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What are the special features of winter fishing? Winter fishing is a favorite pastime of many anglers. No frost or wind can stop them. All rivers and lakes are covered in a thick ice sheet, which must first be drilled through. Only then will it be possible to haul trophy pike, grayling, and ide from the water.
Fishing trips through the protected taiga are only available in the spring and fall. However, hunters who come on goose hunting trips have the opportunity to perch over an ice hole and catch a full harvest of Siberian predators.
How do you choose a location?
Fish finders are a great help when ice fishing. But what should a fisherman do without one, and where should he or she look for fishing spots? Experienced fishermen know the specific signs that fish are nearby. They pay attention to natural factors:
- Weather conditions;
- Ice cover condition;
- On the relief of the reservoir;
- Amount of snow.
The choice of fishing spot also depends on the river species being targeted. Each fish has its own habitat. Most predatory fish, with the exception of burbot, move under the ice in winter. This occurs until the predator finds holes and riffles, where the fish can spend a long time.
How to catch predators under the ice
In Siberia, predatory fish are especially valuable, both for their taste and nutritional value. At the beginning of winter, trophy specimens are found in pits, pools, and near beaver ponds. In large rivers, grayling, for example, should be sought in the shallows. In spring, however, the fish move to shallow waters, where they are often caught during goose hunts.
A key feature of this predator's fishing is that it attacks best in the morning. Therefore, many anglers try to come to the river at this time of day. It's no secret how cautious and timid this predator is, so it's important to remain as quiet as possible on the ice, and perhaps then luck will smile on you.
Winter fishing gear
Graylings can be caught with a jig using a winter fishing rod.
Mormyshka
Winter gear should consist of the following elements:
- Fishing rod with or without inertial reel;
- The nod, which is made of elastic material, can use a spring;
- Monofilament fishing line of small diameters;
- The jigs should be flat and light;
- Maggots, worms, and bloodworms are used as bait. It's not a bad idea to try fishing with burdocks or bark beetles in winter;
Fishing technique:
When fishing for grayling in winter, it's important to work the jig so as to stir up sediment from the bottom. Sometimes you need to lift the bait about half a meter off the bottom and then lower it back down.
Donka
You don't need a bite alarm to use bottom fishing tackle. A heavy sinker, a leader with hooks on top, and that's all the gear you need. The fishing technique is almost identical to that of jig fishing rods. The sinker is periodically lifted to the ice hole and then released downstream.
Tackle with artificial flies
This fishing tackle doesn't require a sinker. A heavy jig serves as the sinker. Several flies are placed above it, and as you retrieve it, you need to constantly twitch and play to attract the predator's attention.
With a leash
To use this type of tackle, you should tie a leader above the sinker, like on a spinning rod, for example. The leader should be fixed and sliding.
The advantage of winter grayling fishing is that it's found in all Siberian waters. So, no matter what the current in your chosen river or lake, grayling will definitely be there.
