"Dead time" in the middle of winter, Amur River

In January the ice on Amur River is about 1 meter thick.  Most of fish in this period are more sleepy comparing with the time of "first ice" - November & December.   

It takes lots of time & effort to make a hole in the thick ice with the ice-pike.   

Ice-auger is not very useful at Amur River ice - the ice has lots of sand in it, so the blades of a drill get dull after 2-3 holes.  Ancient tools - ice-pikes - are still popular in Khabarovsk. 

By mid December lots of lampreys are coming up to Khabarovsk. 

These "fish" are anadromous; they do not feed in the river and will be spawning in the spring. 

The life cycle of a lamprey is exactly the same as the one of a salmon.

The fish which is very active under the ice is burbot Lota lota. 

The best rig to catch burbot is a heavy lure baited with piece of row fish

Trophy whitefish is hard to catch in mid winter, when it is cold

Amur pike is one of fish which is active through the whole winter

Tail of Amur pike

Amur pike Esox reicherti - part 2

At the main channel of the Amur River near the Sarapulskoe village the pike fishermen make the holes along the banks, at the depth 1,5-3 m

When ice-fishing the most important is to find a trail, which the fish is using..

The most common pike lure for ice-fishing in the Amur River is called "crab"

This fish is often biting its prey from the head; this is why one hook in the tail is not enough

Rare catch through the ice - 2 catfish were caught among the pikes   

Amur catfish can be active in December, and bite pike lures

Trophy Amur pike

Amur pike Esox reicherti

Amur River is frozen.  Huge river is covered with thick ice & snow from November till April. 

The fishermen is carefully approaching fresh ice of the river: this is his first ice-fishing in the season. 

This pike had swallowed a small whitefish, which was caught on a baited hook.  An unexpected, but valuable catch!

Nice size Amur pike is caught with a self-made "horizontal" lure, painted white. 

Local lure for ice-fishing for pike is called "crab".  This is not a snagging device: the fish is really biting it!

Some modern pike lures which were working on 2009

"Fire-tiger" is one of the colors which the pikes like

to be continued..

Sea of Okhotsk near Magadan - ice-fishing for rainbow smelt

Rainbow smelt Osmerus dentex mordax is a numerous anadromous fish of the North Pacific.  In winter it comes to the sea shores and feeds under the ice.  Magadan fishermen like to catch it both for fun and for food.  Smelt is very tasty if fried on oil. 

"Horseless" fishermen which do not have cars are trying to get a ride to the best fishing places, far into the Gertnera Bay near Magadan.

Gertnera Bay near Magadan is frozen.  By the sunrise all smelt-fanatics are already on the ice with their cars.  Looking for the schools of smelt, the fishermen sometimes get out as far as 5 km from the bank.

First bites, first smelts

After a snowstorm the snow on the sea ice is too deep for the trucks to go through.  On the first day after storm it is possible to move only on foot. 

To fish for smelt you need ice-auger, small scoop for ice, winter rod with lures, and something to sit on.  One can not fish out of a tent or shelter - the fish schools move fast, and fishermen have to follow.

Most of Magadan fishermen use custom-made stainless augers - salt water will destroy a normal auger quite fast.

Local smelt rigs in most cases look like garlands of tiny flies, imitations of marine plancton animals.  The best colors of the lures are light green, yellow, white, or pink.  The depth where we fish is normally between 15 & 25 meters.  The fish is most often found between 1 &4 meters from the bottom, but sometimes we catch it right below the ice.  My rod is 75 cm long and has wire hooks, which allow wrapping long line when lifting the fish to the ice.  This is much easier than pulling the line with the hands. 

This time I am fishing about 4 km from the nearest bank

If you are lucky to find a school, it is easy to catch several dozens of smelt in an hour. 

Rainbow smelt (Osmerus) - above

Pond smelt (Hypomesus) - below

The most common fish in winter catch near Magadan:

Saffron cod

Rainbow smelt

Pond smelt