Winter fishing is not to the liking of every fisherman, or, if you prefer, within the capabilities. But in reality, only those fishermen who have never tried to catch fish from ice don’t like it. I myself, to be honest, until I went on winter fishing, I didn’t understand how fishing in the snow, cold and with almost a complete lack of any comfort could be interesting. After all, I’m used to fishing in the warm season, always with an overnight stay, a fire, and, if you’re lucky, even a barbecue.
But when I went ice fishing for the first time, I didn’t notice how time flew by! I was so drawn into this exciting fishing. Everything was new for me - the method of fishing, gear, fishing style, searching for fish and drilling holes. Now winter fishing is an integral part of my leisure time.
I gained a lot of experience and fished in the winter with many experienced fishermen - my friends and colleagues. And in this article I would like to share with you my knowledge about winter baits. Lures for winter fishing are not as varied as summer ones, but if you are going to fish from ice, you should be aware of which baits will be useful to you and what to expect from them.
What to fish with in winter
I would like to note that even experienced fishermen do not always understand the difference between attachments and baits. So, in this article we are talking specifically about bait, that is, bait of animal origin. For those who didn’t know, I’ll say that baits are baits of plant origin.
The following are most often used as winter baits, and therefore are the most catchy:
- bloodworm;
- maggot;
- worm;
- mormysh.
Now, to my great joy and, I’m sure, all fishermen, buying bait for winter fishing in a fishing store is not difficult. Well, maybe there may be problems with worms and jigs in some regions. But maggots and bloodworms are almost always available.
With these 3 baits you can fish for almost any fish that can bite in winter. You can take one thing for fishing, or you can take all of them together. If you take various baits, you get an undeniable advantage.
- Firstly. The fish can be picky and will only bite on, say, bloodworms on the day of fishing. And if you only have maggots, you will deprive yourself of successful fishing with your own hands.
- Secondly. Perhaps the fish on the day you go out on the ice will actively bite on sandwiches, and you only have one bait. A sandwich is the simultaneous placement of both maggot and bloodworm (maggot and mormysh) on a hook. Often this technique allows you to activate the bite of inactive fish.
- Third. The preferences of fish can change even within one daylight hours. That is, in the morning the fish could actively feed on bloodworms, and in the evening give them maggots.
Basically, you've realized that having just one bait can significantly reduce your chances of making a big catch. Now let's take a closer look at the listed baits.
Feeding fish in winter. Peculiarities
Like any season, winter imposes its own factors on the behavior of fish, their biorhythms and dietary preferences. So, your experience of feeding fish in spring, summer, autumn, in open water can be left out of the equation. Winter dictates different rules. It's important to understand this. The fact is that simply pouring steamed porridge into the area of the floats, as often happens in the summer, is not only not enough, but useless.
What to do? And why is winter fishing so strikingly different in terms of the use of bait?
We need to make a reservation right away. Winter is different everywhere. In the southern regions, in some reservoirs, the period of open water can last all winter or most of it. In such conditions, the same feeding rules apply as in late autumn and early spring (we’ll talk about them in separate articles). Here we will talk specifically about bait for winter ice fishing.
Ice cover changes the illumination in the water column. Also, the oxygen regime worsens. So, the fish moves less and eats less. Periods of passive behavior are longer than in other seasons.
The water temperature in such conditions is only a few degrees Celsius. This leads to a slowdown in fish metabolism. Many species of fish simply lie in holes in winter, bury themselves in the mud and do not show any activity until spring. The activity of others also decreases, but their biting is still observed in winter.
These are types such as:
- Perch
- Roach (and other so-called “white fish”)
- Bream
- Chub
- Pike
- Zander
- Burbot
- Smelt
- Crucian carp (in some reservoirs)
We will focus on these types of fish, which are most often found in the catches of winter fishermen.
In addition to reduced fish activity, it is worth noting several other important factors associated with low water temperatures.
Firstly, if you remember the school physics course, it becomes obvious that the process of metabolism in water, the diffusion process, slows down. This means that the bait itself spreads more slowly in the water column, compared to how it happens in the summer. Also, odors spread much slower. And this is a very serious moment! After all, the lion’s share of “summer baits” is based on attracting fish through the sense of smell. This doesn't work in winter.
Secondly, due to the death of microorganisms, water in winter, on average, is noticeably clearer than in the warm season. This, together with the above, means that the fish’s vision comes to the fore. And it is the visual component of the bait that you need to focus on more than the aromatic one.
Thirdly, if the fishing depth is significant, due to the presence of ice cover, the visibility of the bait and bait elements is difficult. It is clear that at shallow depths, even light passing through our holes or snow-free areas of ice ensures normal visibility. At depths of 4-5 meters or more, visibility in the water decreases to almost zero. And here the fish’s sensory organ, the lateral line, comes to the fore. With its help, the fish picks up vibrations in the water. So, in fact, the only way to attract fish in such conditions is live, moving bait. Let's remember this.
Winter bait should, first of all, act visually and create vibrations. Move, look like real fish food.
The importance of attractants and aromatic additives is sharply reduced.
Bloodworm
A bloodworm is the larva of a mosquito. This is the main food supply for fish in almost any body of water. Bloodworms work great in any body of water when catching any type of fish, with the exception, of course, of such fish species as catfish, pike, pike perch (of course).
If the bite is weak, a technique such as using a bloodworm + maggot sandwich often helps. You can put a maggot-bloodworm-maggot on the hook, or a bloodworm-maggot-bloodworm. In principle, there is not much difference, but sometimes the fish are so finicky that a specific combination of bait works better.
It is not difficult to place a bloodworm on a hook or jig, but it is quite inconvenient due to the fact that its body is very thin, and even wriggles during installation. You can find out how to attach a bloodworm to a hook or jig here.
You can buy bloodworms at any fishing store. To keep it alive and suitable for fishing, if you purchased it in advance, you just need to wrap it in a damp cloth and place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. If the family is opposed to storing bait in the refrigerator, you can use the balcony, but there is a risk that the bloodworms will not last so long there.
Summer and winter bait. What is the difference?
The key difference between summer and winter bait is that with summer bait it is possible to lure and lure fish to a certain place. Those. we choose a promising place, feed it and wait for the fish to come. Winter bait works radically differently. Its function is to hold fish!
Only during the current can you count on fish approaching. And even then...
The main function of finding fish in winter, however, lies with the fisherman. You need to find the fish, and then hold it with bait.
Bait is especially important in winter, when fishing in large concentrations of anglers. Here, when everyone is fed, you need to win the “arms race.” Those who feed better and more often catch much more intensively.
Maggot
Maggot is the first competitor of bloodworms in winter fishing. Anglers most often combine these two most popular winter baits. But maggots have certain advantages over bloodworms, at least that they stay on the hook much better. If the bloodworm may require replacement after the first bite, then you can catch a dozen fish with one maggot and it will be able to continue to delight you with a new catch.
Just like bloodworms, maggots can easily be purchased at a fishing store. You can learn how to place maggots on a hook here. Any peaceful fish, as well as ide, perch, ruff, etc., readily take maggots.
It is necessary to store maggots in a jar or box with air holes in a cool place. In order for maggots to be stored as long as possible, they need to be sprinkled with sawdust, semolina or flour and periodically fed with raw meat or fish. In a cool place, that is, in the refrigerator or on the balcony, the maggot falls into a stupor, and when it gets warm again, it comes to life.
If some larvae have pupated, do not rush to get rid of them; in some reservoirs, fish begin to bite even more intensely on pupated maggots. Well, as mentioned above, maggots can be successfully combined on the same hook with bloodworms, creating so-called sandwiches.
Winter bait. The main rule
An important nuance of winter fishing is the predominant use of live bait. For some types of fish, especially predatory ones, fishing with artificial bait is actually important. Those. bait, in the classical sense, may not be used at all. Its role is occupied by artificial decoy.
Various plant attachments, so relevant in the warm season, fade into the background. This happens for two reasons:
- Plant attachments are strong for their aromatic properties. But we found out that it doesn’t work well in winter.
- Many species of fish that are predisposed to plant foods just fall into a winter stupor. And in the species composition active in winter, carnivorous fish begin to predominate, preferring, so to speak, “meat”, live bait.
This is where the main rule and bait for winter fishing comes from:
The bait must contain living, moving elements. As a rule, you need to add to the bait the same thing that is used as bait. This significantly increases the effectiveness of bait.
For example, we catch large bloodworms. Then add small feed bloodworms to the bait. We fish with maggots - then we also add small larvae to the bait.
Mormysh
Another effective bait for winter fishing is jigs, also known as amphipods. It is not common in fishing in all regions, but it is a very good and reliable bait. Almost all peaceful fish and even predators - perch, small pike perch and pike - bite on jigs.
You should put the jig on the hook from the inside, starting to pierce it through the head along the entire body. This bait can also successfully manifest itself in a sandwich with bloodworms or maggots. Depending on the reservoir, the best bite can be observed when fishing with a pure jig, with a jig with maggots, or with a jig with bloodworms. Mormysh can be stored in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf in containers with holes for oxygen access.
Unfortunately, you can’t buy mormysh in all stores, but if there is such a store in your city, then you are very lucky. Indeed a very suitable winter bait.
Composition of winter bait
As in other seasons, bait for fish in winter consists of the following elements:
- The basis
- Aromatic component
- Flavoring, edible component
- "Generators of turbidity"
The base is usually made of clay or a mixture of soil, clay and sand. The function of the base is to bind and deliver edible, aromatic and turbidity-forming elements to the fishing zone. The consistency, density and composition of the base regulates how quickly the edible elements are washed out of the bait. For example, if fishing is at a noticeable depth, in the current, then you need to make a fairly dense base. This way it won’t wash out so quickly, and the bait will work longer. If the depth is shallow and there is no current, then there may be no foundation at all.
The aromatic component, as we have already found out, is of minimal importance in winter. What else occurs is various “blood” supplements. Attractants with the smell of blood - at least they work somehow. You can also try flavors with the smell of various aquatic life: shrimp, crab, crayfish, fish.
The taste and edible component are the same elements of bait.
- Small food bloodworm
- Small maggots (and other insect larvae)
- Chopped worms
- Chopped shell meat
- Pieces of small fish
Bait for winter bream fishing
In winter, bream is caught using large bloodworms, large maggots, and dung worms. Accordingly, these same elements are suitable for adding to bait. Also, bream goes very well with chopped barley meat.
A special feature of bream fishing is that this fish is found at serious depths. You have to catch bream around the perimeter of the wintering pits. Therefore, a heavy knitting base is used. It ensures the delivery of bait to the bottom.
Mud is a serious trump card of winter bait
As we established above, in winter the importance of flavorings in groundbait weakens. The visual effect it produces comes to the fore. Fish are always attracted by a cloud of turbidity. Mud is a signal to the fish that some living creature is messing around at the bottom. This means you need to go there urgently - there is something to enjoy there.
So, a strong technique, including for winter fishing, is to create turbidity around hooks with bait. To do this, you can add to the bait:
- Fine sand
- Flour
- Breadcrumbs
- Manku
- Powdered milk
- Cereals
All of the above works well as “turbidity generators”.
Methods for delivering bait during winter fishing
If it’s shallow, then you can simply sprinkle bait into the holes. For example, feed bloodworm mixed with coarse sand.
If there is a noticeable depth and current, the bait is rolled into clay balls.
If it is very deep and/or the current is serious, then special feeders are used.
In particular, there are interesting designs of winter feeders that can be opened at the required distance from the bottom and dump bait. For example, you can drop the bait at the very bottom. This way the bait will not be washed away in the thickness, and it will have a targeted effect. If necessary, you can open the feeder higher so that the feeding area is larger.
