Sargan taste qualities. Sargan (garfish) - a description of how to catch and what

Needle fish, arrow fish, spindle, silver needle, sea pike - all these trivial names belong to one of the most interesting representatives of the class of ray-finned fish. AT scientific world it is known as the garfish.

Unusual appearance and high the nutritional value meat made marine schooling fish an object of active fishing. Dishes from garfish are different unusual view and excellent taste.

Appearance, nutrition, behavior and reproduction

The name "arrow" garfish was not accidental. predatory fish in pursuit of prey, it is capable of making lightning-fast jerks, jumping out of the water and developing high speed. This is facilitated by the ideal structure of the fish from the point of view of aerodynamics: the body is long, slightly laterally compressed, covered with very small cycloid scales. In a calm state, the garfish moves, wriggling like a snake (hence another nickname - spindle).

Interesting fact! Sargan jumps out of the water to overcome the obstacle. These can be objects floating on the surface of the water, including fishing boats. There are cases when fish injured people.

When playing, the garfish makes high jumps-candles and can wrap itself with fishing line several times

Thin elongated jaws, similar to the beak of a prehistoric pterodactyl, with many small sharp teeth, help to capture and hold the victim. The upper jaw of the needlefish is shorter than the lower.

The younger the individual, the longer its lower jaw. It can be 3/4 of the length of the entire head.


The green and blue back and silver sides of the garfish are in harmony with the overall color. sea ​​water

In addition to the back, the bones of the garfish are painted green. The non-standard shade is due to the presence in their composition of the coloring bile pigment - biliverdin, which is also present in the human body. The photo shows what the spine of the fish looks like.


Coloring pigment is not dangerous to human health

A typical marine pelagic fish, the garfish stays in deeper layers during daylight hours, rises to the surface of the reservoir on a moonless night.

The basis of the diet of the garfish is made up of small fish: anchovy, sprat, herring, young mackerel and herring. In search of food, the predator migrates over considerable distances. For example, following the anchovy, it can move from the Black Sea to the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov and Sivash.

The puberty of needle fish occurs by 3–6 years of age. Females spawn in small portions, so spawning lasts several months (usually from early May to mid-August, in the Black Sea - from late April to mid-October). There is no fishing ban during this period.

Garfish and needle fish - one class, different families

There is a common misconception that garfish and needlefish are synonymous names for the same fish. Actually it is not. Needlefish - representative marine fish family of needles (order of sticklebacks). Her close relative- sea Horse.

The genus includes more than 50 species:

  • common marine needle;
  • Italian needle fish (other names: Black Sea needle, small needle);
  • spiny fish-needle;
  • northern sea needle;
  • small-nosed needlefish;
  • long-snouted fish-needle;
  • thin-nosed needlefish and others.

A shy little fish (maximum length 30 cm), unlike the predatory garfish, is quite peaceful. She doesn’t even have teeth: plankton is the basis of needle food, small crustaceans, insect larvae. For most of the day, the fish either move slowly near the bottom, or stand almost vertically in the thickets. marine plants leaning on the tail.


The color of needles depends on the reservoir of habitat: usually it is yellow, green, reddish tones.

The needlefish has an elongated tubular mouth (snout) with a characteristic extension at the end.

Interesting fact! Fish, like a chameleon, can change color according to their environment.

Needles live in the Black, Azov, Caspian, Baltic Seas, enter the rivers and lakes associated with them. Sea long-snouted needlefish is an object of hunting for tourists. It is caught by hand in coastal areas, dried and taken away as a souvenir.

Some species are freshwater. River needlefish is found in the Volga, the lower reaches of the Don, some reservoirs (Kuibyshev, Volgograd, Rybinsk, Tsimlyansk).

Unlike the garfish, the needlefish has no commercial value. Because of its friendly disposition, attractive appearance and unpretentiousness, they like to keep it in an aquarium. Usually as pet give birth to plump-cheeked needle fish.


The name of the fish was due to the strongly protruding gill covers.

The freshwater fish looks beautiful: the body is green or brownish with contrasting transverse stripes, the abdomen is light with a black keel. Height does not exceed 20 cm, weight 5 g.

There is only one thing in common between the garfish and the needle fish: both belong to the class of ray-finned fish.

Types and habitats of the garfish

The garfish family includes 25 species. Fish are classified mainly according to the area where they are found.

AT commercial relations most interesting:

  • european garfish(other names: Atlantic, common). The most common type was chosen moderately warm waters Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean, Marmara, Black, Azov seas (its western, more salty water area). Sometimes common garfish caught in the White and Barents Seas. The height of adults rarely exceeds 90 cm. Black Sea fish separated into a separate subspecies. It differs from the European one in its more modest size (up to 60 cm);
  • crocodile garfish(other names - crocodile tylozur, giant garfish), the most major representative family, growing up to 1.5 meters. The weight of trophy specimens is 6.5–7.5 kg. Inhabits the tropical waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The name was given for the hard scales and its peculiar color, reminiscent of the skin of a crocodile;
  • Far Eastern or Pacific garfish: distinguished by a narrow bluish longitudinal stripe with a silvery tint and the absence of gill rakers; heat-loving species is most common in the southern water area Sea of ​​Japan, off the coast of Korea and China (to the South China Sea), in the Pacific Ocean south of the island of Hokkaido. In Russia, fish are caught in Primorye. Sargan as a seasonal migrant in summer period enters the Gulf of Peter the Great and the channels of salt lakes in the south of the region. In catches, specimens weighing up to 1 kg and up to 1 m long are usually found. With a decrease in water temperature to 15 ° C, it goes south;
  • black-tailed garfish: inhabitant coastal waters South Asia was named for the large black spots on the caudal fin. During low tides, fish often remain in the drained zone, burrowing into silt or sand to a depth of 50 cm.

Most species prefer to stay close to the coast, some (for example, tropical ribbon-like garfish) go to the open ocean.

There are 5 species of the garfish family that live in fresh water bodies. They are found in rivers South America, Southeast Asia, Northern Australia.

Nutritional value, cooking recipes

Needlefish, especially caught in autumn, are tasty and quite oily. The absence of small bones makes it a desirable product in the kitchen. Meat has mass useful properties. It contains a large amount of polyunsaturated aliphatic acids of the Omega group. They are necessary to increase immunity, normalize the work of all vital important systems, hormonal balance. Thanks to fatty acids, there is a general rejuvenation of the body.

Dishes from garfish are good for the health of the thyroid gland: there is a lot of iodine in the fish.
Fish meat is rich in phosphorus. A macronutrient is needed to maintain muscle activity, brain activity, and bone tissue growth.

There are many recipes for cooking marine predator. The fish menu includes marinated, boiled, fried, baked garfish. Smoked needle fish has excellent taste.

Hot smoked garfish

Fish is prepared in a special smokehouse (can be replaced with a massive pan or bucket with a tight lid).

Operating procedure:

  • pour wood chips (ideally aspen or juniper) on the bottom of the smokehouse, put on fire;
  • prepare the fish: you can not gut a small garfish, a large one must be cleaned of the insides, put any greens (dill, parsley) in the abdomen;
  • rub the fish with salt, put on the grill of the smokehouse.


Garfish in the smokehouse is kept until cooked, usually the process takes about 40 minutes

The garfish is kept in a smokehouse until cooked, usually the process takes about 40 minutes. Some semblance of hot smoked fish can be cooked in the oven. For this, the peeled garfish is first rubbed with salt, then coated with “liquid smoke”, placed in a baking bag and sent to the oven for 50 minutes.

Cold smoked needlefish

The process of cold smoking is long and laborious, but the garfish prepared in this way can be stored for up to a year without losing its taste.

Step by step recipe:

  • clean the fish, put it on a twine (this is convenient to do through the eyes), salt, leave to stand for 3-5 days;
  • remove excess salt: to do this, place the fish for 1-2 hours in cold water then rinse;
  • dry the garfish in the open air for 2-3 days. For best results, pre-insert wooden sticks into the bellies;
  • place the fish hanging in a high smokehouse (for example, from barrels) with sawdust from alder or juniper: they give fragrant cold smoke. The temperature of the smoke must not exceed 25º C.

The process of smoking itself takes from 1 to 6 days, depending on the size of the fish. Readiness is determined by appearance garfish: it becomes dry, the surface acquires a golden brown hue.

Recipes for preparing an old dish are diverse. In general, shkara is a fish stewed in its own juice.

For 5-7 pieces of garfish we need:

  • 3–4 pieces onion(the more, the tastier);
  • a can of olives (pitted and without fillers);
  • 2 lemons;
  • butter;
  • vegetable oil (preferably olive);
  • salt, pepper, bay leaf (to taste).

In addition to food, you need to prepare in advance: 2 pans (main and auxiliary), toothpicks according to the number of fish.


There should be enough fish so that, rolled up in rings, it fills the pan tightly

Step by step recipe:

  1. Cut a part of the lemon together with the zest into small pieces, fill the olives with them.
  2. In the main pan, melt a piece of butter, then put a few pieces of bay leaf.
  3. Roll the fish into rings, securing along the abdomen with toothpicks; fry in an auxiliary pan for 10 seconds on each side in well-heated vegetable oil, then remove the toothpicks.
  4. Cut the onion into rings, put in a dense layer on the bottom of the pan, after removing the bay leaf from there.
  5. On the onion pillow, lay the rings of fish with their bellies down tightly to each other, salt and pepper.
  6. Put olives stuffed with lemon and a small piece of butter in each ring.
  7. Top the fish with a dense layer of onion rings and pour generously with lemon juice.
  8. Add some water to cover the fish.
  9. Close the lid, simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

Advice! Until the end of the stewing process, you do not need to remove the lid: this way the dish will fully retain the aroma.

Sprats

To prepare sprats, you will need gutted garfish carcasses without a head and tail, vegetable oil, black peppercorns (or a mixture of peppers), bay leaf, and salt.

Cooking:

  • cut the fish into pieces of about 5 cm, place tightly in a pan in an upright position;
  • add salt, pepper, bay leaf to taste;
  • pour vegetable oil so that the fish is completely covered;
  • simmer covered over low heat for about 3 hours.

Such sprats can be stored in the refrigerator in glass jars.

A beautiful swift predator is an object commercial fishing. Mining is carried out mainly off the coast of Crimea, in the Kerch Strait. Amateur sea fishing (if long-range gear is available) is possible in spring and autumn, when needlefish come close to the shore. By this time, the fish managed to work up fat, its meat becomes tender and juicy. They put on the hook what the garfish usually eats: anchovy, pieces of herring, mussel and shrimp meat. The predator reacts well to chicken meat. It is possible to use artificial lures: floating wobblers and small lures.

Sargan is a unique fish that is a delicacy today. Its feature is the presence of green bones, because of which some are simply afraid to eat it. In shape, it is an elongated fish and has a beak-like jaw. Inexperienced anglers often confuse it with a shelled pike due to external similarities. Knowing the habitat and characteristics of the garfish, you can return home with a rich catch.

Description of the species

A distinctive feature of the garfish fish is its needle-shaped body, which gives it excellent aerodynamic properties. Thanks to them, she can develop tremendous speed, which greatly facilitates her hunting for others. aquatic life. The garfish feeds, as a rule, on anchovy or small mackerel. Some anglers call the garfish an arrow (because of the shape of the body).

Still, the main feature is its green bones, which became so due to the presence of a special substance in the fish - biliverdin. Even soup from this underwater inhabitant will be greenish. There are also rumors that this fish glows in the dark, but this is more a myth than a fact.

Varieties

Sargan has quite a few varieties, but the most common are the Pacific and Black Sea individuals. External differences these two species practically do not have, but differ in habitat. The Black Sea garfish mainly lives in the Black Sea (as can be seen from the name of the species). It can also be found on the banks of the Azov and White Sea, however much less frequently. The Pacific inhabitant is a more thermophilic fish and prefers the waters of Japan and Korea. Distinguishing the Pacific garfish from the Black Sea is quite simple. The Pacific has a long bluish stripe on its body that extends from head to tail.

Black Sea garfish - schooling fish (as opposed to the Pacific), which is a subspecies of the European family. The Black Sea inhabitant has a rather interesting color. The entire part of his body, except for the tail and the lower part of the belly, is colored light brown or brownish. The lower part of the belly is covered with small scales that go behind the head.

Reproduction features

Sexual maturity of the garfish occurs at 6-7 years of age. Its spawning, unlike other species, begins at the end of summer and ends in mid-autumn. One individual can lay from 12,000 to 30,000 eggs. Their number varies depending on a number of factors, such as weather, age of the individual and habitat.

At the time of spawning, the fish comes very close to the shore and begins to spawn in small portions. Garfish eggs reach a diameter of 3 to 3.5 millimeters. They also have thin threads on themselves, thanks to which they are firmly attached to underwater plants and remain on them until the fry appear.

Fry, after their appearance, try to stay near the shore in the upper layers of the water. They differ from their older counterparts, as they do not have an elongated head. When the age of the fry reaches a year, they move away from the coast and begin a full-fledged life of adults.

Beneficial features

Sargan contains a sea of ​​​​vitamins, such as Omega-3, phosphorus and iron. Despite this, this fish has its own personal advantages.

  1. Prevalence. Despite the rather narrow habitat, the catch of this fish is significant, which is why it has a low cost. If other vitamin-rich species, such as salmon and salmon, have a high cost, then people can enjoy garfish every day.
  2. Not a large number of bones. The fish has very few bones, which makes it easy to eat. Also, despite the low cost, it is quite oily due to the presence of omega-3 fat.

Cooking methods

There are a lot of dishes that are prepared from garfish. Now the most popular and delicious of them will be considered.

Crimeans

Krymchan - a dish consisting of stewed onions and garfish. In the dish, it is located between two layers of onions, which impregnate it with their juice and give it an unusual taste. Its peculiarity is that it is popular with anglers, who came up with this dish.

First you need to gut the fish and cut it into small pieces. Next, onion rings and the garfish are laid out in the pan. Then it is saturated with spices, which are usually salt, pepper and rosemary. After that, a layer of onion is also laid out on it. The last step is to add a little water to the pan and leave to simmer for 20 - 25 minutes.

Snack

There are many snacks from this fish: dried, smoked, dried, etc. The most common are:

  • Dried fish. If we are talking about serving fish for beer, then the first thing to do is salt it and wait 20 minutes for it to soak with salt. Then it is hung upside down and left for 12-16 hours. Due to the fact that this fish has small scales, it is not necessary to clean and gut it.
  • Sprats. Also, sprats are often prepared from this fish. To do this, the first step is to gut it, then cut it into small strips up to 5 cm long. Then all the pieces are placed in a deep saucepan. Salt, pepper and bay leaf are immediately added there. After that, the pieces are poured with vegetable oil by about 1 cm. The pan is placed on a minimum fire and stays there for 3-4 hours. At the end, the dish should be cooled, after which it is ready to serve.

Hot dishes

All the taste qualities of this fish have not been disclosed to this day. The most delicious and affordable option for cooking hot garfish is cooking under the marinade. To prepare the marinade in a deep frying pan, add 3 tablespoons of flour and fry it. After it begins to acquire a creamy hue, any spices are added to it to the taste of the one who will eat the dish. Most often it is wine, pepper and salt. All ingredients should be boiled until thickened. After the sauce is ready, the fish is stewed in it. The resulting dish is served with any side dishes.

Sargan (lat. Belone belone) or "sea pike" - a fish of the garfish genus.

Description
Habitat: sea
Reproduction: ovoviviparous
Length of a newly hatched garfish: 13 mm
Adult length: 90 cm

The common turquoise garfish is one of the fish that can dance above the surface of the water. Faster and faster they move towards the light, just for fun or to "flight" from danger. This fast and graceful predator has a narrow body. Small sharp teeth on a peculiar beak allow the garfish to grab small prey - herring, crustaceans during fast swimming. In large numbers, garfish are found in the Black and other seas.

reproduction

In spring, the garfish begin their breeding season: along the coast, they lay round eggs, which are attached to algae and other aquatic vegetation with the help of thin sticky threads. Garfish larvae are born without a beak; it appears only in adults. In winter, garfish move to the open sea.
Many fishermen, especially beginners and holidaymakers, take the garfish for a needle fish that has grown to gigantic sizes. In fact, there are many differences between them. Firstly, the largest of the sea needles of the Azov-Black Sea basin (there are 7 species of this fish in total) - Syngnathus typhle argentatus - long-snouted or high-snouted, has no teeth, and secondly, it is incommensurable with our hero neither in length nor in weight, not to mention the color, and even more so the gastronomic qualities.

Sargan - mostly Marine life, common in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones oceans. Some of them reach a length of 1.5 m and a weight of 4 kg. This large family, numbering about 12 genera, is represented in the Black Sea by only one species, Belone belone euxini.

The Black Sea garfish, or, as it is also called, the sea pike, has a typical arrow-shaped body covered with small silvery scales. The back is green. The length, as a rule, is up to 75 cm. This schooling pelagic fish has elongated jaws in the form of a sharp beak.
The garfish is widespread in the Black and Marmara Seas, as well as in the western part Sea of ​​Azov. Lives 6-7 years, reaches sexual maturity in one year. It breeds from late April to late August. Its migration during the year is associated with spawning, feeding and wintering.
Once the garfish, being one of the most delicious fish of the Black Sea, was rightfully included in the top five commercial species caught off the coast of Crimea. The total annual catch of garfish reached 300-500 tons. Often, large specimens came across in the nets of Crimean fishermen - about 1 m long and weighing up to 1 kg.

Garfish otherwise called fish arrow. The popular name emphasizes the thinness and elongation of the animal. His body is like a ribbon, and a long nose- a needle. The jaws open like a beak. Inside it is littered with sharp and thin teeth.

The appearance is exotic, and the taste is excellent. The garfish has fatty, white and soft meat. It has a minimum of bones. Therefore, fishermen are not embarrassed by the small "exhaust" of meat. If you are carving an arrow fish for the first time, it is interesting to look not only at its appearance. The inhabitant of the waters has green bones.

Description and features of the garfish

Sargan - fish ray-finned. There are also cartilage, for example, and. Ray-finned fish are divided into superorders. The garfish is included in the "true bony". The detachment is also named - "garfish". The family is also called garfish. Its representatives are characterized by:

  • small and thin scales with a smooth edge, called cycloid
  • fins are devoid of prickly and hard rays
  • anal and dorsal fins are opposite each other, only one is above and the other is below, almost at the tail
  • the lateral line is on the belly of the fish rather than on the side
  • the swim bladder is disconnected from the digestive system, ensuring the compactness of the organs

The green color of the backbone of the garfish is given by biliverdin. It is one of the bile pigments. The substance is a product of the breakdown of blood cells in the bone marrow of fish.

During heat treatment, the bones of the garfish turn green

Biliverdin has an unpleasant taste. However, there is no need to eat garfish bones. By the way, the skeleton becomes green during heat treatment.

Bileverdin is not poisonous, although it scares away many with its color. The color of the garfish on top also includes green. They cast the back of the fish. Sides and belly are silvery.

In what reservoirs is it found

There are 25 species of fish in the garfish family. Two dozen live in the seas. Only 5 like fresh water. Rivers and garfish populate exclusively in the tropical zone. Marine fish are satisfied with the subtropics and temperate zone.

Freshwater species are caught in Ecuador, Guiana and Brazil. 2 species live in their waters. 2 more live in the reservoirs of India, Ceylon and Indonesia. The fifth of the freshwater garfish is found in the North.

Both freshwater and marine arrowfish for the most part stay off the coast and even burrow into the sand at low tide. Pictured is a garfish sometimes it appears as the tip of a bony nose or tail sticking out of the edge of the beach.

When choosing a bottom landscape, garfish prefer a complex one. As a rule, arrowfish are found near reefs. Far from them and the shores, single species of garfish swim, for example, the ribbon-like one.

Types of garfish

Among the 25 species of the hero of the article, the smallest are freshwater. However, all arrow fish are mostly small. However, one giant lives in the sea. Let's start with the enumeration of the types:

1. Crocodile. It reaches 2 meters in length, for which it is nicknamed giant. Another name for the animal is the armored pike. Unlike most garfish, the body of the crocodile is covered with hard scales. They form a relief similar to the skin of a crocodile. The giant weighs about 6 kilograms.

2. European. Grows up to 60 centimeters long. Fish populate the Atlantic, meeting off the coast and the Old World. Sailing the Mediterranean, the animal gets to the Black Sea. Garfish here it is separated into a separate subspecies. That's what it's called - Black Sea. Garfish this one is slightly smaller than most European individuals. A dark stripe runs along the back of the animal.

3. Pacific. In Russia it is called the Far East. Found in southern waters Primorye, in particular, in the Sea of ​​Japan. The fish reaches a meter in length. In the waters of the Primorsky Territory, the animal fattens up and spawns, swimming there only in summer. Blue stripes are visible on the sides of the Far Eastern garfish.

4. Freshwater. All freshwater garfish are united under this name. They rarely stretch more than 30 centimeters. This, coupled with a passion for fresh water allows you to keep arrow fish in aquariums. Since garfish are predators, it is not worth adding miniature ones to them. Arrows are attached to large cichlids.

5. Black-tailed garfish. It has a round spot of anthracite tone on the tail. On the sides of the animal there are transverse stripes. In length, black-tailed individuals reach 50 centimeters. The second species name is black garfish.

AT Soviet times the Black Sea subspecies of the garfish was among the top five fisheries. By the 21st century, the number Russian arrows decreased.

Nutrition and lifestyle

The thin, laterally compressed and long body of the hero of the article suggests a wave-like movement. Fish swim like water snakes.

Garfish swim in the upper layers of the water, that is, they belong to pelagic fish. More flock arrows. Gathering in thousands of shoals, animals reach speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. The indicator is comparable to the sprint of hunting pikes. Gargs look like them on the outside.

By staying close to the surface, garfish can breathe. The functions of the lungs begin to be performed by the swim bladder of the arrows. Transformations occur in oxygen-poor waters or when fish burrow into the sand.

In food, garfish are illegible, they grab small fish, caviar, insects, invertebrates, even their relatives. This arrow also looks like a pike.

Promiscuity in food is one of the factors that allowed garfish to survive for millions of years. The arrow fish belongs to the relic.

Catching a garfish

Catching a garfish exciting and dangerous. The needle-shaped teeth of a water dweller inflict painful wounds. The animal's sharp and durable nose can pierce flesh. It becomes possible at speed. Having gained full speed, the garfish can collide with a person in two cases:

  1. Scared of bright light. Incidents occur during night fishing or just the movement of small boats with searchlights. Seeing them, a blinded garfish jumps out of the water at speed.
  2. Hitting an obstacle. If the animal has not noticed it from a distance, it will try to jump, soaring high above the water. In flight, the needle pierces objects and creatures that come across on the way.

You can also prick yourself on a needle when fishing from the shore. They catch garfish from a distance of 40-100 meters. You need to take the caught individual under the head, like a snake. The animal will wriggle, try to bite. To grab a needle that has fallen off the hook, wriggling on the ground, must also be done carefully.

You can catch the hero of the article not only from the shore, boat, but also under water. In honor of the arrow fish, a popular fish is even named wetsuit. "Garfish" spearfishing enthusiasts include in the "top 10 best in the domestic market." Actually, the wetsuit is not alone. More than 10 models are produced under the Sargan brand.

Reproduction and lifespan

For spawning, garfish choose secluded corners among reefs, underwater vegetation, keeping close to the coast. 5-year-old males and 6-year-old females start breeding. This is the age of puberty. Older fish, of course, also participate in mating games.

Females spawn several times with an interval of 2 weeks. Starting in April, spawning ends only by August.

Algae is needed not only to mask the eggs. Capsules are attached to plants with adhesive threads. Garfish caviar is placed close to the surface.

Arrow fish are born one and a half centimeters long and have short jaws. The nose lengthens as the animal grows.

In an aquarium, garfish live up to 4 years. Accordingly, this is the age of freshwater arrows. AT natural environment they live to 7, starting to spawn earlier marine species. Those live up to 13 years.


A large detachment of fish, including about 200 species. Most of the garfish are inhabitants of sea water, but some can exist in low-salt and desalinated water bodies. Main Feature of all species is an elongated body, a peculiar head and jaws with large teeth. In some fish, the lower jaw is somewhat longer and protrudes forward. In some cases, the size of the jaw changes during life, and the ratio of jaw sizes can be age feature juveniles. Most species of garfish are flocking, pelargic predators. Packs make long seasonal migrations. It is important for anglers to know that in the warm season, the fish actively feeds from the surface, but is not always in the upper layer, making daily migrations in the vertical direction. According to the way of life, they can be like real predators, so they live by feeding on plankton, and even vegetation. Sizes of fish living off the coast of Europe and the Russian Far East, relatively small - up to 1.5 kg, with a maximum length of about 90 cm. At the same time, a giant crocodile garfish can reach a length of up to 180 cm. An important feature of all species is that when hunting or when a garfish is caught on a fishing hook, fish often jump out of the water. Many anglers distinguish garfish for desperate resistance when playing. It is worth noting that some divers claim that garfish are quite aggressive and attack people, especially at night by the light of lanterns.

Fishing methods

Garfish often hunt in the coastal zone, and therefore are a typical prey for anglers from the shore. Everywhere garfish are caught along with other predators on spinning lures. In addition, numerous rigs have been invented that are used to fish with natural baits. No less interesting is spinning fishing from boats. Feeding fish are searched for by splashes in the water. If an active school is found, dozens of fish can be caught in a very short time. Garfish are also caught with flies and streamers, for this they use both long-distance casting rods and fly fishing.

Catching fish on a spinning rod

It is worth immediately dividing spinning fishing into two main types: vertical lure and casting fishing. For fishing from the board, the garfish can be caught quite effectively on various jigs and other spinners. Pilkers are used in different technique, and dragging along the bottom, and in the water column. When choosing tackle for catching a classic spinning “cast”, it is advisable to proceed from the principle “bait size + trophy size”. They use classic baits: spinners, wobblers and silicone imitations. Reels should be with a good supply of fishing line or cord. In addition to a trouble-free braking system, the coil must be protected from salt water. In many types of sea fishing equipment, very fast wiring is required, which means a high gear ratio of the winding mechanism. According to the principle of operation, the coils can be both multiplier and inertial-free. Accordingly, the rods are selected depending on the reel system. The choice of rods is very diverse, at the moment manufacturers offer a large number of specialized "blanks" for various fishing conditions and types of bait. It is worth adding that for coastal fishing of medium-sized garfish it is possible to use rods of light tests. When fishing with spinning marine fish, fishing technique is very important. To choose a fishing spot and the correct wiring, you need to consult experienced anglers.

Fishing with floats

There are quite a few different rigs for catching this fish with natural baits. They are used both when fishing from the shore and from boats. Long-range casting rods are used, both specialized and long spinning rods are suitable for this. All fishing methods are united by the fact that the bait is served in the upper layers of the water. These methods are effective when garfish hunt without going deep. It is important to know that these fish are very shy, require delicate rigs and long casts when fishing on the shore. If you use various classic "sbirulino - bombards", then it makes sense to use different types of slow-sinking models. Wiring, as a rule, is used slow, uniform. Another way to feed the bait is based on the fact that a sunken and shipped bright-colored float is on the surface of the water, and the nozzle is fed to a certain depth, usually about 2 m. The methods of fixing the float and supplying equipment can be different and depend on the preferences of the fisherman. It is worth noting once again that snaps should be as delicate as possible.

Lures

Natural baits are most often various pieces of fish meat, shrimp, Nereis worm. Some anglers use chicken fillets. Considering that the garfish is an active predator of small fish, spinningists actively fish for various artificial imitations: spinners, wobblers, silicone lures.

Places of fishing and habitat

The European garfish is very widespread: along the entire coast of Europe, from the Black to Baltic Seas. Its habitat also includes the coast of North Africa. Fish are seasonal. Despite the fact that the fish is found in both warm and cold waters, in most cases, all garfish make seasonal migrations. As a rule, with the onset of cold weather, it leaves the coast. In the spring it returns in search of easier prey.

Spawning

Females mature at the age of 5-6 years, males a little earlier. Spawning takes place in the spring and is quite stretched. This is due to the fact that spawning is portioned, with large intervals. The eggs are sticky and attach themselves to aquatic vegetation. Young garfish do not have a long upper jaw, it grows over time.