All about fishing: Catching bream on first ice

Bream fishing on first ice

With the onset of freeze-up, most anglers focus on perch, roach and pike. And only a few catch bream on the first ice. To achieve success in bream fishing at this time, you need to take into account the formation of ice and notice where fish are staying in the reservoir while still in open water. At the beginning of the winter season, the behavior of bream is largely determined by the process of ice formation and the characteristics of the reservoir. If there were no sharp temperature fluctuations (thaw - frost) and the ice stood up immediately, large bream went to maximum depths, where the warmest water is. Such areas in most reservoirs are located along the riverbed and in pits. But recent years have seen unstable weather. The unexpectedly cold weather soon gave way to above-zero temperatures, and the ice that had formed melted away. Due to the constant temperature drop, the reservoirs near Moscow “rose up” the third, or even the fourth time. But even if the ice seemed to be strong enough to fish from, a prolonged thaw sometimes led to the fact that the bream began to leave the riverbed and move along the irrigation channels. When the thaw gave way to severe frosts, the bream again rolled into the depths. Of course, such a condition, when the fish, as fishermen say, “hangs out” from irrigation to the riverbed, has a negative effect on the bite. A stable thaw or cold, on the contrary, awakens the appetite of bream. There are reservoirs where bream are successfully caught on the same days both in the deep riverbed and in shallower areas.

At maximum depths

On Mozhaisk and some other reservoirs, I prefer to catch bream at maximum depths, 11-14 m, along the riverbed. I always try to stay away from the crowd. Where there is stomping, talking, creaking from drilled holes, large bream escape the noise. Usually, in places where fishermen gather in crowds, small bream, which anglers call “plywood”, bite. Large bream sometimes take a very long time to look for. And yet, I often choose the search method instead of “hatching” on holes with bait, since the winter day is very short and the bream does not have time to approach the bait. If you feed the holes for two to three days, the likelihood that a large bream will approach increases significantly. But sometimes anglers do not wait for the bream to approach, since the weekend ends, and many leave, but the baited holes remain: Therefore, old, “lived-in” holes, which are clearly distinguishable by the frozen remains of bait (bloodworms, dry mixture), should be fished first. . Sometimes bream gather under them immediately after the anglers leave; This happens because there is silence on the ice and nothing prevents the fish from feeding.

Fishing tactics

At the beginning of freeze-up, when the ice is transparent, the boundary of the channel can be easily determined by the thickness of the ice, since at depth the ice freezes later. Having made sure with the help of an ice pick that the ice is strong, I move along the border of the channel with a tandem of “devils”, drilling holes in a zigzag fashion along the slope at a distance of about 10 m from one another. If I come across a bream, then I drill the next holes on the supposed “patch” after 5-6 m (see figure). In addition, when planning a route, it is worth focusing on the depths. If bites occur at extreme depths, then it is not necessary to go to the border of the channel. Sometimes I focus on holes known from open water, in the middle of the riverbed.

Usually large, 1-3 kg or more, bream travels in small schools. He is very shy. However, as a rule, if you catch the first bream, then wait for the second bite in the same hole. On the “working” hole, sometimes it is possible to catch even four or five bream in a row. Fishing using the search method without bait does not always turn out to be productive. True, for those who feed the holes for several days, bites can also be quite rare. But if the “sitter” catches it, it’s usually a large specimen. The big advantage of search fishing with devils is that along the way you often catch pike perch, and sometimes pike are enticed by the game of devils.

I use “devil” hooks very rarely. Sometimes I catch one tiny maggot. Pike perch bite better on this bait. According to my observations, replanting has almost no effect on the bite of large bream; Stable and correct play of the bait is more important. The choice of a near or distant channel dump is determined by the topography of the adjacent irrigation. If the irrigation is dug up, then the nearby riverbed area turns out to be more promising than the one located next to a flat, unremarkable table. First of all, you need to pay attention to the bends of the riverbed, where the food washed out of the ground by the current is retained. Promising points for fishing can be located both in places of approach to the bed of ditches, and in places where flooded tributaries flow. If the main channel is close to the bank, I start searching in the area located along the far flow. It is useless to look for bream here; its standard habitats are on the edge of the opposite watering. Interestingly, the depth of the bream can be indirectly determined by the roach. If the ice freezes immediately, this fish usually slides to its maximum depths. So, if a roach is caught at a depth of 10 m, then a large bream should be looked for at 12-14 m. If a roach feeds at a depth of 6-7 m, then a large bream is most likely located nearby, but in areas with a depth of 9-12 m.

Fishing technique

The smooth, monotonous movement of a tandem of “devils” oscillating with a large amplitude at a low frequency is the basis of the wiring technique. Sometimes the bite improves if the pace of the retrieve is accelerated to medium, but it is also very important that the frequency of movements be uniform. A small glitch in the game always alarms the bream, and it moves away. More often I start retrieving from the very bottom, first I lightly scratch the ground with the lower “devil” so that a cloud of turbidity rises. When playing, I raise the lower bait to a height of 0.5 m. Sometimes I make a slow rise from the ground without any hesitation at all. It often happens, especially with sudden temperature changes, that the bream rises and stands above the bottom. Then I extend the wiring to the distance of an arm extended above my head. If it is assumed that the bream is located at some distance from the ground, then for a more successful search for it, it is better to tie the “devils” at a distance of 50-60 cm from each other. When a place is discovered where the bream bites 1-1.5 m from the bottom, the distance between baits in tandem can be reduced to 20-30 cm. Then there are more bites. In such cases, I wind an “extra” meter of fishing line onto the reel and start lifting the nozzle from a level of 1 m above the bottom. A portable echo sounder is a great help in finding a school of bream. I choose small “devils” for fishing on the first ice

Two thin tungsten “devils” 10 mm long are well suited for the Mozhaisk Reservoir. They pull fishing line with a diameter of 0.14-0.16 mm into a line quite well. I do not use thicker fishing lines for fishing on the first ice, as they significantly worsen the performance of the tandem. For the Ozerninsky Reservoir, where there are a lot of small fish, “devils” about 15 mm long and elongated are better suited, since large baits cut off small things. The color of the “devil,” according to my observations, does not matter - at great depths, bream is guided only by the vibrations emanating from the bait.

During irrigation

In some reservoirs, schools of bream and bream choose feeding waters for permanent habitat. And if anglers catch bream on the same “nickels” from year to year, then the bream quickly gets used to the regular abundant bait falling to the bottom and visits such areas. Bream and white bream are attracted to dug-out irrigation areas, where there is a lot of natural food. It is important to find a depression down to 6.5-7 m on a relatively flat bottom with depths of 5.5-6 m, which can take the form of a small hole or a long groove. The presence of separate snags in the water always has a positive effect on the fishing result, since schools of different “white” fish gather at such points. Often you come across solid specimens of roach here.

Bream on the first ice

At the beginning of freeze-up, the habits of bream depend on the speed of ice formation and the onset of winter. Usually, at the moment of the formation of the first ice and the next 7-10 days, it is difficult to catch bream. At this time, the fish adapts to new environmental conditions and hardly eats.

The entire cycle of the flock's daily rhythm is disrupted. Reflexively, after the formation of the first ice, the bream moves somewhat deeper, closer to its winter stopping places. Fishing during this period is difficult to predict.

If frost is pressing, and after freezing there is stable cold weather, winter comes into its own and the ice thickens, the bream usually moves to the deep edges, starting to feed in deeper water areas. In such seasons, usually after 5-6 days the bite gradually resumes, and you can begin targeted fishing.

If the reservoir freezes for a long time, the cold alternates with thaws, the first ice appears and then disappears - then a similar “chattering” can be traced in the behavior of the fish. Schools of bream, depending on the weather, either move deeper, then return to the middle watering areas. It is impossible to catch anything systematically. In some reservoirs during this period, bream may not bite at all.

Article about fishing on the first ice:

https://podlednik.ru/lovlya_zimoj/rybalka/po-pervomu-ldu

In most cases, unlike catching perch or roach, the bream bite in the first ice does not begin immediately after the ice forms, but a little later, after a week or two, when the ice shell becomes stable and winter comes into its own. Therefore, catching this fish on the first ice occurs tactically in a slightly different way. There is no hunger for the first ice, like some other fish. The fisherman needs to wait for a stable bite a little later.
By that time, schools of bream will already be in their winter quarters, in deep sections of the riverbed or holes next to the feeding tables. A certain system will develop in the fish's routine - feeding times, paths and routes to get to the feeding tables, some habits specific to a particular reservoir and elements of the daily life cycle.
The small underbreeder usually begins to feed on the first ice immediately after the pond is covered with a shell. Unlike adult individuals, breams move more actively along the shore, as well as from the depths to the shallows and back. All this happens at depths somewhat shallower than those of adult bream. The most feeding deep-sea areas are immediately occupied by larger fish, while the bream settles down for a long time, gradually.
You can catch a bream in the first ice both at depth and in shallower roach areas, at 3-5 meters. Therefore, in the first ice it is easier to catch a bream, rather than an adult bream, whose bite stabilizes a little later. Sometimes you have to run after a flock that actively walks throughout the day along the watering path, as well as from the depths to the shallows and back.
In some seasons, during such fermentations, both large bream and white bream actively feed, and they can be caught using the usual search method using a jig at relatively shallow depths.

Fishing for bream on the first ice

The concept of “first ice” means that the reservoir is frozen, the ice has quickly reached a thickness that is safe for the fisherman, and you can count on an active bite. In the last few years, this has rarely happened, at least in the middle zone of the country.

November in fishing was initially assigned the place of one of the most important periods of hunting for fish, since this is the time of formation of the first ice. But climatic conditions are changing, so it is no longer correct to say that November is the month of first ice. December has been the first month of ice for Moscow fishermen for several years now.

Ice appears and melts under the influence of heat, wind, and rain. This is repeated several times, often within a month. And when safe ice forms, it turns out that for the fish the “first ice” has already passed and the expected zest will have to wait until next year. Therefore, every year we hope that the ice will rise together and there will be an active bite.

Instability in the formation of strong first ice, determined solely by the weather, naturally has a negative impact on fish. Fish, which, when the water cools to a certain temperature, fall into a state close to suspended animation, perhaps have the easiest time of all. They lose activity and weather changes don’t bother them much anymore. But perch, roach, pike, bream and other “all-season” fish begin to behave warily, one might say, painfully. And this painful condition lasts throughout the winter.

It is well known that when the ice freezes quickly and abruptly, most fish experience some kind of shock. Some of them even rise, press themselves against the ice and stand like that for several hours, without moving or going into the depths. This happens when the ice rises together, and the next morning we observe that first ice, which is described in classical literature. One to three days after this first ice forms, the period of highest fish activity during the winter begins.

If the formation of ice stretches out: it rises at night and melts during the day, then throughout this entire period there is no bite. And in such conditions it is possible to fish only from a boat or continue fishing with summer gear from the shore - in gullies in the current.

Fishermen are now constantly searching for bodies of water where they can go out onto the ice and start fishing. Usually these are small lakes and river bays, as I have already talked about.

Lovers of bream fishing are especially worried, since reservoirs and large and deep lakes are the last to rise.

The windless and relatively frosty weather in recent days allows us to hope that the ice will become strong enough and it will be possible to fish not only in shallow bays. The fact is that the bream almost never goes to the shallows or watering areas on the first ice, and if it does, it does not stay in one place. I personally only twice accidentally managed to catch several decent white bream in the bays of the Pestovsky Reservoir on the edge of solid ice from a depth of no more than two meters. I consider this an exception and ordinary luck. It is possible that bream is still visiting shallow water areas, but apparently only at night.

The main fishing for bream begins from the time when the angler is able to reach the edge of the riverbed or the edge of the pit of a reservoir or its bay on sufficiently strong ice. In this sense, the most promising are the Istra and Ozerninskoye reservoirs in the Moscow region. A characteristic feature of these reservoirs is that there are many deep and long bays, as well as places where the channel passes literally right under the shore.

The white bream is now very actively moving, redistributing between its winter camp sites.

Displacements are both temporary and systematic. That is, in the morning the fish goes deep into the bay, and in the afternoon it returns to the reservoir bed. During such movements, over a period of approximately two to three weeks, the undergrowth is redistributed and concentrated near places where it will remain throughout the winter, unless there is a sharp change in the water level.

Bream are the fastest to occupy such places; the small bream will “fuss around” for a long time. Therefore, to achieve success in fishing, the main thing is to correctly build fishing tactics. The fishing tactic now is to quickly and correctly determine the location and direction of the edges.

Since drilling holes is still easy, I advise you to make at least two dozen holes, both across the lower edge and along it. I make holes at a distance of at least 10 meters from each other. After the horizon where the fish is located is “groped”, it makes sense to reduce the distance to five meters.

The prepared holes should be fed, but with a very small amount of bait. Moreover, you need to choose the highest quality bait, for example, bloodworms. There is no point in putting more than 30-50 g of bait into one hole initially.

If there are no bloodworms, then I personally have been using Team Fighter bait for cold water for many years. For the day of fishing, it is enough to stock up on one kilogram of this bait. The bait should be lowered to the bottom using a feeder. The reason is that the usual fishing depth is at least 6 meters, and at such a depth in a reservoir or flowing lake, even a very weak and sometimes imperceptible current can displace a lump of bait thrown into a hole a considerable distance.

After preparing and feeding the holes, you can start fishing, starting from the first baited hole. Even if the bites start right away, after catching several fish and the bite subsides, I advise you to leave the hole. It is better to constantly stock up on new feeding holes. This is done as follows.

Before moving on to the next hole, I drill two or three holes at the “biting level”, feed them and only after that I move the tackle to the next “hole”. The fishing is very fast and is similar to walleye fishing, where the angler follows a moving school. The fundamental difference is that when chasing a school of pike perch, holes are drilled at a distance of a meter or two and are not fed.

catching bream (bream) on the first ice video, photo

Good afternoon.
Bream (bream) is one of the favorite species of fish and many anglers are happy to devote their time to catching this particular species. Even after observing the number of requests on the Internet, it is bream that is ahead of the rest, pike, perch and even roach are lagging behind in popularity. ))) So, today’s topic is catching bream, white bream on the first ice, video, photo. During the period of first ice, the bream presents us with some surprises, namely, for the first ten to fifteen days after freeze-up, this fish, beloved by many, does not show activity and its bite is reduced to almost zero results. The secret of this behavior is quite difficult to explain. Most likely, the bream undergoes some acclimatization and adaptation to the changed conditions, when the oxygen regime changes quite sharply, the water temperature decreases, the level of illumination of the reservoir changes, etc. During the period of the first ice, bream gather in fairly large schools based on age and, accordingly, size; they may have elections for the head of the school, trade union meetings, and the development of a strategy to resist the fishing pressure from the ice (of course, this is humor). But the fact remains, so if at the beginning of the season you cannot catch a bream or white bream on the first ice, you should not be upset, you have not lost your skill over the summer, your bait, technique and fishing tactics are in order, it’s just that the bream is not at the moment ready to eat actively. So, friends, at the very beginning of the winter season on the first ice, it makes sense to switch to catching other fish, the ubiquitous stripers or roach, you can play with larger predators, in reservoirs where burbot is found, its activation also begins after the summer lull. Even if on the second weekend the result turned out to be negative, don’t worry, next Saturday you can safely set yourself up to catch bream and bream. Bream seems to be the only fish in our reservoirs that reacts in this way to the formation of the first ice, and this fact has been noticed in all regions, both in the south, in the middle zone, and in the north.

Let's look at the strategy for catching bream and bream on the first ice. For its stopover, the flock prefers deep-sea places, depressions at the bottom, old channels, natural depressions where there is no current (if it is a river). With the onset of dawn, a school of bream and bream goes to feeding places, these can be either edges or feeding tables, while the school of fish does not move long distances from its stopping place, i.e. Bream is a sedentary fish and changes its habitat only according to seasonal conditions. This is where our first task is, to guess the parking place of the bream and bream and arrange our holes at the exit from it, so to speak, on the path to the feeding place. Agree, it is almost impossible to predict in which direction the bream will go to feed today, but getting on its path is quite possible.

Here bait is of great importance, the essence of which comes down to attracting a flock of bream and bream and making it stop under your hole to feed. As for bait, fishermen often have different opinions, but almost everyone agrees that fish should not be overfed, and it is better to use crumbly food. It is better not to use boiled cereals, peas and other hearty ingredients. As for the use of animal bait in the form of bloodworms, again, the question is not clear-cut, because there is a possibility of attracting a huge number of stripers or roaches and it is not a fact that a school of bream, much less bream, will approach this place. So, we drill holes on the dumps, a little further away already on a flat area, in this case it is better to determine the fishing area in advance and drill immediately to the maximum, bream is an extremely cautious and timid fish, especially since it’s a pleasure to drill on the first ice, this is not the dead of winter with a meter of ice .

The holes are drilled, we feed them and give them time to settle and calm down for at least thirty minutes, during which time you can play in clean, unfed holes. Half an hour has passed, we begin fishing the baited holes, bream can be caught perfectly both with a float rig and with a nod. In this case, it is better to use a long nod, with a large bend; firstly, it is more sensitive and both jerks and rises when biting are clearly visible on it. And secondly, bream is a sedate fish and it prefers a smooth, unhurried game, which is what allows it to perform a long, sensitive nod. You shouldn’t linger on one hole for a long time, because if there is fish below, it will not be slow to show itself; if there is silence, we move on to the next well-fed hole. In this case, great attention should be paid to caution when moving, and of course, silence. The first ice is quite thin and perfectly transmits all sounds under water, and as we already know, bream and bream are very cautious and timid fish, so any noise on the ice can ruin all early work.

Catching bream and bream on the first ice can bring great pleasure, while all the gear works, with nod and float fishing attachments, any nozzle-less jigs, devils, etc. Now let’s look at the video and see what amateur and professional bream climbers will tell us. Let's learn some of their secrets and subtleties of fishing, so, watch the video and photos of catching bream and white bream on the first ice.

The concept of “first ice” and safety measures

It is easy to guess that the first ice is the moment of freezing of a reservoir, which occurs for the first time in a season. It is not possible to accurately determine the month or date range; it all depends on the location and current weather conditions, which change every year.

As soon as an ice crust has formed on the reservoir, the bream is in a so-called shock state. He is sick and practically does not eat. The real “zhor” comes no earlier than 5-7 days. By this time, the ice thickness reaches 7-10 cm, which is the minimum acceptable value for the safe movement of an adult.

Although fishing for bream on the first ice is considered safer than on the last - the coating is hard and uniform, you should not forget about some rules. You can fall into the water even if you step on a newly made wormwood, which has managed to become crusty during the day. Even an experienced fisherman can fall into such a “trap”, but getting out can be difficult not only in depth, but also in shallow water.

To avoid this, you need to probe suspicious areas with a pick or at least a stick. It is also important to have “rescue bags” tied to your sleeves. These are two strong awls, which, when falling through the ice, are quickly removed from the sleeves and become excellent assistants when climbing out of the water on your own.

Security measures

First ice occurs once per season. It’s impossible to say exactly when the period begins; it all depends on the region and the weather. But safety measures must be observed throughout the winter season.

As soon as the reservoir is covered with ice, the bream is in a state of shock. He begins to get sick and stops eating. It begins to be active a week after the onset of the first frost.

At this time, the ice reaches its minimum thickness and being on it is dangerous. You can fall through the ice even on yesterday’s ice hole, which has already become covered with a thick crust. Any angler can get caught in the water, but getting out of it is quite difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to examine such areas using a pick. Two awls must be attached to the sleeves, which allow you to get out of the water.

Determining the parking location

During the period under review, bream are actively moving around the reservoir. The flock usually stands in deep-water places, depressions, old small riverbeds, and other depressions where there is no current (if you mean a river). Immediately after dawn, the fish begin to move to feeding areas - edges, feeding tables. It should be borne in mind that often the flock does not go far from its permanent location. In other words, bream is a sedentary fish.

From the above it follows that successful bream fishing on the first ice consists of finding a parking spot and drilling holes at the exit from it. At least 20 holes are drilled, usually across the bottom edge or even along it. The distance between holes should be approximately 10 m. After determining a more precise location, the distance is halved. It is better to drill more holes at once, so as not to scare away the prey later - bream is very careful and can leave when it hears movement on the ice.

Fish parking

During this period, bream actively moves around the reservoir. It stands mainly at medium depths, where there is no current, and moves to feeding areas at dawn.

You need to know that the fish does not move far from its permanent location. Therefore, the effective catch will be in the places where it stays and at the exit from it. About 30 holes are drilled in a square every 10m. After it has been possible to determine a more accurate location of the bream, the distance should be reduced.

It is recommended to drill many holes so as not to spook the bream while fishing.

Read! Secrets of catching roach in the harsh wilderness

Lure

After preparations are completed, the holes are fed. It is important here not to overfeed the fish. Purchased mixtures or small bloodworms (so-called feed) are used as feeding. For one well, approximately 50 g of food is initially calculated. Instead of larvae, you can use a fertilizer called “Tim Fighter”, it is specially created for use in cold water.

Many fishermen agree that it is better to use crumbly food, but it is not recommended to use boiled cereals, peas and other quite filling types of food. When using bloodworms, you need to be prepared for the fact that they often attract minke whales and roaches, and bream will not feed in their presence.

1 kg of feed is enough for the whole day. It is lowered into the reservoir using a feeder, which opens with a twitch when it reaches the bottom. This is done for the reason that even a very small current can carry food quite far when it comes to a depth of at least 6 meters.

Catching

You can start catching bream on the first ice from the first hole into which the food was poured. If several bites occurred at once and you managed to catch a couple of fish, but then there was a lull, it is recommended to move to the next place. It is better to create new locations and feed them.

Before the transition, about three holes are drilled at the level where the bites occurred, they are fed, and only then they move on. You need to catch quickly, the technique is similar to that used for pike perch. Only here bait is used as a way to stir up the fish.

This technique is justified until noon, after which there is an hour and a half lull. After the specified time, the flock returns and can stop near the holes that have proven to be the most catchy. You should return to them and re-feed them; sometimes the bream becomes attached to a certain area and then you can count on a good result.

Fishing for bream on the first ice

Each body of water, regardless of the region, has its own unique characteristics that influence the formation of ice cover. In addition, temperature fluctuations from late autumn to early winter are also one of the main factors affecting the onset of freeze-up. It happens that a reservoir is covered with a crust of ice at night, and during the day the water is open again. Inconsistency of living conditions has a negative impact on the activity of bream. Only after permanent ice is installed does it leave its shelters and begin to feed intensively.

Where to look for bream

The sedentary form of bream is found in all rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Bream prefers warm water, sandy, silty and clayey bottoms.

In the fall it goes into pits, where it stays all winter. For permanent habitat in rivers and lakes, bream chooses clayey, silty pits.

Lives mainly in deep places. The bream comes out to the grassy shallows to feed.

It sucks young vegetation with its retractable mouth; in the early morning you can hear these slurping sounds in the grass. Bream loves to dig in the mud and reveals itself by rising gas bubbles.

If you do not disturb it, the bream lives in one place for a very long time, moving along underwater depressions to the fat and back.

In their habitat, early in the morning, bream rises to the surface of the water and “plays” - sticks out its head, shows its back, and, slapping its tail on the water, goes into the depths. Small bream simply jump out of the water and fall flat. At this time, a characteristic splash is heard, hence the expression “give bream” - when an oar is splashed through the water.

Where to look for bream on the first ice

Catching bream on the first ice usually gives good results. At the beginning of winter, the main thing is to determine the place where there is a high probability of the presence of a flock of hazel. These are medium and large bottom holes and depressions of more than 5 meters. When choosing promising areas for bream fishing, you need to pay attention to the condition of the bottom. If a rocky bottom is found even at a suitable depth, then the search should be continued. Bream usually choose places at depth with a silted bottom. Less common over a sandy bottom surface, which is slightly covered with a coating of silt.

Even at the stage of preparation for fishing for bream on the first ice, you need to prepare a sufficient (2 - 3 kg.) amount of crumbly bait. It is useful for attracting and holding still quite active bream and bream in the fishing area. The bait can include chopped or feed bloodworms, breadcrumbs and some ground fried seeds.

Tackle

To catch bream on the first ice, use a jig or float rig. It is recommended to use 0.14 mm fishing line. However, practice shows that moving from this diameter to 0.11 mm can double the bite.

Bream can be caught well on the first ice if the tackle is selected taking into account the weight of the fish, the weight of the bait, etc. This is mainly noticed in the evening, when the holes are re-fed. For example, in the morning the bream was active on a 6mm jig using 4 bloodworm larvae, and in the evening it can take a jig with a diameter of 3mm and one larva.

Read! How to catch pike perch on a balance beam

Naturally, in a couple of weeks the fish will go to their permanent camp sites. But it is recommended that after the first fishing, you return to those places where the fish were more active. The main thing is not to expose them to other anglers, fill the spots and start fishing closer to night. Often it is at this time that trophies are caught.

How to catch bream on the first ice

When starting to catch bream on the first ice above a promising area, drill any number of holes. It is important that they are located above ledges in holes, at possible exits from deep places and on edges. If there is no current, then the bait falls directly into the hole. When fishing in the current, you need to use a feeder, which is lowered into a separate hole made several meters (depending on the speed of the current) upstream.

Considering that bream is very cautious and timid, you should drill as many holes as possible in advance so that during fishing you do not scare away the fish with the noise of the ice drill. After feeding, fishing begins from the first hole made. Don't count on quick results. During the period of no-biting, the feeders with complementary foods lowered into the holes are periodically shaken.

If the ice thickness allows, you can fish for bream at the beginning of winter in a tent. With this type of fishing, you don’t need to get carried away with a large number of gear, since closely spaced gear can get tangled up when landing fish, and a lot of fishing lines hanging in the water often alarm timid bream.

To keep the fish under the hole during the fishing process, you need to throw in a small amount of food. When fishing on first ice, winter gear for bream is successfully used.

Fishing for bream in winter on the first ice

Bream and bream are considered the most popular prey among anglers. Therefore, most fishermen devote a lot of time to catching bream.

At the very beginning of freeze-up, bream becomes too capricious. During the first two weeks after freeze-up, bream are not active at all, and bites are quite rare. This happens because bream has a hard time withstanding the changed conditions of its habitat. The oxygen regime, lighting, water temperature, etc. change sharply. It is almost impossible to catch capricious bream in the first days of freeze-up.

Winter tackle for bream

Winter gear for bream is usually named by the method of rigging. For example, a rocker tackle, jig tackle, etc. Summarizing this issue, it should be noted that for catching winter bream, a winter float rod and a winter fishing rod with a nod are used. The remaining names of gear refer to their varieties.

Winter float rod for bream

A float rod for catching winter bream consists of a short (no longer than 0.5 m) rod. The length is selected according to the physical characteristics of the fisherman. The main thing is that the handle fits comfortably in the hand, which allows you to make a timely hook with the required force.

To catch bream (bream) in winter, a fishing line with a diameter of 0.1 to 0.14 mm is used. This indicator depends on the probable weight of the intended prey.

Any simple inertial reel or reel can be installed on a float rod. The main thing is that they fit the required length of fishing line.

The winter float is selected at the request of the fisherman. It can be double, in the shape of a barrel, a cigar or a cone. In the working position, the single float should be slightly recessed in the hole. This is achieved by selecting the required load capacity. The coloring of the float should ensure its good visibility in cloudy weather or when fishing in a tent.

It is impossible to determine which is better: a load consisting of several pellets of different diameters or one sinker. When fishing for bream in still water, a weight is more suitable, and in a current, a sinker, the weight of which allows you to deliver the bait to the depth under the feeding hole.

A hook is tied behind the sinker on a leash. If a winter float fishing rod is used with a jig, then the body of the jig usually plays the role of a sinker.

Nodding winter fishing rod for bream

A winter fishing rod with a nod differs from a winter float fishing rod in that the nod plays the role of a signaling device, and the used jigs play the role of a sinker.

The power of the installed inertial reel is not a determining factor, since it is not used when fishing for caught bream. It is advisable to use a reel with a brake.

In order to increase the catchability of the gear, a rocker arm is used for rigging. This allows you to attract the attention of the fish to two jigs at once, on which you can attach different baits for bream.

Bream at the beginning of freeze-up

The concept of “first ice” means that the reservoir is frozen, the ice has quickly reached a thickness that is safe for the fisherman, and you can count on an active bite. In the last few years, this has rarely happened, at least in the middle zone of the country.

Fishermen are now constantly searching for bodies of water where they can go out onto the ice and start fishing. Usually these are small lakes and river bays, as I have already talked about.

Lovers of bream fishing are especially worried, since reservoirs and large and deep lakes are the last to rise.

The white bream is now very actively moving, redistributing between its winter camp sites.

When fishing for bream, bait is needed not to keep the fish in place, but to activate it.

The described fishing tactics work well until about twelve o'clock in the afternoon. Then there comes a break in the bite. After an hour or an hour and a half, a school of white bream may turn back, and then there is a chance that the fish will linger on the most “cool” holes. Therefore, during a break in the bite, I return to the most promising holes and supplement them with the expectation that the bait will tie the bream to a certain place. This happens, and not rarely.

Fishing tactics with bait assume that a jig with bloodworms or a float rig is used.

A few words about the jig. If you have found a school of bream and correctly determined the speed and direction of its movement, the so-called “thickness” of the tackle, at first glance, does not matter much. But since I rarely fish alone on the first ice, I have repeatedly observed how replacing fishing line from 0.14 mm to 0.11 mm gives an increase in catch by one and a half times.

Setting up the tackle is very important, that is, matching the weight of the fish, the depth, the strength of the fishing line, the weight of the jig, the stiffness of the nod and the sharpness of the hook.

The gear adjustment is especially clearly revealed when fishing on second-fed holes in the late afternoon. For example, if before lunch the white bream caught a jig with a diameter of 5 mm with five bloodworms on the hook well and correctly, then after lunch a jig no larger than 2.5 mm in size with one larva on the hook works well.

Gradually, bream and white bream move to their winter camp sites and fishing tactics naturally change. It is quite easy to determine this moment if you have chosen a specific body of water and are going to continue fishing here.

You notice the most productive holes and biting times. After a few days, find these holes and try to repeat your previous success. 95% of the time you won't succeed. But if you are lucky, you will not “light up” the found place. Such a place is worth “developing.” To do this, I advise you not to drill extra holes. Feed the working holes with plenty of bloodworms and try fishing at night. I must say that according to the rules of recreational fishing, fishing at night is not allowed everywhere. But where fishing is allowed, it is at night that there is hope of actually catching bream, and not bream.

The situation is completely different if you fish with a baitless bait, for example, a “devil”, but more on that next time.

A. Yanshevsky “Russian Hunting Newspaper No. 49 - 2007”