The reliable old-fashioned method of catching fish with bottom gear has in our time been simplified by the manufacture of devices from modern materials, but has not changed its essence. The catches are stable, fishing strategies can be easily adjusted to the subject of hunting, weather conditions and types of reservoir, so fishermen are not inclined to change proven methods and successfully continue to cultivate bottom gear when planning their next fishing adventures.
Today we’ll look at bottom tackle with a focus on catching crucian carp. Let's discuss the main methods of making donks for this type of fish, their equipment and fishing techniques.
Gear device
The bottom rig for crucian carp, or rather its concept, is similar to bottom rigs for catching other fish, having only some minor features in its design.
Crucian carp is a fairly common type of fish, which almost any angler can boast of catching, but bottom anglers are mostly satisfied with trophy specimens. Bottom tackle for crucian carp is a certain piece of fishing line, equipped with a sinker and leashes for installing a hook with bait. This is the so-called skeleton, on which you can already start catching crucian carp, but you can assemble the rig by completing the bottom with feeders and compensation elastic and adapting the rod for casting.
All these additions to the accessories presented above increase the possibilities of catching fish, in terms of using point bait, the feeder itself, and the comfort of using the gear. An elastic band or model is for attaching the main thread of the donkey to the load, and a rod is for long-distance and accurate casting.
Crucian carp, a seemingly simple fish, is actually one of the most capricious inhabitants of freshwater bodies of water, requiring careful attention to the use of certain methods of equipment, complementary food and bait for fishing. Taking these factors together, we will consider the nuances required when catching crucian carp with a donk.
Making bait
- It is necessary to pour the bait base into a bucket or other container , which must be thoroughly mixed while still dry;
- Pour the bait with water from the reservoir , mix, let the bait brew, and then sift through a sieve;
- Add the pre-prepared filler to the container and mix again;
- Add soil from the shore of a pond (or molehill) and flavoring. Mix the bait thoroughly and let it brew.
Species of donkey for crucian carp
Donka for crucian carp, in its classic version, is assembled from monofilament with a diameter of 0.25-0.30 mm, which is wound onto a reel. One donk can hold no more than 40 meters of forest; a standard cast of more than 20-30 meters is technically quite difficult to implement. The reel is made from a piece of wooden plank or an inertial reel is used. At the end of the line, a sinker is attached to the line. The sinker is either blindly tied to the fishing line, or to make it possible to change it, metal fasteners are used. Depending on the strength of the current, weights from 40 grams are used, smaller weights are relevant for standing water, and up to 200 grams.
Loops are knitted on the main line at intervals of 1.5-2 meters; as a rule, more than five loops are not used into which leashes are tied. Leashes are prepared from thinner fishing line of 0.12-0.18 mm. Crucian carp are sensitive to rough tackle and if they suspect a trick, they will definitely throw the bait. The classic donkey look can also be used with one leash. The choice depends on the intensity of the fish bite.
The second type of donkey for crucian carp includes a tackle with an elastic band installed between the main line and the load. This addition to the design of the gear allows you to throw the equipment into the reservoir at the beginning of fishing only once, subsequently pulling it ashore to check and replant the bait and in case of a bite. The elastic band, due to its properties, attracts the fishing line to the load back to the mounting position. The length of the elastic is selected based on the length of the main fishing line. For example, models of 0.5-0.6 mm for a thirty-meter section of donkey will need seven times less, which will be approximately four, four and a half meters. As in the first case, reels are used to collect docks.
The third, modern type of bottom tackle for crucian carp includes the designs of equipment mounted on rods, mainly spinning rods or rods designed for bottom fishing using feeders or, so-called in the modern fishing world, feeders. The main cord of the donkey is wound onto a spinning reel, and to it the fisherman has the opportunity to attach various types of equipment required for the current fishing conditions. This type of donkey is installed on special stands along the banks of a reservoir and equipped with a bite alarm. The equipment is prepared in advance, at home.
How to make a donka for crucian carp
Assembling a donkey for crucian carp with your own hands is quite simple, both technically and in terms of material resources.
All you need to collect donks according to the types presented above is:
- fishing line;
- leash material (it is prepared from thinner lines);
- sliding or blind sinkers;
- hooks for crucian carp with a long shank for animal baits and with a short shank for vegetable baits;
- various sizes of feeders.
The sequence of collecting donkeys of the classic version with forest diameters and cargo weights has already been mentioned above. The equipment with an elastic band is similar in configuration, plus the model itself, the diameter of which we also sorted out in the previous part of the article.
When installing these types of reels on the shore, the donks are attached to a peg that is securely driven into the shore of the reservoir. The easiest way to use a signaling device is to use a small ringing bell. Let's look in more detail at the case when fishing for crucian carp is carried out using docks on rods with a progressive type of equipment.
Bottom tackle for catching crucian carp mounted on a fishing rod with a spinning reel basically involves a base of braided cords. It is more reliable to use the color of the cord in the color of the water; as a rule, dark green and gray are suitable options. The thickness of the braid is 0.16-0.20 mm. We remember that crucian carp does not like rough gear . A medium-sized clasp in combination with a triple swivel is attached to the braided braid. The feeder will be attached to one ring of the tee. Feeder feeders are used, preferably already loaded, so as not to complicate the equipment with additional weights. We attach a leash 20-30 cm long to the empty ring.
Recently, crucian carp fishing enthusiasts have acquired a new type of rig - the so-called nipple or also called a crucian killer rig. The equipment relates to the topic of fishing with feeders. Spring-type feeders are mounted sequentially, two or three in a row. Leashes 10 cm long with strong hooks with a short shank are tied directly to the base of the feeder. There can be from one to three such leashes on the feeder. The feeders are filled with complementary food - bait, together with hooks and the crucian carp, sucking in the complementary food, sucks in the hooks, subsequently hooking itself onto the tackle.
Read about preparing a bait for crucian carp and what is good about this tackle.
Technique for catching crucian carp on a donk
Bottom gear for catching crucian carp is placed on the shore of the reservoir, clear of vegetation. This condition is necessary for high-quality and unhindered casting of gear and the possibility of landing caught fish. If there is vegetation in a promising place, bushes, thickets of grass and reeds, it is recommended to clear an area of five or six square meters before fishing. The bottom of the reservoir should be relatively clean, without dense aquatic vegetation and strong snags.
Important! Crucian carp is quite shy and when organizing a fishing spot you will have to pay attention to silence. The option with a pre-prepared site on the shore and a cleaned bottom of the reservoir will be the most correct solution.
Choosing bait and bait
Groundbait based on fish feed, breadcrumbs and components with a sweet component, molasses, regular cookies, white bread, are prepared a couple of hours before fishing and made to a thick consistency.
As baits in the summer, plant species are preferable:
- sweet corn;
- steamed peas;
- crumb of white bread.
In colder water, crucian carp prefer bait made from animal components:
- muckworm;
- maggot;
- bloodworms and their various combinations - sandwiches.
Subtleties and nuances of fishing
Fishing for crucian carp in the fall is more successful at depths where the water has not yet cooled. In the summer, crucian carp, in the hottest part of the day, stays in the depths; at dusk in the evening and at dawn, they like to go out to the shallows. When fishing with donkeys, this factor is one of the decisive ones, since the gear is installed in deeper parts of the reservoir.
Catching crucian carp on a donk with a feeder involves feeding only with the supply of tackle. When fishing with a classic donk or with an elastic band, feeding and subsequent supplementary feeding are carried out using the delivery of bait with a slingshot or long-distance casting by hand. They feed once every half hour with small balls of three or five cm. When installing gear, the structure of the bottom of the reservoir is taken into account. If the bottom is muddy, you will need to lift leashes with bait into the water column. They do this by retrofitting the leashes with small pieces of foam balls. Sometimes they should be tinted gray or red for greater inconspicuousness, since when fishing with live bait, crucian carp are often confused by a foreign object of a color different from the natural food.
The bites of crucian carp, when they are hungry, are aggressive and sharp. With little activity, the fish can try the bait for a long time, making itself known by small tremors of the alarm. But you should only hook with a sharp blow, otherwise the crucian carp will simply spit out the bait without being caught on the hook. The bottom with a feeder is designed to self-hook crucian carp; when fishing without a feeder, using an elastic band, the angler must be prepared to quickly respond to a bite signal and immediately hook the biting fish.
Secrets of fishing
We must remember that crucian carp is a slow fish. He is never the first to come to the bait, especially since splashes of water at the time of feeding frighten him. Small and fast fish always come first for bait: roach, bream, bleak. They eat up all the small food. Therefore, it is necessary to include large fractions of ingredients in the bait, of such a size that small fish cannot swallow them;
The bites of crucian carp on the donk are sharp and rapid only during periods of gluttony. On other days, he pecks cautiously and self-hooks extremely rarely.
Sometimes, to activate the bite, you need to pull the tackle a little closer to the shore.
Advantages and disadvantages of gear
Obviously, the main advantages are provided by the equipment when fishing for crucian carp at long distances. It is the large specimens that stay away from the shore in deep holes, and they are the main target of fishing with bottom gear.
Important! The donka is also convenient in windy weather, when fishing with a float is not very comfortable; the donka is quite functional and catchy.
Cheapness and simplicity in the design of bottom gear for hunting crucian carp are among the important advantages in the fishing world of the variety of equipment and fishing devices.
The disadvantages of this fishing method include the presence of fairly strict conditions for installing gear at the fishing site. It is not always possible to clean up a promising area on the shore of a reservoir, much less in its water area. Vegetation on the bottom, snags, sloughs and various kinds of submerged structures and objects are the favorite habitats of crucian carp, but such points are inaccessible for bottom fish.
What is the difference between bottom tackle and feeder
Feeder means feeding fish combined with fishing. Complementary food and bait are simultaneously delivered by the same tackle to a specific fishing point. When using donkey, you have to feed the fish separately. It is often wise to place the bait at a promising fishing point a day before installing the donkey itself.
The probability of larger crucian carp entering such places is very high. The strategy for using a donkey and a feeder also differs in the factor of fish timidity.
Important! Crucian carp is quite shy, so an installed bottom, or preferably an elastic band, always works in silence, unlike a frequently recast rod with a feeder. Catches with rubber donkeys can differ significantly from fishing with donkeys with feeders in terms of their higher productivity.
It is imperative to pay attention to this nuance when planning a fishing strategy for crucian carp.
Blitz tips
- In the heat of the day, crucian carp may practically not respond to either bait or complementary food. You can replace the feeder with pressed bait, which will create a cloud in the water that imitates the movement of zooplankton. In this case, the bite may intensify.
- Large crucian carp can be tempted to bite with a small boilie using a classic hair rig;
- On many bodies of water, fish only react to bait with which they are familiar. You need to use worms from the shore of a reservoir, caterpillars from the leaves of trees growing near the water.
