The best jigs for pike perch
It is believed that fairly large jigs will be most effective. If you take them of medium or small size, you will still have a chance to catch some pike perch, but only fairly small specimens can be caught.
Most often they use devil or ural jigs . The color is silver, golden or black. It is preferable to use the Uralochka from sizes ten to fourteen, and take the largest possible size devil. The hooks on jigs must be strong and extremely sharp.
Only in this way will it be possible to effectively hook the fish.
How to choose jigs for catching pike perch in winter
As mentioned earlier, the best pike perch jigs for winter fishing are those that are large in size. Small or medium ones will not give the same result as a large bait. There is a large selection of jigs, and everything will depend only on the preference and experience of the angler.
The most popular are:
- Uralka . Considered a classic option. Has one hook up to 15 mm in size. The silver or yellow color of the jig is ideal for catching pike perch in winter.
- Devil. It is a reliable bait, although the choice must be made at the point of the hook. Standard color is black or gold.
- Fang "Cocked Hat" . Designed for vertical fishing. Works well against bottom predators, especially worms. Produced with a hanging tee. Weighs from 10 to 16 grams.
- Bullet. It has a narrow body, and in the head part there is a hole with a cambric that does not allow the line to fray. The shape is designed to attach large bait. Excellent for fishing in medium and deep depths.
With or without a nozzle?
The most common option is when a nozzle is used. When fishing for pike perch, this option is considered to be the most effective. However, nozzle-free options, along with nozzles, are also used and can be quite effective.
It is difficult to advise what to choose, since it depends on the specific characteristics of a particular fishing trip. Experience may be the best advisor here. As it accumulates, the fisherman will be able to make this choice more and more accurately.
A small fish can be used as a bait . It is also quite acceptable to use silicone fish.
Winter jig for pike perch
The jig itself is a common method of catching fish. But, if you need to catch pike perch, the bait must be special, suitable specifically for this type of fishing. Usually in winter, all the equipment for catching this predator is selected in a special way. This is due to the characteristics of this type of fish.
For this purpose, jigs are larger than others and can weigh up to 30 grams. Not just any rod is suitable here either. Here, special attention is paid to its rigidity and strength, because pike perch is a large and strong fish. It is recommended to take fairly rigid tackle of a meter in length. At the end the thickness should not be less than three millimeters.
You will need a strong fishing line. Its thickness depends on the depth at which you intend to fish. If it does not exceed 8 meters, then it is recommended to choose a fishing line with a thickness of 0.18 millimeters . If the walleye is expected to be deeper, then it should be thicker. In this case, it is customary to use a fishing line with a diameter of 0.25 millimeters.
The rod must be equipped with a nod. One of the most convenient options is to make a nod from a clock spring. They are also sometimes made conical, with a metal line ring at the end.
The reel should be used without inertia and the line should be of sufficient length. Although it happens that pike perch can be caught at a depth of less than 8 meters, however, in most cases, fishing takes place at much greater depths. It is not uncommon for cases to be ten meters deep or even greater.
A telescopic rod is also sometimes used. It has the required strength, while maintaining relative lightness and elasticity.
Varieties of jigs for pike perch
A jig for pike perch differs from the usual models used in reelless fishing or fishing using a bait. It is larger in size and weight. In certain situations, they fish with baits under 30 grams, since they have to “punch” deep holes and reel under the influence of the current.
Jigs for hunting fangs are made from various materials:
- lead,
- brass,
- copper,
- tungsten,
- silver,
- cupronickel,
- stainless steel.
The most popular are lead and tungsten. The first one is easy to process, so it is used when making jigs for fishing pike perch yourself. The second metal has a high density and is suitable for deep areas with current, since due to its small dimensions and decent weight it does not float on the current and quickly sinks to the bottom, remaining in the perspective horizon throughout the entire wiring.
Advice! You definitely need to have brass, silver and copper jigs in your arsenal. They show good results, especially during the dark winter period.
The classic pike perch jig has an elongated teardrop-shaped body. As a rule, weighted Uralkas and their various modifications are used. The hook is rigidly soldered and has no degree of freedom. It has special requirements:
- Maximum strength and reliability for successfully fighting a heavy predator.
- The hook is sharp enough to perform a confident hook.
- The length of the forend allows you to put on various baits to further stimulate the fish to attack.
Separately, we can note jigs with a suspended hook that has a certain degree of freedom. In some regions, such models are called “devil”. They resemble the usual devil. They can also have an eccentric body, which gives the bait a unique, unique game. Such modifications are made by craftsmen with their own hands; they are extremely rare to find on store shelves.
Often, pike perch are not caught using bait with a “bare” hook. For greater efficiency, it is customary to attach fresh fry, a piece of meat, fish fillet or lard to it, you can attach a worm or a bunch of bloodworms. Beads, sequins, threads, cambric, chain links, etc. are used from artificial materials.
Features of catching pike perch with a jig
Strong tackle is needed due to the fact that this fish is strong, with hard scales. If a bite occurs, you need to hook as hard as possible so that the fish gets hooked. To be sure to pierce the mouth of this fish, it is best to hook it in a sweeping, forceful manner.
This is why you will need strong tackle.
Now let's tell you why the nod is needed here. The fact is that in winter, pike perch, before taking the bait, tries it, lightly touching it with its cheek. With a good nod you can feel it and use it.
How to play when catching pike perch with a jig?
In winter, this fish does not like sharp and fast play. Pike perch prefers a smooth and slow game. This is exactly the kind that can attract him and make him attack the jig. The slow movement of the bait hypnotizes it to some extent and can make it pounce on the bait.
Let's talk about one way to play with a jig, which is considered quite effective:
- First she sinks to the very bottom . After this, you need to gradually remove the slack from the fishing line. This should be done while avoiding strong and sudden movements if possible.
- After this is done , you need to raise the jig about five centimeters above the bottom of the reservoir. Then we sharply lower the bait and wait about ten seconds.
- After this, with slow and very smooth movements, we gradually raise the jig by about thirty centimeters.
- When lifting, it is advisable to do slow rocking . If you are fishing with devils, then there is no need for such swaying.
This game must be repeated several times. It is usually believed that this needs to be done ten times. If no result is observed, then you will need to do the following. At the same time, the style of play changes slightly. To do this, raise the bait by about ten centimeters. After rising, you need to wait for five seconds.
Then they play with slow movements and use sweeping movements. After doing this several times, you will most likely get the predator to attack your jig.
During the fishing process, you will notice that bites mostly occur when using very specific elements of the game. If you can notice a similar pattern, you can use it in the future.
The step game is also sometimes used. To do this, lower the jig to the bottom and play as described above. If the result is unsuccessful, lower the bait to the bottom again and remove about thirty centimeters of fishing line. The jig moves a little further downstream.
Where to look for pike perch in winter?
When fishing in the dead of winter, it is necessary to take into account that at this time the fish prefer to live at depths. At this time, her behavior is passive and there is little that can cause hunting excitement. The good news is that the places where these fish feed are generally well known.
Fishing in these places will be the most promising. The most important thing is not where to find pike perch in the middle of nowhere, but how to make him want to attack the bait.
It usually lives at depth in river beds, where there are snags at the bottom. Where the water is running, pike perch prefer places with relatively slow currents . It can also be argued that places where there are sharp changes in depth are attractive to him.
Of course, the question naturally arises: is it possible to accurately detect the habitats of this fish? Unfortunately, there is no exact list of signs that will reliably point to such places. The ability to determine them is indirect and mainly based on experience. An exception may be two categories of fishermen.
Some of them are the happy inhabitants of the echo sounder. Others are those who know the body of water where they catch walleye extremely well. With many years of experience, they may well gradually find those places where fishing for pike perch in winter is very promising.
In practice, it is customary to roughly determine possible fishing spots, and then drill the required number of holes in different places and try your fishing luck in several of them. Of course, over time, the chances of finding a good place will gradually increase.
However, at first, you may have to make a lot of attempts until luck smiles on the fisherman.
It also makes sense to try places such as holes or elevated areas of the bottom, places where there are snags. It should be taken into account that it is unlikely to find promising places in shallow water. Another good sign is the presence of clean and clear water.
If there is no current yet, then such a place may well be where you can catch pike perch.
If you fish on the first ice, and not in the dead of winter, then the chances of a good catch increase sharply. At this time, the fish are highly active. However, the ice during this period is very thin and walking on it is very dangerous.
Another important factor may be the time of day. The best bite occurs in the dark and before dawn.
Another useful fishing technique can be a joint search by several fishermen. The combined effort will allow us to cover a much larger area in the process of finding places for successful walleye fishing.
How to catch?
When going fishing for pike perch with a jig, you need to use balanced and reliable gear that allows you to perform high-quality animation of the bait and will not break under the pressure of strong fish. A nod when using a jig is required. It plays an important role during wiring.
The basic animation of a jig for pike perch consists of alternating swings and pauses. The duration of the oscillations is 2–10 seconds, followed by a stop. The bait can be played at one point, you can raise or lower it. The strength and amplitude of the swaying depends on the mood of the predator. Active fish prefer the lively and fast behavior of the object; for passive fish, it is advisable to reduce the feed speed and increase pauses.
In general, catching pike perch in winter with a jig is a productive and exciting type of fishing. It allows you to look at this predator from a different perspective. Having mastered this method of ice fishing, you can diversify your fishing techniques on a pond and always find the key to the fish.
Winter zander baits
They can be divided into two large groups:
- When used with attachments. They can be either natural or synthetic.
- No attachments required.
White baits or one of the phosphor colors have proven themselves to be quite good. When choosing them, it is best to take the largest size that is available.
- If fishing will take place in calm water , where there is no current, you can use lead jigs. Where the current is strong, a tungsten bait is more suitable. This is due to the fact that in the latter case the weight of the jig will be much greater than that of a lead jig of the same size.
- The form of bait that has proven itself best is a droplet-shaped jig.
- There are no strict restrictions on color , but the most popular colors are silver, white, yellow or black.
- When selecting a jig, you must pay attention to the hook. It should not be thin and weak. For catching pike perch, only a strong, reliable and razor-sharp hook is suitable.
- A good additional option is to use cambrics or beads on a hook. They help to attract fish to a greater extent and, at the same time, somewhat change the game of the bait.
