The legendary tackle for dead fish or how to diversify the diet of a predator

Which bait is better - natural or artificial?

The issue of the effectiveness of natural and artificial baits has long been a cause for controversy among spinning experts. In this article I want to offer you the opinion of an experienced spinning player with solid fishing experience on this issue. I would like to note that our expert is an ardent supporter of natural spinning baits, and is ready to prove that he is right in word and deed. Let's listen to the expert's opinion.

I would like to make a reservation right away that in this article we will not consider static methods of catching a predator using various bottom gear using live bait. It is clear that this type of predator fishing, when the bait is thrown into one specific place, and the angler is forced to passively wait for a bite, is inferior in effectiveness to the active search for a predator using a spinning rod and artificial baits. But, I argue that it is active spinning fishing with natural baits, most often with dead fish, that is much more effective in terms of catch than fishing with various artificial baits.

I have been fishing for predators for a long time using various rigs with dead fish, and I want to note that the main and strongest advantage of natural fish is its impeccable appearance, as well as its natural smell and taste. It must be remembered that all artificial baits - spinners, wobblers and silicone - are only imitation of natural baits to varying degrees. The ability of fish to “learn” has long been noticed. Especially large, and therefore older, more experienced individuals are able to easily distinguish artificial bait from natural fish. Even when tempted by the attractive play of a wobbler or twister, and having already grabbed the bait with its teeth, an experienced predator will sense a catch and try to free itself from the fake. Dead fish, which have a natural smell and taste, do not cause such a reaction in a predator.

And now, if we remember the craze of modern fishermen for wobblers and silicone, and add to this the factor of “acclimation and training” of fish, then we can safely say that the future belongs to natural baits - all kinds of rigs with live or dead fish. Especially if you are interested in trophy specimens of the predator. Speaking of the variety of rig designs, I chose for myself and have been successfully using Draskovich’s design for a long time. Another, no less remarkable design of the rig is Pavlov’s trap. I have seen Draskovich's rig on sale, but more often I use rigs made by myself - fortunately my hands grew out of place. The Draskovich rig is very simple to manufacture, so I think there is no need to dwell in detail on the process of its manufacture - an illustration will suffice. The Pavlov rig is a little more complicated, so below I will show you the entire process of making the Pavlov trap rig step by step.

Experiment – competition between artificial and natural baits

Being a supporter of catching predators with dead fish, I have long wanted to test my beliefs in practice. For this purpose, I decided to conduct a series of experiments, directly while fishing, while catching different types of predator. I have a good friend, also an avid spinning fisher, who agreed to take part in such an experiment. The point of the experiment is quite simple - we go fishing together with a spinning rod to catch a predator. I fish only with a tackle with a dead fish, and my friend only with artificial baits - and without restrictions in the choice - these can be spinners, wobblers or silicone. So we did several fishing trips in different places. The result was ambiguous - we were not able to fully prove the advantage of one type of bait over another.

I won’t write about all the fishing trips, but I will describe one that most accurately reproduces the results of our experiment.

It was summer, in June. My friend and I went fishing for a couple of days. The purpose of fishing is pike perch, the place of fishing is a reservoir. The place was known to us and had already been checked more than once. We caught it from a boat, the depth was about 4m. I fished with a rig with bleak, my friend with a silicone fish. The result of the first day of fishing was 47 pike perch. I caught 29, my friend 18. To be honest, I was pleased with the result. But the next day the picture changed radically. We didn’t change the bait - my friend had a silicone fish, I had a bleak on a Draskovich rig. The total catch is 64 pike perch, of which only 26 are mine, and 38 are my opponent.

This is the result of our two-day experiment. What happened, why is there such inconsistency in catches? Reflecting on this issue, we came to the following conclusion - on the first day of our fishing, the pike perch was not active enough, capricious and picky in choosing food. In such fishing conditions, natural fish had a much greater chance of success, since with its attractive smell and taste it awakened the predator instinct in the pike perch.

Well, the next day the picture completely changed - the pike perch was very active, almost every bait cast did not go without a bite. In this state, the predator is not particularly capricious; it seems that he grabs everything that moves. Under such conditions, my manipulations with installing and replacing fish in the tackle take a lot of time, so I was noticeably behind my friend in the number of casts of the tackle. This was the decisive factor in my loss. Moreover, this result is very significant in that it perfectly reproduces the general picture of fishing with artificial and natural baits. Natural fish are good when the predator is in an inactive state and does not respond to artificial baits. In this case, manipulations with catching live bait and fiddling with setting up the tackle are 100% justified, or in the case when you are pursuing the goal of catching a large, trophy specimen. Well, when the predator is active, it’s quite possible to get by with artificial baits.

That’s why all my spinning comrades and I, when going hunting for a predator, try to have in our arsenal not only a variety of artificial baits, but also stock up on small fish for the tackle. Who knows how the predator will behave today.

Making tackle - Pavlov's trap

I’ll show you with an example, sequentially and in pictures, how easy it is to make a Pavlov’s rig with your own hands at home. Started:

To make a Pavlov's rig, a very minimal set of tools and a piece of elastic, preferably stainless wire is enough.

In this way, a neat twist of the spring ring is done

We make a simple workpiece with two spring elements

We bend the workpiece so that the spring twists are opposite each other, on the same axis

We continue to bend the workpiece to give it the shape shown.

Now the wire blank has already acquired the proper shape, we bite off the excess wire with pliers

We make one more part - the central axis, on which the dead fish will subsequently be mounted

We assemble two elements using a winding ring

We attach the eared “Cheburashka” sinker to the winding ring

We attach the leash with a tee, that's it - the Pavlova trap rig
is ready.
Now we take a dead fish and begin to put it on the central axis of the rig, through the mouth. The axis will prevent bending, and, consequently, unnecessary rotation of the fish during wiring.

The fish is completely attached to the axle; all that remains is to fix its position using the upper brackets.

We insert the upper staples into the fleshy back of the fish, the lower staple covers the upper ones, preventing their spontaneous exit from the fish's back. That's it, the trap has slammed shut.

We insert a tee into the fish side - the tackle is completely ready for use

The legendary tackle for dead fish or how to diversify the diet of a predator

Approximately 50-60 years ago, a rig with a dead fish topped the rating of effective spinning baits in the post-Soviet space. Other spinning jig baits, such as foam rubber, spinner and spoon, were significantly behind the naturalistic bait in terms of catchability. The victorious march of this bait did not last long - until the appearance of silicone fish. These baits, due to their price, realistic action, practicality, variety of colors and sizes, have thrown the most natural bait to the lower level, where many have forgotten it. And today’s young generation of fishermen generally have little idea of what this bait is. Today, only a few people catch rigs using dead fish, and this approach to this bait is absolutely unjustified. First of all, because this bait can adequately cope with predators in our reservoirs.

A rig for fishing with dead fish is a highly productive bait, although it is not very popular. This is due to the fact that, along with its positive characteristics, this bait is also endowed with a number of negative ones that other baits do not have. The tackle is a wire trap that contains hooks and into which a dead fish is fixed.

The positive characteristics of natural bait include the natural smell and appearance of the bait. And there is not the slightest doubt that real live bait will look much more promising in front of a predator’s nose than any artificial one.

The negative characteristics of using natural baits include the loss of time for catching live bait. In addition, the fish itself very quickly becomes unusable from constant impacts on the water, snags on the grass and bottom, and even more so from the teeth of a predator.

The objects of fishing with natural bait are the most important predators of our reservoirs - pike, pike perch, perch and catfish. Live baits, which are used to catch all these predators, differ in their appearance and size:

To catch catfish, you need a large bait measuring 15-20 cm.
Catching pike with dead fish involves the use of a variety of live bait - crucian carp, roach, rudd, and when hunting pike perch they use narrower-bodied ones - bleak, dace. The size of live bait should be approximately 10-15 cm.
To catch perch, you need fish up to 10 cm in size, but this type of predator is rarely caught purposefully using equipment with natural bait.

When fishing with a rig on any type of reservoir where a predator lives, there are two approaches:

fishing purposefully only using naturalistic equipment;
Fishing for naturalistic bait only after other types of bait have not produced any results.

There are not so many adherents of both approaches, but both of them are highly practical and deserve the attention of anglers.

wire (springy stainless steel) with a diameter of 0.4-0.7 mm;
tees;
copper wire with a diameter of 0.3 mm (if the Draskovich model is made);
lead weight.

Photo 1. Drashkovich's rig.

There are several models of tackle, the authors of which are experienced spinning fishermen. Any tackle for dead fish consists of a weight, a wire trap and a wire outlet with a tee. Different models of rigs differ in weights and traps.

The load for the tackle can be:

for Pavlov's model - an eared sinker;
for the Draskovich model - a flow load with a through hole;
for the Krapivin model - a cone-shaped sinker.

Photo 2. Nefedov’s trap.

A wire trap can have different manufacturing options - Pavlov's, Nefedov's, Tkachevsky's, Jackson's traps. By its nature, a trap is a wire configuration that holds bait in a rig. The Drashkovich model is characterized by a simpler structure - the bait is wound to the tackle with thin copper wire, and in the Krapivin model the sinker goes inside the bait and is firmly held there.

The equipment may contain one or two branches with tees. Depending on the object being fished, the size of the tees will vary.

Depending on the planned conditions and the fishing object, it is necessary to choose the right model of tackle.

When using the Krapivin variant, after rigging the result will be a centrally loaded bait. With this option it is convenient to fish in the upper and middle layers of water. When using other models of rigs, the result will be a front-loaded bait. This option is convenient to use in bottom layers of water.

Spinning tackle makes it possible to use spaced and non-spaced equipment. And bait based on dead fish is no exception. Using the Krapivin option makes it possible to use equipment with a retractable leash.

Photo 3. Equipping the Nazarov model with a fish.

Since fishing tactics are the search and fishing of promising places, in the case of fishing tackle, tactics and techniques will depend on the type of predator that is being fished:

Som. Fishing with a dead fish in the case of a river giant means strong and reliable gear. Because small catfish are unlikely to bite on such bait; most likely, a large specimen of a mustachioed predator will covet a live fish. Fishing places are pits, exits and entrances to them, edges next to the pits. Since catfish do not like very active baits and are unlikely to chase them, the necessary wiring is a slow step at the very bottom.
Pike. Catching pike with a rig using dead fish is most promising in the following places:
bottom irregularities - holes, edges, rifts;
sand spits;
places with dense underwater vegetation;
under overhanging trees;
near bridge supports;
in creeks and channels of large rivers.

Fish for fishing with tackle

As already mentioned, to create a certain supply of fish, they are sometimes frozen or canned. Freezing is easy, but canning is a little more complicated, and not every amateur fisherman has done this. It is to them that the following recommendation is given. You can preserve fish in different ways, for example, for easy preservation, it is enough to wrap the fish in a cloth soaked in a 2% formaldehyde solution, or inject a few drops of a 40% solution into the belly of the fish using a syringe.

But more durable preservation will be achieved if the fish is immersed for a long time in a 3-5% formaldehyde solution. If you also add a little glycerin, the fish’s body will be more flexible.

Read! Disguise while fishing

Of course, before going fishing, canned fish must be soaked for 2-3 hours in salt water - this will remove the smell of formaldehyde and give the fish shine. After soaking, the fish should be placed in clean gauze and sprinkled with boric acid in crystals. Directly while fishing, these fish can be stored in the same gauze, slightly moistened with water.

If the dead fish is properly attached to the tackle, this bait option can be no less catchy than when fishing with live bait. The main thing is to secure the fish correctly, and it is desirable that when retrieving it does not sluggishly drag on the fishing line, but still bends its body. This can be achieved if, when attached to two leashes with hooks, the body of the dead fish is slightly bent.

Under no circumstances should the bait be allowed to rotate while retrieving - it must move, no different from a naturally swimming fish, then you can count on a bite.

The optimal size of a fish when fishing for large pike, pike perch and catfish is no more than 10-15 cm; in rare cases, when it is intended to catch a very large predator, such as catfish, the length of this fish can be greater - about 20 cm.

If the fish is small, and long-distance casting is expected, then a small weight can be attached in front of the tackle - the casting of the bait will not only be far, but also more subtle.

The legendary tackle for dead fish or how to diversify the diet of a predator

Catching predatory fish with dead fish is done using a special tackle - a tackle. It is used for fishing with a spinning rod, on the track and in a plumb line.

There are several types of tackle. On the Internet you can find many examples of making tackles successfully used by fishermen. However, what to do if there is no special equipment at hand. In this case, you can make it yourself from existing fishing accessories: a piece of soft wire and tee hooks. Below is a brief description of the most commonly used homemade tackles.

This tackle consists of a piece of soft wire with a diameter of 1-2 mm, a length of 5-8 cm and two steel leads with tee hooks. One leash is made short (1.5-2.5 cm) in such a way that the tee on it is strengthened near the fish’s head. The second leash is longer (4-5 cm), it allows you to attach a tee at the anal fin. The rod and both leashes are connected in the winding ring. It is also useful to insert a carabiner into it for greater freedom of movement of the fish put on the tackle, and for the convenience of attaching the line.

The rod is inserted completely into its body through the fish’s mouth. The head tee pierces her side with one sting. The other, tail, tee is attached to the lower fin. For greater strength of the equipment, when installing the rig, a piece of copper wire 0.2-0.3 mm thick and 15-20 cm long is tied behind the eye of the rod. The body of the fish is wrapped with 3-4 spiral turns of wire from head to tail, and then back to the head. The free end of the wire is slightly twisted on the head tee.

This type of rig preserves the integrity of the fish on the rig for a long time. Sometimes it is possible to catch two predatory fish without replacing them, slightly adjusting the fish after the first catch.

The next tackle consists of a leash with a loop on which a tee is placed. The latter is injected near the anal fin of the fish. The leash is passed in a loop through the gills and mouth, then into the eye of a single hook passed through both lips of the fish. A clasp with a line is attached to the loop of the leash. The next tackle consists of a single long hook (No. 14-20), attached to a small carabiner. A soft wire is passed through the fish's mouth, brought out into the anus, attached to the eye of a carabiner and pulled back up. The fish ends up being put on the shank of the hook. The scaffolding is attached to a carabiner. You can attach a second small single hook to the carabiner and secure it to the fish’s head.

With a sluggish, cautious bite, a long tackle is sometimes useful. It consists of three small triplets No. 4-5, placed on one leash, strengthened along the body of the fish. The hooks are stuck in three places into the body, which can then be lightly wrapped with 3-4 spiral turns of thin soft wire to strengthen the equipment. The lower hook is located at the caudal fin. This tackle is useful in cases where predatory fish bite from the tail of a baited fish.

To keep the head of the fish on the rig intact longer, you can make small conical caps with a hole in the bottom from lead, brass or copper. This cap can be easily put on the fish’s head before equipping it.

Lemeshchuk's rig for fishing with dead fish

N. Lemeshchuk wrote:

Many types of tackle are recommended for baiting dead fish. Over the past two years, I have been using the simplest tackle with one hook of my own design.

Subsequently, the rig is put on a wire loop of the same diameter and placed in a mold for casting weights.

On the other side of the form, another loop with a carabiner is placed. Then a weight is cast, which is connected using the first loop to the rig. This achieves savings on winding rings.

Depending on the elasticity of the rod, weights can be cast weighing 20-25 g.

Shown is a rig equipped with a fish, ready for fishing with a spinning rod.”