Summer: hot and hot again! One thinks, "Yeah come on, I'll just go fishing and put myself in the shade of some plants, maybe it's a bit of a breezy day and it will pass." But then where do you go, that with this anticyclone (20 years ago we didn't even know what it was) there's no danger of hearing the warnings go off? I don't know what you think, but in the hot season I go fishing for amur, because it is precisely in summer that it is easier to catch them.
How to fish for amur?
First you have to locate a canal, reclamation, or quarry where the amur is present. For the past few years, I have found some medium-sized quarries with a good population of these silver devils and I always go there! Also because, let's face it, in reclamations you never find shade: at least for me, after getting heatstroke while fishing, no shade means no fishing.
So, we have the body of water: now, as usual, we have to study it for a moment and figure out where our opponents hang out. It is advisable to survey early in the morning, in fact very early, since in summer we have first light even at 5 o'clock. If the lake is populated with amur in the morning you will surely see them, also because the jump of one of them does not go unnoticed.
After the early morning sighting phase, we will have to devote ourselves to finding the fishing spots. Usually the same rules apply as for carp fishing: reed beds, clean sub-banks but still near some submerged plants, and also any plateaus in the middle of the lake are good, especially if you have a seagrass-rich bottom, while on the rises there is a hard bottom. Then, with a little plumbing or perhaps a boat with a depth sounder, you can locate the best spots for fishing.
Amur are very voracious fish, more so than carp, and in the bodies of water where they are most numerous I noticed that some spots gave only amur and others only carp. In other quarries, where amurs are present in limited numbers, it was easy to come across catching one of them if the carp were not very active. This is because, most likely, they are two species that do not mix with each other, especially at feeding times. Perhaps you too may have happened to catch an amur during a session when carp had not been seen for a while.
What is the best bait for amur?
Well, we have the body of water and the spots, now we can set up a longer or shorter baiting campaign. Rule number one: stock up on grits, which are the best bait for amur. For those who are unable to cook their own grits at home, the fishing market offers various alternatives, such as convenient vacuum-packed bags with many variations: from simple corn to mixed with hemp, from tiger nuts to fava beans. For those who prefer to prepare their grits at home, however, it is necessary to obtain a good-sized outdoor stove with a propane cylinder, an aluminum pot, and, of course, raw grits.
But which grits to choose for amur fishing? Everyone has their own taste; I have been taking a half bag of domestic corn, a half bag of pigeon mix, a 5 kg of hemp and 5 kg of tiger nuts for years. I mix everything and my mix is done. After trial after trial, I opted for the simplicity of this mix and haven't changed since.
As for cooking, in my pot (druid-style) I pour the mixture filling it 2/3 full at most, then add 3 or 4 tablespoons of baking soda to soften the grains faster and speed up the fermentation process. I also pour in a jar of fructose, a half cup of fine salt and water to the point of almost filling the pot completely. I cover with a lid and let it sit for 3 days in cold season and 2 days in summer. After this time, I bring the water to a boil and cook for 45 minutes, stirring the contents often.
While I wait, I already prepare a series of buckets and into each one I go to place a sessola of mixed flaked. This is because mixed flaked, being a steamed and pressed product, turns out to be very palatable to carp and amur. Post-cooking buckets are prepared by mixing water and one sessola of flaked for every 2-3 of cooked grits. The grits after cooking will continue to release the attractive nutrients that will be absorbed by the flake, which will play a very important role in amur fishing. Preparing buckets is convenient because during the baiting campaign it will speed up the process.
Baiting for amur fishing.
I usually make at least 3 pre-pastures with grains and a few with boilies, perhaps fruit-flavored, before the fishing session. The amounts will vary depending on the size of the body of water and its fish fauna. Triggers will generally be cairn or pop up with the bait adjacent to the bend of the hook, because of the feeding mode of the amur, which unlike the carp bites, not sucks.
A little tip is that, given the voracity of our opponent, a flashy presentation (perhaps with a stick mix or method) can help. Bait dips, both liquid and powdered, are also great.
Amur capture.
Often the eats are different from those of carp: we will almost always be grappling with a swinger, which goes up and down very quickly, or we will witness a rapid drop-off, so we will have to make sure we have the line taut before we hook. The fight with the amur will also be a little different: the fish tends to offer little resistance until it reaches the undercut, then rockets off again. It is a tenacious opponent capable of developing acceleration in very little space: many a carp angler, including yours truly, has once found himself at least one with the net of his wade broken by one of these silver devils. So, don't try to get an amur into the wade on the first try, but make it tired. A little trick (although it will be daring for some) is to wiggle the top of the wade a little in the water to scare the fish away and watch it go off again in a second if it is still going strong.
In general, the best times are early morning until 9-10 a.m. and late afternoon from 6-9 p.m., then as usual each session makes history.
Safety in amur fishing.
One thing I feel I should mention is not to neglect the safety of the fish: remember it is hot for us and even hotter for them! So keep your mat in the shade, pour a bucket of cool water on it before you set each catch on it, get a weigh bag for release, and take any photos with speed. If you are alone, a simple trophy photo on the mat will do just fine. Before releasing the amur make sure that your opponent has a stable buoyancy in the water so that you can avoid seeing him belly-up a few moments after release.
