Which girders are the most comfortable in winter. Fishing for a zherlitsa: collecting and installing gear, tactics and secrets of a big catch

24.10.201927.05.2017

Catching pike in winter on girders, I’ll tell you, it’s just a fairy tale. But in this matter you need to have special experience and skill so as not to return from fishing empty. A novice fisherman, having heard a lot of stories about good catches with this gear, coming to the ice and placing a huge amount of gear, will not always be able to leave with his hands full. The thing is that when catching pike on a girder, you need to take into account several rules and factors, which we will talk about below.

First, let's figure out what kind of gear this rig is? What does it consist of and what is its secret.

The tackle has several popular names: a flag, and a hand spinning rod. Although mugs for pike are a completely different tackle. It is called differently in different places.

At first glance, the zherlitsa is as simple as panties for twenty rubles. Well, look for yourself, it contains a circle-shaped stand that we place above the hole, there is a slot on it for fishing line. A primitive reel with fishing line and the flag itself. It also acts as a bite alarm. That's the whole structure.

And the principle of operation is this. We hook a live bait onto the tackle, lower it into the hole and attach a flag. When a fish grabs the bait, the reel rotates, causing the flag to rise to a standing position. This is a signal that the pike is on the hook and now remains in time to make the hook.

There are several varieties of girders.

A classic vent with a wide plastic circle at the base.
Zherlitsa on legs. Mainly designed for deep snow.
On the bar. This is one of the homemade ones.
The ice option is more often used for night fishing.

But of course, the most common and popular type was and I think that the classic version will remain. We've dealt with the part above the ice, now let's move on to the part that is in the water. This part is no less important.

And so, use only monofilament line with a diameter of no more than 0.35 and no less than 0.25, no braids. The wicker will become icy in the cold. As for the length, 25 meters is enough.

But there is an exception. Sometimes there are places where it’s better to play it safe and put a thicker line. In such cases, you can deviate from the rules and take an option that is thicker but not more than 0.35. A thick fishing line behaves unpredictably in the cold and can even scare away fish in the water.

When choosing a hook, one thing can be said: it should not be larger than live bait. You should not opt for huge hooks. It is better to install a small tee or double.

How to fish with a zherlitsa

First of all, you need to understand that even the most catchy tackle installed in a place where there are no fish will not bring you a catch. Before choosing a place for pike fishing, you need to clearly know how the fish behaves in any given weather. Understand the habits of fish and their habitats. And also not a little important role plays a feature of the reservoir. But the most important factor is experience. Only with the acquisition of rich experience will it be possible for everyone to remain with the catch.

How to find live bait

Before you go fishing, you need to take care of the live bait, since the girders use live bait as bait. You need to choose live bait from the diet of fish that lives in a given reservoir and is in the diet of pike. Most often these are, of course, roach, crucian carp, goby, rudd, and small bream.

You can buy live bait in a store, or you can catch it right at the place where you plan to catch the toothy predator. This can be done directly when you come to the ice, or you can catch it in the fall. And store either at home or on the lake in special mesh boxes. But today, if live bait is stored, it is only at home in aquariums, since it is no longer possible to store it in the same reservoir until winter. Although they did this before.

But before you attach live bait, it must be:

Alive and moving.
Not too big. So that the pike could swallow it.
Not too small for the pike to notice.
Live bait must remain alive for a long time. You can't catch much with a dead one.

So that your live bait remains alive for a long time and does not freeze prematurely. It must be stored in special plastic or foam barrels. If you approach the issue of preserving live bait correctly, you can preserve its presentation for up to 30 days without loss of quality.

Where to place a girder for pike in winter

So. The ice has risen. You have an irresistible desire to go fishing for pike on the ice, there are girders, there is equipment and live bait. There is practically everything you need to return from fishing with big trophies. But when you come to the ice, a reasonable question may arise in your eyes. And where the hell should you put these girders?

In this regard, there are several tips on where you can put your tackle in the hope of catching something.

Reed edge

The very first place for the first bite may be the edge of the reeds.

It is in the reeds that small fish often hide and the predator feeds on them. I think that such places can be found on almost any body of water. And it’s simply a sin to ignore such places.

snag

Snag is the number two place you should pay attention to when looking for a pike den. But in the snags, according to experienced fishermen, there are passive individuals who can think for a very long time whether it is worth taking the live bait offered to you or not. Although there are moments when the predator takes it right away.

And only by placing the tackle and moving 3-4 meters away from it, you will be able to see how the flag is already sticking out and the reel is unwinding the fishing line. At this moment you need to hook.

Of course, there is a high probability of getting caught on snags and losing not only the fish, but also the tackle. Therefore, if you do not know the location of the snags or have little experience, it is better to place the tackle on the border of the snag. This will save the tackle from getting snagged.

Pits and edges

Pits or edges. But this is of course if you know the body of water. In such areas, pike often ambush fry. Yes, and small fish sometimes jump into such holes in search of shelter, and there is an ambush.

Change in bottom topography

The next place for pike fishing may be places with a modified bottom. Where, for example, there are a lot of shells or the muddy bottom changes to sandy. Not very smart fish very often visit these places in search of food, and if your bait is there, then the bite will be immediate. On average, you can get around such a place by taking 2-3 gear. Rearranging the girders every 30-40 minutes.

Well, closer to spring, you can try to look for a predator in places where there is an influx of fresh water. Along with the water, particles of oxygen fall under the ice, which is so essential for fish after a long winter.

How to install the vent correctly

Oh brother, this is such a science that it’s really scary, there are so many nuances that it’s better for you not to meddle with your experience.

This answer can be obtained from experienced pikemen. But this is not always the case. Of course, there is some truth in their words, but if you don’t meddle, there will never be experience. The science there is not so complicated and a beginner can comprehend it through trial and error.

If the depth is shallow, less than a meter or a meter, then we place live bait on the floor of the water. If there is room to roam, then the live bait should be located almost in front of the very bottom. But don't crawl along the bottom. The most correct and optimal distance is 15-20 cm from the bottom of the reservoir.

Next, you need to understand that if you put the tackle in a snag, then do not leave a lot of fishing line in reserve. Place live bait in front of the bottom and measure a few meters of free play and secure the rest of the fishing line. So that the pike cannot entangle the fishing line with ice.

The same technique can be used when fishing near reeds. Leave a little idle and fix the rest on the reel.

In an open place this rule can be neglected.

How to hook a pike correctly

So you’ve set up your gear and are walking on the ice, waiting for a bite. And then the red flag fluttered and the reel began to quickly unwind meters of fishing line. YEAH GOT IT. But dear friend, you shouldn’t be too happy and rush towards the tackle as fast as you can. Since your loud tread can still ruin everything, the pike may get scared and spit out the bait.

When the red flag is lit against the background of snow. Your actions are as follows. We take the gaff if there is one. And we slowly approach the place. We hook only when the reel has stopped moving. It is believed that when the fish stops, it begins to swallow the bait. This is where you need to hook.

You need to hook immediately when the bite occurs on the spot near the reeds or snags. Here delay is not excusable. You need to hook with a decisive and confident jerk. It is not a fact that after hooking the fish will not spit out the bait. But what can you do, or you will lose your gear or fish.

After a successful hook, we begin to land the fish. Fishing should proceed calmly. Oh, how can it calm down here, because the fish are biting here. And the beginner begins to pull the pike at breakneck speed and simply pulls the bait out of its mouth and, as a result, neither the bait nor the pike.

Yes, guys, sometimes nerves get in the way, not only for beginners, but also for experienced fishermen. But what to do is to calm down and gradually tighten up.

The last 2-3 meters may be the most difficult when the fish, blinded by the bright light, tries to escape.

Having brought the catch to the exit of the hole, you can grab it with your hands or with a special hook.

Well, all the stages of catching pike on girders in winter have been sorted out and now you have at least some idea. But this is not all that you need to know about this type of fishing; there are still a lot of questions, and if possible we will analyze them as little as possible.

Video about pike fishing in winter

No tail, no scales.

Who cares, I was and remain a devoted supporter of an impeccably reliable, strong betting rig with a metal leash. In addition to girders, I also fish “by hand” with live bait using a powerful fishing rod. And all these newfangled “ultralight live baits” with thin lines and no leashes change the essence of bet fishing, leading it to the wrong steppe.

What's the point of chasing the number of bites of small pike? And if a real crocodile lands, how can you get it out with a thin fishing line? Especially when a large fish has somewhere to go (snags, grass), but you can’t pull it hard, if there is no metal leash on the rig, it will instantly cut the line. Talk about the fact that pike ignores thick fishing line and a metal leash is largely a far-fetched drawback.

Pike biting in winter

In winter, a large one often fattens for literally several tens of minutes a day, and if you don’t position yourself in the right area, you won’t be able to wait for bites on any tackle, both fine and coarse. And in severe weather conditions, not only a large toothy one, but the bait itself is barely alive, and the bite is already a series of accidents. I can also understand the “betting ultralight” on reservoirs where there are almost no large pike left. Or even the entire large toothy one was knocked out. But you shouldn’t fish there with girders at all. For what? To also knock out all the small pike?

This is a serious pond where there is a real intrigue of catching a real “crocodile”. And the corresponding equipment. On my reel I have 20-25m of fishing line with a diameter of 0.5mm, which holds any pike, even if it has exhausted its entire supply, and I have not yet managed to reach the trigger. The main thing here is that the predator does not tear the tackle itself out of the ice. And this happened during prolonged thaws that weakened the ice.

Therefore, I began to strengthen it additionally, and this is quite justified. Not far from the hole, I drive a reliable screw into the ice (which is used to secure tents on the ice), tie a cord to it, and attach the other end to the stake post.

Rigging for pike in winter

My girder rig is simple. I try to choose a tough fishing line, one that doesn’t get tangled during fishing and almost doesn’t rub against the walls of the hole when fighting fish. I tie a swivel to the fishing line that holds a breaking strength of at least 25-30 kg. I attach a soft leash with breaking load not less than 20kg. The length of the leash is 40-50cm, although this does not guarantee against being “gnawed” by a large pike in certain directions of its attack on 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 I can have fun while fishing, and not worry about the reliability of hooking and holding large fish. Nowadays there are a lot of seemingly good tees, the same Japanese ones, but not everything is so rosy here. With sufficient bending strength, even the most expensive models can be distinguished by the fragility of steel, and the more severe the frost. It’s difficult to straighten such a hook, but it can easily be broken if you pull it too hard from the bony pike’s mouth. True, this rarely happened during fishing.

The only thing that is “ultralight” in my jig is a light sliding weight, which does not exceed 5 grams even when fishing at depths of 6-8m. And on coastal shallows of 1-2 m, I often catch pikes on girders in winter, generally with a weight. Of course, it takes quite a long time to “shove” the live bait, but I’m not in a hurry, because the lighter the load (ideally, there is none at all), the higher the mobility of the live bait, and it’s already not easy for it to cut circles on a thick fishing line and in the presence of a long metal leash.

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

Experienced fishermen know that pike bite best in winter, as soon as the first ice sets in. The bite of the striped predator can continue until January. But if the winter turns out to be warm, then pike will be caught throughout the winter season.

Fishing for pike in winter on girders will be successful in small reservoirs, lakes, and ponds, since this is where the first ice is established. Before installing the gear, the question arises: where to find the most successful and right place? Especially if the reservoir has not been studied. Experienced fishermen know that it is necessary to carefully study the coastal landscape. The location of springs, ravines, and the outline of the coastline can influence the choice of place for pike fishing.

By using a depth gauge and taking measurements of areas of the bottom of the reservoir, you can count on the fact that catching pike in winter on girders will be the most successful.

Before installing girders for catching a predator, you need to carefully look around. Arrange the girders in catchable place The following signs will help: narrowed place, broken shore lines, bays with overgrown grass, islands of reeds, calm water. It is in such places that pike prefer to spend the winter.

Arrangement of the girders

As practice has shown, it is best to place the vent in different places - part in shallow water, and the second in depth. It is this approach to winter pike fishing that allows you to determine in which places in the reservoir the bite will be more active. Usually it begins after 2-3 hours, but if not a single bite has occurred within one and a half to two hours, you should still change the fishing location, which should be no closer than 15 meters from the previous stop.

Experienced fishermen say that it is quite difficult to find the optimal fishing spot the first time, so they recommend making holes in other places in advance.

It is also worth knowing that during winter pike fishing, installing girders above the pit is obviously a losing option.

The most optimal solution would be to install it on a flat, shallow place, preferably with a slight snag. In addition, places with differences in depth have proven themselves to be excellent.

If you prefer to catch pike at depth, then you will need to be patient and, above all, careful, or even better, move to a more advantageous place. When the weather is unfavorable for fishing or a period of deep winter has begun, moving the girders to other places usually does not produce results, because at this time the activity of pike is minimal. If fishing occurs in severe frost, then it is necessary to sprinkle the hole all the way to the reel so that the hole freezes.

The equipment of the girder, which is designed to catch pike in winter, is very simple and therefore does not require specific knowledge and skills to start using it. Let's take a closer look at the main parts of the equipment in order to better understand what it consists of and draw our own conclusions.

The winter vent consists of the following main parts:

racks
latch with a flag, operated by a spring
coils

As the main fishing line, an exceptionally good and elastic monofilament should be used, capable of maintaining minimal memory during the process of unwinding from the reel. A 15-20-meter fishing line is wound onto the reel. It is worth noting that the diameter of such a coil has certain dimensions and must be at least 0.3 mm. This thickness should be enough to catch fish weighing up to 2 kg. It is worth noting that larger fish require a heavier reel.

The sinker on the girder is most often used in a sliding, oblong shape (other options are not excluded). The choice of mass depends not only on the conditions and depth in which the fishing will be done, but also on the size of the live bait. It performs a fixing function, in other words, it holds the baitfish at the desired level and prevents its attempts to hide in some kind of shelter.

A weight of 5-10 grams is sufficient for fishing in shallow water areas; in deeper places, a weight of at least 20 grams should be used. The sinker stopper is not a mandatory component of the equipment; however, its use allows you to adjust the degree of freedom of movement of the live bait on the hook and prevent the sliding sinker from breaking on the swivel.

To catch pike in calm water, triple or double hooks are used; in this method, the live bait is placed on the hook behind the back.

If you decide to fish with the current, you should use a single hook. It is worth noting that you should have tees with you different sizes. After all, you may need each one, since the size depends on the prey caught.

The most common tee sizes used in winter pike rigging are No. 6 and No. 7 (according to domestic markings). Read about the classification of hooks -. If the bait is small, and the intended prey is large, a double with hooks of different sizes is used (small for bait, large for pike).

Choice of live bait

In the wilderness, the bait used is that which is most accessible to the predator and constitutes its usual source of food. It could be a gudgeon, perch, ruffe - fish that are not particularly nimble. The dignity of live bait is determined by its ability to “play”, attracting the attention of predators and stimulating their appetite.

If the live bait hangs on the hook without moving, the predator’s grips are much less frequent and have a tinge of randomness. Live bait used when fishing with winter lures weighs on average 15-30 grams. Depending on the size of the live bait and the diameter of the leader, tees No. 6-8 are used.

An effective tackle for catching tench can be considered float rod. Tench's favorite bait is muckworm. More details

Hooking and landing the “predator”

A prerequisite when hooking and retrieving a pike is that the line must be held only with your fingers and in no case should it be held in a fist, much less wrapped around your hand. You always need to be prepared to give up the fishing line, since a large-sized pike can jerk so hard that it can easily break even a thick fishing line.

Moreover, a strong tension of the fishing line is unacceptable if the equipment does not have a leash capable of resisting pike teeth. Many bait fishermen fundamentally do not use a leash when equipping a winter pike bait, citing the fact that the number of bites increases several times, especially with sluggish bite.

The greatest number of breaks and derailments occur at the moment when you bring the pike to the hole. She begins to desperately resist and does not want to go into the hole. The moment when a pike touches the lower edge of the ice is especially dangerous when a seemingly exhausted pike is capable of a powerful jerk and, as a result, the tackle breaks. Therefore, you should never force things and give up a little fishing line, and then try again to get the pike into the hole.

When the pike has entered the hole, if the specimen is small, then you can pull it out by the fishing line; for larger specimens, it is necessary to use a hook.

Video about catching pike on a zherlitsa

In order to catch pike in winter, you need to know its habitats and habits well. Fishing for pike in the winter season requires the fisherman to carefully select bait and fishing location.

Catching pike on girders in winter is a very exciting and intriguing hobby. Imagine, on a vast ice area there are several flags in different places and you don’t know which one to rush forward to! You think this is an invention of a dreamer fisherman, but no, once upon a time it was quite a common occurrence. But that was once upon a time, and we still love to fish, and we do it based on realities...

Several years have been dry and only last year Finally, it turned out to be rich in precipitation and the level in ponds, lakes and rivers in central Russia rose significantly. As a result, not only did the depth in permanent fishing areas increase, but also the water areas of reservoirs expanded significantly. And then suddenly many fishermen noticed that it had become much more difficult to find fish. Where she bit well in previous years, now she is simply gone.

The drop in water level is one of many important factors affecting the movement of schools of fish, and if fluctuations in water reserves in the reservoirs of the Moscow region are a common phenomenon and local fishermen have long adapted to them, then the increase in the water level in the Volga above the Rybinsk reservoir by 2-2.5 m has become a real problem for many, even experienced fishermen a mystery.

Surrounded by forage fish, winter pike feels quite comfortable. Outside of this warm company, her mood sharply deteriorates, and she goes in search of new victims.

Species composition of fish in catches, with the exception of those living in large quantities In these places, roach and perch have changed significantly. Suddenly, out of nowhere, huge schools of large bream appeared, burbot was very active almost all winter, but the pike perch became much smaller, the pike disappeared somewhere altogether. It was not found either in the catches of amateur fishermen or in the nets of local residents (on the Rybinsk Reservoir they are allowed to fish with nets under a license)..

Last year, toothy predators were caught very well near the Volga fairway in places typical of their habitat, with complex bottom topography, and pike is not a fish that will go far from “home.” Schooling fish, such as bream, roach, pike perch and even perch, quite actively move across the expanses of the reservoir in search of food and it often happens that in some places it can be very dense, and in others, as they say, “zero” but pike...

I had a dispute with the owner of one of the fishing bases in Selikhovo (he said that pike in the local water area is simply elusive) and I responded positively to his tempting offer to verify this personally. I very much doubted that the pike could go somewhere far and for a long time, but there was real intrigue in finding it in the vast expanses of the Rybinsk Reservoir.

Where to look for pike in winter

It was possible to get out after the pike only at the very end of winter, during a long thaw. In the Yaroslavl region, this time can be called in one word - wilderness. It seems that winter is no longer in full swing, but even before last ice there was still quite a bit left. On the way to fishing, I thought about the reasons for the absence of the main Volga predators - pike perch and pike - in the catches.

The fact that they simply weren’t in the pond didn’t fit into my head; well, they couldn’t just dissolve. The elusiveness of predators is most likely associated with the migration of forage fish - sprat. In past years, the stomachs of pike perch, pike and even burbot were filled with this fish. It followed that the sprat lived near the bottom. What were the pelagic fish doing there?

The reason may have been due to the conditions of low water level and weak current in the bottom layer of the pits located near the fairway, as a result of which a bountiful harvest of plankton ripened, which the sprat fed on, and which, in turn, was “fed” by various predators. Now the situation is completely opposite - the water level has risen and the current in the fairway has increased significantly.

It may very well be that the plankton, and then the sprat, were “blown away” into the sea, or that the small silver fish could now find more food in the upper layers of the water. In any case, the sprat that has moved either horizontally or vertically must be followed like a shepherd by a flock - pike perch. Pike, on the other hand, is not prone to school hunting and long chases in the water column, and it is quite possible that it can switch to other food items, such as roach and perch.

The Rybinsk Reservoir occupies a huge area. It also has a mottled bottom topography and depth differences, as they say, for every taste. Therefore, we have a huge number of promising places for catching a predator, but even a month is not enough to check them all alone, and here it is extremely important not to make a mistake with the area and with the strategy for catching a fanged predator.

The water level in the reservoir rose and the sprat changed its habitat. A completely logical question arises - where to look for pike? Many fishermen know that in warm weather, when the water rises sharply, fish move to the coastal zone to explore new territories. At such moments, the predator prefers to stand in flooded reeds and bushes and usually returns to clean places when the water recedes or its temperature drops.

Perhaps in winter, on large reservoirs, such as Rybinsk, pike can stand in the middle of reeds and bushes - this needs to be checked. With a high degree of probability, only one thing can be assumed - the predator left the vast holes and channel edges, either into tributaries or onto the spills of the shallow left bank of the Volga. It is not surprising that in winter even local fishermen, “attached” to their treasured river-bed edges, “navels” and holes, could not find its hunting spots.

Zherlitsa is the best tackle to search for winter pike. Sheer trolling can be very effective only in those places where the angler is sure of the presence of a predator. While searching in unfamiliar areas of a reservoir, you can easily miss a toothy one; it is unlikely to stand in ambushes on the river bottom - there are very few suitable shelters there, and sand is present almost everywhere.

Pike in shallow water are both cautious and hungry at the same time. Pouncing on the prey with greed, the predator can get rid of the prey if it senses the slightest trick

In addition, if you see only one or two bites throughout the whole day (and under such conditions this can be considered a good result), then it will be difficult to correctly assess the concentration of a predator in a particular place. On the opposite bank from the base (with the owner of which there was a dispute), the bottom topography, to be honest, was not attractive - almost everywhere there was a smooth run aground, without any holes or steep edges, and the underwater vegetation had long since died off.

Surely it was possible to catch pike well here on the first ice. Of course, for this it was necessary to find some promising places - spits, islands, small snags, otherwise it would be necessary to place the girders over a large area, and this is not only a labor-intensive but also an uninteresting task - you put them and wait: if they bite, they don’t bite.

How to place the girders correctly

Placing vents “by area” in March is not at all effective. In spring, pike gather in groups in certain areas of the reservoir - usually where there is something to eat and where the water is more saturated with oxygen. The approaching spawning period also plays an important role in catching pike on girders in winter. Pike, as is known, is one of the first to lay eggs and therefore, while still under thick ice, makes its way towards the spawning grounds.

The fanged fish spends a lot of energy on spawning, and along the way it will not at all refuse to snack on a random roach or perch. And a prolonged spring thaw can become a harbinger of a coming spring for it, a false start, so to speak. The only question is whether the pike has started moving or not. To catch pike, both on the first ice and in the spring, you can use different fishing tactics.

The most productive way is to place girders in large shallow areas with a flat bottom, which in summer are usually covered with aquatic vegetation. Best places- bays with swampy shores, but a fairly hard bottom on large tributaries of the main body of water. Here the pike can stop to rest on its way upstream, and in the event of sudden warming, it can spawn, as they say, “without leaving the cash register.”

As usual, in such places, the girders are placed at a depth of 1 - 2 m. You can count on a good, trophy catch when fishing in well-known places and if you know the running time of the pike. Otherwise, your main “prize” will be “pencils”. If you combine fishing in such a place with checking the coastal snag, you can “kill two birds with one stone” - find out for yourself whether the pike climbed up the tributary during the rise of the water and whether its pre-spawning migration has begun.

But the last ice is still far away, and looking for pike in the tributary is risky, but a month later it would be an almost win-win move. And this time I chose a different tactic for catching fanged fish, again taking into account the characteristics of the year ( high water), and the probability of the start of the pre-spawning run of pike. Assuming for myself that the fish would rise from the Volga to spawn in one of the tributaries, I decided to place the girders in its shallow area, near the mouth of the large left tributary of the Volga - the Sutka River.

The width of this river at the mouth is more than 500 meters; the channel, bending, passes closer to the opposite bank. The bottom of the Sutka River floods is sandy, while on the riverbed it is covered with a continuous carpet of shell rock. The big drawback of this place is the abundance of nets; local fishermen were waiting for the arrival of the desired catch - roach from the “sea”. Although things were not going well for them yet, they stubbornly waited for the start of the season.

Bream regularly fell into the nets of fishermen all winter, but the real fishing on the Volga begins only with the approach of the “sea” roach

Most of the nets were scattered along the riverbed and along the edges on the left bank closest to the “sea,” and then I decided that if I placed the girders on the right bank, then the “fishermen” would not interfere much with my plans. Late, winter fishing fishing for pike on the girders is very different from fishing on the first ice, everything is different here, including the choice of fishing location - at this time the pike lives at a relatively shallow depth, but in the riverbed and at the bottom of deep holes there is almost no predator.

Of course, some specimens at this time of year are found at depths of 10-15 m, but this is rather an exception that only confirms the rule. At first glance, the right bank of the Sutka near the mouth did not look as promising as the left - instead of coastal reeds, there was a flat sandy beach. But the nearest net was at least 500 meters away, and besides, the coastline was quite rugged, and snow mounds indicated uneven bottoms in shallow water.

The pike had no right to miss such places. It’s not difficult to get live bait on the Volga - you can quickly find perch or a school of ruff at the mouth of the nearest stream on the right bank of the river, but “live bait” roach on big water It’s much more difficult to find, but this problem can be solved. Finally, all thoughts were left behind, the long-awaited first day of fishing arrived. At dawn, Andrei Stepanov, Vladimir Neustroev, and I began setting up the girders.

It is impossible to determine in advance at what depth the pike will go - the water level in the Volga and at the mouths of its tributaries has changed greatly in recent years; last year it was two meters lower than this year. With each dry summer, mini-edges with a depth difference of 5 to 30 cm are formed on the water line.

Determining depth using available means by measuring the layer of water between the ice and the bottom.

Any of the now flooded edges can become a pike pre-spawning trail, which is a real success to discover. With a high degree of probability, it is possible to predict the appearance of pike near the shore, where, in theory, it should often visit throughout the winter. It cannot be ruled out that it bites on the edge of the Sutka channel, at a depth of 2-3 m.

...you need to install live bait at a certain height from the ground

First day of fishing

It was decided to spend the first morning reconnaissance of the area. Since collective fishing for pike was supposed to be done on girders, we decided to divide our gear into three groups: one part of the girders was placed along the channel edge, the second part - diagonally from the edge to the shallows, and the third was placed in the coastal zone, where the depth between the ice and the bottom was from 20 to 50 cm.

For fishing in shallow water, weights on jig rigs are not needed and we have removed them. In addition, Andrei Stepanov, having assumed that the best live bait on the Rybinsk Reservoir is certainly small roach, included swivels on bearings in his equipment. They are several times more expensive than usual, but believe me, the game is worth the candle - the sinker will not hinder the movement of the live bait and it will walk very actively on the hook without twisting the line.

Looking ahead a little, I’ll tell you that roach as (the best on Rybinka) live bait was in no way superior to perch. The hungry pike willingly grabbed everything that was not offered to it. We had to work a little when drilling holes, especially in shallow water, since a 5-centimeter layer of water formed between the “root” ice and the compressed crust due to the thaw.

Holes with a width of 130 mm at an average depth are quite sufficient, but wider holes are needed near the shore - at least 150 mm. Drilling narrower ones is of course easier, but getting them out large pike, if one comes across it will be very problematic. Pike wakes up early at the end of winter. Therefore, it is advisable that by sunrise, or even better - after dark, all the piers should already be in place.

Of course, it cannot be said that active pike biting throughout the day on a huge reservoir is rare, but nevertheless, there are regularly days when the fanged predator feeds only during short-term “outings”, which in most cases happen in the first few hours after dawn.

Reconnaissance in force on the first day turned out to be more reconnaissance than combat. On the spills and edges, the pike did not betray its presence in any way and rearranging the gear did not give any results. But just under the shore at dawn, several blank flags were fired, one of them with a slight unwinding. Having measured with extreme precision the depth under the triggered gear, we found out for ourselves that all the bites were in the very shallows, where there was no more than 30 cm of water between the ice and the bottom.

Once the pike has shown itself, catching it becomes a matter of technique. To do this, you need to catch live bait and drill working holes in advance for the next day, so that the noise of the ice drill does not scare away the fish in the morning. We caught live bait one and a half hundred meters from the shore on the edge of the riverbed. There was such a density of fish here that a bite immediately followed in the newly drilled hole.

The ruff and perch confidently bent the nod on each retrieve. All that remained was to sort the live bait: perch into the eland, ruff into the hole, so as not to spoil the water in the container with its mucus. Paradoxically, the pike bites were shallow, and live bait was excellently caught on the edge of the riverbed, at a depth of 2-3 m. When choosing live bait, it is better to give preference to small fish.

It takes a pike a long time to swallow large baitfish, and since this happens in shallow waters and the predator is very careful in these conditions, it is better not to give it extra time to think. If the leisurely unwinding of the fishing line has stopped, it means that something has alerted the pike and it will try to get rid of its prey. But there is also the other side of the coin - premature hooking can result in an unfortunate gathering of fangs.

So, the predator is active near the shore, in shallow water. This means that catching pike in shallow water in winter has its own nuances. The depth at which the girders should be installed is very important. A small error of some 10-20 cm can greatly affect the final result of fishing, and therefore the holes were prepared in advance in sufficient quantities for fishing in a 15-30 cm layer of water.

Accurate depth measurement is the key to success

The original device described by A. Andreev in the article “Fishing with girders in shallow water” (“Rybolov-Elite”) will allow you to measure its height as accurately as possible. It’s not difficult to make, but we were even luckier - such a “poker” (as the inventor called it) was at the base. If you fish in a uniform shallow water area, then you can do without this device.

Determining the layer of water between the ice and the bottom using A. Andreev’s “poker”

You just need a straight twig, be it a broken branch, a piece of wire, etc. measure the thickness of the ice from the bottom edge to the water level in the hole (Fig. 2, a) and put this distance on the line of a conventional depth gauge, adding 20-25 cm to it (Fig. 2, 6). Then a bright cambric running tightly along the fishing line is moved to the desired point. That's it, the optimal fishing depth is set. Now, by the deviation of the cambric from the water level in each new hole, we can judge the thickness of the water layer between the bottom and the ice (Fig. 2, c).

"Working" depth. Determining the thickness of the water layer between the ice and the bottom using available means: a - measure the distance between the lower edge of the ice and the water level;

b - put it on the depth gauge line and add 20 cm, mark the desired fishing point with a cambric;

c - check the layer of water in the new hole. If the mark is at water level, then this is a promising fishing spot and it is worth placing a girder in this hole

Where to catch pike in winter on girders

The piers should be located along the water's edge in places where there are small capes and bays. On flat areas there are usually significantly fewer pike bites. Particularly noteworthy are the coastal hillocks, the tops of which stand out as snow caps above the plain. The fishing gear for pike should be installed as if surrounding the shallow coast of the exposed tubercle.

The most optimal distance between the holes is about 10 m. It makes no sense to place piers too often, but too rarely - you can easily miss some interesting point, and it’s not very convenient to keep track of widely scattered piers. Preliminary preparation for fishing made it possible to drill two holes at the most interesting points - at depths of 15 and 25 cm, so that you could install gear with a snake: one hole a little deeper, the next - aground.

The shallow water area chosen for fishing. Red dots indicate catchable holes for girders

This work is not at all in vain. It often happens that bites occur at a strictly defined depth, for example, 15 cm, but the pike simply ignores live bait installed in a 30-centimeter layer of water or at least 12 cm, then the bait must be moved deeper. In the shallows near the shore, pike bites follow in series, so, after removing the next trophy from the hook, quickly bring the bait into working condition.

This time, the pike was caught in those holes where the layer of water between the ice and the bottom was only 15-18 cm (Fig. 3), so after a few hours, making sure that no fish were caught at a slightly deeper depth (there was only one single bite) , we moved some of the “deep-water” holes to the reserve “shallow-water” holes. This move was completely worth it.

It sometimes happens that the flags are raised within an hour only on two or three poles installed in the neighborhood. Is it worth moving the rest of the gear to the pike feast? I think not. The noise accompanying their installation can scare away predators, and if the distance between the girders is no more than 10 m, then the pike will not let your bait past its teeth.

A few words about silence. Many fishermen greatly underestimate its importance when fishing in the shallows. But in vain. Here is a typical case from practice. After the light clap of the triggered gear, another flag fluttered in the wind. Having grabbed the bait, the pike slowly continues to move - this can be seen from the uniform rotation of the reel.

You head towards the triggered tackle, and when there are a few steps left, the reel suddenly begins to spin with a squeal. This means that the fish heard the steps of the approaching fisherman. Sensing danger, the pike will probably prefer to run away with the victim in its teeth and perhaps be spotted during its flight, or maybe try to get rid of the bait.

Very often this happens during a sluggish bite. So it turns out that there are few bites, and it is impossible to realize them. If there are no bites on the girders installed at the required depth, do not despair - during the day the bite will flare up in one or another section of shallow water. Unfortunately, the pike does not have a movement schedule.

And finally. When drilling holes in shallow water, the blades of the ice drill will often fall into the sand and it is almost impossible to avoid this. Contrary to popular belief, Swedish-made knives dull when in contact with the ground no less than domestic ones.

My partner corrected them using a special sharpener, but the effect of this measure is short-term - you can drill only a few holes without much difficulty. However, authoritative experts strongly advise against using sharpeners, since knives that have been touched up several times can no longer be sharpened correctly, and they recommend taking a set of additional knives with you.

And there is something right in this - you never know what can happen to an ice auger (knives become dull, one or even both of them become unscrewed and lost) far from home. And here I think a spare set of knives will come in handy. This concludes the next report on catching pike on girders in winter and there is hope that the above will bring real benefit to someone.

The process of catching pike in winter with girders can last a whole day, and such gear is convenient when going to a pond near a dacha or to a lake in winter. The behavior of the fish during this period, as well as the equipment of the girder, play an important role in fishing. Knowing the secrets of fishing and the places where pike are found in winter, you can get a good trophy.

Specifics of catching pike on girders in winter

As a rule, you should take at least a dozen fishing rods with you on a fishing trip so that you can catch fish in more than one place. A good bite will depend on the right location, weather conditions and the angler’s ability to handle the fish.

Since the predator leads a less active lifestyle during this period and gets out of pits and pools only at the time of hunger, some important factors need to be taken into account:

when seeing live bait, the fish can stay in one place for a long time and look at it motionless;
it is necessary to move the tackle up and down to provoke the predator to attack;
in sunny or windy weather, the fish go to the bottom, so it is better not to fish on such a day;
cloudy weather shows good biting results;
pressure affects the character of the toothy hunter, and if it jumps, then it is better to postpone winter fishing for pike with girders to another day.

Many anglers ask how to place girders on pike in winter. It is more reliable to install winter girders for pike fishing on the steep bank of a reservoir, where the current is slow, and the distance from the shore is no more than 20 meters, so as not to go around the entire reservoir and not check the girder in one place while there is a bite in another.

Worth knowing! The bait installation technique should take place on the reservoir when the holes are drilled.

It is important that the place is shallow, up to about 2 meters. The specifics of installing a girder include certain rules that every angler must follow:

release the line from the reel and measure the depth of the reservoir;
live bait must hang on the desired horizon;
secure the reel with a flag;
lower the baited bait under the ice.

The use of balancers and spinners is more suitable for large or deep bodies of water, but girders can be used anywhere. The peculiarity of this bait is that the predator actually reacts to it, and a bite occurs. Gears are an easy-to-use device, and if you know how to use them, you can achieve good results in winter pike fishing.

Types and designs of winter vents

Today there are many options for baits, each of which has its own specific look. This helps to answer the question of how to catch pike with girders in winter. Most often, the vent has important constituent elements:

stand;
fishing line with reel;
signaling device

When preparing for fishing, you need to attach a rotating bracket made of duralumin to a wooden stand on top, then put a fishing line with a reel on the end opposite from the fastening and use a soft combra to lock it on the axis.

There are many zherlits, and each fisherman has his own characteristics of winter pike fishing with similar baits, his own preferences and appropriate additions. Zherlits are divided into several types, the design of which will depend on the characteristics of the gear.

On a wide base. This type is considered popular among anglers. Effective to use, simple and inexpensive. It is convenient to fish in shallow water and in frost. Its wide base covers the hole and retains heat.
On legs. It has proven itself well on high snowdrifts. Usually it walks on three legs. Consists of a reel, a flag and a stand.
On the rail. This compact type of girders is easy to manufacture. It is a compact fishing rod, and installation consists of attaching a reel with fishing line to the rail and mounting a flag, drilling a hole in the center where the fishing line will be passed. A leash, hook and sinker are attached to the fishing line. A treble hook is dropped under the ice with live bait.
Subglacial. More suitable when fishing at night. The design is that a 30 centimeter flyer is tied to the stick on a cord. A fishing line with equipment is wound around it.
Changelings. It looks like a machine gun. When biting, it turns over with its nose under the ice. More suitable for fishing in the first winter month, when there is little snow on the ice. The design consists of a plastic tube and wire legs. The fish is not alarmed at the sight of such a girder.

To properly equip winter girders for pike you need to:

First you need to determine the depth of the reservoir.
The length of the fishing line should be at least 30 meters and preferably made of monofilament with a diameter of 0.3-0.4 mm. Thin fishing line reduces strength, braided cord absorbs water and freezes in the cold, so using monofilament will be just right.
Properly rig the sinker. To do this, you need to put it on just above the leash. The weight should not be large, otherwise the predator will resist during the bite or simply get scared.
A flag for pike in winter will signal a bite, and the angler will have time to prepare for fishing. Catching pike with flags in winter shows good results, and you can slowly prepare to catch prey.
Check the vent every 15 minutes to a height of 40-50 centimeters. This action will provoke the fish to take the bait.

When rigging a winter pole for pike, you should take its size and weight into account. Based on the knowledge of professionals in this matter, the following should be mentioned:

monofilament should be 0.35 mm;
hook with number 1;
leash approximately 0.5 mm thick;
sinker no more than 15 grams.

Video: overview of different types of winter vents

How to select and place live bait

The main bait for pike in winter is live bait of about 10 centimeters, which is found in the reservoir where fishing takes place. And it is desirable that the live bait resists. Perch or roach are best.

Methods for attaching live bait:

1) One of the ways to attach live bait is to hook through the operculum. As a rule, it is left overnight. This will help him stay on his toes. Here it is important to thread the hook along the ridge and thread the tee so as not to harm the baitfish.

2) This method is simple, and you can use a single hook to hook live bait by the nostrils. It’s just important not to damage his nasal cavity, otherwise he won’t be active.

3) To prevent the lip of the live bait from tearing with this method of mounting, you need to have light weight tackle. A single hook will work fine. When the current is strong, baitfish are hooked by the lower lip, and with weak – for both.

4) Place behind the back are a popular method among anglers. The bait will be in its usual position, and there is no risk to the health of the baitfish. They pierce the bait with a hook between the ridge and the fin. However, these actions require skill.

By the way! More experienced fishermen know that large live bait up to 150 grams in weight is suitable for pike. She swallows it for a long time and can get caught on the tee.

When a predator has caught the bait and begins to eat it, you need not to flinch and hook it without delay or hesitation. They get the fish with a hook before it breaks the line.

Video: how to attach live bait to rigs and more

Video: how to prepare live bait for catching pike on girders

When and where to catch pike on girders in winter

Pay attention! In fresh water bodies there are areas where you first need to check the bite site. As a rule, you need to start with reeds. If the fisherman is confident in the reservoir, he should go to the snag zone. But the main thing here is that the gear does not get tangled in the thickets. Another place where pike are found is the riverbed edges.

Weather conditions are one of the important factors influencing fishing. For example, in the first winter month it still bites well, but in the middle of winter it shows low activity. For fishing to be successful, you need to understand when the fish bites.

In cloudy weather without wind, and another plus when it snows. This is the best time to catch a predator.
On a cold and clear day, the pike will remain in the depths and will not show its nose.
If there is a north wind, there may not be a bite.

Since pike prefers to stay near holes and pools in winter, it leaves its shelter only during periods of hunger. As places where she lives The following are distinguished:

snags and holes;
the middle of the reservoir, since the fish thinks that this is the deepest place;
the use of echo sounders simplifies the search for fish, although this method will be expensive;
By interviewing avid fishermen, you can find out good fishing spots;
By drilling several holes and placing vents, you can cover a large area of the reservoir at once.

Video: winter fishing for pike with girders

How to fish with girders: tactics and techniques for catching pike with girders in winter

There are many methods and tactics for catching predators with girders, and everyone has their own preferences. Fishing for pike in winter on girders means good physical training and readiness to react in time to a bite.

correctly configured gear and a well-chosen place will guarantee success for winter fishing;
Having studied the nature of the pike, as well as its habitat and parking area, the topography of the reservoir, you can purchase a good trophy;
Lure fishing is usually done from the shore.
if fishing takes place on a boat in the summer, then for safety reasons it is necessary to have a partner present;
the line should be perpendicular to the water;
playing with bait is carried out 50-70 centimeters from the bottom of the reservoir;
when trolling, choose short rods and thin fishing line;
the bait should not be big;
since predators attach themselves to forage fish, you should stay in one place and not look for migrating schools;
using an echo sounder, you can find fish sites;
you need to approach the hole quietly, because the predator swims up to the hole carefully and with great caution;
you need to fish at certain times of the day; the bite is more often observed in the morning;
if there are several leashes, it is recommended to attach different live baits;
in strong currents, fishermen use a heavier sinker;
if the bait is placed at night, the hole is covered with snow;
if there are several girders, you should not run from one to another so as not to miss the fish.

To catch pike in winter using girders, anglers resort to all sorts of tricks. Based on the recommendations, the following can be listed:

Using echo sounders makes it easier to find fish in any body of water.
The best way to increase the bite is to use several baits.
It is best to fish in snags, which the predator prefers most as its habitat.
The best fishing spot is where the streams flow into the pond. Large fish are most often seen there. You can also choose eyebrows.
Fishing in winter should not be done alone. If the angler goes under the ice, his partner will pull the poor guy out of the cold water.
If there is no bite, the girders need to be moved to another place and checked for the presence of bait.

Typical mistakes in catching pike on girders in winter

Fishing in winter takes place on at different levels, regardless of whether the fisherman is a beginner or a professional. However, there are common mistakes that any angler should know in order to avoid unpleasant situation. Below are the most popular:

Fishing in clear sunny weather will be fruitless.
When a predator has swallowed a live bait, and the hook was made earlier, only the bait attached to the hook will be the catch.
When landing fish, you must not loosen the line. When tensioning the line, you should give some tackle to the resisting fish.
You should not make noise while fishing and stomp on the ice so as not to scare away the cautious pike.
The quality of fishing will depend on the right choice places for installing vents. A toothy predator can attack live bait in shallow waters, and at other times in backwaters and holes. Therefore, knowledge of the reservoir will be a big plus for the angler when fishing for pike with live bait in winter on girders.
The wrong time for fishing will affect the bite. The fish usually swims out at dawn and may not be around again during the day. But an hour before sunset the bite may begin again.
If there are no crumbs of ice and snow on the hole, the sun's rays reach the bottom of the reservoir, and the bite stops. It is worth masking the fishing spot by covering the hole with snow.

Winter fishing It is considered an exciting and sporting process that brings a lot of pleasure. Taking into account the behavior of the predator, the rules of fishing technique, and knowing how to properly install a girder on a pike in winter, by choosing the most suitable ones, you can catch a wonderful trophy that is worth bragging about to friends and relatives. Experimenting with zherlitsy and not committing typical mistakes, even a beginner will enjoy this activity.

Video: catching pike on girders in winter