Burbot Night

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Fishing tales

Figure 1

End of October. A steep northerly wind whistled through the wires, violently swayed the trees in the garden, drove gray-leaden clouds across the sky, from which either snow pellets fell, or icy streams of water rushed down. In a word, the weather, as folk wisdom says, when "the owner will not let the dog out into the yard."

However, we adhered to another saying: "Burbot happiness is cold and bad weather." The reader understood that our company, Oleg, Alexander Rykov and I, was going to hunt for burbot. “Just think, did you intend to catch burbot,” the reader will decide, “why is it easier to fish for it: this predator is omnivorous and takes on anything”.

This is really so, only we were going to catch this fish not "with anything", but exclusively with a jig. Since there were three of us, we decided to use three different lead jigs (see Fig. 1). The question immediately arose: what to put on the hook of the jig? Oleg suggested fishing just on a jig without a nozzle.

However, Rykov rejected this idea, saying that, according to many anglers, the number of bites in this case decreases sharply. In a word, the attachment for the jig hook is needed, but which one exactly? Demonstrating awareness, Rykov cited an example from a book in which the author authoritatively asserted: "A nozzle at any time - bird giblets, live, lying, with a smell of fish, especially ruff and minnow, worms, frogs."

In response, Oleg and I smiled skeptically: we knew from experience that a burbot can take on a live fish, a worm, a frog, but it is unlikely to bite on "bird guts" and "stale, tasting fish". This is another persistent fishing myth. In any case, this predator prefers fresh prey.

Therefore, we have prepared two options for baits: dung worms and small crucians. We prepared fifty leashes with jigs. We have been convinced for a long time: when fishing, for example, with a float or bottom fishing rod, this fish swallows the hook with bait so deeply that it is often easier to cut off the leash and tie a new one than to suffer by pulling the hook out of the predator's mouth.

We went fishing before dark. When we got there, there was impenetrable darkness. And although each of us had a flashlight, they lit a fire. And not at all because in many fishing publications it is argued that burbot, like a magnet, attracts to fire. Just a fire, at least somehow revives the circular darkness.

Closer to midnight it got noticeably colder, and heavy hail fell from the sky. However, despite these weather troubles, we started to fish. Every angler must have experienced the thrilling feeling of waiting for the first bite. We practically didn't have to wait for this feeling.

I'll start with myself … As soon as the mormyshka gurgled into the water, a bite followed, or rather a pull, I instantly hooked up and after a few moments I had about a hundred-gram burbot in my hands. My comrades had the same thing. Burbot (and all small ones!) Were taken almost non-stop.

The impression was that the fish, as in the well-known advertisement, were just waiting for us. When catching other fish, especially peaceful ones, we would certainly let go of such small fish. However, mini-burbots swallowed the jig so deeply that they would have to pull it out along with the giblets.

To avoid this, I resorted to a trick. Throwing the jig and, without waiting for a bite, immediately pulled it out of the water. But, despite all the tricks, two outcomes turned out: either the burbot did not have time to take the bait, and the cast turned out to be empty, or it tightly captured it. And she still took exceptionally small change.

Involuntarily the question arose: where are the larger burbots? Why don't they take? Or have we stumbled upon a kind of burbot kindergarten? There was no answer, of course. Of course, if we were fishing, for example, with a float rod, then we could try to get rid of the bites of little things by placing large hooks. But with a jig, this option does not work, since all jigs have small hooks.

At about one in the morning, the biting weakened noticeably. In addition, the hail was replaced by sleet. And we unanimously decided to end the fishing trip. In the semi-darkness, in a snowy porridge, they somehow collected the trophy burbots and dragged their way back. On the way, wet and cold, I (probably, like my comrades) experienced ambivalent feelings. Satisfaction with excellent bite and dissatisfaction with catch: actually only small fry.

After this memorable fishing trip, we made fun of each other for a long time: they say, shouldn't we wave after burbots !? And everyone, remembering that October fishing trip, involuntarily shivered and would certainly say: "Brrrr, blrrrr!" The October hike for burbot turned out to be so amusing.

Alexander Nosov