Registration locations:
Brest region - Brest, Stolin districts
Gomel region - Braginsky, Vetkovsky, Gomel, Zhitkovichsky, Zhlobinsky, Kormyansky, Loevsky, Mozyr, Narovlyansky, Petrikovsky districts
Grodno region - Grodno, Dyatlovsky, Ivyevsky, Korelichi, Mostovsky, Novogrudok, Ostrovetsky districts
Minsk region - Stolbtsovsky district
Mogilev region - Bobruisk, Bykhov, Mogilev, Osipovichi districts
Family Carp (Cyprinidae).
In Belarus, the typical form of podust is found in the rivers of the Western Bug and Neman basins; the Dnieper form (Ch. n. nasus natio borystenicum) inhabits the rivers of the Dnieper basin. Absent in the Western Dvina River basin.
Length up to 50 cm, weight up to 2.5 kg. The body is moderately elongated, rounded. It is distinguished by a characteristic lower mouth in the form of a transverse or slightly arched slit. The cartilaginous snout protrudes noticeably forward. The lower jaw is pointed and covered with a horny sheath. The upper lip is thin, solid, poorly developed. The internal body cavity is covered with a black epithelial film. The pharyngeal teeth are single-row, knife-shaped. The gill rakers are of medium size, rather densely set (26-32). The dorsal and anal fins are small. The dorsal fin consists of 3 unbranched and 8-10 branched rays, the anal fin of 3 unbranched and 8-12 branched. The scales are medium in size, with 52-65 scales in the lateral line.
The general body color of the podust is light; the back is gray or dark green, the sides and belly are silvery, the dorsal and caudal fins are gray or blackish, the rest are reddish or yellowish. In sexually mature males, during spawning, the head is covered with epithelial tubercles, orange-yellow spots appear on the gill cover and at the base of the pectoral fins, and a dark stripe appears along the body. There are no other external differences.
Podust is a purely river schooling fish that stays away from the banks. Its flocks can number dozens of individuals of approximately the same size. Podust lives in deep flat sections of rivers with moderate currents, sandy and rocky bottoms, usually in the bottom zone, and willingly stays near flooded snags and trees, where it finds abundant food. Places with standing water, like fast current, he avoids, therefore, in small rivers and upper reaches large rivers does not rise and is absent in floodplain reservoirs and lakes. Spends the winter in the pits, and in early spring in flocks it rises upstream quite considerable distances to spawning grounds, after which it gradually slides downstream in smaller groups.
Males become sexually mature at 3-4 with a body length of 18-20 cm and a weight of 80-150 g, females no earlier than 4-5 years with a body length of 21-28 cm and a weight of 200-300 g.
Spawning is one-time. Spawns in April, at a water temperature of at least 10°C (according to other sources, not below 7-9ºC), usually in places with fast currents and a rocky or pebble bottom. Podust is very demanding regarding the nature of spawning grounds and, where proper conditions are absent, is usually few in number. Absolute fertility ranges from 9.5 to 30 thousand eggs, relative fertility - 25-40 eggs per 1 g of body weight. The bottom eggs of the podust are quite large (about 2 mm in diameter) and adhere well to the ground.
The overall growth rate of the undergrowth is quite good: the annual linear growth in the first years reaches 5.5-7.5 cm and begins to fade only from the age of 5; At 2 years of age, the subsnout weighs 25-30 g, at 3 - more than 100 g, at 4 - about 250 g, at 8 - about 750 g. In catches, individuals weighing 500-600 g are common, less often up to a kilogram. A typical Podust from the Neman grows somewhat faster than the Dnieper Podust and by the age of 4 is ahead of the latter in growth by a whole year. The life expectancy of the subust is 8-9 years.
Feeds under food throughout the daymainly by algae, which are scraped off from stones, sunken trees, driftwood, underwater parts of plants and other objects by the lower jaw, covered with a horny sheath. In addition to plants, the podust eats various crustaceans, insect larvae, and in the spring large quantities of fish eggs.After hatching from the eggs, the juvenile podusta feeds on food of animal origin for some time, but very soon switches to algae.
Sometimes the podustu, whose mouth is at the bottom, has to swim belly up in order to be able to grab food from the surface of the water.
The economic importance of podust in Belarus is small, the share of podust in commercial catches is low - up to a maximum of 2% of the total fish catch. In the 1970-80s, the annual total catch of podust in the waters of Belarus was 200-400 c. At the end of the twentieth century. the number has sharply decreased - the catch in the river. The Dnieper and Pripyat decreased by more than 100 times, and in the river. Neman and Sozh species are absent from catches. In this regard, the view was included in the 3rd edition. "Red Book", however, in the 4th ed. transferred to the Appendix as a species requiring attention.
Podust is the only fish in the Belarusian ichthyofauna that uses periphyton reserves (plant and animal organisms that grow on stones, snags and other underwater objects) for food, and does not compete in this regard with other fish.
Sport fishing for podust requires skill and dexterity from the fisherman. Podust are caught with float rods from the shore and from a boat. In spring, fishing begins with the beginning of the low water recession. The best bite happens at the height of summer, especially if the weather is quiet and hot weather. It begins to take podust at dawn, but by about 10 o'clock the bite stops and, resuming at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, does not weaken until dusk. The underwater attachment should drag along the bottom and not lie in place. The best nozzle throughout the entire period, pieces of a worm are considered, but ant eggs, maggots, bloodworms, and steamed wheat are also suitable. Fishing is more successful if bait from buckwheat porridge, finely chopped worms, bloodworms, and ant eggs is used.
The undermouth bite is unclear, requiring quick, energetic hooking. A rather strong fish, the podust, once hooked, exhibits serious resistance - it rushes to the sides, rests on the bottom, walks in zigzags, makes sharp turns, etc., so it must be quickly brought to the shore or boat and caught with a net, otherwise he often breaks down.
Podust is a very brave and trusting fish and often, having fallen off the hook, after a while it returns to bait again.
Podust meat is quite tasty, but quickly deteriorates and cannot withstand transportation and long-term storage.
Photo © Christa Rohrbach / Flickr. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The upper lip is also underdeveloped and thin. Its abdominal cavity is black. The body color is light. The back is greenish-black, sometimes grayer, the sides and belly are silvery. The dorsal and caudal fins are gray, the pectoral, ventral and anal fins are reddish. During the spawning period, mainly males develop tubercles on their heads and bodies, which disappear soon after spawning.
Podust lives in rivers with relatively fast currents. However, it can rarely be found on fast rapids, near rapids; but he avoids both quiet bays and oxbow lakes. Completely absent from lakes and floodplain reservoirs. In rivers, podust selects deep-water areas with a gristly, hard sandy and even clay bottom. In summer, in the quiet pre-dawn hours, its flocks go out to shallow waters bordering deep waters, but do not come close to the shores. With sunrise, flocks migrate to deeper places. They spend the entire warm period of the year in such migrations. Only with the onset of autumn cold weather do flocks of podust go to the pits, where they spend the entire winter. During wintering, podusts hardly feed. With the onset of spring, their flocks leave the pit in search of spawning grounds.
Podust spawns in shallow riffles with a shallow depth (up to 40 cm), where the bottom is covered with a mixture of pebbles and sand, with a fairly fast current at a water temperature of about 10-12°. During spawning, fish gather in large schools. The spawning process begins in the early evening hours, but is most intense in the evening and at night for several days. The eggs stick to rocks, sand and plants. If the waters in spawning rivers are heavily polluted, pods can leave their usual spawning grounds and go to clear waters. The fertility of females depends on their size. For example, in the Seversky Donets, an average of 6.3 thousand eggs were found in fish 17.1-19 cm long, and 8.7 thousand eggs 21.1-23 cm long. All the eggs of the pods ripen at the same time and are swept out in one go. Podusts spawn for the first time in different reservoirs at different ages and when they reach different sizes. For example, in the Seversky Donets, in the discharge zone of heated water from a power plant, they mature at the age of three, with a body length in males of 15.8 cm and in females - 17.1 cm. In the reservoirs of Transcarpathia and Ciscarpathia, both sexes of the podust mature at the age of four. On the middle reaches of the Dnieper, males mature for the first time at a body length of 23 cm, females - 27 cm. In the spawning herd, the number of males significantly exceeds the number of females.
Male podusts grow somewhat more slowly, and therefore, at the same age, males are smaller in size than females. Heaviest weight subusta does not exceed 600 g.
The podust feeds mainly on plant foods, represented mainly by algae, which grow on underwater rocks and other objects. However, it can also eat animal organisms - worms, larvae, mayflies, mosquitoes, caddis flies and others. The diet of young individuals is dominated by animal organisms living in the water column.
Podust is widely distributed in water bodies of Europe. In the CIS, it lives in the rivers of the Baltic, Black, Azov and Caspian seas. In Ukraine it can be found in the basins of all rivers, excluding the rivers of Crimea and the northern coast Sea of Azov. In the reservoirs of the Dnieper, the number of podust is decreasing.
If you really want to go fishing during the fishing ban, get ready....
Especially for thrill-seekers, we will tell you about the fines imposed for illegal fishing without permission, or at prohibited times, or in prohibited places, or with prohibited tools and methods, as well as an attempt on such catch.
In the Republic of Belarus, according to Article 15.35 of the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses (Article 15.35. Violation of the rules of fishing and fishing) There are various penalties for illegal fishing. Many fishermen often have a question: “ Why was one given a fine of 10 basic, and the other - 30 basic, plus compensation for harm?" Let's try to understand the fees and types of violations.
1. Types of violations:
Without proper permission;
- during forbidden times;
- in prohibited places;
- prohibited instruments and methods;
- an attempt on such prey.
2. Fines.
When suppressing illegal fishing violations "caught" will pay a fine for illegal fishing in the amount of from 10 to 50 basic values, individual entrepreneur
- from 50 to 200 basic values, entity
- from 500 to 1000 basic values. With or without confiscation of mining tools -
the court will decide. The amount of the fine depends on aggravating or mitigating circumstances.
- depending on the catch (number of fish caught), you will additionally have to compensate for the damage caused. The amount of damage for 1 copy, regardless of weight and size, in basic quantities is given in the table.
| Types of fish | Amount of harm (b.v.) |
| white cupid | 1 |
| White-eye | 0,5 |
| Bystryanka | 0,1 |
| Messenger bull | 0,1 |
| Round goby | 0,1 |
| Sandpiper Goby | 0,1 |
| Goby-tsutsik | 0,1 |
| Verkhovka | 0,1 |
| Loach | 0,1 |
| Chub | 3 |
| Char | 0,1 |
| Common minnow | 0,1 |
| Lake minnow | 0,1 |
| Gorchak | 0,1 |
| Gustera | 0,2 |
| Dace | 0,2 |
| Ruff Balona | 0,1 |
| Ruff nosar | 0,1 |
| Common ruff | 0,1 |
| Asp | 4 |
| Needlefish | 0,1 |
| Common crucian carp | 2 |
| Silver crucian carp | 0,2 |
| Carp or carp | 2 |
| Three-spined stickleback | 0,1 |
| 9-spined stickleback | 0,1 |
| Small stickleback | 0,1 |
| Rudd | 0,5 |
| Shrimp | 0,5 |
| Brown trout (KK) | 1 |
| Bream | 1 |
| Tench | 2 |
| Salmon (KK) | 1 |
| River lamprey (RK) | 0,4 |
| Brook lamprey | 0,4 |
| Ukrainian lamprey | 0,4 |
| Burbot | 3 |
| Perch | 0,2 |
| Common gudgeon | 0,1 |
| Light-finned gudgeon | 0,1 |
| Roach | 0,2 |
| Sculpin | 0,1 |
| Podust (KK) | 9 |
| Narrow-clawed cancer | 0,5 |
| Striped cancer | 0,5 |
| Broad-clawed crayfish (CC) | 0,5 |
| Rotan firebrand | 0,1 |
| Fish or cheese (KK) | 3 |
| Vendace (KK) | 1 |
| Whitefish | 1 |
| Sinets | 0,5 |
| Sneto (KK) | 1 |
| Common or European catfish | 1 |
| American catfish | 0,1 |
| Channel catfish | 1 |
| Sterlet (KK) | 3,3 |
| Zander | 2 |
| White silver carp | 1 |
| Bigheaded silver carp | 1 |
| Acne | 5 |
| Bleak | 0,1 |
| Barbel (KK) | 4 |
| Rainbow trout | 1 |
| Brook trout (KK) | 2 |
| Grayling (KK) | 2 |
| Chebachok | 0,1 |
| Chekhon | 2 |
| Golden spined loach | 0,1 |
| Common spined loach | 0,1 |
| Pike | 1 |
| Ide | 2 |
(КК) - species included in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus.
Magnifying factors:
- triple the amount damage is compensated for each type of fish during the period when their fishing is prohibited;
- fivefold damage is compensated for each type of fish when using means based on the action of an electromagnetic field, ultrasound, or by explosion;
- triple the amount damage is compensated for each type of fish in the territory where their fishing is prohibited;
- triple the amount Damage is compensated for each type of fish belonging to the Red Book species.
Fishing rules in the Republic of Belarus, contain quite a lot of points that are worth studying before you go fishing. So as not to get into an unpleasant situation and not have problems with local fisheries authorities. Below are the main points from Fishing rules in Belarus.
Fishing rules in Belarus. EXTRACTS FROM THE RULES OF AMATEUR FISHING OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS
Fishing objects and recreational fishing standards
13. In fishing grounds, recreational fishing and harvesting of aquatic invertebrates that have not reached the size specified in Appendix 2 of these Rules are prohibited.
The length of the fish is determined by measuring the distance from the top of the snout (with the mouth closed) to the base of the middle rays of the caudal fin, the length of the crayfish and shrimp - from the line of the eyes to the end of the tail plate.
14. The maximum bycatch of fish less than the permissible catch size specified in Appendix 2 is set at no more than 21 percent of the catch of these fish species.
Caught fish and caught aquatic invertebrates smaller than those established in Appendix 2 of these Rules, in excess of the permissible bycatch, must be released back alive.
15. In fishing grounds, it is allowed to catch no more than 5 kg of fish per fisherman per day, with the exception of cases when the weight of one fish exceeds this norm. Eel fishing can only be done for a fee in accordance with the procedure established by the Ministry natural resources and environmental protection.
The catch of crayfish per person should not exceed 30 pieces per day, shrimp - no more than 1 kg.
17. The catch rate of fish used as bait for catching predatory fish is allowed to be no more than 30 fish per day per person. It is prohibited to catch juvenile fish species specified in Appendix 2 of these Rules as bait.
3. Recreational fishing gear (gear)
19. In the fishing grounds of the Republic of Belarus, recreational fishing and the extraction of aquatic invertebrates is carried out with fishing gear (gear) that is not prohibited for use by these Rules.
Non-prohibited fishing gear (gear) for recreational fishing includes: fly fishing, float and bottom fishing rods of all systems, spinning rods, mugs, tracks, girders, traps and nets for catching crayfish and shrimp, guns and pistols for spearfishing, nets and lifting nets for fishing live bait
4. Limitations on periods of fishing for fish and aquatic invertebrates
21. In order to preserve the fish resources of the Republic of Belarus and create favorable conditions for fish spawning, taking into account the hydrometeorological forecast, upon the recommendation of the Fisheries Conservation Committee, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus annually establishes a ban (restrictions) on recreational fishing in fishing grounds.
The duration of the fishing ban (restriction) during the spring spawning period of fish in all water bodies and all types of fish is at least 60 days.
The duration of the spring fishing ban on water bodies regularly stocked with feeding fish species is 30 days. The list of such reservoirs is determined
Fishery Protection Committee.
The specific dates for the spring fishing ban, as well as the list of fishing reservoirs and their areas where limited fishing is allowed during the ban period, are approved by order of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus.
The timing of the ban and the fishing regime during the spring spawning period of fish are communicated to the population through the media. The ban comes into force from the moment the order about it is published in the periodical press.
23. During the spring spawning period of fish, recreational fishing may be permitted in certain reservoirs by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection on the proposal of the Fishery Conservation Committee, agreed upon with local executive and administrative bodies, only from the shore in areas outside the spawning grounds with one float rod with one hook on a fisherman or spinning rod during daylight hours.
24. Amateur fishing in wintering pits is prohibited from October 1 to April 15. The list of wintering pits indicating their boundaries is approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus.
25. In addition to the ban on fishing for all types of fish during the spring spawning period, the following prohibitions are established:
25.4 Crayfish fishing is from October 15 to July 15, and freshwater shrimp fishing is from April 1 to June 15.
25.5 For fishing of bivalve mollusks, pearl barley and toothless clams from April 1 to June 15.
Fishing rules in Belarus. Appendix 2
Minimum sizes of fish and aquatic vertebrates ( according to the rules of fishing in Belarus), acceptable for catch by amateur fishermen (cm)
Whitefish - 36 (36), peled - 25 (25), vendace - 14, pike - 40 (40), bream - 27, ide - 25 (25), tench - 22, grass carp - 36 (36), silver carp - 36 (36), carp (carp) - 30, asp - 34, sabrefish - 24, blue salmon - 20, pike perch - 40 (40), European catfish - 70 (70), burbot - 36 (36), chub - 25, subdust - 22, narrow-clawed crayfish - 9(9).
Note: without brackets - in leased fishing grounds, in brackets - in non-leased fishing grounds.
Belongs to the fish of the carp family (Cyprinidae) of the order Cypriniformes.
In Belarus, a typical subdust is found in the rivers of the Western Bug and Neman basins; the Dnieper inhabits the rivers of the Dnieper basin.
The general color of the body is light: the back is dark green, the sides and belly are silvery, the dorsal and caudal fins are gray or blackish, the rest are red or yellowish. In sexually mature males, during spawning, the head is covered with epithelial tubercles, which disappear after spawning.
Podust is pure river fish. Leads a diurnal gregarious lifestyle. Inhabits flat areas of rivers with moderate currents, sandy and rocky bottoms, usually in the bottom zone. Willingly stays near flooded snags and trees, near large rocky rubble and other flooded objects, on which it finds abundant food. It avoids places with standing water, as well as fast currents, which is why it does not rise into small rivers and the upper reaches of large rivers, and is absent in floodplain reservoirs and lakes. It stays away from the coast, at quite a considerable depth.
A typical podust from the Neman becomes sexually mature at 3-4 years, with a body length of 15-19 cm and a weight of 150-175 g, spawns in April - May at a water temperature of about 7-9 ° C. Males of the Dnieper Podust become sexually mature in the 4th-5th year with a body length of 16-20 cm and a weight of 100-150 g, females - no earlier than in the 5th year with a body length of 21-28 cm and a weight of 200-300 g , spawn in April - May, at a water temperature of about 10°C. Spawning is one-time.
Reaches 50 cm in length and 2.5 kg in weight. Specimens up to 1 kg are common in catches. The typical (Neman) podust grows somewhat faster than the Dnieper one and by the age of 4 surpasses the latter in growth by a whole year. The overall growth rate is quite good: the annual linear growth in the first years is about 5.5-7.5 cm and begins to fade only from the age of 5.
The food for the undermouth is mainly periphyton, i.e. algae, which he scrapes from stones, sunken trees, driftwood, underwater parts of plants and other objects. Eats various crustaceans and insect larvae.
According to fishing statistics, annual catches of podust amount to 200-400 quintals per year. With the intensification of fishing in river areas, the importance of substub may increase. Podusta meat is quite tasty, but, unfortunately, it quickly deteriorates and does not withstand transportation and long-term storage.
Podustas are caught with float rods and a line from the shore and from a boat. Catching it is more difficult than catching dace and ide, since its bite is very erratic, requiring a quick hook.
In the spring, podust is caught at the beginning of the decline in low water near the banks, near streams flowing into the river or at their mouths. However, its real fishing begins at the height of summer, especially if the weather is calm and hot. Podust begins to take at dawn, but a strong bite is observed at sunrise and continues until 10 o'clock, resuming then from 4 o'clock. day and not weakening until dusk.