Where is the best place to fish for pike in winter? Ideal for lazy fishermen - catching pike in winter on vents. Winter rod for pike

With the onset of freezing, pike biting becomes unstable and less active. Therefore, in winter, the most effective is catching pike on natural baits, that is, on live bait, and the main gear for this is vents.

The design of the girders

Zherlitsy have many different designs, but they have the same principle, it is a fishing line with a leash and a hook wound on a reel or other reel, and a bite signaling device. Consider the most common and popular designs of girders.

On a broad base

It is a round base with a diameter slightly larger than the width of the hole, with a radial slot, equipped with a bite signaling device and a reel with fishing line. The coil is fixed so that it can rotate freely. The signaling device is usually a bright flag on a flexible holder. The fishing line or cord is equipped with a strong leash and a weight, whose weight corresponds to the size of the live bait.

We plant the live bait, lower it into the hole to the desired depth, put the fishing line into the radial slot, press the reel with a bent flag, and wait for the bite. When biting, the pike unwinds the line, the reel starts to rotate and drops the flag, which straightens up, reporting a bite.

The advantage of such a construction is that the base completely covers the hole, thereby not alerting the pike, and preventing the hole from freezing.

on legs

The winter zherlitsa on legs, or "taganok", differs from the previous design in that instead of a round base, the coil and signaling device are mounted on a tripod. The vent is placed over the hole, the reel is pressed with a flexible flag. When triggered, the flag straightens to indicate a bite.

The advantages of this layout include the ease of tackle and the fact that it is better visible and will not be swept up by snow, due to its greater height, and due to its good stability, it will not be knocked down by the wind.

The disadvantages include the fragility of the design, in which a good pike can drag it into the hole, and if the hole is not closed, it can freeze and damage the fishing line.

The coil on the vent should be fastened without backlash, the move should not be tight, but with a slight effort.

On rail

In the simplest version, this is a stand - a peg made of wood, metal or plastic, with a coil and a signaling device, installed near the hole. The design is light, simple and effective, but it has a number of disadvantages. In the absence of snow, it is problematic to install it on bare ice. To this is added all the same instability and the possibility of freezing of the hole.

The disadvantages of the design are taken into account in the following variation. Here, a rail is attached to a round base with a slot that closes the hole, and a coil and a signaling device are already on it. With this arrangement, the hole is closed, the tackle will not be covered with snow, and the signaling device is far visible. The disadvantages include some cumbersome design.

Changelings

The chute is a changeling in the most common form, it is a stick, a plastic or metal-plastic tube about 40 cm long, this is the basis of the chute. In the middle, two needles longer than the diameter of the hole are inserted into it perpendicularly, crosswise. On the one hand, the base is brightly colored - this is the signal part, on the other end, a split is made, the main fishing line is fixed and wound.

The principle of operation of the zherlitsy is this: the live bait is lowered into the hole, the line of the required length is unwound and clamped into the split. The zherlitsa is placed with emphasis on the knitting needles so that the part with the wound line is directed upwards above the hole. When biting, the pike will lower it down and, most likely, drag it into the hole, tearing the line out of the split and starting to exhaust it. At the same time, the signal part of the vent will stick up, signaling a bite.

The disadvantage of this vent is the permanently open hole that can freeze.

Another variant of the chute is a chute on a wide base, in which the signaling device is made according to the principle of a rocker arm. In the cocked state, the signal arm is lowered down, and the pinched fishing line is raised to the top. When biting, the rocker is thrown over and gives a signal.

Subglacial

In winter, for pike, as ice, they usually use the same summer zherlitsy without changing the equipment, but they are installed completely immersed in the hole under the ice, and securely attached to the rail laid across the hole.

Otherwise, the equipment of such a vent is no different from the summer one.

The advantage of such tackle is that it will not be damaged by the freezing of the hole and it can be left for a long period. The disadvantage is the lack of a signaling device.

rigging

As already mentioned, it is not difficult to equip a winter vent for a pike, you need a fishing line, a sinker, a leash and a hook. The line is taken with a thickness of about 0.3 mm, this thickness is usually enough to fight even large specimens.

Main line length 15 - 20 m, but usually, when choosing it, they are guided by the total depth of the reservoir in the intended place of fishing and the presence of underwater obstacles there.

The more of the latter, the shorter the fishing line. The weight is sliding, the weight must correspond to the size of the live bait, preventing it from going up.

Although in some cases of a lull in biting, a live bait fish can be launched without a load, so it behaves more naturally, attracting a predator. The leash is 30 to 50 cm long, depending on the size of the intended prey. Hook - single, double or tee.

Preparing for fishing

Winter fishing for pike requires some good equipment and training. Of the equipment, it is necessary to note an ice ax or an ice screw, a depth gauge, a bait bait can, a yawner and an extractor, a hook, a fishing box. Let's look briefly at the first two.

The depth gauge is an ordinary fishing line with a weight of about 40 grams at the end, marked along the length, for example, with knots or beads. It is used to preliminarily determine the depth at the place of fishing, by lowering it into the hole.
As a simpler option, a depth gauge can simply be a weight on a clothespin, which is attached to the sinker of each vent, measuring the depth before installing it.

Winter pike fishing on the vents makes you drill a lot of holes, so the ice ax is one of the most important tools. Nowadays, most anglers use an ice screw for this purpose. The main requirement for an ice drill is that it must be well sharpened.

To properly drill a hole, it is enough to follow a few simple rules. When drilling, the ice screw must be held vertically, otherwise gear will cling to the lower edge of the inclined hole and can cut the fishing line.
Avoid large wobbles of the ice drill, this greatly complicates the drilling process. After drilling through the ice, make another half turn, then chip off the sharp edges on the underside of the hole in two or three short strokes. In no case do not immerse the ice screw deep into the water, this creates unnecessary noise and scares away the fish. The ice screw is taken out with a smooth jerk, immediately closing the hole with the foot so that the sludge from the ice screw does not fall there.

Installation Features

Installing girders is a simple process that requires following some rules and following a sequence of actions. As a rule, while fishing for pike in winter, experienced fishermen can set up and serve up to 15 vents. This requires prior knowledge of the place of fishing, practicing the skills of setting, hooking and playing fish.

Location selection

When choosing a place to install vents, you need to remember that the behavior of a pike in winter is divided into three stages.

First - after freezing. During this period, the behavior of the pike is almost the same as in late autumn. She preys on small fish hiding in the grass, and nearby reeds at a depth of about two to three meters.
On riverbed dumps, at the base of underwater mounds, on deep ridges, among snags at medium depths, not far from pits and whirlpools.

Second - mid-winter, pike stands on wintering pits and is inactive.

Third - the end of winter, the pike moves to places with fresh water more saturated with oxygen, to the current, the mouths of streams and flowing rivers and begins to become more active before spring spawning.

The activity of pike in winter in a pond is due to the presence of oxygen in the water. If the reservoir is small, the water is stagnant, the ice is thick, the pike will “fall asleep” earlier. If there is an influx of running water or part of the reservoir does not freeze, the pike will be active almost all winter.

Before you start fishing, it is desirable to know the approximate bottom topography and depth at the fishing spot. Holes are made close to each other at a distance of 15 - 20 meters so that the pike does not confuse the line of the neighboring vent. First, it is better to drill them at different distances from the coast, at different depths, in order to determine where the pike is now.

Installation

How and in what sequence of actions to put zherlitsy in winter on a pike:

In order not to measure the depth each time after the vent is triggered, initially make a mark on the fishing line with a pellet or by tying a piece of hair.

Having installed all the girders, we make the base in the middle to reduce the overall “mileage”. Heading to the triggered vent, immediately take the kan with live bait to replace the bait.

Live bait technique

There are many opinions about which hook to put on the girders and how to hook the live bait correctly. A number of anglers advocate one hook, justifying this by the fact that the pike is cautious in winter, and when the live bait gets into its mouth, the only hook folds, nestling against the live bait, and the pike does not feel it. True, the number of empty bites at the same time increases. With one hook, the live bait clings to the back behind the dorsal fin.
A double is a compromise between a hook and a tee. The live bait can be attached so that the double is hardly noticeable, and at the same time the probability of a successful hooking increases. The double can be attached both under the dorsal fin and in the mouth by passing the leash through the gill slit.
The trio is even more difficult. With most methods of attaching live bait, one tee sting will be free and this can frighten off the pike when biting.

According to most anglers, if you want to catch pike on vents, by the way, both in winter and at other times, it will be correct to fasten the live bait by placing the tee with the forearm in his mouth and passing the leash through the gill slit.
Then the pike, grabbing the live bait and turning it with its head into the mouth, will not feel the tip of the hooks, and when cutting, these tips will just be directed in the right direction. At the same time, when choosing a tee, you need to take into account the size of the live bait, with a small tee, the large size of the live bait can interfere with hooking.

Technique of cutting and fighting

The main thing to remember when fishing for pike in the winter on the vents is that you don’t need to rush.

Do not hook immediately after the vent is triggered, give the pike time to swallow the bait bait.

When a pike grabs a fish and swims away with it, it rips off the signaling device and starts to reel out the line. Then the predator stops and intercepts the live bait with its head in its mouth, at this time the fishing line freezes, and then makes a series of twitches or jerks. The best would be hooking after several such jerks. If you see that the zherlitsa has worked, and the coil does not rotate, wait a bit, perhaps the pike has stopped and is about to intercept the live bait, wait for new jerks, and then hook.
Playing pike also does not require haste. Its main principle: gives - take, choose the fishing line, takes away - give back, release the fishing line back. Do not try to overpower the predator, it is better to exhaust him, in winter it is much easier and faster to do this.

The fish is taken out of the hole with a hook, or, with small sizes, by hand.

Who cares, but I was and remain a devoted supporter of an impeccably reliable, strong bet rig with a metal leash. In addition to vents, I also catch “by hand” on live bait with the help of a powerful fishing rod. And all these new-fangled "ultra-light live bait" with thin lines, with the absence of leashes, change the essence of stake fishing, leading it to the wrong steppe.

What is the point of chasing the number of bites of small pike? And if a real crocodile sits down, then how to get it on a thin line? Especially when big fish have somewhere to go (driftwood, grass), and you can’t pull it with impudence, if there is no metal leash on the snap, it will instantly cut the line. Talk about pike ignoring thick fishing line and a metal leader is largely a far-fetched shortcoming.

Biting pike in winter

A large one often fattens a day in just a few tens of minutes in winter, and if you don’t set up in the right area, you won’t wait for bites on any tackle, both thin and coarse. And on a strong break in the weather, not only a large toothy one, the live bait itself is a little alive, and the bite is already from a number of accidents. I can also understand the “between ultralight” on reservoirs, where there are almost no large pikes left. Or even the entire large toothy knocked out. But there it is generally not worth catching on zherlitsy. For what? To also knock out the whole small pike?

A serious stake is a serious reservoir, where there is a real intrigue of catching a real "crocodile". And the appropriate equipment. I have 20-25m of fishing line with a diameter of 0.5mm on my reel, which holds any pike, even if it has exhausted the entire supply, and I have not yet managed to run to the trigger. The main thing here is that the predator itself does not tear the tackle out of the ice. And this happened during prolonged thaws, weakening the ice.

Therefore, I began to strengthen it additionally, and this is fully justified. Not far from the hole, I drive a reliable screw into the ice (with which the tents are attached to the ice), I knit a cord to it, I attach the other end to the stake stand.

Equipment zherlitsy for pike in winter

My rigging is simple. I try to pick up a tough fishing line, this one does not get confused during the fight and almost does not wear out on the walls of the hole while fighting the fish. I knit a swivel to the fishing line, holding a gap of at least 25-30 kg. I attach a soft leash with a breaking load of at least 20 kg to the swivel. The length of the leash is 40-50 cm, although this does not guarantee that a large pike will not “bite” it in certain directions of its attack on the live bait. What can we say about shorter leashes of 20-30cm.

Hooks - for the most part, I have a medium-sized tee, of the highest quality, so that during the fight you can enjoy it, and not worry about the reliability of hooking and holding large fish. Now it seems to be full of good tees, the same Japanese ones, but not everything is so cloudless here. With sufficient bending strength, even the most expensive models can be distinguished by the fragility of steel, and the greater the stronger the frost. It is problematic to straighten such a hook, but it can easily be broken if it is pulled out of the bony pike mouth too hard. True, this rarely happened when fighting.

The only thing in my “ultralight” vent is a light sliding weight, which does not exceed 5 grams even when fishing at depths of 6-8m. And on coastal shoals at 1-2m, I often catch pike on vents in winter in general, a small weight. Of course, it takes a long time to “push” the live bait, but I’m not in a hurry, because the lighter the load (ideally, it doesn’t exist at all), the higher the mobility of the live bait, and it’s not easy for him to cut circles on a thick fishing line and in the presence of a long metal leash.

It happens that there are enough bites for tackle, but the implementation is lame on both legs. Checks show that the live bait is dented or torn off, the fishing line is either not unwound at all, or the pike took literally a couple of meters, then threw the live bait. Practice shows that doing something here is problematic. Even if you switch to thin lines, remove the metal leader, put a fluorocarbon leader, reduce the size of the hook and live bait - it does not work! 0

Catching a toothy predator in winter is one of the favorite activities of anglers of all ages and skill levels. Simple and inexpensive vents allow you to confidently catch even trophy specimens. Even successful fishing in the dead of winter is possible. A simple rig of a vent for a pike, however, has a lot of nuances, the knowledge of which will not interfere with the fishermen.

The structure of a typical barn

The gear is extremely simple. In poor years, fishermen collected it from everything that only fell into their hands. A typical device for a pike chute in winter:

This diagram describes the classic arrangement of a winter vent. There are a wide variety of mounting options available.

The principle of operation of gear

The predator, attracted by the live bait, put on the hook, grabs it and makes a jerk to the side, unwinding the stock of fishing line on the reel. At this time, the flag, fixed before by the coil, straightens, signaling a bite. Further options are possible: after waiting for a pause after the flag “lights up”, the angler makes a cut, the pike is caught by itself, having swallowed the live bait deeply or comes off, pricking on the hook.

Types of girders

There are several types of bait for pike. All of them differ from each other, as a rule, in the way they are installed on the ice or in the placement of the fishing line. The angler is free to choose independently, how to equip a zherlitsa for winter fishing:

Self gear

It is best to assemble the girders at home, before going fishing. On ice and in frost, it is much more difficult to install a vent for winter fishing:

Rules for successful fishing

Successful fishing requires the ability to properly use your gear.. Knowing little fishing tricks about how and where it is best to place vents will also not be a hindrance in this matter:

Arriving at the reservoir and deciding on the place of fishing, you should drill a sufficient number of holes corresponding to the number of vents the angler has. Do not forget about the rules of fishing, which may limit the number of available vents. Usually it is 5-10 pieces. Between the holes you need to make such a distance that would not allow you to mix up adjacent gear when biting. After the live bait is released to a predetermined depth and the vents are set, sprinkle the holes with snow and wait for the flags to “sunbathe”. Good luck!

Pike are caught on zherlitsy during the entire period of freezing. The pike is most active in November-December and March-April, but in water bodies this predator bites well in other winter months as well.

What tactics of catching pike on a vent to use on the first ice, how to catch pike on a vent on the last ice, what designs of vents are better to use in various conditions, read in the article. for clarity, the article shows pictures of the scheme of vents for catching pike in winter.

Pike fishing in winter

The ice expanses of the reservoir give the angler the opportunity to successfully search for pike. However, it is necessary to take into account the period of freezing, because toothy during the winter can change their places of parking.

Properly made gear, a clear definition of the installation zone of the vents and the right fishing tactics ensure the success of the rig.

Pike are caught on zherlitsy during the entire period of freezing. Its greatest activity falls on November-December and March-April., but in water bodies over the course of this predator pecks well in other winter months, even in the dead of winter.

Thus, good catches are regularly observed in the Verkhne-Ruzsky reservoir, where, due to constant water discharges, the current is always noticeable. In addition, the presence of vast areas of snag, varied bottom topography, and abundance of juvenile fish create excellent conditions for pike breeding here. Noting this special reservoir, I note that anglers who purposefully specialize in catching toothy and have well studied such reservoirs as Vazuzskoye, Ruzskoye, Mozhayskoye, Istra, Ozerninskoye, Ivankovskoye, Uglichskoye, Gorky, Rybinskoye, do not remain without catches there either.

The design of vents for pike fishing

Zherlitsy are divided into two main types: designed for passive fishing and for active.

The design of the first provides for their installation under the ice for a long time (usually from morning until the next morning). After installing the vent, the fisherman remains to fill the hole with snow and then periodically check the tackle, changing the sleeping live bait fish to the live one.

The second type of vents involves active fishing with a periodic rearrangement of the vents to a new place. By the way, jogging with stomping near the line of vents often positively affects the bite. This is obviously due to the fact that the passively standing pike is moved by the trampling from its place and, starting to move, it runs into the bait bait. On the other hand, the trampling also affects the live bait, which, being frightened, tries to hide, but is forced to walk on the line. The pike, on the other hand, feels the vibrations emanating from the movement of a small fish from a fairly large distance and approaches it. In this regard, it is not out of place to periodically raise the equipment by 0.5 m and make the live bait move with light wiggles.

The design of the vent with a coil based on a folding tripod is quite convenient. If as a result of transportation there was no skew of the structural elements, then such a vent works flawlessly. Its advantage is that it folds quite compactly, taking up little space during transportation.

Another model of the winter vent also has a reel in its design, but it is based not on a tripod, but on a plastic or plywood circle, in which there is a slot for entering the fishing line. Such a vent is also installed directly above the hole, and the fishing line from it unhindered when biting. It should be noted immediately that there are no idle bites, it is necessary to ensure that the fishing line does not freeze to ice or equipment elements, especially if it is wet snow. In frosty weather, a hill of dry snow should be poured over the hole, which prevents the fishing line from sticking.

The third type of girders also has a circle at its base, which is usually made of plastic, and the fishing line is wound not on a reel, but on a special movable reel. All three types of girders are sold in fishing shops and are very easy to use.

Video: Catchable rigging for pike fishing

Tactics for catching pike on the zherlitsa on the first ice

But on the same Vazuzsky reservoir there are areas where pike concentrates not in nearby bays, but where, after a narrow coastal shelf, sharp bottom drops in ledges up to 6-8 m follow. Pike chooses such edges for a long time. Once, in the first ice in the Dubinino region, in three days my friend and I caught fifty-two pikes weighing a kilogram or more. Moreover, the largest ones were taken from a depth of 6-8 m, where, obviously, perch and larger roach were kept. Later, in January-February, we continued to fish in this area. During the day already came across only two or three pikes. Agree, fishing is quite productive for the dead of winter.

By the middle of winter, flocks of roach, perch, silver bream and other small fish, having raised their food base at depths of up to 4-5 m, leave to feed on the channel or on irrigation, close to the channel areas. The pike also pulls up here. In general, flocks of forage fish do not stand still in reservoirs. They move in search of food, and the pike relentlessly follows them or stands in cover, waiting for another flock. Moreover, as a shelter, the toothy sometimes chooses a very insignificant tubercle or a hole on level ground, so that pitted watering is a promising place for catching a spotted predator.

It is important, upon arrival at the reservoir, to clearly orient yourself with the installation zone of the vents.

So, at one time, my friend and I constantly caught pike in the area of ​​​​the village of Shcherbinka on the Ruza reservoir. On the opposite shore from the village there is a vast snag, around the perimeter of which we usually placed vents, and pike were caught here all winter. However, there were no bites that January day. Sergey got his bearings in time and went to arrange the girders far away from the snag and the flooded channel along a very extensive irrigation. I was skeptical about his idea, but I had to give credit to Sergei: every half hour he rearranged the vents to a new place, first carefully measuring the depth and looking for bumps and pits. As a result of hard work, by the end of the day, he had two measured pikes in his catch, while I could not get away from zero at a proven spot. From this, I concluded that fishing, even with such gear as a vent, should not be passive.

Last year, at the end of January, I had a rest at the base in the village of Ostashovo on the Ruza reservoir. I didn’t want to go far for the predator, I decided to install vents right in front of the village. But at the base it turned out that the pike is now taking badly and that near Ostashovo, for two days, no predator catches were noted at all. However, I did not give up. Considering the wilderness, I went closer to the flooded riverbed. I found areas with depths from 4 to 9 m, but before placing the vents, I carefully measured the depth of the irrigation suitable for the channel. It turned out that in this place several ditches approach the channel, and there are mounds and funnels on the irrigation. Emphasis was placed on the placement of vents near these sites. Moreover, remembering that in the dead of winter a pike may not move in search of prey, but sometimes it stands rooted to the spot and bites if you bring the live bait to its mouth itself, I drilled holes around the perimeter of the funnels, along the edges of the grooves and rearranged them from time to time, hoping to find a pike. My labor was not in vain. The first pike pecked at the point of approach of one groove to the channel, I took another two-kilogram beast on a hillock near the bend of the flooded channel.

Tactics for catching pike on the zherlitsa on the last ice

The reason for the failures was that I put the vents near the shore at depths of 0.5 to 2.5 m, but even this was beyond the depths for pre-spawning pike. It turns out that the toothy one walks on the last ice where she can hardly climb through. As soon as the water flowing from the shore begins to ooze under the ice, the pike comes here, as if reconnoitering the places where coastal polynyas can appear in the first place. She prefers areas with reeds, sedges and reeds, because the ice here melts the fastest and the spawning grounds are suitable.

Zherlitsy should be placed along the reed zone at a depth of only 10-50 cm from the ice edge. In this case, again, good places will be those where there is at least some kind of rut at the bottom. Sometimes a pike makes its way under the ice into this rut ​​and stands in it. And here it does not matter if you put live bait under her nose or not. If he is nimble, then, sensing a predator, he will try to move aside, but the equipment will not allow him to do this. Then the movements of the live bait will certainly attract the attention of the predator and she will find a way to squeeze through to him.

Fishing on the last ice should not be passive either. Having installed 5-10 vents along the coastal edge of the ice, they are periodically moved along the flank, allowing them to stand in one place for at least half an hour. On the last ice, attention should be paid to small shallow inlets, especially those from which streams flow.

Bite and fighting when catching pike on a vent

Often depends on the proportionality of live bait and pike. It is difficult for a small pike to swallow a large live bait fish, so it chews it for a long time, drags it, and throws it. The unwinding of the reel is then indecisive with long stops, and whether the pike has thrown the live bait or not is determined by the vibration of the fishing line. On the other hand, if the live bait is small, a medium-sized pike, having captured it, often immediately goes to the side, trying to find shelter. Therefore, when fishing near a snag, if you are late with hooking, the tackle can hopelessly get tangled up in a snag. Sometimes a medium-sized pike can be rushed to swallow the live bait. To do this, they pull the fishing line with small movements, thereby creating an imitation of a fish escaping from the mouth.

A large pike usually moves slowly and surely to the side without fear, at the same time turning the live bait in the mouth with its head to the throat. Before swallowing the prey, the pike makes a stop. It is at this moment that you should cut. It happens that the vent is installed exactly above the place of the pike parking lot. Then there may be no pulling to the side at all. The flag flies up, but the line does not unwind. Only by its vibration or a very delicate pull up can you determine that the toothy one is holding the live bait. In this case, you need to wait a while and, if the fishing line does not begin to unwind, cut sharply.

The quality of pike bites often depends very much on what the leash is made of. When fishing with a metal leash with a weak bite, the pike often throws the live bait, feeling a catch. The pike, as a rule, does not feel the fishing line, even with a diameter of 0.4 mm. Therefore, I prefer to fish with line leashes.

With any bite and in any fishing conditions, except for snag fishing, you need to give the pike the opportunity to move to the side, holding the line tight.

Then the fishing line will go beyond the so-called pike mustache, which, in turn, will prevent the leash from getting on the sharp pike teeth and biting it. But after you decide to start bringing the pike to the hole, you need to do it quickly, not letting the insidious beast come to his senses. On a 0.4-0.5 mm line, I usually bring a pike weighing up to 5 kg without delay. If the pike did not immediately enter the hole and quickly went to the side, it needs to be tired a little more in circles and then without delay, but carefully introduced into the hole and picked up under the gills with your hands or hook.

Live bait for pike fishing

Video: Winter vent and live bait attachment options

Live bait activity is of great importance for effective fishing., and for this it must be properly transported to the place of fishing. Live bait feels great in a large volume of water and in a spacious canal. It is good if air is supplied to the channel with live bait (pumped up with a special pear). It is advisable to change the water occasionally in order to free it from fish mucus, which clogs the gills of fish. But water for transportation cannot be taken from the tap. It is better to take it from a stream or other natural body of water.

If it was not possible to stock up on live bait in advance, it can be caught in a pond. Usually, several holes are drilled for this at a depth of 2.5 to 5 m, taking into account the bottom topography and other features of the reservoir, which are preferred by a flock of small fish in winter. The wells need to be fed with a mixture of feed bloodworms and breadcrumbs. After that, they are alternately caught with a nodding fishing rod with a mormyshka, finding the place of the greatest concentration of live bait. It happens that a trifle does not bite actively, but you need to catch it quickly and a lot. Then, above the mormyshka, I tie a 3-5 cm leash with the smallest hook, on which I bait one bloodworm. Usually such equipment works flawlessly, it is only important to choose the right game and catch with slow or fast wiring, or prefer fishing with a fixed bait.

If I catch live bait in a pond, and there is no kan at hand, then I use a plastic bottle as a container, in which I cut a window with a knife on the side. I throw live bait at him. Sometimes, when there is not even a bottle at hand, I throw the live bait into an incompletely drilled hole, into which I first pour water. In such a natural container, live bait can be stored for a long time, you just need to make sure that the hole is not covered with a thick layer of ice.

Catching pike on a bait in a snag

• First, try to install the vent no closer than five meters from a snag or snag.
• Secondly, if the snag is dense, and the depth of fishing is small, it is better to place the live bait in half water.
• Thirdly, a very high probability of hooking while unwinding the line when biting in a dense snag makes the angler hook up without waiting for the pike to unwind one and a half to three meters of line and make a stop.

Live bait is hooked with one tee in the region of the dorsal fin, and with the other for the upper palate. Since the pike cannot be allowed to move in a dense snag, it is advisable to use soft metallized leashes that are beyond the power of pike teeth.

Some anglers for snag fishing use special vents with a shortened fishing line - no more than 1 meter for unwinding, taking into account the depth.

In winter, it is easiest to catch a pike on a live bait, and the biting on a lure is not always stable. But the toothy predator often ignores the bait. This happens for various reasons. These are mistakes when choosing a place, rough equipment, incorrectly planted live bait, vagaries of the weather. Therefore, several main points that affect the biting of a predator should be taken into account.

Tackle for winter pike fishing

Pike fishing on live bait in winter occurs in stationary or mobile ways.

Catching pike in winter on zherlitsy is a stationary method. It consists of an ordinary plastic spool with a fishing line with a diameter of 0.35-0.5 mm, which is equipped with a sliding sinker weighing 6-10 grams, a leash and a single, double or triple hook.

As for the choice of hook, the opinions of betting anglers vary. Someone likes to catch on tees more, someone prefers single models. Perhaps it is best to use doubles of the appropriate size for the bait.

All this equipment is based on a base in the form of a rack, tripod, round platform, etc.

A thin steel plate with a flag serves as a bite signaling device, as well as a device that holds the equipment at a certain depth.

Before installing the vent, it is necessary to measure the depth under the hole. The easiest way to do this is with a heavy load weighing 40-50 grams. It is tied with a fishing line to a piece of cork, for which the tackle hook clings.

The load sinks to the bottom, and then rises by 15-30 cm. In this position, the tackle is fixed with a plate with a flag, and the fishing line is taken out of the hole by hand.

Now you need to remove the load, bait the live bait and lower it into the hole head down. He must independently reach a given depth, this will save the tackle from overlapping the fishing line. After that, you need to darken the hole with snow, check the free movement of the fishing line and wait for a bite.

When biting, the pike pulls off the flag, which straightens on a springy plate. But at this moment you should not hook, as the toothy one simply holds the live bait across in her teeth. You need to wait until, after a pause, the fish begins to go into cover, winding up the fishing line. Now she swallows the prey, and you can do hooking.

When fighting, one should take into account the resistance of a toothy predator, especially if there is no metal leash. It is better to give her a little fishing line, and then again calmly pull her to the hole. So that the pike is not afraid of the light, the hole must be darkened until the last moment.

When playing a large fish, it is necessary to use a gaff. Usually bait fishing involves the use of several gears. But success most often does not depend on the number of bets, but on the right place and a well-equipped vent.

When mobile fishing for pike on live bait one fishing rod is used, equipped like a vent, only a float or a nod acts as a bite signaling device. With such a fishing rod, the angler is looking for pike, bypassing hole after hole.

If the toothy stands under the hole, the bite occurs most often when the bait bait is lowered. And then it all depends on the skill of the angler.

Finding a place to fish

The main recipe for successful fishing in winter is to find a “pike trail”. Having felt the places of exit of the predator on the pond, you can safely hope for bites at these points in the future. No wonder you can catch up to 5-6 pikes from one hole per day, and the nearby vents are “silent” for the whole fishing.

A sophisticated way of fishing for a large number of vents, provided that you are sure in the right place.

Pike prefers to lie in ambush in winter, watching passing objects. As soon as prey appears within reach, the predator attacks with lightning speed.

On the rivers, the best places for angling toothy will be deep bays, ravines under rifts, mill whirlpools, backwaters above capes. In stagnant water bodies, fish should be looked for at the boundaries of aquatic vegetation, in channels between the island and the coast, under steep banks, near snags and flooded bushes.

The bottom relief is most quickly determined with an echo sounder, but if this reservoir is visited in the future, then you can explore it with the help of a spinner or mormyshka.

It is important to note for yourself interesting differences in depths, the presence of obstacles at the bottom, etc. It is useful to watch the local anglers, who know exactly not only the cool places, but also the time of the exit of the predator. Therefore, in a few hours of fishing, they will catch more fish than other anglers during the whole day.

How to catch a live bait and how to bait it correctly

Fishermen who use live bait to catch a predator know that the best live bait is the one that is caught in the same reservoir where pike is hunted. As a live bait in winter, many people buy crucian carp, which are distinguished by vitality, but they are inactive.

It is better to spend some time and catch the local fish.

To do this, you need a light winter fishing rod with a mormyshka, "devil" or "bastard". A thin fishing line 0.08-0.1 mm is equipped with such a mormyshka so that it bends the nod by 20-30 degrees relative to the axis of the fishing rod. A bloodworm is baited on the hook, and the tackle is ready to go. Almost any fish caught is suitable for the role of live bait. These are perch, and roach, and bleak, and gudgeon, and dace, etc. For some time, the fish can be kept in a plastic bucket of water. Places for catching live bait - shoals, windows in algae, depth differences, etc.