Donka for beginners, donka fishing, equipment and fishing techniques

Donka fishing is very popular among anglers today.
This technology combines simplicity, affordable cost and high efficiency. In this article we will tell you about bottom tackle, its varieties, baits and fishing technology. Bottom tackle has been known since ancient times and has served fishermen faithfully for many hundreds of years. The main purpose of this gear is to catch large fish that feed from the bottom.

Sinker selection

The optimal shape of a sinker for a donkey is a teardrop shape, which allows for the longest cast. The weight of the cargo can range from 30 to 100 grams. It should be noted that heavy sinkers are easier to cast, so they are more suitable for fishing in fast-flowing rivers. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the greater the weight of the sinker, the more noise it makes when entering the water. Consequently, cautious fish may leave the fishing spot for a long time. Therefore, if possible, we recommend using weights weighing 30–50 grams.

Choosing bait

Bait selection is one of the components of successful fishing. The choice of one bait or another directly depends on the fish you are going to catch and the characteristics of a particular body of water. It is also necessary to take into account the presence of a current at the fishing site. Remember that the best bait will be food that the fish are accustomed to. This is why using expensive feeder attachments on a remote river or lake will not give the desired effect. The fish are simply not accustomed to such a bait, and will refuse to peck at it.

Try to expand the selection of attachments used as much as possible. These can be various cereals, peas, grains, dough or attachments of animal origin. It would be optimal if you use several leashes with different attachments on the donk at once. This way you can significantly increase your chances of catching. Having determined the preferred bait for fish in a particular body of water, you will subsequently be able to catch the largest and rarest trophy specimens.

What is bottom fishing from the shore?

Content

Donke fishing, in essence, is any type of fishing in which the hook and bait are held at the bottom by the weight of the sinker. This includes both primitive bait and high-tech feeder gear. Donk fishing allows you to catch any fish - from brush to trophy catfish.

Bottom fishing in ponds, lakes, bays and oxbows of rivers should be carried out with the thinnest gear possible - the absence of current, combined with clear water filtered through algae, allows the fish to examine the equipment, and the abundance of natural food makes the fish “capricious”. This is what forces anglers to use minimally sized hooks, thin fluorocarbon leaders, and even for carp anglers to disguise sinkers as natural stones.

Donk fishing is very popular among anglers today.

Donka fishing from the shore on the river has its own characteristics. As a rule, the main difference lies in the mass of the sinker, which must hold the tackle in one place, overcoming the force of the current. Also, on the river, braided fishing lines are more often used, which have a smaller diameter and, accordingly, less windage.

In addition, fishing on the current is characterized by sharper and more noticeable bites - the fish do not have time to look at the food carried past by the water. Accordingly, a bottom for fishing in currents from the shore can be equipped with larger hooks than in still water and thicker leashes. However, you should remember: the more delicate the tackle, the more bites occur on it.

The whole variety of bottom gear can be reduced to three options:

“Zakidushka” is the simplest, but nevertheless quite effective tackle. It is a main fishing line on which a sinker and one or more leashes with hooks are attached. Its advantages are low cost, compactness and stealth, which allows you to leave the gear unattended;
“rubber band” is a modernized version of the zakidushka, in which a rubber shock absorber is installed between the sinker and the working section with leads. This allows you to remove hooks to remove fish or change bait without re-casting the tackle. The main advantages are noiselessness and maximum accuracy of repetition of hooks hitting the fishing zone. Most often it is equipped with several hooks, which allows you to cover several fishing horizons;
tackle with a rod and reel is the most modern today. This includes feeders and carp rods, crafts made from cheap telescopic rods with equally cheap low-quality reels. However, it should be noted that even in the simplest and most budget version, such a donkey is superior to the options listed above in casting range and ease of fishing.

How to make a “crucian carp killer” tackle: DIY production and fishing techniques

In all these fishing methods, you can use both a feeder and a sinker, throwing the bait by hand, a special slingshot, or even a radio-controlled bait boat.

The design of the bottom tackle is extremely simple

We catch fish on a donk

As a rule, anglers who fish with bottom gear use not one, but several bottoms at once. This allows them to occupy a large area of the shore, which increases the chances of catching.

A donkey reel or a reel with a small spinning rod must be carefully secured to the shore. Since fish can bite sharply and intensely, an unsecured reel can simply be pulled into the water. If possible, it is recommended to braid the fishing line behind bottom snags on the shore or small trees.

When choosing a fishing area, you need to give preference to places without snags and algae. Also not recommended is a rocky bottom, where the likelihood of snags increases. The optimal time for fishing is evening, night and morning. It is recommended to install donks in the evening and check them in the middle of the night.

In most cases, there are no difficulties with casting. It is necessary to swing the heavy load like a pendulum and release the fishing line. Pre-wind the required length of fishing line from the reel and lay it in neat rings. It is quite possible that initially you will have some difficulties with casting, but after a little training you will be able to throw the sinker 50 meters or more.

Choosing a fishing spot

The area of the reservoir for bottom fishing should be free of algae and snags. The most effective is considered to be spot fishing with bottom gear installed in places where fish approach. Places with trees, bushes hanging over the water, or snags sticking out of the water are suitable.

The weights are manually swung like a pendulum and casted. Immediately before casting, the fishing line from the reel of the required length is wound into neat rings and laid in such a way that when casting, the equipment removes the top ring. This will help prevent the line from getting tangled.

Using donks with rubber shock absorbers

Many anglers, when using a donkey, have encountered the problem of silent casting. The solution to this problem was the use of special rubber shock absorbers, which made it possible to silently make repeated casts.

Advantages of donks with rubber shock absorbers:

You can deliver bait to one place you feed.
Completely silent repeated casts.
Possibility of the so-called bait game.
There is the possibility of spot feeding.
A large number of leashes on the donk increases the chances of success.

Among the shortcomings, it is only necessary to note the fact that the rubber quickly breaks down and needs to be replaced.

This gear consists of:

Safety line with a cross section of 0.5 millimeters.
A heavy sinker on a nylon meter leash.
Shock-absorbing rubber with a length of about 10 meters.
Lines with leashes at a distance of several meters from each other.
The main line with a diameter of 0.35 millimeters.

Possible difficulties may arise only when casting the sinker for the first time. In this case, we can recommend that you use a boat that will allow you to silently lower a heavy load to the desired fishing spot. Don’t forget to tie a foam float to a heavy sinker, which will allow you to retrieve the tackle if it breaks. After finishing your fishing, you can safely row your boat to the foam float and take out your gear.

Before you start fishing, you need to properly prepare your gear. A donkey with an elastic band has two reels, one of which contains a fishing line with an elastic band, and the second has a safety rope. It is necessary to place the reel at a distance of 5 meters from each other. Calculate the required number of turns of fishing line that you will need for an accurate cast. It is necessary to lay the turns of the line in such a way that when casting, the upper turns begin to unwind, which will avoid the possibility of tangling the line. Do not forget about the presence of insurance, which unwinds several meters more than the main fishing line with an elastic band.

Remember that it is necessary to place a fishing line with bait after casting a donkey with an elastic band.

The connection is made using carabiners, and after fishing is completed, the carabiner is unfastened. All you have to do with the help of insurance is to get the cargo out of the water. Store elastic rigs on separate reels. This will ensure its safety and durability.

Equipment

As a fishing line, you can use monofilament thread or braid. The last option is still better, but its cost is also strikingly different.

If you need to ensure long casting or use a very heavy feeder, you should give preference to braided wire with a diameter of 0.1-0.2 mm. Whereas monofilament is selected thicker - 0.2-0.4 mm. Although monofilament thread also has its advantages. It is almost invisible in the water column and is very convenient during maintenance.

In the center of all equipment there is a donka. The variety of this kind of gear is also simply surprising. Today, monofilament or spinning rods can boast such an assortment.

But no matter how much effort feeder manufacturers put into creating new models, there will always be fishermen who will make homemade ones more effective and catchy than purchased options.

The optimal rod should be held in one place without any effort, and in the same way, in the process of moving the fishing rod, it should calmly come off the surface of the bottom of the reservoir in a matter of seconds. But experienced fishermen immediately warn that you can only find a suitable feeder option while fishing, and not the first time. This means that when going hunting for aquatic life, you need to prepare several models of donks, even those that, at first glance, are completely unsuitable for this area.

Plus, don’t forget about donkey leashes. You also need a lot of them, with different hook numbers and line diameters. This is because only by fishing you can see the real behavior of the fish at a given time of the year. This is impossible to predict.

If we are talking about specialized gear, this includes bite alarms and stands for them, then you cannot do without it. In the first case, you will never miss a bite, and in the second, you will fish calmly without any inconvenience.

Spinning rods for donkey

Initially, the classic donka was an exclusively hand-made tackle. However, later spinning rods, the reel of which was actually used instead of a reel, became very popular.

With minor modifications, the donkey spinning rod began to be called a feeder. This type of tackle is very popular today and allows you to catch a variety of large fish. The popularity of the feeder is explained by the ease of fishing, the availability of gear and the ability to catch maximum trophies. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that the feeder is a rather specific piece of equipment, which in unfamiliar conditions on new lakes and rivers may not give any results at all. But in those places where anglers often fish with a feeder, its effectiveness is at a high level.

Using a spinning rod for donkey allows you to significantly simplify the process of throwing bait. In this case, there is no need to use expensive reels, which are necessary for classic spinning. We also note that the process of landing fish has been significantly simplified. If previously, when using a reel, everything actually had to be done manually, then with the use of a spinning rod and reel you can optimally catch even the strongest fish. The risk of fish falling off the hook is reduced, since you can optimally select the line tension when landing fish.

About 50 meters of fishing line with a thickness of 0.3 meters is wound onto the reel. The leashes are attached to the main line using a carabiner, and the heavy weight makes it easy to cast to the maximum possible distance. In total, when purchasing Chinese reels, the total cost of the gear can be several tens of dollars.

Feeder

In specialized stores you can find dozens of different models of feeders, which differ in their weight and shape. They are designed for various fishing conditions and various purposes. However, they are united by the fact that the main purpose of the feeder is to attract fish.

Such feeders are very popular when fishing with a feeder. You can make your own feeder from metal wire and lead. You can also purchase ready-made varieties of feeders in specialized stores. Their cost is not high, but at the same time they are effective and allow you to lure fish efficiently, thereby increasing the chances of success.

Remember to use the same bait on the bait and on the hook. This will allow you to successfully catch even the most cautious and large fish.

How to fish with a donka with a feeder?

In order for your fishing to be effective, you should know some fishing rules:

choose the area for fishing wisely;
Make about twenty test casts so that the feeder reaches the surface of the bottom of the reservoir. Then make a powerful hook to release the remaining bait from the structure. This is especially important in bodies of water characterized by strong currents;
at the moment the structure touches water, the bait should not fall out of it;
In order to organize the casting of the equipment to the same place, it is necessary to insert the monofilament into the clip near the reel for the first time. Take the tackle out of the water and fill it with food again, and then cast along a guideline. Only after this can the tackle with the hook hit the same point;
You should not equip the tip of the rod with a bell. This can not only get on the nerves of nearby fishermen, but also scare away the fish. You will see when it bites;
if after five minutes there are no bites, it is recommended to check the tackle and fill it with new bait;
After final assembly of the gear, it is worth doing a small test. Pay special attention to the free sliding of the monofilament through the rings;
When mounting the rod on the stand, it is important to avoid pressing the monofilament thread. Otherwise you won't be able to see the bites.

Options for a donkey with a feeder

If you lack excitement in life, then extreme fishing in reservoirs with strong currents will be to your liking. In this case, the most suitable equipment would be a feeder with a donk and a feeder. It can be used at great depths, in strong currents and when hunting for trophy predators.

The following models are distinguished:

feeder trap;
cylindrical;
cone shape;
and with a flat lid.

The area for fishing in the coastal zone is chosen away from vegetation. At the beginning of fishing, it is recommended to cast as often as possible to ensure the required amount of complementary food.

If desired, and naturally possible, you can add complementary foods by hand. It’s better to throw feeders in one place, or at least try. Well, what is very important is not to miss the bite. After all, your catch will depend on this.

Feeders for various fishing conditions

If you decide to fish in backwaters where there is a light current, then in this case the so-called trap feeder is ideal for you. If it is necessary to ensure instant dispersion of the bait along the bottom of the reservoir and create a whole cloud of complementary food, then use a feeder trap. A trap with a short leash and light weight will be optimally suitable. The bait itself should be loose and not stick tightly to the structure. But a very sticky base won't work either. It is necessary to find a “golden mean” so that it is evenly distributed along the coast. You can purchase such a mixture in specialized stores, but creating it yourself is also easy.
For stormy river fishing, feeders with a flat lid are perfect.
In fast currents when hunting for roach, bream and chub, give your preference to a design with a large mass (about 60 g) and a lid in the shape of a flat rectangle. Only in this case can a gradual and uniform spraying of the bait be ensured.
For river spaces characterized by low currents, cylindrical-shaped feeders are suitable. Some models are additionally equipped with special systems for bait control. This will allow you to add complementary food to the structure without even removing it from the water.
For fishing in deep water bodies, for example, on lakes, take cone-shaped models. This is an ideal option for catching a trophy predator, which is very active in the pond and swims quickly. For such an instance to stop, something truly special must be provided.
A special ball is placed in the middle of the structure, which is completely filled with worms and a small amount of porridge. This model must be securely fastened to a monofilament thread in order to easily hook a predator in the future.

Bite alarm for donkey

Bells

For many years, the most popular bite alarm for bottom rods was a simple bell. It was attached to the sagging main line directly at the reel or rod. We can say that such bells are the best option for gear without a rod.

Electronic bite alarm

As new technologies emerged, mechanical bells began to improve. Special waterproof electronic alarms appeared that emitted a characteristic sound when biting. Also, such alarms were equipped with light indication. The only drawback of such electronic bite alarms is their relatively high cost.

Bells

Bells are a rather interesting version of a bite alarm, which is located at the tip of the fishing rod. The only drawback of such a signaling device is the lack of a bite in cases where the fish, after taking the bait, goes to the angler. In such cases, the bells do not signal a bite, and the line simply sags.

Modernized versions of bells have a special niche for installing light indicators. This will allow you to successfully use them for night fishing.

Rod as a bite alarm

It is possible to use the rod itself as an excellent signaling device. When a large fish bites, the tip of the fishing rod begins to bend and tremble. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that such alarms are only suitable for daylight hours and require constant attention from the fisherman to the fishing rod.

Equipment for the night

I’ll pay attention to setting up the feeder rod at night on the river. When there is a strong current, I always place it vertically. Then the water pressure on the fishing line is reduced and the drift of the feeder is minimized. But if during the day I use a regular flyer as a stand, with which it is more convenient to hook, then at night I use a special design that clasps the handle in two places (photo 5) . This adds reliability - after all, branches or tufts of grass floating along the river can catch on the fishing line and rip the rod off the flyer.

And it’s especially unpleasant if this happens in your own absence at the fishing site. I know a person who lost his feeder in this way, floating downstream. Yes, I myself once barely managed to grab a fishing rod that flew off the flyer because a passing log caught the cord. I have similar stands, both factory-made and homemade.

It is much easier to fish when the river current is weak. Then the feeder or picker can be installed horizontally, as on a lake, and, accordingly, on walking stands (“leg” on a chair, tripod, etc.). It’s also easier to control bites with this arrangement - you don’t have to lift your head high.

Regarding the use of several bottom fishing rods at the same time while fishing, I will say that this option can be considered justified. Still, the total number of bites at night decreases. And you don’t have to hold the feeder in your hand to instantly hook. The bites of large fish are expressive and confident. If she takes the bait, then most often she is detected. But there should not be extremes in this matter. I believe that two rods abandoned nearby are quite enough. Moreover, it is desirable that their length be comparable, so that the question of a second light source does not arise.

I experimented quite successfully, simultaneously combining a feeder and a picker in a predetermined water area (photo 6) . At the same time, I used delicate, thin equipment on the picker. With this option, it is possible to conduct a comparative analysis, incl. fishing distances and baits. In addition, during the subsequent transition of fishing from night to morning, the delicate picker brings additional dividends in the form of small and medium-sized fish becoming active at dawn in the coastal zone.

Installation of equipment for night fishing also seems to be as simple as possible - to minimize unnecessary hassle. Gardner's paternoster or in-line are the best options. Before each cast, I always check how freely the line or “braid” slides through the guides of the rod in order to avoid possible overlaps. Any mistake made at night results in significantly greater losses of time and nerves than during the day.

On the river at night I give priority to animal baits (photo 7) . Of these, I prefer those that hold securely on the hook and are aimed primarily at the above-mentioned fish. These are maggots (possibly with the addition of bloodworms), worms, larvae of the brook lamprey - eel ( photo 8 , in some places it is called a spindle, sandmoth).

Among other baits, foam plastic performed best. Both bream and crucian carp bite well on it. It’s a good idea to combine foam and natural baits on the hook.

Donkey rigging

Today there are dozens, if not hundreds of different equipment for donkeys. It is simply impossible to describe them all. Let's focus on the most common and reliable options.

The simplest option

Despite its simplicity of equipment, this option is perfect for fishing for the largest trophy fish. In this case, only one node is used, so the strength of the equipment is beyond doubt.

We attach a sliding sinker in the form of a teardrop shape or an olive to the fishing line. To fix the sinker, you must use a silicone clamp. Remember that the stopper must be fixed firmly and rigidly enough. When casting the tackle, a significant load is placed on the stopper, but at the same time it must maintain its position. We can recommend that you use a soft lead pellet, which is clamped on the fishing line, as such a reliable stopper. A hook is tied to the end of the fishing line without a leash. It is also possible to rig it using a leash, which is attached through a swivel.

Equipment with spring

With equal success, a donkey rig with a spring is suitable for fishing with a rod and with hand casting. Equipment with a spring is especially effective when fishing in lakes and rivers with calm water.

The first option is a sliding donkey with a spring. In our case, we replace the sliding sinker of the donkey with a spring. Viscous porridge or peas are easily stuffed into the spring. The choice of bait directly depends on the type of fish and its specific preferences in your pond.

The advantage of sliding equipment is that the fish does not feel resistance when biting, which is necessary for catching cautious and large fish.

In the second version of the rig, short leashes are installed on the spring, which are recessed into the bait located in the spring. In fact, in this case, the bait is used as feeding and bait. The second option is perfect for catching bream and carp. In this version of the equipment, the fish detects itself, and the angler only needs to pull it out of the water. We can recommend that you use braided fishing line with a thickness of 0.1 - 0.15 millimeters for leashes.

If you are fishing in a strong current or there are deep holes and a sharp change in depth, it is recommended to install flat sliding sinkers directly in front of the spring. Such a flat shape of the sinker will not allow it to be carried away by the current.

Features of seasonal fishing for donka

As you know, fish behavior changes depending on the season, so anglers have to take these changes into account.

Bottom fishing is carried out throughout the entire period of open water and can be divided into four stages:

pre-spawning, when fish leave wintering grounds and move to spawning grounds;
spawning, during which there is usually no bite;
Summer is probably the most comfortable period for fishing, during which, however, catches are reduced due to the heat and abundant food supply. In August, with the onset of cold weather, fish activity increases;
autumn - from a fishing point of view, begins at the end of September, when aquatic vegetation dies off en masse, and fish begin to migrate to their wintering grounds.

How to catch ide in the spring?

Donka fishing from the shore in early spring is the easiest and most effective. The fish comes out to shallow waters warmed by the sun, where they actively feed, gaining strength before spawning. At this time, baits of animal origin work best - bloodworms, worms and maggots. The best time to fish is from midday to dusk, when the water temperature is at its highest.

In summer, it is best to catch fish on donka in the evening and early morning, and many species (bream, catfish, pike perch) are active at night. The choice of bait depends on the type of fish. Most peaceful fish readily bite on vegetable baits - steamed cereal grains, dough, mastyrka, peas and corn.

In autumn, it is better to catch fish with bottom gear in fairly deep places - the lower shore edge, at the exits of holes, on the fairway. The tastes of fish are changing again and baits such as worms, maggots and whitebaits are becoming the most effective.