In the Pskov region, amateur fishing is one of the most sought—after types of outdoor activities, and its winter variety is the most popular. The main point of attraction for fishermen is the transboundary Lake Peipsi-Pskov. On some weekends, up to 4 thousand people were registered here. According to expert estimates, in some years on the Russian side alone, during the winter season, amateurs caught up to 200 tons of fish using jig and bottom gear with an animal attachment, as well as vertical baiting.
From December to March 2026, the branch's specialists conducted monitoring in the lake area. They studied the ice conditions in the coastal zone, the attendance of popular places, assessed the equipment of fishermen and the composition of catches. The main methods of work included visual observations, surveys of participants and their own research, in which they recorded the catch per effort, as well as the species and size-mass structure, much attention was paid to online resources where amateur anglers share their successes with colleagues, providing them with geolocation, photo and video recording of catches and the fishing process.
The winter season of 2025/2026 turned out to be extremely favorable for ice fishing. Despite the abnormally warm weather in early December, starting from January 15, access to the ice of Lake Peipsi-Pskov was officially allowed. According to observations, on weekends, the number of fishermen in the reservoir averaged at least 800 people. The analysis of catches showed that they were based on roach — at least 70% of the total number of fish caught, perch took the second place.
Specialists are currently completing the processing of the collected materials and field data.
VNIRO Press Service