Catching rotan in the fall: habitats, main fishing methods

In recent years, rotan has become increasingly of interest to anglers, from amateurs to professionals. Some fishing rod fans have completely switched to fishing for this unusual fish. Fishing for rotan has become popular due to the excitement and excitement, as well as the high taste of the “firebrand” meat. Large fish are especially desirable prey. To successfully catch rotan in the fall, you need to take into account the behavior of the fish during this period of the year, find habitats, and choose the right gear and bait.

Rotan activity in autumn

Before the onset of severe cold weather, the firebrand, like many other types of fish, fattens up. Therefore, autumn is considered one of the best seasons for catching trophy fish. If a small fish feeds on insect larvae, bottom crustaceans and worms, then a large sleeper can be caught on a verkhovka fry or its imitation.

Thanks to the variety of rotan in its diet, a fisherman can use different fishing methods, combine baits, and try to gather a flock using bait.
And if in September the “firebrand” can be dispersed throughout the entire water area of the reservoir, then in October the fish are localized in certain areas. You can successfully catch rotan in November using winter fishing rods and bait. It is possible to catch the Far Eastern representative of the ichthyofauna in winter, if the water area does not freeze through. This is interesting!
Rotan has unique vitality. Even when the pond is completely frozen, the fish survive, gathering into a large ball of many individuals. The outside of this formation is covered with mucus, thanks to which a positive temperature is maintained inside. Weather conditions are not decisive when fishing. The bite depends on the degree of hunger or satiety of the fish.

Fishing methods

Rotan bites around the clock, but at night the intensity of the bite decreases somewhat. When removed from the water, the fish does not resist much, but is resilient. The head is characterized by a peculiar biting style - leisurely moving and sinking the tackle, followed by pulling it to the side.

For spinning

Autumn fishing is effective when using special drop-shot gear designed for bottom fish. The sinker is attached to the end of the fishing line using a carabiner. A hook without a leash is placed above the elongated sinker.

Tackle should be selected as light as possible, since the fish is not large in size and is found at shallow depths. The most suitable rod is the ultralight category, up to 2.3 m long. A wobbler can be used as bait. When fishing, the following types of wiring are used:

stepped;
swinging the tip of the spinning rod;
high-amplitude movements with the rod;
rapid fluctuations.

Soldered hooks are reliable for hooking and extracting rotan. If you are going to catch large specimens, you should give preference to large hooks.

On a float rod

When using a float rod for rotan, there are several differences in the approach to fishing:

the use of bait of animal origin - worms, pieces of meat, leather;
throwing bait to a depth of 20 cm from the bottom;
obligatory bait game.

On the fishing rod with a nod

Catching rotan on a fishing rod with a nod is highly effective. To catch firebrands, use 5-8-meter fishing rods with a summer jig and a large long hook.

The advantage of this fishing accessory is the ability to move the bait in different water layers, provoking an attack and passive individuals. The nod can be made from a plastic bottle: a narrow piece 10-15 cm long with a hole at the end is attached to the end of the fishing rod.

For a winter fishing rod

Fishing sites

The homeland of this amazing small fish is the Far East. It was from the Amur basin that it was brought to the European part of the country. Ratan quickly acclimatized to new bodies of water and began to actively reproduce in those where there were no predatory fish.

Attention! The size of the firebrand depends on the richness of the food supply and the presence of a predator in the reservoir. Small fish live in small ponds, but trophy fish should be looked for in large bodies of water with running water.

One of the criteria that helps an angler understand how to properly catch large rotans is the nature of the reservoir. It is useless to drive the spoon through the toad grass, where small things live. Here you can only hope for a catch if you use float rods.

Fishing for rotan in the fall looks most promising in such reservoirs as:

large lakes;
dams and bridges on small rivers;
backwaters and oxbow lakes of large rivers that are flooded during floods.

The essential conditions in these reservoirs must be:

the presence of running water or underwater springs;
water depth more than 2 m;
presence of predatory fish;
rich vegetation.

Until the “firebrand” senses the approach of winter, it should be caught at a depth of up to 2 m. With the onset of night frosts, the fish moves to deep holes.

Photo 1. On an autumn pond.

Who is caught with a side nod in the fall?

The species composition of freshwater inhabitants that can get hooked is also widely represented. Depending on the type of reservoir, the catch includes the following representatives of ichthyofauna.

The most common white fish in autumn is roach. You can catch it in the windows of water lilies on small lakes, river oxbows, bays, etc. Roach is caught using natural baits such as bloodworms, worms, and caddis flies.

Recommendation! Having mastered the technique of vertical wiring, you can try fishing with reelless jigs. These are uralks, devils, nymphs, etc. Larger fish bite on them.

Such close relatives of roach as rudd also hide under water lilies. They prefer bloodworms and worms.
On dumps in depth, bites of qualifying bream often occur. Although small bream and silver bream peck more often. This fish must be looked for in reservoirs and rivers.
The ubiquitous perch bites well not only on natural baits (worms, bloodworms), but also on various baits. With a side nod, fishing with reelless spinners, vertical spinners and bulldozers becomes successful.
Fish such as rotan, crucian carp and carp feed in ponds before the onset of winter. On paid fishing grounds, fishing is carried out near the shore, where food is regularly poured out, and the fish are not afraid of people.

Photo 2. Autumn rotan pecked at the lung.

Fishing methods and gear for rotan

The choice of gear and bait for catching rotan should be made taking into account the habitat. There are several main ways to harvest this Far Eastern “beast”.

A float rod is the simplest and most common tackle. It is no different from a fishing rod that is used for fishing for roach or crucian carp. Some features of this method should be highlighted:

It is necessary to use only animal bait (worms, chicken skin, pieces of meat);
the bait should be lowered onto the rotan almost to the very bottom;
periodically you need to play along with the bait, irritating the rotan.

Photo 2. Float rod.

Fans of ultralight or microjig manage to catch “firebrands” using artificial baits. The best ones are silicone worms, edible twisters and slugs. The most catchy spinners for fishing rotan are spinners with an Aglia type petal. The “firebrand” can also be found on small minnow-type wobblers, which have neutral or positive buoyancy. The spinning rod is selected with a length of 2.1-2.4 m with a test weight of up to 9 g. As for wiring, a small step or dragging along the bottom works best. You can use both classic options for equipping baits and equipment with a retractable leash.

Photo 3. Light class spinning rod.
Fishing with a fishing rod with a side nod has proven itself to be excellent in the fall. For fishing, a lightweight carbon fiber rod 5-7 m long is suitable, on the tip of which a bright nod is mounted at an angle of 90 degrees to the line of the fishing rod. The fishing line is wound on a small inertial reel, and a jig is tied to the end. With such gear, rotan can also be caught using a balance beam. The bait is played at the very bottom; depending on the activity of the fish, the speed of the retrieve and the amplitude of the oscillations are selected.
Zherlitsy and stavushki allow you to purposefully hunt for large rotan. They can be installed on the shoreline if waders are available, or placed throughout the body of water using a boat. Small verkhovka or other inhabitants of a pond or lake are used as live bait for fishing for rotan.

Attention! Live bait should be located on the horizon 10-25 cm from the bottom surface.

Peculiarities of rotan biting in October

I live in a large city next to a small body of water. The other day I learned from a local fisherman that rotan lives there. I had never encountered this fish before. Tell me, does it bite in the fall and what should I use to catch it?

Rotan is found in many inland waters. Outwardly, it resembles a goby, but differs in paired fins on its belly, near its head. This is a predator whose main diet consists of fry, crustaceans, amphipods and other small inhabitants of water bodies. In the fall, it is more advisable to catch it with a jig. Active play forces small predators to attack the bait. Bloodworms or small maggots, pieces of worms are used as bait. If you don’t have the necessary bait at hand, you can get it directly from the pond. Any piece of meat, be it a larva or a small fish, will perfectly replace a worm.

The equipment is as follows: an inertial reel is installed on the fly rod, the diameter of the fishing line should not exceed 0.12-0.14 mm. In place of the tulip of the fly rod, a side nod is attached, through which the fishing line is passed. The “guard” should have a bright color and be noticeable, since the bite occurs at a considerable distance. Tungsten jigs have a significant advantage over their lead counterparts. Its shape depends on the preferences of the angler. The most popular are “drops”, “balls”, “Ural”, “ants” and “nymphs”. Rotan is a bottom species, so it makes no sense to use a tandem of jigs.

This fish is a schooling fish, so it makes sense to use bait that will keep rotans in the fishing zone. The chopped worm is mixed with sifted soil, and the resulting mixture is rolled into balls. “Dry blood” and meat attractants are also added, which increase the effectiveness of feeding and stimulate appetite. You can diversify the mixture with the dry component - breadcrumbs have a wonderful aroma and attract fish. Even if rotan is not tempted by such a trick, crackers will attract fry - the basis of the food supply of this species. Feeding should be done every half hour or when the intensity of the bite decreases.

To learn more:

The subtleties of fishing with a diverting leash in the current in the fall

Rotan in October and November is caught no worse than in the summer. Its numbers and gluttony ensure a good catch. The only downside is the size of the fish. Specimens over 200 g are rarely caught, and the bulk of the catch is made up of 30-70 gram “trophies”. A fishing spot should be chosen with a large number of fry, but finding them in the fall is problematic. The advantage of fishing with a jig is the quick search for small predators. It’s not worth staying at one point, 5-10 transactions and the transition.

Bait or what rotan bites on

When a novice fisherman is looking for an answer to the question of what rotan bites, it is necessary to remember that this fish is a clearly defined predator. Therefore, only animal baits should be used to catch rotans. It is better to leave plant baits for crucian carp or roach. What can you use to catch rotan in the fall?

First of all, you should start from the food base of the reservoir. You can catch rotan in September using insects such as flies, gadflies and grasshoppers.
Closer to winter, there is a good bite for worms, maggots and bloodworms. The “firebrand” does not disdain such rare baits as chicken skin, pieces of meat, lard or fresh fish.
Snails, leeches and juvenile fish can tempt fish to bite in the fall.

Photo 3. Verkhovka attracts the predatory sleeper.

Catching rotan using a spinning rod.

There are many ways to catch rotan in the fall, but the most interesting is spinning.

This gear provides significant advantages. Firstly , the ultralight spinning rod weighs extremely little and does not take up much space in the stowed position. Secondly, everything you need : bait, spare fishing line and more, easily fits in a small bag.

Thirdly, with a short spinning rod you can fish in difficult conditions of overgrown banks. And finally, spinning rods, especially ultralight ones, bring a lot of pleasure when fishing.

To catch rotan, long casts are not needed; this fish is not shy and can be caught almost “under your feet,” so when placing the bait you need to bring it as far as possible to the shore. Often the rotan is taken when the angler removes the bait from the water. The most preferred fishing places are the border of aquatic vegetation with water, as well as windows of clear water, among continuous vegetation.

After casting, the bait is passed almost along the surface of the water or in the surface layer. Uniform wiring of rotan does not excite, so it is worth using twitching wiring when the bait moves unevenly with pauses.

It is better to select exactly what tempo and what duration of the pause on the spot experimentally, since at different times and seasons rotan exhibits unequal activity. Very often, an angler can personally observe how a fish chases the bait and, from experience, the rotan makes a throw at the prey precisely during pauses.

If there are windows of clear water, you should not cast directly into them, but it is better to do it further so that the bait already passes through the window with exciting wiring.

If the pond is completely overgrown with duckweed , you should not leave it immediately. There is definitely rotan there and you can do the wiring directly on top of the duckweed, making paths in it. This method simply amazingly excites this fish, and the fisherman can observe with his own eyes how the sleeper rushes at the prey.

The bite of rotan is felt very well , it takes sharply and strongly. You shouldn’t delay hooking, as he can swallow the bait deeply and it will be difficult to get it out. When fished out, rotan gives the impression of a large fish, and when removed from the water, it behaves surprisingly humbly.

Conclusion:

Fishing for rotan in the fall is very promising and brings results in any weather, at any time of the day.
Rotan can be caught even in those reservoirs where the presence of any fish is not expected.
Rotan is an ideal fish for beginners who are starting to master some kind of fishing method. Along with tackle management skills, a beginner will receive moral satisfaction from a virtually guaranteed catch.
Catching rotan with an ultralight spinning rod is the most interesting; even experienced fishermen do not disdain it.

Secrets of luring rotan

Many fishermen do not consider it necessary to lure rotan. In this case, you will hardly have to count on active biting. To collect a flock of firebrands at a fishing point, there are several techniques.

In the fall, it is enough to pull out the algae by the roots, making a window suitable for fishing to attract curious rotans. Not only are they not afraid of noise, but on the contrary, they approach such areas of the reservoir. Therefore, you can simply arm yourself with a long stick, periodically moving the bottom in the fishing area with it.
You can also attract a flock of firebrands using bait. Only it should contain a lot of protein particles. This could be bloodworms or maggots, chopped worms. An interesting option for bait for rotan is finely chopped meat or beef liver, which can be lowered to the fishing point using a feeder.

How to Attach a Side Nod to a Fishing Rod

To put on a nod, you first need to remove the tulip from the fishing rod. Why do we heat it slowly so that the glue loses its properties? It is advisable to do this with the help of a hair dryer, or, in extreme cases, a lighter, moving it from side to side, avoiding direct contact of the flame with the tulip.

Then we put the ring back, take the side nod and the thermal tube and apply them to the tulip. Thermal tubes must be cut so much that they are several centimeters longer than the leg of the side nod. We remove the tulip ring again, thread the thermal tube through the whip, then apply glue to the tip of the whip and put the tulip back on.

We wait until the glue dries and our ring will sit firmly on the rod again. Now we thread the nod leg, as shown in the figure. Next we put on the thermal tube.

The side nod is set so that the line that comes out of the rod's guide ring enters the side nod rings at an angle of 90 degrees.

How to attract rotan

There are two ways to force a predator to appear in a certain place:

If the surface of the reservoir is still covered with algae, it is recommended to remove them by making a kind of window. The firebrand is not only a careless fish, but also a very curious one. She will definitely sail to this place to see what is happening. To better attract a predator, it is recommended to find a long stick and immerse it in the window, periodically knocking it on the bottom.
The firebrands can also be lured using bait. It should contain a large amount of animal products. For example, prepare minced fish or meat and add breadcrumbs, corn or peas to it. Some people use regular oatmeal, but they are less effective. The bait can be placed in a feeder and thrown into a pond.

Rice. 8. In a fishing store you can buy ready-made universal bait for predatory fish. You definitely need to pay attention to its characteristics; it must be designed for cold water.