Among the reservoirs of the Leningrad Region, Pravdinskoe Lake occupies a worthy place, which attracts both local fishermen and visiting tourists with fishing opportunities. It is located in the Vyborg district, in the center of the Karelian Isthmus. It is 80 km from St. Petersburg. Translated from Finnish, its name literally sounds like “a church by the lake”. And indeed, once upon a time, old-timers recall, there was a religious community.
Brief description of the lake
The shape of the lake is quite elongated - up to 10 km in length. Width does not exceed 1 km. The waters in the lake are flowing: to the north - the river Pchelinka originating in it, and to the south and east - the flowing streams Volochaevka and Krasnaya, respectively. From the north-west side, numerous keys beat off the coast. The access to the lake is more convenient, since the coast in these places is lower. The coastline is mostly overgrown with mixed forest, but there are also open meadow spaces where you can park with tents.
Due to the narrow coastal slope, Pravdinskoe Lake is considered not very overgrown: the ubiquitous reeds, rare reeds, horsetail, and rhode. The depth of the reservoir is from 7 m to 14 m. In rare shallow water, there is a sand and pebble bottom with small boulders, and at the depth there is silt, the layer thickness of which reaches 1 m. The upper layer of water, thanks to its high banks and protection from the wind, warms up well. It contains iron that gives a brownish tint.
Fauna
Pravdinskoye Lake is slightly inferior to its neighbor, Lake Krasnoye, in the variety and fullness of the fish inhabiting the reservoir. The latter is located 3-4 km to the east. The main "contingent" are ruffs, smelt, perches, roach, scavenger, bleak, burbot, ide. Local fishermen say that since mid-August, fish have come here from the river Pchelinki.
Zander
Freely lives in Pravdinsky pike perch. The main food for them is ruffs and smelt, which breed well thanks to the organic matter brought here by the waters of the flowing rivers. Pikeperch is found more often in the southern side of the reservoir, where there is sufficient depth and a complex bottom. At the end of April, after spawning, he becomes especially active and voracious. In the spring it’s nice to catch it on the bottom tackle. For bait fit roach and bleak. In summer, the main bite goes to the fishing rod before dawn or in the evening, after sunset. In cloudy weather zander pecks all day.
Pike and perch
On the north side, where the river originates from. The bee and where less deeply, lives a pike. Here she has more opportunities for quiet shelters and spawning grounds. This part of the lake, according to fishermen, is rich in aquatic vegetation. Without this condition, even in the presence of plentiful food, pike, like bream, are poorly caught. Pravdinskoe Lake abounds with small perch, although larger individuals are often found - up to 300-400 g.
Bream
There is a bream in the lake. For large individuals it is worth investing in a good working bait. This is a very important condition for excellent fishing. About half a kilo of bait is consumed in three hours. According to the experience of fishing on this lake, such generosity justifies itself.
A bream is a fish, so to speak, with a "character", therefore it is caught only in certain places. As a rule, these are rather deep sections of the reservoir. Peak peaks in the morning (from 5:00 to 9:00) or evening (after 17:00).
How to fish?
From the shore fishing on Lake Pravdinsky is possible on float and bottom gear. Due to the weak aquatic vegetation, ultralight fishing rods are also suitable. From the boat, when you can conveniently get to the fishing place, spinning rods, paths and mugs are used. In winter, the ice catch in the pond consists mainly of roach, perches and small scavengers. The clean shores of a picturesque lake, peace and quiet are important factors that accompany good catch.
How to get there
If you get to the lake by car, then along the Vyborg highway (A-122 highway) or along the Scandinavia highway, you need to get to the village of Ogony, 200 m after the gas station turn right in the direction of the village. May Day, then to the village. Krasnoselskoe. Then do not miss the right turn and drive to the village. True. It’s more convenient to approach the lake from the north-west side.
If you use rail, you can get to Roshchino or Kirillovsky. There are regular buses from both stations to the villages of Krasnoselskoye or Klimovo. From there, you will have to walk another 5 km on foot until Pravdinskoe Lake appears on the horizon. Fishing is notable here, so you can put up with such inconveniences.