On some waters pike fishing after the New year can be even more profitable than in December. Trophies, of course, catches are smaller, but they are much larger.
In deep lakes of Novgorod, Tver and Pskov regions the large pike caught in January and February is better than in December or March, I Think this phenomenon stems from the fact that during this period large pike periodically comes out of the deep holes to feed the coast along well-established routes.
And if you know the time frame and outlet locations, you can even catch a specimen, which is not ashamed to boast to your friends anglers.
The choice of reservoir
To fishing was productive, you need to choose a pond that you will visit all winter. Tactics of constant change is not enough friends of reservoirs will not lead to success. Usually the pike concentrated in certain areas and fed on schedule. If you become familiar with routes, places and time of release of the predator for feeding in the same area you can fish until the last of the ice.
I choose the pond, based solely on the experience of catching it in the period of open water. Of course, preference should be given to the flow-through lakes, preferably deep. Good flow characteristics of the reservoir begins to particularly affect the oxygen regime at the end of February. The best will be the lake in which the water runoff passes through the pond or most of it.
For example, I often caught a pike in the lake near the station Rudieva Dmitrovsky area of Moscow suburbs, but only until the end of January. Then came Zamora, despite the fact that the lake flows a river clean enough Kochalka. The fact is that the distance between the confluence of the river and its outlet from the lake is only a few tens of meters and all the lake is actually a deep Bay shallow river.
The lack of oxygen – the main reason Zamora. A similar situation is observed in the quarries that are “appendixes” of the rivers, such as in the Pure career in Strogino. As an example, a good oxygen regime can result in a chain of lakes on the river Berezayka. Here Zamora is neither in summer nor in winter.
The choice of a place of catching
The choice of fishing area largely depends on the tactics of fishing and the tackle used by the angler. For cluttered, overgrown and snag it is better to choose a spoon or balancer, In some lakes, formed at the expense of dams and dikes, in places it is a fence from the flooded trees that use imitation fish is simply impossible. Pike after the first throw will inevitably tangle snap. In such places it makes sense to pre-drill a lot of holes with a distance of not more than 5 m. a Chain of holes along the shore must be maintained in working order to catch daily. This hole cover with plywood and snow.
If you select the place where hooks is unlikely, it is more efficient to use imitation fish Can be arranged on a large square with a dozen snap-ins and wait for the fish to bite. When you use the spinners will have to pore over each hole, and since the exit of the pike on the internship usually lasts only half an hour, then without knowing the exact place, you just don’t have time to find that hole, beneath which is a hunting trail of the predator. But then, catching pike by trolling in the winter can only afford Fisher, exactly who knows the location, route and time of predator hunting. To do this, you need to catch every day.
Encountered in the literature describe a very successful pike fishing lure ice “swoop” I refer to those occasions when pike in the pond just a lot and because of the competition it becomes a little choosy in selecting a food item. Although in fairness I have to say that the cases achieve good results when fishing on spinners (and often with balancers) becomes every year more and more. The most probable route of movement of a predator is near coastal capes. The capes pike often goes in throughout the winter. Often the pike find around the seamounts, but on the top of an underwater hill or ridge pike out rarely.
Very good are the eyebrows, along the aquatic vegetation. If the elevation of the reservoir is flat, then look for the pike makes sense from the coast of the Cape in the direction of depth, because the predator could be anywhere. All winter you can successfully catch in the coastal shallows free of vegetation. Fishing at a depth of 1820 cm for a long time was known only to a few fishermen. But in the end the secret is revealed. It got to the point that, as joking is one of my good friend, fishing on imitation fish on the rocks it is necessary to prevent because of its domicilios. But not all so is simple, as in shallow water to catch also need to be able to.
The complexity of such fishing is that the pike goes aground, not only at certain hours, but in the specific point. And outputs these only happen a few times a month. These raids involved only a few predators of all pikethat are kept at depth. And once you catch them, will have to find new places. I must say that fishing on the rocks effective everywhere. Waters with heavily overgrown coastal vegetation (Elodea or pondweed) to catch pike in shallow water is generally unlikely. But on the border of reeds, on a sandy or rocky shallows of the probability of being caught is very high.
In small places, where the pike comes out to feed, makes sense except Gerlich to use balance weights.
Tackle
All the “workers” design zherlits reduced to the basic scheme, which involves the use of four elements: racks, reels and line, signaling device for the fish to bite and snap. The classic stand of the imitation fish is either a piece of wood, or a profile cut from aluminum. The use of metal is bad in that it froze the fingers. The spool of fishing line usually made of plastic. Signaller of bite is from a wide a clockwise or a twisted wire spring.
The most reliable and practical has been tested by years of imitation fish, which for many decades produces the domestic industry. They support base is a metal ring. On the one hand, a disadvantage, since the hole remains open, and with another – the imitation fish is easy to install anywhere and on any ice and just as easy to remove. One only has to flip on the ledge of the support ring as it is freed from the frozen ice. Well proven design, in which the base is made in the form of covering the hole with plastic pad.
Snap any imitation fish consists of hook, line and sinker. Without going into details and explanations, I will say that I’ve been stopped at a snap of monolescu 0,300,35 mm diameter, single hook number 1 or 1/0, leash from the line, 0.5 mm (if the object is catching a big pike, I used fishing line 0.6 mm) and sliding sinkers from round cartechini. It is a round sinker is less likely salesthese line during lowering snap under the ice. It is very important to choose the right weight sinkers. It should be minimal, so after a take not to resist the predator. However, the sinker has to counteract the attempts of bait fish hide in the nearest shelter.
As for lures and balancers, the latter should be preferred. Good rocker “magic” of size (9 cm) works at depths of 0.5 and 8 m Practice shows that stranded is better to use balancers green, brown and silver colors, and the depth work well purple and blue bait.
Liars
The choice of bait is very important, In many shops now sell carp. They can prepare themselves in the fall. Carp for quite a long time stored in conventional containers the size of hot tubs or barrel. But carp are not the best, or rather, not the universal bait. In many reservoirs, especially where there is a lot of roach or perch, pike did not pay attention to carp. To specific live bait should also be referred Rotana. Where pike are not familiar with it, it’s usually at it takes. But Rotana you can catch big perch. Very good and versatile live bait is the minnow. However, this fish is practically destroyed in many suburban rivers the loggers live bait for sale.
I think the best perch bait. Repeatedly had to face the fact that pike refused to roach and carp, but took a perch. As live bait is preferable to a perch directly in front of the district setting Gerlich. It is only necessary to note that a very small perch long on the snap will not survive, And perch weighing more than 30 g can be released after fishing.
In the middle of winter, during a very sluggish fish, helps verkhivka. It is possible to catch a large predator in the most “uncool” days. Many anglers have noted an interesting pattern. If you want to catch the really big pike and fish on a deep running body of water, it makes sense to use a drowning bait. Large bottom pike eats night at depths of more than 6-7 m. If the bottom is rocky or sandy, but not muddy, I advise you to take as bait drowning a perch or a roach weighing about 100 g of Bait should be put on the bottom.
In cold and pure spring water you can not change the nozzle during the week. For catching on a bait as the gear is easier to use the usual “Postavsky”. Design “postawski” is simple: the fishing line tied to a stick that lay across the hole. All fishing is designed so that the predator will grab the bait and will intersect itself. The angler need only to choose the right place and wait, when the predator caught. In General, not fishing, and rybakovka.
Tactics for catching
Correctly chosen tactics of fishing – the main component of the success of the fishing. When using zherlits the majority of fishermen use passive gears: set the gear and waiting for the fish to bite. Such a tactic is justified only when absolutely sure known route of exit of the pike on the hunt. Competent “shchukarev” start active preparations for fishing in the evening. Better to catch a team of three or four people, but I’m quite capable one. It is on the imitation fish I like to fish in solitude: perhaps because catching up on lost in the woods key lakes.
At the place of drilled holes with a distance of 5-15 m. When clearing the hole of ice chips put to the left of the hole, if the wind is blowing from behind. This is done in order that the side on which to get the fishing line when pulling fish was smooth. While some prepared hole and precise bottom topography and other members of the team prepare local redfish on live bait. It is important to have time to catch live bait before the sun. From experience I know that to start preparing for the fishing to about two hours before sunset. If done in time, it makes sense to put imitation fish at night either on the rocks or on the slopes of the coastal edge.
And then you can go to sleep or wait for a possible evening bite. The fact that in some reservoirs the pike out of deep water to the shore to feed about 20 hours. In other waters, the predator goes up to the sunrise. In most cases, the outputs occur in the evening and in the morning. But always on the ice need to be at least an hour before dawn. Such tactics are proven in the hunt for large pike. When there is no possibility or desire to hunt a large predator, I used a different tactic of catching. Come to the reservoir before dawn, drill holes, put imitation fish and go to shore to harvest bait fish.
Once a perch is caught, immediately charge the first imitation fish, then the rest. It is usually possible to charge all imitation fish before sunrise. Now begins the fishing. Twenty minutes after sunrise drilled another hole. If you already had a bite, make a hole to the depth of the trench, pit or shoal. If bites do not bydo, then drill the hole above the other perspective, in my opinion, the place. In a few minutes removed from the first imitation fish, check the condition of live bait and tackle carry into the new hole.
Slowly make the hole in which the second transfer imitation fish, and so on until the first bite. The first bite shows not only the exit area of the predator, but most importantly, the working depth of fishing. Usually on the lakes the pike is a certain depth horizon. And today it can feed on the top edge, and tomorrow – on the bottom. Nothing strange in this. It all depends on the weather and the behavior of small fish.
Important after you prepare the next hole to test using sonar, at what level is the fish. It happens that in January there is a lack of oxygen in the bottom layers and the fish rises. Then the bait must be placed that of water or even higher. I have had cases where the bait had to drop by just 1 m below the ice edge over a depth of 6-8 m.
Active tactics is almost always justified while catching small pike, which may feed throughout the day. It is only necessary that the bait was in front of her nose. When fishing for large predators is still better to use passive tactics with well thought out advance preparation.
Active tactics of fishing is good when there is enough room for the search of a predator, but it so happens that this field is limited. In such cases it is possible to combine fishing on imitation fish with the trolling. Imitation fish move several times, but as soon as it becomes clear that the transfer gear is nowhere, I take out the set with a balancer and bypass all existing nearby wells. Sometimes it brings success, especially in the evening.
