To catch pike perch on the first ice, you should not rely on unbridled hunger or luck. Yes, the fanged one is active at this time. However, it does not stand everywhere on the reservoir, and does not wander everywhere, like schools of hungry perch. Despite this, pike perch is a predictable fish. If you master the nuances of tactics taking into account the peculiarities of fish behavior, problems arise in fishing.
In the first ice conditions, there are no problems with the fanged fish biting. It’s more important to find the fish, but catching it is a matter of technique. There is another difficulty here - not in all reservoirs it is possible to walk on thin, fragile ice to the treasured edges and exits from the pits. Let's take a closer look at how to catch pike perch on the first ice, where to look for a predator and what gear to use.
Fishing for pike perch from ice
Throughout the winter, pike perch feeds. Naturally, at low water temperatures, the predator’s metabolism is slowed down, and to maintain its vital functions it does not need as much food as it does in summer. However, even in winter, the fangfish has periods of active hunting for fry. Fishing for pike perch on the first ice from the point of view of biting is one of these promising periods.
The usual resting places for pike perch - deep edges near the riverbed - are the last to freeze. When fishermen manage to get to them (on rivers with strong currents), the first ice has, by and large, ended long ago. However, on small reservoirs and medium-sized calm rivers the ice rises earlier, and it is easier to get to the fanged fish here without the risk of swimming in icy water.
Article about the features of catching winter pike perch
Methods for catching pike perch on first ice
As soon as the reservoirs are covered with a strong ice shell, many anglers go fishing. One of the exciting activities at this time is catching pike perch on the first ice. Some ice fishing enthusiasts purposefully hunt for this predator. However, not everyone can boast of a catch, while in the same reservoir some masters manage to catch trophy fish. Success in pike perch fishing depends on several components. First of all, you need to find an active fanged robber.
Pike perch in the first ice
Whether fishing for pike perch on the first ice will be successful or not depends entirely on local conditions, the speed and time of ice formation. The predator is active, but its feeding and parking spots can be reached everywhere. For example, even if the river is not completely frozen, you need to fish on the edges in those places where the deep channel comes close to these areas. Although access to the lower edges themselves is still limited, you can catch the fanged one on the approaches to them, where it goes out to feed.
If the reservoir is completely frozen, all possibilities for finding and catching fangs open up before the fisherman. In principle, all the gear works. Pike perch, like perch, actively fattens its mass. However, depending on the specific conditions of the reservoir, it can stand in different places, and feed according to a schedule.
Occasionally you can get caught up in a meal - but this is more luck than a trend. You need to look for fish. If a flock is found, there are usually no difficulties with catching it. Therefore, ice fishing for pike perch is a constant movement and search, just like for perch, only on a larger scale.
Search
In order for catching pike perch on the first ice, as in other periods of winter, to be successful, you need to rely not on zhor, but on your own legs. The more points you go through and check, the more likely it is that luck will smile on the fisherman. Unlike perch and pike, the main habitats of pike perch are mainly found in large bodies of water, large rivers and reservoirs.
In such vast expanses, pike perch sticks to strictly defined places that need to be looked for. Experienced pike-perch fishermen carefully hide their treasured spots. The fanged fish, especially in large reservoirs, lives in the same places year after year, and goes out to feed along the same paths. Therefore, successfully worked points need to be remembered, for example, recorded in a GPS navigator.
Where to look for pike perch on the first ice
Standard pike-perch spots work:
- Steep bottom breaks, edges, drops, entrances and exits from pits.
- Snags, deep spits and shell rocks.
- On a homogeneous topography there are areas with uneven bottoms and colonies of shells.
- On rivers, when the depth gradually decreases on one bank and there is a sharp drop on the other, the pike perch will always adhere to the steeper slope, being in its lower part.
- The lower part of the cans and navels, rising above the depths.
If in reservoirs the determining factor for pike perch is the bottom topography, then in rivers the current is also added to it. The fanged one will not stand on the stream itself - it will choose a point nearby, on a quiet one, if it is convenient from the point of view of the relief. There is no need to look for pike perch in flat, deep-water areas - there is nothing interesting for the fanged fish there. But the edge of the pit, especially with uneven bottoms and irrigation with thickets nearby, are interesting. The predator will settle in the depths and come out ashore to hunt.
- For the first ice, it is often necessary to check not the deep-sea points themselves, but the shallower water areas adjacent to them. Walleye are active now and can feed in relatively shallow water all day.
- On large rivers and reservoirs, schools of pike perch can move significantly during the day following schools of silver bream, blue bream and other fish. Hence the driven methods of fishing for fanged fish. Pike perch in reservoirs on the first ice should be caught in large areas around their usual winter habitats.
- The predator is active and can move a considerable distance away from its parking points while hunting. So, if the strategic location of the fanged fish is known, we catch and check the entire area around a promising dump or edge, from the shallow side. The fanged one in the first ice can be anywhere in this zone.
Where and how to look for pike perch in winter?
> What to catch > Pike perch > Where and how to look for pike perch in winter?
Every fisherman who is interested in ice fishing knows that the first ice is the time when predators are actively fishing.
However, this does not mean that pike perch can be found everywhere. Searching for pike perch in winter,
in channel dumps, on wide plateaus of pre-channel areas, is often very effective. However, the bulk of the fanged ones are caught quite quickly. A couple of weeks later, the main part of the ice after its formation is perforated with holes like a sieve, and schools of pike perch are quite thinned out. And at this time, the best results are obtained by searching for uneven topography of the bottom of the reservoir.
In the Kama estuary there is always a huge number of ice fishing enthusiasts when the ice is first. And although the first ice is already quite strong, about 10 cm thick, you still need to be careful, since in some places along the riverbed there are still gullies. Usually, the bulk of the fishermen are located on a riverbed dump about 3 km from the shore; the ice there is very drilled at such moments.
More experienced fishermen head further to still untouched places; such points are either found from memory, relying on many years of experience, or they are entered into the navigator. Such points can be located at a distance from the main fishing spots, where fishermen mainly concentrate, at a distance of 1 km or more.
Usually these secret spots remain mostly untouched and you can start looking for pike perch under the ice.
. However, the ice must be constantly tested for strength with an ice pick, despite its apparent reliability. Usually, already in the first hole, pike perch or its smaller “brother” - bersh - begin to bite. If fishermen come to such a point with their group, then they are distributed throughout the water area, some go to the depths, others check the shallows. Sometimes it bites in everything, at all depths and shallows. Sometimes only in deeper places, or, conversely, in shallower ones.
At the same time, where a large number of fishermen are concentrated, the catches, as a rule, are much more modest. Although a few days ago there was also an active bite here. However, another ice fishing for pike perch
may no longer bring such good results in the riverbed part.
Where the majority of fish are caught, within 4-5 hours of even the most active search at different depths from 6 to 12 m, it is possible to catch a couple of pike-perch and several small gaps.
The choice of places for winter fishing for pike perch and bersh is largely determined by the water level in the reservoir. If the water is high, then it is more promising to fish shallow waters, and if the level is low, then you should check holes and dumps, edges, and local areas that have significant depths.
Often searching for pike perch
It is carried out along the dump, at depths from 5 to 7 m. Typically, such depths give the best results when searching for bersh and pike perch. However, the slopes can be quite non-linear and steep. And when drilling new holes, there are often shallower places with a depth of 2-4 m, or vice versa, serious depths of 10-11 m. And such places are also worth paying attention to, since a large perch or pike can stand in the upper part of the edge, and in bottom bersh.
It happens in shallow water, where the depth does not exceed 3 meters, in the same hole you can catch pike and perch, with a slight interval of 3-4 minutes; with pike-perch spoons, sprat are mainly used as bait. If the bite stops, you need to move on and drill new holes. Fishing time on each new hole is approximately 8-12 minutes. This is quite enough to find out if there is a predator here, if not, then search for pike perch
follows further. In places with significant depths, it is recommended to change the spinners to more compact and heavier ones, this is due to the stronger current in such places.
Sooner or later, a promising area on the dump where the pike perch stands will be found. And then you can’t yawn, since bites can follow almost immediately, as soon as the spoon reaches the bottom. In such a good hole you can catch 3-5 walleyes and breams in 7-10 minutes. After fishing such a place for 1.5-2 hours, you can get a significant catch.
For fans who prefer vertical trolling in winter, it is no secret that pike perch often hangs around near the elevated bottom terrain, or makes forays into such places in search of small fish.
One of my friends told me how he and a group of like-minded people consisting of 7 people had to look for pike perch
. They moved along the plateau, where the depths reached 6-7 meters, and there they managed to find a submerged island, in its upper part the depth did not exceed 2 meters. Five people began to drill holes in a line, so as to repeat the contours of the island at depths of about 4 meters. The interval between holes was 12-15 m. Two other anglers were drilling holes to the side. One in shallower places at a depth of 2 m, drilled holes at the very top of the island, and the second drilled holes somewhat deeper at depths of about 6 m. A few minutes later, the first 5 people almost simultaneously caught a pike perch, and some even 2 fish. It turned out that the fanged one jumped out onto the island, not at any specific point, but almost throughout the entire area, but exactly in the middle of the drop-off, since the last two fishermen did not get any bites.
The tip of the island turned out to be the most catchy place, which is quite natural. According to a friend, then while fishing, his friend, who was the first to drill a hole at the end of the island, had a powerful bite, and he almost had his fishing rod knocked out of his hands, but then he managed to get away with a large catch.
Fishing for pike perch
in places where there are uneven bottom topography, it attracts fishermen with its unpredictability. So, for example, you can move along a promising edge for half a day without feeling a single bite, and at a certain place, having drilled a hole, you can have a blast and get a decent catch within 15 minutes, catching several large pike perch and gaps. And there are quite a lot of such examples. So, after the first bite of a predator, you need to carefully fish this point, and do not rush to move away from it, perhaps a pleasant surprise awaits you.
Happy fishing!
Published: 12/31/2014
Other interesting materials:
| Sea fishing on the Fiji Islands The Fiji Islands are small picturesque pieces of land among the endless… | What does fishing on the Dnieper promise us? The Dnieper is a famous river in the countries of the former USSR. Farewells through... | Choosing a country to go fishing Don't know where you can go fishing this weekend? If you need more... | What kind of fish is caught in Arctic Norway? Deep sea fishing in Norway is very popular and all along… |
Fishing tactics
The route fishing method is used in large water areas with many possible habitats for pike perch. You need to think about where to go in advance. Holes are drilled only in promising places so as not to waste time. A good fall can be checked more thoroughly by drilling holes at a distance of 7-10 meters to check the entire area. You can walk 10-15 km in a day like this. When the ice gets stronger, a snowmobile or motorized dog helps in this matter.
- If it is not known for certain that there are definitely pike perch here, you don’t need to spend a lot of time on the hole. A dozen moves of a spinner, balancer or rattlin - and we move on.
- The driving method works if there are a lot of anglers on the ice and the fish are constantly moving. Where pike perch appear in such towns is immediately noticeable - anglers begin to fish in a specific area. There is no need to collect belongings and rush to them in a herd. It’s better to take a closer look, determine in which direction the bite is moving, quietly gather and sit in that direction, and wait for the fish.
- An experienced fishing group will never run to a lucky comrade and drill him from all sides at the same time - this will only scare away a school of fanged fish, and no one will catch anything. You need to move into the working area one by one and quietly, drill carefully without pumping one at a time, so as not to frighten off a school of pike perch that is easy to climb on the first ice.
- The driven method works when installing vents on a mass scale. But this is only possible if all fishermen in the group act together. The drains are installed on dumps and shallow water areas overlooking them. Anglers move 100 meters away from this zone (if on a river, downstream), drill holes and play with large pike lures. The pike perch is frightened by the massive drilling and strong vibrations of a dozen spinners, rises higher along the edge, and stumbles upon the girders. He will grab live bait not out of hunger, but out of aggression. Then everything is repeated, but at the next section upstream.
Fishing rod
A lure for pike perch is suitable for any configuration, both factory and homemade. The whip must be elastic and hard enough to cut through the hard mouth of the fanged one. The simplest version of a homemade fishing rod is an unnecessary feeder quivertip glued into a cork handle or piece of wood. The fishing rod is equipped with an inertial reel or a multiplier - it’s not for everyone. Some fishermen use reels, but reels are more convenient to work with.
A pike perch can strike instantly on the first ice, so you can’t waste a lot of time when the bite starts – you need to catch it. The bite may not last long, and it is this moment that often makes fishing. Therefore, there should be one more ready-made fishing rod in stock. If during the moments of biting the main one gets tangled, breaks off, or fails in any way, we take the second one without wasting time on fixing the first one.
A 0.25-0.45 mm monofilament is wound onto a reel - this is enough to catch pike perch of any size with the proper skill. Read more about the right winter fishing rods for pike perch
Spoons
The most common bait for pike perch is winter vertical spinners. It is better to attach an additional irritant to the hook of the spoon - a red cambric or a bristle brush. Spoons for pike perch need nails or loose lures, but not gliding ones, like for pike. Light sea jigs will also work. Sufficiently heavy baits from 8 grams and above are used, allowing you to work comfortably at depth. You shouldn’t chase all the variety of models – it’s better to master a few basic ones and fish with them.
Pike-perch is interested in baits that fall into place quite quickly after being dropped, but at the same time make long-decaying oscillations. The fanged one gets irritated and reacts precisely to the monotonous game - it brings him to the grip. The most valuable spinners are those that quickly complete the fall and strong vibrations, but take a long time to produce micro-movements.
Basic fishing for pike perch is a rise without a strong jerk of 20-30 cm with slight acceleration, and then a long pause, from 7 to 30 seconds. It is during the pause that the fanged one usually grabs. In this case, the bite is usually well transmitted to the hand. But pike perch can also take it when the spoon is falling - but after lifting the usual care and straightening of the fishing line is not observed. A sudden weight in your hand is also most likely a bite.
In addition to spinners, you can use the same fishing rod with other baits - balancers, ratlins, amphipods, jig heads with silicone or replanting sprat.
Article about winter trolling of pike perch: https://podlednik.ru/lovlya_zimoj/khishhniki/blesny-na-sudaka
Amphipods and Mormoblesses
Balancers
Baits with active action - balancers - also work for pike perch. However, sharp somersaults of the bait have a negative effect on this fanged predator. He is more attracted to monotonous twitching. For active pike perch on the first ice, conventional balancers with a plastic tail work better. However, if the fish is passive, baits with a tassel on the tail perform better. Which do not make strong lateral jumps when wiring. In any case, zander requires a less intense game than perch. Do not pull too hard - this will scare away the fanged one. Uniform monotonous strokes of medium strength without parasitic random twitching are important.
More information about balancers for winter pike perch and fishing techniques with these baits: https://podlednik.ru/lovlya_zimoj/khishhniki/balansiry-na-sudaka
Ratlins
Bladeless wobblers are gaining more and more popularity among winter roads, as sometimes they catch better than other baits. However, there are some nuances here. The ratlin (vibe) of each specific model requires an individual approach and play, as, in other matters, with any summer wobblers in a spinning rod. On the first ice, pike perch reacts perfectly to ratlins, provided that the tackle is handled correctly. With skillful handling, vibes catch the usual spinners or balancers. Read more about winter fishing for pike perch with ratlins
Tackle for catching pike perch with a spinner
Gear selection
Fishing rod
A fishing rod is about 50-70 cm long with a cork or other powerful handle. The whip is elastic and hard, 30-40 cm long. It is advisable that the fishing rod have guide rings.
Despite the fact that the pike perch bite is confident, the form should be equipped with a nod, this will not allow you to miss even the most careful bites. Also, the presence of a nod makes it more comfortable to play with bait, especially when the depth at the fishing point is shallow.
The nod is used spring or lavsan, about 5 centimeters long.
Coil
A reel for hand fishing enthusiasts, a simple reel needed only for winding fishing line.
In other cases, you can use inertia reels with a friction brake, small inertia-free reels with a spool size of 500-1000, but as mentioned above, the best choice for vertical fishing for pike perch in winter would be a multiplier reel.
fishing line
As a rule, fishing for pike perch from ice occurs on fishing lines with a diameter of 0.25-0.35 mm; only in cases of active biting of large pike perch, it is worth using a thicker fishing line with a diameter of 0.4 mm. If small pike perch are hooked, you can reduce the size of the tackle to 0.2-0.22 mm.
If there is a possibility of pike biting, use thick fluorocarbon 0.4-0.5 mm or steel bait, but remember that this can reduce the number of pike perch bites.
Choosing a spinner for catching pike perch in winter from ice
The bait is selected depending on the fishing conditions and the size of the fish. Large pike perch should be caught with spoons about 10 cm long; for medium-sized pike perch, 5-6 centimeter spoons are enough.
Also, the size of the spoon depends on the fishing depth. At depths of 5 meters or more, spoons measuring about 8 cm are used, as they reach the bottom faster.
The weight of spinners used ranges from 10 to 25 grams. In cases of fishing in strong currents or depths of over 10 m, heavier ones are used.
In terms of shape, pike perch prefer elongated and narrow spoons.
Winter fishing for pike perch, preferably using spoons of natural colors:
- White
- Silver
- Yellow
- Grey
- Golden
Only when the bite is weak does it make sense to experiment with lures of bright colors. The truth is, when choosing a color, “there are so many fishermen, so many opinions.”
When fishing at depth, it is good to use a spinner with a phosphorescent coating
When choosing lures, pay attention to the points of the hooks; they should be sharp and strong in order to break through a hard mouth. Of course, it is advisable to give preference to tees.
The best spinners for winter fishing for pike perch from ice:
- Vlasovskaya - with high-quality wiring, it imitates a weakened fish, which will certainly arouse the interest of the predator.
- Nurse - due to the presence of bends on the body, when guiding, it can significantly deviate to the sides, fishing large areas, excellent tackle for catching pike perch in winter in areas free from snags and tree trunks.
- The beam has a center of gravity shifted to the hook, which is why it falls to a new place each time.
- A three-sided spinner is great for fishing in currents, although it weighs more than other spinners.
- Pike perch – suitable for catching both pike perch and trout.
- Cobra – has a realistic game when retrieved and is very attractive in the eyes of pike perch.
Wiring
We lower the spoon to the bottom, then smoothly lift the tackle 50 cm from it, and take a short pause of 5-8 seconds. Then we sharply lower the rod down, but so that our tackle stops 5-10 cm from the bottom. As a result of such actions, the spoon begins to descend, simultaneously deviating away from the hole. When the spinner has dropped, we wait a few seconds and repeat the game.
In the middle of winter, pike perch can be tempted by the vibrations of the spoon or small throws 4-5 cm upward.
You can also tap the bottom and move the spoon along it, from side to side, creating turbidity. More in the article catching pike perch in winter with a spoon .
Fishing with sprat
On the Volga and the cascades of its reservoirs, large tributaries, many pike-perch fish catch fanged fish using sprat. This can be done either actively, by playing with a fishing rod and a jig, or passively - using hooks and jigs. For the active method, the same tackle is used as for trolling, only instead of bait - a large pike-perch jig, selected by weight depending on the strength of the current and depth. Some reach up to 30-40 grams. However, you can also fish with a regular jig head of a suitable size.
The sprat is planted whole or in parts. Pike perch are attracted by the smell of this fish, which makes up a significant part of its natural diet. Simple at first glance, sprat fishing is full of nuances and features - how to catch and bait, play with bait, and so on. Read more about winter fishing for pike perch using sprat
Zherlitsy and postavushi
Passive methods of catching pike perch on first ice work if the approximate water area where the fanged fish lives is known for certain. Such fishing for pike perch on the first ice is also possible along the edges, close to the feeding areas of the predator. Both ordinary fishing rods with live fish and fishing rods with a nod to a dead fish or sprat work.
Naturally, the equipment for pike perch is different from that of pike. In addition, you need to take into account depth and current. On rivers, equipment with an end weight and a diversion leash is used. The same equipment is installed on supplies. The difference is in the bite tracking mechanism. On fishing rods it is determined by the nod. It’s more convenient to work with a fishing rod; if it doesn’t take you to a standstill, you can come up and play along with bait. Article about winter fishing for pike perch with girders
Subscribe to the channel:
My YouTube channel RYBAFAN on fishing:
We're OK
Catching pike perch on the first ice
Advertising on the website
Winter fishing for pike perch on the first ice is liked by many anglers, but this is not at all surprising, because it is a fascinating and interesting activity that allows anglers to feel excitement, satisfaction and simply relax their souls, and also return home with a tasty catch. It should be noted right away that such fishing will require special precautions from the fisherman himself. And in order to return home with a catch, the fisherman still needs to know some of the nuances of catching pike perch on the first ice.
