The Sargana is often called the sea pike, this is due to the appearance and the greed with which it eats its victims. But this fish has nothing to do with pike.
What kind of fish is a garfish?
The appearance of a garfish is very similar to a needle or an arrow. The jaws are highly elongated, dotted with numerous small and very sharp teeth. Moreover, the lower jaw is longer than the upper one. The anal and dorsal fins are similar and are located in front of the caudal. Sargana is very difficult to confuse with other fish, it is worth seeing and will never forget. The coloration of the back is usually bluish-green, the sides are silvery. A characteristic feature of the skeleton is a greenish color.
Sargan reaches an average size of 35 to 50 centimeters, rarely more than 60 centimeters, or weighs more than 1 kilogram.
During the breeding season, the garfish approaches the coast in shallow water, usually in May-June, and spawns among floating vegetation. Sexual maturity occurs at 3-4 years of age. The eggs have special threads with which they cling to the algae.
Sargan is a fierce predator, while hunting for small fish (trifles of horse mackerel, anchovy, tulka, …), it rapidly attacks and eats it in large quantities. During its attacks on prey, the garfish can stray into shoals. And watching this picture, it may seem that the water is boiling or a lot of snakes are floating on the water.
Catching a garfish
Sargan is a commercial fish. It is not of particular interest for sport fishing, although annual competitions are held in Crimea. For an amateur fisherman, the garfish is of particular interest. This is, of course, due to the excellent taste and fascinating uncomplicated fishing.
Since the garfish is very shy, when choosing tackle, you should give preference to light spinning rods or feeders, in order to be able to throw the bait further away. The rod length is 3-4 meters with a thin and sensitive tip. Fishing line 100-120 meters long, naturally marine, with a diameter of 0.2 to 0.25 millimeters, a lead of 1-1.5 meters – 0.12 – 0.14 mm. Most often, bombards of different masses are used, it all depends on the rod and the desired casting distance.
In order to catch a garfish, you shouldn’t stand still, you need to throw and drag, throw and drag until you catch it. When catching a garfish, it is necessary to do the wiring very similar as when catching other predators, only more slowly. Sargan bites sharply and immediately begins to resist briskly, making “candles”.