One of the fastest and most cautious fish found in Russian waters is the ide. In addition to knowing the general principles of successful spearfishing, ide hunting presupposes knowledge of its habits, habitats in each specific region. This hunt is sporty and passionate, especially when it comes to a running ID that does not stand in cover.
Ide lives in flowing waters, therefore it is especially often found on plain rivers in which there is a moderate current. The hunter should pay special attention to the sands overgrown with vegetation. In addition, sometimes this fish “goes for a walk”, emerging on the surface of the reservoir. Another habitat is thickets of reeds, places of confluence of small rivers, channels between reed islands. Here he not only feels safe, but also waits in ambush for prey. The bottom, which is optimal for ide, is sandy-silty, or pits located near the banks.
When hunting for this fish, you can use both haul-out and active search. In the first case, for an ambush, you need to choose a place in the coastal reed, while you should hide with it so that the fish does not see not only the hunter, but also his weapon. Small individuals usually approach the feeding place first, then larger ones. You need to shoot at the moment when the ide freezes or slows down the pace of movement.
An active search is, first of all, a survey of areas of vegetation. In this case, encounters with small specimens, which usually keep close to the coast, will be especially frequent. It should be borne in mind that this fish has very good eyesight and often manages to notice the hunter even before he does it. It makes no sense to make a shot after the departing flock, therefore it is better to inspect the surroundings in search of other representatives, because the ide is a schooling fish.
If the shot was successful, do not hesitate – you do not need to pull the fish by the tench, it is better to grab it by the eyes and gills. The ide should be removed from the tench only after the fish has reliably “sat down” on the kukan.