Asp fish - origin, habitat and methods of catching sheresper

Description

Asp is a predatory, freshwater fish, coming from the carp family. Its scientific name is Aspius aspius; there are also a number of additional Old Russian names: sheresper, horse, grip, belest.

Photo: asp fish

This species is found mainly in the waters of Europe and in the rivers of the European part of Russia. The asp lives only in clean reservoirs saturated with oxygen.

Photo: asp with head

A distinctive feature of this predator is the absence of a stomach. There is a hollow tube located from the mouth all the way to the tail, this allows food to pass directly into the intestinal tract. Digestion takes much less time than other predators.

Photo: asp
This type of rapid metabolism forces the asp to constantly feed; it uses not only small fish, but also insects as food.

Economic benefit

Asp are hunted for sport fishing, and the fish is economically beneficial only to individual fishermen. Recreational fishing and tourism create demand for food, lodging and transportation, camping, boating, canoeing and more. Sport hunting for asp indirectly affects the local tourism industry.

There are no large farms breeding this species. Asp is caught in Iran as a food fish, but it makes up only a small part of the catch.

Various names for asp

The appearance of the asp, as well as its vital functions, became the reason for the appearance of additional names.

The most striking of them:

• Sheresper - comes from the ancient verb “sherespitsya”, which means to bristle. During the hunt, the asp jumps out of the water, spreads its fins and hits the water, stunning small fish.
• Horse - the asp fish received this name due to its ability to jump high out of the water.
• The grip - the asp is very fast and lively, has a special reaction.
• Whiteness, whiteness - the appearance of this name was influenced by its appearance: white belly and silvery sides.
• Sherikh, zherikh, cherikh, dzherik, sheleshper, tereh, zhora, zhirik are unauthorized changes to the main name, vernacular, which are inherent in different regions.
• The newest name is considered to be “river corsair”. This predator really likes currents and aggressive, spectacular hunting.

Appearance

It has a powerful, elongated body, which is compressed at the sides. The scales are small and have a silvery tint. The belly of the fish is completely white.

Photo: asp appearance

The asp has a large head with an elongated shape. The upper jaw is large, the lower one protrudes slightly forward. There are no teeth, but instead there are grooves and tubercles.

This jaw structure gives this carp an advantage during hunting - the prey has no chance of getting out of the grip. The mouthparts allow you to hunt even large fish.

Separately, it is worth noting an interesting fact - in the asp’s throat there is a small number of incisors, while the jaws are completely empty.

Distribution area

The main habitat of the asp is natural reservoirs, small rivers and lakes. A prerequisite is the availability of clean fresh water. These predators can lead full life activities only in places with oxygen-rich water and a large food supply. Otherwise, gradual extinction becomes inevitable.

Habitat of the asp:

• locations spanning Eastern and Western Europe;
• some parts of the Central Asian region (mainly Kazakhstan).

Interesting fact: - in the waters of Lake Balkhash (Kazakhstan), commercial fish appeared artificially. Despite the not entirely suitable habitat conditions (half of the lake is freshwater, half is salty), a small number of asp can be found there. — the popularity of zherikh in Central Asia was greatly influenced by the situation associated with the shallowing of the Aral Sea, which began completely in 1960.

Those who want to have plenty of fishing with a rich catch of this predator and capture trophies should visit the Volga River or the basins of the Caspian and Aral Seas.

Habits of the asp, its spawning and preferences when choosing a body of water and a place to live in it

As mentioned earlier, the asp is an aggressive predator that has a number of features that make it stand out from other freshwater predators.

It must be said that asp has long become a favorite hunting object for spinning anglers. The asp population is significantly smaller compared to the populations of other predators such as perch, pike, pike perch and catfish.

This makes the sheresper a kind of rare trophy that many anglers are chasing.

As for the habitat of the asp, we must admit that it is quite capricious. Whitefish lives in the cleanest bodies of water. Fish loves when there is at least some current in the reservoir.

The fish don’t particularly like strong mountain currents, but they also don’t welcome stagnant bodies of water.

Asp needs riffles, spills, spits and channels with a small or medium current. These places are not only more comfortable for him in terms of living, but also more profitable for hunting.

The asp is accustomed to feasting on fry moving over a riffle or looking for food near a spit. The sheresper's hunting is quite interesting. It does not grab the victim with its teeth, like a pike perch or a pike, because it cannot do this due to its lack of sharp large teeth.

He has them, but they are quite small and are located in the depths of the mouth and partially on the tongue.

The asp tries to stun the small fish with his tail, and then swallows it, either completely or grinding it to a more convenient size. It is from this very jamming that the location of the fish can be determined. This trick is often used by many spinners.

A typical sheresper fight is a beautiful sight

Asp spawning occurs in early or mid-spring. It begins in March-April, and comes to an end in May-June. The male and female look for a calmer section of the river than usual for their camps, and then begin to spawn.

Most often, they get closer to the shore in a small bay or near a dump, looking for the most secluded place. The bottom, according to the asp’s preferences, should be either rocky or hard clay near a small amount of aquatic vegetation.

When the fry just hatch and are tiny in size, they feed on protozoa and small insects. Once they reach a length of at least 10 cm, they begin to feed on larger insects and fry.

Most often, fish grow to this size in six months to a year under favorable conditions for existence. Next, a map will be presented with which you can easily calculate the approximate location of the asp in most reservoirs.

Asp camping sites - typical habitats on the river

Behavior and lifestyle

Asp prefers bodies of water with moderate, but not fast, currents. It cannot be found in bodies of water with stagnant water and low oxygen content.

The asp leads an isolated lifestyle, preferring to stay closer to the upper layers of water. Before the start of wintering or hot summer, these predators sometimes gather in small groups, but this is not at all necessary for them.

Their hunting method differs from similar predators; the asp swims close to the prey and stuns it with a blow of its tail or a jump. The blow is so strong that even large victims do not have time to recover before the hunter swallows them whole.

These cyprinids share the territory inside the reservoir, which once again confirms their autonomy. While feeding, the asp “walks around” its territory. And if you consider that it does not unite in large flocks, but “patrols” in a flock of 2-3 individuals, then if caught, it is worth returning to such places again - the likelihood that there will be more successful bites is high.

The greatest activity of asps is observed in the summer. It is during the warm period that they often gather in flocks and hunt collectively.

Interesting fact: these predators have excellent eyesight. They can easily assess the situation on the shore, and if anything makes them doubt their safety, they will not bite even the most attractive bait. That is why it is difficult to catch them without some experience in casting and the skill of approaching the fishing spot.

Where is it found in Russia

Sheresper is distributed throughout Russia, it can be caught both in the eastern and central regions: in the Ruza and Mozhaisk reservoirs, Angara, Dniester and Volga. Its habitats include the western territories of Asia (Amu Darya, Syr Darya, Balkhash). The closer you go to the south, the more often you can find this fish, as it prefers warm water. In northern reservoirs (Lena, Yenisei), asp is most active only in the summer.

Find out also how to cook asp cutlets.

What does an asp eat?

The asp is a predator; it differs from other freshwater hunters in its unusual methods of obtaining food.

In addition to hitting with its tail, it can also catch fish in the following way: jumping out of the water, it suddenly falls on its belly onto the victim. After such a maneuver, all he can do is quickly absorb the prey before it recovers from the blow.

— The asp prefers to hunt schooling small fish. — On large bodies of water it can often be found under “cauldrons”, which are easily recognized by the clusters of seagulls circling above them.

Mainly prefers:

• bleak;
• roach, roach;
• white bream, silver bream;
• pike perch;
• minnow;
• dace;
• chub.

Insects are also included in its diet. Especially during their mass departure. At such moments, the activity of the asp increases and he can feed exclusively on them. Such “delicacies” from the asp’s point of view include:

• Chafer;
• mayfly;
• locusts (when they swim from one area of ​​thickets to another, this often happens in Astrakhan).

Natural enemies

It is difficult to get close to the asp; it is a cautious fish - its senses and vision are well developed. The predator quickly assesses the situation, avoiding dangerous places and situations.

But young individuals are often at risk; they can become food for adult asps, as well as other species of fish. Being on the surface of the water, they become prey for birds.

Adult asps have practically no enemies in their natural habitat. The only external source of danger is large birds: ospreys, eagles, etc. These birds easily look for prey on the surface of the water, after which they immediately dive and grab it.

Asp spawning

After three years, the asp enters the sexually mature period. Spawning begins closer to April and takes about two weeks. It is at this time that the males fertilize the eggs released by the female.

There are several important spawning factors:

• asp spawning requires an optimal habitat - a reservoir with a temperature of 6 to 16 degrees;
• on average, the female throws out up to 100 thousand eggs; they attach to various plants and algae;
• Males often engage in fights, inflicting serious injuries on their opponents, in order to win the right to fertilize the eggs.

It is worth noting that the asp living in the Northern regions reaches reproductive age a couple of years later than individuals living in southern reservoirs.

Reproduction

The asp reaches sexual maturity at the age of 3 years in the northern regions and at the age of 4 years in the southern regions. By this time, the asp is 30-40 cm long and weighs about 1.5 kilograms.

The beginning of asp spawning depends on the climatic conditions and water temperature of its habitat. The optimal temperature for asp spawning is 9-11 degrees. In the southern part of the country, asp spawning begins in mid-April; in the regions of central Russia, spawning occurs in the first half of May; in the most northern regions, asp spawning begins in the second half of May. Depending on the weather, spawning usually lasts 2-3 days, but in unfavorable weather conditions it can last up to two weeks.

In search of spawning grounds, asps move up the river, but at the same time they prefer not to enter small tributaries, but remain in the bed of the main river. The asp chooses shallow, fast-flowing, sandy-clayey or rocky rifts and pebble shallows as its spawning grounds.

Up to ten pairs of asps can be present and spawn at the same time on the spawning ground, which may give the erroneous impression of group spawning.

During spawning, a pair of asps, with the female always larger than the male, move along the shallows, making movements similar to a game or dance. During the asp spawning there is no noisy splashing or fuss.

A medium-sized female asp lays 60-100 thousand eggs, which, due to their stickiness, stick to last year's underwater vegetation that died off over the winter. Asp caviar is quite large, up to 2 mm in diameter, and bright yellow in color.

Having spawned the eggs, the asps leave the spawning ground. Within 7-10 days, the asp regains its strength after spawning, at this time it looks lethargic, it does not have enough strength to hunt small fish, so it feeds on worms, larvae and insects that have fallen into the water. Having rested and regained strength, the asp returns to his usual way of life. After two to three weeks, depending on the water temperature, an asp larva emerges from the egg, which after some time becomes a fry. By autumn, asp fingerlings reach a length of 5 to 15 cm, depending on habitat conditions.

You may be interested in: Fishing in Altai: 20 best places for fishing

Types and subspecies of asp

The most common:

European or common asp

The most common and numerous species. It lives mainly on the European continent - in Europe and the European part of Russia. Scientific name: Aspius aspius.

European asp

Western Asian

The smallest species of this predator. Scientific name: Aspius vorax.

It has a body of up to 55 cm and a weight of up to 1.5 kg. A distinctive feature of the Central Asian asp is its high fertility. However, the population is still declining due to pollution of water bodies and lack of optimal living conditions. It lives in the basin of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the countries of Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq.

Central Asian asp

Amur flathead

Found only in the Amur River basin. This species of carp prefers to settle down to live at the bottom of the river. It has a long body and a slightly flattened, elongated head. It is a type of pike asp.

A distinctive feature of the Amur asp is that it has bright red fins, for which it received the nickname “redfin.”

Under good living conditions, it lives up to 20 years, weighs from 2 to 4 kg, and has a body length of 60-80 cm.

Pike asp

Balking asp, Aspiolucius esocinus. Found only in the Aral Sea basin, loves dark water. Has a strong flattening on the head with very small eyes. The head looks like a pike.

Lived in the Aral Sea, before shallowing. Currently rare, but found in the Toktogul reservoir, the Chu River, and the upper reaches of the Amur Darya.

Pike asp

Red-lipped asp

The species lived in the Aral Sea before the start of shallowing (began in 1960). Today it is found in the basins of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. Aspius Agassiz is distinguished by red lips.

Red-lipped asp

Aral red-lipped asp

The Aral asp can live in both fresh and slightly salty waters; there are semi-anadromous and residential subspecies. Mainly lives in Central Asia, in the waters of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya, Sarysu, Chu rivers. On average, they live about 9 years. It has light fins and a squat body. The average length of an individual is up to 70 cm, weight is from 5 to 5.5 kg.

A distinctive feature of the Aral predator is the presence of purple fins. In this case, the lips do not necessarily have to be red.

In what bodies of water is it found?

Fishing for asp is possible only in fresh, flowing and clean water bodies. Other carp do not quote. The water area should be deep and spacious.

The main asp population is concentrated in the areas between the Ural and Rhine rivers. Accordingly, carp is found not only in Russia, but also in Asian countries. The Rhine flows through 6 countries. They establish the southern border of the habitat of the grip. The northern limit is Svir. This is a river connecting Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in Russia.

The asp was introduced artificially into a number of reservoirs. Thus, carp were released into the Balashikha lake by humans. Few fish survived. However, sometimes grappling is caught in Balashikha.

The rivers in which the asp lives flow into the Caspian, Black, Azov and Baltic seas. Carp cannot be found in the Siberian regions and the Far East. But in Europe, the largest representative of the family is found in England, Sweden, Norway, and France. So the asp in the photo could be Asian, Russian or European.

Population and species status

The asp has a low population and there is a logical explanation for this: a large number of immature individuals are caught in nets against the backdrop of a deteriorating environmental situation.

The West Asian asp is considered the smallest species; it is listed in the Red Book as endangered. Most often it can be found in the Tigris River, located in Syria and Iraq.

A small number of asp can be found in the reservoirs of Karelia, Finland, Sweden and even Norway; this area is considered the northern border of its habitat.

Due to frequent cases of pollution of water bodies, the issue of artificial breeding of asp for commercial purposes was recently raised.

Breeding and growing asp

If you have certain skills, you can grow this type of predator in your own pond or reservoir. To do this, you will need to create certain conditions that will imitate the natural habitat.

It is usually bred for personal consumption or for trade. In the second case, a large lake is necessary, otherwise it will be impossible to breed a large population.

Cage breeding

In order for the quantity of fish to be sufficient for sale, intensive feeding of individuals will be required. The owners of the reservoir create special cages in it from fine mesh. After completion of the arrangement, predator fry are released into them.

Cages are bags that are attached to a wooden frame. Additionally, they are equipped with floats to prevent them from drowning.

You need to introduce fish into cages at a rate of about 200 fish per 1 square meter. This will allow them to live there freely, without crowding each other and without interfering with the population increase.

Thanks to high-quality fattening, in one season you can get from 5000 kg of good “marketable” size fish.

Growing in a pond on a country plot

Before you start preparing for breeding, you should make sure in advance that it is possible to use a pond measuring at least 30 square meters. Its depth also has limitations - at least 1.5 meters. If such conditions cannot be created, the idea should be abandoned. Fish will not thrive in a place that is too small and cramped.

As an alternative, you can use an artificial plastic pool, but in this case there is no question of a large number of fish.

There are several required steps to create a pond for an asp:

1. Laying out bottom soil - it is laid in layers, creating a stepped relief with two edges.
2. The arrangement of aquatic plants along the edges of the pond.
3. You will definitely need to dig an additional hole at the main bottom.
4. The reservoir should be located where there is shadow from a tree or any building during the daytime. This will allow the asp to hide from the scorching sun.
5. Consider a system for enriching water with oxygen.
6. Before introducing carp into the water, it must be thoroughly infused. In a couple of months, the reservoir will be covered with silt, aquatic plants will have time to develop, and a local ecosystem will appear.

Fishing for asp

Getting close to an asp is not easy - he is cautious and quick, and easily assesses the situation. It can be difficult to seduce this powerful fighter with a beautiful bait and fish it out of the water; it often happens that any careless noise is enough to ruin fishing.

Best biting period

Experienced fishermen believe that there are two good periods for fishing for asp:

1. immediately after spawning - this is the period from late April to early May;
2. the moment before the fish leave for the winter - mid-October.

At other times of the year it can also be caught if you have persistence and a lot of free time.

Where to look for asp on a pond

During the best time for fishing, asps can be found near the shores of reservoirs. In other seasons, it practically does not appear nearby and you will need a boat to catch it.

In summer it can be found on rifts, at the confluence of tributaries, and in shallow water. During the warm season, they usually hunt in packs, which increases the chances of a good catch.

It is quite easy to detect an asp in a reservoir by its characteristic sharp and fairly systematic bursts. Its “fight” in the water is quite harsh and loud, it is difficult to confuse it with an ide or a chub.

Catching asp with a float rod

Fishing with a float rod is the most exciting and extreme activity. The asp is fast and powerful, with all his appearance he shows strength.

The tackle should be durable, but you cannot use rough equipment during the process - the predator may be alarmed by the size or brightness of the bait, and he will refuse to respond to it.

The fishing line should have a thickness of 0.2 to 0.3 mm. You will also need a dim float. In specialized stores you can often purchase special bait for catching this type of fish.

An interesting point: the asp is attracted to elements that create a bubbling trail in the water.

Catching asp using a spinning rod

The first step is to decide on the type of rod - for fishing from the shore, a model with a length of 2.6 to 3.7 m with a test of 5-30 is suitable.

Experienced fishermen do not recommend taking a spinning rod larger than three meters - it is difficult to control. Even professionals quickly get tired of using large models, especially during long fishing trips.

The weight should be from 5 to 25 g. The optimal solution would be wobblers and baits:

• Kastmaster (classic);
• Yatagan spinner (Kukri);
• chocolate bar by Mikhail Pinaev from Konakovo;
• galleys and Martynov trihedron;
• Ishutin diamond;
• Swedish Pimple No. 3 Nickel Ice;
• Pontoon21 Sinuoso;
• Acme Trophy Spoon;
• jigs;
• TsuYoki AGENT 36th series.

Fly fishing for asp

The fly fishing method of catching asp has a special appeal. The main thing is to choose a good place and quality bait.

Fly fishing is considered the most productive in the spring: predators bite better and are caught throughout the day.

You will need a rod with a length of 2.5 to 3 meters, which is suitable for fly fishing. It should be light and at the same time durable, because this type of carp has strength and fast speed.

Catching asp in winter

In winter, the asp continues to hunt on the surface of the water - where there are non-freezing areas. Catching him will require experience. There are more chances to catch a predator far from the shore.

You can catch a predator from the ice where there are potholes. The strong current near the pits provides plenty of oxygen; such conditions attract these fish.

It is worth remembering that near such places there is extremely dangerous and thin ice. You can fish at a distance of 10-15 meters. You should choose a place so that you are not above the current, but to the side of it. This type of fishing requires caution and experience.

Lifestyle

Asp

adheres to riverbed sections of rivers and reservoir reaches in the upper and middle water horizons. It leads a solitary lifestyle and forms small flocks only during the spawning period in the spring and during the period of hibernation in the fall.

By type of feeding, the asp is a pelagic predator. Unlike other predatory fish that lie in wait for their prey, the asp actively searches for schools of fry, attacks, stunning them with a blow of the tail or the whole body on the surface of the water in a jump, and then quickly picks up the prey. Possessing a large mouth, the asp captures victims in whole flocks. At the first stages, juveniles consume small crustaceans (Copepoda and Cladocera) and emerging larvae and pupae of chironomids and other insects. With a length of 5-9 cm in August-September, the asp begins to consume juvenile roach, silver bream, bleak, sabrefish, carp - in the Volga delta; juvenile smelt, roach and stickleback - in the Neman and Kaunas reservoir. The transition to carnivorous feeding depends on living conditions and growth rate.

In the north, the asp matures at the age of 4-5 years with a length of 40-50 cm, in the south - at the age of 3-4 years with a length of 32-40 cm. Fecundity in the Kuban is 73-366 thousand, in the Volga - 62-500 thousand ., in the Azov-Black Sea basin - 40-200 thousand eggs. The asp spawns on the river bottom in rocky and silted-free areas, in floodplain reservoirs - in flowing areas, in reservoirs - in riverbed and coastal areas. The eggs are sticky and are spawned onto rhizomes and dead vegetation. The caviar is yellowish, with a cloudy shell, its diameter is 1.9-2.1 mm. Spawning is friendly, lasting up to 2 weeks, takes place in early spring (April-May) at water temperatures from 4-5 to 11-12 ° C. Incubation of eggs at a water temperature of 15-22 ° C lasts 5 days, at 14-15 ° C - 8 days, at 12-16° C - 12-16 days. After hatching, the larvae, 7 mm long, are carried by the current into the reservoirs of the accessory system, where they fatten. After the resorption of the yolk sac, after 7-8 days, the juveniles completely switch to external nutrition.

The asp is a sedentary fish and practically does not migrate. However, its habitats change throughout the year. The asp overwinters in deep holes and is not active at this time. In the spring, before spawning, it actively feeds for 2-3 weeks; after spawning, it is sick for 3-4 weeks and does not feed. From the end of June, the asp begins to eat, which lasts 2-3 weeks. Then, as the water warms, its activity decreases, and it is possible to catch an asp only at dawn. From the beginning of September, with the cooling of the water, the activity of the asp resumes and continues until the beginning of November. Asp are not caught in winter.

Use in cooking

Asp meat is characterized by high taste, but expert opinions vary. Some people don’t want to deal with nm when cooking due to the high number of small bones. For some, it is acceptable exclusively cold smoked or in the form of balyk.

The nutritional value

Asp has a calorie content of 98 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Why is it useful?

• Asp contains a large amount of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. With its help you can replenish calcium and phosphorus. Calcium improves the condition of human skin, hair, nails and bones.
• The potassium present in the composition has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system.

Bony or not

Like most freshwater fish, it is characterized by excessive bonyness. A thorough, time-consuming cleaning will be required before you start cooking. This factor does not depend on the subspecies of fish; all asp individuals have this feature.

Asp has many small and thin bones; for this reason, it is strictly not recommended to cut it into pieces (in this case, you will complicate the extraction of bones), but to cook it whole.

Bones will cause the least amount of trouble in balyk made from asp or prepared by cold smoking.

Fried asp

Frying asp is the easiest and most convenient way of cooking.

• The first step is to clean the carcass from scales, remove the gills and gut all the insides. Then make cuts on the sides and rinse the fish.
• Remove excess water with a napkin, roll parts of the fish in spices, you can also use soy sauce.
• Fry in a small amount of oil until done. Before serving, you can sprinkle the dish with lemon juice.

Salty asp

Salting asp will take no more than 10-15 minutes. It is recommended to use the wet salting method for this type of fish, then it will be salted evenly.

Required:

• half a glass of water;
• 2 tablespoons salt;
• 1 tablespoon sugar;
• 4 bay leaves;
• 4 black peppercorns.

The result will be half a cup of marinade. The fish will first need to be scaled, gutted and washed. Before salting, the carcasses must be dry.

Place the asp cut into pieces into a container with brine and leave for 10-12 hours. After the time has passed, it is enough to rinse the fish with water and remove any remaining moisture.

Asp baked in the oven

To cook in the oven, you need to clean and gut the fish, rinse it and rub it with salt and spices. You can roll it in sour cream and sprinkle with lemon juice for taste.

Place the fish on foil, add onion pieces on top, and wrap completely. Cook for about 40-50 minutes at a temperature not exceeding 200 degrees.

Can be served with potatoes or salad.

How to cook asp - several recipes

Fried asp

Ingredients: several fish carcasses weighing from 500 to 1500 grams, mustard or sunflower oil, salt, flour, water.

Recipe:

1. The fish must be cleaned and its head and entrails removed. The fish should be cut into medium steak pieces and then placed in water, salted and left for 15-20 minutes.
2. After this, you need to heat the frying pan by pouring oil into it.
3. Next, the water is drained and the remaining pieces of fish are breaded either in flour or breadcrumbs.
4. After this, the finished breaded fish should be fried when ready, first turning it over and making sure that it does not burn.

How to prepare sheresper:

Boiled asp - ear

Ingredients: a couple of asp carcasses weighing from 400 to 800 grams, potatoes, onions, carrots, salt, black pepper, bay leaf, water.

Sheresper fish soup recipe:

1. You need to cut the potatoes, carrots, and onions into cubes in advance. The fish needs to be cut, separating the heads and tails and ridding it of the entrails, then you need to cut it into pieces.
2. Then you need to pour water into the pan and put it on the fire, adding salt to the water and adding a bay leaf. The fish needs to be put into a pan to cook, after about 10 minutes the potatoes go there too.
3. When the water is almost boiling, you need to add carrots and onions, and also taste the broth for salt and spices.
4. After this, you should expect the fish soup to be ready. As the soup becomes ready, you need to remove the bay leaf from there and check the broth again for salt.