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Horse mackerel or horse mackerel, in the generally accepted sense, is the name of a large group of fish that are more of commercial importance. In Russian, horse mackerels are called several species of fish belonging to the horse mackerel family. Most of which are commercial. About 30 genera and more than 200 species belong to the family of scad fish. Many fish of the family reach large sizes and are a favorite trophy for anglers who love sea fishing. On this resource, some species are described separately. Actually, a separate genus – “scad”, has about 10 species and they are quite widespread in temperate and tropical waters. All horse mackerels are active predators. The body of the fish is spindle-shaped. The mouth is medium, semi-lower. The length in some species can reach 70 cm, but in most cases it is 30 cm. According to the length, the mass of the fish can reach up to 2.5 kg, but on average it is about 300 g. There are two fins on the back, a narrow caudal stalk, also , having upper and lower fins, ends with a forked caudal fin. The anterior dorsal fin has several stiff rays connected by a membrane, in addition, the anal fin has two spines. The scales are small, on the midline there are bony shields with spikes that have protective properties. Horse mackerels are schooling, pelargic fish. They feed, depending on their size, on small fish, zooplankton, but under certain conditions they can also switch to feeding on bottom animals.
Fishing methods
Catching horse mackerel is a very popular type of fishing among residents, for example, the Black Sea region. Horse mackerel is caught by all available types of amateur fishing. It can be either a float rod, spinning, tackle for vertical fishing, or fly fishing. Fish are caught from the shore and from various vessels. For baits, natural baits are used, as well as various artificial ones, ranging from small spinners, flies to ordinary hairs and pieces of plastic. Often during the “zhora” a flock of horse mackerel is easy to spot – the fish begin to jump out of the water. The most popular is fishing on multi-hook tackle such as “tyrant”.
Methods for fishing with multi-hook tackle
Tyrant fishing, despite the name, which is clearly of Russian origin, is quite widespread and is used by anglers all over the world. There are small regional peculiarities, but the principle of fishing is the same everywhere. It should be noted that the main difference between all rigs of this type is rather related to the size of the prey. Initially, the use of any rods was not provided. A certain amount of cord was wound on a reel of arbitrary shape, depending on the depth of fishing, it could be up to several hundred meters. At the end, a sinker with an appropriate weight from 100 to 400 g was fixed, sometimes with a loop at the bottom to secure an additional leash. Leashes were attached to the cord, most often in the amount of about 10-15 pieces. In modern versions, various long-distance casting rods are more often used. The number of lures can vary and depends on the experience of the angler and the gear used. It should be clarified that sea fish are less “finicky” to the thickness of the snaps, so it is quite possible to use fairly thick monofilaments (0.5-0.6 mm). With regard to metal parts of the equipment, especially hooks, it is worth bearing in mind that they must be coated with an anti-corrosion coating, because sea water corrodes metals much faster. In the “classic” version, the “tyrant” is equipped with hooks, with attached colored feathers, woolen threads or pieces of synthetic materials. In addition, small spinners, additionally fixed beads, beads, etc. are used for fishing. In modern versions, when connecting parts of the equipment, various swivels, rings, and so on are used. This increases the versatility of the tackle, but can hurt its durability. It is necessary to use reliable, expensive fittings. On specialized vessels for fishing on “tyrant” special on-board devices for reeling gear may be provided. This is very useful when fishing at great depths. When using short side rods with access rings or sea spinning rods, a problem arises that is typical for all multi-hook rigs with the line and leaders reeling out when playing the fish. When catching small fish, this problem is solved by using longer rods, and when catching large fish, by limiting the number of “working” leashes. In any case, when preparing tackle for fishing, the main leitmotif should be convenience and simplicity during fishing. “Samodur” is also called a multi-hook equipment using a natural nozzle. The principle of fishing is quite simple: after lowering the sinker in a vertical position to a predetermined depth, the angler makes periodic twitches of tackle according to the principle of vertical flashing. In the case of an active bite, this, sometimes, is not required. “Landing” of fish on hooks can occur when lowering the equipment or from the pitching of the vessel. Fishing “for tyrant” is possible not only from boats, but also from the shore.
Baits
Various baits are used for catching horse mackerels; when fishing with multi-hook gear, various artificial baits of white or silver color are more often used. In the case of fishing with float rods, experienced anglers advise using shrimp baits.
Places of fishing and habitat
Most species of fish of the genus horse mackerel live in temperate and tropical waters of the oceans in both northern and southern latitudes. In the waters of Russia, horse mackerel can be caught in the Black and Azov Seas. The habitats of these fish are usually limited to the continental shelf, most often near the coastline.
Spawning
Fish spawning takes place in the warm season near the shore. The fish matures at the age of 2-3 years. The Black Sea horse mackerel spawns in June-August. Spawning is portioned. Pelargic caviar. During the spawning process, the males stay in the water column above the females and fertilize the emerging eggs.