A real fisherman has many adaptations, each of them performs certain functions. Kukan occupies a special place in the arsenal of the spinning player and not only, with its help it is possible to extend the freshness of the caught fish for a relatively long period.
To store caught fish in a pond, cages are mainly used, this option is suitable for small individuals of peaceful species. You can’t hold a predator alive in this way for a long time, and it won’t let it swim in other species.
Do-it-yourself kukan for pike will help extend the freshness of the catch. Its manufacture will take some time, but then the master can then be one hundred percent sure of the reliability of the design.
Kukan consists of:
- steel cable in a nylon braid;
- a sufficient number of carbine hooks;
- large swivels;
- reliable main fastener.
Hooks are assembled on a cable, on which a predator is mounted in a special way. In the shops there are factory versions of the product, but self-made ones are considered more reliable and practical.
Homemade kukan for pike can be completely made independently, or you can use some elements of factory production. So reduce the manufacturing time by several times.
Necessary materials
It’s not difficult to make a pike cook with your own hands, however, certain materials and tools must be prepared in advance. The number of components is calculated by how many hooks the product is planned, what length of the cable the angler needs.
The average cook is made with 5 hooks, consumables for this can be represented in the form of the following table:
| component | quantity |
| braided wire rope | not less than 1.5 m, with a diameter of 2-3 mm |
| cable clamps | 12 medium-sized pieces |
| hinge wire | 3.5 m steel, diameter 2 mm |
| swivels | 5 large |
| plastic tubes | 4 pieces of 20 cm each |
By increasing the number of swivels and the number of wire, it will be possible to craft not five, but more hooks for a predator.
For the process itself, you will also need some tools, without a hammer, pliers, wire cutters and roulette you can not do. If you add small skills to working with wire, a minimum of dexterity and a desire to craft something yourself, the result will definitely be a kukan of excellent quality.
4 ways to make kukan with your own hands
The simplest version of a kukan is a piece of rope, on which the catch is planted. It is important to fix such a product well for a boat or for a peg on the shore, but the fish will not live on it for a long time.
To preserve the freshness, and therefore extend the life of the fish, it is necessary to build more advanced versions of the product. Among the fishermen, the most popular are 4 types of cooks, each of which has its own subtleties of manufacture.
Triangular Kukan
A distinctive feature of this homemade product is the shape, the kukan really resembles a triangle. Moreover, one of the peaks serves as fasteners to the boat, and the opposite side accommodates from 5 to 10 fasteners or hooks for attaching a freshly caught pike.
You can build it like this:
- a rigid wire of suitable length and thickness is bent in the shape of a triangle;
- special fasteners are made on the top with the connection, with the help of which the product will be closed;
- before that, on the side opposite from the top, put on the necessary number of hooks, pieces of plastic tube must be inserted between them;
- it is advisable to lock them with rivets in the corners.
Such a kukan for pike will be an ideal option for sinking the catch to the bottom. It can be mounted both to shore pegs and to any boat .
Classic cook
There is a classic form of kukan, it is not only made by masters, but also factories. It differs from the rest of the species in a soft but strong base along which hooks for mounting fish are placed. They are attached to the cable through swivels, so the fish will have more freedom of action.
Carabiners for a kukan of this type are best done on their own, for this the wire is bent using pliers and it is imperative that they make a reliable fastener.
By attaching an empty plastic bottle to a homemade kukan, you will always see where it is. Such a homemade float allows you to set kukan far from the coast on a peg and not lose sight of it.
For spearfishing
This version of the homemade product is usually made of a soft, but durable cable, while they always make a float and an additional fastener for attaching the product to the belt.
When doing spearfishing, it is not always possible to swim to the boat and leave the catch there. In most cases, for not very large individuals, a mobile product is used, with which it is simple and convenient for the diver to move. A feature of the Kukan for spearfishing is a small number of hooks, they are installed from 3 to 5 pieces. The rest of the adaptation is no different from the rest of the species, the collection is identical and the components of the fortress are approximately the same.
It is not necessary to hang several fish on one hook, it is better to make a few cooks in reserve. An overloaded product may simply not withstand and break, then the whole catch will go away.
Ring Cook
The ring type kukan is popular with many; in its finished form, it visually resembles a ring with hooks for catch. The hull itself is desirable to be firmly sealed, and for fastening it to the boat use a chain of the desired length.
Hooks for mounting fish are bent from pieces of wire of 15 cm, while the formation of a loop is mandatory. An installed swivel on a ring base and locking beads or pieces of plastic tube between them will not allow the fish to interfere with each other.
You can make a primitive cook with improvised means on the shore. To do this, cut a willow twig up to one and a half meters long, with a minimum diameter of about 4 mm and a maximum of 8 mm. With the help of a knife, notches are made on the tips of the rod, this will be the place of fastening. Further, it is enough to simply plant the caught fish and tie it to a bush or tree branch and lower it into the water. To sink such a product will help a stone or other cargo.
The subtleties of choosing a cook in the store
We have figured out how to make kukan for a predator, but not everyone wants to fool. It’s easier to go to the store and buy a finished product that will not always please with good quality. In order not to lose pike during fishing, you must be able to choose a cook, or rather know the subtleties of choice.
A product of this type in the distribution network is selected according to this principle:
- carefully inspect the base of the product, an ideal option would be a multi-strand steel cable in a soft plastic braid. A rope or cord is not suitable for this, the pike will easily cut off the hook at the first opportunity and just leave.
- The hooks are also inspected carefully, check the spring when fastening, several times trying to fasten and unfasten. Plastic products should immediately be discarded and not take this option into account, even with a kilogram pike such a hook will fly apart in a matter of moments. The best option will be high-quality, made of thick stainless steel wire of a thick diameter.
- The buckle of the doll can be said for everything, it must be of high quality and fastened securely, otherwise the product will float away with the fish. Inspect the carabiner is worth it, check the elasticity is worth more than once.
Often purchased dolls modify the houses on their own, for this they additionally buy some components. An important element is the swivel, on which hooks for mounting fish are fixed. Typically, manufacturers use the cheapest options to reduce cost. Immediately after the purchase, it is worth replacing them with options on the bearing, this option will not be cheap, but it will increase the reliability of the cook several times at once.
You can also add a couple of hooks yourself, to do this, slightly cut the plastic plates between the existing hooks, and then add the required amount.
Kukan is used not only for pike, this way you can maintain the freshness of other fish.
Best suited for this:
- zander;
- perch;
- asp;
- Som.
Other species will not be able to stay in this position for a long time.
It is not difficult to make a kukan with your own hands on a pike, but in the future, the fisherman will always have at hand a reliable product for the preservation of the predator.
