So You Like to Fish?

Well Westerner anglers and fishermen immigrants to the Russian Federation, you are in luck. Fishing in Russia is almost a national obsession, one that can even get you into life-threatening situations. And we don't just mean during salmon-spawning season in Kamchatka finds you sharing a stream with multiple Eurasian brown bears. Some fishermen have been rescued after falling through thinned ice into the water after ice fishing too late in the season.

Photo credit above: Two fishermen fishing on spinings near tents and cars on Lake Baikal on a clear March day

Uploaded to Adobe by Katvic AdobeStock photo ID: 242709968

Lets begin: fishing in Russia is big, it's huge, it's a favorite past time for at least one-third of the male population. Fishing comes in various varieties, but mostly it’s done in fresh water. Which Russia, as the world’s largest country with the largest and longest river in Europe the Volga, has in abundance.

Welcome to Russia, where even the ursine males like to gather and fish.

Generative AI stock photo of bears gathering in Kamchatka, AdobeStock photo ID: 748409882

Russia has tens of thousands of miles of rivers criscrossing the nation, hundreds if not thousands of lakes, including Baikal, the world's deepest body of fresh water. In most parts of Russia, fishing season is year round and we do mean year round. Ice fishing is a great pastime.

This often gets anglers in trouble, as ice fisherman will often try their luck to the last possible day as Spring comes on and Winter leaves. This sometimes leads to cars falling through thin ice or even worse, overly eager fishermen trapped on ice drifts heading down river or sinking into a lake. The country's emergency rescue services are quite busy this time of year, plucking fishermen from their shrinking ice rafts.

Sporting goods stores supporting the hobby are everywhere ready to outfit with the latest equipment. You can find camo gear, stream waders and rubber boots at specialty stores and mega department stores alike.

The additional good news is, not only is the season year-round, but no licenses are required. Also, you can fish on any government preserve that is not a military base or otherwise specifically closed off to trespassing, so in other words, just about anywhere.

Russian Ice Fisherman Camp on the River AdobeStock

Uploaded to Adobe by Andrei AdobeStock photo ID: 748409882

The bad news. First, the obvious, there are some varieties of fish on the endangered list and you had best not get caught with them in your ice chest. Second, if you want to fish on private land, you do so at the behest of the owner and this becomes a big problem for big city dwellers: most of the fishing holes within short drives from the city are private. Usually, in such places, you can fish for a fee and for another fee, per kilogram, you can buy the fish you catch, instead of having to just release them back into the water. Yes, this can become expensive, so going for a longer drive may prove more economical.

The typical men's fishing trip includes a group of two to eight guys, food, tents, gear and plenty of beer or vodka. They camp out for 2 to 5 days, fish each day, pass the bottle/s, drink and cook fish soup or fried fish. This is among the forms of Russian male bonding and accumulation of "toxic" masculinity. Woke Westerner Russia haters and beta males, eat your hearts out.