Catching pike on girders in winter - secrets and features

To be honest with myself and other anglers, of course, pike fishing in January is not easy. Especially by the middle of the month, when frosts increase along with the thickness of the ice, the pike bites very sluggishly and reluctantly. But every angler is distinguished by enviable optimism, which is very difficult to break, and therefore we can say that it is still possible to catch pike, even in January. There are also some advantages during this winter time. As you know, by mid-winter there is very little oxygen in the water, which greatly affects the mobility of the fish; even large specimens do not offer strong resistance, because they are very weakened.

In January, pike tries to limit its movements around the reservoir to the maximum possible extent, trying to stay in holes, and only leaves them when absolutely necessary. This need is understandable, the thirst for hunger. Therefore, it is so important for pike fishing in January to be successful; you need to find these places and catch them in all possible ways in winter.

Tackle for pike in January

Pike fishing in January can be done either with a fishing rod using spinners and balancers, or with a jig. Fishing rods are used in a variety of ways, from simple fishing rods with conventional inertial reels to advanced ones with multipliers. In this case, a fishing line is used with a diameter of 0.22 mm and above, and a good thin and durable leash is required.

Pike in winter, especially in January, are very wary of artificial baits, so it is so important that the lure be of the highest quality possible.

Behavior of pike in the wilderness

Some fishermen think that pike slide into the depths in January and sit there until spring. This is the wrong approach. The predator doesn't wait for anything. It’s just that the conditions have changed, and accordingly, the toothy one now has different behavior patterns. Whims are associated with metabolic slowdown. The pike will grab the victim only close to itself (with the exception of periods of rare active exits, for example, during a thaw). The predator simply cannot prowl and waste precious energy in January. Here are the aspects to consider:

The life activity of the inhabitants in the reservoir is inhibited due to low temperatures.
It is important to accurately find and determine the parking location.
The main factor in finding pike is the presence of food items nearby. The predator simply cannot go far to hunt.
In closed reservoirs, the oxygen regime is also important. With a general lack of oxygen, the fish population will accumulate in places with a normal content of this gas: springs and springs at the bottom, places at the confluence of streams and rivers.
The toothy bite depends on the weather and phases of the moon. Read more in the article about the influence of weather on pike biting in winter.
The rigging of any gear is made thinner and more inconspicuous, this increases the likelihood of a bite significantly. Fishermen are accustomed to the fact that pike are not afraid of thick fishing lines and rough knots of tackle - in the middle of nowhere this is not the case.

Pike trolling

Spoons for pike fishing can be different; the modern angler has no shortage of them, but it is difficult to single out specific favorites. The only thing I can recommend is that the spinners should be larger. During this period, pike gives preference to larger prey, and tries to get more satiation with less effort and energy. Also remember that no matter how good the spoon or balancer is, having felt it, the pike will try to get rid of it as quickly as possible, so the hook should be immediate. This is precisely what distinguishes trolling from the installation of girders; it is a lower probability of fish disappearing.

We also recommend reading:

Fishing for pike perch in January 2021 Fishing for roach in January 2021 Fishing for perch in January 2021 Fishing for crucian carp in January 2019

Effective ways to fish from ice

From the beginning to the end of January, pike are caught mainly from the ice. Due to low water temperature and lack of oxygen, the mobility of fish decreases.

This means that ice fishing line can be thinner. You need to choose it based on the type of fishing:

for girders - from 0.25 to 0.4 mm;
on the balancer - from 0.18 to 0.22 mm;
for a spinner – from 0.16 to 0.2 mm;
for rattlins - from 0.16 to 0.22 mm;
for silicone - from 0.2 to 0.22 mm.

The fishing line must be special, marked “ICE”. You can choose a cord, but it must be treated against freezing. If necessary, you can buy a special spray and spray it manually.

Fishing for pike in January on girders

Fishing for zherlitsa in January gives the best results. There are a lot of varieties of this gear. The following are distinguished:

on a wide base (round bottom covering the entire hole);
on legs (tripod);
on the bar (rail);
shifter on legs;
subglacial

The most effective type is the one with a wide base. It is easy to use, versatile, and inexpensive. It is better to use gear equipped with signaling flags that rise upward, as they allow you to react faster to a bite. The vents consist of the following components:

coil;
fishing line;
checkbox;
leash;
sinker;
hook for live bait.

It is not recommended to use a fishing line that is too thick to rig the girder. The optimal option is from 0.3 to 0.35 mm. A metal or thick fluorocarbon leader is a must. The hook for live bait can be single, double or triple.

Sliding sinkers are preferable; it is better to select them in accordance with the type of baitfish and the depths in the reservoir. As a rule, a weight of 6–8 grams is sufficient; silicone stoppers are used for fixation. You should not use too much weight - you can spook the pike when it bites, after which it will throw the bait.

The base for the girder is often made by fishermen on their own. However, it is more convenient and easier to purchase a bottom, a flag and a spool on a holder.

When fishing for pike in January on girders, it is preferable to use several tackles, because this increases the chances of success. At the same time, you should not install too many girders, because the chances of being on time when biting are reduced.

Girders can be located in places with a large number of snags, large stones, as well as in places where a stream or spring flows into a reservoir. This is where the chances of finding pike or other large fish are high.

It is worth remembering that in January pike show a poor reaction to live bait and are able to stand next to it for a long time, not paying attention. In this regard, it is recommended to raise the vent by about half a meter every 10–15 minutes. This will provoke the fish and force it to attack the bait.

Read: Gustera for balls

After the pike has bitten, you need to slowly select the fishing line until the angler feels resistance. At this moment you need to make a sweep. Next, important attention should be paid to catching the predator. At this stage, you should not loosen the line, because that’s all the fish need. Feeling that the resistance has weakened, she will try to free herself and, if the hook is bad or the hook is not very sharp, she will succeed.

After the predator is brought to the hole, you need to use the hook. Without this device, fishing may end in the gear breaking.

Fishing with balance beams

Balancers are often used for catching pike from ice in winter or early spring. For this you will need:

winter fishing rod with a hard whip;
a nod matched to the fishing rod;
30 meters of fishing line up to 0.2 mm thick;
metal leash;
various baits: acid colors, with sparkles, etc.

It is preferable to catch pike in winter with balance beams near wintering pits. In winter, you can simply twitch the bait for pike to attract the attention of a predator, or you can lower it to the bottom, hold it for a while, and then raise it by 15–20 cm. Having determined what kind of game with bait attracts the attention of the fish, it is worth using it further when fishing.

Fishing with rattlins

Rattlins are a widespread type of bait. They are a bladeless wobbler for universal use. Initially, rattlins were created for catching perch and pike perch, but experienced anglers also use them for catching pike.

Rattlins, like any wobblers, can have different colors, both natural and acidic, as well as different weights and lengths. The colors are selected depending on the weather, water transparency, and fish activity. A large bait is preferable, because the sedentary predator prefers larger prey in winter.

The equipment on rattlins is usually the same as on balancers, but sometimes a leash is not installed. They play with this type of bait, just like with a balancer, but more sharply.

Rattlins are more effective when fishing for pike in the river. In still water, it is more difficult to catch a predator with their help.

Spinner fishing

To catch predators, you need a large spoon. This is due to the low mobility of the fish. In January, she prefers to catch up with large prey, eat and head to the wintering site. Pike is selective: having noticed that the bait is artificial, it will try to get rid of it.

The following types of spinners have performed well when fishing for pike:

Oval shape, with treble hooks. Such baits are made of stainless steel and filled with solder and lead. They need to be slowly immersed in water, and then made moderate rhythmic vibrations. They are used with a winding ring, which acts as a weakening mechanism that prevents the line from breaking if the bait gets caught on a snag.
The bait is in the shape of a curved knife. Used as the previous option, i.e. with slow rhythmic vibrations. Made of stainless steel, filled with lead and solder. She plays in such a way that the pike rushes at her without hesitation. Effective at shallow depths or shallows.
A flat spoon with a large bend, reminiscent of a ski. Designed for catching pike in winter using spoons on reservoirs or lakes, i.e. where there is a slight current. Effective at depth and in shallows. It goes into the water well and turns smoothly on different sides. Plays well at different speeds during descent and ascent.
A spinner with a center of gravity shifted to the front, which makes it very mobile. It is a convex plate made of brass and filled with solder. Plays calmly.

When fishing for pike with a spoon in January, hooking must be done sharply, without delay. Otherwise, the predator will understand that the bait is inedible and will try to get rid of it.

Fishing with girders

As for girders, there are several types, but the most effective are those in which a raised flag signals a bite. It is very convenient to watch such girders throughout the day and respond to bites in a timely manner, especially if there are more than a dozen girders. As soon as the bite occurs, you need to select the fishing line without haste until you feel the resistance of the predator at the other end and immediately smoothly but sharply make a hook and start fishing.

Basic lures and fishing techniques

If you managed to remove one specimen from a hole in January, there is no guarantee that other representatives of the species are found nearby. Even good live bait does not always provoke a predator to bite, especially if it behaves passively and does not react to food.

Read: Types and designs of girders for pike

When choosing bait, you must be guided by the food supply of fish in a particular body of water.

If there is severe frost outside, the activity of pike decreases. To catch a trophy using winter lures, you need to choose a game option in which the bait will be held at a depth of 70-90 cm from the bottom surface. In this case, it is better to keep the fishing line perpendicular to the bottom surface.

As an optimal game for bait, you can use a step technique, when the product is lowered by 10-20 cm and then sharply pulled up.

Fishing for caught fish

When surviving, do not under any circumstances loosen the line; the pike will definitely take advantage of this moment and try to free itself from the hook, especially if the hook is not so sharp or the hook was weak.

And be sure to use a bog when bringing the fish to the hole to avoid breakage or breakage of the tackle. It has been noticed that pike fishing in January is much worse on frosty, sunny days. In order to somehow compensate for the strong illumination, on such days it is better to cover the holes with snow, and that is why it is recommended to fish not on clean transparent ice, but on snow-covered ice. Fishermen also noticed that fishing for pike in January will not give results if the wind blows from the north - east or north. In this weather, it is better to stay at home and not waste time.

Peculiarities of the process of catching pike on a zherlitsa in January

Let's look at how to catch pike on a zherlitsa in January. During this period, the process must be approached carefully. Setting up gear and checking occasionally may not always work. There is a high probability of weak bites here.

A sedentary predator can approach the baitfish and take it quietly, and at the same time remain in place, holding it in its mouth. The flag on the girder may not work. This means that you need to periodically go around the installed girders and be sure to check them.

To check, you need to carefully take the fishing line in your hands and pull it up quite slowly. As soon as you feel the heaviness, you should not jerk the line sharply - the pike may simply spit out the bait. In this case, it is necessary to tug the tackle with small and careful movements, thereby depicting attempts to free itself from the mouth. And as soon as the line begins to unwind, this means that the pike has moved to the side with the bait.

In any case, during the dead winter (January - February) it is necessary to wait for some time; the predator can stand for five to ten minutes, and only then begin to swallow the victim.

Dry Blooder

– the first and only bite activator, developed with the participation of leading European ichthyologists.
It was their valuable recommendations regarding the instincts and characteristics of different fish breeds that helped create a powerful formula that can provide a truly grandiose catch. The principle of operation of the activator is based on a combination of albumin and synthesized pheromones. These components, working together, provoke an exacerbation of the physiological instincts of the fish - they cause an uncontrollable feeling of strong hunger and force it to move towards a specific biting point. For complete information click here.
If it turns out that the tackle is empty, then under no circumstances should you immediately move it to another place. All you need to do is lift the rig up half a meter from the bottom and drop it again with live bait. In January, pike can stand nearby for a very long time and watch your fish. Often such provocation brings a grip.

Sometimes it is necessary to lift the equipment from the bottom more than a meter and fish the upper layers of the reservoir. Even a small rise or lowering of the equipment by just 10 centimeters can bring good results.

In case of an empty response and damage to the live bait, you should put a smaller fish. At this stage, you cannot throw a hole in which the pike has somehow shown itself. It is still necessary to completely try to seduce her, while changing the bait or playing with it every 5 - 10 minutes.

During standard operation in the wilderness, we act as always, the pause is just longer. Often the predator holds the victim for a very long time, beginning to swallow it after completely freezing.

The swallowing process itself also sometimes lasts several minutes - it is expressed in rare short twitches of the fishing line (this is the pike intercepting the fish, placing it deeper in the mouth closer to its throat. A sharp increase in such twitches means that the predator has felt the hook and is trying to spit out the fish.

Naturally, in such a situation, cutting should follow immediately. In January, the sluggish pike resists weakly; it is possible to take a weighty trophy with thin tackle.

The main thing is not to loosen the fishing line during the fishing process and lower it when jerking. Jerks in the wilderness begin slowly, with acceleration, so the angler always has time to react by lowering part of the fishing line (with a slight pull). To remove the fish from the hole, it is better to use a hook.

Selection and equipment of a pike rig in January

There is a wide variety of girders , the design of which can be supplemented depending on the characteristics of the gear.

They are divided into the following types:

The vent is on a wide base. This type of gear is one of the most popular among fishermen.
Zherlitsa on legs. It has proven itself very well on a hill of snow cover.
Gear on the rail. It is considered compact among other types and easy to manufacture.
Changeling on legs. It is not as reliable as we would like due to the fact that the fishing line is poorly wound and fixed in a snowy place.
Subglacial vent. Used during night fishing, as well as when fishing for pike and burbot.

The influence of weather factors on pike biting in January

It is better to fish for pike on cloudy, windless days; if a light snow flies by, this is even beneficial for the angler. On such days, pike can bite throughout the day. January is also different in that the pike takes live bait so sluggishly that, having captured it, it can stand still for a very long time, if you fish with girders, of course. That’s why it’s so important to regularly check the girders, slowly raising the fishing line to a height of up to 50 cm. This detour is also useful because the pike can, having approached the bait fish, stand motionless not far from it, or be nearby, but not see the fish, when you lift live bait, thereby provoking the predator to attack. In this way, experienced fishermen at this winter time, to some extent, intensify the bite.