The Volga attracts those who want to catch fish with a wide variety of species of the underwater world and the opportunity to hunt them all year round. Types of fishing are varied - this is fishing with a sheer bait and jig, spinning and donkey, boilies and trolling, and, of course, you can’t do without a fishing rod.

Fishing on the Volga is distinguished by the bite of fish at any time of the year and throughout the day. Therefore, the banks of the river are always crowded. At the same time, the trophies of anglers and the methods of fishing in different seasons are slightly different.

Fishing on the Volga in the spring is possible throughout the day. The bite in each spring month is practically stable. Evening time is a good opportunity to catch zander.

The fish that found on the Volga in the spring:

• zander;
• pike;
• perch;
• vobla;
• sabrefish;

In mid-March, all the ice on the river melts and a full-fledged spring fishing. The water at this time is still not warm enough, so the fish keeps at a depth.

It is best to catch pike perch near the pits, where the predator is found in a flock of up to five pieces, on a jig using a spinning rod. The choice of the length of the spinning handle depends on the place of fishing: for the shore it is advisable to use a longer one, and when fishing from a boat it is more comfortable to use a short handle.

If you manage to hook a pike perch, then it is quite simple to bring it to the boat. The harder task is to lift the trophy to the surface. Especially for individuals weighing more than 5 kg. If this can be done abruptly, it will be difficult for the fish to resist due to a change in pressure. Therefore, fishermen with experience drag zander into the boat without a landing net, but with their hand under the gills.

On the lower Volga in March you can try to catch a bream. The only problem with catching it may be the lack of bait - worms. Therefore, it is better to bring them with you in advance.

There is a high probability of catching perch and pike in the spring, as at this time they are actively looking for prey.

April- the most active month of fishing on the Volga. At this time, the water temperature increases, and at the same time, the chances of catching pike perch weighing about 10 kg increase. Trolling is good for catching it. Seagulls can help to give out the location of zander. They will circle over a certain surface of the water, looking for white fish. For pike perch, it is also a valuable prey.

In the second month of spring, you can successfully catch large-sized catfish. For fishing it is good to use vibrotails or spinners. Perch and pike are caught on a lure or popper. You can catch roach, silver bream or bream in April even from the shore, if you feed the place first. The disadvantage is that individuals of these fish near the shore will be almost three times smaller in size than their counterparts in the middle of the river.

May the Volga is characterized by high water. Therefore, it is possible to catch pike perch, catfish and pike near the shore and it is better to use live bait. It should be noted that fishing is allowed from mid-May to June 20 only on the main channel. You can use only spinning, donkey, float fishing rod.

Since May 25, midges appear due to lower water levels. It is most effective to fight it with the help of special anti-mosquito clothing. It is almost impossible to fish without the right equipment. But the biting of zander, catfish, asp, pike at the end of May is very active.

A characteristic feature of summer fishing on the Volga is the fact that after the end of the flood, a large number of fish move to a fast current with a low water temperature. Until mid-summer, the bite goes from morning to three in the afternoon, and then two hours in the evening. With the onset of heat, it is recommended to fish at night, since during the day casting various fishing gear will be ineffective due to the high temperature. The only exception is catfish. It can be fished in the summer and day and night.

The fish that caught on the Volga in summer:

• zander;
• pike;
• perch;
• sheresper;
• sabrefish;
• carp.

The advantage of fishing in June is the best fish bite of the year. But at the same time, the main drawback is the presence of the Astrakhan midge, which makes it impossible to fish without protective equipment.

Until the tenth of June, the Caspian herring is found on the Volga. A prerequisite for catching it is a license.

From the middle of June, catfish of quite large sizes are fished for spinning near the pits near the flowing streams. Large specimens of asp are caught on the castmaster.

On the Lower Volga in June, you can try to catch bream and carp from the shore. This will require bottom tackle with a nozzle in the form of a worm or cake.

In July midges die due to the high temperature, but at the same time there is no point in catching fish in the daytime. A good bite is provided only in the early morning and at night. Pike perch can be caught with a spinning rod or live bait with bottom gear, and catfish with a quok. Casting at least fifty meters from the shore they catch a sheresper. Pike this month hides mainly in quiet backwaters. On boilies, a barley shell, a carp pecks well around the clock.

In August effective is fishing on the shallows. Actively peck sabrefish, perch, catfish, pike perch.

For catching sheresper, you can use jigs and castmasters. Carp is found under steep cliffs. Pike and tench are caught in the lakes.

Fishing methods in autumn

In October and November, fish biting due to cold weather is observed throughout the day. The main trophy of fishermen is pike perch. The fish that found on the Volga in autumn:

Fishing on the Lower Volga in September is characterized by biting fish not only at night, but also during the day. Pike, tench, perch are actively caught. In places with fast current zander and asp hunt. At the beginning of the month it is better to catch catfish on riffles in the track, and at the end of September it is better to catch spinning and donk. Perch are caught, mainly for fry. Pike can be picked up both from the shore and at depth by trolling.

Donkoy in the deep places of the river you can catch a bream, and a tench is caught on a worm. Volga carp in September is found in shallow water.

In October with the help of jig spinning, large zander are very successfully caught. On the rifts there is a large asp. in a good way to catch autumn catfish is a sheer lure. Although carp is less active in October, its individuals are still found at depth.

In November They fish mainly for zander. Bersh, catfish, asp are less actively caught. With the help of silicone baits, you can catch pike. It is possible to catch enough roach and bream on the worm.

Winter fishing

Freezing water in the river begins no earlier than mid-December. With the help of winter spinning, you can catch a lot of pike, perch and zander. The fish that caught on the Volga in winter:

• zander;
• perch;
• pike;
• Volga white;
• bersh.

In December, before the water freezes on the Lower Volga, it is best to catch pike perch by trolling. When ice appears on the balancers, perch and pike are caught in a plumb line. Volga white responds well to mormyshka.

In January quiet bays are full of perch. Pike perch and bersh are still well caught.

In February great white fish. On pike perch and perch it is good to use sheer lure.

Fishing on the Volga attracts amateurs and professionals not only with an abundance of fish, but also with picturesque landscapes. You can settle down as a savage, and at fishing bases, of which there are a great many on the coast of the river.

Carp is not only a beautiful, tasty and large fish. As mentioned earlier, this is a very cautious, strong and fast fish. It is possible to catch it with an ordinary float rod, but it is very difficult and, most likely, you will have a line break for several reasons at once.

Increasingly, experienced anglers are using carp for catching. In this article, you will learn about the features of catching carp on a feeder on the Volga: get acquainted with the technique of carp fishing, and other features.

Required gear

After the catfish, carp is the second in the list of the most attractive fish for those who come to fish on the Volga. The process of playing fish will give you great pleasure, so the tackle must be strong and reliable.

Ideally, carp rods are used to catch carp, as well as a reel, a stand with an electric bite signaling device.

Optimal option:

• Daiwa Black Widow carp reel from our .
• Salmo monofilament, Feeder series. Thickness 0.3-0.4 depending on the expected trophy.
• Carp hooks Owner.

A few details about the choice

• Store-bought bait contains very active flavors, which will attract from distant parking lots. Also in many professional baits of the Trapper and Dunaev series there are biting activators that help improve the digestion of wild carp.
• Homemade bait, in turn, is nutritious and rich in natural carbohydrates and proteins. Having tried such bait, the carp will not refuse the table and will continue to eat for a long time.

Be sure to add the animal component to the bait. AT cold water for 1/3 of all bait, in warm summer for 1/10 or 1/15 of the total amount of bait. If you try for a worm, then feed with a chopped worm. The plant component of the bait should also be in the bait - corn, green peas, pearl barley, boilies.

Use only the baits you intend to fish with.

Optional Popular Supplements

In the southern regions of the Volga, carp are fed with the inclusion of shell meat in the bait. To do this, take out the pulp, finely cut, add shells.

You can make bait based on. Take sunflower, mix with breadcrumbs, compound feed, semolina and lightly steamed oatmeal.

When fishing in medium and fast currents, wheat bran is added to the bait(better than uneven grinding). Dissolving in water, particles of such bait will create turbidity, which is attractive to carp. Wheat bran is preliminarily soared for a long time on low heat.

In bays and places with a weak current, the bait is made in such a way that when it dissolves in water, it forms a suspension that will spread far an attractive smell for carp.

Feeder feeding technique

1. Here is the sequence of your actions:
2. On the snap, leave only the open-type feeder, do not fasten the leash with the hook yet.
3. Fill the feeder with bait a little by tamping on the sides, but not much, so that when you reach the bottom and jerk the rod, the bait can wash to the bottom.
4. Cast at 80-90% of your strength and based on a landmark on the opposite bank (a tree, a house, but not a cloud or a car that can move over time).
5. As soon as the feeder has fallen into the water, close the bail of the line handle and set the feeder rod to . After that, the line will be taut for some time, and the feeder will continue to fall to the bottom.
6. Clip the line to the special clip on your spool. Usually it has the shape of a regular triangle with soft edges. After that, when casting at 100% of your strength, you will always hit the same place along the length of the line. It remains only to aim at the landmark on the opposite bank.
7. After the feeder falls to the bottom, the fishing line will sag, and the tip will weaken. We wait 5-10 seconds and make a strong jerk so that the feed is washed out of the feeder. Then we take the feeder out of the water and repeat the whole procedure 10-15 times.

Tips for feeding in strong currents:

• Be sure to use feeders from 120 g. This will ensure that you reach the bottom as quickly as possible in the place where you threw it.
• At the time of baiting and at the time of catching, use feeders of the same weight and aerodynamic shape. Otherwise, you will feed one place, and try to catch carp in another.
• Cast a little upstream so that the feeder hits the bottom exactly perpendicular to the shore from you.

Baits and bait for carp

Boilies- an excellent bait for carp due to its size, choice of flavoring and flavoring properties and color.

Depending on the activity of carp and the frequency of bites of small fish, it is customary to use the following nozzles:

• In autumn, with low fish activity - one sinking boilie with a diameter of 18 mm on a hook.
• In summer - 1-2 boilies with a diameter of 24 mm.
• Fishmeal boilies work better in the summer when the water starts to get very hot and the shells multiply.
• It happens that the carp has a change of mood during the day. So, in the second half, with the onset of heat, experienced fishermen recommend replacing fruit boilies with fish boilies.
• In a strong current, the flavors are quickly washed out. Therefore, it is necessary to soak the nozzles in them for at least 2-3 hours.

Spring and autumn baits:

• bunch of worms
• barley shell meat
• bunch of maggots

Throw the rig and wait for the bite. The frequency between recasting tackle in an active bite should be no more than 10 minutes. In the autumn, when the carp becomes passive, you can transfer it every 20 minutes, while, of course, filling the feeder with new food.

Start with classic lures and gradually move on to more conservative ones. For example, if fruit boilies do not bite, try fishmeal boilies. If it doesn’t bite on light-colored boilies, try replacing them with light ones. If it doesn't bite on sinking boilies, try Pop-ups (pop-ups that will be 3-4 cm above the bottom).

In the end, you can try to mix the animal component into the bait. But you need to change the place only after 3-4 unsuccessful fishing, not earlier.

Playing. First, adjust the clutch so that the line comes off the reel with maximum resistance. And in crooked places, the use of a friction clutch is generally fraught with the loss of fish and equipment. Your tackle should be as strong as possible and withstand carp jerks. Secondly, you should not force events. Play slowly, do not let the carp go far, but do not pull it with all your might. Tear your lip or snap. To the shore should be brought only when the fish ceases to make sharp jerks.

Video master class on catching the Volga carp with a feeder

Summing up

1. Use reliable tackle, our recommendation:
   • Feeder rod Team Salmo ENERGY Feeder, length 3.9, test 120-250 g
   • Daiwa Black Widow carp reel from our .
   • Salmo monofilament, Feeder series. Thickness 0.3-0.4 depending on the expected trophy.
   • Carp hooks Owner.
2. If possible, explore the parking lot of carp in advance. If this is not possible, ask local fishermen. The appearance of bursts at dawn is a clear sign of carp parking.
3. In summer, use vegetable baits to catch carp, and in spring - animals.
4. When fishing in the course, feed the carp at regular intervals. AT standing water make one large meal.
5. For beginners, we advise you to start with a paternoster feeder rig, for more advanced ones, an asymmetric loop or a helicopter and two knots are suitable for fishing with light baits.
6. Fishing with a feeder is a physically demanding job, as the rod is powerful and you have to cast far and often.

Be patient, be attentive to each item on this page. Be sure to write about your experience here, it will be interesting to us and other anglers.

From FishingWiki

Fishing on the Volga is the dream of many fishermen. There are many reasons for this, because legends about trophy catches on the Volga have been circulating in the fishing community for a long time. Of course, fishing on the Volga is good: there is a bite and a solid fish, but you should not count on biting on a bare hook. Fishermen should understand that fishing, depending on the region, has its own specifics. Let's try to decide what to fish on the Volga, how to fish on the Volga and what gear you will need for fishing on the Volga.

Description

Volga basin

Water system: Caspian Sea.
Length: 3,530 km.
Catchment area: 1,360,000 km².
Estuary water flow: 7,700 m³/s.
Slope: 0.1 m/km.
The nature of the flow: flat.
Tributaries: Runa, Kud, Orekhovka, Zhukopa, Lemenka, Kocha, Big Dubenka, Small Dubenka, Pesochnya, Selizharovka, Big Kosha, Malaya Kosha, Solodomnya, Malaya Itomlya, Itomlya, Orcha, Tudovka, Talitsa, Mlinga, Sishka, Koksha, Dunka, Dobry , Rakitnya, Khalynka, Bolshaya Locha, Slaughterhouse, Vazuza, Dragocha, Holding, Iruzha, Sergovka, Cheremoshnya, Staritsa, Nizhnyaya Staritsa, Holokholnya, Karzhai, Ivanishki, Ulust, Rzhavtsa, Izbrizhka, Darkness, Mezhurka, Tmaka, Tvertsa, Orsha, Inga , Black, Trestyanka, Vetlyana, Zheleznitsa, Uzola, Slop, Zhuzla, Pyra, Linda, Black, Halzovka, Levinka, Oka, Vazloma, Nuzhenka, Rakhma, Vatom, Kudma, Alferovka, Nyuzhma, Kitmar, Kerzhenets, Sundovik, Black Maza, Bolshaya Maza, Nyuzhma, Construction, Sura, Khmelevka, Lutosha, Dorogucha, Bag, Jung, Jung, Malaya Jung, Rutka, Arda, Sundyr, Parat, Black, Big Tsivil, Sundyrka, Mamoksha, Tair, Anish, Yalchik, Sviyaga, Kazanka , Kama. Uren, Carcass, Sengileika, Big Cheremshan, Sok, Samara, Chapaevka, Bezenchuk, Syzranka, Far Chernova, Chagra, Small Irgiz, Ilchik, Small Mosque, Pionerka.
Reservoirs: Upper Volga, Ivankovskoe, Uglichskoe, Rybinsk, Gorky, Cheboksary, Kuibyshev, Saratov, Volgograd.
Channels: Volga-Baltic waterway, Vyshnevolotsk system, Tikhvin system, North Dvina system, White Sea-Baltic Canal, Volga-Don Canal.
Bottom: mostly sandy, there are also clay and rocky places (including very massive stone ridges). In areas where reservoirs are backed up and the current slows down significantly, usually a silty bottom overgrown with underwater vegetation.
Mouth: Caspian Sea. At the point of confluence, the height of the water's edge above sea level is -28 m.
Coastal landscape: Throughout its path, the Volga crosses several natural zones of the European part of Russia. In the very upper reaches, it flows through swamps and spruce urman, then - among the southern taiga and mixed forests. After Rybinsk reservoir the forest along the banks is less common, it is replaced by fields and meadows. Below Kazan, the river flows through the forest-steppe zone, which stretches approximately to Samara, and then the real steppe begins. After Volgograd, it gives way to a semi-desert, continuing to the very delta.
Settlements on the coast: Volgoverkhovye, Selizharovo, Rzhev, Zubtsov, Staritsa, Tver, Novozavidovsky, Konakovo, Korchevo, Dubna, Kimry, Kalyazin, Uglich, Myshkin, Mologa, Rybinsk, Tutaev, Konstantinovsky, Yaroslavl, Nekrasovskoye, Kostroma, Volgorechensk, Krasnoe-on-Volga, Reach, Navoloki, Kineshma, Zavolzhsk, Yuryevets, Sokolskoye, Puchezh, Chkalovsk, Gorodets, Balakhna, Bolshoy Kozino, Nizhny Novgorod, Bor, Kstovo, Makaryevo, Lyskovo, Vasilsursk, Kozmodemyansk, Cheboksary, Novocheboksarsk, Mariinsky Posad, Zvenigovo, Kozlovka, Volzhsk , Zelenodolsk, Lower Elm, Sviyazhsk, Vasilyevo, Kazan, Bolgar, Tetyushi, Staraya Maina, Ulyanovsk, Novoulyanovsk, Sengiley, Dimitrovgrad, Khryashchevka, Togliatti, Zhigulevsk, Samara, Novokuibyshevsk, Oktyabrsk, Syzran, Khvalynsk, Dukhovnitskoe, Balakovo, Volsk, Marx , Saratov, Engels, Privolzhsky, Rovnoe, Kamyshin, Nikolaevsk, Dubovka, Volzhsky, Volgograd, Krasnoslobodsk, Svetly Yar, Akhtubinsk, Narimanov, Astrakhan, Red Barricades.

Volga river - largest river in Europe, the most abundant in Russia. It is the world's longest river flowing into an inland body of water - the Caspian Sea. The river basin occupies an area the size of half of Europe. The Volga River has more than one and a half hundred tributaries - this is one of the record figures on the planet. On average, it takes 37 days for water to pass from source to mouth, since the current speed is about 4 km per hour. The Volga is one of the few rivers that has its own holiday - in Russia, May 20 is considered to be Volga Day.

The Volga flows through the territory of Russia, only a small branch of the Kigach goes east to the Atyrau region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Volga River begins in the Tver region near the village, which is called Volgoverkhovye. Here, its source is a small stream, which after a few kilometers crosses the lakes - first Small, and then Big Verkhity, giving strength to the great river. About a third of the European part of Russia is washed by the waters of the Volga basin. The Volga and its tributaries flow through the territory of thirty administrative regions of Russia and one region of Kazakhstan. The mouth of the river is located in the Astrakhan region and is the largest delta in Europe of the many branches that flow into the Caspian Sea.

fish species

It is believed that on the Volga the most interesting places in terms of fishing are reservoirs, as well as the estuarine section and the delta.

Conventionally, the river can be divided into 6 sections:

• The very headwaters- from the source to the Upper Volga lakes. There are two small lakes here - Small Verkhity and Bolshoi Verkhity, through which the Volga flows. The river in most of this area is a shallow, slightly swampy stream, only at the confluence with Lake Sterzh (at present it is part of the Upper Volga Reservoir) it becomes somewhat wider and deeper. The basis of the ichthyofauna here is made up of roach, perch and pike.
• The Upper Volga from the Upper Volga Beishlot to the Ivankovsky Reservoir- in this section, the river already has sufficient water content not only for full-fledged fishing, but also for rafting. Of the fish here, in addition to roach, perch and pike, they catch: pike perch, asp, burbot. In the upper part of the area, where the nature of the current corresponds to the foothills (there are rifts and rapids), there is a chub and grayling forbidden to catch. Toward its end of the section (approximately from Tver), carp and catfish appear. However, the population density (including fishermen) in these parts is very high. There is a strong fishing pressure on the river, in addition to this, poaching is flourishing. It is believed that fishing here can be successful if you know the river thoroughly, understand the habits of the fish and at the same time have good mobility - so that you can quickly change places. The quality of gear and the correct choice of baits also play an important role.
• Upper Volga from the dam of the Ivankovo ​​reservoir to the Rybinsk reservoir- most of this section is occupied by a relatively narrow, but very long and rather deep Uglich reservoir (it actually starts from the dam of the Ivankovo ​​reservoir - in the city of Dubna). Fishing in this reservoir is interesting primarily in terms of catching a predator - pike perch (reaches a decent size), bersh, perch, catfish, pike and burbot. Of the "peaceful" fish, ruff, bleak, roach, bream, and silver bream are most often caught. Other species are also found in the reservoir - minnow, dace, chub, ide, asp, sabrefish, podust, blue bream, tench, silver carp, however, they are somewhat less common in fishermen's catches. The section of the river after the Uglich dam is considered the Volga Bay of the Rybinsk Reservoir - new fish species characteristic of this reservoir may appear here: sprat, vendace, peled, smelt (including its small form - smelt), river eel.
• Upper Volga from the dam of the Rybinsk reservoir to the Gorky reservoir- fishing in this section is in many ways similar to that upstream - in the previous sections. However, the river here is noticeably fuller - such fish species as pike perch, carp and catfish are caught somewhat more often than higher up. Also, some representatives of sturgeons, in particular, sterlet, can be found here.
• Middle and Lower Volga- from the dam of the Gorky reservoir to the Volgograd reservoir. Quite a long section - more than a thousand kilometers long. The river on it is actually a grandiose cascade of large artificial reservoirs. Here are located: Cheboksary, Kuibyshev, Saratov and Volgograd reservoirs. The ichthyofauna of these places is in many ways similar to that observed upstream, some representatives of gobies, nelma, herring, grass carp and silver carp come across from new species. The same can be said about fishing - on all reservoirs, most often in the catches of fishermen there is a "standard" set - perch, bursh, pike perch, pike, roach, bream, carp, catfish.
• Lower Volga (mouth area)- from the dam of the Volgograd reservoir - to the place where it flows into the Caspian Sea. Here the river is divided into several channels, the largest of which are considered independent watercourses and have their own names, for example, the Akhtuba and Buzan channels. This area, together with the lower delta, is considered the most interesting in terms of fishing. Here are the most favorable conditions for the ichthyofauna and a good forage base. There are a lot of fish in these places, it quickly fattens up and reaches a decent size. Among Russian fishermen, the section of the Volga from Volgograd to Astrakhan is very popular, thousands of amateurs from other regions of the country come here every year. Most often, carp, asp, catfish, bream, pike, pike perch, perch, rudd, sabrefish, roach and others are caught here. In addition to freshwater species, there are also marine species that enter the delta and rise some distance upstream, for example, herring and gobies. Sturgeons are also found here, and Caspian salmon (a type of brown trout) also enters the river during spawning, but catching these fish is prohibited.

Fishing

Volga river

Tackle for fishing

Catfish Catching

Tackle for catching catfish

Catching a catfish while fishing on the Volga is the dream of every angler. This Volga giant needs special gear to catch. If you plan to fish for catfish with a spinning rod from a boat, then you will need a rod with a fast action and a length of 2.4-2.7 m, a weight test of 40-80 or 50-100 gr. Braid with a diameter of 0.2–0.3 mm will help avoid breakage, if necessary, force the fight. Spinning for catching catfish must be equipped with a Shimano Tecota 500 class multiplier reel. Equipment for catching catfish with spinning can be used jig. Perfectly caught catfish on fishing on the Volga by trolling. Here, however, one should distinguish between deep-sea trolling of catfish in pits and near-river edges; and shallow-water trolling of catfish on the rifts, where catfish go out in the second half of summer to hunt for sabrefish. You can also catch catfish while fishing on the Volga in a plumb line, using a short powerful rod up to 2.1 m long with a test of 100 gr, which should be equipped with a powerful multiplier reel.

Fishing on the Volga

The best lures for catching catfish

The best baits for trolling catfish in deep areas are Storm Deep Thunder wobblers with a length of 11 to 15 cm (immersion depth 5.5 - 9 meters), MANN'S and Halco floating wobblers (immersion depth from 7 to 9 meters) are also suitable. Catfish wobblers for a depth of 10 to 13 m are MANN "S and RIVER 2 SEA class 30+. Catfish fishing in July-August on shallow reaches and rifts will require the use of wobblers with a diving depth of 1.5 to 2.5 meters, as an option - universal wobbler Storm Hot'n Tot, suitable for catching any predatory fish on the Volga.In principle, for catching catfish on the Volga in shallow water, you can use any floating wobbler equipped with a rattle and reliable tees. heads weighing from 40 to 80 grams, in order to feel the wiring and touching the bottom with the bait, since catfish are caught in pits and at great depths with a noticeable current. 15 cm. It is extremely important when catching catfish to use a metal leashso that the brush of catfish teeth does not fray the braid during long-term playing.Remember, the main thing when catching catfish on Volga is the strength of all elements of fishing gear.

carp fishing

Tackle for carp fishing

Catching carp on the Volga involves the use of strong tackle. Fishing for carp, a strong and cunning fish, is always a struggle. Playing a carp delivers mass thrills, so the tackle should be as reliable as possible. Professionals use carp fishing tackle for carp fishing: carp rods, carp reels and a stand with an electric bite signaling device. Of course, tackle for carp is expensive, so if you really want to try to catch a carp, then a converted spinning rod with a test of 40-80 grams and a length of 2.7-3.3 meters is suitable for catching carp on the bottom tackle. It is desirable to use a carp reel from Shimano with the Bait Runner system of the 6000-10000 series, but Daiwa 4000-5000 series reels can also be used. The fishing line for carp is preferably braided with a diameter of 0.2-0.3 mm, but monofilament with a diameter of 0.4-0.5 mm can also be used. A monofilament line is much better at parrying jerks when playing a carp. Also, for carp fishing on the Volga, you will need weighty sinkers for bottom equipment and durable carp hooks weighing 4 kg or more.

The best nozzles for catching carp

The best nozzles for carp are boilies, barley shell meat. To improve the bite while fishing for carp on the Volga, you can use carp bait.

zander fishing

Tackle for catching zander on a jig

Fishing on the Volga for zander is one of the most exciting, especially since the ways of catching zander are varied. Let's figure out what gear is needed for fishing for zander. To catch pike perch on a jig, you will need a fast rod 2.7-3 m long with a test of 15-40 or 20-50 gr. The main weight of jig heads for catching zander on riverbeds and dumps is in the range from 35 to 50 grams. As for catching other predatory fish on the Volga, it is better to use braided fishing line with a diameter of 0.15-0.19 mm for zander fishing. A zander reel would be appropriate from the 3000-3500 series from Shimano or Daiwa. This condition will allow you to combine fishing for zander with fishing for small catfish on the Volga.

The best lures for zander on the Volga are foam rubber fish, vibrotails and twisters equipped with doubles or tees. The color of the bait for walleye is preferable to choose green and fluorescent green. Well takes pike perch and lures of orange and yellow shades. If you plan to fish for pike perch in stubborn places, choose foam rubber with hooks tightly pressed to the body or twisters on an offset hook with a sting recessed into the body as bait. The zander has a hard mouth, so when biting, it easily breaks through the silicone, exposing the sting of the hook.

Tackle for catching zander on trolling, catching zander on the track

Tackle for trolling pike perch like zander on the Volga is almost identical to tackle for catching catfish on spinning, so the recommendations for spinning, reel, fishing line and wobblers are similar to those we gave above in relation to catching catfish.

The best lures for zander fishing

The best lures for trolling zander on the Volga are wobblers of various colors, depending on the season chosen for fishing on the Volga: in spring, zander is caught on wobblers with a natural color that imitates carp fish - a dark back, a white belly and silvery sides; in summer, pike perch is perfectly caught on wobblers of greenish shades, for example: solid green and green with transverse stripes under the perch. Another universal option is the coloring of the Red Head wobbler - red head, white body. In addition to pike perch, this coloration is excellent for pike. On a wobbler up to 15 cm long, you can catch a luxurious trophy specimen of pike perch on the Volga. Wobblers from MANN'S Magnum Stretch 30+ and RIVER2SEA downsider minnow 200f are suitable for catching pike perch at a depth of 10-13 meters. But just in case, take slightly smaller wobblers with an elongated shape with you for fishing. the wobbler turns out to be more interesting.Also, for fishing on the Volga, it is recommended to use wobblers from the manufacturer Halco, on which not only zander, but also catfish bite.

pike fishing

Fishing on the Volga

Tackle for pike fishing

Pike fishing on the Volga is good in the cool season, in summer the pike is a little carp and in order to catch it you will have to use the best pike tackle. More often in the summer they catch pike not on the river itself, but in lakes and eriks, not far from grass thickets. Therefore, when choosing tackle for catching pike on the Volga, stop at a rod 2.7 meters long with a test of 10-30 grams, it is advisable to choose a medium-fast action for pike, this will allow you to catch pike both on floating wobblers and on jig baits. The reel for pike fishing is suitable for the 3000 series without inertia. Of course, for pike fishing on the Volga beam, use a strong and elastic braided line with a diameter of up to 0.13 mm.

The best lures for pike fishing

The best lures for shuka are floating wobblers with a diving depth of up to 3 meters and a size of up to 13 cm. Poppers and spinnerbaits can be used in grassy lakes. Slugs and Texas rigs work well on frogs. Rapala Minnow Spoon spinners can be used, as well as Mepps and Daiwa spoons converted to non-hooking spoons. Homemade unhooks are a prime example when fishing gear with their own hands give a tangible result when fishing in the grass.

Seasonal fishing

They fish on the Volga all year round, and there are practically no obvious declines in the behavior of the fish. However, there are some peculiarities dictated by the conditions of the local climate.

summer fishing

The summer fishing season here is considered to be the period from late June to mid-September. Catch a variety of types of tackle different types of fish. To be more precise, pretty decent bream go to the bottom, you can catch plenty of roach, carp, carp, white bream, sabrefish with float tackle, large pike and catfish often come across spinning. Catching catfish here is especially exciting, because it is unlikely that anywhere else you will have the opportunity to try your luck in catching a real giant, whose weight reaches 100 kilograms. There is an opportunity to try out such tackle as

Most of the season open water My wife and I devote ourselves to catching fish on the feeder. The Volga River below Volgograd to the borders with Astrakhan region. We open the fishing season as soon as the Volzhskaya HPP begins to reduce the volume of flood waters (usually in mid-late May), and our feeder fishing lasts until the start of autumn cold weather (photo 1).

Despite the low levels of spring floods in recent years and other environmental problems, the fishermen of our region can't complain, and there are still enough fish in the Volga to more than quench their fishing passion. But those anglers who have fished at least once on the Volga below the Volga hydroelectric power station know how difficult the fishing conditions are here, and how difficult it can be to adapt to them.

The width of the river in the Volgograd region is about a kilometer, and in other places even more. The current is very strong (about 1 meter per second), uneven in areas with complex bottom relief. The bottom of the river is sandy or clayey, there are strongly burrowed places. Therefore, for feeder lovers, the choice of a fishing spot is one of the main factors on which the success of fishing depends.

Onshore Feeder Difficulties

Despite the fact that there are still a lot of fish in the Volga (at least in our area), this does not mean at all that it is enough to throw tackle in any place of the river that you like, and you will be guaranteed a catch. In practice, places that are promising and popular with fishermen border on sections of the river where bites can only be expected by chance. By the way, promising and popular fishing spots are not always the same thing.

For those who fish from a boat with side lines or hunt for a predator, in terms of choosing a place on the river, it is much easier than for a coastal fisherman. A fisherman's faithful assistant on a boat is an echo sounder, which allows you to determine the depth of the place of fishing, the relief and nature of the bottom, its snarling. But, even if you don’t have this device useful in fishing, it’s much easier to get an idea of ​​​​the place of fishing when you are directly above it, and not a few tens of meters, as in a coastal feeder. As a last resort, if you don’t like the place or the hooks are tortured, you can always move the boat a hundred or two meters up or down the river.

Alas, when fishing from the shore to the feeder, the angler is deprived of such maneuverability. However, I am convinced that with the right approach to choosing a place, a coastal feeder, if not superior to fishing from a boat in terms of efficiency, then certainly is not inferior to it. (photo 2).

It is obvious that on a small or medium river it is much easier for an angler to navigate the terrain, and promising fishing spots are quite easy to read. All whirlpools and stretches, rifts and pits, sections with a reverse flow are visible at a glance, and several test casts with a marker float or an ordinary sinker help to significantly complement the initial picture.

Unlike small and medium-sized rivers, promising places on a large river are not so obvious and often do not have any pronounced signs at all. A strong and uneven current negates all efforts to probe the bottom with a marker float and sinker. Under such conditions, the most effective way to assess the prospects of a place of fishing is reconnaissance in battle. We did this more than once: we simply came to a previously unexplored section of the river, determined the casting point, fed it abundantly and waited for the fish to approach. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

However, this method of reconnaissance in combat is not without one major drawback. On other days, fish may be inactive in this section of the river for any reason. And, being here for the first time, you can decide that there is simply no fish worthy of attention here. Such a conclusion will be fundamentally erroneous, but you don’t always want to check this place again because of a failure once.

Therefore, in order to avoid such unsuccessful fishing trips, we have identified several main features for ourselves, which we first of all pay attention to when choosing a fishing spot for the upcoming feeder battles with fish.

Seasonal fishing grounds

Let's start with the fact that all potential places for feeder fishing on the Volga can be divided into two large groups. The first group will include those sections of the river where successful fishing is possible only during a certain period, most often from the end of May to the beginning of July, when the Volga gradually returns to its usual level after the spring flood. The plots from the second group, respectively, work stably throughout the open water season.

When the flood ends, the river does not suddenly recede, and in the first month of summer the level of the Volga is still quite high. In particular, such a picture was observed in the spring and early summer of this year, when the Volzhskaya HPP kept its high level discharge of flood waters, which have accumulated a lot due to heavy spring rains.

When the river begins to recede and gradually leaves the water meadows, the fish sensitively reacts to these changes and also rolls into the river. At the same time, it does not go to deep-sea pits and edges, but continues to stay near the flooded banks of the Volga. Particularly attractive for fish, and, consequently, for anglers, are those areas where water returns to the river from flood meadows in streams, there are trees and bushes felled by floods, or simply there is a rugged bottom relief. (photo 3). In the first half of summer, the river is very clean, and standing on a high bank on a sunny day, you can clearly see all the hillocks and pits, as well as tree trunks and protruding snags that have fallen into the river. A good clue for anglers will also be the current, which in calm weather, as it were, “breaks”, passing over an underwater obstacle, or twists into whirlpools (photo 4).

As a rule, the more anomalies (underwater mounds, pits, flooded logs and snags) in the selected fishing location, the more promising it is. Here, near the washed-out shores and in the formed underwater wilds, not only the ubiquitous Volga crucian carp graze, but also bream, chub and ide, carp, podust and other fish. However, fishing on a feeder can be difficult because of the numerous hooks.

Fishing points will also be promising, where the coastal shallows break off quite sharply into the depths. It is not difficult to determine such places by attaching a sinker to the tackle and dragging it along the bottom. At some point, the sinker will rest against the curb, which can be quite difficult to overcome. As a rule, a strong Volga current always tends to press the feeder to this edge, and when casting, the feeder finds the bottom in this very place.

It happens that the edge is quite sharp and clayey, and then a heavy feeder cuts through it with a cord, and when you try to pull out the tackle, it gets stuck tightly. In this case, tired of the constant loss of snaps, we clip the fishing line so that the feeder is brought closer than the edge is located. With accurate casting and regular baiting, it is possible to easily pull the fish up, and further fishing goes without loss.

The boundary of shallow and depth is very easy to determine visually in windy weather, especially if the wind is blowing with or against the current. The resulting waves very quickly raise yellowish bottom turbidity from the bottom, and the border of muddy and clear water will just be the border of the slope into the depths and the coastal shallows (photo 5).

By the middle of summer, when the level of the Volga drops to its usual summer level, many fishing spots that worked perfectly at the beginning of the season completely lose their prospects. The fact is that all the trees and bushes that have fallen into the river, the edges that are attractive to fish, simply end up on the shore or in the immediate vicinity of the water's edge. (photo 6).

Every year for several years in a row, one place, accidentally discovered by us, has been working this way. In high water immediately from the shore begins an impressive depth of the pit. The bottom of the pit is quite flat, without relief anomalies, but the whole attraction of the place lies in the fact that there is an extended shallow downstream. When the water is high, the impetuous Volga current, resting against this shallow, forms a rather powerful return line, and therefore the feeders and sinkers are pulled not downstream, but against it. Apparently, such a property of the water flow led to the fact that the bait thrown by us was not carried away by the current, but settled on the bottom. Therefore, abundant food at the beginning of fishing provided a good fish bite for several hours of fishing.

By the middle of summer, when the water was falling, the section of the river became very shallow, the deep hole turned into an ordinary pit with a direct current, and the fish worthy of attention simply left this section. (photo 7).

Permanent fishing grounds

After the high water receded and the Volga entered the summer low water period, there are much fewer promising places for a feeder. But on the other hand, these are the points that work stably throughout the rest of the open water season, and some of them are generously rewarded with catches from year to year.

First of all, we pay attention to those sections of the river where the drop in depth begins directly from the shore or within the casting distance. It is not difficult to determine such areas by observing the course of the ships. In some places, steamers and barges pass so close to the shore that when casting, it even seems as if you can hit the metal side with a heavy feeder. In fact, the distance to the ships in this case is 150 meters or more. But the very fact that the Volga fairway, along which ships are sailing, is in close proximity, speaks of the undoubted prospects of this fishing spot. (photo 8).

However, there is one significant drawback here. Usually the depth from the shore does not decrease smoothly, but goes, as it were, in ledges. Accordingly, when unwinding gear, a curb, or even several, may meet on its way. Well, if the edge is sandy: then, with a certain strength of the tackle, the feeder still manages to be torn. But an obstacle made of clay is fraught with numerous hooks.

There is one such place in our asset. It is rather difficult to access: it is impossible to drive to this section of the Volga coast by car, it can only be reached on foot and by boat. But those who fish from a boat are free to choose any place they like, and there are no foot competitors here at all. From the water's edge, a sandbank stretches for fifteen meters, which abruptly breaks off into the depths with a literally sheer clay wall. Behind this very wall crucian carp, bream, chub and ide are constantly plying, sometimes carp inspect their possessions, and in the evening twilight zanders rise from the depths.

In general, fishing here is very productive, if not for one thing. While the water is still high, a sharp fall into the depths is far from the shore, and it is possible to drag the equipment through it only by lifting the rod high above the head, and even then not always. At low water along the sandbank, one can approach almost close to the dump, and then the feeder that has crashed into the clay edge can be released without any difficulty at all. Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary hassle, we go to this “secret place” along the lowest water, not earlier than the end of July - the beginning of August.

Another attractive factor for fish is the presence of dense snags in the immediate vicinity of the chosen fishing spot - both downstream and upstream. (photo 9). It is in the underwater wilds that large crucian carp, carp and chub like to settle, which in the morning and evening dawn visit more open areas in search of food. If you abundantly feed such a plot next to the snag, then you can almost certainly count on success. (photo 10).

feed factor

Sharp drops in depth, pits with a slow return, rugged bottom relief and edges, the presence of snags - these are the main, but not all, signs that characterize a potentially promising place for feeder fishing. There is another factor that you should definitely pay attention to - the presence of potential food objects for fish.

A couple of years ago, we went on another feeder fishing trip, deciding to fish on a large sandy spit, which is located in the middle of the Volga right in front of our village. But on that July morning, the weather was cloudy and very windy, so my wife and I decided to cancel the long-distance rowing along the Volga. Instead, we set off in the opposite direction and, having sailed along the island for a couple of kilometers against the current, landed on a gently sloping sandy beach. Here we had never fished at all before, so we decided to conduct a reconnaissance in force.

The first casts showed that the bottom in the place of fishing is sandy, without edges, it goes down quite smoothly, at the maximum distance of our casts reaching 3-4 meters of depth. Quite close to this place, ships laid their course, but we did not throw very much to the dump in depth. In addition, the rapid current dragged the feeders, and their weight had to be increased from 120 to 150 grams.

In general, a bare sand pipe with medium depth and a flat bottom. No grass, no snags, no eyebrows. The place immediately seemed unpromising to us, and therefore we, without much enthusiasm, purely on the machine, bombed the chosen fishing point, setting the fodder table for no one knows. We decided for ourselves that if there were no bites before lunch, then we would go home.

In addition, a fisherman who sailed up on a motorboat spoiled our mood even more, asking in surprise: who are we going to catch in this barren place? ..

But from ten o'clock in the morning the weather began to change: the wind died down, the clouds scattered, the sun came out. As if on cue, the fish began to take with such an intensity that we have not seen in other places. Large bream and ide came across on the baited place, several chubs flew in. The mad bite began at twelve o'clock in the afternoon and continued without interruption well into the afternoon.

As further fishing at this place showed, active biting in the middle of a summer day was only a rare exception: most likely, at that time, a change in the weather influenced the outbreak of fish feeding activity. However, this section of the Volga turned out to be very suitable for night bream fishing. (photo 11).

Usually we started feeding the point an hour before sunset, and even at dusk the first bites of breams happened. The deeper into the night, the larger the fish we came across, and the flock of bream came quite close to the shore, to a depth of only 2-2.5 meters.

Chance helped to unravel the secret of the attractiveness of this place for bream. Usually after night fishing we break camp and head home at ten o'clock in the morning, when the beginning heat is already making itself felt. Therefore, before setting sail, we prefer to refresh ourselves in the river, since the coastal shallows warm up very quickly.

While swimming, we noticed that the strength of the current near the shore is much weaker than at the distance of our casts. And on the very sandy bottom, which is well warmed by the sun, there are small dark spots of organic deposits, very similar to particles of silt. On such "silty" areas of the bottom, if you rake up the sand, you could find numerous crustaceans and other benthic organisms.

Most likely, this is what attracted the bream to the coastal shallows. Here, on a weaker current, on a site well warmed up by the sun, various benthic organisms felt comfortable. During the day, the bream was afraid to approach here, settling in tight and cold jets near the fairway. But under the cover of night, he went aground to dig deep in the bottom and feast on various insects and crustaceans, while not disregarding the fodder table generously set for him and our baits on hooks.

Although many sections of the Volga that are convenient for feeder fishing are actively visited by anglers from year to year, this does not mean that once you find a good place, you can use it for as long as you like. The fact is that the river changes all the time, especially after long and heavy spring floods. The current fills the pits with sand and forms new depressions, smoothes the edges, rolls into the river fair sections of the coast, along with trees and bushes growing on them. All this constantly changes the appearance of the river, sometimes beyond recognition. And places rich in fish completely lose their attractiveness for underwater inhabitants.

Therefore, the river has to be rediscovered every time. Some sites that worked last year still give good catches, while some turn out to be completely fishless, and new ones have to be found. But it is precisely this constant search and new discoveries that make feeder fishing on the Lower Volga interesting. (photo 12)!

Vitaly Volkov,
r.p. Svetly Yar, Volgograd Region