Catching pike in winter with a balance beam and a spoon - ranking of the top best, catchiest

Finding a fishing spot

Finding a “pike camp” is difficult, since pike in winter are most often busy moving around the reservoir, therefore, it is necessary to find a place where it hunts for fry. Since pike hunt for fry from shelters, it is necessary to drill holes near snags, or near thickets of grass near the shore. If there are none, then you should drill above the expected location of the edge (6-20 meters from the shore).

Advice: You need to drill holes 11-13 at once, because if there are no bites on one of the holes within 5-7 minutes, then they are unlikely to be in the future, so you can move on to the next one. It is necessary to drill holes at a distance of 4-5 meters from each other. The process is labor-intensive, but always worth the effort.

Almost all pike in winter are closer to the surface of the water, since there is the most oxygen in the upper layers. When hunting for fry, pike often go into shallow water. Often pike can be found on the so-called “navels” - places of transition from one hole to another.

Catching pike in winter with a balancer and spoon, choosing a fishing point

It is better to catch pike in a familiar body of water or having studied it in advance with the help of an echo sounder (for example, in late autumn).

On the first ice, the pike is quite active and is in shallow water, where it actively hunts for fry; it can stand at the edge of the reeds at a depth of only a few tens of centimeters.

But do not forget that large pike prefer deep-sea places. Many anglers start fishing shallow waters and gradually move to deeper areas.

We are interested in bays, small bays, creeks, and lakes. You can also meet pike on the river; here it is worth fishing for bends and turns of the riverbed, places with reverse flows, backwaters, areas with a broken coastline, and steep steep banks.

You should look for pike on deep dumps, only it should not be steep, but flat, ideally with steps, in holes and pools, in places rich in aquatic vegetation, at the edge of reeds, on the bottom strewn with snags, on water tables.

In addition, we are interested in any noticeable changes in depth, for example, the presence at the bottom of a ditch about half a meter deep, a ledge, or a pile of stones.

After two to three weeks, the activity of pike decreases significantly, and the fish moves to places rich in oxygen: confluence points of rivers and streams, underwater springs, old river beds or deeper water areas.

Often during this period, in small standing reservoirs, pike activity is reduced to almost zero, so now it is better to turn your attention to large reservoirs.

Closer to the beginning of spring, pike returns to shallow waters and its activity increases again.

The best time for pike fishing is morning dawn and evening sunset. Many fishermen come to the pond while it is still dark in order to have time to drill holes in advance and start fishing at dawn. You can catch catfish during the day and at night.

Tackle for catching pike with a spinner

It is best to use rods about 30 centimeters long.
If the spinner is light, you need to use a nod of medium hardness, which will allow you to play better with the spinner. If the spinner is light, then you can do without a nod. The bite will be felt well in both cases. The fishing line must be monofilament, elastic, so that it does not freeze like braided line. It should be at least 0.40 mm thick, in case a large pike bites.

A leash is necessary in any case, since the pike will bite through ordinary fishing line. For more bites, the leash must be made from the main fishing line, tying a surgical-type loop at the end. The leash should be at least 20 centimeters long, in case the pike takes the bait deeply. For greater confidence, you can also attach a metal leash, but in this case the number of bites will be significantly reduced.

The coil is selected as follows: after making a sharp turn, it should make 5-6 turns without any effort. You don’t need a lot of space for fishing line; 20-25 meters is enough.

Attaching the fishing line and leash

fishing line

Winter monofilament: Salmo Hi-Tech Ice Sinkin, Salmo Hi-Tech Ice Red, Salmo Hi-Tech Ice Yellow. “Sinkin” means that the line floats and sinks well underwater.
The fishing line is attached to the reel with a loop and is additionally secured with a double knot. The loop is made surgically: 30-35 centimeters are measured from the end of the fishing line, after which the end from which the measurement was taken is applied to the marked place so that a ring is formed. Now you need to step back from the edge of the fishing line attached to the main fishing line 6-7 centimeters and wrap the tip into the previously formed ring 3 turns, then thread it through the resulting 3 turns and tighten.

Leash

If the fishing line is 0.40 mm thick, then by making the same surgical loop out of it, you can use it as a leash without worrying about it breaking or being bitten by a pike. If a metal leash is used, then it is attached to the same loop using a fastener located at one of its ends.

Choice of spinners

A spoon for catching pike in winter should be light, as it plays more attractively in the water for pike. Wide, which will allow for significant vibrations under water, to which the pike reacts very quickly. The color of the spinner should be copper, cupronickel or brass. The spoon must be made of appropriate materials; it is even possible to combine them. If such lures become dull, they can always be polished.

Rating of the top 5 best and catchiest winter lures

The most successful lures for pike fishing are:

Williams Wabler;
Hopkins Hammered spoon;
Abu Garcia Toby;
Daiwa Silver Creek Masau;
Atom (Russia).

Let's consider them separately.

1.Williams Wabler

2. Hopkins Hammered Spoon

3. Abu Garsia Toby

Williams Wabler is an American spinner that has a very attractive appearance for pike. She plays excellently. The main play of the spinner does not occur during reeling, but at the time when it is lowered. At this moment, the spoon, waddling and swaying, moves away from the stopping point to the side, which significantly increases the chances of catching a pike.
Hopkins Hammered Spoon is a hand forged spinner. All spinners play a little differently, but the bite on them is excellent; the Williams spinner is slightly inferior. A good bite is ensured by a well-chosen color shade and an excellent combination of weight and size of the spoon.
Abu Garcia Toby - the spoon has proven itself to be excellent for catching medium and smaller specimens of pike. Due to the uneven movement of this spinner, you can catch almost all the pike within the range of the spinner. Large pike cannot be caught with it, due to the design features of the spoon.
Daiwa Silver Creek Masau is a single-hook spoon, neat in execution. You won’t get any trophies from it, but there will certainly be constant bites. The spinner benefits from a well-chosen silver-blue iridescent color. The spinner is light, there are no special features when playing.
Atom – the domestic spinner was also included in the top 5, because it was designed only for pike. Most likely, the pike takes it only due to its simplicity. At first glance, one even gets the impression that it is literally made from a spoon, but this judgment is deceptive. The spoon has proven itself very well in the reservoirs of Russia and the CIS countries. You can buy Atom spinners from the official website of the manufacturer (this is not an advertisement).

4. Daiwa Silver Creek Masau 5. Atom

Balancer selection

When choosing a balancer, you need to pay attention to small models. Pike in winter are not so mobile, which means they only take what swims nearby and is not large, so as not to waste a lot of effort on catching. Thus, the balancer must be taken in small and medium sizes (4-8 cm). The number of hooks does not play a big role. The color scheme of the balancer will vary depending on the fishing location. If the place is in silt, in thickets of grass, or the water in the chosen place is dirty, then you need to take a bright balancer. In clear water, using balancers of natural colors will be productive.

One of the most catchy balancers for pike

Top 5 best fishing balancers for winter pike fishing

The five most catchy balancers include the following companies:

Rapala Jigging Rap;
Scorana ICE Crystal;
Kuusamo Tasapaino 75;
Nils Master – Jigger;
Nils Master – Baby Shad.

Let's look at it in more detail.

1. Rapala Jigging Rap

2. Scorana ICE Crystal 3. Kuusamo Tasapaino 75

Rapala Jigging Rap - the balancer is not large, but it catches well due to its color. Rapala Jigging models have balancers of other colors, but this one has the most suitable color for Russian reservoirs. Pike usually bite after 3-4 strokes.
Scorana ICE Crystal is a slightly larger balancer, but not heavier. Has high catchability due to playing underwater. Underwater strokes look quite massive, which perfectly attracts the attention of pike.
Kuusamo Tasapaino 75 is a shallow balancer, perfect for shallow water. In the water it blends well with the “local” fry. 75 – means length, 75 mm.
Nils Master Jigger and Baby Shad - both balancers are characterized by a large number of pike, but were placed in fourth and fifth place, respectively, due to poor hooks. Apparently they are made from poor alloys, since they cannot withstand heavy loads and break. Therefore, when purchasing these balancers, it will be better to immediately replace the hooks with them. But these balancers still make it into the top 5 due to the large number of pike caught on them.

4. Nils Master – Jigger

5. Nils Master – Baby Shad

Balancer fishing technique

The search for schools begins with small balancers; the main thing is to find and provoke the fish to take the first bite, thereby understanding the location of the striped fish.

If the perch is active and has a good appetite, then catching it does not require sophisticated techniques, but if the fish is passive and is not in the mood to immediately attack the bait, you will have to try.

In this case, you should swing and get the fish to bite. The method is aimed at creating competition in the flock. The fact is that perch is a very greedy predator, and when it sees competition among its relatives, out of greed it tries to grab a tasty morsel, even if it is not very hungry. If you manage to shake up the school and launch this predatory “conveyor”, then you will not leave the reservoir without fish.

Alternate sweeping swings of the fishing rod with short tosses up to jig fishing. Play with the balancer slowly, lifting it as if you were catching it with a reelless reel. The attention of the perches intensifies, the school gathers around the bait, and as soon as the critical mass is exceeded, the boldest one bites.

Using an underwater camera, you often see a similar picture. As soon as the first striped one is moved to attack, the hunting instinct awakens in other relatives, the fins rise, and they lose caution, instinct awakens. Often this method works well for passive fish.

Change not only the tossing technique, but also the color of the balance bar. Often, after catching two or three perches, changing the balancer results in more catches.

We turn the figure eight with a balancer

Another common fishing technique is in which the balancer describes an infinity sign (upside down in the water column). It is not very difficult to achieve such a game with a good branded balancer, but you should understand that for different models it has to be performed with different efforts to throw and different lengths of pauses.

With this technique, you should not make sharp throws - a fairly smooth rise is replaced by pauses of a couple of seconds. Visualize the movements of the balancer under water. To bring this technique to perfection, it is better to visually control the balancer, select the strength of the swing and the pause time. You can learn from the first ice in clear water, or in some rather large vessel - a barrel, a bathtub.

Beginners are recommended to first play with a balancer in such conditions, and then select the game more carefully depending on the model of the balancer. Because Different manufacturers perform this figure of eight with different amplitudes and frequencies. You need to select equipment for a specific balancer - this comes with experience.

Additional equipment of the balancer

Equip the balancer with an additional bead on the lower tee; often this is the point where a predator attacks. It is believed to help whet the appetite. Just be careful - don’t overdo it, such a bead or cambric made by yourself can change the balancer’s performance for the worse.

If you hunt for perch in snags, then pike is often caught along with the perch as bycatch - these are also its favorite places to stay. Therefore, at the search stage it is better to use a thin steel leader no thicker than 0.3 mm, or even better fluorocarbon about 0.4 mm in diameter. When you find a school of passive perch that reluctantly pokes at the bait, it is better to remove the steel leash and reduce the bait - this often changes the bite for the better.

Techniques for catching pike in winter using lures

The fishing technique is simple - we drill holes, take out the tackle and lower the spoon into the water. Since fishing is done with a spinner and not with live bait, it can be lowered to the maximum depth. By gradually moving the spoon to the hole, you will be able to remember the depth of the pike’s strike and not lower the spoon below it, as this will not give any advantages.

Watch a video on the technique of catching and playing the spoon:

The pike confidently takes the lure from one of the sides, so it’s difficult to miss a bite. The main thing is to hook it in time, since in winter the pike may feel that it has been deceived and spit out the spoon. If a hook occurs immediately after the strike, the fish will not go anywhere. By following the above equipment instructions, you can fish for pike up to five kilograms without thinking about moving it, knocking its strength out, etc.

Spinner game

The game of spinners in winter is different from summer. In winter, the spinner must be brought in 2-3 turns of the reel, and then lowered by about half. So all the way to the top. In principle, it is better to play with all spinners in winter this way, because according to the design features of many of them, it is stipulated that during the descent the spinner should deviate slightly to the side from the ascent trajectory.

Choosing gear for catching pike in winter using a balance beam and a spoon

Rod

For comfortable fishing, it is necessary that the total length of the blank be 50-70 cm. The whip is made of carbon fiber and is quite hard, but not as “oaky” as when fishing for pike perch, since pike’s mouth is not so bony. For fishing in shallow water, blanks of medium hardness and action are ideal; they allow you to dampen the jerks of the fish when playing, and at the same time, make it possible to control the process itself, preventing the fish from escaping into snags or reeds. It is advisable that the whip be equipped with 3-4 access rings.

The handle should fit comfortably in the hand and be made of cork or neon, and the rod itself, together with the reel, should have good balancing, since you will have to actively work with it.

Coil

In order to reduce the number of breaks, it is better to use a reel with a friction brake. Catching pike in winter with a balance beam and a plumb spinner, it is more convenient with inertial and multiplier reels, but you can also fish with inertia-free reels with a small spool size.

For those who believe that the simpler and lighter the tackle, the better, and in the old fashioned way, they fish for pike by hand, an ordinary reel is enough.

fishing line

Monofilament fishing line with a diameter of 0.25-0.3 mm, more is possible for trophy pike. When fishing at a depth of more than 6 m, and in cases of using reels, you can put a braided line, so that it does not freeze so much, use various protective silicones or antifreeze.

Habit: tungsten wire, guitar strings No. 5,6. Titanium strings are an excellent option, unlike guitar strings; even if the pike bends and bends them greatly during the fishing process, they will still remain straight.

For passive pike, it is better to use a fluorocarbon rod with a diameter of 0.35-0.45 mm.

Fishing technique and tactics of placing on a balance beam

The balance beam is lowered into the water and from about half a meter you need to slow it down, wait 2-3 seconds and release it again to let it play, as it plays during the descent.
Thus, it is necessary that the balancer reaches the bottom. Then you need to lift it. After which you should either change the hole, or change the balancer and fish on the same hole. Usually the pike takes the bait after 2-3 swings of the balancer, if it is in place. If you feel a blow, you must immediately hook the pike. If the hooking was unsuccessful, you need to swing the balancer 1-2 times, and then change it to another model. It often happens that pike are caught immediately with the second bait.

Features of winter pike fishing

The main feature of pike fishing in winter is its low activity, which makes catching a large specimen more difficult, and therefore more interesting. Also, if a pike in a hole has just been caught, the next one will not attack the spoon or balancer soon, no matter how much you would like it to happen. Playing with bait is very different from other seasons, since the wiring is vertical, not horizontal.

Video about catching pike in winter on a balance beam on the Volga:

Pike fishing in December

December is the opening time of the winter fishing season. This is the first ice. The ice thickness for safe fishing is 12 centimeters. More is better. In December, it is easiest to find a pike place, since for two and a half weeks the pike is still holding on to the same places. During this same period, the pike still remains active. The most productive places will be edges, river mouths, pit crossings, and natural shelters.

Pike fishing in January

January pike fishing should begin with fishing holes. This is the coldest period, which means the fish don’t want to leave warm places again. Only hunger compels. The weather for successful fishing should be cloudy with some snow.

Catching perch balancers

Most often, the average size of a balancer for catching perch ranges from 3 to 7 cm. You need to have different models with you: both natural colors and acidic ones. Depending on the fishing conditions and lighting, a passive predator may respond better to one color or another. But if the perch is active, then the color of the balancer practically does not matter to him.

For rivers and deep places, heavy balancers are used; for lakes and reservoirs, more delicate and lighter ones can be used.

Currently there are a huge number of manufacturers on the market, the most famous are: Rapala, Strike Pro, Lucky John, Kuusamo, Nils Master and others.

Two main rules for successful fishing: you should choose a game for a specific balancer; it may vary depending on the model.

And you need to understand where to look for a predator in each winter period. On the first ice it stands in some places, in the dead of winter it slides into the deepest holes, and only on good days does it come out to feed. And along the last ice it reaches the shallows and the mouths of small rivers, where melt water rolls down and quickly saturates the reservoir with oxygen.

The principle of any fishing for a predator is simple - search, drill a lot and experiment with bait and fishing techniques, then good catches will not keep you waiting long. NHNCH.