How to catch burbot: tackle, bait and technique

Almost all representatives of the cod family live in salt water and only burbot lives in freshwater reservoirs. Burbot is an omnivorous fish that prefers a bottom-dwelling lifestyle. The fish is unpredictable, so different methods of catching burbot are used. Despite the desirability of the prey, the fish is a rare inhabitant of water bodies; in order to increase the population, a fine is introduced for catching burbot. It is worth checking in advance about the ban on burbot fishing in your region at a specific time.

Features of burbot fishing

Content

This fish differs from the usual inhabitants of reservoirs in its habits and predilection for low temperatures.

Bottom representatives include fish

Let's consider the main nuances that you must know before starting the hunt:

It is important to clarify whether it is possible to catch burbot in a particular region now. Catching cod fish is probably prohibited during spawning, and a ban on fish size has also been introduced in Russia. The fisherman is obliged to release the catch if the size of the individual does not exceed 40 cm, otherwise he will be fined;
Find out in advance where you can catch burbot, if fishing is allowed. Sometimes authorities stipulate places where fishing is allowed. The fish itself belongs to the bottom representatives, so to catch it it is better to choose areas of the bottom with vegetation, snags or other obstacles;
In the autumn-winter period of the year, fish spawning begins. The predator feels good in cold water, and at the stage of preparation for spawning, fishermen experience the most catchy time. The best fishing occurs from mid-autumn to mid-spring;
in the summer, the only chance to catch fish is night fishing. Burbot does not like the sun's rays and prefers to hide from them, going out to hunt only at night. In general, it is ineffective to search for predators in rivers that warm up to a temperature of 25°C;
Burbot is found at great depths and is a relatively passive fish, especially in summer. In warm times, it lies at the bottom, floating in a small radius. This feature makes burbot an easy prey for the “river giant” – catfish. If there is a large population of catfish in a river or lake or they are quite large, burbot most likely will not be found there.

Places for catching burbot

Burbot is a bottom-dwelling fish that leads a sedentary lifestyle and is characterized by low activity. It almost always hunts at night. A peculiarity of fishing is the difficulty of determining where it is better to catch burbot, since everything depends on the conditions in a particular reservoir: the availability of good places for hunting, areas for shelter from the sun, suitable spawning grounds. Burbot is predominantly found in northern rivers and is found here in large quantities.

Northern rivers are predominantly inhabited by burbot

Important condition! The rivers where burbot are caught should not warm up much, and the largest representatives of the species are found in cold regions. In the Northern latitudes it is possible to catch a trophy specimen.

How to choose a reservoir and location:

in rivers with clean water and cold underwater springs. Mountain rivers often turn out to be promising places;
It is desirable to have a current in the reservoir, but fish are also found in deep-water, clean lakes;
a hard bottom surface is important: sand or pebbles;
the distance of the river from a person. Particularly promising places are located in the forest, away from the city and restricted areas;
The reservoirs of the central region of Russia are promising; in them, fish grow to an average size.

Good to remember! Burbot never lives in polluted reservoirs with calm water. The abundance of underwater vegetation and silt on the bottom repel predators. It is already almost impossible to find fish in the reservoirs flowing close to the enterprises, although previously the areas were inhabited by burbot.

Where to catch burbot:

near steep steep banks, the ideal site would be the presence of a sharp change in depth near the shore. Often hides in all sorts of natural pockets, burrows and under tree roots;
whirlpools, deep-sea pits with various underwater obstacles;
ridges of stones and large stone boulders at the depth of the reservoir;
all kinds of hydraulic structures: dams, supporting columns of crossings, piers.

What bait to choose for tench?

When is the best time to catch burbot?

Understanding what time of year is best to catch burbot will allow you to fish with maximum efficiency and pleasure. Without proper knowledge, the catch will depend on luck.

From the last ten days of September the fish begin to become more active

Features of choosing the time of year:

autumn is the time of stable burbot bites. The fish begin to become active in the last ten days of September, after the water begins to cool steadily. Mostly caught in the fall with a donk: a bait or a feeder. What time of day to catch burbot? Definitely at night, now it is most active and can be caught well with live bait and large worms. The pre-spawning feast begins in late autumn. November promises to be successful fishing;
In winter, active feeding of fish continues, sometimes the activity of the predator only intensifies. In December, you have to fish from the ice, and girders become popular. Live baits, baits made from pieces of meat and vertical spoons do their job quite well. Burbot spawning begins in January; this is a quiet period for fishermen; prey is caught on a hook relatively rarely. Since catching burbot after spawning is problematic, and the bite is unstable, it is better to use baits;
in the spring the bite continues to deteriorate as the water warms up. The higher the ambient temperature, the greater the passivity of the fish. Catching a predator is still possible, but the results depend on the right location and gear. In spring, the chances of catching a large specimen are high, especially in March from the ice. As April approaches, the bite subsides;
Summer is the most difficult period for a fisherman interested in hunting burbot. Only the most successful summer bait is capable of luring prey out of the hole. Typically, anglers avoid hunting cod fish in the summer. More often, burbot is caught only as bycatch in catfish fishing. In the summer, it makes sense to use a donk with a rubber shock absorber, a throw and a net.

We do not recommend going fishing in January and early February, as this is the period when you cannot catch burbot due to spawning.

In inclement weather the predator bites better

Another important point concerns what weather is best to catch burbot. The cod predator bites better in inclement weather. The reason is not known for certain, but as the weather worsens, by human standards, the performance of burbot fishing improves. Prey is often hooked in the fall on cold nights with wind and rain.

Let's decide on gear for catching burbot

Tackle for burbot is simple and uncomplicated, because this fish is not a cautious species of underwater inhabitants. Typically, gear for catching burbot is assembled with one’s own hands and relatively thick versions of the main line are used.

The main elements of tackle and equipment for catching burbot:

Typically, a fishing line with a diameter of 0.4 mm is used. More often they use regular monofilament, but in places where there is a chance of catching a trophy, braided cord turns out to be better: stronger and more resistant to wear;
leashes are not a necessary part, because burbot does not have sharp teeth that can damage standard fishing line. If leashes are used, there is no point in using fluorocarbon; burbot does not need the transparency of fluoric. Steel leaders are also useless; monofilament will come in handy;
Any rods and reels are suitable; you can use old but strong spinning rods made of aluminum and spinning rods of a basic design. Durability is a key characteristic;
It is better to use hooks with a long shank; they are easier to remove from the fish’s mouth.

What is a trolling reel?

The specific choice of elements depends on the type of gear selected for the season and fishing conditions. Typically used for fishing:

changeover;
feeder;
donks: elastic band, throw;
live bait fishing rod.

The burbot tackle is simple and uncomplicated.
Several additional tackle options:

snack. We take a large piece of fishing line (about 100 m), tie a sinker to the end, and attach several leashes and hooks a little higher. We wind the end of the fishing line onto a reel and attach it to a tree or peg on the shore. We equip the hooks with attachments. We cast from the shore or bring in gear from a boat;
rubber. Refers to types of fishing that require the participation of a fisherman. The difference with the previous tackle is that a rubber shock absorber is attached to the main line and is connected to a sinker. The length of the shock absorber is 5-10 m. The tackle does not need repeated re-casts;
feeder. You will need a long fishing rod of 3.3-3.6 m, a multiplier reel of 2000-3000, braid or other fishing line that can withstand a breaking force of 5 kg. We install a bite alarm on the feeder.

How to make tackle for burbot with your own hands?

Making a donka

You can make a donk for catching burbot with your own hands using the following instructions:

Initially, a suitable stick for the fishing rod is selected, the recommended length is 2.1 meters.
A reel is installed and attached to the rod; you can use an inertial or inertial-free model.
At least 50 meters of cord with a diameter of 0.4-0.5 mm must be wound onto a drum or spool.
It is recommended to prepare sliding equipment; for these purposes, you will need to find a fairly heavy sinker, in which there is a through hole through which the working line is passed.
A stopper in the form of a bead made of rubber or silicone is added to the equipment, which is necessary to soften blows to the knot.
Now you need to tie two loops: one at the end of the working line, and the other at a distance of 50 cm, a leash line no more than 20 cm long is tied to it.
For the leash, you can use monofilament with diameters from 0.25 to 0.3 mm; it is equipped with one hook No. 2 or No. 3.

Making girders

Gears for catching burbot can be used during the winter season in any ice condition and regardless of fishing conditions.

The process of making such gear yourself is described in detail below:

Take a coil of steel wire with a diameter of about 4-5 mm or copper wire with a diameter of 5-6 mm, it must be cut into 4 parts 60 cm long.
One end of all segments is equipped with a ring through which an M-8 or M-6 bolt must pass freely. This process can be carried out using a regular soldering iron.
The resulting rings must be heated, it is most convenient to do this over a gas stove, after which they must be riveted with a hammer to obtain sufficiently thick washers.
At a distance of about 10 cm from the ring, the wire must be bent so that an angle of 100-110° is obtained.
Take an additional piece of copper wire 30-40 cm long and with a diameter of no more than 2 mm; it is needed to attach the firefly. One side is equipped with a ring according to the scheme already described and passed through a bolt in the center of the structure, and a firefly is attached to the opposite end using matches and a tube.
Take an additional piece of steel wire 35-40 cm long and with a diameter of about 0.5 cm. A ring must be wound in the middle of the wire by making several turns: its dimensions must correspond to the diameter of the central bolt.
A piece of thin steel wire is also passed through the bolt, after which both of its free ends should be bent downwards at an angle of 110-120°. The reel seat is attached to this wire; the distance from it to the rings should be 10-15 cm.

After completing the described algorithm of actions, you should get a structure with a bolt in the central part, onto which a signaling device and four wire legs are placed, located at an angle of 90° relative to each other. The first nut is tightened onto the bolt after installing the legs and alarm, and the second nut is tightened after putting on the reel seat bracket.

Good to know! For fishing productivity, it is recommended to fish with 3 girders at once. When assembling them, you will need 100 meters of fishing line with a cross-section of 0.35-0.4 mm, this amount is divided into equal parts for each tackle. Burbot is most often found near the surface of a rocky bottom, so it is always better to have a small supply of fishing line.

"Snitch"

When fishing for burbot, spoons called “snitch” are popular because they create acoustic effects that attract prey from a great distance.

You can make them at home in the following way:

First you need to find an empty case .32 caliber or smaller and select a jig head to match its size.
The jig head is cut off and placed inside the sleeve along with 3-5 bearing balls with a diameter of 2 mm.
Another jig head with a cut loop is inserted inside the sleeve.
The sleeve is clamped using a vice, after which you need to carefully bend its edges in a circle, tin them and solder the entire surface to ensure tightness.
Now you can solder the first hook to the product.
Before soldering the second hook, it is necessary to determine the optimal place for it by establishing a balance.
A ring is soldered in the middle of the product; it should be positioned in such a way that the sleeve, hanging on the fishing line, directs the hooks upward.
A leash equipped with a ring is passed through the soldered ring, to which copper or brass petals from spinners are attached.
The second one will be needed to connect the manufactured bait with the working fishing line.

"Rubber"

Another piece of gear that you can make with your own hands is an elastic band. This is a universal option, with its help you can catch not only burbot, but also pike, roach, perch, pike perch, carp, sabrefish and other types of fish, if you change the equipment.

Detailed instructions for making your own “rubber band” are given below:

First you need to prepare a piece of fishing line; its length can vary from 15 to 50 meters. A knotted loop is knitted at one end; it will be needed to connect to the load. At a distance of 20 cm from it, a second small loop is knitted to attach the leash. You will need 3-4 additional loops; there must be a gap of 30-50 cm between them.
The load is attached to a rope, its length can be from 0.5 to 1 meter; a knotted loop is knitted at the opposite end.
Using special washers or winding rings, as well as a rubber shock absorber, it is necessary to attach the nylon cord to the working line.
Attaching leashes is carried out directly while fishing; the “loop to loop” method is best suited for this.
It is best to wind the working line on a reel, which is then installed on the shore of the reservoir.
The assembled tackle is equipped with a bell that functions as a bite alarm.
A two-meter rope with a float is attached to the load, which makes it easier to find it in a pond.

What is the best way to catch burbot?

Bait for burbot in the fall differs from bait in the warm season, but the fish still reacts exclusively to bait of animal origin. Before fishing, you just need to decide what you can use to catch burbot using natural baits, or choose catchy artificial options.

Natural baits

The season mainly determines what bait to catch burbot with:

What kind of bait to catch burbot with is determined mainly by the season.

In open water, you can seduce fish with a bunch of worms. Reacts better to dung worms. It is worth catching burbot with an earthworm using flavors;
It's good to catch burbot using live bait in autumn and winter. The deep dweller is especially fond of the ruff;
pieces of dead fish. Both fresh and salted fish meat are suitable. Some anglers also fish with canned food;
Frog meat is a favorite delicacy of fish. Sometimes only fried meat can awaken your appetite;
in reservoirs with an abundance of shell rock, it is possible to tempt a predator with pearl barley.

Artificial baits

What to use to catch burbot if there is no live bait:

When trolling during ice fishing, it is better to use large spoons with a driven body and a single fixed hook. Many professionals, when deciding which bait to choose, take yellow and white varieties 50-100 mm long;
a combination of 2 oscillators at the same time, which are mounted on a ring and are in contact with each other. Only one lure is equipped with a tee.

If you are wondering what kind of bait they use to catch burbot in the North, wobblers are often used. The rig uses a sliding sinker. When we go northern fishing, we make sure to do Stop&Go wiring. Wobblers are catchy when fishing in rivers with fast flowing water.

A sliding sinker is used in rigging

Baits and lures

Burbot is a predatory fish; it has poor eyesight, but has an excellent sense of smell and hearing, so lures and baits must be selected in accordance with its characteristics.

The following baits can be used:

live bait;
pieces of dead fish;
crayfish;
young frogs;
bunches of dung or earthworms;
meat.

Baits of inorganic origin are considered ineffective. When using them, preference should be given to those that ring, for example, spinners with a large winding ring.

Fishing technique and tactics

It is important to take into account a number of nuances regarding fishing tactics, since learning to catch burbot correctly is an entire art. One of the most important aspects is the correct selection of bait.

How to catch burbot on the river:

Catching burbot in the fall with a bait is effective both as a passive and active tackle. You can install the bait and remove it only in the morning or constantly monitor the fishing process using a light and sound alarm;
In winter, it is better to use the tactic of tapping the bottom. We lower the spoon to the bottom, after a few seconds of waiting, smoothly raise the bait by 20-40 cm and carefully lower it back. Complicating the movements can scare away the fish; the only useful movement may be oscillating the rod in different directions with a small amplitude;
in the warm season, the fish takes the bait into its mouth so softly that the only criterion determining the presence of a catch is the feeling of heaviness;
In summer, the only successful tactic is to make precise casts to the predator’s habitats, close to the burrows.

How and what to catch sterlet with?

Artificial baits

First of all, this is of interest to spinning anglers who for some reason do not want to put a fish head, a bunch of worms or other natural bait on the hook. In this case, edible rubber is suitable for them. The rubber band can be kept together with the brushes in a bucket - there it will acquire a pleasant smell of fishy mucus for burbot. For burbot, floating edible rubber is suitable, which will be more noticeable at the bottom. According to the shape, it is better to choose worms or crayfish.

What does burbot like most?

Most often, a worm works most effectively, and the main thing is not to skimp on the bait. Throw in a bunch of large crawling worms or dendrobene worms and the chances of a bite will increase.

How to attract burbot?

Quite a controversial issue regarding the effectiveness of using bait for burbot. There is an opinion that you can use liver or offal for this, but in our opinion, all this does not make much sense.

Is it possible to catch burbot for meat?

You can try it as an experiment, but this is not the best option, and it is easier to use worms or live bait.

How does the burbot bite?

Modern fishermen often use spinning rods and winter fishing rods when hunting for cod prey, as they prefer to catch burbot using spoons. Live bait fishing rods are used somewhat more simply; after casting, all that remains is to wait for the bite. We always recommend fishing for burbot at night using artificial baits, but now it is difficult to focus on visual bite criteria.

In the process of hunting for cod prey, modern fishermen often use spinning rods and winter fishing rods

How to catch burbot at night:

at sunset and at dawn it is easy to detect a bite by sudden movements of the tip of the rod. At this moment it is important to make a timely hook. During hooking we make powerful and sweeping movements;
At night, you can navigate when biting by touch, holding the line with your hand or using a bite alarm;
after feeling resistance from the fisherman, the burbot stops fighting and immediately gives up;
When approaching the shore, the fish is able to begin active resistance at the surface of the water. It is important to maintain tension in the line; if it is slack, the fish can escape;
When fishing from ice, it is important to immediately grab the fish’s head and prevent it from going under the ice. Fishing is much easier with a hook.

Tips and tricks for fishing for burbot

The mistake of many inexperienced fishermen who begin to catch burbot fish is the desire to take the predator by the body. The fish is too slippery, like tench, it will easily slip out of your hands.

A few tips for catching a predator:

It is important to correctly understand how to catch burbot using girders. The installation tactics are as follows: we make a hole 30x30 cm, a little higher we make another hole into which we insert a stick. We install the thread and a 100 g sinker, pull the fishing line to the bottom hole. Gradually the stick will freeze, and while checking the tackle we break it and remove the fish;
Since catching burbot with a fishing rod is only possible in the fall, the key to fishing success is the correct choice of place. It is better to take a long fishing rod and go to places with steep banks and great depth. A good signal for the appearance of fish is the presence of a school of ruff;
I often get questions about what depth to catch burbot. Everything is simple here - the minimum depth is 3 m, but usually fish are found deeper. It lies especially deep in summer, and in winter it is in the depth range of 3-6 m;
anglers claim that burbot is interested in light at night. To attract a predator, it makes sense to light a small fire on the shore.

There are many burbot hunters today, but not everyone can become successful. With proper and high-quality preparation, the likelihood of catching a predator and tasting excellent cod meat increases significantly.

Originally posted 2018-09-11 14:14:09.

Technique for catching burbot on a donk

Late in the evening we go to the chosen place. This, perhaps, is an area with steep banks and a drop-off or exit from deep holes with springs; burbot comes to such a road every night.

The bottom for burbot is unwound, an active live bait is attached to the hook, we cast. We select the slack in the line and secure it to a peg. We install an electronic or other backlit bite alarm to immediately identify the triggered donkey in the dark. Don't forget to take a flashlight.

Experienced fishermen claim that a lit fire or the light of a lantern attracts fish. After 30–60 minutes we check the gear. To do this, we gently pull the line and if we feel a jerk or heaviness, we smoothly hook the fish against the direction of the current.

If we fish from ice, everything is simple here too. Having drilled holes along the burbot trail, we lower the donks and cover the holes with circles. After a while we check the gear. We must replace damaged live bait or other types of bait if there are no bites.

The fish stubbornly resists, so we advise you to take a landing net to the pond in the fall and spring, and a hook in the winter. An extractor and a yawner will not be superfluous.

Fishing with a donkey is a passive form of catching predators. Be prepared to endure bad weather, sharp winds, rain and systematically check abandoned donks after a short period of time. The result is an excellent catch of burbot - this bottom-dwelling fish that loves cold water.