Fishing in the Gulf of Finland – a real unique experience with photos and videos

The Gulf of Finland washes the territories of three countries: Russia, Finland and Estonia. The Gulf of Finland is the second largest water body of the Leningrad Region after Ladoga. Gulf of Finland on the online map:

Is it possible to fish in the Gulf of Finland and what are the prohibitions?

Recreational fishing regulations differ from country to country. For example, in Finland there are no seasonal spawning bans, while in Estonia the spring ban ends later. And the priorities for fishing in these three countries are different. So, the Finn will let go of even a decent pike, but take a little goose. Estonians are practically not interested in the smelt so beloved by Petersburgers – give them herring. In the Leningrad region, the rules for amateur fishing are as follows:

• it is forbidden to fish for pike from the breaking of the ice and until June 1 (on rivers until May 20);
• in the Vyborg Bay it is forbidden to catch zander and bream from May 20 to June 1;
• in the rest of the Gulf of Finland, these fish cannot be caught until 1 July.

Vyborg Bay on the map:

Healthy! Fishermen need to know that the spring ban on pike fishing does not apply to the Gulf of Finland, and it is also allowed to move there under a gasoline engine.

Fines for mining during the prohibited period reach astronomical amounts for an ordinary Russian – 6,600 rubles. for pike perch (3300 at other times, if the size of the fish does not reach 40 cm). In general, the fisherman has nowhere to roam, unless he switched to catching the so-called “trash” fish, for which, by the way, the size of the maximum catch is also set – 10 kg. In addition, winter fishermen have recently been banned from going out on the ice. The fines there are also cosmic, but the executors (employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations) usually simply drive the fishermen off the ice.

Gulf of Finland depth map

According to Wikipedia, the maximum depth in the Gulf of Finland is 121 meters. But anglers are not interested in such depths of the sea. The main fishing takes place at depths of up to 10-12 meters, and only smelt climbs deeper – sometimes up to 30 meters. The bottom topography of the Gulf of Finland is mostly uneven. As you know, fish are interested in various irregularities in the relief – more often banks, less often pits.
Depths in the Gulf of Finland near Shepelevsky lighthouse [/ caption]

Where exactly is it worth fishing and what bites in the Gulf of Finland and Vyborg

Once the ice has melted, there are several opportunities for anglers to fish in sufficient quantities. For example, hunters for large pike can go to Kronstadt. Fishing is peculiar – you shouldn’t expect a wild bite. When swimming with an echo sounder, you need to look for small depressions, about 30-50 cm deeper than the bottom of the surrounding water area. There might be a pike. Lures are used large = jerkbaits, wobblers of large size, but with a small depth, sometimes large “rubber” “shoots out”.
There are similar places on the southern coast of the bay. But there are a lot of stones in the water and you need to either know the water area very well, or walk under an electric motor.
You can do easier and go to the Vyborg Bay. At this time there is a good bite of bream … or breeder, as you like.
Breams caught in the Gulf of Finland are cast in bronze [/ caption] There are fish 0.5-1.7 kg in size.
Quite worthy bream [/ caption] The tackle for fishing is quite simple, but there are still certain tricks. A rod with a length of about 4 meters with a spinning reel will do. A large float is needed, since long-distance casting is required – the bream is afraid of the boat. Optimal
float weight– 6-10 grams. It is better to knit a leash from a thinner line – when fishing in the grass, the rig will remain intact. With the size of the hook, it is better not to grind it – 2-3 dung worms should be planted on it.
A bunch of dungworms is a working bait for catching bream in the Gulf of Finland [/ caption] The fishing algorithm is as follows: they catch either on rocky ridges or near old reeds, preferably in the surf zone. If you fish in stones, the accuracy of the cast does not matter, but in the cane the cast should be aimed. Sometimes several bream specimens stand side by side.

Attention! Groundbait should not be used, moreover, it is not even recommended. The ubiquitous silver bream flies to the smell of bait, which will not allow normal fish to be caught.

Fishing for bream continues until the end of May, after which it is better to go pike fishing. The same Vyborg Bay provides a lot of opportunities. In other parts of the Gulf of Finland, there are quite a few places rich in pike. Catching a scourge in the Vyborg Bay – a video report in two parts: https://youtu.be/-cpcdqoSo90 https://youtu.be/iXuwqG7w0dQ You should not count on catching a trophy fish in late May-early June, but a good bite is quite real … It is difficult to recommend any bait that will catch pike better than others. You should be guided by the situation. Fishing in “zhabovniki”, which may not grow in early June, is better left for later. Promising places are the border of reeds and sometimes stone ridges. Stone ridges – “a pig in a poke” – fish may or may not be. Better to catch reeds along the border.If the depth next to the reed is shallow, you can use spoons, spinners and wobblers. https://tytkleva.net/lovlya-xishhnoj-ryby/spinning/primanki/lovlya-na-blesny-osenyu.htm A completely different thing is fishing on a sharp drop, here
you can’t do without a jig . Empirically, the weight of the jig head (cheburashka) is selected, usually no more than 10-12 grams, and step wiring is carried out. Usually the pike bite closer to the reed, sometimes even “on the ejection”, but bites under the boat are also possible.
July is coming and you can smoothly move on to catching pike perch. Everything is not easy here. Numerous lovers of fishing on the track plow the expanses of the Gulf of Finland along the northern and southern shores and catch mainly … underdogs, for which any Fishery Supervision Authority can issue a considerable fine. However, the same applies to those who love fishing on the dam in the Gulf of Finland – a complex of flood defenses.
You can fish in the Gulf of Finland from the dam or near it [/ caption]

Indeed, the pike perch has been greatly reduced in size in recent years. What to do? We have to let go of a trifle, the more decent copies still slip from time to time.

Wobblers are mainly used on the track, but, as experience has shown, an increase in the size of the bait does not scare off a fanged predator cub. The jig is a little easier. If you put a 5 “bait instead of a 4” bait, then some of the little things can be cut off. Advanced anglers, armed with modern technology, independently search for spots with large zander, but this is not available for most ordinary anglers. If fishing for small pike perch bothers you, you can return to Vyborg Bay and fish for pike there. The toothy predator is not so active, but you can find more places where it sits in ambush. For example, “zhabovniki”. Fishing there requires patience and a personal touch. It is not so easy to get the shuka out of the grass. Sometimes Rapala MS will work, sometimes Kuusamo, but more often you need a creative approach.
Throwing a wobbler, a popper into the window or holding a silicone bait on the “borscht” on the offset – the decision is for the fisherman. But usually something will work. You can
catch pike in the Gulf of Finland among water lilies and thickets of grass – where exactly, experience and ability to read the reservoir will tell you [/ caption]

“Autumn came imperceptibly and flocks of birds rushed to the south” – The Time Machine.

Autumn is the time of the pike, but one must not forget about the pike-perch, as well as about the perch. The pike in the Gulf of Finland is becoming more active. The places of its deployment do not generally change. You can try to fish with larger lures, but, oddly enough, the Yo-Zuri 66 sinking wobbler was best caught due to its versatility.
Trophy pike in the Gulf of Finland is activated in autumn the coldest. But in the Vyborg Bay, the fanged predator is becoming more active.
In the Vyborg Bay, pike perch becomes more active in autumn [/ caption] The best time to fish is October, although biting can be influenced by factors such as wind direction. Usually caught at depths of 9-13 meters. There is almost never flow, so a jig head weighing 20 grams is usually the limit. But the pike perch is extremely finicky. You need to have in the box different “rubber” of different colors. It is also useful to catch in a plumb line
on VIBs . Fishing for zander in the Gulf of Finland near the dam – video report: https://youtu.be/uQhv_Dxuxro Now about the perch. Not every year, but periodically it comes to the dam. A retractable lead with a brown or other dark colored silicone worm works best. But experiments are possible – sometimes bright twisters work better.
Bright twisters work on perch [/ caption] Perch on the dam is migratory. One day you can run into a large humpback with bright fins, like the Ladoga one, and the next day a “local” one – pale, medium-sized and extremely fastidious – will bite. In the Vyborg Bay in the fall, perch is also suitable, but not every year. If you can find a gregarious minke, then you can fish it in plenty on a small jig and on wobblers. True, its size there rarely reaches 400 grams. The
striped robber willingly responds to small and medium wobblers [/ caption] But even if fishing on the Vyborg Bay failed, its beautiful views will not leave anyone indifferent.
Beautiful views brighten up fishing failures [/ caption]

Winter fishing on the Gulf of Finland

And now winter has come. The smelts are the first to rush into battle. If once the opening of the smelt fishing season came around mid-February, now there are no time limits for those who like to catch small odorous fish.
Smelt fishing is a famous fishing object in the Gulf of Finland [/ caption] They start in November, since there is a dam and there is a smelt. Those who fish from boats with inboard rods usually boast heavier catches. Those who like to sit with the feeder do not go empty, but their catches are more modest. By the way, after the ice has melted, the smelt flotilla is again on the water. And what to do when the ice has risen. On the Gulf of Finland, freeze-up occurs later than on Ladoga and on many lakes. In addition, there is a permanent ban on going out on the ice. True, this is monitored mainly within the city. You have to act at your own peril and risk. In winter, there are a lot of pike perch in the waters of the Gulf of Finland, however, it is not easy to find it. Fishermen fishing in the park for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg are guided by the Gazprom tower.
Gazprom’s tower and a beautiful view of the Gulf of Finland is a landmark for anglers [/ caption] There are pits and shoals there. From there you can go in any direction, and then … as luck would have it (fz8).
Pike perch caught from ice [/ caption] Sometimes pike perch enters the bay opposite the Kanonersky channel. You have to walk up to 5 km on foot, but sometimes it’s worth it. Basically the size of the zander is “holiday”, but there are also monsters.
Pike perch – kids go to their native element [/ caption] All winter pike perch grazes in the seaport water area. But there it is almost always shallow, besides, tugs periodically break the ice. Truth,
if you walk further along the fairway, you can find larger fish.Do not forget about the Vyborg Bay. The pike perch stays there all winter, but it bites best of all on the first and last ice. The size of the fish in the Vyborg Bay is also not encouraging.
Pike perch is not the largest – sports size [/ caption] With perch in winter, the situation in the Gulf of Finland is deplorable lately. Minke whales can be caught almost everywhere, for example, in the Ermilovskaya Bay. A perch of more or less edible size periodically approaches the shore, but here you need to have operational information so as not to miss the moment.
Ermilovskaya Bay [/ caption] Therefore, the following situation has now emerged: those who travel to the Gulf of Finland in winter are divided into smelt and goose-brewers. Smelt of them at least 90%. If earlier catches of 300 fish seemed unheard of luck, now they catch 1000. The reason for this is the shallow depth, because pulling the rig from 5 meters much faster than from 25 m. The average weight of one fish was 50 grams 20 years ago, and 15 grams last year.

Interesting! Lovers of calm fishing can be recommended to go to the Vyborg Bay with zherlitsy. There the fish are not as well knocked out as in Ladoga, and there are chances of success. And the one who is interested in dragging the palm gustera from great depths can take his soul away there, only moving away from the coast.

Recreation centers on the Gulf of Finland

There are not so many bases in the Gulf of Finland that satisfy the needs of fishermen. You can name the following:

1. Recreation center “Okunevaya” . Located right on the bay. The cost of living is 4800 rubles / day. The base is known for the fact that in winter anglers can leave their cars for a modest fee under protection and go on the ice to catch smelt or perch.
2. Recreation center Makslahti . It is located in the Pribylovskaya Bay of the Vyborg Bay. Quite inexpensive – 1700 rubles / day.
3. Johannesburg . Base in the village. Soviet. Boat rental 1100 rubles / day. Accommodation is the same. Car security 150 rubles.
4. Recreation center “Titan” Located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland in the village. Black Lakhta. Budget base – 1000 rubles / day For two.

Important! You can take a boat without accommodation for little money at semi-legal bases in the village. Soviet and in the village. Landyshevka. True, they are quite difficult to find.

Paid and free fishing in the Gulf of Finland

So far, there are no fish farms in the Gulf of Finland where rainbow trout are raised, so all fishing is free.

Fishing savage

You can relax in a tent on the Gulf of Finland almost anywhere. Another thing is whether there will be fish there. And meteorological conditions. On the northern coast, the surf wind will not make it comfortable to fish, similarly on the southern one. Therefore, all lovers of recreation as savages rush to the Vyborg Bay. Yes, you have to drive at least 150 km, but you can always choose a place to your liking. If the place is inhabited, there will be problems with firewood, but you can swim to the nearest island or use a portable gas stove for them. And fish in the Vyborg Bay can be caught all year round. And for every taste. The most popular places are as follows:

• Neighborhood of the village Soviet – pike, maybe perch;
• Vysotsk – pike perch;
• Pos. Podborovye – pike, perch in the fairway;
• Pribylovo is a pike.

And everywhere in May, you can heartily fish for bream. By the way, in the summer they also catch him, but this requires onboard fishing rods. And in September-October, bream again returns to shallow water, but such catches as in May are already unlikely.

Fishing report on the Gulf of Finland in autumn – a real experience

In October we decided to visit the Podborovye area. Before that, acquaintances visited there and said that there was a pike, but it was impossible to catch it. There is a dense line of pondweed along the reed, and it is simply unrealistic to fish with a jig. But man does not live by a jig alone. We came to the place, assessed the situation and began to fish: I used a Yo-Zuri 66 wobbler, and my partner – a small turntable. I advised him to change it to a larger one, but he turned out to be stubborn. The pike nibbled. Size 1-2 kg. And here and there she beat, chasing the fry, but it was impossible to catch her there. I noticed a similar pattern a long time ago. We went into a small shallow bay, I put on a Kosadaka swimbait and immediately caught a couple of pikes. Then I decided to check the thickets of reeds with a large spinnerbait and now … finally … 3750. Decent ending. For the sake of fairness, I will say that we checked the same places in the winter with zherlitsy and were left with zero,and in June we ran in many places, since the engine power allowed it, and the result was practically the same. So there is a hole in the old woman, or it bites yesterday and tomorrow.

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