For some time now, burbot has become completely freshwater. Its body shape resembles that of a snake with a flattened head. There is only one mustache on his chin. Burbot is considered one of the most fertile fish. The female burbot is capable of spawning about 900,000 eggs and more in one spawning. This property has not changed in any way over the long years of development and evolution.
Burbot lifestyle
Because burbot prefers cold water, with a stone bottom and little current, it will not be 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 becomes smaller, and it is more and more difficult to catch it. The fact is that burbot does not tolerate warm water; for its habitat, a suitable water temperature is not more than 10 degrees. Usually, the colder the water in a burbot pond, the more active the bites and the heavier the catch.
The brutal appetite of burbots falls on non-flying weather. Strong wind, rain, low air temperature, all thisleads to unusual starvation of fish. It is quite difficult to catch a cold-loving burbot in hot weather; it hides as far and deep as possible in order to somehow escape from the warm water temperature. Its activity in the summer comes closer to the night, when the heat subsides.
Behavior before spawning
Burbot spawning changes its behavior and habits, most often burbot changes its habitual habitat. This behavior is similar to the habits of fish from the salmon family. Burbots tend upstream, swim away from their usual habitat for about 200 kilometers. The burbot begins to swim from its native place from the beginning of September and swims until it begins to spawn. Only then does the burbot stop its journey. Burbot spawning usually occurs in winter. In our regions, this usually happens at the end of February - at the beginning of March. The total path of burbot before spawning is about 350 kilometers. Such distances are necessary so that the chances of survival of the born fry will increase several times. Spawning grounds are usually sluggish. When the spawning of burbot passes, after that the fish goes to the bottom. She overcomes long distances not alone, but in huge flocks.
Features of spawning in burbots
All experienced fishermen know that it is possible to catch a large catch of fish during the spawning season, as the fish feed much more than usual during this period. A lover of fishing 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 set time limit. Burbot spawningstarts at a certain temperature. The process will start 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 harsh Siberia, this period falls closer to summer, in May or early June, and in central Europe, spawning occurs in February - March.
Spawning area
Experienced fishermen can visually determine the place where burbot spawns. The fact is that strange moving circles appear on the surface of the water. In mugs, female burbots spawn, and males instantly fertilize the eggs. In the people it is called "marriage of burbots". After fertilization, almost a million fairly large eggs are attached to various plants and algae, as well as snags and stones. One egg averages 1 millimeter, but due to the fact that it is covered with additional natural lubricant, its size visually increases. With this lubricant, the eggs can float to the surface of the water, which allows fishermen to notice where a pack of burbot lives. Of course, not everyone will survive, since the eggs become excellent prey for underwater inhabitants and even birds. Burbot spawning grounds are usually sluggish and shady, but this does not save the eggs.
Feeding burbot before spawning
Like any other fish, burbots have a brutal appetite before spawning. Fishermen begin to explore taste preferencesburbot, so as not to make a mistake with the bait. Spawning burbot 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, live bait fishing will become more relevant than ever. You can also use other baits in the form of rubber fish, which play well in the water. Before catching burbot, be sure to treat the bait with fragrant additives, burbots are unusually sensitive during spawning, and they will never pass by an alluring delicacy. Please note that burbots weighing less than one kilogram are unlikely to grab a large live bait, such burbots can be caught with an ordinary earthworm or bloodworm.
As soon as the burbot spawning is over, 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 big burbot.
