, His Majesty the float dominates, and there are quite a lot of them here. Small streams, rivers, channels, dams and ditches are rich in fish, although not very large, but it is exciting to catch it here. In the thickets of reeds and grass, many species of fish can be successfully caught on a summer mormyshka.
For spinning fishing, local anglers use fairly long rods. What this is connected with is not entirely clear. But, apparently, there are such features due to which a long rod on the Volga will be better. On small bodies of water, it is worth using shorter rods, also for fishing from the shore, which is usually overgrown with bushes and other vegetation.
Fly fishing – infrequently this tackle can be seen in the hands of a domestic fisherman. However, fly fishing is possible and quite successful. Due to the abundance of chub, ide and asp in the area, the fly fisherman will not be left without fish. You can fish both from the boat and from the shore, but the boat offers many advantages for the fly angler. There is evidence that during fly fishing on the tributaries of the Khopra there were catches of trout.
Winter fishing
The Saratov region is a place where you can fish just as well in winter as in summer. For fishing, it is best to choose small reservoirs – the ice on them rises earlier and breaks up later than on the Volga. They usually fish at a shallow depth, up to three meters. The main catch is roach, redfin, perch. Occasionally there is a walleye. Pike are caught on the first ice and at the end of winter, when the ice pike begins to spawn.
Recreation centers and paid fishing
Both recreation centers and paid ponds are mainly located in the vicinity of Saratov. This is not accidental – the main solvent clientele is located there. There are many islands on the Volga, spits, shoals and backwaters, where the fisherman, having rented a boat, can catch a trophy specimen and catch a lot of small fish. Of the fishing bases, it is worth noting the bases “Ivushka”, “Roger”, “Volzhino”, the camp site “Plyos” and the base “Rock”. Here you can rent a boat, but it is better to agree on the availability of free ones in advance. In any case, the angler staying at the base always has the opportunity to safely park the car, spend the night with his family in a room on comfortable beds and have dinner in the dining room, and in some cases, cook the caught fish.
You can also fish on paid reservoirs. In most cases, these are artificially dug ponds. It is worth noting that the cost of fishing here is not too high – from 150 to 500 rubles per day per person. However, in most cases, the caught fish will definitely have to be bought. However, in the Upper Pond farm, you can catch up to 4 kilograms of fish for free.
It should be noted that in most cases the reservoirs for paid fishing are stocked with non-predatory fish species – carp, silver carp, grass carp. For trout fishing, there are Chernomorets and Lesnaya Skazka paysites, but you should inquire about the launch of trout in advance. There are hourly fishing services, the cost of which is from 50 rubles per hour. In most paid farms, it is impossible to fish with lures, since it is possible that non-predatory fish, which are not the target object of lure fishing, may be bugged.
Paid reservoirs are equipped with comfortable benches, sheds for fishing, there are toilets, parking and other amenities. The launch of fish is usually carried out at least once a week, so you can always hope for a catch, given the small load on the reservoirs. You can rent a fishing rod, fishing from a boat is prohibited in most places. The most promising type of fishing on paysites in the Saratov region is a match rod and feeder. They allow you to fish in any area of a small pond from any point on the shore, allow you to use bait. Rarely enough, feeding the fish with mixed feed is used here, so it is usually not overfed and responds adequately to bait.
What else is worth knowing
Fishing in the Saratov region can be quite successful. However, when going to an unfamiliar place, you should be careful with the locals and do not go fishing alone. In any case, you should prefer to stay at a fishing base, where you can leave your car in the parking lot and things in the house, or go to a paid reservoir. If you have a local friend of a fishing guide, then you can trust him. He will tell you what gear and what kind of fish bite well here, when you should expect the most active bite, and when it is worth changing the place and moving to another if there is no bite.