Features of fish behavior in winter
The majority of the carp population still spends the winter in a state of suspended animation. Not the largest individuals remain active. But their life requires certain conditions, namely:
- favorable oxygen regime in the reservoir;
- the presence of suitable bottom and soil topography;
- availability of available food.
However, catching even active carp in winter is not so easy. Its bite is inconsistent, it is quite capricious in relation to bait, and weather factors play an important role.
Tackle
Expert opinion
Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich
Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.
Essentially, the tackle for catching carp from ice is a donka. It’s better to forget about traditional jig fishing rods, and if a fisherman is lucky (or unlucky) to hook a carp on a regular fishing rod for crucian carp, then pulling it out onto the ice will be an unprecedented success.
We must not forget that the carp is very strong and even in winter its physical condition is at a high level.
Tackle for catching carp includes the following elements.
Rod
A rod for catching carp should be powerful with guides and a reel seat. Material: carbon or fiberglass.
Coil
To fight carp, the reel must be equipped with a friction clutch or at least its semblance. High-quality inertial reels and new generation winter reels have the option of dropping the line when the initial resistance of the fish is strong. Winter multipliers seem to be the optimal solution.
fishing line
Expert opinion
Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich
Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.
To catch carp in winter, use a monofilament line with a diameter of 0.2-0.3 mm and thicker if you have to catch serious fish.
A sufficient supply of fishing line is wound on the reel so that in the process of fighting the trophy it is possible to release the fishing line. As a rule, a leash of smaller diameter is also used.
Sinker or feeder
Sometimes they use a regular sinker, but more often they use a feeder of one type or another.
Bite alarm
A powerful spring nod or a large float is used as a bite alarm.
Hook
To catch carp in winter, hooks of the carp series are used , i.e. thick and short with or without notches on the fore-end. For fishing with bloodworms and worms, the hooks should be thinner.
Jigs
Expert opinion
Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich
Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.
Jigs show great effectiveness when fishing with animal bait: bloodworms, worms, shrimp.
Obviously, the shine of the jig’s body and its play in the current have an additional attractive effect on the carp.
Tips for successful winter fishing for carp
Winter fishing rods for carp must be durable and of high quality. It's better to stock up on several feeders. You need to monitor the tackle very carefully and check the bait more often and re-throw it; it is better to twitch the tackle to attract carp.
If you notice a bite, don’t hook it right away, wait a while so that the fish is confident and doesn’t get scared. You can make bait for carp yourself, you just need to cook the porridge and put oil in it, this will attract fish. It is better to roll the bait into balls and feed it at the fishing site.
Photo 3. And in winter it is even more beautiful!
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Gear mounting options
In winter, complex rigs such as feeder rigs are not used for catching carp. Two types of installations are common: blind and sliding:
- With a blind installation, there is a sinker or feeder at the end of the main line, and a leash is tied higher on the line, and it can be long and extend beyond the load.
- Sliding installation involves passing the main fishing line through a sinker or feeder, and one or two leashes are tied to the end of the swivel that secures them.
Expert opinion
Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich
Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.
Simple installations are used because with more complex ones problems may arise when pulling the carp into the hole, and not everyone may like untangling them in the cold.
What to catch?
In winter, carp are caught using the same methods as in summer, that is:
- for boilies;
- for corn;
- to the mask;
- for bloodworms;
- for maggots;
- on a worm;
- for shrimp;
- for potatoes.
To obtain potatoes suitable for fishing, they are boiled in their skins and slightly undercooked. You can add salt and flavorings to the cooking water.
The bait is chosen based not only on the preferences of the carp in a particular place, but also on what kind of fish can compete with the desired object of fishing. If there are a lot of other white fish in the reservoir, then it will not allow the carp to approach the animal bait, and will leave the boilies and potatoes alone.
Expert opinion
Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich
Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.
In winter, carp are often caught on spinners and balancers. Lack of protein foods affects.
Necessary baits and baits for carp
Lures for carp are varied and there are many of them, but you should find one that will 100% attract the attention of this fish. There are animal and plant baits. The most common baits:
- a large number of bloodworms;
- large worm;
- maggot;
- insect larvae and pupae.
The following nozzles are used:
- bread;
- canned corn (favorite bait for carp and crucian carp);
- boiled potatoes;
- barley, barley, millet groats;
- wheat dough.
Boilies attract the attention of carp; it is better to have a ball of a pronounced smell. Mastyrka is made - soaked peas are passed through a meat grinder, the resulting “minced meat” is cooked for 2-3 hours, then add semolina, slowly stirring until it reaches the consistency of porridge so that you can roll them into balls. They can be purchased at a fishing store or made yourself.
Advice: It is better to find out from local fishermen what exactly the carp pays attention to in winter.
Lure
It is necessary to feed carp in winter. You should remember the following rules:
- Do not overfeed fish;
- the bait should be low-calorie;
- animal components must be present in the bait;
- flavorings should be used to a minimum.
The composition of bait for catching carp usually includes the following ingredients:
- peas;
- semolina;
- breadcrumbs;
- ground sunflower seeds;
- sweet ingredients: cookies, sponge cake, chocolate chips;
- feed bloodworm.
Of the flavorings, carp have a positive attitude towards vanilla and anise.
If they are caught with a sinker, then the fishing area is baited using a dump feeder. Otherwise, the bait is placed in the feeder. The viscosity of the bait depends on what kind of feeder is used.
Expert opinion
Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich
Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.
The main bait mixture is prepared at home. The animal fraction and water from the reservoir where fishing takes place are added immediately before fishing, after which the bait is allowed to brew and swell for some time.
Baits for winter fishing
- We buy ordinary corn at the store. We put one grain on and lower it. The fish notices the bait and pounces on it;
- cook pearl barley, cool, add a teaspoon of coffee. The aroma spreads quickly;
- small shrimp. Carp loves it very much and eats it all year round. The smell attracts even hibernating carp. An expensive solution, but it is completely justified. The advantage is that the shrimp does not come off the hook;
- small pieces of fresh lard. Other species of fish of impressive size are often caught.
Places
On the river
According to many years of observations, the best places for winter carp fishing are the following:
- deep holes;
- areas where the current borders calm water;
- river bends.
In still water
The carp rarely enters lakes, but in reservoirs it can stand in areas without current, also adhering to significant depths.
Tactics and technique: how to catch?
On the river
Expert opinion
Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich
Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.
The tactics for catching carp in winter is to search for promising feeding areas, which are very difficult to find.
Even knowing theoretically where to look for carp, in practice this is not always possible. Wintering pits can be filled with sleeping carp and catfish, but it is not possible to catch them with active gear. Probably, smaller carp can stay along the edges of such holes. It is also necessary to check other promising places.
Shallow water and areas with fast currents should be immediately excluded from the search area.
Perhaps a winter echo sounder will help tell you the location of the carp , but you need the skill to read the information on the display to determine that it is the carp under the ice.
The search may take a long time and may not lead to positive results. Then there is only one thing left to do - choose a more or less promising place and feed it in the hope that the carp will come. If this works, there is a chance to catch more than one bronze beauty.
The technique for catching carp is quite simple:
- You can conduct an active search, fishing one hole after another until the fish you are looking for bites, after which, having baited this place, put out a couple more fishing rods. Fishing rods should not be completely motionless; you should play with them periodically. There must be a significant distance between the fishing rods - tangling the tackle while fishing for carp is a piece of cake.
- The second method is stationary fishing.
Having chosen a place for fishing, and it is better to do this not in an open field, but in some way attached to the relief, seeing a cluster of old holes or talking with local fishermen, you should drill a hole and check how deep it is and how strong the current is. It is better to leave the shallow waters alone. Having found a place that is suitable in all respects, you should prepare bait. If you plan to use canned corn as bait, some of it must be added to the bait. Place 2-3 grains of corn on the hook. Then you just have to wait for the bite, which is almost always sharp and it is important to make the hook in time so that the fish does not drag the tackle into the hole.
Expert opinion
Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich
Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.
To catch carp, holes with a diameter of 150 mm or more are drilled. The bagorik should be an obligatory companion for the fisherman.
On the lake
On lakes, carp are caught much less often, especially in winter. The difference from fishing on the river is that feeding using a dump feeder to create a feeding spot of a fairly large diameter has a much greater chance of attracting carp to the fishing site.
If you know the places where underwater springs emerge, you should look for carp there. Otherwise, the carp is more likely to be found on various uneven terrain and where there is underwater vegetation (but not shallow water) that serves as food for it.
Where to look for carp in winter
Adapting to local climatic conditions, carp independently divided into many subspecies. For example, the Altai carp has noticeable external differences compared to its European relative. Conditionally generalizing its behavior, it can be noted that during the period of freeze-up, the fish spend a long time in deep holes on the boundaries of fast and insignificant currents. This is typical for flowing ponds, lakes and river bays. In winter, carp is often found in deep areas near reed thickets, as well as near existing underwater springs.
During the process of ice formation, wild carp can approach unfrozen areas, provided there is no strong current. At the end of winter, when the ice gradually moves away from the shore, carp, along with silver crucian carp, can go to smaller places in the coastal zone.
The feeding periods of winter carp are short: about 30 minutes. May be repeated throughout the day. It feeds for a longer period of time with the onset of thaws on clear sunny days. In the dead of winter, when severe frosts set below -15 degrees, the carp becomes almost motionless and stops feeding. In such conditions, only a bottom larva that accidentally comes under the nose becomes food.
