Fishing for crucian carp the last ice Always unpredictable. Its result depends not only on the experience and dexterity of the fisherman, but also on many other factors: how fattened the fish were, what temperatures prevailed in the winter, how often thaws occurred and what the nature of the coming spring was.
Optimal weather conditions for catching crucian carp on the last ice - cold summer, warm autumn and winter with frequent thaws. In this case, the crucian carp gains a lot of fat just before the frost and does not fall into deep suspended animation. The first spring sun “raises” the fish, which begins to look for food. That's why best time planning fishing on the last ice - the period of freeze-up.
In spring, accessible large bodies of water may become not available for fishing: large edges form, the water becomes cloudy after rains, long cracks appear in the ice. In small bodies of water such problems rarely occur. When planning fishing on the last ice, it’s a good idea to inspect several small ponds or rivers in the fall, and notice snags along the main channel.
Using the first ice it is convenient to determine the places where the gas is cut off - many bubbles are visible in the ice thickness. Fish will not spend the winter in such places and will not settle in the spring; methane can poison them. But along the edge of the “dead” zone, near snags or grass, crucian carp can be comfortable.
It is not easy to remember the features of several reservoirs, the places where gas is released and the location of snags. In the spring, a diagram of the reservoir, with the features of the pond or river marked on it, will help you when fishing.
Choosing a place and time
Crucian carp have not yet reached the peak of their activity in early spring. The fish are not spread out throughout the entire reservoir, they are concentrated in one or two comfortable places.
As a rule, when fishing for crucian carp on the last ice, the bite begins around 12 noon, in sunny weather it may start at an hour and a half earlier. The bite decreases in the evening, and with the onset of dusk it practically stops.
If it holds warm weather, The crucian carp is active and bites well. At cloudy weather, cold weather and pressure changes, the fish become lethargic and show little interest in the bait.
Observant fishermen can notice where crucian carp are caught well in a certain body of water in early spring. It is better to remember these places by landmarks, because the fish return here every year.
At melting ice it rarely goes to a depth of more than three meters, so in large bodies of water you need to look for it near the shore or in shallow areas.
Fishing on the river and in the pond
With the beginning of spring, the fish become active and look for places with an abundance of food. Ponds in which mainly crucian carp are bred are not suitable for fishing on the last ice. In such places, as a rule, there is no current, there is little oxygen under the ice and the fish are in a depressed state all winter. Until the ice melts, it will not feed, which means it is almost impossible to interest it in bait.
Ideal place for fishing crucian carp on the last ice - flowing pond, in which other species of fish also live, but the number of crucian carp predominates.
In a flowing pond, active fish in the spring move to the upper reaches of the reservoir, where a lot of oxygen and fresh water flow through a river or stream. If there is a snag near the place where the stream flows into the pond, then the crucian carp is almost certainly hiding there. This is due not only to the fish’s love for various types of shelters, but also to the amount of food, which is always more abundant near snags.
As soon as it starts active melting of ice, The heat-loving crucian carp moves away from the mouth and is located on flat areas of the bottom, away from the bed of the reservoir. The fish are driven away from their favorite place by the cold water that comes with the current. The fish goes to look for a warmer place. Often, especially in ponds, fish are located in “pockets” - places with zero current, located near the riverbed. Melt water is unpleasant for heat-loving crucian carp, but it is attracted by the dissolved oxygen brought by the current, so it does not move far from the stream.
One of the conditions for a good bite in spring is decreasing water level in a flowing body of water. Then, along with the current, a lot of water enters the pond. cold water and the crucian carp has to not only actively look for new warm places, but also feed intensively.
News. Poachers caught fish using illegal bait!
According to law enforcement agencies, four men suspected of poaching were detained. During the arrest, the men had 237 kilograms of caught fish with them. The fishery inspectors were surprised by the fact that the detainees had absolutely no poaching equipment (nets, electric shocks, explosives, etc.). When asked how they managed to catch so many fish, the men joked that it was a good bite. But when inspecting personal belongings, one of the inspectors noticed packaging with a foreign label. It contained a powdery substance of unknown origin. After examination, it turned out that the substance can have a very strong effect on fish due to the action of special enzymes. The main property of this substance...
Preparing gear
On the last ice the fish bites well jig. Gear used for fishing:
- standard winter fishing rod,
- fishing line 0.09 mm in diameter,
- replaceable leader 0.07 mm in diameter (necessary when changing jigs frequently).
Jigs for catching crucian carp on the last ice: 
- drop,
- pellet,
- larva.
Colors, which crucian carp prefers:
- black,
- white,
- red,
- green,
- yellow,
- combination of green and yellow.
Particular attention should be paid to the hook. The best option is single bend hook. Its correct soldering guarantees reliable hooking. The color of the hook is only important when fishing without bait.
Options for attaching the jig to the fishing line:
- nodule under the hole,
- pass the line through the bait and tie a knot on the shank of the jig hook.
With the second method, it is important to inspect the hole of the bait and smooth out any burrs found - after several fishing, the line may rub against uneven edges.
Depending on the fishing depth, jigs from:
- lead,
- tin,
- copper
Jig game:
- Lower the jig to the bottom, hold it for up to 10 seconds, then slowly raise it by 25 - 35 cm. After a few shakes, the jig should fall to the bottom again.
- Quickly lower the jig to the bottom, shaking it to a height of 20-30 cm and lower it again.
- Quickly lower the jig to the bottom. Lift slowly, with trembling. Pause every 5-7 cm.
- Quickly lower the jig to a distance of 25-35 cm from the ground. Then slowly, with pauses and trembling, lower it to the bottom. Simulate the crawling of the jig along the bottom for a few seconds, then raise it, with trembling and pauses, to the original height of the start of the game.
- Quickly lower the jig to the bottom, slowly raise it with pushes to a height of up to half a meter and quickly lower it again.
The bite most often occurs when the jig freezes or when it touches the bottom. If you suspect a bite, hooking should be done immediately.
Safety on the last ice
Fishing on the last ice very dangerous. Spring ice may not produce a characteristic crackling sound, but 
suddenly move apart. Following several rules will help you avoid “swimming” in icy water:
- do not walk on the ice if it bends under your feet or “hisses”,
- leave the ice if it begins to “hiss” under the sun’s rays,
- go ashore if water splashes out of existing holes when walking on ice,
- stop fishing and move to another place if moisture is released from the ice during drilling. This means that the ice is saturated with water and can fall through at any moment,
- a very dangerous sign - if the drill easily falls into the ice,
- immediately go to a safe place if the fishing line begins to cling to the lower edge of the ice - it is so soft that it softens under the weight of the jig.
You need to move on white spots - this ice is stronger. But it’s better not to step on dark spots of melted ice.
Fishing on the last ice requires preparation: studying reservoirs, searching for “fishy” places, preparing baits and complementary foods. When catching crucian carp, a fisherman needs sensitivity and the ability to experiment: the capricious fish must “like” the jig and fishing tactics. But fishing on the last ice for crucian carp is worth it: compliance with all conditions and luck bring a big catch.
For crucian carp on the last ice
For crucian carp on the last ice
A very long time ago, a talented Russian writer and a real big fan of fishing S. T. Aksakov wrote that crucian carp are not afraid of cold water, especially when there is enough food for it and there are suitable living conditions, and as evidence he cited the example of fish living in spring pits.
If in summer crucian carp are mainly caught in small reservoirs or in the so-called “crucian carp” ponds and quarries, then from the ice, on the contrary, the fisherman needs to go hunting to one of the reservoirs near Moscow or another large reservoir, only the habitat areas of crucian carp must be determined in advance, even in the summer, and in the winter just catch them winter fishing rod on a jig with a nozzle. Crucian carp, unlike other fish, do not go far from their favorite places. The conversation, of course, is about silver carp, because... its golden brother hardly shows itself in winter.
The winter fishing rod for fishing crucian carp with a jig is the simplest in design. The total length of the fishing rod together with the whip is about 25 cm, and the length of the whip is 12 cm. The reel is removable. Palm-length cork handle with a slot for a removable reel. At one end of the cork handle there is a cap made of hard plastic, and at the other there is a cone made of the same plastic for better glide and reliability in the operation of the retractable whip. Line with a diameter of 0.1 mm.
A retractable nod with a rubber coupling is attached to the whip with working part 5-7 cm. A nod made of lavsan so that it can respond to the slightest touch of the fish to the nozzle.
The main part of the equipment, of course, is a flat jig made of copper or other metal, such as “diamond”, “flat”, “lentil”, “larva”, etc., if they are previously ground in thickness so that they can be glided in water, and when hitting the ground, they were slightly buried in the silt. Jigs should be very small, 3-4 mm in diameter or length, and two-color. Hook on jig No. 2.5-3.
To choose the right jig color, you need to have a good idea of the degree of illumination of the water depending on the time of day, weather and fishing depth. In winter, the water in reservoirs is much clearer and the visibility of objects under water is approximately twice as high as in summer. True, there is an established rule among fishermen: in the morning you need to fish with light bait, and when the sun rises, switch to a dark jig, especially when fishing in shallow water. At depth you can fish with shiny bait. This also applies to fishing at dusk. However, in the spring the water can be cloudy, then dark baits work better.
The most two-color jig in a simple way at home you can do it as follows. Mormyshka with the right side polished, degreased and rubbed with tooth powder or another similar composition, and the other side is sealed. The prepared bait is dipped into the used fixative for several hours. The degreased side turns silver or golden, yellow, etc., depending on the material used.
Even under a thick layer of ice and snow, underwater inhabitants somehow sense the approach of spring, and the bite of crucian carp at this time improves significantly. On cloudy days you can hunt for crucian carp all day, and on sunny days - better in the morning and later in the evening, but, as always, there are exceptions.
When hunting for crucian carp, the angler does not need to actively play with a jig - crucian carp is a restless, thorough fish and is alarmed by sharp and frequent vibrations of the bait.
Nozzles - bloodworms, bark beetles, maggots, snail meat and others. I collect small lake shells such as snails in the fall and store them in an aquarium at home.
When hunting for crucian carp, the jig is located at the very bottom and even while tapping, “dives” into the silt, raising an appetizing cloud. The amplitude of oscillations when playing with a jig is small with a lifting height of 5-7 cm. The bite often occurs after the bait sinks to the bottom or hangs, almost touching it.
The winter bite of crucian carp is very sluggish; the fish seems to taste the bait and, sensing a foreign object, immediately abandons it. In this case, crucian carp, like bream, stands at an angle to the ground, but almost never lifts the bait to swallow it. At this moment the nod begins to vibrate, and the fisherman’s skill lies in choosing the right moment to hook.
When fishing for crucian carp, you should not rush, even though it does not offer violent resistance, because The fish's lips are weak. For the same reason, fish brought into the hole should be taken by hand, but not lifted on the fishing line.
A. Zhuravlev
"Russian Hunting Newspaper No. 17 - 2005."
Attention!
An article from the website " Kaliningrad fishing club"
Catching crucian carp on the last ice is quite an interesting and exciting activity that can bring a big catch.
You need to choose the right gear, choose the weather and guess the location of the crucian carp.
Preparing for fishing
Fishing for crucian carp on the last ice is always unpredictable; not much depends on the experience of the fisherman, but rather depends on many factors associated with fishing. Such moments include: how much the crucian carp was fattened before wintering, how often there were thaws and what the weather is like now.
What kind of weather should it be? The best biting times for crucian carp are cold summers, winters with frequent thaws and warm autumns. This is how the crucian carp gains a lot of fat and, before severe frost, falls into suspended animation. With the first warm spring sun, he rises from suspended animation and begins to look for food for himself. The best period for fishing for crucian carp on the last ice is the freeze-up period.
On the first ice, you can set places where fish will definitely not be located. These are places where gas accumulates - you will notice a lot of bubbles under the ice. Methane, which is dangerous for fish, accumulates in such places. She will feel comfortable in places near snags, grass and creeks.
It is advisable to have a diagram of the reservoir drawn up in advance in the fall or summer.
Selecting a location
In early spring, crucian carp is still inactive and reaches its peak of activity only towards the end of spring. It will not spread throughout the entire reservoir, but will concentrate in one or several convenient and safe places.
The bite starts at 12 noon, and in sunny weather it can start an hour earlier. The bite subsides towards evening and ends with the onset of dusk.
In warm weather, crucian carp are active and bite well. In cloudy weather, during cold weather and pressure changes, the fish will be sluggish and inactive. Crucian carp rarely go to a depth of more than three meters, so you need to look for it near the shore.
Fishing on a river or pond
The ideal place for catching crucian carp on the last ice is flowing ponds where other fish live. In such ponds, fish rise in the spring to the upper reaches of the reservoir, where there is a fresh influx of oxygen along with fresh water. If there is a snag nearby, then there will definitely be crucian carp there. There is always more food near the snags, which attracts fish there.
When the ice actively melts, crucian carp moves away from the mouth and moves to flat areas of the bottom, away from the riverbed. This is due to the arrival of cold water in the riverbed, and crucian carp, as you know, is a heat-loving fish. She will look for a place with warmer water. The crucian carp will be located in places with zero current, not far from the riverbed. Melt water will be unpleasant for crucian carp, but it will be attracted by fresh oxygen and will not move far from the stream.
There will be a good bite when the water level in flowing reservoirs decreases. Then a lot of cold water will enter the reservoir, and the crucian carp will be forced to actively look for warm places and feed intensively.
Tackle
It is best to catch crucian carp using a jig. Tackle for catching crucian carp on the last ice consists of:
- An ordinary winter fishing rod
- Lines 0.09 mm
- Leash 0.07
- Jigs such as drop, pellet, larva
- The preferred color of the jig is black, white, red, green, yellow, yellow-green.
- Single bend hook. Its soldering guarantees successful and reliable hooking of crucian carp. The color of the hook will only be important when fishing without bait.
Nozzle and bait
Catching crucian carp on the last ice is successful using fish sandwiches in the form of a mixture of bloodworms and Chernobyl. Various worms are put on a jig, and only a couple of bloodworms are put on a hook with a short leash, which is attached a little higher.
In winter, Chernobyl attracts crucian carp just like maggots. Vegetable food rarely attracts fish at this time, so it is advisable to experiment with animal baits.
You can use crushed bait as bait for crucian carp. In the spring, it feeds mainly on bloodworms, so it would be a good idea to use bloodworms to interest the crucian carp without scaring it away. To do this, it is enough to grind 10 - 15 worms. Often fished simultaneously with bait, lowering the jig along with a slowly sinking worm.
For remote reservoirs, it is advisable to use a feeder, which should be opened a meter from the ground. It is advisable to use loose and light bait so that it does not sink in the silt. To fish in a body of water with a current, you need to use heavier bait so that it is not immediately carried away by the current.
Fishing for crucian carp on the last ice
Catching crucian carp on the last ice is always interesting and exciting, you can see this for yourself at fishing base Zavidovo.
Success, in addition to gear and fishing location, depends on the activity of the crucian carp, its behavior, as well as weather conditions. Fishing can be considered successful if before winter there was a fairly cold summer, a “mild” autumn and winter with constant temperature changes. In this case, the crucian carp gained fat before frequent temperature changes (especially frosty weather) and now it does not have a state of suspended animation. After the first responses of the spring sun, the underwater inhabitant begins an active search for natural food.
It is not recommended to fish in large water bodies. Often large cracks and dark spots (ice soaked in water) form there, and fishing becomes very inconvenient and dangerous. Ice on small bodies of water, as a rule, lasts longer and makes it possible to fish for crucian carp unhindered. To the "last" for real winter fishing you need to be ready in the fall, you need to conduct “reconnaissance” and know exactly which bodies of water will give results based on the last ice.
More information about catchable places and biting times
The main feature of crucian carp at the beginning of spring is that the fish are not distributed evenly throughout the entire reservoir, they “stand” in two or three sectors. The bite of the underwater inhabitant is observed closer to lunch (on sunny days); in cloudy weather it may appear 1-1.5 hours later. The activity of crucian carp disappears towards evening, night fishing is rare. The optimal depth for searching for crucian carp is 1-2 meters.
Advice from experienced fishermen: try to remember fruitful places from last year where crucian carp were actively caught. There is a high probability that after a year, he will respond there again.
Ponds where only crucian carp live are not best place for fishing on the last ice. Such places are characterized by a weak current, and therefore the oxygen concentration there is negligible, the fish are very sluggish. A variety of “treats” and aromatic baits will not help. A good catch can be obtained in a flowing pond, which contains both crucian carp and other fish.
Have you noticed any driftwood on this pond? - you are lucky, because there is a high probability that the crucian carp is standing there. Snags are a shelter for fish, as well as a kind of “dining room” where there is natural food. Immediately after the active melting of ice, crucian carp begins to look for areas of the bottom without anomalies, where the water temperature is slightly warmer. One of the favorite places of crucian carp is “pockets” where there is no current.
It can be considered a good sign when the level of a reservoir is rapidly falling. At such moments, the temperature of the storage water cools down (due to the amount of melt water) and the crucian carp begins to move rapidly, searching for warm places, while simultaneously absorbing everything in its path.
Tackle for crucian carp fishing
We put the float aside and try to devote more time to the jig. It is with this tackle that most fishermen catch their trophies, standard forms: bean, pellet, droplet. mainly from tin, copper and lead. Lately, jigs made of tungsten have been working great. You will also need a winter fishing rod (regular), a fishing line with a diameter of 0.10 mm, a nod 10 cm long. They prefer to use the latter from lavsan. In addition, the leash should be replaceable so that you can easily change jigs.
Let's list the main colors of jigs that are effective on crucian carp:
- Yellow-green.
- Red.
- White.
- Black.
Crucian bait mixtures, bait for the last ice
It was noticed that the fish take well on sandwiches made from bloodworms and bark beetles. There is no need to be discouraged if you don’t have bloodworms or bark beetles at hand; it has been noticed that hungry crucian carp will peck at ordinary lard. You can also experience happiness with dough, worms, maggots, and white bread.
The basis for the bait mixture should be components of animal origin; you can use crushed dung worms, bloodworms. It wouldn’t hurt to throw in a handful of maggots or a whole bloodworm (small size). At great depths, feed the fishing point using a special feeder.
The composition and consistency of complementary foods directly depends on the type of reservoir and the presence of a current. On small ponds you can use dry, light bait, but in strong currents it should be weighty and dense.
Here comes spring. The crucian carp are beginning to come to life and feed more actively - after all, now they need to restore the calories lost during the long winter. Crucian carp, unlike many fish, do not go far from their summer camps. Therefore, you need to look for it on the last ice in the summer biting areas.
The fishing rod for winter fishing for crucian carp with a jig is the simplest one. The length of the fishing rod with a nod is about 25 cm, and the length of the nod 10-12 cm. The fishing line is 0.1 mm in diameter. The nod is sensitive. It is better to use a jig made of copper or tungsten such as “diamond”, “flat”, “ant”, “larva”, etc. It is better to use very small jigs, about 3-4 mm long, and preferably two-color ones. Hook on jig No. 2.5-3.
We choose the color of the jig in accordance with the transparency of the water, the time of day and of course the weather, because by spring the water begins to become cloudy, so dark jigs are better. I think that every angler has his own established rules: for example, in the morning you need to fish with a light bait, and when the sun rises, switch to a dark jig, this is especially true when fishing in shallow water. In deep places you can fish with shiny bait. This also applies to fishing at dusk. However, in the spring the water can be cloudy, then dark baits work better.
Even under a thick layer of ice and snow, underwater inhabitants somehow sense the approach of spring, and the bite of crucian carp at this time improves significantly. On cloudy days you can hunt for crucian carp all day, and on sunny days it’s better in the morning and late afternoon, but, as always, there are exceptions.
When catching crucian carp, the angler does not need to actively play with a jig - crucian carp is a restless, thorough fish and is alarmed by sharp and frequent vibrations of the bait.
Nozzles- bloodworms, bark beetles, maggots, snail meat and others.
When hunting for crucian carp, the jig is located at the very bottom and even while tapping, “dives” into the silt, raising an appetizing cloud. The amplitude of oscillations when playing with a jig is small with a lifting height of 5-7 cm. The bite often occurs after the bait sinks to the bottom or hangs, almost touching it.
The winter bite of crucian carp is very sluggish; the fish seems to taste the bait and, sensing a foreign object, immediately abandons it. In this case, crucian carp, like bream, stands at an angle to the ground, but almost never lifts the bait to swallow it. The nod at this moment begins to vibrate, and the fisherman’s skill lies in choosing the right moment to hook.
It’s not worth catching crucian carp hastily, even though it doesn’t offer violent resistance, because The fish's lips are weak. For the same reason, fish brought into the hole should be taken by hand, but not lifted on the fishing line.
And of course, no tail, no scales!
