But... tell me honestly: are you sure that the crucian carp is not stuffed inside with all sorts of nuts, bolts, or at least microcircuits? So we were sure that no, it wasn’t stuffed. But how then can we explain the fact that from time to time he greedily pounces on a liquid with a kerosene smell, intended to protect metal from corrosion?

The person doesn't drink it, does he? But the crucian carp loves her. Moreover, he often even prefers it to any other (usually sweet) flavorings for fish. Strange, right? Are you sure that crucian carp don’t come to us on alien saucers? OK...

Meet WD-40 - an anti-corrosion aerosol produced by some American company, which our mechanics usually spray on metal to protect it from corrosion (corrosion), from squeaking, and also for unscrewing all sorts of nuts and bolts (rusted over time).

This liquid is a very popular additive in certain fishing areas. There are not only reservoirs, but entire areas where crucian carp are caught using WD-40. The kerosene smell of this liquid does not frighten the crucian carp at all - on the contrary, it attracts it. We’ll talk about this type of fishing now.

"Iron" crucian carp

Of course, we are joking - no crucian carp is made of iron and no gears inside it need to be lubricated. In fact, there is nothing surprising in the fact that crucian carp sometimes consume things that seem to be not intended for food. For example, the same aerosol with the smell of kerosene. After all, people sometimes sin with this.

Is tobacco, for example, edible? Cigarettes are a bitter herb mixed with a whole range of poisons, metals and carcinogenic resins! But nothing - people use it. Moreover, cigarettes are much more important and pleasant to them than even the most exquisite dishes.

And kerosene and gasoline are also kind of drugs. Some people get used to them. More precisely, to their smell - it has an invigorating and calming effect on the bottom. This is how people breathe all sorts of nasty things. Moreover, with great pleasure.

It seems that something similar is happening with crucian carp. There are crucian carp in the lake that are prone, roughly speaking... to drunkenness. They really liked the specific kerosene smell of WD-10 (and it spreads very well in water), and now they constantly demand a “dose”. More and more. However, none of this matters. It is important that crucian carp are caught by such smells. And if it is caught, then you need to catch it.

Preparing crucian carp dough

There is nothing complicated or unusual in preparing the nozzle. Prepare the usual dough: pour flour into a bowl, mix it with water, if desired, you can add eggs, margarine, butter or vegetable oil (your choice). The result should be a viscous lump of dough that doesn’t stick too much to your hands (this is the main sign - if the dough stops sticking to your hands, it means it’s ready).

Well, at the end we take that same aerosol, WD-40, and spray it on the dough. Neither we nor the fishermen know exactly how much to spray. We just take it and spray it - so that it smells like kerosene. Mix the dough again and the attachment is ready. It can be attached to a hook.

Some fishermen also prepare bait based on this kerosene aerosol. They also knead the dough, but it should turn out a little more dry, crumbly, and not so viscous. We also spray it there with the same WD-40 aerosol. We roll balls and when fishing you can throw them at the fishing spot to attract crucian carp. But fishermen usually do this infrequently. As a rule, they simply come to the lake with a lump of dough, put it on hooks and catch fish.

Fishing

Here, too, there is usually no need to invent anything. We just take a fishing rod, place a ball of dough on the hook, throw the tackle into the water (to some known crucian carp place - for example, under a snag) and wait for a bite. At first the bite is weak, but after 5-10 minutes the crucian carp will gather at our hook and the bite will definitely return to normal. In good lakes rich in crucian carp, the bite can last for a very long time: right up to darkness. The fisherman fishes until he gets tired of it.

The whole problem with this kind of bait is that if a crucian carp is accustomed to it, it will be very reluctant to accept all other baits. At least in such lakes, worms, bread crumb, and ordinary sweet dough are clearly inferior to the nozzle with the smell of kerosene. The crucian carp may or may not take all the usual baits - it either likes them or doesn’t like them. The crucian carp always takes our “smelling” bait.

Vladislav Ivanchenko -Especially for, Ukraine, Kyiv

To prepare the bait you will need:
1. A large saucepan with a colander.
2. Large plastic bowls.
3. Set of wooden spoons and spatulas.
4. Measuring cups and spoons for adding liquid ingredients.
5. Rags. Packages.

For half a kilo of bait you will need heels of chicken eggs. Break them into a bowl and stir until smooth. Add sweetener, flavoring and other luring, attractive ingredients. Oddly enough, fruity scents are very suitable for this. Add the dry part of the bait (flour and salt) to the mixture of eggs and various additives. Add slowly and stir with a spoon. At the end Mix this mixture by hand. The mass should be homogeneous. To prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands, treat them with vegetable oil.

First version of fish bait (for the lake) From the resulting mass, roll out sausages up to 3 cm thick. Divide them into pieces and roll them into balls. Now they are ready to cook. Boil water, place the balls in the prepared colander, lower it into the pan slowly so as not to spill the boiling water. The round shape is important for standing water: a lake or pond. Long boiling will help protect the bait from bream - the bait becomes hard. After cooking, place a colander in the sink to drain excess water. Then transfer to a rag and let cool completely, about 2 hours. That's it, they're ready. Place in bags, be sure to date and label the flavors, and store in the freezer of the refrigerator.

Second bait option (for running water) If your fishing will take place on a river, then there is no need to make the bait spherical. For faster cooking, you can simply cut the sausages, or you can roll them out to 1 cm and cook them whole. Approximately 1 minute. When cool, simply chop the sausage into small pieces. About a thousand servings of bait are formed from half a kilogram of dough.

Third option (for the shoreline of a reservoir) The yield will be hundreds of cubes of different sizes and densities, ideal for feeding licorice along the river shoreline. So, after kneading the dough, you shape it into a brick. Wrap the film as tightly as possible, you need to get all the air or almost all of it out. Then place in a pan of boiling water for one hour. The “brick” may not be completely submerged, so a load on top will not hurt. After boiling over low heat, remove it and peel off the film from the finished mixture. Let it cool down. After cooling, cut it into cubes, but do not forget that the top layers will be buoyant. Separate them and store them in a separate bag.

Of course, you can use the bait fresh, that is, without heat treatment. This makes it easier for her to reveal all her taste properties of the mixture, and the signal for the fish will be stronger. A significant disadvantage is that such bait attracts trash fish; they gnaw it faster than the noble carp notices it. But the raw mixture cannot be thrown over long distances. And that’s why it needs to be deep-fried.

Simple tips at the end of the article:
- Do not use sharp baits;
- If you are into tobacco, wash until the smell disappears completely.
- Do not forget about other strong odors (soap, diesel fuel (gasoline), shaving cream, etc.);
- Take a thorough approach to the cleanliness of used dishes, as they create a noble environment for the growth of bacteria.
- Make sure that the heat-treated bait has cooled completely, otherwise it will deteriorate under the influence of ice.
- Remember, the main enemy of prepared bait is moisture during storage. By adding rice to the bag, you significantly reduce the water content.
- For long-term storage, use a preservative.

So, we looked at the question of how to prepare fish bait at home. Use only complementary foods that, according to the article, are most suitable for various bodies of water. Then you will ensure yourself a good bite and a wonderful catch.

If you want to learn how to fish, you should start by choosing a fishing method, that is, you need to understand what gear suits you best and likes it, based on the place you are fishing and your fishing preferences. There are different methods of fishing, they depend on the gear used in practice.

Here are the main, so to speak, sports methods of fishing: bottom, float and spinning methods of fishing. There are other methods of fishing, for example, with circles, a net, an elastic band and even a net, but all this is not good, so we will only talk about the bottom, float and spinning methods.

For inexperienced fishermen who have just embarked on the fishing path, we advise you to buy fairly simple and inexpensive fishing rods, and if you break them due to inexperience, it will not be so sad, but if your budget allows, you can take something more impressive, but you are in a hurry to immediately buy the most expensive It’s not worth it, gain some fishing experience and knowledge, and study well at least one method of fishing, which is most likely a regular float rod, you can even do it without using a reel. Although this method is the simplest, not every body of water is suitable for it. So choose your fishing method wisely.

Float type of fishing.

This method of fishing is one of the simplest, so it is very suitable for a novice fisherman to master. The float rod is designed very simply, which means it is easy to use. You can catch quite a few types of fish with float tackle, but it also has its limitations.

Float tackle is most often used in still water - in ponds, lakes, reservoirs and small rivers. According to the fishing results, the float fishing method is so far in no way inferior to other fishing methods, although everything of course depends on the fishing conditions. Having the necessary equipment with a float rod, you can catch crucian carp, roach, perch, bream, carp, bleak, and other types of fish.

Such versatility and simplicity of the float fishing rod makes the float fishing method very common: both beginners and true fishing veterans fish with it. The main disadvantages of the float fishing method include poor wind resistance, that is, waves and wind greatly affect the visibility of the float. Another disadvantage is the fishing distance, which is much inferior to the bottom fishing method, such as a feeder.

Photo of a small carp caught on a float rod.

Spinning fishing

The spinning fishing method is used in bodies of water with running and standing water - in ponds, lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams and seas. Spinning is intended mainly for predatory fish: pike perch, perch, pike, asp and even catfish. For spinning fishing you will need a short rod, reel, lines or cord, sinkers, spoons, wobblers, twisters and other fishing lures.

The essence of the spinning method is as follows: a fisherman, using a spinning rod and reel, throws bait into the water, which imitates the movement of a fish. By winding the fishing line onto the reel's spool, the bait seduces the predatory fish and grabs it, thereby clinging to the hook. The spinning method of fishing is very mobile, and the fisherman is constantly on the move, which distinguishes this method from all others.

Bottom type of fishing

Bottom fishing is a gear that consists of a rod, reel, fishing line, hooks, weights and bait. Bottom fishing is so called because they have to catch fish directly from the bottom. Bottom fishing rods are either feeder or regular. The usual classic donka is a relatively old tackle, unlike the modern feeder. Usually heavy weights are placed on them, which ensures long casting. In this way, fish are caught from the banks, stationary boats, and flowing reservoirs.

Stuffed pike

Both in the menu of fashionable restaurants and in the kitchen of any housewife, there is undoubtedly fish. Why? The answer is simple: baked carp, grilled trout, steamed salmon, capelin in batter, fish cakes, oven-baked pike - all this is not only divinely tasty, but also very nutritious and healthy. Freshwater fish that are best suited for cooking and, as a result, will delight you with a juicy and rich taste include carp, crucian carp, carp and bream. But, of course, the real queen in the fish kitchen is pike.

Despite the fact that pike meat is a little bony, due to its very low fat content, pike meat is considered dietary. In addition, this fish has a truly specific smell and taste - once you try it, you will not confuse it with anything else. And this is not fiction, for example, in Tsarist Russia, and even in England of the last century, pike dishes were highly valued, and if prepared correctly, they were considered a special delicacy. Previously, we described recipes for making pike fish soup, and in this article we will talk about several recipes for stuffed pike.

Methods for stuffing pike

There are several ways you can stuff pike. Whole fish looks incredibly impressive and appetizing on a dish. Preparing such a culinary masterpiece requires a certain skill, because in this case the pike skin must be pulled together with a “stocking” from head to tail without damage.

If you don’t want to demonstrate aerobatics, then you can prepare stuffed steaks - cut the pike into transverse rounds and use a narrow knife to cut out the meat with bones, leaving a thin layer of pulp on the skin. Then fill the skin rings with the stuffing mixture, leveling the cuts with a knife.

The easiest way is to simply gut the pike and stuff its belly with pre-prepared filling, and then sew up the edges with thread or fasten them with toothpicks.

Stuffed pike by type of preparation

Stuffed pike can be baked in foil, salt, a thermal sleeve, boiled in aromatic broth, poultry stewed in an “acidified” environment or in rendered fat, or simply steamed.

Pike meat is slightly dry. Therefore, when cooking in the oven, the carcass is often greased with mayonnaise, and pieces of lard are added to the filling. To better preserve natural juices, pike is wrapped in foil or a baking bag. Cook the fish at high temperature for 40-50 minutes. Readiness is checked with a toothpick - transparent fat should come out at the puncture site, not a cloudy liquid.

Boiled stuffed pike is prepared in a casserole dish or saucepan. Vegetables are placed on the bottom (onions in half rings, beets and carrots in circles), a little onion peel for a golden color, a ridge and offal of fish for richness. A stuffed carcass or portioned pieces are placed in this mass, poured with sunflower oil, and then poured with boiling water so that the water only slightly covers the fish. Cook on the lowest heat for about 1.5 hours. The lid must be tightly closed. Boiled pike is consumed cold.

The technology of stewing is not much different from the process of cooking stuffed fish. In this case, you will need dishes with a thick bottom, and you only need to fill the fish with boiling water to one third.

What is pike stuffed with?

Usually, after removing the seeds, there is not enough pike pulp left to fill the skin, so a variety of ingredients are mixed into the filling: bread crumb, vegetables, prunes, mushrooms, cereals, nuts, other fish, herbs, etc. Classic minced meat includes bread soaked in milk, onions, eggs, herbs, salt and pepper. The European version consists of all kinds of spices, crab sticks, lemon and rice cereal. In the Russian version, mushrooms and buckwheat with onions are more often used.

Stuffed pike - step-by-step recipe with photos

In fact, there are many ways to prepare this freshwater fish; as they say, if there were pike, there would be recipes. It's great baked, but also works well boiled, grilled, steamed or in the slow cooker. In addition, this fish makes excellent pies and pies, pike cutlets are a real delicacy, and those who like to experiment can even try making pike mousse or pudding.

But today we will talk about one of the most delicious cooking methods for pike - stuffing. It is generally accepted that stuffed pike is a traditional Jewish dish, but in fact this is not entirely true. Excellent recipes for stuffed pike existed in ancient Rus', so this dish is most likely a symbiosis of cultures and culinary traditions.

Preparing products for preparing stuffed pike

So, to prepare classic pike stuffed with vegetables, we actually need a medium-sized pike itself. This is approximately 1.5-2 kilos. In fact, it all depends on the number of servings. The pike mentioned above is enough for 6-8 people. In addition, you need a bow. The main thing here is not to skimp. Some cooks even argue that you should use almost as much onion as fillet. But I suggest the best option - stop at 2-3 large onions. We will also need 3 slices of dry loaf or roll, 1 chicken egg, 2 carrots, and 3 small beets. In addition, pike loves all kinds of seasonings and spices, so, in addition to standard salt, sugar and pepper, stock up on oregano, basil, parsley root, celery root, cloves, allspice and a handful of onion peels.

Cutting pike for stuffing

First you need to clean the fish. This is a simple but very messy process that should not be done in the kitchen. It is best to do this on the shore, immediately after fishing, or on the balcony, covering the floor with newspaper. Then we cook the fish itself. Using a sharp knife, cut off the pike's head and remove the eyes, gills and entrails. The whole difficulty is that the insides of the pike need to be removed without ripping open the belly. Do not damage the belly under any circumstances, otherwise the minced meat will simply fall out and you will ruin the entire dish.

Then you need to remove the skin from the fish as if you were removing a stocking from your leg. Be careful not to damage the skin itself, using kitchen scissors and a sharp knife. To do this, cut the fillet under the skin in a circle and pull off the skin millimeter by millimeter, reaching the caudal fin, carefully cut or break the spine.

After this, scrape the remaining meat from the skin and bones, put it in a separate container. Since the skin of pike is very dense, this should not be difficult. Thus, you should be left with pike skin, as well as separate bones and a plate of meat.

Preparation of minced meat

Now let's start cooking. Peel the onion, chop coarsely and fry in sunflower oil for several minutes until characteristic golden color. Soak stale bread in milk, you can also use water - it depends on personal preferences. Then we pass the fish meat through a meat grinder twice. Here, by the way, there is a very important point - after you skip the meat for the first time, disassemble the meat grinder and clean it of accumulated bones. As we have already said, pike meat is very bony and this must be taken into account. Small bones will soften during cooking, but large ones can bring a lot of unpleasant sensations.

Having passed the meat through the meat grinder a second time, we pass the now slightly softened white bread. Before doing this, you need to squeeze it thoroughly to get rid of excess liquid. And then mix together the meat, bread and fried onions. Add a raw egg to this mixture, and then season it with salt, pepper and a little - 1 teaspoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of raw cold water. Now this filling needs to be mixed very thoroughly or, better yet, kneaded with your hands.

We stuff our pike skin and head with the resulting mixture if we are going to serve it too. You shouldn’t stuff too much filling, otherwise the skin will crack, but at the same time, if you skimp on the filling, the skin will sag. It is the golden mean that is important here. After stuffing the pike, pierce the skin in 2-3 places with a toothpick.

After this, take a large saucepan. It is best that its diameter matches the length of the pike. If you don't have one, you can carefully roll the fish into a ring. Place the onion skins and remaining bones on the bottom of the pan. Top it with coarsely chopped carrots and beets. There should be just enough vegetables to cover the bottom of the pan. Add a bay leaf, finely chopped dry or fresh parsley and celery roots and place our pike and head on top. After this, we leave the whole thing in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Preparing and serving stuffed pike

After taking out the pan, add another teaspoon of salt, half a spoon of sugar, allspice and cloves. Now carefully pour boiling water over our fish so as to completely cover it with liquid, and let it cook. After bringing the dish to a boil, turn the heat to very low and leave the pike to simmer for about an hour.

After this, you need to drain the liquid and place the pike on a suitable dish, after cutting it into pieces corresponding to the portions. You can decorate the whole thing with vegetables that were cooked together with the fish, as well as olives and a little mayonnaise. Having done all this, you need to let the pike cool, because this dish is usually served cold.

Useful video - how to quickly remove scales from fish

Cleaning fish with a fillet knife

Cleaning fish with boiling water

Stuffed pike, baked in the oven

However, pike does not have to be boiled. No less tasty pike, stuffed and baked in the oven according to the recipe. To do this, you need to stock up on pike of the same size - 1.5-2 kilos. There is simply no point in stuffing smaller fish - a lot of work, but little result. In addition, we will need an egg, processed cheese, a spoonful of semolina, 1-2 onions, 2-3 slices of white bread or loaf, 50 ml of cream with 10% fat, herbs, lemon and mayonnaise. For baking, use foil and parchment.

Cutting fish and preparing minced meat

The process of preparing fish is identical to the previous one. The main thing here is accuracy and attention; We clean the fish, get rid of the entrails, separate the fillets and remove the skin.

Then the pike head, skin and meat must be marinated separately to get rid of the characteristic river smell. To do this, use pepper, salt and lemon, put everything in a vacuum container and leave it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Now, actually, it’s the filling’s turn. Soak the white bread crumb in cream. Then grind the pike meat using a meat grinder or blender. Before doing this, you need to make sure that you have gotten rid of all the large bones in the meat and that it is really ready to eat. To the meat we add a raw egg, cereal, squeezed bread crumb, chopped onion, finely chopped herbs and season it all with salt, herbs and pepper to taste. Then grind it all into a homogeneous mixture and rub in the processed cheese using a spoon.

Baking stuffed pike in the oven

We lay foil on the table in 2 or even better 3 layers, and cover it with a parchment sheet on top. This is necessary so that the fish does not stick to the foil. Then we stuff our fish with a spoon or with our hands. By the way, to prevent the minced meat from sticking to your hands, dip them in cold water. Having completely filled the skin with minced meat, insert the head there and coat our pike with mayonnaise from head to tail. Then wrap the fish and foil tightly and place in the oven, preheated to 180 degrees. Stuffed pike, baked in foil, cooks for about an hour. If the fish is larger, you can bake it a little longer.

Serving baked stuffed pike

After removing the pike from the oven, let it cool completely before unrolling the parchment and foil. You can even put the fish in the refrigerator for several hours or even a day, and then print it out, decorate it and serve it. It’s very good to sprinkle the pike with lemon juice before serving, and to decorate with lettuce and mayonnaise or sour cream sauce with horseradish.

Useful video - how to fillet fish without bones

Baked stuffed pike, photo

Baked stuffed pike, video

Jewish stuffed pike

We have already said that stuffed pike is considered a national Jewish dish. Therefore, it would be a real sin not to offer you an ancient recipe for preparing this dish. So, stuffed pike is a Jewish recipe.

Preparing products for cooking pike in Jewish style

The dish includes fish, several slices of white bread (depending on the size of the fish and the amount of minced meat you need, for a fish weighing 1.5 kilos you will need 3 slices of bread), a raw egg, 50 grams of butter, a quarter glass of milk, 2 onions, 6 bay leaves, plus salt and pepper.

The main difference from the recipes described above is that to prepare Jewish stuffed pike, fish is cut into slices and served with bones. This dictates the specific preparation of the fish. Therefore, we cut off the head of the cleaned fish, removing the gills and fins, as well as all the entrails. To do this, a very sharp knife is usually used, which must be carefully inserted inside the belly along the side wall and cut off the insides. The guts will fall out on their own. Then we take out the caviar along with the film attached to the spine, clean this same film, and then add the caviar and milk to the minced meat.

Cutting fish to prepare pike in Jewish style

We cut the fish into pieces 5-7 centimeters thick and remove the meat from each piece using a knife so as not to tear the skin or separate it from the bones. This way, you should be left with fish rings made of skin, spine and ribs with three holes - two small ones on either side of the spine and one large one where the insides used to be.

Preparation of minced pike in Jewish style

For the filling, soak the bread in milk. Then we pass the fish meat, bread and finely chopped onion through a meat grinder several times to get rid of the bones and get real minced meat. Add butter, egg and season it all with salt and pepper. After this, the resulting mass must be thoroughly beaten.

Preparing and serving pike in Jewish style

After this, we take a large pan, the bottom of which we cover with chopped carrots, beets and another onion. We put the head and tail there. After that, we stuff our fish, filling all three holes with minced meat and carefully placing the pieces on top of the vegetables. If the pike was large and there were too many slices, alternate balls of vegetables and stuffed fish in the pan. Place the vegetables on top of the last layer of fish again and fill it all with salted water and a bay leaf. There should be just enough water to cover the top layer of vegetables by a couple of millimeters.

Place the pan on the fire and wait for the water to boil. After this, reduce the heat to a minimum and leave our pike on low heat for an hour and a half. When the fish is ready, turn off the heat and leave it to cool along with the broth. Only cold fish can be strained and removed from the pan. Subsequently, the broth that you have left can be used to prepare a side dish. Usually boiled potatoes are served with stuffed pike, and the fish itself is decorated with lemon slices.

Cooking stuffed pike in a slow cooker

With the help of modern technologies, you can not only prepare a dish easier, but also much faster. To make sure of this, I offer you a simple but original cooking recipe. The result is the most tender pike stuffed with rice and prunes.

Preparing pike and minced meat

We clean the pike as we have already learned: we cut off the head, remove the eyes, gills and entrails. Thus, we are left with a carcass with a spine and ribs. Then rub it with a mixture of salt, pepper and various herbs, generously grease the fish with mayonnaise and leave it to marinate in a cold place for 2 hours.

During this time we prepare the filling. Boil the rice until half cooked, mix it with finely chopped prunes. Add onions and carrots there, sautéing them first. Mix all the filling ingredients and stuff the marinated fish.

To cook, select the “Baking” mode in your multicooker, grease the container with butter and place the pike there. If the container is small, you can fold the fish into a ring. This delicacy is prepared for only 1 hour, in fact, until the mode ends.

Pike stuffed with mushrooms

If you love mushrooms, then I will share with you another simple recipe, as a result of which you will get delicious stuffed pike.

For it you will need a small pike - about one and a half kilograms, 250 grams of mushrooms - best of all champignons, a jar of olives, 2 raw chicken eggs, 2 medium carrots, 2 small onions, bread and milk for soaking, and, of course, oil for frying and spices for taste.

We clean the fish from the husk, cut off the head, remove the gills, eyes, cut out the insides from the skin and clean them, separating the bones from the meat.

We clean, cut the mushrooms into halves or smaller (depending on size) and fry them in olive oil, add seasonings, salt and pepper.

In the same way, we clean and cut the carrots into small cubes, fry them a little together with the onion in butter. Until the onion acquires its characteristic golden color.

After this, we pass the pike meat and bread through a meat grinder, before thoroughly soaking it in milk. Add eggs, herbs, 10 grams of sunflower oil, seasonings and mix. And then there are mushrooms, carrots and onions and chopped olives. Mix everything again, add a little lemon juice and stuff our pike with this mixture.

By the way, before baking, you can coat the pike with mayonnaise or beaten egg, creating a kind of batter. Place the fish on a baking sheet and leave in the oven preheated to 180 degrees for 45 minutes. Pike is ready

Pike stuffed with rice

Ingredients:

Fresh pike – 1kg

Rice – 100 g

Onion – 1 large head

Carrots – 1 pc.

Mayonnaise or yolk (for lubrication)

Salt, pepper (to taste)

Cranberries, herbs, mayonnaise, lemon (for decoration).

We take a fish weighing 1000-1200 g (the most optimal weight for baking), peel it from scales, wash it, but do not gut it.

Use a large knife to cut off the head in a circle. We take out all the insides along with the head.

Pull off the skin starting from the head. It is more convenient to do this with your thumb, pushing it between the skin and the pulp.

It’s good if meat fibers remain on the removed “stocking” - it’s safer and tastier. We act very carefully near the fins. Having reached the tail, we cut it off along with the ridge. We sew the hole from the tail with thread.

Separate the pike flesh from the bones.

Pass the pike fillet through a fine mesh meat grinder.

Boil rice in salted water. Let cool.

Fry onions and carrots.

Mix the fish mass with rice and frying. Salt and pepper.

Not very tightly, but evenly fill our pike with minced meat.

Place the fish on a sheet of foil, attach the head, and grease with mayonnaise or yolk. Now you can completely wrap the carcass, leaving a small air gap between the foil and the top of the fish. Before putting it in the oven, pierce the foil in several places with a toothpick.

Keep the pike in the oven for about an hour at 180 degrees, after which you need to unroll the foil on top and send the fish back to bake until golden brown (about 30 minutes).

Let the pike cool, and then turn on your imagination and decorate it to your taste and color.

How to decorate stuffed pike when serving

Such a special dish as stuffed pike requires appropriate presentation. The fish is laid out on a large oblong plate made of porcelain or cupronickel. Lemon is considered an ideal decoration for any fish dish - thin yellow circles not only look great in appearance, but also enhance the smell of the fish and give it a piquant taste. The dish is also decorated with sprigs of greenery, onion rings, olives, cranberries, red currants, lettuce, and carrots. Cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, cut into slices, are sometimes laid along the carcass. The back of the pike is covered with a pattern by squeezing mayonnaise from a pastry syringe. On especially special occasions, the pike is poured with liquid gelatin to give it an appetizing gloss.

When decorating a dish, it is important to observe the measure - additional “accessories” should not clutter the plate, because the main character on it should still be the stuffed pike.

Super bait

Fish bait. Leave the jar of maggots on the shelf of the fishing store and go to the pond to look for caddisfly larvae. You'll catch more with them.

There was a time when the fishing store around the corner did not yet sell maggots and boilies, ready-made dough and vanilla potatoes. Then fishermen had to catch fish only based on their knowledge of the processes occurring in nature.

Observations by a fisherman on a pond of houses crawling along the bottom, which were glued together from grains of sand, fragments of shells or pieces of wood, also date back to those times. These houses looked like quivers for arrows and hid inconspicuous gray-brown larvae, which, based on the shape of the houses, were called “quiver flies” (Trichoptera, in Russian - caddis flies).

They turned out to be a very good bait for trout, grayling, perch, tench and all white fish: from wary chub to portly bream. Since then, no book on fishing can be imagined without mentioning caddisfly larvae (also called Sprock) as catchable baits.

The morning doesn't always start like in a fishing tutorial. Yelets are once again refusing to take a bunch of maggots

Especially in early spring (when it was impossible to get worms or maggots due to the cold), caddis flies were considered a way out and a miraculous means of achieving success. Only the year-round availability of commercially available standard baits such as maggots, crawlers and dung worms brought an end to the caddis era.

Reaching to the shelf of a fishing store for bait turned out to be easier than sticking it into the icy water for a caddis fly. The larva “from the quiver” is currently experiencing a second birth. “Back to the caddisflies”, and even while saving money - that’s the motto now. Find out how to breed maggots at home without much difficulty from this post.

Since many of the tricks of antique lovers were also dictated by a lack of money, some fishermen with little experience now also remember this. But remembering is only half the battle, since questions immediately arise: where and how to collect caddis flies, how to bait them, and where is the best place to catch them? Ask your grandfather or study our pictures.

A look at a small lowland stream shows why maggots are not of interest to fish: there is plenty of food everywhere. Caddisfly larvae climb in crowds along the concrete of the dam

But it’s so easy to catch this desired bait. A net for catching daphnia with a rectangular frame is slowly passed over the concrete. Now these little insects won't be able to escape

The net is full, and there are live larvae in almost all the houses. This only happens in spring and early summer

Larvae in houses are stored in a cold place, in air and without water. Those of them that will be immediately hooked are taken out of the houses, and the unused ones are released into the wild after fishing.

This is how the larva is removed from the shell. The front house is shortened by about 5 mm...

... then lightly press on the rear end of the house - and the head of the larva appears!

The head is held gently but firmly with the thumb and forefinger...

...then the larva is slowly pulled out of the house

If you want to offer the fish a particularly tasty morsel, then place two or three larvae on the hook at the same time

But the most catchy thing is a single larva, placed behind the chest part on a hook made of thin wire.

Second run: after the maggots didn’t work, the bait of the season is now on the hook. Will the fish catch better with a caddis fly? The bait, supported by a light float, drifts far forward. When fishing in a narrow, calm stream, you need to avoid anything that could spook shallow fish.

The first success was when fishing with a sensitive float in shallow waters with a caddis fly larva. When the underwater part of the float is painted in a discreet green color, it does not scare even the cautious chub

Even with a careful bite, the soft larva is “chewed”. It should be replaced after every bite.

The fish are increasingly eager to grab the caddisfly. A critical look confirms: this roach was detected as expected

With the help of a miracle bait, we finally managed to catch the super-cautious dace

At one point the creek widens into a particularly promising hole. Here our bait slowly falls into the center of the eddies

A real fighter, the ide, immediately reacts to this trick. Now he strives to escape from the whirlpool he himself created and reach the saving thickets of elodea

However, it's too late! The strongest inhabitant of the stream, after a short, stubborn resistance, was defeated

In the afternoon we had to go downstream for other caddisfly lovers

Many people are interested in fishing, and everyone pursues their own goal: a hobby, leisure time, sports, food production. Regardless of whether fishermen are motivated by amateur or sporting interest, everyone wants to get more and bigger trophies. To achieve better results in fishing, people have learned to use many additional methods. From cutting-edge gear to special complementary foods. And the most advanced fishermen use the latest substances containing pheromones for fish.

Feeding at the fishing site is a very successful and long-known method, carried out both before and during the fishing process. Now, when there are more people who want to get a good catch than the fish themselves, feeding them with familiar food products (porridge, bread) is not always effective. At a minimum, it is necessary to add flavoring or aromatic components to which cold-blooded inhabitants react.

The long-term joint work of chemists, biologists, ichthyologists and other scientists has led to the production of special substances that lure fish, which are successfully used in all types of fishing.

Reference! Fishing attractants are products consisting of a mixture of various components that lure fish to the fishing site, acting on its taste and olfactory organs.

The chemical composition of attractants is very diverse; they include inorganic, organic elements and their compounds. These products are completely or partially soluble in water and it is in it that they exert their effect. Conventionally, attractants can be divided into traditional and synthetic (based on pheromones).

Traditional attractants

Various food products have always been used in fishing; they do not need to be purchased specially; most often, most of them are present in any kitchen. It is worth using products that have a specific taste and smell:

1. Food products such as:

• vanillin and similar confectionery spices;

Photo 1. Cinnamon and vanilla are the most common bait flavors.

1. Some medications have an effect similar to the above products - Corvalol, turpentine, camphor, Zvezdochka balm.
2. Extracts from dung worms.
3. Mixtures based on animal blood.
4. Fishermen confirm the effect of kerosene in the same direction.

Photo 3. Corvalol has also been used in fishing for a long time.

These products have a different purpose than luring fish. Their effect has not been proven by scientists or research, but they have been used effectively in fishing for a long time. Traditional attractants are determined by the experience of our ancestors.

Pheromone-based lures

Modern scientific research in the field of fisheries began to use pheromones as bait almost two decades ago. The effectiveness of these products was proven and patented back in 2001. Their action is aimed at the natural receptors of fish.

It has long been known that these silent creatures communicate with each other by exchanging specific signals, which are sent using pheromones. Just as humans synthesize hormones, fish produce certain pheromones in different situations. Thanks to them, fish individuals gather in schools, reproduce, feed, and exist. It is worth noting that the olfactory abilities of these aquatic inhabitants are more developed than those of dogs.

Reference! Pheromones used for fishing are biologically active substances of synthetic origin, identical to natural pheromones that are secreted by fish.

Many years of studying the life activity of fish allowed scientists to artificially synthesize substances that attract their attention. But it happens that the interest of aquatic inhabitants alone is not enough. We've all had cases where fish walk around but don't bite. Thus, modern bait with pheromones is aimed at:

• to attract attention;
• stimulation of hunger;
• pack reflex.

Hunger-stimulating pheromones represent the most modern group. These artificially synthesized substances are identical to natural ones, which are produced in the body of hungry individuals. They help to increase the natural feeling of hunger in fish, prompting them to immediately search for any food. Thus, the fish does not easily swallow the bait; it actively searches for any type of food.

Attention! By using pheromones for fish, they achieve their attraction, promote a good bite due to hunger, as well as the accumulation of a large number of individuals at the fishing site, due to their gathering in schools.

Attractants with pheromones for different types of fish

Different populations of fish prefer certain foods and react more actively to odors that are special to them. This is due to the nature of the fish’s habitat, climatic conditions, reservoir, and natural food. The less related the fish species, the more different their tastes. Based on this, manufacturers create baits aimed at attracting certain populations.

These baits consist of components that have a specific taste and smell that are of interest to a specific type of fish. More often these are elements of food with which she is already familiar. But with the inclusion of chemicals that affect fish, for example, acids:

• glycine;
• dairy;
• glutamine and the like.

Propylene glycol substances also attract the attention of fish. The action of attractants is aimed not only at the taste preferences of fish, but also at instincts. Therefore, the effectiveness of baits using pheromones that attract the attention of specific fish is much higher. Thus, attractants have been developed for catching crucian carp, pike, catfish, pike perch, carp, bream and others. There are universal attractants for predatory or peaceful fish.

Predatory fish often obtain food, relying mainly on vision. Therefore, it is interested in bait and swallows soft baits (polymer, silicone) well, but due to inedibility, it often spits them out. This is where the possibility of impregnating soft bait with an attractant containing pheromones and other attractive components comes to the rescue.

Release form of pheromone baits

Bait using pheromones is widely produced by well-known manufacturers who are engaged in development and work closely with chemists, biologists, and ichthyologists. Small firms also produce bait, but their technology is more based on traditional food additives or animal blood extracts.

You can make such pheromones for fishing with your own hands. The most interesting components for fish, which are often on hand, are discussed above. All that remains is to study the information about the preferences of certain species for which the potential catch is designed. And then you just need to prepare the desired mixture.

Groundbait with pheromones is sold in various forms:

• gels;
• dry mixes;
• solutions;
• sprays.

It is worth choosing the form that is most convenient for a particular fishing.

Rules for using bait with pheromones

Depending on the form of release and the concentration of the active substance, bait is used in its pure form (spray, gel) or diluted in the amount of water or feed prescribed according to the instructions. For example, the well-known attractant Ultrabyte is available in 5 ml ampoules. According to the instructions, this concentrate should be diluted in 0.5 liters. water. To avoid overspending, you can take the required amount using a medical syringe, and then dissolve it in the appropriate volume of liquid. But it is recommended to seal the ampoule or seal it with fishing plasticine to preserve the properties of the active elements.

With pheromone concentrate you can:

• process bait and tackle;
• add to feed;
• throw into water (some attractants are produced in special water-soluble plastic packaging, ready to be completely immersed in water).

Manufacturers claim that pheromone baits are not always effective when used with other scented products. Such a complex of substances can attract fish, but with the same success it can scare them away.

Pheromone attractants are effective at any time of the year, regardless of whether the outside temperature is negative or positive. It is worth considering that the components quickly lose their activity in the open air, in less than half an hour. While in the aquatic environment they affect fish receptors for 7–9 hours. Attractants completely decompose in the aquatic environment within half a day, without having a negative impact on the reservoir or the life of fish.