Do-it-yourself kukan: 110 photos and video instructions for making

One of the most pressing problems in fishing is how to keep the caught fish fresh. The most famous and common option is a cage.

However, this option has significant drawbacks. The first and main one is creating interference when moving the boat. Because of this, while moving, the cage has to be pulled out and stored at the bottom of the boat.

Another significant drawback is that large fish may not fit in the cage or, when placed there, may cause damage to the fish located there.

The use of kukan fundamentally solves the problem of preserving the catch, and it is always possible to make kukan with your own hands.

What does the term "kukan" mean?

This lightweight, simple to the point of primitive device allows you to keep caught fish alive for quite a long time.

Kukan device

The simplest kukan is a strong cord with a wire loop. To keep the kukan alive, a puncture is made in the lower jaw of the caught fish with a knife, and then a loop of the kukan is threaded through the resulting hole.

The fish is placed in the water, and the end of the kukan is secured with stakes on the shore or tied to the rigging of the boat.

How to plant catfish on kukan

I experience some difficulties when writing texts, because I am used to speaking the language of the Don fishermen. The usual words “edge” or “sarachok” have to be replaced with “laces” and “ropes”. Treat with understanding when encountering repetitions in the text.

I don’t see the point in using various kinds of metal fasteners when making a kukan for catfish. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, maybe behind the times, but this is my opinion. However, tribute to tradition is not always good: recently, while poking buttons almost at random, I found an interesting cucumber grip. His appearance is quite impressive. You have the opportunity to experiment, and I will make kukans like my grandfathers. We will talk further about what kind of kukans they planted the catfish on.

I follow the rules of maximum simplicity and reliability of fishing gear. Based on this wonderful rule, the best bait for catfish is a nylon cord. In extreme cases, this is an ordinary clothesline, but it is better to use rigid nylon cords with tight weaving or sheathing. The former are better, since the sheath threads tend to fray at the places where they are tied. Catfish on the kukan perform such somersaults that an ordinary weakly twisted clothesline can turn into a distant resemblance to hemorrhoids of the rectum. I was unable to find suitable cords with a very tight weave, so I twist them myself with a special device and, thus, continue the work and support the traditions of the old somyat fishermen.

How to make kukan for catfish with your own hands?

Very simple. Basically, from any rope that was at hand. Some fishermen are ready to buy kukan for catfish. Maybe they have extra money and don’t mind spending it? Buying a nylon halyard is much easier and cheaper, and you can cut it into the necessary pieces directly while fishing.

There are two options for homemade kukan for catfish:

Delivery with several short laces;
Long ropes separately for each catfish.

Catfish are attached to the boat, as well as to the shore, using one of the methods mentioned above. That’s why I highlight only two, and the other types of catfish kukans are their modifications.

First version of kukan:

Catfish sit on kukan, like carp. Only for carp, locusts are threaded through the mouth and gill covers and wrapped around the head, and for catfish, the lower jaw is cut through. The delivery is installed across the river in a place with a weak current, in a backwater, etc. The presence of a small current is welcome to clear the gills. Catfish are tied with strings to the main supply. The distance between the catfish should be greater than the length of the laces, otherwise the catfish will confuse the coucans and may injure each other with the peaks on the pectoral fins. The knot for tying to the main cord is similar to the knot for tying leashes on the leashes.

In this version of the kukan, catfish are limited in their movements and are practically deprived of the opportunity to hunt. When fishing for a long time, this is a significant drawback. Catfish can lose a lot of weight and you will take home lean meat. But this version of kukan for catfish takes up little space in the river and in snagged places may be the only way to cukan and preserve catfish. In addition, you can make it yourself from any rope that fishermen always have.

Second version of the kukan:

Each catfish is given its own kukan in the form of a long rope. I have had the opportunity to plant catfish on cords 15 meters long.

In this case, each catfish sits on its own kukan; it can make significant movements, limited by a long rope. Catfish can hunt and will not lose so much weight until they turn into preparation for balyk. In this case, the kukans occupy large areas of the coast and this can become a big obstacle.

Catfish on kukan.

From the above, the essence of the design of a simple and reliable homemade catfish kukan is clear. Depending on the fishing conditions, you can creatively apply the knowledge gained. For example, you can stretch at least 100 meters of rope at a suitable place in the reservoir and tie catfish to it on individual “leashes” 5-10 meters long. The main thing should already be clear.

It is necessary to install kukans with catfish in places without snags on the river bottom, trees that have fallen into the water, or other hooks. It’s good if the guardhouse is close to the shore and the catfish can hide from the sun and at least eat something: maybe a crayfish will crawl past, maybe a goby will swim by.

It is important to know and understand that a catfish can be easily tortured by tying it to the shore with a rope! Before planting a catfish on a kukan, you should take a good look around the area and choose a place without snags, with sufficient depth and where the sun's rays do not penetrate! The latter is important because you can literally boil catfish alive by tying them up in the hot sun.

Keep in mind that only caught catfish sometimes rush at the fisherman in the boat, trying to grab his leg. Catfish sitting on a kukan for a long time can dashingly grab your shin or hand carelessly dipped into the water. Do they bite out of hunger or do they get used to captivity on the kukan and begin to guard the territory? I can’t say with certainty, but catfish on kukans bite painfully, severely tearing the skin with their powerful brush teeth.

Kukan designs

A small knitting needle is attached to one end of the metal cable, and a loop is made from the opposite end of the cable. The loop is pulled under the gills and secured with a knitting needle.

Wire loops are attached to the nylon cord. Such a kukan requires mandatory drying after it gets wet. The disadvantage of this design is the possibility of fish biting the nylon cord.

The metal knitting needle is bent in the shape of a triangle and fasteners are put on it. The top is sealed or folded into a clasp. This design allows you to store fish at a significant depth, which increases its shelf life.

Kukans in the form of rings. Metal clasps with loops and hooks fit onto the ring, which is sealed. The kukan is fixed with a cord or a small chain.

Kukan in the form of a fastener is made of steel wire about 3.5 mm thick. The wire is bent in the shape of a U sign. One end is bent at an angle of 90 degrees, and the opposite end is bent in the form of a loop. The resulting structure serves as a fastener.

How to make fish kukan with your own hands

In order to make this device yourself, you must first prepare the necessary materials. To work you will need:

The cable can be used in various types. For example, a nylon cord , a long chain , a thin metal cable or something similar is suitable for this.
You will need a weight that must be attached to the end of the cable.
carabiner designed for attaching a dowel.
To make the loops to which the fish will be attached, you need to stock up on bicycle spokes or something similar in material and strength.
You will need tubes, the diameter of which must be such that the cable passes through them. If a chain is used, then they are not necessary.
Small factory-made carabiners will be required. They are designed to attach metal loops to a cord.

The manufacturing process is as follows:

First of all, attach the weight to the far end of the cord. When using a metal cable, a metal loop is attached to the end of it. If we are talking about a nylon cord or rope, then the weight is tied to the end of the cord. For a chain, it is attached with a carabiner to the last link.
Carabiners are put on the cord in turn to attach the loops and tube. When using a chain, the carabiners are attached with several links missing. In this case there is no need to use tubes.
As a fastening at the upper end, you can use a metal loop attached to the cable with a carabiner.

The length of the tubes should be greater, the larger the fish caught. For catfish you will need to use a length of 20 cm, and for pike perch or pike a length of 7-10 cm is suitable.

The finished kukan will look like this.

Bicycle spokes or similar material are suitable for making loops. You need to make a simple fastener out of them.

You need to do the following:

A small loop is made at one end. In this case, the end is wrapped around the knitting needle, and a small bend is made at the end.
The long end is bent into a large loop. Its end is bent so that it can snap into the metal loop made.

It will look like this.

You need to make as many of these loops as necessary. Some kukans use dozens of these steel loops.

Design of a homemade kukan

A do-it-yourself kukan must have the following necessary properties:

ease of use and manufacture;
the design of the kukan should allow piercing the fish’s jaw, but without injuring it during fixation;
Kukan without loss of elasticity and deformation must withstand the weight of large fish - at least 20 kg;
the breaking force of the main sling should not be less than 60-70 kg;
the location of the fasteners on the kukan should ensure that mutual injury to nearby fish is not possible.

In case of fastening the kukan on the shore, it is not recommended to use more than 5 fasteners, and a maximum of 20 when fastening it to a watercraft.

The possibility of producing a high-quality product is confirmed by the presence on the Internet of numerous photos of do-it-yourself kukans.

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To make a kukan, the following tools and accessories are required:

cable, about 5 m long, braided in plastic, 0.2 - 0.3 cm in diameter;
12 pcs. cable clamps;
7 small and 2 larger carbines;
4 things. plastic tubes about 0.2 m long;
swivels – 5 pcs.

You will also need a hammer, pliers or any other tool for cutting wire and a tape measure.

Where to buy kukan for pike?

It would seem such a simple question - where to buy kukan for pike? It turns out that it is not so simple.

You should not buy this equipment in an online store or with prepaid delivery from another city. A modern pike bait is a high-tech product that has certain characteristics that are worth checking in person when purchasing.

Therefore, you need to buy kukan for pike in person, in a store in your city or through an advertisement, but pay money only upon meeting and after inspecting the product.

How to make kukan yourself

So, to make a kukan for fish caught by yourself, the pre-prepared cable should be cut into 6 parts: 5 pieces of 0.7 m each and one of 1.5 m.

For a long section, you should alternately put on swivels and plastic tubes. On the opposite edges of the cable, 2 larger carabiners are secured with clamps. Small carabiners are connected to swivels of 2 pieces.

Loops should be made from 0.7 m cable segments, and their edges should be secured with clamps using a hammer. After attaching the loops to the carabiners, the kukan is ready for use.

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DIY floating nozzles

A do-it-yourself bait will catch fish better than any ready-made bait from a fishing store. Moreover, knowing the preferences of the fish, you can make the ideal bait, which it simply will not pass by.

Universal floating bait for crucian carp, carp, bream and other fish for feeder fishing:

Composition of nozzle No. 1

Pea flour - 4 tbsp. spoon;
Corn flour – 1 tbsp. spoon;
Wheat flour – 0.5 tbsp. spoons;
Chicken egg C1 – 1 piece;
Sugar – 1 heaped teaspoon;
Salt – 0.2-1 teaspoon (as a preservative);
Orange dye – 2.5 g;
Flavoring.

If you don’t have ready-made pea or corn flour, you can make it from grain by grinding it in a coffee grinder. After grinding, the mixture is passed through a sieve - the flour is ready.

Recipe No. 2 gives a more stable result from obtaining the correct nozzle. There is no need to search for rare types of flour, and catchability will be at the same level.

Composition of nozzle No. 2

Wheat flour – 5 tbsp. spoon;
Everything else is from composition No. 1.

If you need a sinking bait rather than a floating one, you should use plain water instead of an egg.

As a dye, you can use any synthetic food coloring agent, which is sold in 5 gram bags. And for flavoring (dipping), a concentrate from a fishing store with a smell that the fish in your pond likes is suitable.

These attachments can be used in combination with pearl barley and corn.

Preparing the nozzle

Pea, corn and wheat flour are mixed together, or only wheat flour is used;
Break the egg into a separate container and beat with a fork;
Add sugar and salt to the egg and mix thoroughly until dissolved;
Dye and liquid flavoring are added to the egg and mixed until uniformly colored;
The dry mixture is added to the egg and kneaded into the dough;
The resulting ball of dough is wrapped in a plastic bag and placed in the refrigerator for 5-24 hours;
Roll out the dough into balls (boilies) by hand or using a device with a diameter of up to 10 mm (for crucian carp);
Put the water on the fire, bring it to a boil, add the nozzle and cook it for 1-2 minutes after surfacing;
We string the boiled nozzle onto a thread using a needle - we make “beads” in which the distance between the balls is at least 1 cm;
We place the resulting “beads” from the nozzle on parchment paper along with a supply of thread on a spool, which is wrapped in foil or removed outside the oven, it will be needed later;
The oven is heated to 200 degrees, a baking sheet is placed there, the temperature is reduced to 140 degrees, and the nozzle is baked for 15-20 minutes until cooked (the finished balls do not sink, but float even with the hook);
We soak the thread with liquid flavoring (vanilla, strawberry, plum, garlic or another), cut it on both sides of each ball so that its ends can be tied together with a knot;
We tie the thread around the balls - this is the place where the nozzle is attached to the hook;
The finished bait balls are placed in containers that can be hermetically sealed and stored.

That's it, the floating bait is ready, now it can be used for fishing or stored in a dark, dry place. The container in which the nozzle will be located can be sprinkled with flavoring (you can simply chop the garlic into a jar for storing the nozzle).

Thanks to a fairly large amount of salt, the nozzle can be stored for a very long time. If the nozzle will not be used for more than a month, you need to pour a little salt or grains of rice into the jar with the nozzle, which will absorb excess moisture.

Why do you need thread? It is used to attach the attachment to the hook. This method provides a more reliable fastening that does not destroy the nozzle and allows it to work longer.

Using kukan

To ensure that the caught fish is not injured and remains alive, it is secured with a cord or cable threaded through a slot in the lower jaw or gills, and then placed in the water.

Being in its natural environment, the fish remains viable and does not require preservation for a long time.

On the shore, the kukan is secured with stakes, and on a boat with a halyard.

To prevent especially strong and large specimens from coming off, it is necessary to attach an additional wire clamp to the end of the needle.

A loop on the kukan cord will help you carry it on the angler’s waist belt.

Kukan for underwater fishing is fundamentally no different from the usual one, and you can also make it yourself. An integral part of the kukan for underwater hunting is a loop on the kukan cord, which allows it to be attached to a carabiner on the underwater hunter’s belt.

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What is kukan?

In fishing circles, a kukan is a thick cord to which a certain number of fasteners are attached. The main purpose of the fasteners is to secure the caught fish. The cord can be used from any material, but it is best to use a metal cable. You can put any fish on the kukan, but most often it turns out to be:

catfish;
pike;
zander;
asp;
chub;
carp;
silver carp;
White amur.

Fish with a strong body are secured by the lower lip, while more fragile species are usually secured with a clasp passed through the gills. Fishermen use kukan to catch fish from the shore or boat. However, if you plan to fish from the shore, then using this accessory will be quite troublesome. When moving around a body of water, you cannot avoid constantly pulling out and lifting prey from the water. Also, the measured pace of fishing can be affected by the need to constantly return for gear when you need to move a long distance.

It is very convenient to use kukan when spearfishing or planning to fish in a wading suit or waders at long distances from the shore. In such cases, kukan is a mandatory attribute, without which you cannot cope.

The main advantage of using a kukan is that the fish is constantly in the water and remains fresh, no matter how long you are in the pond.

Fishermen often adjust the length of the cord to suit themselves and it can range from 1 to 5 meters, it all depends on the fishing conditions. A DIY fish hook can contain anywhere from 5 to 20 hooks, depending on how many fish you plan to catch.

DIY photo of kukan

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