Yuri 07.10.2020 1363
As soon as the evening dawn ends, most fishermen immediately pack up their gear and head home. Some hunters prefer, of course, to stay overnight fishing, so as soon as it gets dark, they disperse to their tents for the night so that they can continue fishing in the morning. But in fact, night fishing is an incredibly interesting activity and no less productive than during the day. But today I will tell you about how to catch perch at night, I will share the subtleties and nuances.
How to determine a place for fishing at night?
There are certain patterns for night fishing. First of all, these are depths. The predator will most likely stay on the shallows, where the depth does not exceed 2 m. It’s great if there are ambush areas, rifts and exits from holes nearby. In general, it would be a good idea to do some reconnaissance before such fishing. Having looked at a promising place during the day, you should stay overnight. Strong splashes in the shallows will give away a hunting predator. You should also take into account that night is not suitable for walking fishing, so the section of the river where you are going to fish should be at least 100-150 meters long without any obstacles or high vegetation. You need to study it during the day to avoid injuries, snags and other troubles. Successful fishing during the day will also tell you where to fish. It is unlikely that a predator will go far from this place in the evening.
Perch - fishing tactics
Photo by the author
Without knowledge of the behavior of perch in a given season, as well as its habits during the day, the chances of successful fishing will be small, except for those moments when you purely by chance discover a fattening school. In this case we will talk about June perch.
In flowing lakes, rivers and reservoirs, after spawning, perch remains for some time in the places where it spawned. As a rule, these are coastal areas where there are snags and aquatic plants, the mouths of rivers and streams, as well as shallow waters remote from the shore, underwater mounds and similar places. This is where you need to look for it, offering bait depending on the transparency and illumination of the water. And, of course, taking into account the food items on which he is currently feeding. This usually happens in May.
At the beginning of summer the situation is somewhat different. Spawned perch scatter throughout the reservoir in search of accumulations of forage fish and other living creatures. It can often be found in coastal snags, where it is most appropriate to use non-snagging baits. In hot weather, it should be taken into account that in stagnant and low-flow reservoirs its behavior is largely determined by the thermocline, when water stratifies into cold and very warm. In this situation, the perch chooses a layer of water where it feels more comfortable. You can find this layer using a thermometer or echo sounder. But most often it is possible to detect a school of perch by retrieving the bait at various levels.
ON PONDS AND DAMPS I knew the pond, located just a few kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road, like the back of my hand. Quite quickly I figured out the behavior of local carp and crucian carp. But with perch everything was different. I still can’t explain why he stubbornly ignored spinning baits, which worked flawlessly on other bodies of water. But 100-200 gram “sailors” were caught well with fry. I recently visited this pond again and was once again convinced that the behavior of striped predators here has remained unchanged. Two or three anglers successfully caught perch and bitterling, and from time to time the spinners caught medium-sized pike and trout thrown into the pond. I didn’t take any perch from them. Perhaps the reason for such unusual behavior of striped predators is that the reservoir is oversaturated with fry. And perches do not recognize any other food besides it. But this is just a guess.
In general, I should note that pond perch, as a rule, does not show its presence in any particular place. Another thing is dams on small rivers. On reservoirs of this type, I have more than once witnessed perches chasing small fish at the surface of the water. But even here we had to fish not with a spinning rod, but with a float-based live bait fishing rod.
BEHIND THE RIVER PERCH It is good to catch river perch in pools under steep banks, in areas with weak and reverse currents, and in bays overgrown with grass. Along steep banks you can move up or downstream, throwing live bait into pools, bushes and snags. Here you come across not only medium-sized perches, but also respectable humpback whales, waiting for prey in the dark depths. If during the spring movement of perch schools success is often brought by wait-and-see tactics, that is, fishing in one or two places that you like, then in the summer you have to actively look for perch.
One of the surest ways to detect river perch sites in the summer is to search taking into account the current. Current attracts bass for two main reasons. Firstly, it carries away the fry that striped predators feed on, and secondly, sections of the river with fast-flowing water attract perch with their constant oxygen saturation, especially in hot weather and when there is no wind.
Early in the morning, if the perch hits close to the shore, I try not to come close to the water's edge. And I make the first casts carefully, from a certain distance, maintaining camouflage so as not to frighten off the approaching flock. Fishing in the morning fog can be very effective. In general, the morning bite is usually more active than the afternoon or evening bite. The exception is cloudy weather, when perch can catch more or less evenly throughout the day. Many fishermen have recently been successfully catching fry with jig tackle. A jig helps out especially in places where fishing with a float is fraught with snags. A fish placed under the upper lip on the hook of a jig does not have to be mobile. On the contrary, the calmer it is, the fewer holds there are. The perch perfectly sees what is happening around it at a depth of 1-1.5 m. Therefore, in strong places, it is not necessary to lower the bait to the bottom; it is enough to play it lightly at half-water.
Problems when fishing for fry arise if, in parallel with the perch, other predators, especially large ones, become active. You urgently have to use a thicker fishing line, and with pike bites, you also need to use a metal leash, which negatively affects the perch’s bite. In June, large deep-seated perch, having spawned, behave quite actively, with the exception of periods of prolonged rains and sudden cold snaps. Practice shows that the predator can be caught right up to the freeze-up, and the closer to winter, the greater the depth, where the water does not cool as sharply as in shallow waters.
PERCH “BOILERS” Visually, perch fighting can be found in various bodies of water. But, perhaps, it looks most impressive on the so-called “boilers”. Fishing with them is truly an impressive sight. In large bodies of water (lakes, reservoirs), you need to know well the permanent sites of the striped predator. Seagulls often act as guides here. They usually hunt where there are concentrations of small fish, and therefore predators. Under the shore and in overgrown shallow waters remote from it, a school of perch reveals itself by the fact that small things walking near the surface are from time to time thrown out of the water in silvery splashes. Immediately followed by dull blows, sometimes slurping sounds. Large humpback whales fatten this up. This is where you need to catch. However, the absence of such manifestations does not mean that the place is empty. It happens that forage fish go to depth (for example, when it gets cold), and perch hunting takes place at the bottom or in mid-water, invisible to the eye. Let me give you a specific example. This happened immediately after restrictions on fishing in the Moscow region were lifted. My friend and I ended up at the Ozerninskoye Reservoir just at the time when the weather gets colder in some years. At night the thermometer dropped to plus 6-8. And during the day the cold wind from the north was bothering us. “It looks like there won’t be any fishing,” I said, sitting down at the oars.
“Now the perch doesn’t hunt on top,” Vlad answered. “All the small fry have moved closer to the bottom. There's a perch there too. We will fish with balance beams in a plumb line. We anchored in a place where, according to Vlad, there were snags at the bottom, and striped predators stayed here constantly or visited them from time to time. Not to say that the perch was actively taking that day, but we were not left without fish.
It is best to look for perch in a large body of water in a quiet early morning. If there is a wave in windy weather, it will be difficult to detect a school of hunting perches. To quickly search for concentrations of perch, especially in large reservoirs, you will need a motor boat and binoculars. Having discovered a flock of striped predators, you need to turn off the engine 150-200 meters away and approach the fishing site on oars. A perch fight can last only a few minutes, during which the angler must give his best. A well-tuned tackle will help you act clearly, quickly and effectively. Most often, when fishing in large bodies of water, I use a fast-action sending rod (10-50 g test) equipped with a 2000-3000 class reel on “boilers”. Where long casts are not required, a light rod designed to cast baits weighing up to 8 g would be quite appropriate. The reel is high-speed, with a gear ratio of 5.1:1, its class is 1000.
As for fishing line, most spinning anglers prefer monofilament when hunting for perch, but you can also use braided line. Only in this case, the hooking should be careful, and it is better to do without it altogether. Otherwise, you will tear off the lips of striped predators. Perch baits for fishing on top are well known. These are spinners, twisters, wabiki, mini-wobblers and some others. A good effect is achieved by using various tandems (pictured) and tyrant-type equipment, when several wobbles on short leashes create the impression of a fleeing school of small fish during the retrieve. In general, when fishing for perch on “boilers”, you have to change bait frequently every time. It happens that small perches are willingly taken on a twister, and large humpbacks are exclusively taken on a mini-wobbler with a slight depth during the wiring process.
MUGS FOR PERCH It is most advisable to catch perch with mugs in those reservoirs where there is no current and humpback whales have not yet disappeared. As a rule, the diameter of perch circles is 5–6 cm smaller than those intended for hunting pike or pike perch. This depends not only on the size of the live bait, but also on the characteristics of the equipment. Mugs are usually equipped with fishing line with a diameter of 0.22-0.25 mm. Its length of 15 m is quite enough, if fishing is carried out at a depth of 1-1.5 m, the free supply of fishing line can be limited by overlapping it. With a short supply of fishing line, the perch usually catches itself; in this case, there is no need to rush on the boat to the triggered circle. For catching perch with mugs, hooks No. 7-8 are used, according to international numbering, and leashes are placed with a smaller diameter than the main line, their length usually does not exceed 20 cm. An olive weighing 8-10 g is used as a sinker. For perch weighing 500- 700 g are used for small ruff, crucian carp measuring 3-4 cm, gudgeon, fingerlings of roach, bleak and other white fish. It is preferable to catch perch weighing less than half a kilogram with small fish: bitterling, minnow, and verkhovka. Accordingly, smaller hooks will be required. In order for the live bait to remain viable, it should be placed carefully under the dorsal fin, otherwise the spine may be damaged. The fry is usually placed by the lip.
When searching for a fattening school of perch, it is necessary to move the circles from place to place, so you often have to measure the depth in order to correctly determine the descent - the live bait should be 15-20 cm from the bottom. In shallow waters it is usually allowed to swim at half-water. Classic fishing with mugs is designed mainly for their free swimming. However, sometimes, especially in strong winds, you have to lay them down. The mugs are held in place using a separate leash with a sinker weighing up to 100 g.
Vladimir Tarkhanov July 18, 2012 at 00:00
Lighting for catching predators at night
Catching a predator at night
It’s great if the process takes place on a clear moonlit night. Its light will allow you to navigate the selected area, but if it is cloudy and there is no moon, then you should use a headlamp. Without it, you won’t even find what you need in your bait box. You can also light a small fire on the shore; in addition to the reflections on the water, it will allow you to warm up if it’s cold and boil tea.
Spinning night fishing on river shallows
Date: February 16, 2013 | 289
When difficulties arise with catching fish as usual, under normal conditions, it makes sense to try non-standard ways. So, if at the height of summer, in the very heat , river predators do not want to bite on a spinning rod , it makes sense to try to catch them at night! So, at night, mainly in the shallows, near riffles, and in general, in places with significant changes in the nature of the river, you can catch good chub, asp, perch, catfish, pike perch, pike, ide and even bream at night . I want to talk about the features of such night fishing with a spinning rod on rivers
Night fishing requires a lot of preparation from the angler. Moreover, this applies not only to gear and equipment, but to selection, reconnaissance, and preparation of a place for night fishing .
As you understand, night is not the best time of day for running fishing in an unfamiliar section of the river... Firstly, in the dark you won’t be able to discern the nature of the river by external signs, you won’t be able to see obvious snags. You can also play beaver hole or something else. So, you need to study your route very thoroughly during the day if you are going to go around several places along the river during the night.
I am still inclined to fish at night with a spinning rod on a small or medium-sized river , on a vast, extended shallow all night. It’s good if the sandbank borders a hole and in some place turns into a faster flow - a riffle. Such changes in relief over a relatively short area (150-200m) are not uncommon for many rivers that meander heavily (for example, the Seim).
The most difficult task when choosing a sandbank is to understand what kind of predator hunts here at night and whether it even comes out here at night...
How to determine this? Well, first of all, if you spent the night on the river during one of your fishing trips and heard active splashes and blows on the neighboring sandbank at night, here’s your first clue. Secondly, if the place is a wonderful riffle on which chub and asp are constantly caught, in the morning, during the day, in the evening, and in the vicinity, there are no riffles of this level within a couple of kilometers in both directions - the predator will probably remain here at night. Well, and thirdly, if there are serious holes near the sandbank (especially downstream) where catfish and/or pike perch live, you can fully expect that these nocturnal predators will come to just such a sandbank.
It is clear that the section of the river where we are going to fish with a spinning rod at night should be very familiar to us - depths, differences in depths, location of snags, etc. Those. If this is your first time on a section of a reservoir, then you need to be on the shallows during the day in order to prepare a parking lot for night fishing (prepare a fire, perhaps put up a canopy or tent in case of rain or to take a nap for an hour, collect gear during a pause in the bite) and probe the shallows It’s still dark when using a spinning rod, when polarized glasses work for you, and you can visually understand a lot by the nature of the current.
a moonlit, clear night for in order to have additional light. Additional lighting will be provided by a small fire at your camp site, on the shore of the same shallows. Well, personal lighting devices – headlamps.
And then the night comes! Since our small rivers, despite the poaching pressure, are inhabited by a fairly rich species composition of predators, we cannot know for sure who will come to the sandbank we have chosen. After all, all we knew about spinning fishing before was fishing during daylight hours. And at night everything mixes and shifts. Therefore, I recommend having an active set of 15-20 baits in one or a couple of boxes. And this set should contain baits that will potentially be of interest to each of the potential predators. During the night you will try all the options for bait, wiring, and water horizons. This tactic greatly increases your chances of getting away from zero, in principle.
I will give a short overview of baits for predators that should work at night.
Chub. For catching chub at night, small, noisy, pot-bellied crank-class wobblers are good. It’s worth trying small Minnow wobblers (the same Yo-zuri L-minnow). It is wise to try to catch chub at night and with medium spinners (for example Mepps Long No. 0,1,1+) of black color. It is also possible to use spinners painted to look like metal, but there is no point, because... they will not produce glare at night. The fish will only see the dark silhouette of the bait against the background of a relatively light sky and hear the vibration from the rotation of the turntable with its lateral line, to which it must react with an attack.
Night asp also responds well to black spinners, crank wobblers and especially Minnow, as well as poppers and some oscillating spoons (Kastmaster, Loko, etc.)
It also makes sense to try, for asp and chub, using bombard fishing at night, with bait in the form of flies, streamers, microtwisters.
To catch night pike in the shallows, you should use fairly large spinners or medium-sized silicone baits on light jig heads (3-5-7g).
Perch also actively hunts at night. Poppers, walkers, and also spinners traditional for this predator are well suited for perch.
pike perch that come out to fatten on the night roll using medium Minnow wobblers, as well as narrow vibrating tails, and light and medium-weight jigs (up to 7-10g). Glowing, fluorescent silicone baits perform well.
Catfish is also a fan of glowing rubber. But sometimes you come across a regular one. In addition, large spinners No. 3-5 can be very effective when the catfish is on the shallows. Please note that specifically for catfish, you need the slowest bait retrieve, with bottom strokes and pauses.
As for spinning rods, it is better to have two of them. Since we are standing on a very limited section of the river, nothing prevents us from fishing with light spinning rods with light baits, targeting chub, asp, and perch. And then take heavier tackle and hunt with larger baits for pike perch, catfish, and pike.
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Category: Spin-Don-Pop:)
Tags: Wobblers, Chub, Asp, Night, Catfish, Spinning
Features of casting with a spinning rod at night
For an inexperienced fisherman, night fishing will be very difficult. You need to have a great feel for the spinning rod, fishing line, bait, and be able to imagine how and where it will fall after casting.
At night, long casts are not needed; it is enough to throw the bait no more than 15 meters. One day my partner, fishing already at dusk, and even among dense tall bushes, sent a wobbler forward with a brave flourish. It was on a small forest river. The bait quickly flew over it and crashed into a stump standing on the other bank. At the end of the braid there was only a ring with which the wobbler was attached.
An angler planning to go night fishing must be confident in his skills in handling a spinning rod.
Frost and sun
If the weather is not changeable, remains stable at 5-10 degrees below zero, cloudiness is high, and the pressure is average - feel free to go fishing.
In such conditions, not only the fish will be comfortable, but also the fisherman himself - winter fishing for perch will be successful. After all, often additional difficulties in the form of precipitation, wind or severe frost make it difficult to concentrate on the process. Freshwater animals also enjoy stable conditions and maintain their activity throughout the day. The weather conditions described above refer to the first half of winter, when even a continuous stay in one area will bring a good catch: the perch does not overload with bait and practically does not get off the hook.
When frost drops the thermometer 5 notches lower, and the pressure is steadily increased, this is weather for perch. In such conditions, they prefer to rise closer to the surface to catch the bait. Fishing occurs even under the ice or in the middle of the water column. When atmospheric pressure rises, perch rushes to shallow places, the depth of which does not exceed half a meter. Here you can “feed” it with a jig or spinner.
Maintain secrecy and try to make as little noise as possible when moving from hole to hole. When the hole has been punched, do not rush to start the actual fishing process; give the underwater inhabitants a few minutes to calm down. The statement that perch is not afraid of noise cannot be considered 100% correct. Thus, small perch are not afraid of vibrations. But if fishing takes place in shallow water, even he can be scared.
What weather is it best to catch perch? On clear and frosty days, when the sky pleases with endless blue, and the wind does not burn unprotected skin. In such weather, the fish are extremely active, but the fisherman does not always manage to catch them.
Night fishing gear
At night it is better to fish with light sticks, leaving the ultralight at home. Of course, every experienced fisherman has his own preferences, but a general overview can be made. The sninning length is approximately 2.5 - 3 meters. Construction - average. Test from 5 to 25 (30) grams. The reel is inertial, a large reserve on the spool is not necessary. Line or braid? If there is a fishing line, then at least 0.2-0.25mm, a safety margin will not hurt. Braid – 0.12-0.16mm.
The tackle must be adjusted and the fisherman must feel it well.
Lures for catching predators at night
The color of the bait at night does not matter; its behavior in the water is decisive. The more noise it makes, the more likely it is to bite. Let's look at which baits you can use to catch which fish.
Wobblers, cranks. Chub and asp respond well to them at night. Since the depths where fishing takes place are shallow, the bait should not go too deep and float up quickly. It is also worth using poppers; perch can also attack them.
Pike at night on a wobbler
Jig, turntables. Pike can be attracted to silicone and rotating lures. Only turntables should be at least No. 5, and jig baits from 3 to 7 cm. In autumn, the size should be increased.
Also, pike perch can bite well on wobblers, but it is better to use a jig with glowing rubber on it. A catfish can also react to it.
Using small spinners, you can catch perch.
First, it is better to fish your area, using small baits in the hope of getting bites from perch, chub and asp. After this, you should move on to heavier baits and try to catch a larger predator.
Where to look for perch in autumn
The first task of any fish before a long and difficult period is to gain fat. This is exactly what perch does throughout the fall. Flocking into numerous flocks, he spends his day hunting. Constantly pursues young peaceful fish - the main and constant diet of the predator.
Where there is a school of white fish, all predatory fish, from small to large, are sure to be there. Do not forget that the real threat to all inhabitants of the reservoir is pike and pike perch. Therefore, places with natural shelters are the best for a spinning fisher: a striped fish can hide behind snags, bushes, flooded trees, and not yet completely fallen algae.
With each autumn month the weather becomes harsher, temperature, pressure, wind change - all this dictates its own rules. Below we will look at where the fish will most often stand depending on the time.
September
Perch continues to stick to the coastal zone and shallow depths, as the water has not yet cooled down and remains attractive for whitefish. In September there are often warm, clear and sunny days, especially during Indian summer. The rays warm up the shallows where the grown fry are basking, attracting the striped fish.
It is not uncommon for seethings and movements near the surface to be visible to the naked eye in a body of water. Small things often jump out of the water, sometimes as if running across the surface of the water. All this is a sign of a feeding perch attacking a school of its prey.
When casting along the so-called boiler, you are sure to have a catch. If such a place is not visually visible, then start fishing the coastal zone with a fan, looking for small holes, snags, grass and other shelters. The bite does not deteriorate throughout the daylight hours.
October
Fishing in October brings an inconsistent bite. Changing temperature and pressure make themselves felt, negatively affecting activity. There are fewer and fewer days with stable weather, so fishing often becomes a roulette.
The perch, following the peaceful fish, begins its slow movement towards the deep parts of the reservoir. The edges are becoming one of the best places to start your search. Don’t forget about the standard places that we wrote about above. Instead of spinners, spinners are increasingly equipped with silicone or microjigs for fishing the bottom layer.
November
In late autumn, deep holes and dumps become the main habitats. It is rare that the bite will be in the coastal zone with shallow depths. The flocks have finally moved to the depths, where they can only be reached with jig baits or wobblers with deep depth.
The predator's feeding time is only during the day, with varying success. The water cools more and more quickly, the air temperature decreases, and the pressure often changes. Having guessed a good day, you can catch the last zhor and make the most of it. But, unfortunately, it is not uncommon when the bites are not at all pleasing.
When does the cravings begin?
Depending on the region of Russia, this is the middle and second half of September. There is no more precise date for the autumn zhora. Everything is at the disposal of nature, so much depends on it. If September turns out to be warm for its time, then the bites are pleasingly frequent.
A decrease in water temperature to 15 degrees and stable weather conditions have a beneficial effect on the mood of the fish, causing a desire to fatten up and put on fat.
Retrieving and hooking for night fishing
The bait is cast across the current. As it is demolished, wiring begins. It is difficult to determine which type of fish will like which wiring, so they should be changed. It is recommended to start by pulling the bait with the tip of the spin and then reeling it in. The line should always be in tension, as sometimes the bite can be barely noticeable. In general, you need to react by cutting to all the incomprehensible sensations that are transmitted to the hand. It’s better to make one more mistake than to sleep through a real bite. The hook should be sharp and with a large amplitude, which will allow you to pick up the slack in the fishing line and detect the predator. This is especially true when biting pike perch, which has a very hard mouth.
