"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..