What does the smelt look like, the types of pisucha, where the fish lives, how to catch and cook it

Smelt is a small fish that is very popular with fishermen and cooks. It is found in cold seas and belongs to the smelt family. The fish is one of the most delicious commercial varieties.

Smelt fish: general description with photo

Smelt (aka catfish, borage, pisuch, zubach, small-mouth, belly, smelt) is small in size. It is characterized by an elongated body, which reaches a length of 20-30 cm. But some individuals are able to grow up to 40 cm. Above, the fish is covered with small silvery scales. Smelt is characterized by black eyes, gray or green back, transparent fins. Her mouth is small and has many teeth. On average, a smelt weighs no more than 15-30 g. But there are also larger individuals – it depends on the zone of their habitat. The fish has a life span of 1-10 years.
Smelt name depending on the size [/ caption]

Classification – varieties of smelt with a photo

Today, several types of smelt are known, each variety of which has certain characteristics:

1. Asian smelt (American, “American”) – has an elongated body and large scales. This variety is characterized by silvery sides and a brownish-green back.
2. European – in many ways resembles an Asian catfish. The main differences are weaker teeth and a shortened lateral line. In addition, the European variety has a larger mouth. A small variety of European smelt is called smelt.
   1. Far Eastern smelt is a subspecies of the European smelt. Differs in small size up to 10 cm. Inhabits the basin of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.
3. Marine – this type of small boat has more differences. It is characterized by a small mouth with an extended lower jaw. The dorsal fin is smaller than that of other smelt species. It is located in the middle of the torso. The marine variety is smaller in size.

The difference between smelt and similar fish – capelin, vendace, bleak, dace

Smelt can easily be confused with similar freshwater fish – bleak or dace. Its characteristic feature is the presence of an additional fin on the back. It is this part that helps distinguish smelt from other species. Smelt is distinguished from capelin and vendace by the presence of a pleasant cucumber smell, in contrast to the pronounced fishy smell in the first two fish.

Where is smelt found (in what seas) and where is the smelt caught in Russia

The fish is predominantly found in cold waters. She lives in bays and estuaries. The fish lives in the seas and lakes of Russia, Scandinavia, the Baltic states. Large schools of smelt are found in sandy areas of seas or lakes. During the spawning period, they move to river mouths – to zones without a fast current.

Where to catch catfish in the Russian Federation

In Russia, smelt is caught in the Kamchatka Territory: https://youtu.be/LnDVJvQRc3w Also successfully caught in the Gulf of Finland: https://youtu.be/W8l_PNzjCxk

Habits and lifestyle pisucha

Smelt remains active throughout the year. But for fishing with a line, winter and spring are more suitable. In summer and autumn, smelt lives in the sea – far from the coast. Therefore, it is impossible to catch it with a fishing rod during this period.

Note! Some species can live near the coast all year round. In this case, the fish can be caught for a whole year.

In winter, at the beginning of freeze-up, smelt in search of food moves to bays and estuaries. It occupies the water horizons in the area of ​​half a meter to 25 meters. To catch a feeding flock, fishermen often have to cover long distances on the ice. With the onset of spring, the fish moves closer to the shore. During this period, she begins to prepare for spawning. At the same time, the fish is looking for food at a depth of 4-6 meters.

Spawning period

Different varieties of smelt are characterized by different life expectancy, therefore the age of its maturity is different, as is the beginning of spawning. If a fish lives for 3 years, it is ready for breeding in 1-2 years. Siberian representatives of this species can live for 10-12 years. Therefore, they begin to reproduce only at the age of 5-7 years. Spawning begins immediately after the ice drift, when the water heats up to +4 degrees. But the maximum activity of fish is observed at a temperature of + 6-9 degrees. During spawning, fish move to streams and rivers. To throw eggs, she often has to cover considerable distances. Spawning lasts several days. The fish lays eggs near the very bottom. Due to the adhesive structure, it is easily fixed in one place. After 2 weeks, the eggs turn into larvae and eventually enter the sea.

Food

Although the catfish is small in size, it is quite voracious. The basis of the daily diet is animal plankton. Sometimes the fish also eats fry, which are slightly inferior to it in size. Smelt flocks often feed on caviar, insect larvae, and daphnia. Also in her diet are cyclops and crustaceans.

How to catch smelt

Smelt fishing has a number of features. To get a rich catch, it is important to properly prepare your gear and find a habitat for the smelt flock.

Where to find

Smelt begins to migrate from seas to rivers long before spawning. At the same time, large flocks accumulate near the banks, in river mouths and bays in the fall. In the cold season, their number and density increases. At the same time, the fish remains active all day. Experienced fishermen prefer to catch smelt in winter and early spring.

Tackle used

The fish are medium-sized. Therefore, it can be caught with simple and affordable tackle. When fishing for smelt in winter from ice, you may need:

• lightweight winter fishing rod – it needs to be equipped with a reel or spool;
• a large amount of thin fishing line – its diameter should be 0.1-0.16 mm;
• nod – it is recommended to use a sufficiently sensitive tackle made of lavsan or clock spring;
• small jig – its diameter should be 3-5 mm.

Catfish catching in winter is a gambling and mining business that attracts hundreds and thousands of fishermen [/ caption] To catch smelt in open water, you can use the following tackle:

• classic donk – in this case, you can use several phosphorus jigs;
• ultralight spinning rod – it must be equipped with a small spinning and spinning reel;
• sensitive feeder rod – it needs to be equipped with 3-5 shiny hooks.

https://youtu.be/XpnHGB3dwZ4

Fishing technique

For ice fishing, the standard depth is 4-8 meters. But sometimes the smelt goes to depths of up to 20-30 meters. In cold waters, the fish keeps close to the very bottom, but does not sink to the ground. The maximum number of bites is observed in the bottom layer. In this case, it is recommended to use worms, maggots, bloodworms as bait. Pieces of ruff or perch are also suitable. Since smelt belongs to predators, it can be caught with spoons 5-6 mm in size. Fishing in open water is carried out from the shore, bridge, boat. At this time, the smelt is at a depth of 3-5 meters. The highest biting activity is observed from April to May and from September to October. Bloodworms, worms, maggots are used as bait. Pieces of fish are also suitable – crucian carp, minnows, ruffs.

Lure

It is not always necessary to use groundbait. But sometimes bloodworms or other animal food can be used. It is usually rolled into balls of earth or clay. To make the groundbait even more attractive, you can add protein ingredients to it – in particular, powdered milk. https://youtu.be/QlKl6JZbaT4

Taste qualities

This fish is characterized by a pleasant smell of fresh cucumber and tender meat with excellent taste. Most often, smelt is consumed fried, as it acquires a beautiful golden crust.
The smell of cucumber – catfish smells peculiar and tasty [/ caption]

The benefits of smelt and the harm of bison for health

Smelt meat contains valuable components. It contains a lot of proteins and fats. The composition of the product is rich in sodium, which is important for the normal functioning of the heart and blood vessels. In addition, this component saturates cells with glucose. All useful elements are easily absorbed by the body. Smelt is mainly consumed with bones. As such, it is of great benefit to the joints and helps prevent osteoporosis. Fish contains a lot of vitamin A. Due to this, it has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the organ of vision and saturates the body with collagen. The product helps prevent many pathologies. Fish helps to improve metabolic processes, therefore it should be consumed by people who want to lose weight.

Fish is harmful to the body only when living in dirty waters. In this case, salts of heavy metals and other dangerous elements accumulate in her body.

How to cook smelt

Cleaning the fish is easy. To do this, you need to scrape it from the tail to the head. After that, it is necessary to remove the insides, cut off the head and rinse well in running water. The easiest way to serve smelt is fried. To do this, you need to take the following ingredients:

• 1 kg of smelt;
• flour;
• sunflower oil;
• spices.

To cook fried fish, you need to wash and clean the carcasses. If the size of the fish is up to 10 cm, you do not need to gut it. Then the carcasses should be rolled in flour, add salt and pepper, fry in a large amount of heated oil. Small fish are often deep-fried. This helps to get a nice crispy crust. To cook fish on charcoal, you need to fry it on the grill. Thanks to this, the fish will become spicy and acquire a pleasant aroma. To get a delicious dish, it is recommended to take the following ingredients:

• 600 grams of fish;
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil;
• sea ​​salt;
• lemon juice;
• Dill.

Carcasses must be washed and peeled, sprinkled with oil and lemon juice and sprinkled with salt. Leave it on for a few minutes. Grill for 2 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with dill at the end. Smelt can be baked to make a dietary meal. This will require the following ingredients:

• 500 grams of smelt;
• lemon juice;
• salt;
• allspice;
• greens.

Fried Smelt Recipe – Video Tips: https://youtu.be/9kv8h2i0vhk First, it is recommended to make a marinade. To do this, mix lemon juice with salt, pepper and herbs. Pour the finished dressing over the fish and leave it to infuse. In the meantime, you need to put foil on a baking sheet and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Arrange the fish in an even layer, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Open the foil 5 minutes before the end of cooking. This will help you get a delicious golden crust. The baked smelt is very juicy and goes well with fresh vegetables. Smelt is a common fish found in cold waters. Its meat has a delicate taste and a pleasant cucumber aroma. Smelt is popular among fishermen and culinary specialists because of its interesting fishing process and piquant taste.

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