divination 

Expeditions "Sur bridges". Source of Sura. The Sura River - the “younger sister” of the Volga The mouth of the Sura

The Sura is one of the most picturesque tributaries of the middle Volga. Flowing from the Surskaya cone - the highest part of the Volga Upland - to the south, the river then turns to the north and makes its way to the Volga along the hilly forest-steppe.

(Chuvash Sar, Mountain Mari Shur) - the right tributary of the Volga River, length 828 km, basin area 67.5 thousand km². It originates on the Volga Upland and flows along it first to the west, then mainly to the north. It flows through the Ulyanovsk, Penza regions, Mari El, Mordovia, Chuvashia, Tatarstan. The length within the Ulyanovsk region is about 150 km. It flows through the Baryshsky, Inzensky, Karsunsky, Sursky districts of the Ulyanovsk region. Within the same area, the river receives 10 tributaries (the largest is the Barysh River). The characteristic features of the river are a rapid current, a winding channel, sandy spits and steep banks. The width of the river in high water is more than 1 km, in low water - up to 100 m. The depth on the riffles is up to 1 m. Sterlet, crucian carp, silver bream, tench, etc. are found in the river. The initial source of the river was located on the southeastern outskirts of the village of Sursky Peaks (formerly Bolshiye Surki) in the Baryshsky district, but due to the destruction of forests and the creation of a dam, all springs silted up. At present, Sura actually begins 1.5-2 km from the former source. Tall pine forests grow here, springs break through on the slopes in many places, which feed the upper reaches of the Sura. Used for industrial water supply. Food is mostly snowy. High water in April - May. It freezes in November - December, opens in late March - April.

The cities of Sursk, Penza, Alatyr, Yadrin, the village of Novaya Sloboda are located on the Sura, and Vasilsursk pier is at the mouth.

Left tributaries of the Sura
Alatyr, Imza, Drunk, Uza, Shuksha, Kutlya.

Right tributaries of the Sura
Algashka, Barysh, Abyss, Inza, Kumashka, Kirya.

Sailing along the Sura usually starts in Penza. You can start rafting even higher, from Inderka (Syuzyum station), but it is more difficult to get to the upper reaches of the Sura, and from the Pionerskaya platform (near Chaadaevka station) to Kanaevka, the banks of the Sura are quite densely populated (the railway passes next to the river), after Kanaevka for several tens of kilometers, the river is a reservoir from which Penza is supplied with water.

From the railway and road stations in Penza to the river bank about 1 km. After 2 km - a dam that requires a run-off (on the right bank). Here the width of the Sura is 30 - 40 m, the channel is sandy, up to Grabovo the river winds in a meadow floodplain, farther away. Then the valley narrows; especially beautiful is the mountainous right bank, overgrown mainly with pine forest, which sometimes forms sandy-stony cliffs. The river retains this character for about 100 km (this is its most picturesque part, the Surskiye Zhiguli); There are no obstacles, the current is quite fast. You can end your journey at St. Sura of the Syzran - Ruzaevka - Moscow railway (where the right tributary of the Sura, the Inza River, flows 300 m from the station), since there will be no such convenient place for transfer to the railway below.

A few tens of kilometers more Sura is very beautiful, however, in the area of ​​​​B. Bereznikov, the river valley expands, the banks go down, there are fewer forests, and from the village. Surskoye on the river begins local navigation.

The voyage ends on the left bank of the Sura, in the ancient Chuvash city of Alatyr. Here to the railway station (Road Ruzaevka - Kazan) about 2 km.

Coordinates: 53°01"24.6"N 45°22"59.1"E

The Sura River is one of the four longest tributaries of the Volga. She is also known for the population of moor frogs. The fact is that her males become bright blue in the mating season. Also, it was on this water stream that the suryak was born in 1801 - a wooden barge that was built exclusively in Penza. She was distinguished by the fact that no one pulled her - she moved perfectly by herself. Today the Sura pool is a place of rest.

general description

The length of the Sura River is 841 kilometers. Its pool is 67,500 sq. km. The maximum width is in the area of ​​the reservoir (3 kilometers). The average value is 160 m. The depth is from 0.3 m (on rifts) to 4 m. The river flows through the Ulyanovsk, Penza and Nizhny Novgorod regions, and then through the autonomies of Mordovia, Chuvashia and Mari El. The direction is north-north-west. The route is very difficult. Water consumption - 260 cubic meters per second. Meals are mixed, with a predominance of snow. There are 73 tributaries (excluding streams). The most notable (by size or historical significance) are Barysh, Inza, Alatyr, Pyana, Uza and Urga. The water flow is opened already at the end of March. High water: April-May. Sura is connected with 2.5 thousand lakes and marshy extensions (small "seas").

The Sura River appeared in the era of the final formation of the relief of the Volga Upland, that is, by the beginning of the Oligocene (34 million years ago). Since the Stone Age, people have lived throughout the Western Volga region. They also went through the glaciation. However, in the Bronze and Iron Ages, they were scattered around the world by 3 Indo-European waves. At the turn of the Christian era, Savromats-Aorses (from the south) and the ancestors of the Mari (from the north, they were relatives of the Komi and Udmurts) appeared here. The former quickly mingled with the related Aryan population. The second behaved hostilely. In the 2nd century, the Mordovians turn out to be here (not yet divided into 2 tribal unions). But the first Russian description of the Sura River already documented 2 ethnic communities - Erzya and Moksha. And both lived on the reservoir in question. Of all the Finno-Ugric peoples, the Mokshans turned out to be the most militarized. They adequately repulsed the countless Turkic hordes.

The Turks did not conquer moksha. Rather, they were gradually assimilated in the 5th century. It was then when the multinational empire of Suvar was formed. It was formed by a mixture of Sauromatians and Huns (Siberians, Savirs, Suvars, Simbirs - they had many names). In the era of the Khazar Khaganate, Suvar was its most autonomous and strongest province. Under the Volga Bulgars, the Sura River is in the hands of the same Suvar officials. After the clash with the Khazars (whose side were the Mari loyal to the kagan), there were very few newcomers-Bulgars left. They did not conquer Suvar, liberated from the Khazar garrison, but simply "asked to go inside." This "melting pot" has become one more nation. But it was the latter who was able to rise above all ethnic differences and lead the former Khazar autonomy. After all, now it was necessary to stand against the Turkic Khaganate. As a result, over time, the kingdom was called the Great Bolgar. It is within the framework of this state that the most active transport use of the Sura River begins. The river appears in the chronicles in connection with the Russian-Bulgarian skirmishes, and later with diplomatic relations of the pre-Horde period. In some manuscripts, we find that part of the Pechenegs also "fit" well into Bulgaria, and part became robbers and hunted on Khopra. Let's go back to the river. The hydronym is Moksha, but the local population got it from a common Mordovian ancestor. Once it sounded like "shura" - "smooth bend", "loop". The 13th century was marked here not only by the Mongol Yoke, but also by the separation of the Chuvash into a separate people. Of the autonomies of the Bolgar, the Chuvash and the Bulgars themselves were against cooperation with the Genghisides, but the Mari and the remnants of the Pechenegs were the first to take the side of the conquerors. The Asian Turks who came along with the Mongols chose Bolgar for themselves. He became the Kazan Khanate during the collapse of the Horde. A small part of the riverbed passed to the new Nizhny Novgorod principality - the "fruit" of the agreement with the Erzya. At the end of the 16th century, Kazan itself came to an end. Sura becomes completely Russian. The places where it flows become quiet Russian provinces.

Here, the main ones are the extraction of forests and berries, leatherworking and the cultivation of bread. During the Civil War, these areas did not play a significant role, but during the Great Patriotic War, the Sursky Frontier of Defense was organized, which was never useful to the Red Army. The Penza River flowed into "our" body of water until 1945. Sura broke through the Kurilovsky dam. That is, it began to flow along the channel of Penza. Therefore, in the year of the Victory, she also had something to brag about. As a result, since the designated time, Penza has also been called the “city on the Sura”. At the same time, a group of water bodies has been preserved in the former Sura "body". Their hydronym is Old Sura. They are a popular recreation point. As well as a reserve and several reserves created under the USSR. In the 1970s, it became impossible to go by ship to the mouth of the Sura River from the segment connected with the city of Penza. Because at the end of 1978 the Penza (Surskoye) reservoir was built. With 7 locks. Moreover, the regional center was right between them.

Source and mouth of the Sura River

The source of the Sura River lies in the western section of the Volga Upland. These large hills are called Sursky Heights (height 150 - 300 meters above sea level). Administratively, the source of the Sura River belongs to the Ulyanovsk region. It is a 0.5-meter-wide hydrological feature that collects water from streams into a small elongated pond. We are talking about Rucheleika, Chernaya Rechka and Tarasov Creek. The point is marked with a small house. Residential buildings grew up around it - the village of Surskiye Heights. The location is also surrounded by floodplain mixed forest and agricultural land.

The mouth of the Sura River is an exit to the Volga, having a width of 2.5 kilometers. The ferry Lysaya Gora - Vasilsursk just passes along the conditional line of the girl. Both villages belong to the Vorotynsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The shores are lightly wooded. Both have a rather narrow lower terrace and very high pits - outcrops of clayey rocks.

Sura river basin

From the “start”, the Sura river gradually descends to the plain (to the Sura “sea”), having weakly pronounced rapids and rifts, and absorbing the water of minor tributaries. Strongly meandering, it also has straight sections of the channel. It falls into the indicated water bowl, already having a diameter of 100 meters. Plots of dense mixed forest all the time alternate with fields and meadows (this trend remains everywhere). The right bank of the root, steep (remains so until the "finish"). From Penza, the stream "receives" many beams on the slopes. The further course of the Sura River is connected with filling first with the middle ones and in the middle of the way with the largest tributaries. The channel is straight and wide. The orientation is strictly north. With a deep eastern approach to the very municipality of Surskoye. Then the course of the Sura River quickly gains an average distance between the edges. 160 meters. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, Chuvashia and Mari El, it often gives way to noticeably winding sections. In the relief of the sides, mobile ridges of various sizes are presented. The lower basin of the Sura River boasts a very gentle canyon 250-300 meters wide, and at the end - the expansion of the main channel into meandering channels. Of course, there are also river islands. The stream is clamped by lakes and marshes of a transitional type, some of which have now been turned into reserves and sanctuaries.

Sights of the Sura River

Reserve Privolzhskaya Forest-Steppe

It makes sense to organize the first parking lots on the Sura River opposite the cluster mentioned in the top line of the reserve. After all, you can be kicked out of the tracts themselves. The GZ is famous for its pine forest (about 300 ha) and sphagnum bogs (100 ha). Quite a rare game has been preserved in them. Another feature of it from other reserves is dozens of feather grasses, fingerheads and irises. This refers to an isolated section of the steppe among the forest-steppe. Relic set of insects. You can look at the panorama from the other side. Really stand up with tents on the outskirts of Inderka and First Tarlakovo. Everything is seen.

City of Sursk

Just not far from the reservoir, the flow of the Sura River leads travelers to the town named after it. Located on both sides. 3 km from Alekseevskaya station. It was founded in 1849 on the site of a colorful castle. The founder (landowner Astafiev) called it Nikolsky Khutor. The Bolshevik cartographers renamed the village. The sights of the 3-kilometer municipality are a convenient sandy beach, a foundry and a mechanical plant, a “review” on Gora (this is how the whole urban area is called), Kazan and Pokrovskaya churches, a local history museum and a large system of man-made ponds on the north coast. The brand is the majestic futuristic building of the Drama Theatre. By the way, a large pine-birch forest stretches to the west, where you can set up a bivouac. And, it seems, it has already been organized there more than once, trials by bonfires.

Surskoye reservoir and the city of Penza

On this fragment of the Sura River, fishing is unforgettable. In 15 kilometers of the further course (in the spring you will pass them in just 2 hours), a man-made "sea" awaits you. The reservoir is 32 kilometers long, and its largest diameter is 3 kilometers. It has the shape of an angle (Sura turns to the north). The shores are quite elevated, partly overgrown with mixed forest. The resource, in addition to Sura, is filled with Uza, Koldais, Medvedevka and Yaksarka (Old and New). And a few more nameless streams, giving birth to an intricate estuary in the northeast. As a result, the tank holds a volume of 560 cubic meters. Its depths are from 4 to 17 meters. The entire upper slope is fixed with reinforced concrete slabs. The giant pool was filled in 1978. Infrastructure - 5 settlements, 3 "people's" beaches, several fishing platforms, a hydroelectric dam 290 m long. Yachts and other small vessels go by sea.

Behind the reservoir, Zasechnoye is found - a southwestern suburb of the regional center of Penza.

Together with it, the agglomeration reaches 26 km in the largest diameter. Penza is named after a body of water that crosses the western half of the only Prisursky metropolis. "Born" in 1663, and in 1719 suddenly became the "capital" of the Kazan Empire. Only under Alexander the First did it again turn into an ordinary town - this time in the Saratov province. In 1858, a fire destroyed half of the buildings. So this agglomeration is still filled with secrets. They can only be opened in the local history museum. It was possible to save the Tambov Zastava. By the way, it was only in 1874 that a railway line was carried through the city. It was on the Penza shores that the original settlement was located. Only then did the Sura and 7 of its channels reach the quarter. Moreover, the old channel of the Sura in the eastern half. It is broken into fragments, but still holds water. This is the beach area. As for the center, the most popular (in the literal sense) streets are Moskovskaya, Kirova, Kalinin, Kuibyshev and Lunacharsky (the latter has all the stations, the Bolshoi Sursky Bridge and strategic sidings). Speaking about the middle of the city, it remains to mention the monument to the First Settlers, the Spassky and Trinity Cathedrals, the botanical garden (named after Sprygin) and Belinsky Park. He is the main one here - with attractions for people of different ages and hobbies. Opposite the "heart" of the regional center is the island microdistrict Peski. It is connected by a bridge with Uritskogo street. The Zasur half of the city is also beautiful - Staraya Sura and reserved forestry with 2 recreation parks (historical and again botanical). In general, the recreation is extremely green, water, transport accessible.

Strawberry Forest along the Inza River

On the border of the Penza, Ulyanovsk and Nizhny Novgorod regions, we again stop rafting on the Sura River. This is the mouth of the Inza River. As many strawberries as you collect in Inzen thickets, you will not find anywhere else in the country. Or maybe in the world. The array goes from the village of Sura to the Ezhikha nature reserve and the Mordovian Forest in one direction (the village of Inza, Ulyanovsk region). And to the Dubrava tract in the other direction (the same area). Yes, and with mushrooms here it is somehow unusual - all their existing varieties have gathered in dense needles. Carefully. It's quite easy to get lost.

Piana river

The protection of the Sura River (or rather, the integrity of its banks) in this location is still relevant. However, we will talk about something else. About the mouth of the Pyana (hydronym hints at the inconstancy of the river course). Using this “the most winding river in Russia”, it is easy to get to Ichalkovsky Bor (we are already talking about the Nizhny Novgorod region). And the forest just named is famous for caves-failures, which may be of interest to speleotourists. What can we say about the boron itself! Berries, mushrooms, picturesque padi. Wow...

Sursky reserve and Prisursky reserve

Tent camps on the Sura River are ideal for this recreation. The Sursky reserve protects the populations of the boreal owl and the gray owl. Elk migration also passes through this region. The boundaries of the OPT are the Sura itself and its largest tributary, the Barysh. In terms of landscape, this interfluve is mixed and coniferous forests with areas of "transitional" swamps (lake-bogs). Many animals have found shelter here.

The Prisursky Reserve overlooks the river as a buffer zone that does not have a strict regime. This is a segment from the mouth of the Lyulya River (several kilometers). However, it is still impossible to burn fires and hunt here. And what about the PA itself? The conversation turned to the Lyulya River, Staraya Staritsa, the Staritsko-Bazarskaya lake group and the archaeological site Zayachy Gorodok. There are 2 more steppe tracts, where the employees of the State Protection Agency save the marmot population. And the described forests protect the lesser white-tailed goose, the merlin falcon, the white-tailed eagle and the red-footed falcon. In total, 150 species of fauna live here.

City of Alatyr

Expanding up to 200 meters, the Sura River ends up in Chuvashia - in the authentic 16th century town of Alatyr. Its architecture was reconstructed specifically to attract tourists. To show what the corner was like in that same 1552 - a victorious year for Russia. At first it was called Alatar, being a Chuvash settlement. After all, they, as you know, used the Turkic language. Over time, the toponym was turned into a Russian conversational apparatus. The Holy Trinity Monastery and the Church of the Virgin, the railway station and the local history exposition - everything brings us back to the glorious times of Moscow's campaigns against the Kazan Khanate, the liberation of the Volga peoples from the greedy Tatar nobility, wooden churches that diluted colorful mosques. Even the car entrance is decorated with a restored fragment of the fortress wall. It remains to be added that the town is extended in its largest diameter by more than 8.5 kilometers. Its promenade has a tiny beach. It looks very provincial and cozy. And beyond its northwestern outskirts (industrial zone and cottage-gas station settlements) there is Chuvarleysky Bor - a place for your camp. The main stop is the Post Office.

The town of Shumerlya and a section of the Sursky Defense Line

In fact, this is already the lower basin of the Sura River. Once upon a time there was nothing here but swampy swamps, ravines, lakes and dense southern taiga chasing the traveler. And only with the advent of the Moscow-Kazan railway in 1916, a station suddenly appeared. Why here? There was just no oak forest around. Yes, there is a river nearby. At first, a village, and then a town with the status of a regional center, "grew" onto the railway platform. And immediately ducks and geese began to disappear from the lakes. And from the river waters a sterlet. The infrastructure developed rapidly. In the 50s, even such a rarity as an evening technical school appeared. In Chuvash "shemertlekh" - "a place overgrown with bird cherry." And besides these fragrant bushes, you will see a beautiful train station, modern residential areas and the beach.

The Sursky Frontier of Defense is a collection of separate fortified areas in the space from the regions of the Central Federal District to the western part of the Volga Federal District. The defensive massif was erected as part of the measures for the Defense of Moscow in 1941-1942. Most of the structures were on the banks of the Sura or not far from it. Hence the conditional name of this line. Today's Sumerlinians are more reverent than others about preserving the memory of the labor feat of the builders of the 380-kilometer Frontier. Imagine: these courageous people dug, built, equipped, installed anti-tank hedgehogs in frost (down to minus 40 degrees) ... We had to have time to do everything in 45 days. We did. The section of this object has been reconstructed. In fairness, we note that there is something similar in the village of Zeleny near Alatyr.

Swamps of Urgun and Kumashkinsky reserve

Farewell to Chuvashia - reserve "Bolota Urgun". A tiny space inhabited by a strange species of moor frog. We described its feature in the first paragraph. The location is "pressed" against the settlement of Podbornoye (south of Shumerli). Lakes 5.

And now rafting on the Sura River is already at the very last stage. Where Sura simply splashes all the water over hundreds of oxbow lakes, swamps and lakes. And she often scatters into ducts. The border of Chuvashia and Nizhny Novgorod coincides with the southern border of the Kumashkinsky reserve. It is popular among the scientific community with dozens of populations at once, which have already been discussed in the review. The protected area is stretched to the Atnacharsky forestry of the Yadrinsky district. So it's better to sail without stopping to the very Krasny Yar. There is an excellent forest with firewood.

Tourism and recreation on the Sura River

The Sura River is located entirely in the temperate zone. That is, the warm season here lasts at least six months. The presence of forests suggests the need for camping trips, fishing, hunting and berry and mushroom fishing. And the presence of the same amount of open spaces hints at successful horse rides and jeep safari in the summer. As well as snowmobile racing in winter. There are small hills - this is extreme.

There are no airports in Sura cities. And there are enough railways in Penza, Chaadaevka and Alatyr. In terms of road transport, the Sura River is accessible via the following roads:

  • M-5 ("Ural" - entrance from Kuznetsk);
  • Kondol-Nikolsk;
  • R-178 (Ulyanovsk-Saransk);
  • Surskoye-Alatyr-Shumerlya;
  • M-7 ("Volga") on the section E-22.

Speleological and mountain trekking holidays on the Sura River await you only in two places - on the small mountains of the Surskiye Peaks (trekking) and in Ichalkovsky Bor, Nizhny Novgorod Region, which you will get to along the Pyan branch (there are caves).

Event (and at the same time agrarian and equestrian) recreation on the Sura River is represented by trips to the "ethnographic" places of the Penza region and Chuvashia. As for the first of these regions: there are horse-tourist bases in Penza and near Sursk. You can ride around the whole area. As for festivals, they are held annually in Sursk (“Sursky Yar”), Alatyr (“Alatyr”), Yadrin (milk festival), as well as in Penza (Interregional Comedy Festival Stand-up Show “Pliz Stand-up” and others).

Beach leisure is ideal in the Sura floodplain almost everywhere. There are enough sandy banks on all stretches. But there are points where the infrastructure or beauty is amazing. Let's call them:

  • Surskoe (Penza) reservoir;
  • embankment "Sputnik" in Penza;
  • Old Sura;
  • Ruseevsky;
  • city ​​"bath" of the city of Sursk;
  • Birch Grove;
  • Azure Coast;
  • river loops 3.5 kilometers from Mordovskiy Davydovo (3 sandy recreations);
  • Big Berezniki (2 beaches);
  • Baryshskaya Sloboda;
  • the mouth of the river Abyss (Alatyr);
  • city ​​beach of Alatyr;
  • Yazykovo;
  • "baths" of the city of Shumerlya;
  • beach of a holiday home in the village of Vasilsursk (spit of the Volga and Sura).

Rafting on the Sura River is a pleasant water fun that does not threaten you. As a rule, they start it from Nikolskaya Gora, where the width of the stream is quite decent. The riffles going all the way to Sursk are pretty and not at all dangerous. Categories will not achieve. But on a water trip you can take small children or the elderly. It's nice to go downstream as well. Many people like to catch the old Alatyr in the frame from the water. Lie on the beaches. Spring here is not too full-flowing - so the boat will not turn much. And one more thing for those in the upper reaches. The opposite side of the reservoir is forbidden.

Fishing and hunting on the Sura River

The fisherman also likes the Sura River. Fishing introduces him to such underwater inhabitants - pike, perch, crucian carp, roach and ruff. As well as sabrefish, asp, pike perch, bream and ide. In some places - top melter, carp and burbot. Well, where can we get away from tyulka, white-eyed bream and white-eye. But in quiet backwaters (very deep) you can run into catfish. On the Sura River, fishing is not recommended only in a few water protection zones - at hydroelectric facilities and in areas of various protected areas. In addition, during the spawning season, you should avoid "birth" pits. It remains to add that the Red Book of all the administrative units mentioned above includes sturgeon, beluga, sterlet, lamprey and sculpin.

Having told what happiness the water expanses of the Sura River bring to the tourist, we will finish describing the fishing. After all, we still have a hunt. Special areas have been created for this event, adored by men. Ulyanovsk bases "Razdolie", "Forest Byl" and "Oktan-Resource". 9 public hunting grounds in the Penza region. Nizhny Novgorod LLC Akruks-N. Mordovian clubs "Hunter", "Bear" and "Prisurie". Chuvash user organizations "Rezon", "Centre-Avto", "Middle Volga", "Promtractor", "Chuvashohotryblovsoyuz", "Kedr" and "Chapaev Stud Farm". The large Mari farm "Dubrava" is on the same list. The lands are separated from each other or divided into protected areas. As well as a large number of reserves. You can shoot a goose, duck, capercaillie, black grouse, partridge, woodcock. From mammals - wild boar, bear, elk (limited), squirrel. As well as a hare, a fox, a polecat and a wolf. In some places, the beaver is also available to the fisherman. Mink (exception - Chuvashia), marten (exception - Chuvashia), flying squirrel, bats, manul and all deer were everywhere in the Red Book. And among the birds - predators, owls, cranes, swans, herons and storks. In Chuvashia, breeders of hunting dogs are actively supported. Hunting with cops, greyhounds, hounds and spaniels is widespread in this region. In the dense Nizhny Novgorod region there is also a badger and a lynx!

In the Penza region, a fashion appeared to hunt on horseback and in a hunting suit of the 19th century. In the 73rd region, you can still get roe deer (however, shooting is very limited). All populations are stable here. In Mordovia, the main problem is poachers, who quickly hide on snowmobiles. Of the entire European part of Russia, this autonomy is the leader in illegal fishermen - lovers of shooting without a license, “black” woodcutters and “net fishermen”. However, the region is also criminalized in many other aspects. It is even fashionable to call him "Morder". The investigative book Section Six is ​​now breaking records.

Sura river protection

Today, the entire protection of the Sura River should be focused on the modernization of water treatment systems. Both on industrial drains, and on sewer. Because the Sura water pollution index is very sad. He refers this resource to the class of "heavily polluted". The problem concerns such cities as Penza (in the region of the same name they are also struggling with coastal garbage) and Alatyr. Part of the Kuznetsk agglomeration adds problems (the city itself lies on a tributary of the Truev), as well as the towns of Sursk and Shumerlya. The heads of regional governments achieved a common decision and money from the federal budget in the early 2000s. However, the ecological situation in the floodplain remains difficult. In terms of bank protection, the protection of the Sura River is still required in the most picturesque settlements of the Penza region - Penza, Serdobsky and Nizhnelomovsky. There are not enough observation posts. The management of the organization that owns the Penza dams is trying to regulate the discharge. Recently, even the forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Mordovia have been concerned about the situation. Many houses "floated away". The rate of erosion of the coast is 2 meters per year. After all, the catchment area is composed of soft limestones, clay, sands and marls. And the speed of the current in some places is high.

Our description of the Sura River shows what you can do on this little-known water "artery" of the Western Volga region. It also introduces her history and serious troubles.

There are several rivers with the name Sura on the territory of the Russian Federation:

  1. The tributary of the Pinega.
  2. River in the Amur region.
  3. in the Arkhangelsk region.
  4. in the Murmansk region.

But the most famous of them is the Sura River, which is the second largest right tributary of the Volga.

Linguists claim that its name comes from an ancient language that was previously spoken in the Volga region. It is noteworthy that its carriers are no longer left today. The picturesque shores are a favorite vacation spot for a large number of tourists, attracting them not only with beautiful landscapes, but also as a wonderful place for fishing.

River features

Sura is one of the most beautiful rivers with a moderately winding channel. The bottom is dominated by a sand and pebble structure, due to which the river is subject to erosion. Despite its impressive length, almost the entire right bank is located on a hill, representing a continuous series of cliffs overgrown with shrubs and trees. In addition, in some places you can see how limestone and chalk outcrops appear on the surface.

The left bank is a lot of sandy beaches, some of which are densely overgrown with dense shrubs, and the Sura River is hidden behind them. The tributaries of this river are impressive in their size, but the most significant of them are on the left side - these are Truev, Kadada and Uza.

The steep structure of the banks of the Sura is explained by the significant slope of the bed in the direction of the Volga. In the upper section of the river, the current speed sometimes reaches 0.9 m / s, while the movement of water in most of the Sura occurs from east to west, sometimes leaning towards the northeast.

Basic data

Sura is the second largest river in Mordovia. This is one of the most picturesque water arteries of the Volga Upland. In addition, the Sura River flows into the Volga, being its second largest tributary. It flows along the eastern and southeastern outskirts of Mordovia for 120 km. The total length of the river is 841 km. In addition, it affects such regions as Ulyanovsk, Penza, Nizhny Novgorod, the territories of Chuvashia and the Republic of Mari El.

The most suitable time to make a trip along the water surface of this river is May. At this time, the Sura River becomes full-flowing. And the speed of the current increases, so that it is not necessary to exert great effort to move through the water.

The width of the river in Mordovia varies on average within 5 km, while in some places it can expand up to 10-12 km, and in some, on the contrary, narrow to such an extent that its width does not exceed 1-2 km.

water travel

In the summer season, you can even move around Sura by kayaks. The length of water routes in this case:

  • From the station "Sura Novaya" in the Penza region to the recreation center "Sura". The length of the route will be approximately 16 km.
  • When departing from the recreation center "Sura" to the destination on Lake Inerka, the length of the route will reach 11 km.
  • In the event that Lake Inerka is the point of departure, the route will be 17.5 km and will lead the traveler to the village of Nikolaevka, Bolshebereznikovsky District.

For experienced travelers, the route can be extended at will to the village of Surskoye, located in the Ulyanovsk region.

Main entertainment

Since the length that the Sura River reaches is very significant, and the area is picturesque, people have long chosen it as the main place of rest in the warm season. A large number of children's camps and recreation centers with the same name - "Sura" were erected on the banks of the river. In addition, it is important that the area adjacent to them was equipped for very spacious and comfortable beaches. A large number of lakes have been collected in the floodplain of the river, while the main attraction for most tourists continues to be the largest lake in Mordovia called Inerka.

Of course, one cannot fail to note the development of fishing in the Sura, which was greatly facilitated by the presence in the river of a large number of various types of fish. This encourages many avid anglers to visit Sura.

Story

According to the surviving information provided by various archival sources, by the end of the 19th century, the Sura River began in the immediate vicinity of the village of Surskiye Peaks. To date, this territory is part of the Baryshsky district of the Ulyanovsk region. In those days, two streams served as the source of the Sura, merging with each other and forming, thanks to this, a small river flowing through the village. Already outside it, the Kramola River and additional streams flowed into it, due to which the Sura became a full-flowing river.

To date, the right source has practically disappeared as a result of uncontrolled cutting down of the surrounding forests. In addition, a dam was built in the area where the Sura River connected to this source, as a result of which the streams, which served as the main source of its filling in this area, began to gradually silt up. And since that time, it was decided to consider its source a river flowing in a nearby forest.

Despite the fact that in former times the Sura was not a wide or deep river, during periods of high water it was successfully used to transport timber, which was a very dangerous and difficult task.

The role of the river in the protected area

The Sura River, the photo of which is placed below, flows through the largest section of the Privolzhskaya Forest-Steppe Reserve called the Upper Sura for more than 10 km. Despite the fact that the main water line runs along the Penza Territory, the width of the river here is insignificant, and the Sura is just beginning to gain strength here. It is noteworthy that this fact only gives the reserve an exceptional water protection value.

The headwaters of the Sura impress visitors with their size, while the area is characterized by high hilliness, thanks to which you can see in detail all the valleys of the river and the streams that flow into it. It is located at an altitude of more than 290 m on a spur of the Volga Upland, the more common name of which is the Surskaya cone. It is noteworthy that this territory acquired the status of a protected area only in 1991.

A lot of forest streams flow through the territory of the reserve, flowing into the Sura, the total length of which is about 27-30 km. They are replenished mainly due to melt and groundwater, originating from ravines and springs.

The Sura River is the second largest right tributary of the Volga. Linguists believe that its name comes from the ancient Volga language, which today no longer has native speakers. The length of the river is 841 km. It flows through the Ulyanovsk, Penza and Nizhny Novgorod regions, as well as through the territory of Mordovia, Chuvashia and the Republic of Mari El. Its picturesque shores are a favorite vacation spot for tourists. In the quiet backwaters of the Sura, zander, carp and pike spawn. Fishermen catch here catfish, asp, perch, sabrefish and crucian carp, and in former times the Sura sterlet was found in the river.

In the 18th century, timber was rafted along the Sura and various goods (mainly bread, alcohol, hemp oil, potash) were transported from Penza to Vasilsursk. Since the end of the 17th century, in the forest dachas of the villages of Chaadaevka, Pavlo-Kurakino and Truevo, flat-bottomed ships and small semi-barks were manufactured. In Penza itself, since 1801, they began to build the so-called suriaki. The length of these ships reached 60 fathoms, carrying capacity - 25 thousand pounds. Suryaks were loaded with goods, and they moved downstream on their own. During the Great Patriotic War, wood was rafted along the Sura to heat children's institutions and hospitals.

TO THE ORIGINS

According to archival sources, at the end of the 19th century, the Sura River originated near the village of Surskiye Peaks. It belonged to the Syzran district of the Simbirsk province, and today it is the Barysh district of the Ulyanovsk region. Then the source of the Sura were two streams, which, merging together, formed a small river that flowed through the land of this village. In the area of ​​​​the Timoshkinskaya forest dacha, Kramola and several small streams flowed into it. In this place, the Sura became a full-fledged high-water river.

Nowadays, the old source has practically ceased to exist due to cutting down the surrounding forests. In addition, the construction of a dam in these places led to siltation of the springs that fed the Sura. Its source is now considered to be another river flowing out of the swampy forest nearby.

The characteristic features of the Sura are a fairly fast flow for a flat river, a winding channel and high steep banks. This is due to the significant slope of the bed, towards the Volga. In the upper section, the flow velocity is approximately 0.7-0.8 m/s. Here the river flows almost from east to west, and then makes a sharp turn and heads northeast. The largest tributaries in this area are the left ones: Truev, Kadada, Uza.

On the territory of the reserve "Privolzhskaya forest-steppe" Sura flows only 10.7 km - on the largest of the five sections, which is called the "Upper Sura". Here, the main water artery of the Penza Territory is quite small, it is just beginning to gain strength, and this gives the reserve an exceptional water protection significance.

"Upper Sura" became part of the reserve in 1991. The site area is 6334 hectares, and it is located at an altitude of 293 m, on a spur of the Volga Upland, known as the Surskaya Shishka. To the west of the site is the village of Clock, and to the south - Tikhmenevo. The relief of the region is hilly, with clearly visible valleys of the river of streams.

RESERVED WATERS

The forest streams Rucheleyka, Chernaya Rechka and Trasov stream flow through the territory of the reserve, fast and winding. The total length of forest streams is about 30 km. They feed mainly on snowmelt and to a small extent on groundwater. Their channels are winding, and the current is quite fast. Most streams originate in gullies and ravines with springs. There are also swamps, mostly of a transitional type. Their total area is 42.6 hectares. These swamps are formed mainly on watersheds, as well as in floodplains and river valleys. In the very center of the site there is Lake Svetloye of suffusion origin. Its shores are swampy, and on the eastern side are surrounded by quagmire with willow bushes and sphagnum.

FORESTS: ANCIENT AND MODERN

There are 19 species of trees and 28 shrubs in the Upper Sura. The main value is old-growth (up to 300 years old) areas of pine and oak forests. However, most of the territory is occupied by derivative forests: birch forests with an admixture of aspen, linden, poplar and pine or aspen forests. This is the composition of the upper tier.

In the undergrowth there are common mountain ash, Tatar maple, common viburnum, brittle buckthorn, laxative zhester, apple tree, warty euonymus, etc.

In the floodplains of rivers and streams, bird cherry and various types of willows grow in wet wetlands. In the same places there are completely impenetrable alder forests. Because of the swampy soil, the trees rise on powerful roots. When this is a whole group with a common base, strange alder islands appear among the swamp. In birch forests in low, damp areas there is a continuous and very dense grass cover. Omsk sedge, graying reed grass, blue lightning, soddy pike, medicinal burnet, and female nodule also grow here.

A unique place in this section of the reserve is a juniper grove.

COASTAL RESIDENTS

Numerous inhabitants of the upper reaches of the Sura are sharp-faced frogs. They are interesting because in the spring, during the mating season, the males acquire a bright blue color. Often there are a quick lizard and an ordinary snake. It is distinguished from the viper by orange or yellow spots behind the head. In the Upper Sura, European bank voles and wood mice are numerous. Even wolves, lynxes, roe deer and wild boars are found here.

Up to 30 elks also winter in the Upper Sura. They often damage young trees by biting their branches. Real taiga species nest here: capercaillie, deaf cuckoo and three-toed woodpecker. Black grouse and hazel grouse are common, there are waders: woodcock and snipe.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW

Splavina, or quicksand, is one of the stages of overgrowth of a reservoir from the surface. It consists of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants: reeds, cattail, watch and green mosses. As the quagmire grows, pieces of peat and the remains of plants, completely or partially rotted, come off from its lower surface. Thus, a powerful layer of semi-liquid silt appears at the bottom, gradually filling the entire reservoir. As a result, a swamp develops in its place.

Sura (Chuvash. Săr, miner. Shur, Erz. Sura lei)- right tributary Volga, one of the most picturesque rivers of the Volga Upland.

Ice drift on the Sura river
Sergey Karpeev
Does the bream snort its fin,
Or a pike will strike with its tail -
Buzz on a fine day
Strands of smoky radiation.

Will perforate the stream of the river
Ice loosening your back
And leave behind
Muddy trace the abyss.

Snowman of spring waters
It will insist on the fields -
And the rapids will roar,
An icy clatter of a hoof.

Crush hourly
Winter shackle.
Wagtail brittle voice -
The hymn to spring will announce again.

From the top of the forest looks
In faraway breaks.
The ice drift paves the way
In ghoul windows.

It should be assumed that the Kama tribes, having come to Sura, could find here the ancient Mordovian name - rau(river), the meaning of which they did not know. Living on the Sura coast for several hundred years, the newcomers added the native word Shur to the name Rau. It turned out a hybrid name Shur + Rau. Then the Surye again became the patrimony of the ancient Mordovians. As a result, the hydronym could be pronounced Surau, the final "a" arose under the influence of the Russian word "river".

It flows through the Ulyanovsk, Nizhny Novgorod and Penza regions, Mordovia, Mari El and Chuvashia.

The length of the river is 841 km, the basin area is 67.5 thousand km².

It originates on the Volga Upland near the village of Surskiye Peaks (Baryshsky district of the Ulyanovsk region - Height 301 m), and flows along it first to the west, then mainly to the north.

SURA RIVER

Privolzhskaya Upland - a hill on the right bank of the Volga from Nizhny Novgorod to Volgograd. Height up to 384 m. Predominant height 150-200 m. Width up to 500 km. The Volga Upland abruptly, in places with ledges, breaks off to the Volga and gently slopes down to the Oka-Donskaya lowland. It is strongly dissected by a ravine-beam network. Separate parts of the high Volga slope are called mountains. The Volga Upland is characterized by the presence of tectonic swells, troughs, causing the development of structural landforms. It is composed of limestones, clays, sands, marls, and other rocks. Developed karst.

The highest mountains in the Volga Upland: Khvalynsky mountains.

The glacier touched only the westernmost edge of the Volga Upland. Therefore, sedimentary rocks here are not covered by strata of glacial deposits and more often protrude to the surface. These are limestones, chalk, sandstones.

Sura river

In the lower reaches of the Sura is raftable and navigable.

Used for industrial water supply.

The cities of Sursk, Penza, Alatyr, Yadrin, Shumerlya, the village of Novaya Sloboda are located on the Sura; Vasilsursk.

MOUTH OF THE SURA RIVER - VASILSURSK - VOLGA

Mouth of the Sura - Cheboksary reservoir:

Location Vasilsursk(Vorotynsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region)

· Coordinates Coordinates: 56°07′23″ s. sh. 45°58′21″ E / 56.123056° N. sh. 45.9725° E d. (G) (O) (I).

Until the 16th century, the eastern border of the Moscow principality passed along the Sura.

MOUTH OF THE ALATYR RIVER - CHUVASHIA

Sursky line of defense - a structure near the Sura River, built on the territory of the Chuvash and Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics, intended to delay the Nazi troops on the outskirts of Kazan along with the Kazan defensive line.

On the territory of the Chuvash ASSR, the Sursky line passed along the Sura along the line with. Zasurskoye, Yadrinsky district - the village of Pandikovo, Krasnochetaisky - with. Sursky Maidan of the Alatyrsky districts - Alatyr to the border with the Ulyanovsk region. Tens of thousands of residents of the ChASSR took part in the construction of the structure. The Sursky Frontier was built in 45 days.

Building background

When in October 1941 the Wehrmacht was advancing towards Moscow and Moscow was preparing for defense, the State Defense Committee discussed and adopted a preliminary plan for the construction of defensive and strategic lines in the deep rear on the Oka and Don. Volga. In the main and additional plans for rear defensive construction, the task was to strengthen Gorky, Kazan, Kuibyshev, Ulyanovsk, Saratov, Stalingrad and other cities. In the event of an unsuccessful development of defensive operations for the Soviet troops, they had to detain the enemy at new lines.

PANORAMA OF THE SURA RIVER NEAR THE TOWN OF YADRIN

SURA RIVER

Start of construction

The construction of the Sursky defensive line began at the end of October 1941.

The construction of the defensive line, later called the Sursky Line, began in 1941, when German troops were already near Moscow.

Completion of construction

On January 21, 1942, a telegram was sent to the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs L.P. Beria, signed by the head of the 12th Army Department Leonyuk, the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Somov, the secretary of the regional committee Charykov: “The GKO task for the construction of the Sursky defensive line has been completed. The volume of excavated land is 3 million cubic meters, 1,600 firing points (bunkers and platforms), 1,500 dugouts and 80 km of trenches with communication lines have been built.

SURA RIVER - ALATYR CITY

SURA RIVER -

Characteristic

Meals are mixed, with a predominance of snow.

High water in April - May.

Freezes in November-December, opens at the end of March-April.

After the construction of the Sursky reservoir, the river has a regulated flow.

Flora and fauna

In Sura there are: catfish, sterlet, bream, pike perch, asp, pike, sabrefish, crucian carp, roach, silver bream, white-eye, perch, ruff, sprat, bleak.

In the old days it was famous for the Sura sterlet.

WINTER ON THE SURA RIVER

Tributaries of the Sura

Left tributaries

Alatyr is a left tributary.

Pyana is a left tributary.

Penza is a left tributary.

Penzyatka is a left tributary.

The Ouse is a left tributary.

Truev is a left tributary.

Shuksha is a left tributary.

Kutlya is a left tributary.

Vyas is a left tributary.

Urga is a left tributary.

Chugunka is a left tributary.

Kadada - left tributary

Right tributaries

Algashka is a right tributary.

Barish is a right tributary.

The Abyss (a tributary of the Sura) is the right tributary.

Vyla is a right tributary.

Vyadya is a right tributary.

Inza is a right tributary.

Kumashka is a right tributary.

Kirya is a right tributary.

intent

Uranka - right tributary

Yulovka is a right tributary.

SURA RIVER ON THE BORDER OF NIZHNY NOVGOROD REGION AND CHUVASHIA

ONE OF THE LARGEST AND REMARKABLE TRIBUTIES OF THE SURA IS THE PIANA RIVER:

Pyana - a river in the European part of Russia, almost completely flowing through the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod region and for a short distance through the territory of Mordovia, the left tributary of the Sura.

The length is 436 km, the basin area is 8060 km², the distance from the mouth to the source is about 65 km. The average water flow is 25 m³/s. Very tortuous; karst landforms in the basin. Navigable in the lower reaches.

MOUTH OF THE PIANA RIVER - SURA RIVER

SURA RIVER

There are different versions about the origin of the name. According to one of them, which prevails among the inhabitants of the places through which it flows, the river is named because of its bizarre character, sinuousness. So P.I. wrote about the river. Melnikov-Pechersky: “Even by the first Russian inhabitants, the Drunken River was nicknamed for the fact that it staggers, it dangles in all directions, exactly a drunken woman, and, after going five hundred miles in twists and turns, runs up to its source and almost pours into Sura near it” .

According to another, it was named because on August 2, 1377, three years before the Battle of Kulikovo, Russian troops in the battle near this river suffered a crushing defeat from the Tatar army of Prince Arapsha; the Russian army, not expecting an attack by the Tatars, got drunk.

And according to the third version, the name of the river comes from the Finno-Ugric word pien (pien), which means "small". It is possible that the name originally came from pien, later transformed into Piana.

SURA FLOOD NEAR THE TOWN OF YADRIN

RAFTING ON THE SURA RIVER:

The upper reaches of the Sura River are available for rafting only during high water, and the journey along it is of a sporting nature. Below the confluence of the Kadada, you can kayak along the Sura in the summer. Here the river is also suitable for novice tourists.

The length of the sections of the route: Tyukhmenevo-Chaadaevka-90 km, Chaadaevka-Penza-110 km, Penza-Sura station-120 km, Sura-Alatyr station-220 km, Alatyr-Shumerlya-110 km, Shumerlya-Vasilsursk- 200 km.

Along the upper reaches of the Sura, they usually go from the village of Tyukhmenevo, where they get from the city of Kuznetsk by bus.

The sura at the beginning of the route is fast, winding, flowing in low banks. In high water, it overflows and often, straightening its path, rushes through the bush. On the May holidays, the river almost everywhere already enters its course. In some areas, its width is only 2-3 m.

VILLAGE PORECKO

Having received the tributary of the True from the left, the Sura becomes wider, the current is calmer, the banks are higher, covered with beautiful, mostly pine forests. The forests in the region of Sosnovoborsk, Nikonovo, Zolotarevka are especially good.

After the confluence of the Teshnjar, the loops of the Sura become larger, sandy beaches are found. You can end your journey along the upper reaches at the Pionerskaya station, located near the river (from here you can get to Penza by electric train), or at the road bridge: in 6 km from it is the Chaadaevka station (Penza-Syzran line), where long-distance trains stop.

FLOOD ON THE SURA RIVER

After Chaadaevka, from where the journey can be started in the summer, the banks go down a little, and through 20 km rise again in wooded hills. In low water, especially in dry summers, some rifts may require wiring. In addition, there are two dams (carry-over) before Kanaevka. The villages are quite far apart. Beaches are frequent, but many of them are used as a watering place for livestock. The right bank is higher and steeper, the left bank is lower and gentler.

20 km below the mouth of the Uza, the construction of the dam is being completed, and soon the waters of the reservoir - the Sur Sea - will splash here.

In front of Penza and below it, Sura wanders along the floodplain, forms oxbow lakes, channels, sand spits, islands, and numerous shoals appear.

Penza was founded in 1666 as a guard post to protect the southeastern borders of the Russian state from nomads. Now it is a large industrial center. The names of writers M. Yu. Lermontov, V. G. Belinsky, N. P. Ogarev, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, A. M. Gorky, artist K. A. Savitsky, teacher I. N. Ulyanov are associated with the city , surgeon N. N. Burdenko, commander M. N. Tukhachevsky. There is a museum of local lore, an art gallery, a botanical garden, drama and puppet theaters, a circus.

OLD SURA RIVER BED

Below Penza, the banks of the Sura are relatively gentle, the valley is wide. After the confluence of the Vyadya River on the right, the right bank becomes higher, overgrown with forests. In the region of Grabovo there is a nature reserve. In the village there is the Ustinov Palace, built in the style of a medieval castle. Downstream on the left bank is the village of Pokrovskie Vazerki, famous for its folk craft - lace making.

The inhabitants of the left bank of the Sura were active participants in the peasant war under the leadership of E. I. Pugachev. And now here you can hear the legends relating to those distant times.

The picturesque banks of the Sura near the village of Prokazna are shrouded in a pinkish haze in spring. These are the gardens of the large horticultural state farm located here.

Further, the spurs of the Volga Upland come close to the river, in some places there are beautiful cliffs to the water. Particularly good places are in the area of ​​​​Nikityanka, Aleksandrovka, Sura station, where limestone and chalk come to the surface. On this site, the picturesque Aiva River flows to the right, which has a large slope and semi-mountain character.

SURSKY RESERVOIR

If the starting point of the journey is the Sura station (Ryazan-Syzran line), then you need to go along the right tributary of the Sura - Inze, which flows into 200 m from the station. Below the mouth of the Inza, sandy and rocky cliffs appear alternately from the right, then from the left. Some of them are up to 60 m . Gradually, the Sura becomes more full-flowing, the depth on the rifts increases. The river is navigable from the village of Surskoye.

At Alatyr, the width of the Sura in low water is already about 200 m, and in high water the river overflows for 2-5 km. Therefore, the villages are quite far from the water. The city of Alatyr was founded in 1552 as a military fortification. Now - the industrial center of Chuvashia.

SURA RIVER MAP

In the lower reaches, the Sura is calm, although fast. The left bank is predominantly low, floodplain, the right one is steeper, steep, its height increases closer to the mouth. Treeless areas alternate with good, mostly deciduous, forests.

Sura vigorously moves its channel through the valley. After each flood, new shoals, sandy islands, spits appear, oxbow lakes are formed. The village of Kurmysh, founded in 1372 . as a military fortification on the banks of the Sura, now located in 1.5 km from the river. In Kurmysh, you can see the church of the beginning of the 18th century. - architectural monument.

Traveling along the lower reaches of the Sura usually ends in Vasilsursk, standing on a high steep bank of the Volga 2 km from the mouth of the Sura.

Vasilsursk, founded in 1523., occupied an important strategic position on the waterway to the Caspian Sea. The surroundings of the city are very picturesque. One of the places with a strongly dissected relief was called "Vasilsur Switzerland". The local landscapes have long attracted artists. I. E. Repin and I. I. Shishkin worked here.

From Vasilsursk leave by boat to Kazan or N.Novgorod.

THE BEGINNING OF THE ICE DRIFT ON THE SURA RIVER

ARTICLE ABOUT FISHING ON SUR (

Although the Sura is only one of the major rivers flowing through the territory of my republic, the interest of fishermen in it is much greater than in others. At the same time, Sura is interesting in any period - pike are excellent on the first ice, in the wilderness you can catch pike perch and bersh well, and bream is good on the last ice. The most interesting fishing takes place in March - April, when the fish gather in dense flocks and begin to move from their wintering pits. At this time, the flocks are mixed up - and in one hole bream, bersh, roach, pike perch, perch are caught alternately. To get on such a platter most often falls closer to the very last ice, somewhere in late March - early April. In the dead of winter, and even at the beginning of March, if the spring is not too early, different fish are still taken separately, and each of them needs a separate approach.

Bream and Sopa

In the river, white fish are dominated by high-bodied sopa, silver bream, bream and white-eye. At least, there are many times more of them compared to roach, although in some places there are also a lot of them.

And even though there is a lot of sops and bream here, the size of the fishermen's prey can vary greatly: someone has a full box, and someone has only three sops. Such “injustice” is connected with the peculiarities of fishing on the Sura: you have to catch in a constant and rather strong current, and in such conditions it is very important to choose a jig of the right weight. A fish that is too heavy will be frightened, but a fish that is too light will not reach this very fish, but will hang somewhere above the bottom. The main fishing for these fish is from the bottom, in the very bottom layer. At the same time, on some days the fish reacts better “to the game”, and on some days - to the “standing” mormyshka. Most often, anglers here catch "on the stand", neglecting the game. But as practice shows, the game, and sometimes very active, can work wonders.

Somehow I went to Sura. I went to a 6-meter depth and began to actively look for a sopa. She did not take, but in one hole I got on a bersh - and only managed to catch two half-kilogram bershiks and a similar pike perch, when the current increased noticeably. I was not at all ready for such a turn of events - all the somewhat heavy mormyshkas rested at home. The maximum that I could find in the box was a medium-sized "Uralochka". She was not dragged very strongly, so I continued to fish in the same hole. However, the bite has already ended: all the prickly-fanged comrades have disappeared somewhere, literally.

So I sat until dinner, not seeing a bite. And after lunch, the current intensified even more - and my "Uralochka" began to be seriously dragged away. But not to leave the river because of this, so I undertook to hand over the fishing line, trying to find the bottom with a mormyshka. Groped. It ran away again. I continued to take the line further. So, periodically tapping on the bottom, I managed to drive the mormyshka 15-20 meters from my hole. In fact, it turned out that I was fishing with a non-standard jig "step" - however, exactly the opposite: I did not reel in, but handed over the fishing line.

The first bite took place at the moment when the mormyshka left me ten meters away. I got a good shovel - and continued to catch the "step". Then it got even more interesting. Sopa and white bream began to peck all over the area from five to ten meters from my hole! Around me sat another dozen or two fishermen. Seeing that I was dragging the fish, they began to pull up to me. Buried from all sides. When one began to drill downstream of me, I immediately rolled up the tackle and moved to another place - so as not to cross with that fisherman with mormyshkas. I drilled in another place - and again began to pull the sopa one after another. I got screwed over again. I moved again. Soon they stopped drilling - because they pong, which is useless: I pecked, but the others did not. That day I got a lot of soap ...

On subsequent fishing trips, I consolidated my success in drift fishing with active play. By the way, it is important in this method of fishing - to arrange the tackle well, from the bait to the fishing rod. And it is better to do this even before fishing, at home, in a calm environment - hastily assembled, tackle is rarely successful.

The main thing for the fishing rod is a fairly capacious reel, on which you can wind 50 - 70 m of 0.2 mm fishing line. The reel must be open, not like a "balalaika" - so that the fishing line is always in your sight. It is the open reel that allows you to control the formation of loops (“beards”), which can lead to line breakage. Also, the reel should be adjusted so that it quickly, quickly and without nerves handed over and reeled in the fishing line.

Usually the fishing line is taken with a diameter of 0.12 - 0.15 mm. In some cases, when the biting of bream and pike perch begins, you have to turn to a fishing line with a diameter of 0.18 mm or more. At depth, the fish should not feel rough tackle, so the use of thick fishing line to achieve the goal is justified.

A mormyshka for depth and current, as on Sura, needs such a size and mass that, if necessary, it could reach the bottom - and at the same time sailed a little so that we could drive it some distance from the hole.

On the very last ice fishing of that season, I managed to catch bream on Sura in the same way. Some monsters just tore off the line in a strong current, others, which I miraculously managed to deliver to the hole, got off when I tried to squeeze them into the narrow throat of the hole. But a few broad-bodied still got me a catch.

Pike perch and bersh

Fishermen have a saying: "Where there is bream, there is pike perch." I will say more - where there is bream and sopa, there is pike perch with bersh. A bream for pike perch, and even more so a bersh, is clearly not a victim, and a small-sized sopa may well suit a pike perch as a good prey.

When a fish begins to move closer to spring, it moves from deeper places where it survived the winter to shallower places. There you can actively eat and gain strength for the upcoming spawning. So the bream, sopa and bream come out of their pits. They are followed by zander and bersh. Moreover, pike perch usually goes along the edge of the main flock of silver bream.

Sopa, although sometimes a victim, nevertheless, does not stop feeding - and often after a few fish you pull out a solid pike perch. It is characteristic that the larger the average sopa from the flock, the larger the pike perch. A flock of small, 50 - 60 g, sops is usually grazed by a medium-sized pike perch, up to a kilogram, a more solid fish is accompanied by a correspondingly larger pike perch. Although this is not an indicator: it often happens to catch sopa and zander equally weighing in the same hole, and here it can no longer be said that the zander is chasing the sopa in order to eat it. Maybe they are just friends?

Sometimes, if you get on the edge of a pack of sops, there are no less zander bites than sops bites.

On Sura, on some days the current is stronger, on some days it is weaker. For several years of fishing in these places, I got the impression that predators absolutely do not care whether there is a current or not - they almost always take the same, only the places and methods of fishing differ. On low current days, I prefer to fish with balancers from the deepest edges. Under the bridge over the Sura along the Cheboksary - Moscow highway, I have in mind a couple of pits, in which there is constantly a pike perch and a bersh. I have not seen especially large specimens here, but the standard ones for the river - 400 - 800 grams - peck all the time. Periodically come across "tails" up to two kilos. Larger specimens rarely bite in winter.

On days when the current is stronger, zander can stay in slightly different places. So, once, I was looking for a predator for a very long time, and eventually found it at the entrance to the bay, where the current calmed down a bit, and the water began to twist. It was here that I managed to find a cluster of predators. Among the standard "soup set" of 400 - 700 g, there were a couple of pieces a little over a kilogram. Of the baits, standard zander lures worked, long, narrow and rather light, but the zander did not react to the balancers at all.

It should be noted that the local pike perch and bersh are very outstanding. The main place where I catch these predators in winter is the area under the previously mentioned bridge. There are quite a lot of pike perch and bersh there, and they take it, even if you don’t really count on them - they come across both mormyshki intended for sopa and pike vents. But in the summer, fanged-striped ones practically do not react to spinning baits in any way. I specially came in spring, summer and autumn to the same places, diligently jigged, at dusk - twitched, but to no avail. Pike - yes, chick - yes, pike perch and bersh - no. Despite the fact that they often came across on donkeys here, and in other places along the Sura, pike perch and bersh react positively to spinning baits, but not under the bridge. It still remains a mystery to me.

Roach

On the Sura, when you fish for a very long time on the mainstream, it begins to seem that there is no one here except for the sopa and pike perch with a bersh. But the river is full of other fish - for example, roach. In the summer, she comes across here very regularly, but in the winter she doesn’t take it everywhere. The most successful roach fishing I got was closer to the last ice. At this time, the sorog, as it is called here, is not bad to be caught in the bays and at the exits from them.

Particularly interesting in terms of catching roach are the bark areas. The specimens here are much larger. In snags, you should feed a little in order to lure the object of our desire from the very thick of snags. It is necessary to bait on a relatively clean bottom so that under the influence of the current the bait is carried to the snags.

In such places I use a fishing line with a diameter of 0.12 - 0.18 mm. It is relatively thick, but you should not be afraid of this, because the fish are biting mostly large, from 250 - 300 g and above. Moreover, this “higher” means that roach here can “fly in” significantly more than a kilogram. Such a monster will not miss the opportunity to dive deeper into the snags - and in order to stop it, such a thick fishing line will be needed.

Mormyshkas are suitable for any shape, and the mass is selected experimentally - the main thing is that the bait should not be pulled into snags. I prefer to catch “on the stand”, so as not to cling once again. The nod should be chosen softer. And most importantly, that he fixes the bite "on the rise." In no case should you put more than one hook or mormyshka on the rig: during the fight, a large roach, a lover of walking in circles, will definitely hook an extra hook on a snag - and then the descent will be inevitable.

The best time for catching roach on the Sura is March, with a long spring, and April. At this time, the safest ice is in bays and places with weak currents. The roach also has a difficult character, and a good bite does not happen all the time. But this is not a reason to turn gear. If the soroga stands still, then it is quite possible to stir it up using different methods. You also need to be able to find a local place of accumulation at a specific place.

… One day the fishing didn't go well from the very beginning. On the first ten postings - albeit for roach, but very small - 30 - 50 grams each. Previously, there were constantly larger ones here. Here, however, I caught in a slightly different place, where now someone inopportunely placed their vents. And under these vents there are small ridges in which a better fish hides.

With each new hole, I get closer and closer to the vents - everywhere a 30-gram "lavrushka" (small roach, as well as a bream, a snoop, a bream - ed.) exasperates. But then the bottom went bumpy - already very close to the arranged gear, it was possible to hook a small bottom strip. And then larger paths began to come across. Let only 150 - 200 g each, but the bites are good and there are a lot of them. I drill this area around the perimeter, I catch a more or less decent sorog.

After another indistinct bite, I feel the tremors of a very decent fish. My fishing line is 0.06 mm, a mormyshka with a swallow hook. I swing the fish back and forth - and after long minutes I pull the roach onto the ice. These are rarely found here - it contains about half a kilogram. I drill the area up and down, darken the holes. But the krupnyak no longer bites - all for 100 - 200 g. And now in the next hole - a good bite! This fish, according to the sensations, is an order of magnitude larger than the previous monster. Up and down, up and down, a jerk - and an annoying break. The fish are leaving the site completely, and I don’t have time anymore.

ASP ON SUR

FISHING IN SUR

"Non-core" fish

The species composition of the inhabitants of Sura is not limited to sop, bream, roach, pike perch and bersh. There are also perch and pike here, but on the last ice they are caught worse in places familiar to me. On the first ice - yes, sometimes there is no end to pike, but in March the biting is inconsistent.

Perch periodically comes out in March to roach areas, to bays, and sometimes comes across in the main stream. It reacts very well to the "goats" and "devils" without attachments, but it is impractical to specifically run and look for it with the help of a lure in the mainstream, far from the bays it loves.

Pike on the main course is also rarely caught. In the areas where I fish, the fishermen neighbors constantly expose their vents, but in all the time I have seen literally a few catches. For pike, it is better to go to the famous Belavka, which, by the way, is not far from the famous Sursky Bridge.

Night fishing on the river Sura

The summer of 2010 turned out to be extremely sultry, the sizzling heat was accompanied by a long drought. The air temperature during the day often exceeded the forty degree mark, and the night did not bring the desired coolness. It is not surprising that at the end of the working day, in search of coolness, people rushed to the reservoirs. The fairly shallow banks of rivers and lakes (for two months there was not a single major rain) are filled to the limit with vacationers, so it seemed that ……… there was nowhere for an apple to fall. In the evenings, clouds often thickened in the sky, giving hope for the end of stuffiness to all living things. But apart from a bright light-noise performance and a little rain that was not even able to “nail the dust”, there was no effect. By mid-August, the ground, under the yoke of such severe weather, was covered with cracks, and meadows and forests were painted in shades of golden autumn. So one of those evenings I went fishing. Having reached the river, he settled down on a bank convenient for fishing and remote from noisy companies. Immediately pre-fed promising places for fishing. “Abandoning” the bottom tackle closer to the middle of the river, and the float rod to the reed thickets, I am waiting for bites. The evening dawn, the setting sun hides behind the crowns of trees and the rays of light make their way to the surface of the water less and less, getting stuck along the way in the reed thickets. A storm cloud clearly looms in the sky turned purple from sunset.

The thought “this is not for us” flashed through my head.

The bell jingled timidly, then more insistently, there was a hook. Plotvichka coveted a large grain of corn. A START! The float, sliding on the water, completely sank. The crucian got caught in the barley. It's getting dark. I attach to the tackle on the "firefly". Meanwhile, the cloud grows in size and approaches.

And again the thought “no, not to us” flashed.

The bait started working. True, the fish caught on the hook did not pull on no matter how decent the catch. The bright moon has risen and in its light the cloud looks all menacing. It blew cold. Rare droplets left hope

"Maybe not to us."

Having warmed up, I continue to follow the gear. Pecks. Gradually, the wind picks up, bringing with it rain, turning into a downpour. There was no trace of doubt.

"to us".

The raincoat helped keep me from getting wet. The rain subsided, the clouds covered the whole sky, and pitch darkness reigned. At times the rain stopped altogether. At such moments, one could hear the crackling of tree branches under the pressure of the wind. The bite evaporated, only ruffs sometimes came across the worm. Toward dawn, the biting on the bottom resumed. The carp almost pulled the rod into the water. Everything happened in one second. From a powerful bite, the fishing rod bounced on the stand, the bell, suspended on the tip of the rod, was straining from the chime.

After cutting and feeling at the other end of the fishing line that something weighty, I began to move along the coast, so as not to give the fish a chance to hide in the reeds. In total darkness on the rain-soaked shore, I slipped and fell. I fell on the rod, breaking the reel, I had to pull the line with my hands. Bringing the fish to the shore and lifting it on a fishing line from the water, the fish jumped off the hook. But she failed to leave.

Outcome

2 carp - 1 kg each. Donka corn

8 roaches - small barley

2 ruffs - float worm

1 float worm

AND THE SEA OF IMPRESSIONS!!!

SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:

Team Nomads.

Valery Timofeev.

http://www.skitalets.ru/books/

http://www.textual.ru/gvr/

WIKIPEDIA

http://www.intat.ru/land/tatar/

http://www.airfotovideo.ru/photos/

http://www.photosight.ru/

http://www.russia-da.ru/

http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/kirs-andrej/

http://penzagard.ru/sura.html

http://fisher-pnz.ru/

http://clubs.ya.ru/russia/

http://www.sfish.ru/index.php