For some time now, burbot has become completely freshwater. The shape of his body resembles the shape of a snake with a flattened head. There is one single mustache on his chin. Burbot is considered one of the most fertile fish. A female burbot is capable of sweeping about 900,000 eggs and more in one spawn. This property has not changed in any way during the long years of development and evolution.
Burbot lifestyle
Since burbot prefers cold water, with a stone bottom and a small course, it is not difficult to find it in the Northern Rivers. There you can catch burbot weighing up to 25 kilograms. But closer to the south, the burbot is getting smaller, and catching it is getting harder. The fact is that burbot does not tolerate warm water, for its habitat a suitable water temperature of no more than 10 degrees. Usually, the colder the water in the pond with burbot, the more active the bites and the heavier the catch.
Brutal appetite in burbots falls on non-flying weather. Strong wind, rain, low air temperature, all this leads to unusual starvation of fish. Catching a cold-loving burbot in hot weather is quite difficult, it hides as far as possible and deeper in order to somehow escape from the warm temperature of the water. Its activity in the summer comes closer to the night, when the heat subsides.
Behavior before spawning
Burbot spawning changes its behavior and habits; more often, burbot changes its habitat. This behavior is similar to the habits of fish from the salmon family. Nalim tend to upstream, from their usual habitat float away for about 200 kilometers. Burbot begins to cross from his native place since the beginning of September and swims until he starts to spawn. Only then does the burbot stop its journey. Burbot spawning usually occurs in winter. In our regions, this usually happens in late February - early March. The total path of the burbot before spawning is about 350 kilometers. Such distances are necessary so that the chances of survival in the born fry are increased several times. Spawning places are usually sluggish. When the burbot spawning passes, after that the fish goes to the bottom. She overcomes long distances not alone, but in huge flocks.
Features of spawning in burbot
All experienced fishermen know that it is possible to catch a large catch of fish during the spawning season, as the fish eats much more than usual during this period. A fishing enthusiast will definitely try to catch as many fish as possible, and is looking forward to when the burbot goes to spawn. But there is no fixed term. In burbot, spawning begins at a certain temperature. The process will go as soon as the water in the reservoirs warms up to at least +5 degrees. An interesting feature of burbot during spawning is that the female spawns gradually, from 4 to 7 days. Spawning time depends, of course, on the location of the fish. For example, in severe Siberia this period falls closer to summer, in May or early June, and in central Europe spawning occurs in February - March.
Spawning place
Experienced fishermen can visually identify the place where the burbot spawns. The fact is that strange moving circles appear on the surface of the water. In mugs, burbot females spawn, and males instantly fertilize eggs. The people call this the "marriage of burbots." After fertilization, almost a million rather large eggs are attached to various plants and algae, as well as driftwood and stones. One egg is on average 1 millimeter, but due to the fact that it is covered with additional natural lubricant, its size visually increases. With this grease, eggs can float to the surface of the water, which allows fishermen to notice where the burbot pack lives. Of course, not everyone will survive, as eggs become excellent prey for underwater inhabitants and even birds. Burbot spawning sites are usually sluggish and shady, but this does not save caviar.
Burbot feeding before spawning
Like any other fish, brutal appetite arises before spawning in burbots. Fishermen begin to study the taste preferences of burbot so as not to make a mistake with the bait. Burbot spawning in winter requires a lot of effort and energy. Although this fish is considered picky in terms of feeding, it is during this period that it prefers live fry. Therefore, fishing for live bait will become relevant as never before. You can also use other bait in the form of rubber fish, which play well with water. Before fishing for burbot, be sure to process the bait with aromatic additives, burbot during spawning are unusually sensitive, and will never pass by the enticing delicacies. Please note that burbots weighing less than one kilogram are unlikely to catch a large live bait, such burbots can be caught using an ordinary earthworm or bloodworm.
As soon as the burbot spawning is completed, schools of fish instantly disperse. Usually, fish after spawning try to go as deep as possible. But when using the right bait, even novice anglers have a chance to catch a large burbot.