Autumn fishing for mugs
Fishing with mugs has been around for a long time. It is attractive because you do not need to purchase expensive fishing gear, and you can fish this way all season long. In this article we will look at the features of fishing with mugs in the fall. The only drawback is that you must have a boat. However, resourceful fishing enthusiasts solved this problem. They improved the gear, adapting it for installation from the shore. Fishing with mugs in the fall is good because there is a high probability of catching a trophy pike.
Advantages of autumn live bait fishing
Throughout the year, the behavior of the predator changes. In the fall, before wintering, pike begins to fatten. During this period, she is hungry and rushes to any fish. Therefore, the size of the bait does not matter. Only at the very end of autumn does the already well-fed fish become picky. The bait for catching pike is a small fish - live bait. The result of fishing will depend not on the size of the fish, but on its behavior. The faster the bait, the greater the likelihood of catching a pike.
Circle fishing allows you to explore a large area of a body of water in a short time. The rules of amateur fishing prohibit the installation of more than 5 gear by one fisherman. This is the optimal amount, because... It is difficult to keep track of a large number of circles, especially in wind and waves.
Until mid-autumn, pike set up ambushes near vegetation, edges or snags. Therefore, trophy specimens can be caught in these places. As the water temperature decreases, the predator goes deeper. In this case, fishing with mugs in open water is ideal. In the fall, you can also use dead bait. A hungry pike with a belly full of caviar becomes slow and will happily pick it up.
On warm sunny days, the fry comes to the surface, and the hunter follows him. Therefore, you can catch it at shallow depths. Autumn is the time when rarely does a fisherman fishing with a circle go home without a catch.
Where can you catch pike with mugs?
The success of pike fishing depends on many conditions. For example, in the fall there will be some currents, and in the spring there will be different ones on standing water. Let's look at all the possible ones.
Flow
There may also be cases when the current on the river is too strong or there are other reasons that do not allow the fisherman to go down the river. In such cases, the boat and circle are anchored. For a circle, a buoy is installed on the water, through which a rope passes from the anchor to the gear. The length of the rope allows you to adjust the diameter of the circle's movement. A boat with an anchor, as when passing with the current, is installed not far from the gear.
Backwater
In a grassy backwater where it is not possible to throw a spinning rod, you can also install a circle. Here it is better to install it among the leaves of water lilies, it will resemble one of them, and fix it, as if on an anchor, by a branch or a bunch of herbs sticking out of the water.
After all, even in calm waters, a pike can drag a circle into the grass or under a snag, where it gets caught, and the predator throws the bait.
Also suitable for catching pike are snags and wide reaches - any place where a toothy fish can set up ambushes. And if for small pikes hunting in the grass, an ordinary anchor with a buoy is sufficient, then for large bottom pikes living at a depth of over 6 meters, a fixed sinker 2 meters from the leash may be useful so that the bait does not go too high.
What is a circle?
The tackle is made of a material that has great positive buoyancy, most often it is foam. The circle is a disk with a groove around its circumference, intended for winding fishing line. Its length should be 3-5 m greater than the depth of the reservoir. A hole is made in the center of the disk into which a plastic rod is inserted. The upper part has a slot through which the fishing line is passed. The lower, weighted end is in the water and gives the mug a stable position.
The tackle is two-color, most often red and white. Install it with the bright side up. The equipment of the circles consists of a fishing line, a leash, a sinker and a hook. The line is unwound to the required depth. The live bait is placed on a fishing hook so that the fish has a horizontal position. For insurance, the live bait is held by a loop passing around the body of the fish and attached to the tee.
For effective bites, the bait should be located no more than 0.5 meters above the bottom. The circles are placed evenly over the surface of the reservoir. If there is a current in the fishing area or the weather is windy on the day of fishing, then the mugs are slightly modified. This helps you easily monitor the bite and avoid collecting gear over the entire surface of the reservoir.
Stationary
In order for the tackle to be in one place, it must be anchored. To do this, use a buoy, which is a foam block or cylinder 10-12 cm high and 4-5 cm in diameter. A fishing line is wound around it with a length corresponding to the depth of the reservoir. Its thickness can be 0.3−0.4 mm, and a load of 0.1−0.2 kg is attached to the end. A leash made of fishing line 0.22-0.25 mm and 2-3 m long is tied to the buoy. A wire ring is attached to the end, which is put on the rod of the circle. When the tackle turns over, it should easily jump into the water.
In this case, the leash with the ring sinks, and the circle with the predator goes into free swimming. The fisherman just has to pick up the tackle, hook and raise the catch.
Fishing technique and tactics
To catch fish with foam tackle, you need to know the topography of the bottom of the reservoir. If a lake or river is used for fishing for the first time, then test runs are carried out to find the place where the predator is most likely to be found. The circles are placed on the surface so that the trajectory of movement passes along thickets of reeds and aquatic vegetation, a cut edge and near snags. If there were no bites during the passage of the disk, then change the trajectory of movement or the depth of the live bait.
In the case of using stationary gear, first install the buoy, and then the circle. If there is no bite within 1.5-2 hours, then it is transferred to a new catching place. Having swallowed the bait, the pike swims away, thereby turning the circle over. You need to approach it against the current and with a short but sharp jerk, hook the prey. If the attempt is unsuccessful, then the excess line is taken into the boat and hooked again.
If a fishing spot is found, the gear can be anchored. If there is no buoy, then it is allowed to attach the load to the fishing line, and the live bait is placed on a separate leash. In order to get to the circle in time and hook the prey, the fisherman needs to be nearby. In this case, the boat should be positioned so that its shadow does not scare away the fish.
Fishing technique and location search
Let's look at the different options that are usually encountered on reservoirs. Let's start with a calm (or light breeze) - comfortable fishing, when there is no need to lean hard on the oars. Although not everyone likes the calm. It’s easy to catch, but it’s difficult to catch a pike - the predator’s bite usually weakens, and you have to rearrange the mugs especially often, because the main advantage of the tackle will be lost - walking with the wind, it itself finds the fish.
With five permitted tackles, two radically different tactical “calm” options are visible - rearrange the circles more often (every 10-15 minutes) or place them wider (50-70 m from each other). You need to act according to the situation, remembering that if the placement is too wide, you can “jump” over the fish, and by frequently rearranging, you can miss the pike’s exit in specific places. By the way, powerful exits of pikes occur at dawn, but many inexperienced circlers ignore this point due to the fact that in conditions of limited visibility the circles themselves are not really visible, believing that during daylight hours they can do some good fishing. You just need to use the required minimum of circles and not let them go too far, keeping them in sight.
The main tactical question in the circles is to fish in coastal shallows or at depth? In calm weather, the most successful way to catch pike is among the rare water lily, both in the sun and on cloudy days. Good places are near the coastal reed, where there are miniature bays, reed capes, channels between the wall of the reed and a mini-island of reeds. If there are no bites in the shallows, or one small pike is bothering you, then you can move to the depths, trying to get attached to some bottom anomalies - underwater mounds, spits, dumps near islands, channels between islands, etc.
This is a good place to focus on modern technical equipment. Due to the reduction in the number of circles allowed by the Rules, avid circle players have to call on technological progress for help, as happened with spinning and trolling players. Otherwise, catches may decline. The same echo sounder allows you not to idly drive gear through unpromising areas, but to place it immediately where the presence of a predator is very likely. Having acquired an echo sounder, many fishermen are convinced that the good old depth gauge is a very slow “device” and often fails to cope with dynamic fishing, especially when surrounded by numerous competitors.
Navigators also come into the usual arsenal of fishermen - it can be so important to “score points” in order to accurately reach them again and again on this and subsequent fishing trips.
Quite often, vast fishless expanses of lakes and reservoirs alternate with compact areas where pike are kept almost in schools, and when the front of the circles passes, a reversal follows one after another. Yes, you can “stake out” a place with a bright buoy with a reeled fishing line and a heavy load (it is thrown out immediately when approaching the bite site, and only then the fish are landed) in order to return the gear here on the next swim, or even after a few hours, if other points are not fish. But how can we return here for the next fishing trip? Rely on a good eye? But on large bodies of water this is not serious.
The electric motor is also a good help for the circle maker. Even fishermen who have no experience in operating it quickly get the hang of it - fishing is silent, maneuverable, faster and easier even on a decent wave, because it’s easy to hold the boat in place without an anchor, which is invaluable for a circler.
A pike often falls out when the waves are decent, 20 centimeters or more. In such conditions, it is important to reduce the number of circles displayed, since it is simply impossible to keep track of a large number of gear. It happens that while the fisherman is doing it, some of the mugs are driven far to the side, you have to give chase, and there is another one nearby... In such a commotion, the mugs often get lost. But even with a small amount of gear in a day, you can get so tired that by the end of the day your arms will fall off. Therefore, it is important to accustom yourself to periodically rest by anchoring your gear with additional weights.
It is advisable to launch a flotilla of circles into the wind with an already deployed front - in a chain. Where should you keep the boat? The question is not so simple in windy conditions. You need to try different ways. Let's say, walking in the center with a chain of gear - the circles are well controlled, the wind is at your back, but there is one drawback especially in strong winds - the windage of an inflatable boat is much stronger than the circles, and the boat constantly tries to run over the gear, it's worth being a little hesitant and not slowing down the ship's progress with the oars. What if you walk to the side of the front of the circles? Also not an option. Distant gear is hard to see, and if there is a capsize, then you have to row a short way through other circles, risking knocking them over, or scaring away a predator that could peck at the near circle. Therefore, this option is usually chosen - the boat drifts slightly ahead of the circles approximately in the center of the front, excessive drift is corrected with oars. It’s not very convenient that the wind is in your face, but the boat is not being carried by the rigging. To turn over you have to row against the wind, but after checking the gear and loading new bait, the boat itself smoothly moves away from the circle - simple and convenient. It is also comfortable when fishing - the boat is carried away from other circles, the fisherman will not get entangled in them, and the fish will not be scared off, because the predator in the area can be schooling. If the wind is driving the boat very strongly, then swim up to the capsize and lower an additional light anchor, which will prevent the ship from being carried far. And after you got the fish, you can load up with new bait and go against the wind along the same line where this circle went.
The moment of bites can also be most directly related to the amount of live bait gear. As you know, empty bites happen for two main reasons - bites of small predatory fish and rough, incorrectly assembled equipment. There is nothing you can do about small things, because there are regular turns when the baitfish is knocked down or bitten - the tricks of active squints, zanders, and most often small perches, tearing off the scales from the baitfish. If this is repeated over and over again, then they simply change the place, since it is very rarely possible to catch a worthy predator among the active little things. And at this point, a small amount of gear has its advantages, because collecting 4-5 circles and relocating is twice as fast as with a dozen. As a result, mobility increases greatly, which is so important when searching for fish.
As for rough equipment, it is advisable to do away with it - unnecessary idle bites will torture you. In the arsenal of a modern angler there is always fluorocarbon, which perfectly replaces a rough metal leader. And if you use metal, then only when the pike is actively feeding, installing a thinner cable, the main thing is to completely eliminate the pike from snacking. It is also important to ensure that when reeling in, the fishing line does not wedge anywhere or cling to the burrs of the foam circles. It is advisable not to use excessively large hooks that do not correspond to the size of the live bait. If the pike takes it carefully, then it is better not to use a tee, even a small one; it is preferable to switch to a sharp double. Some circlers prefer to fish with single hooks, fortunately excellent models have now appeared, especially from the carp series. The more cautious and suspicious the pike, the better the results for single fishermen. You can also use the simplest tackle of two single hooks: one hook is loosely placed through the ring on the leash, the second is tied to the edge of the leash. A sliding hook is used to pierce the bait fish behind the back, and a second hook is used to pierce the nostril.
What else can you do to avoid losing your mug catches? Each circle maker probably has his own imagination on this matter, based on personal experience. An option for those who love spinning is to fish in parallel with the circles. Let’s say, with a wide search, find a predator using a spinning rod, then “catch” the area more thoroughly with live bait. Or throw the spinning rod all the time, setting 4 mugs. Here, as anyone likes, he does so.
In general, fishing with circles, first of all, captivates with interest, an active process, the same reversal is the most beautiful bite in the world, and if the pike jerks sharply, placing the circle on the edge, then what more could a fisherman wish for!?
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Equipment Features
The mast is made with a thickening at one end and a cut at the other. When equipping the mug, a fishing line will be attached to it. The tackle is painted with waterproof paint. On the light side, rays are drawn with a black marker, which will rotate when bitten. The sensitivity of the gear is adjusted by the height of the mast.
To catch pike, use a fishing line or thread with a diameter of 0.3−0.5 mm. It must be remembered that when lifting the fish, the “braid” cuts your fingers. Therefore, monofilament is more suitable for such equipment. Fastening to the disk is carried out with a double knot. For live bait, a metal leash is most often used. Its length rarely exceeds 0.5 m. When the gear is loaded, the leash is made movable, the height of movement is limited by rubber stoppers.
In most cases, an olive-shaped sliding sinker is used. Its weight should not exceed 10-15 g. The sinker is located on the fishing line above the leash. To prevent it from falling onto the swivel, rubber stoppers are installed. When using a loaded circle, the sinker is placed at the end of the tackle. For this purpose, a conical weight can be used, the mass of which is selected in accordance with the installation conditions.
To catch pike, use single, double or triple hooks No. 3-5. The latter are preferable, because when using them, fewer derailments are observed.
Equipment for clubs
Equipping mugs for pike fishing does not imply any complex actions; everything has long been known and is very simple. You need to choose a fishing line that will be the main one, it is best to use 0.3-0.5 mm in diameter. This fishing line must be wound around a circle; its length depends on the depth of the reservoir and usually exceeds it by 7-8 meters.
You can secure the fishing line to the mug using a regular loop. Be sure to add a small sinker to the tackle, weighing about 10-15 grams. It is best to use the well-known sliding olive. As a stopper, you can use a classic stopper assembly or use silicone stoppers.
You need to attach a swivel to the end of the fishing line, which will serve as a connecting link between the fishing line and a metal cable that protects the tackle from the sharp teeth of a predator. Usually the leash is not very long, up to 40 centimeters. As for the hook, it can be a classic tee, approximately No. 3-5.
Features of fishing with mugs in autumn
As the water temperature decreases, pike activity increases. The period of autumn zhora lasts almost until the appearance of ice. Fish are actively gaining fat reserves for the winter. Therefore, she is indiscriminate in her diet. At this time, the predator can rush at prey from cover and peck in open water. The autumn season is notable for the fact that rarely does a fisherman go home without a catch. During this period, there is a high probability of catching a trophy specimen.
Mugs are also used for winter fishing. Most often they are installed in small openings and holes. To do this, use loaded or moored gear to avoid demolition. When winter fishing, you must remember to maintain safety when on ice.
Fishing in different seasons
Fishing in spring
Spring spawning of pike begins during high water, when the water does not even reach 10 degrees Celsius. It lasts two weeks; all this time and until warming, the pike stays in spawning areas. As a rule, these are snags and cluttered places with shallow depth. During the spring feeding period and spawning, pike will take live bait regardless of the weather.
In summer
As the weather gets warmer, pike go hunting in grassy backwaters, where fry of various fish breeds grow in warm, stagnant water. It is quite easy to determine whether a toothy one is in place - here and there you can hear the blows of a pike tail on the water and splashes of schools of scattering fry. This is where a circle disguised as a water lily comes in handy. Summer is also the period for pike fishing on stretches and in deep holes.
in autumn
As the water cools, pikes begin their pre-winter gluttons. In the fall, they set up ambushes under snags and in holes, and, as the fish go to the bottom, they take more and more actively. Weather conditions and atmospheric pressure during this period play a significant role in capturing the predator.
Catching pike perch with mugs
Pike perch loves clean, fresh, oxygen-rich water. It is more often found in unpolluted rivers and flowing lakes. Obviously, the regime of reservoirs and canal waters is very favorable for him. Pike perch avoids heavily overgrown areas of the coastline, preferring places with a sandy and rocky bottom and deep holes and pools littered with driftwood and snags.
Where to look for pike perch
Favorite sites for pike perch are the slopes of the old river bed on reservoirs, slopes, and the flooded remains of dams and bridges.
Compared to pike, pike perch is a pronounced bottom and demersal predator. Fishing for pike perch is similar in technique to pike fishing. Here we will note only its main features. Pike perch should be caught with small live bait that has a narrow body. On some reservoirs, pike perch, as an exception, takes on crucian carp. The vitality of crucian carp distinguishes it favorably from other species of live bait. Observations show that pike perch does not take well on sluggish live bait. During a strong famine, pike perch is not particularly picky about food, as evidenced by our study of the stomachs of 119 pike perch caught during the summer feast (in 1948) on the Pestovsky Reservoir. In the stomachs of 32 pike perch there were: fry of various fish; 25 - perch; in 22 - ruff: in 12 - roach; in 8 - food was digested; 9 had empty stomachs. Unlike pike, which leads a solitary lifestyle, small and medium-sized pike perch are often found in schools.
When catching them, there are several simultaneous inversions. In this case, when fishing on a clean, non-snag bottom, you should not rush to the reversals. The pike perch has a very hard, bony palate, and catching it, like a pike, by hooking is ineffective, since in most cases, when hooking, the bait with the hook is pulled out of the pike perch’s mouth; it is better to catch it by swallowing the bait.
If there are drifts or snags at the bottom, it is necessary to act quickly and not give the fish the opportunity to get the line behind the snag, as this can lead not only to the loss of prey, but also to the loss of gear. The mugs are equipped with small tees (No. 5–9). Pike perch very rarely bites through the leash, so a leash made of nylon vein (0.5 mm) is quite reliable, which better conceals the tackle. In addition, this soft leader makes the bait easier to move.
Pike perch fishing technique
Usually the pike perch swallows the bait immediately. A soft leash and a small tee are the least likely to prevent swallowing. When fishing in reservoirs where there are a lot of pike, you should use metal leashes. A larger tee is necessary if the bait is a ruffe: its spiny dorsal fin prevents correct hooking when equipping circles with tees of small numbers. Pike perch often take live bait from a cast.
It is necessary to have a sufficient supply of fishing line for the mugs so that the predator can easily swallow live bait without feeling the resistance of the gear. When the feeding is weak, the pike perch crushes the bait and does not swallow it for a long time, squeezing it with the “bulldog grip” of its strong jaws. A sign of a weak zhora is the immobility of an inverted circle. Such a reversal should not be quickly hooked.
Circle fishing
The circle is a disk 120-200 mm and 20-30 mm thick, made of foam, wood or plastic. Modern solid insulation, for example, Penoplex, is also suitable for its manufacture. A groove is made along the edge of the disk for winding fishing line or cord, and in the middle there is a hole, the diameter of which depends on the thickness of the pin (pole, antenna, stick), which is the second key element of the tackle. In different models, the thickness of the six varies from 5 to 15 mm. The optimal length is 150 mm. If you use longer ones, according to the laws of physics, the leverage increases, and, consequently, the force required to turn the circle over decreases, which leads to frequent false alarms. The shape of the pin is not cylindrical, but conical. This is done to make it easier to insert it into the hole and at the same time securely fix it at the base.
The lower part of the pin can be spherical or simply thickened, the main thing is that when assembled it protrudes slightly from the plane of the circle. This is necessary for a number of reasons: firstly, to make it easier to notice the bite, and secondly, so that the buoyant force of the water has less influence, that is, the circle on the water is more stable.
The top side of the mug is painted red or orange, the bottom is white. With the six, it’s the other way around, to give contrast, although this doesn’t play a significant role.
On the red side of the circle along the circumference, two small slots are made diametrically opposite each other, into which the fishing line is placed when installing the tackle; a slot is also made in the upper end of the pin, respectively. After the descent is measured, the fishing line is passed through one slot on the circle, several turns are made around the six, the fishing line is placed in its slot, and then passes through the slot on the save opposite the first. Alternatively, the line passes through all three slots without additional wrapping around the pin. The tackle is ready for installation.
In our arsenal there are different models from homemade to factory ones. The most widely represented are the mugs purchased back in the Soviet years, which were produced by the Rosokhotrybolovsoyuz.
Plastic models are good for their wear resistance. They have been serving for decades, but nothing has been done to them. In addition, the pin in this design is hollow, and a free-sliding “olive” sinker is placed inside. This was done again for better stability. At the moment of inversion, the “olive” moves to the top of the pin, thereby shifting the center of gravity. In calm weather, if the mugs are not far from the angler, the sliding of the sinker inside the pin is very clearly audible, so that the bite can not only be seen, but also heard.
Nowadays, you can more often find foam mugs in fishing stores. They are lighter, but this material is more susceptible to wear and tear. However, with proper care, these mugs will also last a very long time. It is important to understand that the denser the foam, the stronger it is, but also heavier.
I’ll make a reservation that they don’t make mugs out of wood anymore, there’s no need for that. This is both labor-intensive and not very practical. Still, wood tends to absorb water; when stored for a long time, they dry out, and when in water they swell. The only thing is that our oldest mugs have wooden pins. By the way, although they were worn out over the years of fishing, they did not lose their working properties. They are no longer bright, but this has an advantage - they do not alarm fish at shallow depths, and therefore often help out when the bite is bad.
Now let’s talk about why to place the mugs in a certain way, that is, the red side up. This rule primarily applies to factory-made gear. The fact is that more often they have a convex-concave shape, rather than just a cylindrical one. The concavity of the white side plays a certain role - creating an “air cushion”. For this reason, you should try to place the circle carefully, parallel to the surface. As a result, due to the force of surface tension, the circle “sticks” to the water and acquires greater stability, which in turn allows the use of larger live bait, as well as avoiding false flips in windy weather. With handmade mugs and some purchased cylindrical models, there is no such strictness of setting, but in any case, the perception of color dictates its own rules. Red color is visible much worse than white, especially if fishing is carried out on a large body of water and there are ripples on the surface of the water. A charged circle happens, sometimes you simply lose sight of it. But when a bite occurs, a white round piece on the water immediately attracts attention.
I heard the opinion that the red side scares the fish less, so it should be on the bottom when positioned, but this is still incorrect, since against the background of a light sky the white side of the oxen is not perceived as bright or contrasting and rather resembles a water lily. Again, when biting, a white spot that suddenly appears above the fish’s head will most likely scare it and force it to abandon the bait if the bait’s descent is small.
Read: How to catch crayfish
Equipment options
In the most general sense, there are only two options for equipment: classic and with a retractable leash.
The classic version uses a sliding “olive” sinker weighing from 5 to 10 g (as a rule, this range is sufficient), a carabiner with which the leash is attached and a rubber (silicone) stopper or bead to protect the knot. A rubber stopper is preferable, as it allows you to fix the sinker higher, giving the bait fish more freedom. Previously, when such stoppers were not available for sale, small “shotgun” weights were used, clamped directly in front of the knot. The use of a carabiner is mandatory, since often when fishing with circles, a predator deeply swallows the bait offered to it; it is easier to unhook the leash and put on a new one. In the case of using line leashes, you can use a swivel, attaching the leash to the equipment using the “loop to loop” method.
Some fishermen make it simpler: they put a sinker on the main fishing line, the end of which is tied, folded in half, thereby making an analogue of a leash from a double fishing line, and if necessary, they tie up the equipment. In my opinion, with a carabiner it is still more convenient; the process of rearranging the tackle after a bite becomes more efficient.
The second option looks like this. An end sinker is attached to the main line, and the leash is tied above. You can use a triple swivel, make a loop, or tie the leash directly to the main line with a special knot. The latter option is preferable, since it is less cumbersome, in addition, the leash can be moved with force on the main fishing line, which means you can choose the required fishing horizon depending on the reservoir and the intended predator. More precisely, it is not the leash itself that is tied, but a piece of fishing line of a slightly smaller or similar diameter with a carabiner (clasp), and the leash is already attached to it.
The weight of the sinker is selected according to the fishing conditions. The main purpose of such equipment is to “tie” the circle to a specific place. On a “stagnant” reservoir, 10 g is enough, the shape does not play a special role, but in a current, 20-50 g should be used and preferably with a flat bottom side. However, it should be understood that fishing in this way can only be done on a weak current, since a stronger one will simply turn the circle over.
The thickness of the main line varies from 0.3 to 0.5 mm. Sometimes a thinner one is used - 0.22-0.25 mm, for example, when specifically fishing for perch. In summer, predatory fish are not so picky about the thickness of the fishing line and, as a rule, when they see live bait, they grab it without any problems. You can also use braided fishing line or even nylon cord, which are unsuitable for winter fishing with girders because of their tendency to freeze to the reel when wet. The supply of fishing line should be 10-15 m, and even more in particularly deep reservoirs. There were cases when a pike simply pulled a circle with a small supply of fishing line into snags, as a result of which the tackle was lost, since the moment of the bite was not visible, and, consequently, the place of its drowning remained unnoticed.
Leashes
First of all, leashes differ in the type of material. The easiest to make are the forest ones. Single-core ones are made from thick fishing line 0.6-0.8 mm. With such a thickness, they resist pike teeth quite well, but we prefer to use double leads made of thinner fishing line 00.25-0.4 mm. The fact is that they are more flexible, which gives an advantage in case of poor bite from cautious fish. This leash is not 100% immune from overbite, but even though the predator sometimes grinds one of the veins, as a rule, it can be led to the second. In recent years, more wear-resistant fluorocarbon, which is also less noticeable to fish, has made it possible to increase the reliability of such installation. The cost of this material is, of course, higher than simple nylon, but it also lasts longer. The only thing you should remember is that there are leader and “spinning” fluorocarbon. A lead pike is more difficult to bite, but it is also tougher. The spinning leash is softer, and in the version of the two-strand leash it can be used no less successfully.
Making the leash itself is simple. We fold the fishing line of the required length (40-60 cm) in half and knit 3-4 ordinary knots along the entire length, and the first knot should be 5-10 mm from the eye of the hook, so that a possible undercut occurs in the next segment, thereby leaving the possibility of fishing on one of two lines. The last knot is made double or even triple to avoid spontaneous untying. The live bait is attached “under the gills”: the free end is inserted from the inside of the gills and brought out through the mouth, after which a double is inserted into the outer loop.
Previously, in conditions of shortages and the lack of other options, leashes were made from thin steel wire for aircraft modeling or guitar strings. Their production requires more time; soldering is required for reliable fastening. The leash is inserted into the baitfish's mouth and removed either through the gills or through the anus.
Such leashes were replaced by tungsten ones. The placement of live bait is carried out in the same way as with a double line. The pike will not bite such a leash even if it wants to, but tungsten has a well-known disadvantage - the memory of the material. Often, after the first bite, it curls into a spiral and becomes unsuitable for further fishing. You can straighten it; to do this, you need to take the leash with two pliers and, stretching it over the flame of a gas burner, warm it up, as they say, red-hot. At this moment, it is important not to overdo it, since the heated thin leash can be torn. After such a simple procedure, it becomes perfectly straight again. However, you can use it with one leash no more than 3-4 times, since the material inevitably loses strength and can fail at the most inopportune moment.
Read: Fishing with a dead fish
Spinning steel leashes with nylon coating are good to use. They are quite cheap and durable, and the neutral color of the shell camouflages them well. Before use, we remove all the accessories, attach the double, and attach the live bait in a manner similar to the previous one.
Currently, fishing stores have a huge amount of all kinds of leader materials: from simple steel to expensive titanium, single- and multi-core. All of them are suitable for use. The best ones will be those whose end loops are fixed with a winding, since with crimp tubes it is more difficult to attach live bait, and they injure the gills more.
When placing live bait on a tee under the dorsal fin, unlike winter fishing with girders, there are many idle bites, so I prefer special double hooks, which the predator swallows without problems, without noticing the catch.
Zywiec
When ice fishing on girders, many use crucian carp, but in cold water it does not behave well, is sluggish and inactive, at this time we give preference to roach. But when fishing with mugs, the picture is completely different, and, in my opinion, crucian carp is the best live bait.
It's not difficult to catch him. It is found in almost all ponds and quarries; it bites actively, not disdaining most of the baits offered to it. Both pike and perch love crucian carp, as well as all river predators, including white ones.
A baited crucian carp behaves briskly, directing the circle first in one direction or the other, and it is, perhaps, the most tenacious.
The second most popular live bait is the minnow. It’s even easier to catch, and any predator, especially pike-perch, likes its runaway body
In general, any small fish is suitable as live bait. More than once we have had the opportunity to catch pike with a ruff due to the lack of anything else. Sometimes it is important to take into account the tastes of the predator of a particular body of water.
It happens that the live bait is too large, and it is not possible to place it in the usual way, because every now and then it strives to turn the circle over. In this case, there is one trick: do not pass the line through the tip of the pin, but wrap it closer to the base. In this case, the leverage will be minimal, and it will be more difficult for large live bait to make a false bite. The predator will turn the circle over without any problems at the moment of its grab.
Fishing places
Reservoirs can be divided into closed (lakes and ponds) and open (rivers and reservoirs). The ponds are quite easy to “read”; the greatest depths are located near the dam and along the riverbed, and the upper reaches are shallow. First of all, you should pay attention to areas with vegetation. The predator loves to lie in wait for prey in such places, since they provide both shelter and a good food supply.
You can place circles either along the border of the grass at some distance, or in “windows”; in this case, they will not float away on their own. Near the grass, the predator is especially active in the morning and evening hours, often at this time large specimens come out, however, even during the day the same pike is not averse to hiding in the thickets.
Deep places should not be ignored, since in large expanses there are a wide variety of predators, and real trophies can be caught. The main thing is not to forget that a thermocline is formed in the summer, and the fish prefers to stay in the upper, although warmer, but much more oxygen-rich layer, and not at the bottom, despite the fact that the temperatures there are more comfortable. Often, in an area 4-5 m deep, it is enough to set a descent of 1-1.5 m. And the bites will not take long to arrive.
The lakes have a more intricate shape and topography, but in general they are not difficult to study. First of all, we notice aquatic vegetation and snags; open areas, as in the previous case, must be kept to one side. Of course, you can measure the depths using an echo sounder or even a simple depth gauge, but it is better to either choose a specific area and place gear on it, or place them pointwise throughout the reservoir in the places you like most. A circle is not a girder and will not stand in one place, but knowing the direction of the wind, you can predict the movement of the gear and set the desired trajectory. It must be taken into account that if the circle moves from the depths to the shallows, then the baitfish, having reached the bottom, will try to hide in the grass, becoming inaccessible to the predator.
Read: Subtleties of fishing on the bulldozer
Late in the evening, as well as before and immediately after sunrise, there is usually a calm, and the mugs do not float far from the installation site. At other times, even a light breeze carries them along. In terms of fishing a larger water area, this is good, but in the end, all the gear can get lost in one area, also getting tangled in the grass. In this case, we use several moored circles with a diverting leash, and also arrange classically equipped ones in a special way. To do this, we use rare, lonely vegetation. We position the circle so that part of its area rests on a water lily or other plants, or even put the stems on top, catching them on a pin. I repeat, the vegetation should be sparse and, preferably, stretched by the wind along the surface, so that there is free space under it and the bait fish cannot wrap the fishing line around the stem.
The use of circles on rivers has its own characteristics. For obvious reasons, places with a noticeable main stream and riffles are unsuitable. A stretch with a weak current is best suited.
In this case, there are two fishing options. You can use anchored circles, which essentially perform the functions of a live bait bottom, or you can fish a section of the river, sending ordinary gear downstream over and over again. With the second option, it is more convenient to fish from two boats: one angler launches the mugs, the second controls them downstream. It is advisable to use 5 mugs; handling a large number on the river is quite troublesome; there is always a chance of overlooking and losing the tackle that has been carried away by the current.
Separately, it is necessary to highlight fishing in backwaters and bays. In general, it is the same as on ponds due to the lack of current, but you should not leave gear close to the river exit, since both the wind and a lively predator can drag the circle onto the main stream. If you don’t notice this in time, then you will most likely have to say goodbye to him. In general, fishing on the river is more difficult, but the catch is more varied.
In the vast expanses of large reservoirs, mugs need to be placed compactly. You should use no more than 10 pieces in order to constantly keep them under control without losing sight of them. Otherwise, it’s easy for a small circle to get lost in a huge area of water, especially if the water surface is not calm. This primarily concerns catching pike perch, an inhabitant of the depths. Aquatic vegetation is present in abundance along the shore, forming “corridors” and “windows” of clean water, cutting them off from the “big” water. You can successfully catch pike and perch in them without fear of losing your gear.
Some fishermen place mugs in a group, like girders in winter, and then watch them from a certain distance.
Among the accessories you need to have with you is a canna or a bucket for live bait, a landing net, a kukan or cage, spare accessories, as well as a yawner and an extractor for removing the hook.
You should approach the triggered tackle quietly, noticing which direction the line goes from the circle. It is more convenient to choose it when it goes from the boat, and not under it.
If the bite is active, then there is no time for other gear, although usually fishing with mugs can be combined with spinning.
Usually you can’t do without a boat, but there were times when I put mugs in wading boots in relatively shallow water, and I came across some good pike, the largest one weighed 4.5 kg.
And a completely exotic way is to set the mugs by swimming. Although this bears fruit, it requires a lot of strength and energy, and at one time my brother and I tried this option out of curiosity. However, you should not get carried away with such fishing, especially without a wetsuit, so as not to put your life at risk.
The mug fishing season is quite extensive. You can open it in June, after the end of the spawning ban, and continue until late autumn, until freeze-up. In summer, the fish are more active, bites are more frequent, but in autumn the largest specimens are often caught.
Mugs are essentially a summer analogue of winter girders. However, if in recent years the number of garrisons has increased significantly, it is rare to see a circlet on a pond in the summer. In most cases, there are simply no competitors for live bait fishing.
When, after spending the night by the fire, in the pre-dawn hour you launch the boat and swim out to check the gear carefully placed from the evening, and in the light gloomy fog among the water lilies you see the white disc of a mug, the soul begins to sing, and the heart beats joyfully in anticipation of a fight with an unknown trophy.
While you are checking your gear, a scarlet sun appears above the horizon and nature wakes up. It is for moments like this that it is worth trying mug fishing, invented by our great-grandfathers.
Fishing with live bait
