This fishing rod from the museum collection was used for ice fishing for navaga. It came from the Unezhma village in the Onega Uyezd, Arkhangelsk Governorate. It was probably made in the late 19th or early 20th century.

The fishing rod was made of a juniper branch with knots. This tree grew freely on the coast of the White Sea. The fishing line was made of braided horsehair. A triangular lead sinker was tied to the line, above which there was a leather pouch with a talisman. Ganglings with hooks were attached to the corners of the triangular sinker.

Navaga is one of the most significant fish species in the White Sea, providing more than half of the total fish catch. It is important for both fishing farms and the local population, as it supplies them with fresh fish. The areas of navaga fishing are concentrated in its pre-spawn and spawning locations.

Over 95% of navaga is caught near the villages of Suma, Yukovo, Kolezhma, Nyukhcha, Kyanda, Purnema, Lyamtsa, Pushlakhta on the coast of the Onega Bay and the village of Pertominsk on the Dvina Bay. In the Mezen Bay and Voronka, navaga are caught in the lower reaches of the rivers, where they enter with tidal currents during the pre- and post-spawning periods. Here, fish are mainly caught on the Nes, Chizha, Kiya, and Shoyna rivers.

Pomor villagers continue to use various fishing rods, such as sukovatkas and rogulkas. The latter are made from a simple willow branch with three connected points, through which the fishing line with a lure is passed. The sukovatka is a curved fishing rod with a fishing line wound around it.

Such fishing rods were often carved out of willow and juniper, right on the seacoast. Rogulka rods were often used with handlines, trying to catch fish under the ice. Between 1861 and 1917, fishing gear changed and became more advanced. Together with an ice chisel, a fishing rod cost only one ruble in 1884. It was even demonstrated by the people of Onega at the Agricultural Exhibition in Arkhangelsk in 1884.