Fishing
"Don falls down from blue whirlpools onto the smooth surface. The flood is curly there. Don waddles in a slow overflow. Schools of black pounched fish graze over the hard sand bottom; at nighttime sterlet feasts in the smooth water; wild carp turns in green coast castles of slime; perch-pikes follow white fish, catfish digs shells; sometimes it turns green patches of water, appears under the new moon stirring its golden glittering stripe and then disappears to dig deposits of shells with its broad foreheaded moustached head and to freeze napping somewhere in a picked snag in the morning". (Sholokhov "Still Don").
Don fishing has a long history.
Cossacks went fishing in light boats made of big trees. They used nets, "venteri" (a net stretched on the hoops with reducing diameters with a sack on the end) and other fishing appliances. Fishing as well as hunting and "homespun coat raids" played an important part in early Cossacks' life. Don fish enjoys great popularity among Russian foreign gourmets.
The generous Upper Don is excellent for successful fishing. Approximately 50 spices of fishes can be found in little rivers, channels, clean lakes. Among fishing trophies are: gudgeon, gloomy burbot, swift perch with bright striped sides, quick-moving roach, heavyweight carp in golden scales, the giant catfish living in the sullen depth, torpedo shaped "river shark" - pike and flat slow bream. Here the famous shamaya fish can be found. In pure Don water pike-perch, roach, chub, ide and others.
M.A.Sholokhov loved fishing, he was quite an expert and could compete with real fishing professionals. He had a rich collection of fishing utensils, but preferred a hand-made birch or maple rods with floats.
Picturesque fishing places of the museum where M.A.Sholokhov rested drawing his inexhaustible inspiration, are still awaiting guests.
|
