Sung in songs, legends and poems, this unique lake for centuries excites the imagination of people. We are talking about the largest freshwater reservoir - Baikal. Those who have never been on it will hardly imagine more than thirty thousand square kilometers of a blue surface, sometimes hiding under it about 1637 meters of depth.
About Baikal
There is clear water, amazing air, many sunny days a year, which is a rarity for this region, taiga, snow-white mountains and, of course, rich flora and fauna. They say that here a man with a fishing rod learns what happiness is. Experts divided Baikal into three parts: the southern one, which extends from Irkutsk towards the village of Kultuk, the middle - the area of the island of Olkhon, and the northern one. Of these, fishermen mastered mainly only the first two. You can get to southern Baikal by road or rail, and in the middle, in addition to cars, planes also fly.
Underwater inhabitants
Almost three hundred and forty rivers flow into the lake - large and small streams, while only the Angara flows out. It is home to forty-nine species of fish, including black and white grayling, the famous omul and whitefish, as well as taimen, sturgeon, pike, burbot, etc. Many species are of interest to fishermen. However, primacy is primarily in omul, grayling, pike and perch. Much less here are caught dace and sorog.
Grayling on Lake Baikal is most often fished from the coast. And this is not surprising: it is dangerous to fish in boats, because suddenly hurricane winds that trail and overturn an inflatable and even motorized boat can lurk on a person’s water. In general, the weather here is very insidious. Strong winds on the lake have a seasonal periodicity: they change strength or direction at all times of the year.
In the cold season, air flows from land to water, while in the warm season - vice versa. In autumn, and also in early December, when Baikal had not yet managed to cover itself with ice, sarma rages with special force. She is well known to professionals. This wind reaches a speed of forty meters per second. It flies suddenly and can immediately destroy a person who is on the water. With no less constant perseverance, albeit with less force, a kultuk blows along the shore, and a cold verkhovik comes from the north. From the east, the barguzin begins.
Features of fishing
Fishing in Lake Baikal in summer is characterized by the fact that it is not as light as, for example, in autumn or spring. In hot weather, a natural, rich forage base is formed in water. This is evidenced by the sufficient fatness of grayling. Caddis flies and mollusks make up a large share in the diet of this fish, but amphipods are the main food. The presence of grayling is indicated by the numerous bursts observed in the coastal zone of the lake. According to the fishermen, it is better to catch grayling in the wild, since it is difficult to get it.
Fishing in the summer on Lake Baikal is interesting in that fishing is often near the coastal strip. The shores of the lake, sometimes gentle, often break off very steeply. In gently sloping areas, the fish is generally not large, more often found at the edges. Large individuals are so distant that getting them even with long casts can be very difficult. Grayling approaches the shore where there are piles of large stones or screes that break off and abruptly go into the depths.
Summer fishing on Lake Baikal has its own characteristics. Since the currents in the lake move huge water masses along the coast, this must be taken into account during fishing. When casting under water, only part of the fishing line appears, and therefore you need to maintain an interference fit all the time. Otherwise, the bait will tighten under the boulders. In the first half of June, caddis flies located on the bottom stones, floating to the surface, turn into moths. It is at this time that fishing begins on Lake Baikal in the summer. Photo grayling, whole shoals approaching the shores for a living, does not leave indifferent even a novice hunter. However, such an abundance of light food sometimes leads to the fact that the fish begins to take another bait or artificial bait poorly.
Grayling in the summer
In the early morning hours, while the sun had not yet managed to heat the stones, the prey, sailing to the shores, expects countless winged moths to rise into the air and fall into the lake. At this time, the best fishing gear on Lake Baikal in the summer are those that have cargo flies. With the rise of moths, grayling begins a continuous zhor, removing insects from the surface, and therefore the bite on an artificial fly completely stops during this period.
In general, fishing in the summer on Lake Baikal on grayling can be catchy using horse gear and the same dry flies. Such fishing is much simpler than with fishing, since with the latter, according to professionals, it is more difficult to select the bait and determine the depth.
Rigging
Summer fishing on Lake Baikal requires riding gear of a much larger size than that used in rivers. Yes, and she is thrown on. The fishing season begins from the moment the ban is lifted and continues until the first autumn frosts. Here, the best way to "work" is a fishing method with replanting a grasshopper, which locals call a "sandwich."
You can catch pike, perch and even ide on the donka with the “top” in the bays separated from the lake by narrow channels. Sometimes grayling swims in them. However, for those who catch mostly spinning, the most interesting is the pike, which, judging by the words of old-timers, often reaches fifteen kilograms in weight. Such a trophy is the dream of everyone who has long been captivated by fishing.
In the Small Sea
Baikal in the summer is crowded. Tourists from all over the country come here. Many locals spend weekends on the Small Sea - in that part of Baikal, which is located between the west coast and the island of Olkhon. This site is a unique body of water, which is famous for its special microclimate. The Small Sea is characterized by a very winding coastline, forming numerous shallow bays.
It is these places that are considered the most popular for those who are attracted to fishing on Lake Baikal in the summer by savages.
Here you can catch the famous omul and, of course, grayling, there are also pike, perch and many other species. And although many prefer to come here only in the summer, here, on the Small Sea, winter fishing is no less popular.
In the Selenga Delta
There are many vacationers on Baikal in the summer. A large number of tourist camps have been built along its shores. Among them are many that are located in places where access is possible only by road. In the most inaccessible areas in the summer months, you can get not only by car, but also with the help of water crafts. The Selenga, flowing into Lake Baikal, forms a very large delta. It is included in the list of natural phenomena of world significance, having uniqueness, and is included in the protected zone on Lake Baikal - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Selenga Delta has long turned into a place inhabited by many species of fish: there are a lot of perch and roach, pike and ide are common in catching fishermen. Severe floods that occurred in the nineties of the last century contributed to the spread in it of a rotan that swam from the Amur River basin.
Fishing in the Selenga delta on omul is most effective in August, although many believe that it is better to catch this magnificent fish in the winter. The main bait for her are small crustaceans amphipods.
In the summer, excellent results can be achieved by catching omul on the spotlight or "on the spotlight." In the night darkness, the boat comes up to deep places in the river delta, then a spotlight beam is directed into the water at the selected point. Numerous amphipods, which are the main food for the Baikal omul , gather in bright light . And after a few minutes, swarms of treasured prey begin to stretch to the accumulation of crustaceans. They catch omul with bare hooks: they attach many leashes to the main fishing line, then lower this tackle into the water, constantly changing the depth of fishing.
And finally
The uniqueness of Lake Baikal is undeniable. Therefore, it is necessary to preserve this real pearl in its original form, without raking the fish that is found in it, with nets, just for the sake of short-term profit.