A frequent trophy in the catches of fishing enthusiasts, especially winter ones, is river perch. And large perch is the most desirable prey, and, having caught this fish, I want to immediately weigh, measure and photograph it.
In this article, we will talk about this wonderful fish and how the weight and size of the perch are related to its age. You can also find out where the largest bass in the world was caught.
Perch: Habitat
River bass is one of the most well-studied and common fish species in Eurasia. And yet in reality there are many more questions in terms of the biology of perch than answers. It turns out that other fish species have been studied even worse.
River bass lives in almost all of Eurasia. In Asia, it is found even in the north (Kolyma), and once stood out as a separate subspecies. In the south, on Lake Balkhash, this species is adjacent to the Balkhash perch.
In Europe, its habitat initially extended to the northern part of the British Isles, the northern parts of the Scandinavian Peninsula and the north of the Kola Peninsula. The southern range covered the territories of almost all of Europe. But now the places where this fish is found are expanding, since river perch, being a competitive species, often crowds out local endemic representatives when they enter new water bodies.
Today, perch is found in northern Ireland and Britain, sometimes in Iran, Turkey, China and even Africa. He was able to acclimatize in Australia and New Zealand. Only in the USA did this fish not take root due to its displacement by the local species of yellow perch, which is very similar to river perch.
The largest river bass lived on the Nile River. This can be found in more detail below.
Description
Perch has excellent environmental plasticity, and therefore, adapting to different living conditions, it can look completely different. For example, in Karelian lakes you can find almost black representatives of the species. Such coloring allows them to disguise themselves well. And in many rivers where the sandy bottom prevails, this fish, on the contrary, is very light. Even the stripes on her body are sometimes not visible.
The sizes, proportions, quantity and color of the fins may also vary. It is important to note that all of these existing forms are not subspecies. Their external features are not inherited, and over time, for example, dark-colored Karelian perch, placed in a reservoir with a lighter bottom, gradually brightens.
The largest perch in Russia is considered to weigh a little less than 6 kilograms, but this is a rather rare occurrence. Even weighing about 1.5 kg, this fish is considered large, and more than two kilograms is very large. In small reservoirs, the average weight of perches rarely reaches 700-1200 grams.
Big perches are not that big. Mostly they grow in height and in thickness. Their length is approximately 54 cm, and the thickness and height are approximately 18 and 27 centimeters, respectively.
Habitat
River perch (the largest or smallest), regardless of size, lives in areas of the reservoir with vegetation or other natural shelters. Usually, in such sections of the flow, there is either absolutely none or it is weak.
As a rule, this fish avoids places with a strong current. Therefore, this population is very rare in mountain rivers (due to the very fast flow and too cold water).
Russian perch
The usual size of a perch does not exceed 1200 grams. In rare cases, it reaches 2.8 kg, and only in large lakes, for example, on Onego, 3 kg or more are found, and on Lake Peipsi - 4 kg. It should be noted that for Western Siberia such giants no longer represent a curiosity. Yekaterinburg lakes and reservoirs of its environs are the home of huge perches (about 5 kg).
The largest perch caught in Russia is the female caviar, whose weight reached 5.965 kilograms. She was caught on Lake Tishkin sor in 1996, in the Tyumen region (Uvat district).
Particularly large perches are caught in Siberia and the Lower Volga. This is due to the presence of large forage land and a small pressure of civilization.
The age of the fish is determined by the annual rings marked on the upper jaw and on the capillary bone. Until about 23 years old, river bass can live. Such an age was recorded in a perch that lived and was caught in Mongolia, in Lake Khubsugul. Its length was 44.7 cm, and body weight - more than 2 kg.
Both the size and life expectancy of fish of this species also depend on the characteristics of the reservoir. Where does large perch live in Russia? The largest specimen can be found in the deltas of the Kuban and Volga rivers and in reservoirs of Siberia.
Types of Perch
In many large reservoirs, the perch population is represented by two races, each of which has its own habitat, diet, and behavior that are characteristic only for them. In the bays, in coastal thickets, the so-called grass perch lives, and quite a lot of it, but it grows slowly. Such an instance eats mostly invertebrates, but often it is itself a victim of predators. Usually he comes across a fishing rod while fishing.
The features of deep bass can be described as follows: it grows rapidly, has a thick and wide body, feeds mainly on small fish.
A characteristic feature for representatives of both races is that at a certain stage they occupy approximately the same habitat and lead a similar lifestyle. Changes and differences occur in the process of growing up. It should be noted that in the deep race, the proportion of females is much higher. This is due to the fact that fast-growing females spawn annually.
Regarding the herbal form, some researchers believe that not quite enough food supply for them definitely slows down both their growth and the development of eggs, and therefore representatives of this species spawn only after a year.
Nile perch
Nile perch is the largest perch in the world. This individual reaches a length of up to two meters, and its weight can exceed 150 kilograms.
Due to its gigantic size, this perch is the most important predator in any place of its habitat. It is found mainly in such rivers as the Nile, Niger and Congo.
It was in the 50s of the 19th century that the Nile perch was an important commercial species. It was introduced into the lakes of East Africa - Victoria and Tanganyika.
In addition, this species was also launched into the artificial lake Nasser, in which they began to breed it as commercial fish. Such a perch is a favorite prey for angler-athletes. In connection with his unusually large size and fierce disposition for any fisherman, he is a welcome trophy. A photo of the largest perch is presented below.
Nile perch usually feeds on fish of other species, crayfish, insects. There are cases of eating small representatives of their own species. A gluttonous perch with pleasure pecks on artificial top dressing and bait.
Fishermen from all over the world come to the rivers and lakes of Africa with one single purpose - to catch this magnificent representative giant. And the meat of this fish is very tasty.
It should also be noted that in 2002, a fisherman from the UK was able to catch the world's largest Nile perch, whose weight was about 85 kilograms. In addition, a perch (the largest), which died naturally, was once caught on Lake Victoria, and its mass reached 140 kilograms. And ichthyologists argue that this is not the limit.
A little bit about spawning
Raising the temperature to 10 degrees and the melting of ice is a good incentive to spawn perch. Such conditions are necessary for the complete maturation of eggs, since it depends on the presence of food and oxygen in the water.
Spawning migrations are typical, but not required. For example, perch living in fresh water, as a rule, is simply looking for well-heated and shallow areas. But individuals living in slightly salted reservoirs go to spawn in fresh river water because their eggs are sensitive to salt (in salt solution, they die as a result of dehydration).
Spawning perch has a duration of about a week. The number of eggs in large females can reach up to 300, 000, although on average their number is about 20-30 thousand.
About the habits of fish
In essence, perch is a schooling fish. Only the largest individuals are kept alone. The juveniles are usually knocked into large, numbering up to 100 individuals and more than a flock. Young fish feed on eggs of other fish and invertebrates. Therefore, it is important not the number of them in the pack, but a good place.
Adolescent perches keep in flocks of about 5-20 pieces, since in such a composition it is easier to hunt fry, knocking them into a heap and creating a kind of cauldron in which predators quickly lose self-control from the sight of a large amount of prey and begin to attack aggressively. A "cauldron" for spinning fishing is the most convenient option, but the chances of catching a large specimen are slim.
