Burbot is a river fish from the cod detachment, and therefore has retained the basic habits of cod, although it is considered the only representative of this family who prefers unsalted water.
In appearance, this fish somewhat resembles a large catfish: a flattened head, mustache, fins throughout the body.
Burbot fishing usually begins when the water temperature drops below 12-13 degrees.
In summer, the fish hides in shallow crustacean pits, under snags or concrete slabs, where it can be caught with bare hands: after all, this predator in the heat, almost without feeding, hibernates and becomes active after frosts.
In autumn, burbot fishing is carried out mainly at night. Hungry for the summer, he scours the pond, adhering mainly to deep waters, but gradually gets closer to the shore in search of food.
With autumn cooling, burbot fishing is significantly improved. The colder the water becomes, the more intensively it feeds, and therefore this fish is better caught.
Autumn hunting continues until the beginning of freezing. During this period, on quiet and moonless nights, burbot fishing is very exciting, and most importantly, an effective occupation, especially if you use a simple donka.
At the same time, the equipment of this equipment when fishing for burbot is a very simple affair. Burbot can swallow a large hook, paying no attention to any thick cords or leashes.
Small brushes and minnows are excellent nozzles, but loaches are considered a real treat for this fish. Although some anglers use earthworms and frogs, and frozen sprats, and even raw liver when catching burbot with donkey. Inveterate fishermen say that in large rivers, burbot takes rotten meat to the donka, which he does not do in lakes.
Despite the fact that this fish practically does not tolerate sunlight or the full moon, it is strangely attracted by the glow from the fire or the flashlight, which is often used by anglers. Therefore, the largest number of burbot bites occur at the confluence of dark water and light from a fire.
Donks are placed in the evening, and you need to go around them every half hour until two or three in the morning. After this, you can relax a bit, but already from four in the morning early fishing for burbot starts again, so you need to start going around the docks until sunrise.
The most successful places for fishing on the Donka are the shallows that begin upstream of the river, immediately after the deep sections. At night, the burbot leaves the dimples for the search for small fish, while it almost always goes upstream for feeding.
With no less success, fishing for burbot is carried out on the Donka and in deep backwaters. The movement paths of this predator to feeding places are unchanged, therefore, if you can detect them, then the catch will certainly be good.
A burbot of a burbot is peculiar: grabbing a nozzle, it does not rush to the sides, but, standing still, sucks it for a long time. Therefore, to fish this fish, even a large individual, is quite easy.
In the spring, burbot fishing continues until the oak leaves open or the bird cherry blossoms. The best months in the middle lane are March-April, when the predator feeds fat for hibernation in the summer.