Smelt: what does this little fish and cucumber have in common and how can it be dangerous? Smelt fish The habitat of European smelt is
What kind of fish is this smelt and why does it smell like a freshly cut fresh cucumber or watermelon - in general, freshness.
Sometimes the smell of smelt for me is like a fish just caught in the cold - it also exudes a little at first with the same aroma.
After you take the smelt, your hands smell strongly of cucumber. And the kitchen is filled with this fresh aroma of either cucumber or watermelon.
Why does smelt smell like cucumber - what's the matter?
Opinions are divided:
Some ichthyologists say that the smell of smelt under a fresh cucumber means that the fish, when entering cold fresh waters (for example, the Neva River), are washed by them after the salty sea. And this gives the fish a cucumber smell.
Other scientists are of the opinion that fish gives off a cucumber flavor due to a substance referred to as cucumber aldehyde. Aldehydes themselves are often used in perfumery, precisely because they strongly exude one or another aroma.
Not only smelt, but also grayling and whitefish smell of fresh cucumbers. Only this cucumber aldehyde in the last fish disappears much faster.
It is freshly caught smelt that smells like cucumber or watermelon. This fragrance lasts for 2-3 days. Therefore, it is not difficult to distinguish between stale or fresh smelt by smell.
After freezing or any processing, the cucumber smell disappears.
Petersburgers believe that their smelt is real and only it smells so strongly of cucumbers. But it's not. And in Anadyr, and in Vladivostok, and on Sakhalin, this fish has a cucumber flavor, maybe not as strong as in St. Petersburg.
What kind of fish-cucumber - what is a smelt, what does it eat, spawn and what is it caught on?
Smelt is a large-mouthed fish of the smelt family. She is not whimsical at all, as she can live both in fresh water and in sea salt.
Smelt is caught in Russia European and Asian. European smelt is found in Lake Ladoga and Onega, in the Baltic Sea, in the Volga basin and in the Arctic Ocean. The Asian smelt lives from the Bering Strait to the White Sea - in the Far East, in the waters of Kamchatka and large rivers of Siberia.
Root, smelt, smelt are all the same fish (there are no strong differences). This fish is often not large in size from 8 to 38 cm in length, oblong and elongated.
Weighing no more than 350 grams - the maximum weight.
Smelt scales are very small (or absent), transparent and shimmer like mother-of-pearl.
What does it eat
The smelt lives 3-8 years, unless of course other predators get to lunch earlier. By the way, she herself is considered a predator. It feeds on very small fish, caviar, plankton, shrimps, sea worms and what it finds from the bottom.
Spawning
Smelt spawning begins when the water warms up to 5-7 degrees (April - in the middle lane and June - in the north). During spawning, she can overcome hundreds or even thousands of kilometers (especially on the Yenisei).
What to catch
It is best to catch smelt on the last ice, with the onset of spring, when it gathers closer to the mouth of the rivers. For catching smelt, anglers often use mormyshka and spinners.
Since the fish is at decent depths, then the tackle should be equipped with a lot of weight - it reaches the right place faster. Above the main heavy mormyshka, another 3, 4, 5 or even 7 small mormyshkas are knitted.
They are used both as reelless fishing and with bait in the form of a worm, the meat of the smelt itself or other fish, lard. In summer - on a float or on a bottom with a worm or maggot.
At night, like bream, smelt is better caught! For one cast, you can immediately catch 3-4 fish.
Catch rates
Since 2017, the catch of smelt, as a particularly important fish species, has been assigned a daily rate of no more than 5 kilos per person per day (for the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga) and 10 kilos for other regions, in the Far East - 200 pieces.
It's no secret that smelt or tsar fish, as Tsar Peter I nicknamed it, since he himself loved to eat it (from the day Peter was founded, a fish that smells like cucumber) - smelt is considered one of the favorite dishes of Petersburgers.
Every year, in honor of the cucumber fish, a smelt festival is held in St. Petersburg, which takes place in mid-May - on the second weekend of May (May 11-12 in 2019).
The Smelt Festival is a general city picnic where you can have a delicious and fun time together with friends and the whole family.
Taste the “General's fish soup” according to the old recipe of Alexander Menshikov, participate in the competition of fishermen, take part in the “Stocking with Fish” campaign - release the salmon fry yourself into the waters of the Gulf of Finland.
Well, enjoy fried smelt!
How much does a kilogram of fresh cucumber smelt cost
Since April, fresh smelt is everywhere in St. Petersburg. All the streets smell of cucumber.
Since Soviet times, the place at Oktyabrskaya embankment, 70, near the Volodarsky bridge, has been especially popular with the townspeople. And the prices here are not small - from 700 rubles per kg!
Sellers say that this price is due to the freshness of smelt - straight out of the water and into your hands.
In the markets of the city you can buy 100-150 rubles cheaper. And the lowest price for smelt in St. Petersburg is from the "longboat", that is, from the fishermen directly - 200-250 rubles.
In other regions where smelt fishing is also carried out, the price is much lower. Here the shopping basket and financial opportunity come into play.
Smelt has a healthy meat that contains a lot of healthy omega-3 fat. In addition, it is also very tasty (especially with caviar) - it is eaten like seeds.
Gourmets advise frying the whole smelt - do not bother to clean it.
Recipe for fried smelt:
- Take 1 kg of fresh smelt, wash under the tap.
- Separately, pour flour, salt and pepper into a bowl (you can indulge in seasonings), mix.
- Put the pan on the fire, pour in the oil.
- When the oil sizzles, we begin to put the smelt into the pan, previously rolled in the flour mixture.
- Fry on both sides for 2-3 minutes.
- We recline on paper napkins.
- When the paper has absorbed the excess oil from the fish, put it on a plate.
Fried smelt is ready!
Bon Appetit!
This fish is always in a special account with anglers. Small, but extremely tasty and healthy smelt has always been a good addition to the diet of fishermen living in the harsh conditions of the Arctic Ocean Coast. Its unique taste from year to year makes fishermen go to Gulf of Finland ice in relative proximity to the cultural capital of Russia - Petersburg.
Species and habitat
Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) is a small, marine, schooling predatory fish, which ichthyologists refer to the salmon order. Scientists distinguish two subspecies of this fish:
- European smelt, which lives in water bodies belonging to the Baltic and Barents Seas;
- Far Eastern smelt living in water bodies belonging to the Sea of Okhotsk.
The European subspecies rarely grows larger than 10 cm. The Far Eastern smelt lives longer, grows up to 35 cm.
Please note, do not confuse smelt with stickleback. these are two completely different fish, whose names are surprisingly similar.
Sea smelt tries to stay in slightly saline waters, it is considered a semi-anadromous fish, it comes to spawning in the mouths of rivers, sometimes for tens of kilometers. Spawning dates depend on weather conditions. Smelt does not like warm water and spawns at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. The maximum water temperature at which fish (freshwater subspecies of smelt) spawn is 9 degrees.
This fish is difficult. Its habitat is constantly expanding. The European freshwater smelt (smelt), whose large flocks have always been famous for the White Lake, is gradually mastering other water bodies.
The largest population of this fish lives in the Gulf of Finland. Smelt is also caught in Sweden, Latvia, Finland and some reservoirs in Estonia and Lithuania. In Germany, the appearance of flocks of this fish, which comes to spawn in the Elbe and Oder, is noted. Flocks of freshwater smelt in our time live in all large lakes of Northwestern Russia, as well as in the Volga reservoirs (including Ivankovskoye, Rybinsk, Gorky, Saratov and Kuibyshev).
What is remarkable about smelt
The body of this fish is elongated, elongated, covered with large scales. Before spawning, the entire body of the fish is covered with small tubercles. Like all predators, smelt has a large, toothy mouth, with an elongated lower jaw, characteristic of all representatives of the salmon family. Each subspecies, depending on the area in which it lives, has a different color of the abdomen and back, but even the classics of world literature on fishing note that smelt has:
- Brown-green back;
- Silvery sides with a bluish tint;
- Silver belly;
- Light fins.
Combining all subspecies of smelt, it has distinctive features:
- The high calorie content of this fish, which reaches 100 kcal. The meat of this fish can be cooked in a pan without adding oil;
- Fish meat is rich in micro and macro elements, vitamins and is recommended by doctors for the prevention of osteoporosis;
- The fish has a specific smell. Caught smelt exudes the smell of fresh cucumbers, which disappears after the heat treatment of meat.
We watch a video about smelt, reflecting some of the features and secrets that this fish keeps in itself.
Smelt - freshwater smelt
Most often, anglers in our country are faced with such a variety of smelt as smelt.
Back in the century before last, scientists established that the smelt is a type of sea smelt that has degenerated into a small form. The smelt differs from its marine relative only in size and weight. Smelt is a very small predator. Its length does not exceed 6 cm.
This species of smelt lives throughout the Northwest. It is traditionally caught on Lake Psov, Seliger, Ilmen and White Lake (all year round). On the reservoirs of the Volga, this fish bites most often in winter.
Where and how can you find on the pond
Smelt is a schooling fish that moves away from the coast in summer. It is difficult to catch her during this period. The main period of catching it falls on the autumn-winter period, when the reservoirs are covered with ice.
At this time, it is easier to find fish in deep water places, not far from the mouths of rivers flowing into the reservoir. Most often, fish can be found in deep-sea areas with a sandy or clay bottom, with a weak or medium current.
Smelt prefers to stay in the middle horizons of water, periodically slowly rising to the surface or sinking to the very bottom.
The search for smelt should begin with studying the bottom with the help of an echo sounder or using a sinker - cheburashka, simultaneously determining the depth, nature of the bottom and the strength of the current. Lots of holes need to be drilled. The flock, though slowly, but will move. You will have to look for smelt on different horizons.
How and with what help they catch smelt
The diet of smelt consists mainly of small crustaceans, therefore, in catching this small predator, you can use artificial baits:
- small winter baubles;
- headless mormyshki.
Smelt is caught more often on baits of animal origin:
- pieces of fish;
- worm;
- bloodworm;
- shellfish meat
- other seafood.
Bait does not give a special result, it does not hold the flock in place.
Tackle for catching smelt is simple:
- A winter rod equipped with a thick (about 0.25 mm) main line.
- Heavy load. Weight is selected based on the strength of the current in a particular place of fishing;
- Several leashes (with hooks) no longer than 15 cm. The number of leashes is selected depending on the conditions of fishing and the behavior of fish in a particular reservoir. Usually there are at least two, but no more than five.
Of course, catching smelt has nothing to do with catching weighty trophies. Smelt is just a small fish that no gourmet will refuse to try.
Smelt is a commercial fish species and is caught on a large scale. Despite the fact that the smelt is not characterized by large sizes, it is of interest both for commercial fishing and for amateur anglers. This fish has a specific taste and aroma, which made it very popular in the northwestern part of Russia.
Smelt firmly holds the second place in terms of the number of fish caught within the boundaries of the Gulf of Finland. Here the herring holds the first place. In addition to the Gulf of Finland, smelt is common in Onega and Ladoga lakes, at the mouth of the Northern Dvina, in the White Sea, in the Arctic Sea, in the Baltic Sea, the Barents Sea, in the Luga, Neva, Volga, Rokkala, Narva, Sister, Sistra rivers.
It can be found in large reservoirs, such as Saratov, Rybinsk, as well as Gorky and Kuibyshev.
Due to the deteriorating ecological situation, smelt is much less common in the waters of Western Europe.
Depending on the reservoir in which this fish is found, its color may differ, albeit slightly. Basically, smelt is characterized by a brownish-green coloration of the upper part of the oblong body, and the rest, which is 75%, has a silvery-bluish tint. The fins of the smelt are gray-green in color, and the body is oblong in shape, from 10 to 35 cm in length. Different types of smelt can weigh from 5 to 375 grams. This small fish lives from 1 to 7 years, and sometimes, under certain conditions, it can live up to 12 years.
With the beginning of the ice drift, when the water temperature reaches +4°C, the smelt begins to spawn. Before spawning begins, smelt becomes active and begins to move to places where it can lay eggs. At the same time, she is able to overcome up to 270 km, and the spawning period can stretch for an indefinite time, right up to autumn itself. To spawn, smelt heads out of bays and seas to nearby rivers.
Smelt spawns massively in conditions when the water mark reaches +9°C.
The smelt family includes six genera and 10 species. In the northwestern part of Russia, the following species are noted:
- small-mouthed smelt;
- capelin;
- smelt.
The most massive species of all of the above is the last species. Within the territory of the CIS, two subspecies are common:
- Asian smelt;
- European smelt.
Smelt, like other fish species, can be anadromous, depending on the habitat, as well as permanently living within one particular reservoir. As a rule, a fish that lives in the seas, bays, oceans is called anadromous if it moves upstream the rivers to spawn. European smelt lives:
- in the North Pacific;
- in the Arctic Ocean;
- in rivers and coastal waters of the North Atlantic.
Asian smelt lives:
- in the White Sea;
- in the rivers of Siberia and the Far East;
- in the Baltic and North Seas;
- in Lake Ladoga;
- in Lake Onega.
Smallmouth smelt lives:
- in certain parts of the Arctic Ocean;
- in the Pacific basin (Mackenzie River);
- in the Asian Basin (Yellow Sea).
Smallmouth smelt is found in water areas from Kamchatka to Korea and from Alaska to California. For spawning, a similar species goes to desalinated water areas of river mouths.
The smelt chooses coastal areas where there is a food base suitable for smelt. Smelt is considered a predator, therefore it feeds on food of animal origin. She chooses areas only with clean water, therefore, in conditions when there is constant pollution of the water area of reservoirs, she cannot be found.
Within the northwestern part of Russia, smelt is caught on an industrial scale. It is almost impossible to catch a suitable specimen of smelt in an amateur way, since you need to go to the sea, and on a lake or on a river it is a matter of luck. In the rivers of Germany or England, where smelt spends a significant period of time in them, going far up from the mouths of the rivers, local anglers practice catching smelt with amateur gear.
Is it possible to catch smelt in fresh water?
According to many connoisseurs, smelt is actually caught only in salt water. But this is not the case, since there is a freshwater species of smelt called smelt.
The freshwater species of smelt is found in large lakes with very clear water.
There is a lot of smelt in the Gulf of Finland, although there is a little less Baltic herring. And this means that this small fish occupies an important niche in fishing and ichthyofauna.
The most widely known are the following types of gear:
- thin tackle if the smelt is cautious and refuses to peck;
- pickup or net is used in spawning conditions;
- three-wall network;
- Spider;
- seine.
In the summer, when fishing from the shore, thin but sensitive tackle is used, equipped with the smallest sinkers and hooks. In addition to them, an ultra-thin fishing line and the most sensitive type of float are used.
For bait, both natural and artificial nozzles in the form of simple foam rubber can serve. Small live bait or just pieces of fish are suitable as natural baits, since smelt is a predatory fish.
When fishing from a boat or ship, the following tackle will be useful, consisting of:
- From a hook with a long shank.
- Made of synthetic fiber (organza).
- From the assembly thread.
- beads.
- Laka.
The gear is mounted in the following way:
- The hook is fixed in a clamp or a special machine where flies are knitted.
- A pair of fibers is separated from the organza.
- The fibers are pulled into the eye of the hook.
- The fibers are guided along the forearm and tied with a mounting thread. The result should be something similar to the abdomen of an insect.
- All this is reinforced with a lacquer glowing in the dark.
- After that, beads are put on and fixed with the same varnish. The beads must be within the ear of the hook so that it can imitate the head of an insect.
To carry out the final installation of gear, it is necessary to prepare:
- Winter fishing rod with a nod.
- Fishing line, 0.1 mm thick.
- Artificial baits in the amount of 5 pieces.
- A weight of lead, weighing about 3 grams.
The gear is assembled together in this order:
- A reel is taken and a fishing line is wound on it (on a reel of a winter fishing rod).
- Tie three leashes up to 10 cm long.
- Attach the hooks to the leashes with a secure knot.
- The leashes are fixed on the main fishing line, at a distance of 25 cm from one another.
- Fasten 2 hooks on the main line without fixing them (just thread the line through the eye).
- Attach the load to the main line.
Where to look for smelt for fishing
The most promising areas for catching this fish are:
- Smelt loves depth very much, so bottomless places along the fairway are its places.
- Various changes in bottom depth where smelt can hide from danger. In addition, such places are inhabited by fry and other fish, but since smelt is considered a predator, for it, such places are places where it can find food for itself.
- In places where there are thickets of aquatic vegetation.
- In water areas where different currents meet.
When choosing a place for fishing, you should pay attention to places whose depth is not less than 3 meters. At the same time, sharp changes in the bottom topography should be observed. In this case, an echo sounder is indispensable. When choosing a place for fishing, if there is no echo sounder, it is advisable to use a depth measurement if the nature of the bottom of the reservoir is unknown. If there were no bites, then it is necessary to continue searching for the smelt site: perhaps it is very close.
How is smelt caught?
Smelt is caught easily and simply, so not all anglers are fond of this type of fishing. Experienced anglers are able to fish up to 500 individuals in a short period of time. Therefore, some anglers are so passionate about smelt fishing that they do not recognize any fishing. Despite the fact that the fish is small, the bite is just crazy, and you don’t have to sit for hours and wait for bites.
Amateur anglers in the northwestern part of Russia are happy to practice catching this unique fish.
Fans of winter fishing in St. Petersburg are massively fond of catching smelt in winter. Despite the fact that it is necessary to look for the smelt camp, for which you have to walk several kilometers along the winter lake, they do not leave their favorite pastime.
With the advent of spring, the fish begins to move closer to the shore, to depths of up to 6 meters. Here she begins to actively prepare for spawning. During this period, almost all anglers are in the waters of the Gulf of Finland.
Not all anglers are ready to talk about fishing spots. But it is not difficult to recognize them; it is enough to find a cluster of fishermen on the ice. In this case, it should be noted such places as:
- Komarovo;
- Vistino;
- Ermilovskaya bay;
- Sands;
- Primorsk;
- Vysotsk;
- Repino;
- Zelenogorsk;
- Swan;
- Red hill.
Those who prefer to be on the ice for hours in search of a catchy place always rejoice at a plentiful catch. As a result, there will be a small fish on the table, fried to a golden crust and having a wonderful taste and aroma.
Smelt is a small fish of the salmon family, reaching a length of 8 to 35 cm. A distinctive feature of smelt is a strongly protruding lower jaw. Its back is brownish with a green tint, and the sides have a bluish tint with a silvery tint. Smelt scales do not have a silvery pigment, so the scales appear to be translucent. The dorsal fin is located from the middle of the back along the spinal line. The body of the fish is elongated, oblong.
A funny thing about smelt is that freshly caught smelt smells like cucumber!
It begins to breed after it reaches a certain age. So, for example, the Baltic smelt matures by 2-4 years, the White Sea by 3-4 years, and the Siberian smelt spawns only at 5-7 years. The largest smelt is considered to be Siberian. In length, it reaches 35 cm and lives up to 12 years.
Smelt: habitats
In summer and autumn, smelt is found in close proximity to the coast. For spawning, it can cover a distance of more than 100 km. Smelt is found in the White, German, Baltic and Arctic seas. It is also found in deep lakes located in the northwestern part of Russia. You can meet smelt in the rivers Neva, Volga, Sestra, Narva and in the reservoirs Kuibyshevskoe, Gorky, Rybinsk, Saratov.
Season and time of smelt fishing
For many anglers, winter smelt fishing has become a real hobby. Every winter, fishing enthusiasts sit on the ice for hours waiting for a bite. Winter smelt fishing can bring the angler up to 5 kg of fish. In winter, bites of this fish are very frequent, so a large number of fishermen can be found on winter reservoirs.
It is in winter that smelt goes to the mouth of rivers or rises 2-3 km from the sea along the river for spawning. Smelt is found in flocks, so if a place is found where there is a joint, it means that fishing was a success. Experienced fishermen stay on the ice in winter to catch smelt, because they know for sure that the bite is much more intense at night.
- Advice to fishermen: smelt bite more often at night if you direct a flashlight beam at the hole.
- And one more piece of advice: at the beginning of fishing, do not forget about fishing ethics, if you are not alone in a pond, in a catchy place. You can read useful tips in my article on the ethics of a fisherman.
How and what to catch smelt
In order to return home with a good catch of smelt, it is necessary to thoroughly prepare for fishing. You need to provide everything: from gear to bait.
For fishing, a short rod is used with 20–30 meters of fishing line ranging in size from 0.18 to 0.25. From 1 to 4 mormyshkas are tied to the undergrowth. Live bloodworms are used as bait for mormyshka on smelt. Just do not freeze it - keep it in a tight box in your bosom. The weight of the sinker is selected according to the features of the depth and current of the reservoir. For successful smelt fishing, tackle is placed in a row every one and a half meters. The rod must be fixed in the shung pulled out of the hole, because the fish can drag everything into the hole.
Smelt fishing will be successful if you go with a lot of prepared gear. The fish moves in schools, and if an active bite begins, there will be no time to bandage the mormyshka, because the fish will simply leave. Additional tackle will help save time and catch more fish. It is better to make holes across the current so that the gear does not get tangled.
Smelt fishing will be successful if you use the smelt itself as a bait. The first specimen caught is cut into pieces and used as bait. But this is not a panacea - you can use both fresh herring and sprat, and crucian carp or mackerel. The fresher the bait, the more the catch will be. Just as previously noted, maggots, bloodworms or worms are used as bait.
Smelt is a rather tasty fish in cooking, and it is not for nothing that many fishermen come to winter fishing to catch only smelt. Vyalaneya, dried, smoked or salted smelt is an excellent dish to the table.
Source: https://tourist-fisher.ru/vse-o-rybalke/vidy-ryb/koryushka
Characteristics of smelt fish and features of fishing at different times of the year
Smelt fishing is possible throughout the year, but among fishermen it is still considered a predominantly winter species. The popularity of this predator lies in the pickiness to bait, the ability to catch on various gear, as well as high taste and benefits.
The smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) is a widespread small gregarious predator of the salmon order. It is of great commercial importance: only capelin (subspecies) in the world annually produces up to four million tons.
The smelt is interesting both as an independent prey and as a live bait for catching other predators that keep close to the school.
Smelt fish contains a lot of useful substances:
- vitamins A, B, D;
- selenium, iodine, fluorine, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, bromine, potassium;
- omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids;
- amino acids methionine, cysteine, threonine and lysine;
- easily digestible proteins.
Smelt has an uncharacteristic smell of fresh cucumbers for fish.
It is included in the diet for diseases of the cardiovascular system. Low-calorie smelt (150 kcal / 100 g) helps to reduce blood cholesterol and the disappearance of plaques on the walls of blood vessels.
Appearance
The largest individuals of smelt reach 40 centimeters in length. The fish has a narrow, scaleless body and a toothed mouth with an elongated lower jaw characteristic of all representatives of salmonids. The color of the back is greenish-brown, the sides are silvery.
Description of smelt tells Petr de Crilon SonyKpK in his video.
Nutrition
The main food of smelt:
- zooplankton;
- fry of different breeds of fish;
- caviar.
The most intensive fattening of smelt takes place in spring and autumn, in the immediate vicinity of the coast. The fish are there most of the year.
reproduction
Smelt does not like warm water. Spawning begins immediately after the ice melts at a temperature of five degrees Celsius. Sea fish gather in huge schools and rise several kilometers upstream the rivers. This is actively used by anglers using nets.
However, schools of sea smelt going to spawn are followed not only by fishermen:
- flocks of cod;
- seagulls;
- seals;
- and even whales.
Freshwater smelt is looking for bays and coves. The process of spawning in fish is quite noisy, but short - it can last only a few days.
Spawning grounds are located mainly on sandbanks. The fecundity of smelt is 1.5-60 thousand eggs.
- bottom;
- sticky;
- light yellow;
- with a diameter of 0.5-1.2 mm.
The malek hatches in an average of two weeks.
During spawning, the body of the fish is covered with small tubercles. The smelt spawns usually once, rarely twice in its life, after which it dies or returns to its habitual habitats.
Varieties
The family includes about ten species of smelt, among which there are both marine and freshwater. The former are larger, usually keep to lightly salted waters and are considered semi-anadromous fish. The second ones are lighter in weight.
European smelt (smelt)
Smelt originated from sea smelt. It differs from it in size - the length of the European species does not exceed ten centimeters. Smelt live no more than three or four years, they breed at the age of one or two years.
This type of fish lives throughout the North-West of Russia and Europe:
- in the coastal regions of the North Atlantic;
- in the coastal regions of the Arctic Ocean;
- in the reservoirs of the Volga and lakes in the north of Western Europe.
The Gulf of Finland hosts an annual smelt festival: fishermen compete in catching and eating tons of seafood.
In Belarus, the smelt is included in the Red Book. However, the range of fish is constantly expanding, and its population is growing.
Asian smelt
The Asian toothed smelt differs from the European one in a longer lateral line, strong jaws and a weight of up to 100 grams. It lives in the coastal regions of the Arctic and Pacific Oceans.
Smallmouth smelt
The common smallmouth smelt is widely distributed in the Alaska region and northwestern Canada. The maximum body length is 25 centimeters, weight - up to 150 grams, life expectancy - up to eight years.
capelin
Capelin is distributed almost circumpolar in the Arctic and the northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The maximum body length is 25 centimeters, weight - up to 50 g, life expectancy - up to ten years.
Habitat and fishing
With the exception of the spawning period, the smelt almost does not change its habitat - it is mainly the coastal zone. In search of areas where it is found, it is necessary to look for at least three meters deep. The bottom is sandy or clayey, with a small current force.
The smelt prefers to stay in the middle water horizons, only periodically rising to the surface or sinking to the bottom.
- river mouths;
- bays;
- dumps along the fairway;
- pits or hills in the form of tubercles;
- freshwater bays.
Choice of tackle and equipment
The smelt either bites very intensively, or is not caught at all. During a particularly active bite, hooks without a beard are used. They allow you to spend much less time on the release of each caught fish.
float rod
Bolognese rods are used for fishing in wiring, match rods are used for long distances. However, smelt is more often caught with simple fly rods, as it usually stays close to the shore.
Equipment requirements:
- A carbon fiber rod with a length of three to five meters should first of all be light. Smelt fishing involves constant recasting.
- Reel - any inertia or inertialess size no more than 2000 according to Shimano classification.
- The fishing line is thin, no more than 0.2 millimeters in diameter.
- The float is bright, elongated, with a carrying capacity of one to ten grams.
For catching smelt, the original equipment is used - a petty tyrant. It is a submerged main line up to ten meters long, to which three or four leaders are attached.
Tyrant rig
Requirements for tyrant leashes:
- material - fluorocarbon, almost imperceptible in water due to the refractive index of light close to it;
- length - from five to twenty centimeters;
- diameter - 0.12-0.14 mm;
- hook number 14-18 according to the international classification with a long shank.
Bottom tackle
For catching smelt, pickers and light feeders with a fast action are suitable. Coils - inertialess, size 3000-4000 according to Shimano classification.
Spinning
Sensitive ultralight tackle is suitable for spinning smelt.
Required characteristics of spinning:
- The rod is tested up to 5-7 grams of fast and extra fast action. Such blanks will provide sufficient sensitivity when posting miniature lures.
- Small inertialess reel - 1000-2000 according to Shimano classification. However, budget designs do not always fit thin cords well. Therefore, when catching smelt, high-quality reels from well-known manufacturers are preferred.
- Braided fishing line with a diameter of 0.1-0.12 mm.
- Fluorocarbon leash.
Lures for spinning smelt fishing:
- spinners no larger than the first number according to the Meps classification;
- silver spinners, two to three centimeters long;
- edible silicone - vibrotails, twisters and worms up to four centimeters long;
- mini-wobblers up to four centimeters long.
Spinner No. 0 Silver Spoon Twisters, 40 mm Wobbler Kosadaka RAVEN XS, 40 mm
In addition, smelt is often caught by spinning and mormyshka. This miniature lure requires a slow action trout rod to animate properly. During wiring, its tip is lightly tapped on a sagging cord.
Winter tackle
For winter smelt fishing, any rods are used. Most often, both amateurs and athletes choose "balalaikas" with a thin and sensitive nod. Due to the small size of the fish, the tackle is delicate - with a thin line and small hooks.
Mormyshka for catching smelt
For fishing, phosphorus mormyshkas with a diameter of four to six millimeters are used. Larger baits will drastically reduce the number of bites, but larger individuals will begin to sit on the hook. In addition, in winter they use silver two-centimeter oscillators and petty tyrants.
Nozzles and baits for catching smelt
Smelt is not too demanding and is caught on baits of animal origin.
Most commonly used:
- tinted maggot;
- worm;
- bloodworm;
- burdock moth larvae;
- crab sticks;
- pieces of ruff or smelt itself.
When fishing for a tyrant, bait is not used. To attract attention, smelt use pieces of colored latex four to six millimeters long. In addition, threads of different colors are wound on the hook, after which it resembles a carelessly knitted artificial fly.
Complementary feeding technique
Bait is often not used when catching smelt: most often it is not possible to keep the flock in place and it is easier to follow it. However, some anglers graft the point with bloodworms, other animals and protein components - for example, powdered milk. Bait is hidden inside balls of soil or clay.
Features of fishing in different water bodies and different seasons
Regardless of the habitat, the smelt is voracious and not shy. The strategy of catching at any time of the year comes down to finding a school of fish. It is most convenient to detect the accumulation with the help of an echo sounder. If a school is found, then catching a fish is most often no longer a big deal.
spring
Before and after spawning, smelt actively feeds. At this time, you need to look for it near the confluence of small rivers, as well as in areas with a flat bottom.
In summer
In summer, smelt is slightly less active and stays in the coastal zone. Quite often she enters the bays.
autumn
The round-the-clock zhor of smelt in autumn begins in September and continues until the very freeze-up. At this time, fishing is carried out by all known methods. With the preservation of warm weather in autumn, smelt stays in shallow water. It shifts to depth only when the cold comes.
in winter
In winter, in search of smelt, it is necessary to drill many holes and stock up on fishing line. If the reservoir allows, the fish can go to a depth of about twenty meters. Depending on the weather, smelt is in different horizons. They start searching, as a rule, a meter from the bottom.
Alexander Mazarchuk showed how to catch smelt in winter with tipping needles.
You can also fish from the ice at night. At the same time, the light does not scare away, but, on the contrary, attracts fish.
One of the features of smelt is that it prefers to winter in places with a flat bottom. Other fish prefer to spend this time in holes.
Catching smelt in winter on the White Sea from Vladimir Chetvertev.
Source: https://ylovkin.ru/povadki-ryb/koryushka-4047/
Where smelt is found - habitats and fishing grounds
Smelt is a mass commercial fish, but, despite its small size, it is of interest not only to fishers, but also to ordinary amateur anglers.
Where is smelt found?
Following the Baltic herring, smelt takes the second place among fishermen of the Gulf of Finland.
In addition to the Gulf of Finland, smelt can be found in:
- Lake Onega;
- Ladoga lake;
- Mouth of the Northern Dvina;
- White Sea;
- Arctic Sea;
- Baltic Sea;
- Barents Sea;
- Neva;
- Volga;
- Narva;
- Sister;
- Meadows;
- Sistra;
- Roccala.
Fish has also become widespread in reservoirs, such as:
- Rybinsk;
- Gorky;
- Kuibyshevskoe;
- Saratov reservoir.
Due to the difficult ecological situation, Smelt is less common, but still found, in the rivers of Western Europe.
Description
Depending on the environment, the smelt can have several shades, but in its mass it has a brown-green upper body, and 2/3 of the body of the fish has a silver color with a bluish tint.
The fins of the fish have a gray-green tint. The body is oblong, from 10 cm to 35 cm long, and the weight is from 5 g to 375 g. The life expectancy of smelt is from 1 year to 7 years, and some Siberian specimens live up to 12.
Spawning
After the ice drift begins, and the water warms up to 40C, smelt spawning begins. For spawning, in the spring, smelt rises from the Gulf of Finland to the Neva and the rivers flowing into the bay, choosing areas with a clean sandy bottom.
For spawning, the fish is ready to travel from several hundred meters to 270 km, and in time, migration for the purpose of spawning can proceed up to the third part of the year.
Mass spawning proceeds for several days, reaching a peak at a water temperature of 90C.
Smelt varieties
There are 10 species and six genera in the smelt family.
In northwestern Russia, the following species are widespread:
- small-mouthed smelt;
- capelin;
- smelt.
The most widespread among the three species presented, received the last species.
Also on the territory of the CIS there are two subspecies:
- Asian smelt;
- European smelt.
Smelt habitats
Due to the fact that smelt has received migratory and residential forms, it should be divided according to habitats (river fish and sea fish).
The habitat of European smelt is:
- North Pacific;
- Arctic Ocean;
- rivers and coastal regions of the North Atlantic.
The habitat of Asian smelt is:
- White Sea;
- rivers of Siberia and the Far East;
- Baltic and North Sea;
- Ladoga lake;
- Onega lake.
Smelt habitatsmallmouthmaritime is:
- desalinated areas of the Arctic Ocean;
- Pacific Basin (Mackenzie River);
- Asian Basin (Yellow Sea).
This species has spread from Kamchatka to Korea, and from Alaska to California. For spawning, this species goes to areas with desalinated water (river mouths).
Habitat feature Smelt
The main habitats of smelt are coastal zones, this is due to the fact that the fish is a predator and needs a large food base, and there is also internal competition between individuals of the flock.
Smelt is very demanding on habitat conditions and lives only in clean water.
On the territory of northwestern Russia, smelt fishing is mainly of a commercial nature, since it is possible for a simple fisherman to catch a worthy specimen only in the sea and in rare cases on a lake or river.
In the conditions of the rivers of Germany and England, where the fish spends most of the time in the rivers going deeper from the mouth, this type of fishing is in great demand among local fishermen.
I have been active fishing for quite some time and have found many ways to improve the bite. And here are the most effective ones:
- Cool activator. Attracts fish in cold and warm water with the help of pheromones included in the composition and stimulates their appetite. It is a pity that Rosprirodnadzor wants to ban its sale.
- More sensitive gear. Reviews and instructions for other types of gear you can find on the pages of my site.
- Lures using pheromones.
You can get the rest of the secrets of successful fishing for free by reading my other materials on the site.
| Kingdom | Animals |
| Type | chordates |
| Class | ray-finned fish |
| Detachment | Smelts |
| Family | Smelt |
| Genus | smelt |
Smelt is a fish of the salmon family; There are two varieties of it: Asian and European. The first is common in the seas of the Arctic Ocean - the White and Barents, the second is found in the basins of the Baltic and North seas, Ladoga and Onega lakes.
Live smelt is very beautiful. Her back is brownish-green, somewhat translucent, since the dorsal scales are not lined inside with a silvery pigment; the sides are silvery with a blue tint above and below; this silvery stripe is sometimes wider, sometimes narrower, sometimes more or less shiny (depending on the habitat), starts from the gill cover and, gradually narrowing, stretches to the base of the caudal fin; young people don't have it at all.
This silvery color of the sides of the body depends on the pigment deposited in the skin itself, under the scales. The ventral hymen is also silvery, and on the inside of the operculum there is a deposit of black pigment in the form of more or less dense spots. The fins of smelt are whitish, but sometimes they are either lighter or darker.
Males differ from females in a more prominent lower jaw, and during spawning, in a large number of warts on the head and lower paired fins. The size of this fish is insignificant: most often the smelt is from 6 to 7 1/2 inches tall and in rare cases reaches a length of 10 inches.
Where is it found?
As already noted, smelt is divided into subspecies according to habitat.
Exists:
- Baltic smelt;
- European smelt;
- Far Eastern smelt (Kamchatka smelt);
- Asian smelt.
They like to live in large flocks in the northern seas and in schools in the bays, estuaries and lakes of Russia, in particular, smelt can be found in the waters of Scandinavia and the Baltic states.
Varieties
Currently, experts distinguish four types of smelt. Varieties have differences in physiology, life expectancy, habitat.
Smelt is found on the territory of Russia:
Distinctive features of the species are also:
- protruding lower jaw;
- short dorsal fin;
- lateral line, which consists of 9-13 scales.
- Freshwater (lake). As the name of the fish indicates, the species is found in lakes. The body length of freshwater smelt is 25 cm, weight is 20 grams. The lake nag has a sand-colored back, and not a greenish-brown like other species. Sand-colored scales allow camouflage on the muddy bottom of lakes. The freshwater variety has the most distinct cucumber smell.
habitation
The fish loves to live in the northern seas, as well as lakes, bays and estuaries in Russia, the Baltic states and Scandinavia. The smelt lives in large shoals in the sandy places of the seas or lakes, and for throwing eggs it chooses the mouth of the rivers where there is no fast current.
Apparently, only a part of smelt enters the rivers, and not the largest individuals. Most of it, especially large specimens, spawns in the shallow coastal zone of the Gulf of Finland. It is here that large fish from its eastern part come from the middle of winter, and here it stays until the ice breaks up. Such approaches from individuals ready for spawning can be considered precisely as pre-spawning aggregations. In these places, in winter, fish of such sizes are caught that cannot be found near the mouths or in the rivers themselves in the spring.
Smelt always walks in huge flocks. It usually lives in rather deep sandy places of a lake or sea, entering rivers for spawning. Rarely rises very high, tries to avoid strong currents. Food - all kinds of small animals, more often tiny crustaceans - cyclops, daphnia and cypris. Large individuals eat juveniles of other fish, and do not disdain their own.
diet
All species are characterized by an increased appetite in the summer and winter seasons.
The basis of the diet of all species is zooplankton:
- crayfish;
- mysis;
- cume crayfish;
- fry;
- fish caviar.
Spawning
Spawning begins when the water temperature reaches 4°C, the peak of spawning at a temperature of 6-9°C. The timing of the start of spawning in the vast range of smelt is different: in the rivers of Western Europe, smelt spawns in March and even February, in many reservoirs of Eastern Europe and North America - in April - May, on the White Sea - in May, in the rivers of Siberia - in June and even July. Smelt spawning begins shortly after ice drift, and sometimes even under ice. Mass spawning usually lasts only a few days. The female spawns immediately and soon leaves the spawning ground (in the White Sea smelt, the female remains in the spawning ground for only a few hours), the males stay in the spawning grounds for a longer time and participate in spawning with many females, gradually spawning milk.
Smelt spawns mainly at night. Smelt, rising in mass quantities to spawn in small rivers and streams, becomes easy prey for predators (primarily piscivorous birds), as well as fishing. In its striving for spawning grounds and on the spawning grounds themselves, smelt loses all caution and can be caught by hand. In streams, spawning smelt is scooped out with an ordinary net.
Fish spawn with noise and splash. Often, due to the dark backs of spawning fish, the bottom is literally not visible. During the spawning period, a nuptial attire develops in smelt: the upper part of the head and gill covers become blue-black, the lower jaw is pointed, the head, back and sides of the body are covered with tubercles. In females, the nuptial attire is much less pronounced than in males. This has a certain biological significance: it has been observed that fish of the same sex at the spawning ground immediately disperse upon contact, while fish of different sexes immediately form a spawning pair.
Apparently, fish of different sexes find each other with the help of touch, and tubercles in this case are of great importance. Smelt spawns in the current. Caviar spawns on stones, pebbles, aquatic vegetation, washed roots of coastal plants, branches of shrubs descending into the water. Much less often, caviar is found on sand and never on muddy soils. The depth in spawning grounds is usually small: from 15-20 cm to several meters. In an egg that has fallen into the water, the outer shell becomes sticky and, in contact with any object - a stone, a plant, etc., is firmly glued to it.
Then an interesting phenomenon is observed: the outer shell of the swollen egg bursts, slides off the inner shell and turns inside out, remaining connected to the inner shell only at one point, forming a kind of stalk. On this stalk, the egg is held in an attached state, swaying in the water. Some of the eggs subsequently break off and are carried away by the water, the inverted outer shell resembling a parachute helps to accelerate the demolition of the eggs. Some observations suggest that this is how dead eggs are carried away from spawning grounds.
It is typical for smelt that spawning grounds usually have a small area and eggs are unevenly distributed on them, so that in some places a rather thick layer of eggs is formed, sometimes reaching several centimeters in thickness (for example, in the White Sea smelt and in smelt in some regions of North America).
Many eggs die from drying out when the water level fluctuates, they are destroyed by predators: insects, fish - stickleback, brown trout, gobies, in lakes - ruff, perch, as well as the most spawning smelt, which often has its own caviar in the stomachs. The larvae hatch in 15-20 days and roll downstream.
Fishing
When to catch?
Since in summer the smelt moves away from the coast and lives far out to sea, catching it in the open water season is possible only with nets and other traps. But this is not our method, we are for pure amateur fishing, so we will consider only pure fishing. The term angling used to be used in relation to fishing rods and gear based on them, and catching - to traps! Smelt can peck throughout the winter, but the best time to hunt for it comes with the approach of spring. Usually smelt fishing begins in late February - early March.
Where to fish?
Smelt fishing is carried out year after year in the same places. They joke that it is easiest to find a flock of smelt in the crowd of fishermen eager to catch it.
A fisherman with a catch during seasonal smelt fishing on the Volkhov River in the Leningrad Region.
At the end of the dead of winter, fish preparing for April spawning approaches desalinated bays, enters river mouths and similar places. Search fishing can also give results, given that the cucumber-smelling predator should be sought in all fishing horizons.
What to catch?
Fishing for smelt is carried out mainly by two types of gear: tyrant; muffler. Smelt tackle is very specific, and therefore we will dwell on each of them in detail and explain how to make them with your own hands and what to equip.
What can be cooked from smelt?
Given the fat content of fish, it is always good to dry, smoke, and also fry. It always makes delicious dishes, and given the fact that it is easy to clean, many people like to cook dishes from it. Very tasty marinated smelt, ready-made dish is great for snacks and receptions, and the fish is marinated all day. A simple recipe is salted smelt, it can be easily and quickly salted, since only fish and salt are needed for cooking. It will be ready for use in 2-3 days after salting.
It also makes a delicious fish soup, which not only has good taste, it is very beneficial for the health of children and the elderly due to the high content of vitamins. In just 20 minutes, smelt can be cooked in a slow cooker, and given that a small fish can not be cleaned, cooking will take a minimum of time and effort.
When smelt is fresh, it has a specific aroma, reminiscent of the smell of fresh cucumbers.
Useful and harmful properties of smelt
This type of fish contains a lot of useful substances for the body, it is rich in useful protein, fats, especially a lot of sodium in it. This element is necessary for the cardiovascular system and providing cells with glucose. The entire supply of nutrients is easily and quickly absorbed by the body.
Smelt is almost always eaten with bones, which is also good for joints and bones, preventing osteoporosis. The high content of vitamin A helps improve vision, as well as get the necessary and important collagen.
Fish is very useful to eat in order to prevent many diseases, it improves metabolic processes, so it can be an ideal food for those who want to lose weight. Fish is always popular and affordable for many people. It must be said that fish can also harm the body if there is one that lives in polluted water bodies. In such a habitat, smelt accumulates heavy metals and harmful substances, so it is better not to eat fish caught in polluted water.
Video
Sources
- https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_smelt