Fishing traps. Book: Fishing

E.V. Filatova

Omsk, State University

Photos chosen by me.

FARMING OF RUSSIAN OLD-TIMEERS OF THE IRTYSH

Each, especially large people inhabiting a significant territory, under the influence of a number of specific conditions within a single ethnic culture, has local characteristics. Such features in Russian traditional culture were created, in particular, in the process of settlement and economic development of new territories, where Russian settlers settled side by side with the local population (Alexandrov V.A., 1974. - P. 7). They also manifest themselves in the economy, which is strongly influenced by the geographical environment. The purpose of this study is to describe the features of the economy of Russian old-timers in the lower reaches of the Irtysh.

By the lower reaches of the Irtysh we mean the Khanty-Mansiysk region of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. The old residents of this area are poorly studied by researchers. One can note the work “Samarovo, a village in the Tobolsk province and district: chronicle, memories and materials about its past” by H.M. Loparev, who was a native of the village of Samarovo (now part of the city of Khanty-Mansiysk). This work was written based on materials collected in old-timer settlements - p. Tsingala and the village of Chebakchino. A joint expedition of Omsk State University and the Museum of Nature and Man (Khanty-Mansiysk) was conducted in these places in 2003.

In general, throughout the development of the lower reaches of the Irtysh, the number of Russians here was insignificant. This is explained by the peculiarities of natural, climatic and economic conditions, in particular the inability to engage in farming, which was important for the Russian peasant. Initially, the Russian population consisted of coachmen who were engaged in yam racing. Population growth mainly occurred naturally.

On the territory of the lower reaches of the Irtysh at the end of the 19th century. There were Russian settlements: the village of Samarovo and the villages of Bazyanova, Repolovskaya, Denshchikovskaya. According to official data, in Samarovo in 1894 there were 436 revision souls, 175 households, 130 individual householders (Loparev Kh.M., 1997. - P. 114). Russian settlements were located far from each other, next to the settlements of the Khanty and Mansi. All residents of the lower reaches of the Irtysh maintained trade and marriage relations with each other.

At first, when the Russians first began to develop this territory, they tried to recreate the traditional farming model. HM. Loparev notes that in 1767 experiments in arable farming were undertaken here: 49 acres were sown with grain, but unsuccessfully (Loparev Kh.M., 1997. - P. 29). Then, in order to survive, they began to borrow farming methods from the aborigines. As a result, hunting and fishing began to occupy an important place in the economic activities of Russians. The development of fishing was also expressed in the complication of the forms of its organization and the improvement of fishing tools and techniques. By the beginning of the 21st century. Fishing methods and techniques have changed little. This was facilitated by the fact that there were a lot of fish in the rivers. The old-timers fished all year round: both winter and summer, using various techniques. Anatoly Mikhailovich Makarov said that “in winter you will catch more fish. In winter, she goes against the current to the living quarters (a place in the river where there is no lack of oxygen) from the sun (a place with a lack of oxygen). They put wicks and wicks on the zhivuns.”

Katets is placed on small rivers. In the fall, along the banks of the river on both sides, opposite each other, a katz made of aviary mesh (metal mesh for fencing cages on fur farms) is placed. To keep it stable, stakes were stuck in several places along its perimeter. Fish going for bait accumulated in a space fenced with a net. After breaking through the ice, the fish were scooped out of the ice with a net. You can install the roller in another way. The river was blocked off from one bank. And regardless of where the fish swims, almost all of it ends up in the boat. And then you also need to scoop out the fish. Previously, kats were made not from mesh, but from interconnected stakes that were stuck into the bottom of the river.

They also install wicks in winter. The wick looks like this: a mesh with a window through which the fish passes is stretched over metal rings, the number of which can vary (the wicks reach 10 meters and you can catch up to 300 kg of fish in them). At the next ring in the net there is already a blind window (the fish will not come back out). The fish accumulated at the end of the wick is shaken by untying the knot.

There are summer and winter wicks. They differ in size, structure and installation methods. In winter, a double wick is used (a design of two wicks connected by a skirt). The small river had been blocked with locks since the fall. In the fall, the wicks were also installed. They were fixed with stakes, which were threaded into rings on the wicks, and then stuck into the bottom of the river. The wicks were connected to each other by a skirt - a mesh that did not allow fish caught between the wicks to sink to the bottom. In order to pull out the caught fish, a winter hole was made in the ice between the wicks - an ice hole through which the wicks were pulled out onto the ice one by one and the fish were shaken out of them. To put the wick in place, a rope, called a purlin, was first tied to its end. Having pulled out the wick by the purlin, it was again fixed with a stake.

In summer the wick was placed differently. A wall connected to the wick was attached to the river bank (a mesh that served as a lock, preventing fish from passing past the wick. In addition, the height of the net is called a wall). The wick was attached to the bottom with a ring, holding it across the flow. The summer wick is shorter than the winter one and does not have a skirt. The catch on wicks in winter is much greater than in summer.

In winter they set up both nets and traps. Winter networks are shorter than summer ones due to installation features. They were placed along the river. Two holes were dug in the ice. A purlin with a float tied at the end was lowered into the one upstream (a device like a float, usually made from an army flask and a nut placed in it). It is needed to move the girder under the ice along the river. Experienced fishermen launch the float so that it emerges in a hole downstream. If, after all, the swimmer went to the side, the run was easily pulled out with noril (a pole with a crossbar at the end, up to 10 m long). After this, stakes were driven into the holes and a net was tied to them. Samolov is placed in the same way.

The samolov is a rope with floats, under each of which a hook made of steel wire is tied to a doll (thin nylon rope for weaving nets and wicks). A sinker is tied to the bottom of the hook for stability. Samolov is so called because no bait is attached to the hooks. The hook was sharpened so that if a fish touches it, it will definitely catch. Even if the fish hits the hook on the wrong side of the point, it turns around and the fish is still caught. In the summer, self-catchers are placed in two ways. You can block the river across its entire width. To do this, a wire is stretched from shore to shore, to which the plane is tied in several places. The depth of its immersion is adjustable.

The old-timers caught so much fish that they “fed the cows fish soup”(MEE OmSU 2003, P.O. 2. L. 10ob. – 15), boiled fish was fed to pigs and chickens (MEE OmSU 2003, P.o. 2. L. 18o. – 21).

Hunting methods were also varied. “They set traps for foxes, and sacks for sables. The kulema consists of two slats, with a small stick called a guard placed between them. And they made nooses for partridges” (MEE Omsk State University 2003, P.O. 1. L. 2.).

The old-timers knew a very interesting way of hunting ducks.“In the spring, they were caught when the rut began. The net was placed between two lakes. First, they cut a clearing 10–15 m wide. Then they hung the net on the tallest trees. The net was large, about 10–15 m wide and ten meters high, with small cells. They secured it to a tree with the help of a pole on which a block was attached (it was called a vetoshka, similar to a block on a weaving mill), through which a rope was pierced. Someone climbed a tree and attached a block with a net to the top.

Under the tree they made a shelter from branches (something like a fence), so that it was not visible. Sometimes they would put up a small log house and cover it with branches on top so that the person could not be seen. He waited for the ducks (mostly they were hunted, but also others - cranes, swans) to fly closer. When there were 10–15 m left to the net, so that the birds could no longer turn away, the net was lowered slowly. The tension was small, so the duck did not break through the net, but got entangled in it. Then they took the ducks out of the net and bit off their heads (because it is very difficult to twist a duck’s head). Sometimes they caught up to 100 ducks with one net” (MEE Omsk State University 2003, P.o. 2. L. 18ob. – 21.).

Fishing and hunting were supplemented by collecting pine cones and berries. In places where the Russian population was closely connected with the aborigines, reindeer herding was developed. Farming had not previously been practiced “due to the cold climate and unsuitability of the soil.” The reasons for the underdevelopment of agriculture in the territory under consideration were not only natural conditions, but also the established tradition of management, the lack of funds necessary for the initial development of the land (Minenko N.A., 1975. - P. 81). By the 19th century Russian old-timers began to grow vegetables here. Potatoes predominated in the gardens of local residents, but turnips, radishes, carrots, beets, and cabbage were also grown. They also kept livestock on farms. But agriculture and animal husbandry were of an auxiliary nature.

So, the Russian old-timers of the lower reaches of the Irtysh developed an economic complex that was focused on fishing and hunting. It developed over many years, hunting and fishing methods were borrowed from the Khanty, Russian economic traditions were adapted to the natural and geographical conditions of the area being studied.

Literature:

Alexandrov V.A. Problems of comparative study of the material culture of the Russian population of Siberia (XVII - early XX centuries) // Problems of studying the material culture of the Russian population of Siberia. – M, 1974. – P. 7–15.

Loparev Kh.M. Samarovo, a village in the Tobolsk province and district: chronicle, memories and materials about its past. – Tyumen, 1997.

Minenko N.A. Northwestern Siberia in the 18th – first half of the 19th centuries. Historical and ethnographic essay. – Novosibirsk, 1975.

FISHING TRAPS Traps are the most ancient fishing equipment, known since prehistoric times. Perhaps the only older ones are catching them by hand (as a random and rare form of hunting by our distant ancestors) and fighting fish with a spear and a harpoon. Some archaeological scientists dispute this opinion, arguing that the primitive fishing rod is still older, and bone hooks found during excavations at Paleolithic sites are cited as evidence. Traps are a variety of fishing gear based on the principle of “easy to get in, hard to get out.” Designs, sizes, and installation methods vary greatly; often the same trap in different areas of even the same country is called differently, and vice versa - completely different gear is known under the same name. Fishing with traps is productive and has a low cost of catch. Another advantage is the ability to fish in places where it is impossible to fish with other gear (overgrown and snag-ridden reservoirs, etc.). An important advantage of traps is their ability, after being caught, to keep the catch alive for a long time - whereas fish caught with a fixed net and a net die and decompose, poisoning the air and water, if the catcher for some reason was unable to check or find the gear. Unlike nets, seines and other fishing gear, traps can be made not only from nets (mostly nylon), but also from wood, plastic, metal, or combinations. They actually consist of traps and wings. The wings are placed in the path of movement of the fish, which, bending around the wings, ends up in traps, the entrance to which is convenient, but the exit is difficult. The most typical traps are fixed seines (including large sea ones), meshes, venters, muzzles, tops, self-catching crayfish traps and crab traps. The main disadvantage of fishing traps used not by fishermen, but by amateur fishermen, can be considered the passive participation of the fisherman in the capture process. In the end, we fish not only for the sake of prey, but also for the sake of relaxation, and a day spent actively and excitedly fishing charges us with positive emotions for the week. And then: he came, pulled out the top... one short moment of excitement: is there something inside? No?.. I took out the crucian carp and went home. But sometimes this disadvantage turns into an advantage. For example, the following pattern is known: the more actively a predator feeds, the more difficult it is to catch small things escaping from it with live bait. Sometimes it’s very disappointing: hunting pike are splashing around, and there’s almost nothing to put on the mugs or baits. And the same top with a small mesh, standing nearby with bait, will turn out to be very useful. It’s even safer to look for a small crucian pond near the place of fishing and place a top there permanently, then you can come back even in a month and immediately get a supply of live bait. Other disadvantages include the high cost and labor intensity of installing large traps. It is not so easy to stretch a line with wings whose length is measured in tens of meters (no matter from a boat or wading). Yes, in cold spring water, and on the current... Therefore, amateurs use traps of more modest sizes. Now let's talk about certain types of trap gear. Merezha (winged, wick, ryuzha) The term “merezha” has undergone a curious transformation over more than a hundred years. L.P. Sabaneev, a classic of fishing literature, in his fundamental work “Fishes of Russia” described the mesh as “a triple, three-walled net: in the middle there is a fine net, on the sides there are so-called ryazhi, that is, rare nets with meshes of about 18 cm square " Nowadays, such tackle is called a ryazhe net (in common parlance “tangle”, and the term “merezha” migrated to the tackle described by Sabaneev under the name “wick”. As can be seen from Fig. 1, taken from the book “Life and Catching of Freshwater Fishes”, the wick is no different from a modern hem.

Rice. 1. Wick (according to L.P. Sabaneev) Another patriarch of fishing, S.A. Aksakov, described the wick (in the modern understanding of the term) also under a different name: winged. In general, old books on net traps are quite applicable today: the design and methods of fishing have remained almost unchanged, except that modern materials are used for manufacturing. But the existing discrepancy in terms must definitely be taken into account (in Aksakov’s books, for example, there are no illustrations). So, in the modern understanding, a merezha is a net trap used in river, less often in sea, lake and pond fishing and consisting of a guide system (“wings”) and a working part, the so-called “barrel”. Design and manufacture Previously, the frame of the hemstone was made exclusively from wooden hoops of round or oval shape. Nowadays, plastic or metal hoops are more often used (they are also frame rings, they are also catels - the discrepancy in terms is quite large). When making hems with your own hands, in particular metal hoops, you should use either rods with an anti-corrosion coating, or, in the absence of such, thoroughly clean (treat with fine sandpaper) the hoop, then cover it in several layers of waterproof paint. Otherwise, the mesh that fits the frame very quickly rots in places of contact with corrosive metal (see Fig. 2).

is. 2. Construction of a modern hemline (for convenience, only one wing is shown): 1 – floating cord; 2 – load cord; 3 – wing; 4 – arc (plastic tube diameter – 20 mm); 5 – boilers (plastic tube diameter – 16 mm); 6 – “throat”; 7 – “barrel”; 8 – kutets (cointail) The net with which the frame of the hemline is covered must be made of fairly thick threads (the net fabric used for fixed nets, especially monofilament, is not used here). The frame hoops somewhat decrease in size as they move away from the entrance, and the narrowest part of the tackle (behind the last hoop) is called a coddle, or a coddle, or, much less commonly, a motney. The principle of operation of the fence is as follows: an obstacle is placed on the path of the fish (stretched to the sides, but at a slight angle relative to the inlet, “wings”, that is, small panels of rectangular mesh attached directly to the inlet valve). Unable to pass through the wing, the fish swims along it and ends up in the trap chamber, the entrance to which is convenient, but the exit is difficult. For a better fit to the bottom and for greater catchability, the front hoop is sometimes made square or rectangular, especially in wingless lines or lines with removable wings (will be described in detail below). But more often, a boat is placed in front, curved in the form of a semi-oval, in the manner of a greenhouse arc - its pointed ends protrude beyond the lower limits of the tackle and, when installed, are securely stuck into the bottom of the reservoir, allowing you to save a couple of stakes (the stakes on which the mesh is stretched in a river or lake, are not included in its kit and are prepared at the fishing site). The first “throat” is located at the very entrance to the boundary; the edges of its larger base are attached to the first inlet cathedral. The edges of the smaller base are attached to the second or third cathedral by thin guys. Thanks to this, the axis of the “neck” coincides with the axis of the “barrel” and stretches well. Depending on the number of guys, the inlet of the “throat” has the shape of a polygon. Practice shows that the closer it gets to the circle, the better the fish will enter the gap. The second, third and remaining “throats” are attached with a wide base to the corresponding coil and stretched to subsequent coils. The coils are attached to the network in several ways. In one case, the hoop is threaded through the meshes along the perimeter of the “barrel” of the hemlock - this is a painstaking work that can only be done until the ends of the hoop are tied together, which creates inconvenience during repair and installation and makes welding to connect the ends of metal hoops impossible. In addition, the part in the places of contact with the hoops quickly frays. In another case, the hoops are inserted inside the hem and attached to the hem with twine. This method is less convenient, as it can lead to incorrect installation of the hoop, misalignment of the part and, moreover, does not prevent it from rubbing. The most common and convenient way is to install hoops outside the tackle, when a string is passed through the points of attachment to the hoops along the perimeter of the “barrel”. Most often, a transverse seam passes through these places, and therefore the vein simultaneously serves to strengthen the seam. The thread is tied to the hoop with one thread in a circle. Thus, the hemline becomes stretched inside the hoop. Sometimes not only the first hoop from the entrance is made rectangular, but also all the others (such hems are called frame ones). For ease of transportation, the frames can be made collapsible, for example from metal rods inserted into corners bent from a thin aluminum tube. Such gear is more expensive and labor-intensive to manufacture, and preparing it for fishing on a reservoir is quite troublesome. But even a fisherman who does not have a car can carry a fairly sized bag of fish in his backpack. Meshes exist in a variety of modifications, depending on the number of wings, frame rings, as well as inlet holes (in large meshes there are several “throats”, which increases catchability). Multi-neck nets are made quite large and are used mainly in industrial fishing on large bodies of water - the wings with additional openings there stretch for kilometers, line up in special shapes (the so-called “yards”), and, getting lost in this maze, sometimes tumbles into the “barrel”. even such a cautious and strong fish as salmon. Amateur fishermen use single- and double-neck meshes in their practice; their catchability in inland waters is quite satisfactory. The number of stream rollers usually ranges from two to five (in large fishing gear there are up to ten or even more rollers). Varieties of hems with one hoop (the so-called “sleeve”) and frameless hems can, perhaps, be considered separate gear, and they will be described in the appropriate section. About sizes As a rule, amateur reels are small fishing gear 2–4 m long and with a wingspan of up to 8–10 m, with a diameter of the largest (first) reel from 0.5 to 1.5 m. With the correct choice of location and installation time This size of gear provides a more than decent catch. And fishing rules do not at all welcome gigantomania in this matter. The height of the wings is determined by the depth of the places chosen for fishing and rarely exceeds 2 m. Ideally, the wing should cover the entire thickness of the water from the bottom to the surface. There are also floating nets that catch the upper layers in deep places (in the sea and on large lakes). But these are monumental structures, the wings and openings add up to hundreds of meters, and amateur fishermen do not use such measures. Fishing technique There is no special art in fishing with mesh (unlike, for example, basting or casting net). The whole secret of good catches is to sew and mount the hemline correctly, and place it in the right place at the right time. However, you need to set it carefully, stretching the “barrel” and wings tightly on pre-hammered stakes or straightening them using anchor guys. Good stretch of the entire tackle is the key to success, and weakening the guide system can change the direction of the fish, which reduces the catchability of the line. In addition, the current can carry away a poorly secured and loose wing, which will block the entrance to the mouth of the gear. Having installed the lines and made sure that they are stretched correctly, fishermen usually do not leave the reservoir, but engage in other types of fishing. Meanwhile, the tackle catches, accumulates and preserves fish. After some time, the fishermen check the line. If after a couple of checks there is no catch, the installation location should be changed. The time for catching Merezha can be set all year round, both in open water and under ice, but still the main time for fishing with them is spring and the spring fish run. In Fig. Figure 3 shows the most common method of setting a fence along the shore. When fishing for running fish, the entrance of the tackle is directed down the river, when catching downstream fish - up, against the current. The wings move to the right and left, holding the fish and directing it into the margin.

Rice. 3. The position of the two-wing mesh when the fish moves to the upper reaches of the river. When rolling back, the tackle turns 180°. The mereza can be placed as soon as the ice has moved away from the shore, since spawning begins at this time, and the fish gather in schools near the shore. A very good place for shallow fishing is the mouth of a bay or a narrow channel, for example, between islands or the shore and an island. Also of great interest are the low, gentle banks flooded by floods, where there are thickets of last year's plants - often pike and other fish tend to spawn on these water-covered stems. Bushes flooded with water (or rather, the spaces between them) are also an excellent place for spring net fishing. In spring, especially early, the fences are installed mostly by wading. Doing this from a boat is not so convenient, especially in narrow spaces between the shore and melted ice, in flooded bushes, etc. In narrow upper reaches of rivers and streams where fish rush in spring, it is sometimes impossible to use a boat. Naturally, the installation is not carried out in the same way as Aksakov described in his time: not naked and not neck-deep in icy water. A mandatory accessory for a catcher during this period are rubber trousers, glued to the boots and protecting their owner at least to the middle of the chest. The lower part of the rubberized hazmat kit is less suitable, but it will do. I don’t recommend using waders, even if the gear is installed in a very shallow place - numerous experiments have established that as soon as you pull on your boots and go into the water, your foot immediately ends up in a ravine or a muskrat hole, and the swimming season opens much earlier than planned. In any case, when going fishing, you should definitely take with you a change of clothes and a flask of alcohol... for external use, what did you think? It’s better to go inside later, at home, with a fish sizzling in a frying pan... I know, I know: many people can’t imagine fishing without drinking, and I myself was a sinner in my youth... But I’m not proceeding from moralizing considerations, but from sad experience: too often drunk fishermen drowned and froze to death on the ice, and also died in other, sometimes completely ridiculous ways. In general, if you do use it, at least don’t abuse it. When the water subsides and at the same time warms up, net fishing moves to deeper places. Meshes are especially catchy in summer on isthmuses between two deep holes, in narrow channels and creeks among thickets of reeds or reeds, and in general in any gaps between dense aquatic vegetation. And when fishing in summer, unlike in spring, lines are placed much more often from a boat than by wading. In autumn, when the water becomes cold and clear and aquatic vegetation falls off, catch sizes decrease. In some areas, meshes are used to catch autumn-spawning and winter-spawning fish, but they (with the exception of burbot) are much less likely to be caught in trap-type gear. Collecting the catch To check the lines and extract prey, you should approach the line (or swim up on a boat) from the side of the open wings and try to scare the fish located in front of the mouth of the tackle so that it goes into the “throat”. Then the tackle is walked around from the other side, approaching the codend of the fence, and untied from the end stake. The hoop boats are lifted and collected together, driving the caught fish into a coddle, which is then untied over the boat or over a large fish tank (when checking the tackle by wading). Having emptied the hemline, it is stretched again and tied to the tail stake, having previously tied the bundle.

Anton Shaganov

Fishing. Non-standard types of fishing – 3

“Lifts, traps, casting nets.”: “Leningrad Publishing House”; St. Petersburg; 2009

annotation

Today, net fishing gear can be purchased at any relevant store. However, few amateur fishermen have any idea how to properly and most effectively use a basting net, casting net or lift. Long years of prohibitions interrupted the tradition, and numerous publications on fishing topics are devoted exclusively to sport fishing. This book describes the use of these and many other gear, not related to sports, but permitted by law for recreational fishing.

The book is intended for a wide range of fishing readers.

Anton Shaganov

Lifts, traps, casting nets

INTRODUCTION

For many years, net fishing gear, including traps and catchers, were completely banned in our country for use in recreational fishing. A stereotype was persistently hammered into the consciousness of society: a person with a top or a mark is a poacher, a mortal enemy of nature and the destroyer of all living things, a criminal, and his place is in prison. Factories and chemical plants shamelessly poisoned rivers and lakes until they were completely sterile - so that there were no fish, no water insects, so that they were deader than the Dead Sea. Collective and state farms received much more mineral fertilizers than needed for normal agriculture, and their deposits along the edges of the fields, washed away by rain, slowly flowed into ditches, streams, and from them into rivers. Fisheries workers, having entangled reservoirs with many kilometers of nets, filtered them with huge nets with the smallest mesh and caught fish that had not reached spawning size, received bonuses for exceeding the plan. But, of course, it was not they who were to blame for the depletion of fish stocks - after all, there is a peasant with a clue who went out to the river bank to fish the way his fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers fished.

In the late 1980s, during perestroika, the situation changed: fishing rules in various regions began to allow amateurs to use nets, dragnets, meshes and other tools that had previously been considered exclusively poaching gear. Permissions were given reluctantly, with all sorts of restrictions on the length of gear and mesh size, the catch rate, and the timing of use. Other compilers of the rules clearly had a perverse sense of humor: what were the permits for fishing with “poaching” gear, issued to disabled people of the Great Patriotic War and even to public activists who particularly distinguished themselves in protecting fish stocks, worth! Imagine the picture: an old veteran is hobbling on crutches to a pond, bent under the weight of nonsense, but the place is occupied - there is already a public figure protecting fish stocks with nets... However, as they said in those years, the process has begun. And it continues to this day.

Recently, vast areas of land have come into private ownership, sometimes with reservoirs of considerable size, and the new owners themselves determine who can catch the fish they have bred and with what. Net fishing gear, previously sold secretly, under the counter, can now be bought in any store of the appropriate profile. However, not all buyers understand how to use them correctly and most effectively: many years of prohibitions have interrupted the tradition, and numerous publications on fishing are devoted exclusively to sport fishing.

The book you are holding in your hands is designed to at least partially correct the situation. The author does not claim that he was able to describe in detail or even mention all the trapping and catching gear known to amateur fishermen from numerous regions of our country, so different in natural conditions and in the types of fish living in water bodies. But you have to start somewhere, right? Anglers who love not only to sit on the shore with a fishing rod, but also to walk along the river with a fishing rod or a net, begin to exchange practical experience.

For grabbers who fish not for pleasure, but to fill their purses, this book is unlikely to be of any help - they already know their dirty business, and they use gear that is much more productive than those described. Well, for those who want to learn new, and sometimes very interesting, methods of fishing, have a pleasant and useful reading!

FISHING TRAPS

Traps are the most ancient fishing equipment, known since prehistoric times. Perhaps the only older ones are catching them by hand (as a random and rare form of hunting by our distant ancestors) and fighting fish with a spear and a harpoon. Some archaeological scientists dispute this opinion, arguing that the primitive fishing rod is still older, and bone hooks found during excavations at Paleolithic sites are cited as evidence.

Traps are a variety of fishing gear based on the principle of “easy to get in, hard to get out.” Designs, sizes, and installation methods vary greatly; often the same trap in different areas of even the same country is called differently, and vice versa - completely different gear is known under the same name.

Fishing with traps is productive and has a low cost of catch. Another advantage is the ability to fish in places where it is impossible to fish with other gear (overgrown and snag-ridden reservoirs, etc.). An important advantage of traps is their ability, after being caught, to keep the catch alive for a long time - whereas fish caught with a fixed net and a net die and decompose, poisoning the air and water, if the catcher for some reason was unable to check or find the gear.

Unlike nets, seines and other fishing gear, traps can be made not only from nets (mostly nylon), but also from wood, plastic, metal, or combinations. They actually consist of traps and wings. The wings are placed in the path of movement of the fish, which, bending around the wings, ends up in traps, the entrance to which is convenient, but the exit is difficult. The most typical traps are fixed seines (including large sea ones), meshes, venters, muzzles, tops, self-catching crayfish traps and crab traps.

The main disadvantage of fishing traps used not by fishermen, but by amateur fishermen, can be considered the passive participation of the fisherman in the capture process. In the end, we fish not only for the sake of prey, but also for the sake of relaxation, and a day spent actively and excitedly fishing charges us with positive emotions for the week.

And then: he came, pulled out the top... one short moment of excitement: is there something inside? No?.. I took out the crucian carp and went home.

But sometimes this disadvantage turns into an advantage. For example, the following pattern is known: the more actively a predator feeds, the more difficult it is to catch small things escaping from it with live bait. Sometimes it’s very disappointing: hunting pike are splashing around, and there’s almost nothing to put on the mugs or baits. And the same top with a small mesh, standing nearby with bait, will turn out to be very useful. It’s even safer to look for a small crucian pond near the place of fishing and place a top there permanently, then you can come back even in a month and immediately get a supply of live bait.

Other disadvantages include the high cost and labor intensity of installing large traps. It is not so easy to stretch a line with wings whose length is measured in tens of meters (no matter from a boat or wading). Yes, in cold spring water, and on the current... Therefore, amateurs use traps of more modest sizes.

Now let's talk about certain types of trap gear.

Merezha (winged, wick, ryuzha)

Over the course of more than a hundred years, a curious transformation has occurred with the term “merezha”. L.P. Sabaneev, a classic of fishing literature, in his fundamental work “Fishes of Russia” described the mesh as “a triple, three-walled net: in the middle there is a fine net, on the sides there are so-called ryazhi, that is, rare nets with meshes of about 18 cm square " Nowadays, such tackle is called a ryazhe net (in common parlance “tangle”, and the term “merezha” migrated to the tackle described by Sabaneev under the name “wick”. As can be seen from Fig. 1, taken from the book “Life and Catching of Freshwater Fishes”, the wick is no different from a modern hem.

Rice. 1. Wick (according to L.P. Sabaneev)

Another patriarch of fishing, S.A. Aksakov, described the merezha (in the modern understanding of the term) also under a different name: winged fish. In general, old books on net traps are quite applicable today: the design and methods of fishing have remained almost unchanged, except that modern materials are used for manufacturing. But the existing discrepancy in terms must definitely be taken into account (in Aksakov’s books, for example, there are no illustrations).

So, in the modern understanding, a merezha is a net trap used in river, less often in sea, lake and pond fishing and consisting of a guide system (“wings”) and a working part, the so-called “barrel”.

Design and manufacturing

Previously, the frame of the hemstone was made exclusively from wooden hoops of round or oval shape. Nowadays, plastic or metal hoops are more often used (they are also frame rings, they are also catels - the discrepancy in terms is quite large). When making hems with your own hands, in particular metal hoops, you should use either rods with an anti-corrosion coating, or, in the absence of such, thoroughly clean (treat with fine sandpaper) the hoop, then cover it in several layers of waterproof paint. Otherwise, the mesh that fits the frame very quickly rots in places of contact with corrosive metal (see Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Construction of a modern hemline (for convenience, only one wing is shown):

1 – floating cord; 2 – load cord; 3 – wing; 4 – arc (plastic tube diameter – 20 mm); 5 – boilers (plastic tube diameter – 16 mm); 6 – “throat”; 7 – “barrel”; 8 – kutets (kutek)

The net that will cover the hemline frame must be made of fairly thick threads (the mesh used for hanging nets, especially monofilament, is not used here). The frame hoops somewhat decrease in size as they move away from the entrance, and the narrowest part of the tackle (behind the last hoop) is called a coddle, or a coddle, or, much less commonly, a motney.

The principle of operation of the fence is as follows: an obstacle is placed on the path of the fish (stretched to the sides, but at a slight angle relative to the inlet, “wings”, that is, small panels of rectangular mesh attached directly to the inlet valve). Unable to pass through the wing, the fish swims along it and ends up in the trap chamber, the entrance to which is convenient, but the exit is difficult.

For a better fit to the bottom and for greater catchability, the front hoop is sometimes made square or rectangular, especially in wingless lines or lines with removable wings (will be described in detail below). But more often, a boat is placed in front, curved in the form of a semi-oval, in the manner of a greenhouse arc - its pointed ends protrude beyond the lower limits of the tackle and, when installed, are securely stuck into the bottom of the reservoir, allowing you to save a couple of stakes (the stakes on which the mesh is stretched in a river or lake, are not included in its kit and are prepared at the fishing site).

The first “throat” is located at the very entrance to the boundary; the edges of its larger base are attached to the first inlet cathedral. The edges of the smaller base are attached to the second or third cathedral by thin guys. Thanks to this, the axis of the “neck” coincides with the axis of the “barrel” and stretches well. Depending on the number of guys, the inlet of the “throat” has the shape of a polygon. Practice shows that the closer it gets to the circle, the better the fish will enter the gap. The second, third and remaining “throats” are attached with a wide base to the corresponding coil and stretched to subsequent coils.

The coils are attached to the network in several ways. In one case, the hoop is threaded through the meshes along the perimeter of the “barrel” of the hemlock - this is a painstaking work that can only be done until the ends of the hoop are tied together, which creates inconvenience during repair and installation and makes welding to connect the ends of metal hoops impossible. In addition, the part in the places of contact with the hoops quickly frays. In another case, the hoops are inserted inside the hem and attached to the hem with twine. This method is less convenient, as it can lead to incorrect installation of the hoop, misalignment of the part and, moreover, does not prevent it from rubbing.

The most common and convenient way is to install hoops outside the tackle, when a string is passed through the points of attachment to the hoops along the perimeter of the “barrel”. Most often, a transverse seam passes through these places, and therefore the vein simultaneously serves to strengthen the seam. The thread is tied to the hoop with one thread in a circle. Thus, the hemline becomes stretched inside the hoop.

Sometimes not only the first hoop from the entrance is made rectangular, but also all the others (such hems are called frame ones). For ease of transportation, the frames can be made collapsible, for example from metal rods inserted into corners bent from a thin aluminum tube. Such gear is more expensive and labor-intensive to manufacture, and preparing it for fishing on a reservoir is quite troublesome. But even a fisherman who does not have a car can carry a fairly sized bag of fish in his backpack.

Meshes exist in a variety of modifications, depending on the number of wings, frame rings, as well as inlet holes (in large meshes there are several “throats”, which increases catchability). Multi-neck nets are made quite large and are used mainly in industrial fishing on large bodies of water - the wings with additional openings there stretch for kilometers, line up in special shapes (the so-called “yards”), and, getting lost in this maze, sometimes tumbles into the “barrel”. even such a cautious and strong fish as salmon.

Amateur fishermen use single- and double-neck meshes in their practice; their catchability in inland waters is quite satisfactory. The number of stream rollers usually ranges from two to five (in large fishing gear there are up to ten or even more rollers). Varieties of hems with one hoop (the so-called “sleeve”) and frameless hems can, perhaps, be considered separate gear, and they will be described in the appropriate section.

About sizes

As a rule, amateur reels are small fishing gear 2–4 m long and with a wingspan of up to 8–10 m, with a diameter of the largest (first) reel from 0.5 to 1.5 m. With the correct choice of place and time of installation, this size tackle provides a more than decent catch. And fishing rules do not at all welcome gigantomania in this matter.

The height of the wings is determined by the depth of the places chosen for fishing and rarely exceeds 2 m. Ideally, the wing should cover the entire thickness of the water from the bottom to the surface. There are also floating nets that catch the upper layers in deep places (in the sea and on large lakes). But these are monumental structures, the wings and openings add up to hundreds of meters, and amateur fishermen do not use such measures.

Fishing technique

There is no special art in fishing with mesh (unlike, for example, basting or casting net). The whole secret of good catches is to sew and mount the hemline correctly, and place it in the right place at the right time. However, you need to set it carefully, stretching the “barrel” and wings tightly on pre-hammered stakes or straightening them using anchor guys.

Good stretch of the entire tackle is the key to success, and weakening the guide system can change the direction of the fish, which reduces the catchability of the line. In addition, the current can carry away a poorly secured and loose wing, which will block the entrance to the mouth of the gear.

Having installed the lines and made sure that they are stretched correctly, fishermen usually do not leave the reservoir, but engage in other types of fishing. Meanwhile, the tackle catches, accumulates and preserves fish. After some time, the fishermen check the line. If after a couple of checks there is no catch, the installation location should be changed.

Fishing time

Mereges can be installed all year round, both in open water and under ice, but still the main time for fishing with them is spring and the spring run of fish. In Fig. Figure 3 shows the most common method of setting a fence along the shore. When fishing for running fish, the entrance of the tackle is directed down the river, when catching downstream fish - up, against the current. The wings move to the right and left, holding the fish and directing it into the margin.

Rice. 3. The position of the two-wing mesh when the fish moves to the upper reaches of the river. When rolling back, the tackle rotates 180°

Merezha can be placed as soon as the ice has moved away from the shore, since at this time spawning begins, and fish gather in schools near the shore. A very good place for shallow fishing is the mouth of a bay or a narrow channel, for example, between islands or the shore and an island. Also of great interest are the low, gentle banks flooded by floods, where there are thickets of last year's plants - often pike and other fish tend to spawn on these water-covered stems. Bushes flooded with water (or rather, the spaces between them) are also an excellent place for spring net fishing.

In spring, especially early, the fences are installed mostly by wading. Doing this from a boat is not so convenient, especially in narrow spaces between the shore and melted ice, in flooded bushes, etc. In narrow upper reaches of rivers and streams where fish rush in spring, it is sometimes impossible to use a boat. Naturally, the installation is not carried out in the same way as Aksakov described in his time: not naked and not neck-deep in icy water.

A mandatory accessory for a catcher during this period are rubber trousers, glued to the boots and protecting their owner at least to the middle of the chest. The lower part of the rubberized hazmat kit is less suitable, but it will do. I don’t recommend using waders, even if the gear is installed in a very shallow place - numerous experiments have established that as soon as you pull on your boots and go into the water, your foot immediately ends up in a ravine or a muskrat hole, and the swimming season opens much earlier than planned.

In any case, when going fishing, you should definitely take with you a change of clothes and a flask of alcohol... for external use, what did you think? It’s better to go inside later, at home, with a fish sizzling in a frying pan... I know, I know: many people can’t imagine fishing without drinking, and I myself was a sinner in my youth... But I’m not proceeding from moralizing considerations, but from sad experience: too often drunk fishermen drowned and froze to death on the ice, and also died in other, sometimes completely ridiculous ways. In general, if you do use it, at least don’t abuse it.

When the water subsides and at the same time warms up, net fishing moves to deeper places. Meshes are especially catchy in summer on isthmuses between two deep holes, in narrow channels and creeks among thickets of reeds or reeds, and in general in any gaps between dense aquatic vegetation. And when fishing in summer, unlike in spring, lines are placed much more often from a boat than by wading.

In autumn, when the water becomes cold and clear and aquatic vegetation falls off, catch sizes decrease. In some areas, meshes are used to catch autumn-spawning and winter-spawning fish, but they (with the exception of burbot) are much less likely to be caught in trap-type gear.

Collecting the catch

To check the lines and retrieve prey, you should approach the line (or swim up on a boat) from the side of the open wings and try to scare the fish located in front of the mouth of the tackle so that it goes into the “throat”. Then the tackle is walked around from the other side, approaching the codend of the fence, and untied from the end stake. The hoop boats are lifted and collected together, driving the caught fish into a coddle, which is then untied over the boat or over a large fish tank (when checking the tackle by wading). Having emptied the hemline, it is stretched again and tied to the tail stake, having previously tied the bundle.

Venter (five, yater, secret)

Linguistic scientists believe that the Russian names both “vertsha” and “venter” come from the word ventris, which the ancient Baltic aborigines used to call traps woven from twigs. Perhaps this is so, but modern venters (and even vertices) are made not from willow twigs, but from net materials.

Probably, the venter is still synonymous with the merezha - in many regions of Russia this word is used to describe tackle that is completely identical to the merezha. But here (in the north-west of Russia), amateur fishermen still call a trap that differs both in design and method of application. The structural difference is the following: the vent has not two, but three wings, and the third (called the flap, flap or stepson) is installed in front and in the middle, so that the approach to the mouth is divided in half. The opener can also not be attached to the tackle, but simply placed separately, but next to it, that is, the hem can easily and simply turn into a vent, and vice versa. Otherwise, the design of the venter, its manufacture, and the materials used are no different from those described above regarding the hem.

The meaning of the third wing is as follows: often in the spring fish move both upstream of small rivers and streams and downstream, and at the same time. For example, ide, which spawns very early, is already rolling down from the upper reaches, while roach and pike are just beginning to rise.

In such cases, Aksakov advised using two trap gear (wings in his terminology), directed in opposite directions and standing wing to wing. This way it is really more convenient and simpler, but... But the fishing rules of the federal subjects of the North-Western District do not encourage fishing with trap gear. It is allowed, but with strict restrictions on the size of the gear and the number of gear per person.

The three-wing venter, in fact, was invented so that one person with one tackle could catch both downward and rising fish at the same time.

Rice. 4. The position of the venter when simultaneously catching both downward and rising fish

As can be seen from Fig. 4, the vent is installed across the current, and the main delaying effect is exerted by the central wing, stretching from the tackle to the shore, and the side wings play an auxiliary guiding role.

In fact, the ability to concentrate fish wandering absent-mindedly around a pond and direct it into a trap is a whole science. For these purposes, fishermen build very intricate labyrinths with very complex patterns, in which the total length of the wings and openings sometimes reaches kilometers. Amateur fishermen, squeezed by a straitjacket of rules, are deprived of this opportunity and are content with simple schemes like the one given above. Even those who are willing to risk a fine for the sake of a significant catch do not build labyrinths copied from fishermen - they are too noticeable on the reservoir and too expensive, the production does not compensate for the loss from the confiscation of gear. In general, the rules must be followed.

Merezha without wings

This tackle was not born from a good life. Or rather, from a very wise point of the fishing rules in force in the Leningrad region: “fishing with nets without wings is allowed in the amount of 2 pieces. per person." In other rules, I remember, they also mentioned nonsense without a hook... It’s good that wise legislators didn’t think of a fishing rod without a hook.

In some cases, of course, meshes work well even without wings - when the fish follows a very narrow underwater “path”, practically without straying to the side. For example, during the spring movement of tench, the following experiment is possible: by placing a three-walled tangle net across the river, you can easily verify that the fish will become entangled in the same (no more than a meter long) section of the gear. A mereza without wings, placed in such a place (along the river and, naturally, with the “throat” towards the course of the fish), will bring an excellent catch.

The first hoop in a hem without wings is usually made rectangular and large. In fact, the roller hoops in all hems are somewhat reduced in diameter from the “neck” to the tail end, but this is due solely to ease of transportation: in a folded hem, smaller hoops are placed inside larger ones and the whole tackle turns out to be more compact.

In a line without wings, the task of the enlarged first hoop is different: to somehow concentrate the fish opposite the “throat”. Therefore, its width is made 2–2.5 times larger than the second one, and its height is about one and a half times higher.

It is convenient to catch fish moving more or less scatteredly through a reservoir in orders of such lines, standing tightly, hoop to hoop; in this case, fishing is carried out by a team of fishermen. When fishing alone, you should choose places where fish naturally concentrate (see “sleeve”).

The “sleeve”, in fact, is a simplified hemline to the limit: there are no wings, instead of a “barrel” there is a very elongated and narrowed tail, there is only one “throat”, there is also one hoop, and the tackle is installed on one stake, tied to the hoop in two places. The lower, pointed end of the stake protrudes far beyond the boundaries of the tackle and is driven deeply into the bottom. The “sleeve” is stretched into the working position by a sinker attached to the end or by current alone.

In my opinion, the “sleeve” was transformed from the “tail-shi” described by Aksakov - a long and narrow wicker trap installed in a strong current. “Sleeves” are used to fish where fast-flowing water will certainly carry down a line or a vent with its large windage.

The area of ​​application of “sleeves” is much narrower than the traps described above: streams, small and medium-sized rivers, the upper reaches of large ones; tackle is not used on lakes, ponds, reservoirs, as well as on large rivers in their middle and lower reaches. The “sleeve” is always waded, without the help of a boat.

In different regions there are “sleeves” with slight design differences: sometimes the hoop of the tackle is made square or rectangular; in places with very strong currents, the tackle is placed not on one, but on two stakes, tied on both sides of the hoop. On rivers whose bottom is made of flagstone (for example, in the Leningrad region it is Luga, Tosna, etc.), instead of stakes, scraps of metal pipes are used, hammering them into the cracks of stone slabs with a sledgehammer.

Rice. 5."Sleeve" with a round hoop

Since the described gear does not have wings that concentrate the fish opposite the mouth of the trap, you have to choose places where the fish gather naturally. For example, they fish very successfully with “sleeves” where a stream or small river sharply narrows and speeds up, going around some natural or artificial obstacle: a large boulder, a blockage of trees that have fallen into the water with all sorts of debris nailed to them, etc. Old , long-destroyed hydraulic structures - dams and sluices on small rivers - are also very promising for fishing with “sleeves”: holes in them and old spillways, through which water barely trickles in the summer, during spring floods they produce jets that can clog and squeeze fish into the “sleeve” "

It is much easier not to wait for favors from nature and to build an obstacle along the course of the fish - the so-called zakol (also known as a stop, a tie, etc.), most often a kind of fence on stakes driven into the bottom, with small gaps for sleeves and the like with Anastasia. But the fishing rules of almost all constituent entities of the Russian Federation prohibit the installation of permanent obstacles that prevent fish from reaching their spawning grounds. Therefore, sleeve fishermen who do not want to conflict with the law have to look for places convenient for fishing that have arisen without their participation.

Several (or several dozen) “sleeves” placed in a row, close to each other, block quite significant flows of water, if they are shallow (in this case, of course, it is much more convenient to use gear with a rectangular hoop). Fishing rules strictly control the number of “sleeves” per catcher, and such fishing is only possible for a large group of fishermen.

Summer fishing with “sleeves” is rarely carried out, only in a few convenient places (with the exception of rising water after heavy rains); In the fall, those who like to play around once again rush to their favorite places. Fishing with “sleeves” is more active and exciting than using merezhs and venters. Gear is rarely left unattended, on “samolov”: some snag quickly rushing along the current can tear the net or rip a stake out of the bottom. In addition, the capacity of the “sleeve” is very small, and most often a fisherman, seeing flopping at the free end of the tackle from the shore, hurries into the water to get his catch.

The second advantage of this fishing is that it is more gentle in relation to the fish stock: mainly downstream fish that have had time to spawn are caught.

The third benefit is economic; a sleeve is much cheaper and easier to manufacture than a hem or a venter.

The equipment and accessories are the same as for shallow fishing: an axe, a rubber suit, a change of dry clothes, a flask with alcohol, and a hook for catching large objects floating towards the gear would also be useful.

Separately, it is necessary to say about security measures. I strongly advise that when you go to install or check the “sleeves”, fasten a safety line to the carabiner, the other end of which is securely fastened to the shore (and it doesn’t matter whether you are fishing alone or in company). Many people naively believe that it is impossible to drown at a depth of knee-deep or slightly deeper. It's very possible! Especially with fast currents... There have been such cases, more than once: you slipped, fell, were carried away by the current, your rubber suit filled with water - and you're done; neither those remaining on the shore nor your own swimming skills will help. Take care of yourself!

Fishing with "sleeves" in overseas lakes

“Sleeve” is the name given not only to a narrow single-neck trap used in very strong currents, but also to another, more original trap tackle. Its originality lies in the fact that neither net fabric nor willow twigs are used to create this gear, but the material is ice. Fishing is carried out in winter, when some shallow and remote reservoirs freeze so much that the fish begin to suffocate and die.

So fishing serves two purposes: first, of course, it brings a catch. And secondly, and no less important, it saves the fish from dying.

So, you need to make several holes in the ice (with an ice pick or an ice drill of the largest diameter). If the oxygen regime in a lake or pond is really bad and the underwater inhabitants are on the verge of death, then the fish rush to the ice holes almost immediately. But much more often it happens that oxygen starvation is not yet too strong, and only small things rise to the top. Large specimens, although they feel a lack of oxygen, but not so much as to forget about caution.

In order not to be on duty for long hours with a net at the ice holes, a “sleeve”-shaped depression is cut out in the ice with a pick, then it is connected with a small neck to the ice hole (see Fig. 6).

Rice. 6. Fishing with “sleeves” in overseas lakes: 1 – ice hole; 2 – neck; 3 – “sleeves”

After that, the hole is cleared of ice fragments and camouflaged, even if the fishing takes place in completely desolate reservoirs (large fish often rise to breathe only in the dark), the trap is covered on top with spruce branches in several layers. Usually the “sleeves” are checked the next day, and if frost is expected at night, then it makes sense to cover the tackle with a thick layer of loose snow. The fish, feeling the influx of fresh air, rises into the hole and enters the “sleeves” through the neck, where it can easily be selected with a net.

The dimensions of the “sleeves” are arbitrary, but you must always compare them with the thickness of the ice and the size of the expected fish. In those places where a carp weighing several kilograms is likely to surface, the scope of the gear reaches 2.5–3 m, and the depth – 60–70 cm (if, of course, the thickness of the ice allows). In other cases, you can get by with half the size; breaking ice is quite labor-intensive. In order to get small things for the nozzle, the “sleeves” are made miniature, and instead of an ice hole, a hole with a diameter of 100–130 mm is drilled.

Unfortunately, global warming has led to the fact that winters are becoming less and less common in the North-West region, when this simple and productive fishing method can be used.

Versha (merega, diving)

In the places where I spent my childhood, fishing with tops was very common among young people and teenagers, but the gear was called differently - meregi. We caught bait, exclusively in ponds, and exclusively crucian carp, and mostly small ones. And subconsciously there was a belief that the top-merega is a frivolous tackle, childish pampering, and adult fishermen can use it to easily catch live bait, nothing more. Over time, I had to make sure that this was not the case: a fisherman who understands his business, and with the help of a top, can catch quite respectable fish. However, everything is in order.

Versha is a fishing trap tool that is very reminiscent of a mereza. The main difference: a second entrance (“throat”) is possible on the other side of the tackle, there are no wings, and the frame does not consist of individual hoops, but of rigidly fastened longitudinal ribs. Thus, the tackle does not need to be stretched in the water on stakes driven into the bottom, but can be cast directly from the shore, which, of course, increases the convenience of fishing.

The second advantage is that the depth at the selected location does not play a significant role, while meres and vents are applicable only at limited depths.

In Fig. 7 shows a classic non-separable top: conical and double-hooped. It must be said that the cylindrical top is no less catchy, and the descending

Rice. 7. Conical non-separable top

on the other hand, the end (conical) is made for completely different reasons. They cast tops from the shore in two ways - with and without a tied rope (in the second case, the tackle is retrieved using a grapple anchor). Naturally, the second method gives a much better chance of finding the tackle in a day where it was left. But a misfire is possible: there will be no fish in the gear. This happens if the top, sinking to the bottom, turns its “throat” down and lies in this position. If the “throat” of the cylindrical top is directed upward, the catch will also be less. Therefore (casting with a rope) they wait until the tackle sinks to the bottom, then they sharply pull the rope, which is always tied to the front hoop, so that the tackle is guaranteed to take a horizontal position. And when they put it “on a cat,” a lead weight is attached to the narrow end of the conical tackle, turning the top vertically as it lowers to the bottom, but it cannot stand on the narrow tail and lies on its side.

The sizes of the tops are different: the smallest gear is 5–7 liters in volume for catching small things with live bait, the largest ones are limited only by the possibility of casting from the shore. The larger the tackle and the wider its entrance hole, the larger fish you can count on in the catch.

The non-removable top, due to its dimensions, is applicable only on bodies of water close to the house. Therefore, fishermen who are committed to fishing with tops have long been trying to make their favorite gear more compact.

Rice. 8. Single-necked ( A) and two-necked ( b) cylindrical tops with spacer ribs

In Fig. 8 shows single-neck and double-neck tops with removable spacer ribs. Their design has been known for a long time and seems very inconvenient to me. The fact is that in such a top the spacers work for compression, and the network works for tension, and tension and compression must mutually balance each other. But the trouble is that the threads from which the network is woven become stretched and lengthened over time. Not by much, but quite enough for the spacers to fly out of their places during casting. And when pulling out the tackle, if it catches on a snag or other underwater obstacle, they fly out in any case, even on new, unstretched tackle. They fly out and remain at the bottom of the reservoir.

Figure 9. Double neck top with spring frame

However, not so long ago there was a real revolution in amateur fishing with tops: gear with a spring frame appeared (Fig. 9). There are no transverse ribs here; the entire frame consists of several turns of a huge spring, tending to straighten out even more, but is held in place by a stretched mesh. The tackle is brought from the transport position to the working position almost instantly: just remove the hook-latches, and it itself extends to its full length.

Spring tops of all sizes (often sold under the trade name "cage trap") can now be found in fishing equipment stores. Often these sold tackles are equipped with additional improvements: for example, a zipper on the side, allowing you to quickly pour out the catch, or a sewn-in net bag for bait, also fastened with a zipper.

Fishing technique

There are two main types of top fishing: with and without bait.

The second method (without bait) is used in the spring and is based on the fact that many fish need hard objects during spawning to rub against them, squeezing out eggs and milt. Naturally, for a good catch, you need to know perfectly well where and when the underwater inhabitants of the reservoir you have chosen spawn.

However, fish such as pike, crucian carp, and carp spawn in the shallows and give away the spawning site with noisy splashes, signaling that a fish placed here will not be left without a catch.

Finding a spawning ground, for example, for perch, is much more difficult. L.P. Sabaneev advised in such cases to create artificial spawning grounds by lowering piles of stones, piles of brushwood and felled young trees with a tied load to the bottom, and then, with the beginning of spawning, to cover this artificial spawning ground with nets and place the tops directly between the flooded trees.

Many supporters of fishing exclusively with fishing rods and spinning rods have the opinion that fishing with nets during spawning is destructive for the fish population and can very quickly turn any body of water into a fishless desert. But since we remembered Sabaneev, it would not be out of place to cite the classic’s opinion on this matter (he certainly cannot be classified as an apologist for predatory fishing).

“...Fishing during spawning is usually considered harmful for reproduction and unprofitable for proper fish farming, but this opinion in reality - in practice - is not always true, and, it seems to me, there is no reason to unconditionally prohibit fishing during spawning. Only destructive methods of fishing are always harmful - in spring and winter - when the fish is caught outright - adults along with small things, when a more or less significant part of the fish dies in vain, for example, when “purging” or fishing with a samoder on bare hooks, when fighting with a spear, when Finally, the fish going to the spawning site are blocked by braids and are caught entirely.

Fish does not hatch or feed children, and the number of its eggs is counted in the thousands and tens of thousands, and therefore protecting fish in the spring cannot have the same meaning as protecting four-legged and feathered game. The whole point is that some of the eggs are safely swept out, and therefore fishing before spawning is more harmful than during spawning. Some fishing methods even have a positive effect on increasing the number of fish; such, for example, is fishing both with various top-shaped shells and with nets around those arranged to attract rubbing fish and more successful fishing with artificial spawning grounds, rowing, etc., in the form of piled brushwood, spruce branches, piles of stones. Wooden top-shaped gear even in itself represents bait for fish, an artificial spawning ground, and under the condition of a more or less long stay under water, a mass of young fish hatch from the eggs stuck to the walls of the top.

The validity of this view of the insignificance of the harm of spring fishing and the irrationality of its unconditional prohibition can be proven by the fact that the main catch of some fish is carried out precisely during spawning; In some places it is possible only during this period. Pike, for example, is caught mainly in the spring, when it spawns, and shortly thereafter.”

Well, what else can I add? In my opinion, a completely comprehensive and reasoned opinion. However, let's return to fishing with tops.

The method of spring fishing under consideration is that the top does not lure fish as a convenient object for freeing them from caviar and milk, but stands with its open “throat” in the way of fish hurrying to the spawning site, or having spawned and returning to their usual habitat. In this case, fishing is no different from fishing with a “sleeve” or nets without wings (see the corresponding sections).

Summer fishing with tops, as already mentioned, is mostly carried out using a variety of baits. The most classic case is fishing in crucian ponds, when the bait is pieces of dried black or white bread flavored with unrefined (more aromatic) sunflower oil. Fishing is the simplest, and there are almost no misfires in it, even if the top is placed away from the usual feeding areas of crucian carp - sooner or later they will come there, attracted by the smell of bait. However, the size of the catch from such fishing is depressing - mostly crucian carp weighing from 30 to 50 g. To catch more crucian carp with tops, you should follow the following simple rules.

First, choose the right body of water. In semi-flowing ponds, where, in addition to crucian carp, predatory fish (perch, pike) also live in sufficient quantities, crucian carp almost never go to the top with bait, being caught rarely and by chance - on such reservoirs it is worth using other gear. In ponds where, in addition to gold carp, there are also silver crucian carp, fishing with tops is also not very effective. The fact is that in such a reservoir the population of silver crucian carp usually exceeds the population of gold crucian carp in both the number and size of fish, but large silver crucian carp do not make it to the top, only gold and small silver carp are found.

Thus, the best pond for catching crucian carp with tops is one inhabited exclusively by golden crucian carp, and not of small size.

Golden crucian carp is very tenacious and can breed in any hole, in a funnel filled with water, but forms a dwarf form there; Only a few specimens – the patriarchs of the crucian tribe – reach a weight of 150–200 g or more, and it makes no sense to hunt for them. The presence of rotan in the pond (the eternal companion of crucian carp in our time) does not have a significant effect on fishing with tops, according to my observations. (Amur sleeper itself is found rarely and by chance; mostly, fairly large specimens of rotan enter the fine-mesh tops, attracted by small crucian carp or verkhovka, if it is found in a reservoir.)

Secondly, to catch the tops of large crucian carp, it is worth covering the tackle with a net with a larger mesh (40 mm, in places with very large crucian carp - 45–50 mm). Then you won’t have to waste time shoveling a pile of unnecessary stuff out of the top. In this case, the bread bait should be placed in the top in a separate bag made of fine mesh or tulle, otherwise the bread, when soaked, will float through the large meshes. In addition to bread baits, all kinds of cakes are also used.

Thirdly, the top should not be placed blindly, but in those places where large crucian carp tend to feed. You can “feel” for such places with a fishing rod, best at dawn (the bite of large crucian carp is often short-lived, and an hour or two after dawn in the summer only small things begin to bite). You can determine the feeding places of large crucian carp at night by ear - the fish gives out its “tables” with splashes and chomping sounds, clearly audible in the silence of the night. If it was not possible to carry out preliminary reconnaissance of the reservoir, it is necessary to place the tops on the border of dense aquatic vegetation and clean water.

By following these simple rules, you can achieve stable catches of 2–3 kg of gold crucian carp per day from the top (and quite large ones, 250–400 g).

The heaviest specimens, over a kilogram, practically do not fall into the tops, and other gear is used to catch them.

It was said above that silver crucian carp almost never goes to the top with bread bait. However, as with many other rules, there are exceptions to this too.

In the spring (in the North-West of Russia - at the end of April or beginning of May, depending on the terrain and weather), the silver crucian carp, just emerging from hibernation and hungry, wanders in dense schools around the reservoir in search of food. If such a flock approaches the top, then in just half an hour 30–40 heavy crucian carp can crowd into it. After this, the school moves away, and the top again stands for hours without a single fish.

River fishing with tops with bait is no less productive than pond fishing, and, in my opinion, more interesting - it’s a little boring to fish when you know that the catch will only contain a single species of fish.

For river fishing, tops with a slightly modified design compared to pond fishing are used. The net for the tackle is chosen with the smallest possible mesh (such that even the top dog cannot slip through), and a so-called “valve” is placed on the entrance “throat”. The fact is that predatory river fish (burbot, perch, pike, etc.) are not interested in plant bait, but go inside the gear, attracted by small carp fish floating in the top: roach, verkhovka, gudgeon.

If fishing is done in the current, then the bread bait is of little use, since it is quickly washed out of the tackle. If the fish is not caught in the current, but the angler does not have the opportunity to frequently inspect the gear (at least once every two days), then it is also not recommended to use bread for bait - it sours and scares away the fish. In both cases, cakes are used for bait; in their absence, pieces of sponge or foam rubber soaked in oil are used. Many anglers believe that predators are attracted to aluminum foil crumpled into fist-sized balls and placed on top. This opinion has not been confirmed by anything or anyone, but it has not been refuted either. In any case, there will be no harm from the foil placed on top.

In fact, the question of what exactly attracts fish to the top during summer river fishing requires additional research: sometimes good catches happen without any bait at all. I believe that the tackle itself, even without any bait, lures peaceful fish seeking refuge from predators. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain how tiny perch, which are not interested in plant baits and, due to their small size, are unable to hunt for other fish, as well as ruffs, get into the tops. Predators, in turn, try to get to their victims hiding in the top and also find themselves in a trap.

Fish that love space and fast currents (asp, salmon, etc.) are rarely caught in the water. The catches during river fishing are usually dominated by tench, roach, perch, pike, burbot, silver bream, white bream, and in some places ide and rudd (in some places these last two fish for some reason do not come to the top at all). Large bream, due to the shape of its tall and seemingly flattened body, usually cannot squeeze into the “throat” of a standard top.

There are tops specifically designed for catching bream, with an enlarged “throat” of a special design, but I have never seen them used in the summer. Obviously, large bream are very cautious in the summer and lose it only in the spring, during spawning.

Top with external frame

This tackle is quite rare and is used for catching downstream fish in shallow places with strong currents. The frame is very powerful and heavy, welded from water pipes or metal channels or angles. The top is knitted separately from the frame, slightly smaller in size, and then stretched inside so that the net does not stick out anywhere.

Fishing is carried out similarly to fishing with “sleeves” in the current, only stakes are not used for fastening, the weight of the frame does not allow the current to carry away the tackle. Also, driftwood and other things floating with the current are not scary - the frame knocks them aside, preventing the net from breaking.

Shell trap

This is the most common top of small sizes, usually no more than 80 cm in length and with a hoop with a diameter of no more than 35 cm, most often it has two entrances. In fact, crayfish as by-catch are quite often caught in nets, nets and similar trapping gear.

The crayfish trap differs from the top only in the bait (meat instead of vegetable) and the fishing location: usually near the shores, replete with crayfish holes, or near piles of stones under which crayfish like to stay.

The bait (to protect it from the claws of caught crayfish) is enclosed in a bag made of fine-mesh strong mesh, which is attached from the inside to the frame of the tackle. Most often these are all kinds of waste: fish heads, offal, etc.

Muzzle (roth, nerot)

The muzzle is the same top, but not made from network materials. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the main material for most fishing traps was willow rods.

For economic reasons: the nets were knitted by hand and were quite expensive, and there were enough craftsmen in any village who could weave even a basket or a muzzle out of twigs.

Now everything has changed dramatically: network materials are knitted by machines and have a relatively low cost, while the labor of craftsmen who weave various products from wicker and bast costs much more.

And wicker traps have become an anachronism in our time. However, they are still used in some places, so it’s worth briefly talking about fishing with them.

I myself only once in my life tried to build a muzzle from redwood twigs. And, in order not to waste time on trifles, he wove a hefty structure - 2.5 m long and 90 cm wide at the mouth. The “throat”, having become bored with the weaving, was made from a fine-mesh mesh and a tail from it, tied with a rope, so that the catch could be easily shaken out.

A single experiment, however, fully revealed all the pros and cons of wicker traps. It must be admitted that there were many more disadvantages. The weight of the structure with such dimensions turned out to be completely unbearable, several times greater than the weight of the top or hem of the same dimensions. In addition, the tackle had positive buoyancy and had to be loaded, either by placing stones inside, or by hanging numerous lead weights on the outside (then transportation to other places in the reservoir becomes even more complicated). It was not possible to get the catch in the water; each time we had to drag this weight ashore... In general, the first experience was also the last.

But it’s worth mentioning the advantages of braided gear. Firstly, when fishing in the spring in the current, they are not afraid of snags and other fast-floating objects. Secondly, rods are more durable than a net - net tops constantly standing in water, especially in stagnant ponds, are quickly destroyed under the influence of all kinds of microorganisms.

Finally, according to my observations, some fish (for example burbot) are more willing to enter rod traps during spawning. And trout from all the traps are regularly caught exclusively in wicker muzzles (albeit in special conditions: when a fast and shallow trout river swells and becomes cloudy from heavy rains, and the fish seeks shelter, huddling under stones, under washed-out banks, in the roots of coastal trees and etc.).

Due to the labor-intensive nature of weaving, ready-made baskets are often used to make muzzles - for example, cylindrical braid taken from forty-liter bottles of chemical reagents; the “neck” of the tackle in such cases is usually made of a net.

In some places, frameless muzzles made from scrap materials are common. For example, a rectangular piece of metal mesh (not chain-link) is rolled into a cylinder, the seam is fastened in three or four places with aluminum or copper wire. Two conical “necks” cut from the same mesh are inserted into the cylinder, and the result is a tackle that is somewhat inferior in catchability to the net top, but significantly superior to it in durability and ease of manufacture.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the miniature muzzles made from plastic beer or lemonade bottles (volume 1.5–2 liters), which are used to catch live bait. Such gear can be made in a matter of minutes, and the material for making it is found in abundance along the banks of frequently visited bodies of water.

The upper, tapering part is evenly cut off from the bottle, turned over and inserted inside in the manner of a “throat”, a sufficient number of holes are pierced in the resulting tackle with the tip of a knife, a weight is tied to the side - and the baby muzzle is ready.

The bait is bread, and the catch is dominated by verkhovkas and small minnows. In winter, when catching live bait by other methods is difficult, it is very convenient to lower 2-3 bottles converted into traps into the holes. In summer, larger bottles of drinking water (5–6 liters or more) can be used for the same purposes.

Scissor

This is also a type of snout used exclusively for catching lampreys.

The material for production is wood veneer plates in the shape of a highly elongated triangle, mounted on a wooden conical frame with a gap between the edges of the plates of no more than 0.5 cm. The size of the gear is small: 2530 cm in diameter, 60–70 cm in length, inlet diameter 4–5 cm. The removable neck (slightly less than half the length of the tackle) is also made of veneer.

The shears are placed in a wade, in shallow and fairly fast places in the river, with the throat downstream. In this case, the shanks of ten shears are tied to a strong nylon cord stretched between stakes driven into the bottom. To prevent the shears, which have positive buoyancy, from floating, they are sometimes surrounded by nailing strips of sheet lead with small nails (outside, to the frame hoops). But much more often, a sufficient number of small stones picked up on the shore are simply placed inside the gear.

Amateurs use shears quite rarely - to get a decent catch, you need to put out dozens of these simple gear, which is strictly prohibited by fishing rules.

Lamprey is never caught on hooks and slips through the meshes of the nets, but is highly valued for its taste: fried and then pickled lampreys are a real delicacy. Therefore, in the North-West of Russia, simple but exciting catching of lampreys stuck to the stones by hand is common (with a piece of nylon stocking stretched over the hand, due to the high slipperiness of the prey).

GRABING FISHING GEAR

Exciting net fishing gear includes lifts of all types and types, nets and nets, as well as casting nets. Cast-on gear is a type of catching gear, characterized in that the net that catches the fish falls from above, and does not rise from below or is not pushed from the side.

Fishing with catching gear is much more interesting and exciting than with traps, since it requires the indispensable participation of the fisherman in the process of catching fish, and the results largely depend on his skill. I will even risk incurring the righteous wrath of anglers and spinners, who categorically reject any net gear, by declaring: fishing, for example, with a casting net requires much more skill and sports training than fishing.

Perhaps only fly fishing can compare in degree of difficulty with this fishing. But there is no point in arguing with fanatical supporters of the fishing rod, everyone will still have their own opinion, so let’s move on to considering individual exciting gear.

Lifts

Lifters are all sakis that, when removed, move vertically upward, capturing fish swimming above them.

Inventive fishermen have come up with many types and types of lifts; they differ in size, mesh, net sag and lifting methods. Based on the type of frame to which the net is attached, this type of gear can be divided into two large groups: spider lifts and rigid-rim lifts. The exception is the so-called “cradle”, which does not have a frame at all.

The general view of the classic “spider” lift is shown in Fig. 10. The network is placed on it without sagging or with the most minimal sagging.

However, at the moment of rapid lifting, the legs of the “spider”, curved from a thin and flexible steel rod, bend even more from the resistance of the water and the weight of the caught fish, and the net web sags.

Rice. 10. Classic “spider” lift with four legs at the moment of lifting - the net sags from the resistance of the water and the weight of the fish

To better capture fish swimming in the water column or on the surface, sometimes vertical walls from a net 10–20 cm high are attached around the perimeter of the “spider”. For catching bottom fish such as burbot, ruffe, gudgeon, such an improvement does not make any sense. .

The sizes of the “spiders” are very different. They range from 1 x 1 m (the so-called “baby fish”) to 3 x 3 m. The larger the size of the tackle, the easier it is to capture large and strong fish, but it cannot be increased indefinitely - the decreasing speed of ascent will negate all the benefits from the increased area, and catches will fall. In addition, a large “spider” requires much more physical effort to catch.

“Spiders” are lifted out of the water in different ways. Small and medium-sized ones are pulled out by moving the rope with their hands. This method is common when fishing from bridges, piers, etc. When fishing from the shore or boat, use a light, strong pole of greater or lesser length.

The largest lifts are removed using special devices: either poles ending in a rotating block through which a rope is passed, or structures reminiscent of a well “crane” - a long boom hinged on a support dug into the bank, with a heavy counterweight at the short end .

The net on the “spider” is usually installed with a medium-sized mesh, no more than 20–25 mm, except in cases where the gear is aimed at catching exclusively large fish, such as bream. But in most cases, “spiders” (at least in the Leningrad region) use the same tackle during the spring and autumn migration of different fish, including small ones (smelt, vendace, dace), so the net is most often used with small ones (10 –16 mm) mesh.

Sometimes, so that the net is less noticeable at the bottom and creates less resistance when rising, it is made of monofilament (fishing line), but such “spiders” are less durable.

Selecting a location

The bottom should be flat, horizontal or slightly sloping. Usually they fish from year to year in the same favorite places, but nevertheless, before starting fishing, it doesn’t hurt to check the bottom with a hook or grapple anchor, and if you find foreign objects brought during ice drift or high water, remove them.

You need to fish where fish going to spawn or moving down are delayed, concentrated: near any obstacles that sharply narrow the river bed, near old and existing (if permitted by the rules) hydraulic structures, in creeks with a slow circular flow adjacent to rapids, – the fish usually rests there, gaining strength before the assault of the fast current.

Since the construction of permanent barriers (pins, ties) is almost universally prohibited, it makes sense to install temporary barriers (tie a fencing wing or a fine-mesh gill net on stakes), but it should be borne in mind that where the installation of such barriers is permitted, they should cover no more than 2 /3 of the width of the river, leaving its deepest part (the fairway) free.

Most often, fishing is carried out blindly, with regular (more or less frequent) lifting of the gear, since even at shallow depths it is difficult to see prey caught in the “spider” in the muddy spring water. When small fish travel in dense schools, this fishing method is fully justified. But for large fish that rarely enter the “spider”, a rather ingenious method has been invented, the so-called “fishing with iron”.

A large square sheet of tin is taken, larger than the lift (or several smaller sheets are joined together), painted white with waterproof paint and pressed tightly to the bottom with heavy stones placed in the corners. The “spider” naturally lowers itself so that its web rests on the painted sheet metal.

At a depth of up to 1 m (sometimes more, depending on the turbidity of the water), the fisherman can distinguish the silhouette of a large fish on a white background and sharply lifts the tackle when the prey is as close as possible to the center of the “spider”. In this way, it is possible to catch even such cautious fish as large trout and salmon, which are very rarely caught when fishing blindly. And fishing itself becomes much more interesting and exciting.

By the way, fishing is based on the same principle with small “spiders” - little ones, from which, instead of a regular net, a canvas of white window tulle is suspended: the fisherman sees how the fish (mostly minnows) enter the white cloth - and sharply lifts whelp.

In addition, fishing is carried out directly at the spawning sites - here “spiders” are used in smaller sizes (up to 1.5 x 1.5 m, in rare cases up to 2 x 2 m) and are lifted with a simple pole, without blocks and “cranes” . Naturally, you can only catch those species of fish that prefer to spawn in shallow water: crucian carp, carp, pike, etc.

Usually, a catcher in a rubber suit carefully enters the thickets of underwater or flooded vegetation where the fish “rubs”, quietly lowers the “spider” into the water and quickly picks it up as soon as he sees that the fish has begun to play and splash above him. The water at the spawning grounds is already quite clear, so the longer the pole (that is, the farther the “spider” is from the angler), the greater the chances of success. Although even pikes of considerable size can come right up to the fisherman’s feet if he stands motionless, without moving.

In the summer, after the end of spawning, “spiders” are used much less frequently, as a rule, mainly in places where fish accumulate naturally: at spillways of dams, etc. A separate topic is summer fishing with “spiders” with bait, and more about it will be covered in the Spider section with the bell.”

Rigid frame lift

The frame for such a lift is made either round or square. The net is placed with more sag than on a “spider”, since during lifting the lift frame remains motionless and the sag does not increase (see Fig. 11).

Rice. eleven. Round Frame Lift with Weight Ring

The methods of use are similar to fishing with “spiders”, but there is a significant difference: a lift with a rigid frame can be used in a stronger current than a “spider” - so that it does not lie horizontally on the bottom, but is at an angle, touching the bottom with one its edge.

In semi-flowing ponds, where verkhovka is found in abundance, it is caught in huge quantities in winter, from under the ice, with small round lifts (60–70 cm in diameter) with a fine mesh, cutting lanes of the appropriate diameter.

Lift for running fishing

This gear and this method of fishing appeared as a result of the reluctance to violate fishing rules and at the same time achieve good results when fishing with a lift of more than modest sizes.

The fact is that the fishing rules in force for many years in the Leningrad region allowed fishing with a lift with a mesh of 10 mm and a mesh size of no more than 1 × 1 m. The catch rate was set not in kilograms, but in pieces - no more than 50 per catcher and tackle .

One must think that the people who wrote the rules reasonably assumed that with such gear it would be difficult to catch anything more serious than a gudgeon or a small roach. But, as wise eastern people said, a samurai should not depend on the length of his sword.

And the fisherman, accordingly, depends on the size of his lift.

The construction is quite simple to make: a round steel bar 3.2–3.4 m long and 6–8 mm in diameter is carefully sanded and coated with 2–3 layers of waterproof dark paint. Then a square with a side of 80–85 cm is bent from the rod. A square piece of netting 1 x 1 m with a mesh of 10 mm is put on it and evenly straightened. The ends of the rod are connected (inserted into a piece of aluminum tube 5–6 cm long and with the corresponding internal diameter).

Rice. 12. 1 – pole; 2 – slings; 3 4 - net

You can make the frame collapsible, from four rods connected by corners from the same tube. For reliability, the edges of the mesh are sewn to the rim with a twisted nylon cord with a diameter of 1.5 mm. Slings are attached to the corners of the rim, each about 1 m long. Since the slings must have some rigidity, it is better to make them not from a cord, but from insulated copper wire with a diameter of 4–5 mm (slings made from aluminum wire are too brittle, and those from steel are too brittle). springy). At the top, the slings are connected together and securely fastened with a short (10–15 cm) rope to a four-meter pole, preferably well-dried and light.

The gear is ready, but catching a good fish with it is not so easy; the usual methods of fishing with a lift will not bring success.

Choosing a place and time

Fishing is carried out on small rivers and streams, but they must be chosen carefully: small tributaries of large rivers not far from the confluence, streams flowing into lakes rich in fish are suitable.

Small rivers that are dammed for agricultural purposes (for example, for irrigation) are very good, forming small reservoirs: the water level in such reservoirs constantly fluctuates, the banks are often bare clay slopes, on which, due to the constant change in water level, nothing has time to take root. aquatic and terrestrial vegetation. As a result, the fish, accustomed to spawning on coastal vegetation, do not find a place to spawn; in large numbers they go upstream in search of convenient spawning grounds and end up in a narrow and shallow river.

Also of interest are the narrow and shallow upper reaches of rivers, where there are pools rich in fish a few kilometers downstream.

The time for fishing must be chosen no less carefully than the place, otherwise you will only catch fish that permanently live in the river, usually small ones. The ides are the first to rise to the very upper reaches (their passage occurs only in the upper reaches or on small tributaries of large and medium-sized rivers), escaping from the muddy water. It is difficult to name the calendar dates for this move; they not only vary depending on the specific location, but also on the same body of water they can shift by 2–3 weeks in one direction or another, depending on whether spring is early or late. But the ide always rises very early, when ice drift continues on the large river.

The pike begins its ascent to the spawning grounds later, sometimes its movement against the current coincides with the rolling of the ide, but more often a certain period of time passes between them. It must be taken into account that pike are not inclined to long spawning journeys, and the more suitable places for spawning there are downstream of the river, the fewer pikes rise to the upper reaches. The inverse relationship is also true. For example, if the winter was snowless and in the spring the water in the lake did not rise and flood the coastal lowlands, then in the streams flowing into the lake you can count on an excellent pike catch.

However, I know one large pond, very rich in grass pike, but all attempts to catch it in the spring in the narrow river that forms the pond were unsuccessful: the spillway maintained the same water level in the pond every spring, and the pike habitually spawned from year to year. year on local spawning grounds, without undertaking spring travel.

The roach begins its move somewhat later than the pike, but in catches (when fishing with a running lift) it is adjacent to it much more often than the pike with the ide. The roach rises very high, sometimes into such narrow upper reaches that it cannot find suitable quiet pools for spawning, and unspawned roach can be caught there at the end of May, even in June, and the eggs in the latter case begin to dissolve.

The perch begins its move even later than the roach. It is never massive or regular - usually individual flocks of 3-4 spawned humpback whales and one and a half dozen medium-sized milkfish rise upstream. This is explained by the fact that perch spawns at greater depths and does not strive to find heated shallow pools, like pike or roach; its spring move against the current is not associated with the search for spawning grounds, but with the desire to leave the muddy water for clean water.

Dace pour into streams and upper reaches very amicably, in dense schools. Unfortunately, I encountered this move a few times (on streams flowing into Narva) and was unable to derive any patterns.

Sometimes, not every year, large flocks of waterweed rise into streams and tributaries from reservoirs rich in it. The water is simply teeming with silvery fish; Once, out of curiosity, I counted the verkhovok that got into the lift at one time, it turned out there were almost four hundred of them, and some of the fish managed to escape through the 10-mm mesh. Naturally, such a mass of trash fish only interferes with fishing, and almost prevents anglers from catching at all, immediately grabbing any bait except the largest one. Following the verkhovka, the perch and squint, which feed on it, rise up and have not reached spawning age.

Bream, chub, ruffe, burbot, and gudgeons do not make spring trips to tributaries. True, I know one narrow forest rivulet connecting two lakes rich in bream; in the spring, breams full of caviar are regularly caught in the water there, but this is rather an exception to the rule.

Fishing tactics

So, let’s say you are in the very upper reaches of the river - a muddy stream 2–3 m wide and less than a meter deep flows and seethes in front of you. There are enough fish to splash! But if the width of the river is five times the width of the gear, getting the fish to enter the lift is not so easy...

You have to fish not from the shore, but by wading, and a rubber suit is an indispensable accessory for fishing. To begin with, the catcher enters the water, choosing a shallow riffle with a sandy or clay bottom, and without unnecessary noise begins to stir up the water with his feet. Sometimes this technique is not required, but in general the water in the upper reaches brightens quite quickly, becoming too transparent for successful fishing. When fishing at night (more effective than daytime, but not applicable everywhere), there is no need to stir up the water.

Having achieved that the water 10–15 m downstream has become completely opaque, they begin fishing. It consists of almost simultaneously performing two techniques.

Firstly, the lift is cast almost close to the shore downstream from where the catcher stands, and so that the tackle does not lie horizontally, but stands at an angle: one side of the square frame touches the bottom, the other is as close as possible to the surface of the water , or even protrudes slightly above it. The lines are in a tense position, and the fisherman constantly monitors and controls the position of the gear. The walking lift works most effectively when its frame is at an angle of 45°, that is, at a depth of 50–60 cm.

Secondly, simultaneously with casting the tackle, the fisherman begins to catch fish into it. Both hands are occupied, so it is impossible to use something like the well-known “botalok”, you have to scare the fish standing under the shore with your feet: noisily splash your boots, turn over pitfalls, etc.

Synchronizing these two techniques is the main key to success. The mechanics here are as follows: when casting vigorously, the lift descends into the water quite noisily and scares away the fish standing nearby. The one that rushed downstream is not of interest to us for now - perhaps it will be caught during subsequent fishing cycles. But the one that rushed towards the fisherman should be directed straight into the lift.

I said that both casting and catching are carried out almost simultaneously. “Almost” in this case means that there is a short pause between them, sufficient for the lower edge of the tackle to touch the bottom, and the current would pull out the slack of the net, but during this time the fish rushing upstream should not have time to slip past the fisherman.

The ability to feel this pause comes only with experience. A person who picks up a fishing lift for the first time often makes one mistake after another and is amazed when he looks at the fishing specialists taking the catch out of the net after each lift.

Scaring and driving the fish into the lift, the fisherman simultaneously takes several steps forward, and when half the distance to the lift has been covered, he lifts the tackle with a sharp movement of the pole. Impacts of pikes and ides (weighing 400 g and above) on the net are clearly felt by the fisherman, and in this case the tackle must be lifted immediately. If a fairly large fish splashes up on the surface near the lift (most often a pike rises to the top), you also need to immediately pull the pole up, in most cases the catch will end up in the net.

Having taken the fish out of the net, you must immediately continue fishing further downstream until the frightened and darted fish comes to its senses and begins to rise, passing by the fisherman standing near the shore.

The most difficult thing to catch using this method is ide - a very sensitive and cautious fish, fast-swimming and also prone to aerial acrobatics. It is extremely disappointing when a large ide performs a somersault in the air, jumps out of a lift that is almost taken out of the water, plops down into the river and leaves. Sometimes, especially if the water is almost level with the banks, after a jump the fish falls not into the river, but onto the shore, here the fisherman must not yawn, but quickly cover the ide with the tackle taken out of the water, otherwise the second jump will return the fish to its native element.

If after the first experiments it became clear that ide predominates in a river or stream, then the fishing tactics are slightly changed: the lift is thrown as far as possible, the entire length of the pole, and raised faster than usual, scaring the fish with just one or two splashes of boots, for a cautious ide quite enough.

Another way of catching sensitive fish is also possible: the lift is not cast noisily near the shore, but is quietly lowered closer to the middle of the river, to the rapids; then you need to allow the current to carry it down, holding it with a pole, quietly and carefully bring it closer to the shore, and only then begin the surge.

When fishing for pike and roach, such tricks are unnecessary. But the roach is more careful than the toothy predator, and to catch it, you need to lift the tackle a little earlier, otherwise the roaches that hit the net will have time to jump out of it. The pike is not so timid and sometimes stubbornly does not want to go into the lift, rushing about underfoot (the blows of its hard snout are clearly felt through the rubber fabric of the suit), sometimes jumping out to the surface. And if the fishing is aimed specifically at pike, then the surge can be longer and noisier, and the tackle is lifted when there are two or three steps left before it.

Sometimes it happens that after walking a hundred meters along a river, a fisherman is not at all happy with his catch: small roaches and squints, gudgeons and loaches - in general, local, resident fish that constantly stay in the upper reaches. In this case, it makes sense to continue fishing, but to go faster, not so carefully fishing the places you like - it often happens that the fish’s run has just begun, and it has not had time to reach this place.

Once I caught the first pike, only having walked about two kilometers from the place where I started fishing, but then the predators began to come across one after another.

If there is still no spawning run, then it is worth catching local fish only if there is burbot in the river. This fish is a homebody, leads a sedentary life, and at the same time, even in small whirlpools and barrels in the upper reaches, it reaches quite decent sizes. The tactics for catching burbot are strikingly different from the methods used for ide - the lift is lowered into the water as close to the fisherman as possible (the burbot does not react at all to its splash), and the surge is carried out very long and carefully: every pitfall is turned over, the fish are driven out from under shores washed away by water, from under the roots of coastal bushes and trees, etc. The impact of a burbot, even a large one, on a lift is almost never felt; it is obvious that it does not swim too fast and is in no hurry to leave the net of the lift (perhaps mistaking it for suitable temporary underwater shelter).

It is convenient to carry out walking fishing with a lift together: one catcher goes along the right bank, the other along the left, and at the same time both should, if possible, synchronize casts and surges.

When fishing alone, you have to go in a zigzag, from one bank to another, trying, if not to catch, then at least to drive down all the fish standing under the banks. Any whirlpools with a depth of more than a meter encountered along the way should be passed without fishing, only scaring the fish - during the time the tackle is lifted from such a depth, the fish manages to escape from the small area of ​​the net. The pools, whose depth exceeds the height of a rubber suit, go around the shore. Naturally, it is better to fish in well-known reservoirs, and to exercise maximum caution in new ones, even if it is to the detriment of the catch.

A rubber suit for fishing must be chosen very carefully. Boots and rubber pants glued to them during the surge constantly come into contact with stones, snags and other underwater objects, and it is very easy to damage a low-quality (too thin) suit. The lower part of a chemical protection suit is not suitable for such fishing, rarely withstanding more than one or two fishing trips. In any case, when fishing, it’s a good idea to have a bicycle first aid kit with you so that you can quickly patch up a hole - icy spring water flowing into the suit can completely ruin your fishing.

This fishing is interesting and challenging, but very difficult, requiring not only considerable physical strength, but also good knowledge of the reservoir and the habits of underwater inhabitants. However, those who have managed to master it never complain about their catches.

"Parachute"

Some fishermen also call a casting net a “parachute,” but now we will talk about a lift with the same name, designed for fishing on rivers with fairly strong currents, where it is difficult to use conventional lifts, since the flow of water does not allow the gear to lie quietly on the bottom. The “parachute” is different in that it does not lie at the bottom, but stands at an angle, only touching it with one edge of the hoop. The second difference is that the network sag is much greater than that of classic lifts. Thus, the “parachute” is something intermediate between a lift and a net (Fig. 13).

Rice. 12. Lift for running fishing: 1 – pole; 2 – slings; 3 – frame made of steel rod; 4 - net

The tackle hoop is used with a fairly large diameter (2–2.5 m) and is bent from a thick metal rod about 20 mm thick (corrugated reinforcement is often used). It is never made collapsible and, in the absence of one rod, it is bent from several, securely welded.

Four slings made of steel wire are attached to the hoop, and they are made of different lengths, so that the tackle suspended in the air hangs at an angle of 45°. The rope tied to the junction of the slings is very thick (25 mm), sometimes even thicker, and must be braided and not twisted. Of course, its strength is excessive for the weight of the gear and the catch, but they raise the “parachute” without any devices, fingering the rope with their hands, and with the small thickness of the rope it is difficult to do this quickly.

The net is woven from a thin cord, otherwise driftwood, and sometimes even stones carried by a strong current, will tear it very quickly. It is not difficult to understand that as a result of the use of solid materials, the “parachute” is quite heavy, and if you take into account the resistance of a fast current (and “paratroopers” do not fish otherwise), then it is clear that only women and women with considerable physical strength can successfully handle the gear. Teenagers are not allowed to become paratroopers.

A parachute is not used for catching small fish; the mesh of the net is woven from 50 mm (for cheese) to 80–90 mm (for salmon). It is these two migratory fish that are the main objects of parachute fishing, at least in those areas of the Leningrad region where I had the opportunity to observe the activities of “parachutists”. Bream and burbot are caught as by-catch, less commonly pike and catfish, and very rarely, in exceptional cases, chubs and asps.

Moreover, fish are caught that not only roll downstream, but also rise up, although, it would seem, it should just pass the “parachute”. Obviously, the fact is that even such a strong fish as salmon does not swim constantly in one direction when rising, and at times, on the fastest current, rolls back in order to rest and gain strength, and during this rollback it gets caught by “paratroopers”.

They usually fish from bridges, and choose places on them where the water flows especially quickly around the supports. Sometimes, on relatively shallow and fast rapids, so-called “parachute towers” ​​are erected - structures welded from thick pipes, on four support legs, with a platform for a fisherman at the top. This design is no different from the “platforms” used for fishing in baited areas for carp and other large and cautious fish.

Catching large fish with a “parachute” is not done blindly, since the impact of, for example, salmon on the net is very well felt by the hand holding the rope (the rope, of course, is constantly tensioned by the force of the current, and its free end is tied to the railing of the bridge so as not to accidentally lose the tackle ).

When fishing for raw fish, the catch is not felt every time, but mostly when at least 3-4 fish get into the net, so from time to time the tackle is taken out of the water and inspected. It is characteristic that burbot, even the largest, does not flutter at all when caught in the “parachute” and does not try to get out of the net, so sometimes fishermen mistake it, especially at night, for a stone, snag or a bunch of algae and only lift the tackle to the railing bridge, they are convinced of the error.

Since the “parachute” is a heavy, bulky, non-dismountable and inconvenient tackle, it is used mostly for local fishing; those who have places near their house that are convenient for fishing, fish there.

Fishing (on the rivers of the Leningrad region) is divided into spring-summer, from late April to mid-June, and autumn, from mid-September until the autumn flood subsides, and these two periods are timed, respectively, to the passage of cheese and salmon fish from the Gulf of Finland. Moreover, during the reverse course of the dam, which is often delayed until the end of June, fishing with “parachutes” may not take place if the spring flood has already subsided.

However, if summer floods occur after heavy rains, then two or three fishermen with their gear are always on duty at the places favored by “paratroopers”, ready to give news to their colleagues in case of successful catches.

It is during summer floods that the “parachutes” catch medium-sized (1–2 kg) bream, schools of which are driven from their summer camps by the intensified current and wander along the river in search of new convenient places; at other times, this fish avoids the rapids.

"Spider" with a bell

I myself have never caught this tackle, nor have I seen it used by other fishermen. However, in my opinion, it is of some interest, so I borrow an abbreviated description from N. M. Mikhailov’s book “On Fishing” (“Leningrad”, 1956).

The “spider” with a bell is a somewhat strange structure at first glance. It is a combination of a "spider" with hook leaders, an additional cord and a bell attached to a pole (see Fig. 14).

Rice. 14."Spider" with a bell ( A) general form: 1 – signal cord ring; 2 – pass ring; 3 – limiter ring; 4 – leashes; 5 – ring for passing the leash; 6 – crosspiece; 7 – hooks with baits; 8 – rim; 9 - bell; ( b) – at the moment of ascent

Fishing with a regular round pow-net is not new. It is practiced mainly during the course of spawning fish. In the middle of summer, local fish are almost never caught with such traps, and if they are caught, they are mostly small fish in holes near dams and in other similar places. However, you can catch the “spider” in the summer, and very successfully, but for this it needs to be replenished with something.

As you know, a “spider” net consists of a mesh with a slight slack, sewn to a metal rim, a cross, a cord tied in the center of the cross, and a long pole with a block at the upper end. The cord coming from the spider's crosspiece is tucked into the groove of the block, and its free end is in the hands of the fisherman.

Such a “spider” net is lowered from the shore or from a boat to the bottom of the reservoir, wait 5-10 minutes and, quickly moving the cord, lift the net to the surface. It catches the fish that, at the moment the “spider” net is raised, ends up in the water above the net.

To catch large fish with a spider, you need to use bait for it. To do this, the cross of the net must be made of thick wire in the form of arcs (Fig. 14), the intersection of which is 50–60 cm from the rim. On each arc of the cross, 15–20 cm from their intersection, you need to make small loops of soft wire . A thin vein leash up to 1.5 m long is passed into each such loop. Small hooks are tied to the lower ends of the leashes, and the upper ends of the leashes are inserted into a through ring, tightly attached to the main cord, and tied to the ring of the signal cord. The signal cord is connected to the bell.

Before you start fishing with a “spider with a bell,” you need to, if possible, measure the depth at the intended fishing site, since the hooks with bait should be raised 10–20 cm above the bottom level.

To avoid the hassle of determining the depth of the reservoir, a limiter is placed on one of the leashes (slightly below the passage ring) - a metal ring, the diameter of which is slightly larger than the diameter of the passage ring. The limiter is tied to the leash and prevents the hooks from rising above a certain level.

When lowering the net to the bottom, the signal cord is also released at the same time. As soon as the net has fallen to the bottom, which can be seen by the unwinding of the main cord, the signal cord is tied to the bell with a slight stretch. A light touch on any of the four lures is enough to make the bell ring. Then you should quickly raise the net, which will almost always contain one, two, or even more fish.

Lures above the net should be placed to suit different types of fish. In this way, it is better to fish in places where there are constant baits at a depth of up to 5 m and always in open places, away from the shore, so that small things do not get into the net.

"Cradle"

This is a fairly primitive type of lift that can be made very quickly, especially since it does not require a network fabric.

The material is a woven metal mesh (chain-link is not suitable), which has a certain reserve of rigidity. Take a square piece of net with a mesh from 5 to 20 mm, sizes vary from 0.5 x 0.5 m for catching small fish with a bait to 1.5 x 1.5 m for larger fish (large-sized gear is too heavy to lift) .

It is better to choose a mesh made of wire that is less susceptible to corrosion - galvanized, stainless, etc.

The workpiece is bent so that its corners rise up and the middle is pressed in. No rim or tabs are needed - four rods are attached directly to the corners of the mesh, tied together at the top and tied to a cord. A few minutes of work - and the fishing gear is ready!

Fishing is done either as with a regular lift, or the “cradle” is thrown several meters into the reservoir and pulled out not vertically, but at an angle of 40–50°.

Rakolovka

This is the most primitive lift with a round hoop of 50–70 cm and an average net slack, used for catching crayfish. Installed overnight and checked regularly, meat bait is attached to the center of the mesh.

Lifting net

When fishing for large fish from bridges and high embankments, where it is difficult to use a regular landing net even with a long handle, it is very useful to have at least one lift for several fishermen with a net of up to 1.5 x 1.5 m, constantly lowered into the water.

Having tired the caught fish, you can not lift it up on a fishing line (often this operation ends in failure), but put it on a lift and get it out of the water with its help. If fishing is done with live bait, then the lift at the same time performs the functions of a small fish.

Bastings and saki

Saki- fish-catching tools with a large net slack - used when catching migratory fish (for example, smelt in the Neva) or large fish in deep holes, whirlpools, and so on (for example, bream for feeding). The sak net is attached to a round hoop, crosspiece, rectangular frame, or to a pole with a spear or crossbar at the end - the latter version of the sak is called a basting.

Basting- a tackle that has been known since ancient times, and to this day it remains the most famous and widely used of all sacks. The classic basting described by Aksakov and Sabaneev consists of a net bag (the so-called motni), a pole-handle and a triangular frame; one of its sides is a crossbar; the other two are a tightly stretched cord, pulled through the outer meshes of the net and attached to a pole (see Fig. 15, a). For ease of transportation of gear, the pole is usually cut down at the fishing site.

Rice. 15. Classic basting: ( A) – option for active fishing: 1 – pole; 2 – place of fastening of the cord; 3 – cord; 4 - motnya; 5 – crossbar; ( b) – option for passive fishing with emphasis on the bottom

Fishing is usually carried out on rivers with steep banks during the spring flood: the basting is lowered flat into the water, then the fisherman pulls it towards him, moving his hands over the pole, and captures the fish standing near the shore with the net.

On small rivers with sloping banks, they fish in a different, passive way: having chosen a narrow place with a strong current, they rest the pole on the bottom and wait for the fish to enter the net as it slides down. Movements in the reel of a large fish caught in the mark during such fishing are usually felt by the hand; The presence of small fish is checked by regularly lifting the gear, or by tying a thin fishing line to the mesh, secured at the other end to the fisherman’s finger. With both methods, night fishing is more successful.

Sometimes the basting for passive fishing is assembled in a slightly modernized form (see Fig. 15 b): the pointed end of the pole protrudes below the crossbar, and the cord is attached to it so that an asymmetrical triangle is formed. It is much easier to hold such gear in a strong current by sticking the pointed end of the pole into the sandy or clay bottom and standing on the side, on the shore.

Both species are caught with basting in the summer, often together: one catcher holds the tackle, and the other drives the fish out of reeds or sedges, from algae, from under stones and washed-out banks.

Using casts of somewhat larger sizes with a stronger net, they catch crucian carp in small ponds heavily overgrown with algae that do not have windows of clean water: they pull a large amount of aquatic vegetation onto the shore, and then select fish from this green pile.

It takes two people to fish; it’s almost impossible to lift a fishnet full of mud and algae alone. With this method of fishing, the crucian carp caught is mostly small.

Much more interesting is running fishing with a small basting, described below.

Basting for running fishing

This basting is somewhat more complicated than the usual one. The net is not stretched over a crossbar and cord, but onto a frame, usually pentagonal in shape, which is attached to the pole not directly, but at an angle. The angle depends on the length of the pole, the height of the angler and the fishing conditions, and is finally adjusted directly on the pond.

The frame is bent from a steel bar at least 3 m long and 8 mm in diameter, and the steel is chosen so that it can be bent and unbent many times without the risk of breaking. A rod that is too hard must be annealed at both ends, to a length of at least 40 cm. Then a frame is made from the rod (see Fig. 16 p. 112), so that in the upper part there are free ends of the rod at least 30 cm long for fastening to the pole.

Rice. 16. Basting for running fishing and its position on the bottom

Minimum frame dimensions: width - 50 cm, height to the point of attachment to the pole - 60 cm. Maximum dimensions are limited by the physical capabilities of the fisherman and fishing rules establishing the permitted sizes of nets.

But even a very strong fisherman, fishing in conditions of complete liberalism of the rules, should not fall into the sin of gigantomania: when fishing underway, too large a basting will more often get caught on pitfalls and snags than catch fish.

A net bag (mesh) is usually sewn from a net with a 10 mm mesh; for larger bastings, a larger mesh is possible. The length of the cloth when stretched over the frame must be at least 1.5 m for the minimum dimensions indicated above, and increase proportionally as they increase. The shape of the hook should be a strongly elongated cone and compressed at the end, so that a large fish that gets into the hook and first tries to squeeze further, then cannot turn around and swim away from the gear.

The thread is pulled onto the frame (the rod is passed into the outermost row of cells) and straightened, and the free ends of the frame are fixed with a temporary tie of several turns of wire (the distance between the ends must exactly correspond to the thickness of the pre-prepared pole). Then the yarn is sewn to the frame with nylon lace. After this, all that remains is to strengthen the mark on the pole (most often it is tied with thick aluminum or copper wire) and bend the frame at the desired angle, so that when the end of the pole is in the fisherman’s hands in the most convenient position for quick lifting, and the lower edge of the frame lies on ground, the frame itself would remain in a vertical position.

A basting made in the manner described above is practically inseparable (although, of course, you can tie it each time to a pole cut out at the fishing site) and is more suitable for fishing near the house.

Therefore, some more advanced and skilled fishermen: make modernized bastings - with a telescopic aluminum pole, with a frame made of thin aluminum pipe and a mechanism that allows you to fix different angles of inclination of the frame. Naturally, it is much more convenient to transport such a basting and it is also easier to catch from the point of view of physical activity.

The only condition that should be observed is not to make the frame collapsible. When fishing, it experiences very large loads and quickly breaks at the joints.

The fishing process is very similar to fishing with a lift (see above), so there is no point in separately describing the choice of place and time. The fisherman (after preliminary agitation of the water) uses the same described cycle: cast - pause - surge - rise, constantly being in motion and going downstream along the bank of a river or stream. The only difference is that it is not as easy for a fish to jump out of a basting as from a lift, and therefore the stage of the surge can be extended, coming almost close to the frame - as a result, in one lift of the tackle you can catch both a fast-moving ide and a slow-witted burbot, which rarely happens when fishing with a lift.

When choosing which of these gears that are similar in action - with a basting or with a lift - is better to walk along the upper reaches of the river when the fish are moving, you should take into account the following considerations:

basting allows you to catch larger fish weighing over 5 kg;

extracting small fish from the narrow end of the basting line takes much more time - you need to put the tackle on the shore and turn it inside out, but you just need to reach out to the lift;

in the same way, it takes much more time to free the basting from accumulated debris: the remains of aquatic plants, small stones, and other things that have rotted over the winter, and during sea fishing, the catch is directly proportional to the distance traveled along the river, that is, there is no need to waste extra time.

Conclusion: for catching fish that are not large and move in dense schools (roach, dace), a lift is more suitable, but with a basting it is better to catch large fish that do not come across so often.

Fishing with a running basting is one of the most sporting types of fishing with net tools (I can imagine the reaction of fishing rod and spinning rod fans to such a statement). Nevertheless, the fact remains that good catches require extraordinary physical training, masterful use of gear and excellent knowledge of the reservoir and the habits of the fish. Perhaps, in terms of sport, the only thing superior to fishing with a basting line is fishing with a casting net, to which we now move on.

The classic of fishing literature, Sabaneev, described (quite briefly) three casting gear:

1. kosh, a type of rigid basket thrown over a large fish standing in the grass (in my opinion, kosh is no longer used anywhere these days);

2. a babe corresponding to the modern casting network;

3. attachment – ​​in some places this tackle is still used today under the local names “lampshade” and “toptuha”.

Be that as it may, at present the leading place in this family of fishing gear is occupied by the casting net - a sporting and mining tool, but quite difficult to master.

Casting (cap) net

This tackle has many local names: cape, cape, mantle, cover, parachute (not to be confused with a “parachute”-lift), it was first described back in the century before last, in the classic work of L.P. Sabaneev called "little one." Oddly enough, fans of casting net fishing and especially specialists in this fishing are quite rare in our country. There are many reasons for this. Historically, for a long time, fishing with a cast net has been a traditional method of fishing in mainly southern countries (Asia, South America, Africa), which is exotic for Russians. Fishermen in those parts have been doing this kind of fishing since childhood and achieve amazing results.

Foreign tourists (and viewers of programs telling about distant countries) watch in amazement as a native fisherman throws an incomprehensible package far away, which on the fly unfolds into a large round net, which soon returns from the muddy waters of some Mekong with a rich catch.

Amazement was replaced (at least among some of the spectators) by a completely legitimate desire: we want to catch the same way! As a result, the casting network in the 20th century rapidly began to conquer non-traditional regions - Europe and North America.

And here... For many decades, a harsh principle reigned and reigned: fishing with any net equipment is malicious predation and no less malicious poaching. Fishing with Sabaneevsky small fish existed, of course, but as local fishing on the far outskirts of the country - in the Caucasus, in Central Asia - it was in no hurry to spread to the central regions. The fact is that, unlike fishing with a drag net or a lift, it is very difficult to master casting a casting net on your own. Watching once or twice, as experts catch, is not enough - all the movements seem to be clear, but try again... And it’s not easy to make a casting net with your own hands without a sample.

It is almost as difficult to master fly fishing on your own, but here a different situation arose: fishing magazines and almanacs actively promoted fly fishing and explained to beginners all the subtleties and nuances of fishing; fishing societies had fly fishing sections, where joint training was held and experienced specialists shared their wisdom with beginners. And the casting network remained in the position of a downtrodden Cinderella.

In the last couple of decades the situation has changed, but not too dramatically. Yes, now you can easily buy an imported casting net (at least in large cities, where there are still small communities of casting fishing enthusiasts). Yes, as an attachment to the gear, you can buy a video cassette or disk with a video, where the casting process is shown in detail, in detail. You can finally download the same video from the Internet. Having spent a sufficient amount of time and effort, master the casting process using video materials, go to the reservoir, achieve, albeit not immediately, good catches...

We can only hope that this book will help at least a little to amateurs (especially those living far from large cities) who have decided to independently master the casting network.

So, let's get down to business. The principle of fishing is as follows: the net is assembled on the hand in a certain way (so that it can easily unfold in flight), then it is thrown horizontally onto the water and covers a section of the reservoir corresponding to the diameter of the opened net. After the enclosed part of the net sinks to the bottom, the net is pulled out by the cord attached to the base. It is possible to catch fish in the water column without lowering the gear to the bottom, but this requires a net of a slightly modified design (see Fig. 17).

Rice. 17. Casting network (American type): 1 – central traction cord; 2 – slings; 3 – mesh fabric; 4 – load cord; 5 – swivel; 6 - bushing

Casting nets are divided into two large groups: American-type gear and Spanish (mawlka, traditionally used in the Caucasus, is Spanish).

The American type seems to me more convenient when casting, more catchy and easier to make with your own hands. Although I fully admit that this opinion is biased: I started fishing with American casting nets ten years ago and I still successfully use them.

I also tried the Spanish type and have to admit at least one advantage of this gear: in places with underwater terrain that is inconvenient for fishing, it is less likely to get caught on stones, driftwood, etc.

Tackle design

The casting net is a network fabric in the shape of a regular circle, along the edge of which a cord is sewn, equipped with very densely spaced lead weights.

The size indicated on the packaging of factory nets does not refer to the diameter, but to the radius of the circle. On American-made nets, it is often calculated not in meters, but in feet, and ranges from 91 cm (three-foot net) to 3.04 m (ten-foot net).

European manufacturers, such as Finnish ones, use the metric system, but their gear sizes generally correspond to American ones. Chinese gear... Sometimes Chinese gear cannot be saved even by the fisherman’s own modifications, and it’s better not to take risks: by chasing cheapness, you can become the owner of an inoperable net.

To pull the net, use a central braided cord (twisted cord is not suitable in any case), thick enough (so as not to cut your hands when quickly retrieving the tackle), usually at least 5–6 mm. Its standard length is 4–4.5 m, but many amateurs, having mastered the tackle perfectly, increase the length of the cord by 1.5–2 times. At the end of the cord there is a loop with a diameter of 20–25 cm.

In American networks, the other end of the central cord is attached to numerous slings (veins) stretched to the cargo cord; in Spanish networks, it is attached to the central part of the network. This design difference also determines the different operation of the network after casting.

When pulling out an American-type tackle, the central cord, with the help of veins, pulls the weight cord to the center and practically gathers it together into a compact lump, thereby tightening the net and forming a bag with a closed exit.

When pulling out a Spanish-type net, the sinkers converge towards the center under the influence of the cord's pull and their own gravity, closing the exit, and the catch remains in the pockets of the net located along its perimeter.

On American gear, in the very center of the net there is a small round hole (5–6 cm in diameter), and the net fabric along its edge is attached to a plastic or fluoroplastic sleeve. One hole is drilled in the sleeve (for the smallest nets) or several (6–8 cm for the largest ones), through which the vein slings slide.

The net fabric (with fairly small meshes, from 9 to 15 mm) is taken from both monofilament and twisted thread.

If someone wants to make an American-style casting net with their own hands, they should follow several rules:

1. Lead weights are placed on the load cord evenly and very often, with a distance between their centers of no more than 10–12 cm. The weight of the sinkers is from 20 to 35 g, depending on the size of the net; their shape is a highly elongated cylinder; spherical loads, especially those capable of falling into a network cell, are not applicable. If you do not use purchased sinkers, but cast them yourself, you must carefully process each one, eliminating all unevenness and casting defects.

2. Veins (slings) are made of fishing line (monofilament, braided makes fishing difficult) with a thickness of 1 mm or more, their length is not much greater than the radius of the tackle. The veins are attached to the load cord quite often, at least every 0.5 m, and accordingly, their number increases with the size of the gear. If not one, but several holes are drilled in a plastic sleeve, then through each it is necessary to pass those veins that lead to the corresponding edge of the network, avoiding crossing. Sharp edges on the edges of holes, any irregularities and burrs are unacceptable.

3. The knot that brings the veins together is made as compact and neat as possible, without the tails of the fishing line sticking out to the side. Since there is a torque when casting, it is better to connect it to the central pulling cord through a swivel of sufficient strength. Sometimes a plastic disk with a diameter of 3–4 cm with holes along the edge (according to the number of veins) is placed in front of the knot, and each vein is passed into its own hole.

What size net should I start learning casting with?

A question that does not have a clear answer. On the one hand, the smaller the radius of the net, the easier it is to cast, and the learning stage goes much faster.

However, having perfectly mastered casting a three-foot net (mostly suitable for catching live bait), it is quite difficult to retrain for larger gear. Much also depends on the physical parameters of the fisherman: the taller he is and the longer his arms, the easier it will be to learn how to cast a large net.

I advise you to first decide: why, exactly, do you need a casting network? For those who like to catch predators with live bait, a casting net is an indispensable auxiliary tool. In the full sense, it is irreplaceable: never when catching live bait with a fishing rod or a small fish of any other design will you start catching predators as quickly after arriving at the reservoir as if you had a compact casting net in your backpack, ready for immediate use.

You can start hunting for pike or pike perch faster by only bringing live bait with you, which is not always convenient.

So if you plan to use a casting net only as a small fish, buy an easy-to-learn three-foot net, and the problem with live bait will disappear forever. In addition, as a bonus, sometimes (especially in muddy water or when casting at night) you can hook a large fish.

But if it is assumed that the casting net will become the main fishing tool for quite large fish, then it is better to start mastering the tackle with a net with a radius of at least 1.7–2 m. It will, of course, take longer to learn how to cast, but then switching to even a ten-foot net will not be a problem will make up.

Casting technique

Starting this section, I understand perfectly well that the task of teaching casting net fishing in words, even with the help of drawings, is difficult to accomplish. It’s better to personally get a few lessons from a specialist, or at worst try to repeat what he shows in the video. But let's try anyway...

In Fig. Figure 18 shows the casting phases for both American and Spanish types of nets. The drawn fisherman is standing on the shore, but still it is best to start training not on a river or lake, but on some lawn or trimmed lawn. Naturally, in the field, on a reservoir, before starting preparation, the net is thoroughly cleaned of mud and other aquatic vegetation remaining from the previous cast.

Rice. 18. Phases of casting the net

The traction cord is collected in rings in the left hand, the tackle is taken with an outstretched hand by the central part (or by the sleeve - for an American-type net), shaken lightly so that the net stretches and straightens. If the load cord has formed a loop somewhere, it must be straightened with your free hand.

Then the upper part of the tackle is intercepted with the right hand (from a quarter to half of the net, depending on its radius) and assembled with one or two loops - also in the left hand. Next comes the turn of the cargo cord. He grabs two points with the same left hand and right, and the hands are placed wide enough so that the remaining free part of the net is stretched as much as possible.

If you carefully look at foreign educational photo and video materials, you can see how specialists sometimes, at this stage of preparation for casting, take one sinker in their teeth in order to achieve an even greater stretch of the net. During training, this is still possible, for not very squeamish citizens. But on a reservoir with gear stained with silt and mud... I don’t recommend it. You can get a whole bunch of gastrointestinal diseases.

The next stage is the actual casting itself. It is performed after two or three swinging movements or after one wide swing (in this case, the fisherman’s body turns almost 180°). The most important thing at this moment is the plane in which the tackle moves. The casting net, unfolding on the fly, should fly along the flattest trajectory and finally turn into a circle shortly before touching the water. The latter depends on the strength of the throw, the ability to measure which comes exclusively with training.

Another point where I disagree with foreign instructors: for the most part, they recommend that the loop at the end of the cord be wrapped around the left hand before casting. This works out well during training, but on a pond, when your hands are wet, the tackle can easily fly into the river or lake along with the cord. It is safer to attach the loop to your waist belt.

The described casting technique is not the only possible one. Almost every fisherman, with gaining experience, begins to modernize it, adjusting it to his individual characteristics and specific fishing conditions. For example, you can not collect the traction cord in rings on your hand, but leave it lying under your feet (provided that the shore is clear enough and the cord does not get caught on branches, roots, snags, etc.). The preparation time for casting is reduced, which increases the number of casts per fishing trip and, accordingly, the size of the catch.

Nets with a small radius (up to 1.7 m, for the tallest fishermen - up to 2 m) can be cast without collecting the upper part of the net into loops. Both hands, raised and spread as wide as possible, take the weight cord, the excess cord is collected into loops, 2-3 in each hand, so that the lower edge of the net does not reach the ground 30-40 cm, then the net is thrown, or rather thrown onto a body of water with a characteristic movement reminiscent of those used to throw a wide tablecloth on a table or a sheet on a bed.

I even happened to see how two people cast a casting net: two short teenage boys were catching, each of whom could hardly throw the tackle on their own - they took the net by the weight cord, standing on either side of it, stretched it wide in the horizontal plane and, swinging in unison, they were sent into the pond.

Well, now, assuming that after much trial and error you have finally mastered the basics of casting techniques, we take a casting net and go fishing.

Selecting a location

Places that are too deep, with fast currents, with a snaggy or boulder-covered bottom, and with abundant underwater vegetation are definitely not suitable for fishing with a casting net. Steep underwater slopes - the so-called "edges" - also do not allow you to capture fish holding above them. When fishing from the shore, you should avoid places that are heavily overgrown with trees, bushes and even annual vegetation such as wormwood, weeds, and so on; at least a couple of meters around the fisherman there should be a clean and level space.

There is no point in fishing from cliffs, from embankments and bridges that rise more than 2 m above the water surface - the sinkers of the net, even when cast correctly, when it falls from a great height, begin to come together, and instead of a regular flat circle, the tackle takes the shape of an elongated cone. Fishing in unfamiliar places is always fraught with snags, damage to the net and broken veins.

Network sampling

As soon as the load cord of the abandoned net touches the bottom, which is determined by the weakening of the traction cord, the tackle begins to be pulled out with a sharp jerk. This jerk allows, firstly, to quickly bring the sinkers together, closing the exit for the caught fish, and secondly, it raises the net above the bottom, reducing the likelihood of snags.

Fishing tactics

Casting net fishing is no less versatile than fishing, and can be used in a wide variety of conditions, on very different bodies of water and for catching fish with different habits and lifestyles.

In the advertising brochures of stores selling fishing tackle, they usually write that the casting net is intended for catching schooling fish: smelt, bream, roach. Everything is correct, and when you come to the bank of a channel where a large school of spawning roach has entered, you can easily and simply fill the fish tank with fish using a casting net.

But such blind fishing is much less exciting and interesting than hunting “with sight” for individual specimens of large fish scattered throughout the reservoir. However, first things first.

The easiest way to catch live bait and small fish in general is with a casting net. You just need to choose the right place and make a successful cast, sometimes just one, and if the small fish move in dense schools, then after the first cast three to four dozen fish go into the bucket; Now you can move on to catching a predator with live bait. Neither a boat nor wading fishing is required to obtain live bait; casting is done from the shore. You just need to look out in the clear water, where minnows lie on a sandbank or schools of perch or roach swim near the algae.

Larger fish - camp squirrels and smelt, local perch, roach, bream and others - are almost always caught blindly, in places where they accumulate. Even when you see a school of such fish in shallow water, you shouldn’t approach them with a casting net; if a fisherman sees a fish, then the fish sees the fisherman, and the flight of the net makes it quickly retreat to the side.

During the spring run of fish, it is very convenient to choose places on the river in front of any natural obstacle with a flat bottom and a shallow depth of 0.5 to 1.5 m. Casting is carried out in approximately the same way as spinning fishing: first, the net covers the nearby areas towards the fisherman, then those located at an average distance, then the furthest ones, as far as the length of the towing cord allows. It is worth considering that the fish is not very frightened by the splash of a casting net falling on the water (this splash is not loud if the cast is done correctly) and does not rush headlong away, but usually rolls slightly downstream. Therefore, the section of the river chosen for fishing should always be fished, moving along the bank downstream.

Spring fishing is done during the day, but as the water clears, the best catches occur at dusk or at night. In summer, when underwater vegetation appears in large quantities of water bodies, the number of places suitable for blind fishing is sharply reduced. It is much more interesting at this time to hunt with a casting net, tracking down single specimens of large fish.

Tench fishing is very exciting. They practice it (where this fish is found) in shallow places in the river with a very slow current and a muddy bottom. A sign confirming that the tench is feeding in this place is a chain of bubbles rising from the bottom disturbed by the fish. A boat is not needed; tench feeding areas are usually located close to the shore, sometimes, if the river is not wide and the banks are steep enough, literally a meter from the water’s edge. If at the fishing site there are overly dense thickets of aquatic vegetation, such as water lilies, several clearings should be made in advance, 2-3 times larger than the size of the net.

Large bream also often reveal their feeding sites with bubbles. But catching him with a casting net is much more difficult. Bream is more careful, feeds in deeper holes and most often manages to escape from the net that is lowered onto it.

It is convenient to catch pike on hot sunny days, traveling together in a boat around shallow bays and channels framed by thickets of reeds or cattails.

The boat should have low sides; two-seater plastic punts of the Onega-2 type are very suitable, from the wide bow of which it is convenient to cast. It is better not to engage in casting fishing from kayaks and inflatable boats (except for the largest ones with a hard bottom).

Having spotted a pike, usually frozen in mid-water not far from a wall of reeds, the fisherman points it out to the rower, and when the boat approaches a sufficient distance, he throws a net over the fish.

Spring fishing for pike in shallow spawning areas is more productive, sometimes carried out from the shore, but more often by wading. Here you need to master long casting; it is difficult to get close to the spawning pike. Having noticed a place where fish are splashing, the fisherman throws a net over it from the maximum possible distance, and often, along with the caviar pike, pulls out a couple of milk jugs. Unsuccessful casts are also common, when the underwater vegetation on which the pike spawns prevents the net from closing correctly.

The spawning of large (kilogram and above) crucian carp does not last long, one or two mornings, but if you manage to catch it with a casting net, the catch will be very pleasing.

The place to cast here is sometimes determined not only by splashes, but also by indirect signs: by the movement of the stems of aquatic plants sticking out above the water, by the so-called “whiskers” that a shallowly swimming large fish forms on the surface of the water, by small fish, in all directions jumping out of the water (the fry do not understand whether a peaceful or predatory fish swims up to them).

Spawning of carp is similar to crucian carp, but carp is a more cautious fish and often spawns in shallow waters further from the coast, overgrown with aquatic vegetation. Therefore, it is better to approach it by boat, maintaining maximum silence.

To catch trout with a casting net, you need to know its habits very well. On shallow and fast rivers with clear water, you shouldn’t even try to get to this fish during the day, but you just need to notice its possible night stops - places with relatively calm water, located behind boulders and stones sticking out of the water, where the current breaks into two streams with a quiet backwater between them.

At night, preferably moonlit, the fisherman slowly and carefully walks knee-deep in water, taking turns going around such places. Each cast must be perfect; there will be no chance for a second attempt. Sometimes during the entire night fishing it is possible to cast the tackle no more than a dozen times, and two or three large trout are a very good result. Sometimes humpback perch are caught as bycatch, it is unclear what they are doing in the rapids.

When small trout rivers swell with rain and the water becomes completely opaque, trout are caught during the day, blindly, choosing places with the weakest current for casting off the coast.

Instruction (“toptukha”, “lampshade”)

It is not for nothing that the installation is called a “lampshade” in some places; it really resembles this piece of furniture, slightly enlarged. Only instead of fabric, the wire frame is covered with a loosely planted two-row net, so that the ryazha is on the outside and the del is on the inside. The bait is thrown from afar on a fish that is spawning or spotted in the grass, which rushes to the side from the splash of the fallen tackle and becomes entangled in a net bag formed in the cell of the rye.

Sometimes a “lampshade” is made without longitudinal metal ribs, by sewing the net to two hoops with a diameter of 1–1.2 m, the upper one being made from a hollow plastic tube (or a piece of rigid hose) and working as a float, and the lower one being bent from a heavy metal rod and lowered to the bottom.

CONCLUSION

LEGAL ASPECTS OF FISHING WITH LIFTERS, TRAPS, CASTING NETS

As has been mentioned more than once, there are no uniform rules regulating what is possible and what is not allowed in amateur fishing in Russia. They differ in different regions, and gear that is permitted in some places is strictly prohibited in others.

It has been noted that the richer the region is in valuable fish species (sturgeon, salmon, whitefish), the more severe the rules, and vice versa. In densely populated areas, where water bodies experience heavy fishing pressure, fishing with net gear is also often very limited.

Here, for example, is how the Fishing Rules in the Northern Fishery Basin (Republics of Komi and Karelia, Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Kirov and Murmansk Regions, Nenets Autonomous Okrug) relate to fishing with traps and catching gear. I take these rules as an example, because they were approved by order of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation relatively recently, in April 2007, and reflect the current state of affairs. It should be taken into account that the region is very rich in salmon and whitefish, and therefore the people who wrote the rules did not suffer from excessive liberalism.

So: in the European north of Russia you can fish without permits and licenses (I omit nets, fixed nets, seines, nonsense and traps for crayfish and crabs):

manual lifts and “spiders” with a diameter of up to 2 m;

vents and hemlines with a length of the entire device of no more than 3 m, a trap diameter of no more than 1 m, in an amount of no more than 3 pieces per citizen;

a wick with an opener less than 2 m long, no more than one piece per citizen;

a “baby net” measuring no more than 1.5 x 1.0 m for catching live bait.

Not a lot... But if you purchase a license or obtain permission from the regional fisheries inspection, fishing opportunities expand. Licensed recreational fishermen can additionally use:

fences having a wing(s) length of no more than 10 m;

vents (tops) with a wall length of no more than 10 m, a catching device no more than 5 m and a diameter of no more than 1 m, in the amount of no more than 2 traps per citizen;

traps for ice fishing for lamprey and burbot.

It is curious that sacks and bastings are not mentioned at all in the rules of the northern basin, neither among the permitted gear, nor among the prohibited. However, any omission in the rules is interpreted in favor of the fish inspector - all gear that is not mentioned as permitted is prohibited. But in other regions, officials of the Ministry of Agriculture did not forget about these gears. For example, in the Leningrad region, back in 1989, the rules adopted (however, they are still in force!) allow fishing with bastings on a limited number of reservoirs, as well as with nets with a diameter of up to 1 m, without licenses and permits.

In some places, older by-laws are also applied - for example, a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, dating back to 1958 and prohibiting the sale of net fishing gear in those regions where fishing with them is not permitted by the rules.

The Kaluga region is especially famous in this regard: local courts actively use the mentioned resolution, prosecuting traders who risk selling a chain or a chain. Arguments that in 1958 there were no bodies of water that were privately owned do not work: even if you set up a pond yourself and raised fish in it, but don’t even dream of buying a top or a fish, fish with a fishing rod, since no one has been honored to abolish the outdated resolution. And it is difficult for Kaluga fishermen to go fishing from the Kaluga region to Karelia or another region where fishing with nets is not prohibited...

The newspaper "Rybak Rybaka", famous for its irreconcilable attitude towards the networks, advocates for disseminating the experience of Kaluga residents in using the 1958 decree throughout the country. The pages of the mentioned newspaper covered, for example, the story of the Kaluga private entrepreneur Vinogradova, who had the misfortune of selling two tops, a “screen” and a “kerchief” for a total of 636 rubles and, as a result, earned 14 st. Administrative Code (illegal sale). Moreover, restless newspaper figures published a sample statement addressed to the police and calling for the application of the notorious resolution half a century ago. They say, gentlemen, readers, as soon as you see a network for sale, immediately signal where it should be. We can only hope that not all fishermen reading the newspaper dream of the laurels of Pavlik Morozov and other famous informers.

However, not everything is so bad in our country. In England, for example, when necessary, they pull out completely antediluvian acts from the archival dust... For example, one British amateur was incredibly lucky - he caught a sturgeon in the Thames, the first one in more than a century. But the 30-kilogram fish was immediately confiscated by local authorities on the basis of a law of the 16th century that has not been repealed by anyone! All sturgeon caught in English waters must be sent to the royal table, and nothing else.

So we can be glad that “Fisherman of Fisherman” does not recall the decrees of Peter I, who fought against predatory fishing. In them, I remember, the perpetrators were subject to the death penalty...

Many people have a strong belief that for amateur fishermen, fishing with nets during the spawning run and spawning is strictly prohibited everywhere. This is not entirely true. The above-mentioned nets and nets allow, for example, catching smelt going to spawn. Or here is a quote from the same rules of the Leningrad region regarding the issuance of fishing permits to amateurs with nets, drags and traps: “By agreement with the Sevzap-Rybvod management, a permit can also be issued for the spawning period for the purpose of reclamation catching of low-value fish species.”

Naturally, in addition to restrictions on gear, there are also prohibitions on fishing periods, and on certain areas of water bodies, and restrictions on the catch rate, and the minimum allowable size for caught fish of each species...

In general, before you go to a pond with a dam or “spider”, carefully study the rules: what is allowed in your area and what is not. Otherwise, instead of pleasure and fresh fish, the result of fishing may be a considerable fine. Moreover, they will take money for each copy separately, regardless of its size and weight.

Here's how you get fined in St. Petersburg and the region:

sturgeon -8350 rub;

salmon, salmon – 1250 rubles;

trout, whitefish, pike perch, carp, pike,

lamprey, carp – 250 rubles;

cancer -42 rub;

bream -25 rub;

perch -17 rub;

Roach, ruffe, gudgeon, crucian carp and other fish that are not included in the list are not subject to separate fines for illegal fishing, but you will still have to pay 500 rubles for the violation and part with the gear, or even the boat.

So, finally, advice: fish according to the rules.

AND – GOOD LUCK ON THE RESERVOIRS!

Perhaps N.M. Mikhailov somewhat exaggerated the possible fishing depth. Five meters is still too deep for such gear; the fish will have time to escape when rising.