Eel - a fish ghost floodplain lakes

So you can call ordinary Loach for his ability to disappear in water, which, under the scorching rays of the summer sun turn into ordinary puddles. The top layer of silt, which is covered with a crust thickness of a few centimeters, then cracked, split into pieces, but just go through the rain and fill the lake, as the fish come
back to life: continue to dig in the bottom mud.
However, even under these conditions it is difficult to see the loach, and it can be discovered only by going into the mud and fumbling hands bottom. Stumbling even a small fish, it must be hard to keep both hands because it can slip out and disappear in the mud. The presence of food in the puddles even know the fish-eating birds. You can see how long stands motionless in the water lone heron, if she abruptly hangs his head, and seizing prey, it immediately swallows. And again freezes ...
Feeling the water level dropped, creepers, obviously, pre-buried in the mud, because their pools in lowland rivers had to detect at a depth of 50 cm, where they were with carp. Apparently, when the water temperature rises, the fish trying to escape, move to cooler layers. A direct contact with the sludge to isolate mucus. Obviously, this method can survive creepers and winter. So in some gullies creepers and carp appeared the following year, although they did not reach flood, and they were filled only by rain and melted snow. Fish are trying to find comfort and just not finding them into a state where the energy reserves of the body are used economically. But more on that below.
Loach typically reach lengths of up to 25 cm, more often - no more 18-23 cm and weight to 130 g Vyun is found in the old lakes with silty bottoms in swampy rivers with slow flow, deaf ducts, in lakes, formed by flood waters on flood near with beds of large rivers. In short, if there is no mud, there is no loach.

Eel - has low living conditions, can withstand a significant lack of oxygen. In this he is a tough comparison with line and carp, which usually live near him. This feature of his predestined presence of skin and intestinal breathing. Over 60% of the oxygen is absorbed through the skin and it only about 40% - the gills, with over 90% of the carbon dioxide released through the skin. With a lack of oxygen in the water eel rises to the surface and suck air. It enters into the intestine, where the "assimilated" about half of the oxygen contained in the air. This is possible thanks to the fact that the back part of his intestine is covered with a large number of blood vessels through which release carbon dioxide and oxygen is absorbed. Not learned gases and carbon dioxide gas out through the anus. Swallowing of air accompanied by squeals that betray the presence of loach in small ponds.

With the deterioration of living conditions, eel hibernate, which is similar to anabiosis (body condition, in which the life processes are suspended or slowed down so that removing any visible manifestation of life). He was even in the aquarium can live without food for six months. It is believed that in such a state of the eel and winter - accumulates in the deeper areas of the reservoir, buries itself in the mud, where it becomes dormant. The observations show the opposite.

And this in the memories of a distant childhood. Winter. Frost patterns painted the windows of our house, through which the street light barely penetrated this contributed to the large and thick flakes of snow. The father comes into the house in a sheepskin coat. Something unusual to expect from him was impossible at dawn, he went to work. But that day, coming home late. He quickly took off straight from the shoulder bag and left near the threshold, and he took a broom and went out on the porch to sweep away the snow from his clothes. I walked over to the bag. She was wet, but there came a squeak, and its contents stirred. Before I had time to look into it, as the father went into the house, undressed, took a large bowl and poured something into it. I saw a dark, squeaky ball. His father took a bucket of water and poured it into the same bowl.

Squeaking stopped, the water surface was leveled. Father smoked and, pushing the curtain beside the stove, sat down to smoke a cigarette was the chimney. I just watched his actions. Mother appeared in the doorway. She asked her father why delayed, he said that after the work went to the forest for fish. His mother smiled and asked where the fish are. Father pointed to a bowl. Roll up your sleeves, she dipped both hands into the bowl and suddenly shouting, "Snake" bounced from the bowl, and his father laughed, obviously pleased with his joke. I remember this scene for life: from now on I can remember my father as a fisherman. But this is not important. And most importantly, it was the creepers and caught in mid-winter. They get in the winter in catches with other fish, not only in that year.

His father was fishing in the winter in oxbow lakes in the "pit." To do this, after freezing of the flood on the bank of the lake dug a hole length of 1.5-2 m, width 0.6-0.8 m, and the same depth. From it digs deep into the pond by the width of the groove shovel. In the pit and groove flooring made from wooden branches, top covered with leaves and grass, and then a layer of snow. Water under the shelter so it does not freeze and attracts fish when for her in the lake are unfavorable for breathing conditions. Fishing, going to the pit, through a previously left a hole that was covered well, shovel covers groove - way out of the pit, it communicates with the lake. After this, a side of the pit and grab picks fish that it collected. If the winter creepers gather in deeper areas of water bodies and buried in the mud, hibernate, they will not be moved from the lake into the pit. If no such place, the fish from the lack of oxygen in the water, apparently killed because under ice they can not swallow air from the freeboard space.

For surface water eel rarely rises. But observational fishing note that a quick swim in the shallow water with its show bottom silt previous long bad weather. In this connection, go fishing in the next day is not necessary. Observed that before the storm or rain it performs a circular motion at the surface of the water. This behavior is associated with Loach changes in atmospheric pressure. It is believed that it takes a change eel skin, from which the momentum going through the channels filled with lymph, and acts on the walls of the swim bladder. It through seed veberovogo special apparatus, as in some other fish, is associated with membranous labyrinth of the inner ear, which is the organ of balance. The ability to predict the weather loach noticed by people long ago. So some loach kept in indoor aquariums as a "living barometer." In good weather, they quietly lie on the bottom. On the eve of bad weather, especially storms, their behavior is activated: they are torn on the aquarium, often rise to the surface and then go to the bottom. Seen that before clear weather loach pops every 15-20 minutes, whereas before the bad weather - 10-15 times in one minute.

In connection with the behavior when the weather loach is worth paying attention to the observations of experienced anglers who say that fish, particularly chub, perch, pike, ruffe well caught it during a lightning storm. Some anglers say that eel is an excellent bait for fishing, predatory fish, others complain that in some reservoirs, for unknown reasons, they do not pay much attention to him. Perhaps this is because the loach as bait kept in water at a higher, or, conversely, a lower temperature than it is in the water. Or in a certain horizon of its water column. The sudden temperature drop loach loses normal mobility and bent the arc, trying to swim in the water.

Loach meat tasty, sweet-tasting, fatty, but swamp smell. To get rid of it, preferably while loach survive in fresh water and rinse them with mucus. We obviously underestimate this unpretentious fish, if you take into account the fact that in Japan it is the subject of fisheries.