In the European part of Russia lies Kubenskoe Lake. Below we consider its description.
Geographical position
A lake of glacial origin, formed among the relict forest in a swampy lowland, filled with meltwater retreating to the north of the glacier. Located in the upper reaches of the Northern Dvina, 30 km north of Vologda. Kubenskoye Lake is stretched in the direction from the southeast to the northwest, its length is 54 km, its width is 12 km, its area is about 370 square meters. km The sizes fluctuate due to significant spring spills and the filling of the reservoir with precipitation. During the summer and autumn rains, its area can reach 410 square meters. km Kubenskoye Lake is located at an altitude of 110 meters above sea level.
Description of the lake
Overgrown with forest, the eastern shore slopes down to the water and is often flooded; on the western shore there is a small hill. The average depth of Lake Kubensky is 1.2-2 meters, but during snowmelt, water can rise up to 13 meters.
To regulate the water level and provide navigation in 1834, the Znamenaynaya Dam was built at Sukhon 7.5 km from the source. This actually turned Lake Kubensky into a reservoir with a controlled flow. In winter time and until the end of the spring flood in Sukhon, the base of the sluice sinks to the bottom, as the meltwater formation creates a reverse flow on the river.
Lake Kubenskoye (Vologda Oblast) is fed by the waters of more than thirty rivers, its catchment basin is 14,400 square meters. km The largest tributary, the Kuben River, 368 km long, flows into the body of water from the east, forming a huge delta. The second largest river - Uftuga (117 km) - flows into the lake from the north. Smaller tributaries: Porozovitsa (34 km) in the north and Big Elma (60 km) in the west. Another ten rivers are 10-20 km long. Runoff from the lake is carried out along the Sukhon River , flowing in two streams from the southeast.
The minimum water level in the lake is observed in March, it reaches a maximum in May, and in June it is declining. During the reverse flow to Sukhon, water in Lake Kubensky arrives at 30-40 cm per day. In summer, storms and storms are frequent on the lake; it freezes in late November - early December, freeing itself from ice in late April - early May.
History
The lake takes its name from the Kuben River. The ending “–en” is probably Finno-Ugric, meaning “big water”, and the meaning of the root “cube” is unknown. Presumably, it comes from the language of extinct tribes that lived in antiquity on the territory of the Vologda region.
In the XI-XII centuries, the area north of Lake Kubensky became dependent on the Novgorod Republic, which laid a trade route along the Sheksna through the lake to Sukhona, and then along the Northern Dvina to the White Sea. The Kubensky lands themselves were the property of the Rostov-Suzdal princes, and later there were the specific principalities of the Yaroslavl Rurikovich.
In 1692, young Peter I spent two months on the lake, after experimenting with the construction of ships on Pereyaslavsky Lake, he was looking for a larger reservoir. The king was impressed by the length of the lake, but the results of measuring the depths greatly disappointed.
In the XIX century, the lake was included in the North Dvina water system using the Alexander Wirtemberg Canal (now the North Dvina Canal), dug in 1825-1829.
A comprehensive study of Lake Kubensky was carried out in 1972 by the Vologda-Arkhangelsk hydrographic expedition.
Flora and fauna
The lake flora is represented by 57 plant species. About 4,800 hectares are occupied by dense sedge thickets that form floodplain meadows at the mouth of the Kuben, at the confluence of the Uftugi and in several other areas. Reed beds cover an area of 540 ha, and the masses of the amphibian highlander approach an area of 2000 ha and are also located near the estuaries. Sparse thickets of resta cover an area of 7,000 ha.
Fishing on Lake Kubensky is always rich. There are 19 species of fish in it: perch, ide, bream, ruff, ruffe, crucian carp, gudgeon, eel, chub, asp, dace, roach, czech sir, bleak, pike, nelm, or nelmushka (a local species of whitefish, quite rare), smelt, huster, burbot. Still rarely comes across a sterlet. Since the 1950s, zander has appeared more and more, before that it has not been found in the lake. Ten species of fish are subject to industrial fishing, the volume of which is steadily declining due to shallowing and pollution of the lake.
sights
In addition to natural beauties, the main attraction is the Spaso-Kamenny Monastery, one of the oldest in the Russian north, built according to a vow in 1260 by Prince Gleb Vasilkovich Belozersky, who survived during a severe storm. In 1528 he was visited by the Grand Duke Vasily III. In Soviet times, it was abolished, and the premises were given to the fish factory. The Transfiguration Cathedral was blown up in the late 1930s and rebuilt by 2009. In the largest coastal village of Ustye there is an old chapel church, a museum of local lore, and nearby Lysogorsky monastery.
Fishing
The fish stocks of the lake are gradually being depleted, the volume of industrial catch has been falling for several decades: from 616 tons in 1938 to 285 in 1953, only 72 tons in 2013. In the 1990s, a huge amount of fish was caught by poachers (an estimated total annual catch may exceed 900 tons). The shallowing of the lake has a negative effect on the fish population, as a result of which traditional spawning grounds are not covered by water, as well as an abnormally high temperature for several years, which especially affected the ruff population.
Industrial pollution also plays a significant role: more than 180 agricultural farms, two pig farms and various production facilities are located on the shores of the reservoir. Hopes for the restoration of fish populations are associated with projects to regulate the flow of Sukhon, which could raise the average water level from the current 1.2 meters to the previous two meters.
Due to the extreme shallowness, amateur fishing in the summertime is possible only from boats that are abundant in the local residents, who rent them out to tourists. In order to protect nelma, fishing is prohibited on its spawning grounds in the vicinity of the mouth of the Kuben and the confluence of the Pelma and Neig, three kilometers inland. In the rest of the lake, this fish, excluded from the Red Book in 1999, is allowed to fish.
Unlike tourists, most arriving by passenger water transport, amateur fishermen often complain about the lack of convenient access roads to the lake, but equipped fishing bases have been created on it.
The main object of amateur fishing is perch, which is found in large quantities, although on average its weight does not exceed 100-250 grams. The forecast for biting on Lake Kubensky is always good, except for the flood period. Nibble reaches its peak by the end of the summer-fall season.
Winter fishing
Winter fishing on Lake Kubensky is very popular. Local fishermen know well the places of winter accumulation of perch on the shallows near the estuaries. A week after freezing, the most active bite begins, lasting until the end of January. February and especially March is the least successful period for winter fishing. When the ice begins to melt, the fish starts to peck again. Experienced anglers catch perch from floating ice floes, which are reached by boat. Caught in the winter on the balancer, mormyshka and winter spinner. With a good bite from one hole, you can get 30 kg of fish. It is more difficult to catch white fish in winter than perch. Just before the ice drift, roach and scavenger bite well.
Reviews of Lake Kubensky
Tourists say that there is something to see. You can have a good time on the beach, take a swim on a hot summer day. All visitors try to visit the Spaso-Kamenny monastery on the island right in the middle of the lake. Travelers also comment positively on recreation facilities located in the vicinity of the lake, where you can stay. Most of the bases are located on the Kubene River, there is a camp site and near the Ust. At some distance from the lake there is a cozy "Morino Manor", and on the banks of Big Elma there is a mini-hotel "Omogaevsky". There are especially many enthusiastic reviews about the base for the whole Exopark Vysokovskoye family, where ostriches, peacocks, pheasants and representatives of the local predatory fauna live. It is located upstream of Kuben.
You can also hear the reviews of hunters who come to Lake Kubenskoye for game. The hunting season for waterfowl opens in the spring, but there is not much prey. In the surrounding forests there are moose, bears and wild boars, which are hunted in the fall and winter.
Amateur fishermen, sharing their impressions of fishing on this lake, talk about good biting and always a big catch.