Trubizh, or Trubailo, is a left tributary of the Dnipro, 113 km long. The river originates in the Chernihiv region, above the village of Sukhyny, flows across the Dnieper Lowland through the Brovary and Boryspil districts of the Kyiv region, and flows into the Kaniv Reservoir near Pereiaslav. Its basin area is 4,700 square kilometres.
The river in a wide valley
The valley of the Trubizh is wide and trough-like — up to 3.5 km wide and up to 10 metres deep, with a floodplain of 500–600 metres. Along almost its entire length, except for the mouth, the riverbed is canalised and up to 15 metres wide. The Trubizh drainage and irrigation system covering 33.4 thousand hectares was built in the floodplain, and the upper reaches of the river were connected to the Oster via a canal: pumping stations pump water there from the Desna. The Trubizh freezes in late November to early December, and the ice breaks up in the second half of March.
The left tributaries are the Bystrytsia, Basanka, Nedra, and Karatul, and the right ones are the Stav, Hoholiv, Krasylivka, Pylyavka, Alta, and Karan. In the lower reaches along the river lies the ancient Pereiaslav.
Origin of the name
Folk etymology derives the name from "trubyty" (to blow a horn): they say that in ancient times people blew hunting horns here or sounded trumpets as a sign of victory. Linguists Toporov and Trubachyov suggested that the name comes from the word "truba" (pipe), which was used to describe the specific narrow channel of a river or stream.
Shevchenko on the Trubizh
In the spring of 1846, Taras Shevchenko visited these parts, sketching historical landmarks for the Archaeological Commission. He mentions the Trubizh, or Trubailo, river in his story "Knyahynia" (The Princess).
Recreation
Despite the canalised riverbed, people go kayaking on the Trubizh — the route from Haishyn to Pereiaslav is especially popular. In Pereiaslav, there is a beach on the river, and water lilies bloom in the quiet areas.
Fishing
Pike, perch, roach, rudd, crucian carp, and tench are caught in the Trubizh, while in the lower reaches near Pereiaslav, closer to the Kaniv Reservoir, bream and zander can also be found. On the canalised sections, people fish from the bank with a float in quiet pools near sluices and bridges, and use spinning rods along the reeds where the pike lurk. The best biting is in spring after spawning and in autumn. General fishing regulations apply.
Tip
When planning a trip, keep in mind that there are sluices and low bridges on the meliorated sections, and the banks are overgrown with reeds in places. Near the upper reaches of the Trubizh in the Brovary district are the Zalissia National Park and the Kalytynska Dacha. Read more about the region in the article about Kyiv Polissia.
