Lenka habitats
To find this representative of the salmon family, you need to go beyond the Urals. Lenok is found in rivers and lakes located in eastern Russia, as well as in Mongolia, China and Korea. It is best to look for fish in the upper reaches of rivers or in mountain reservoirs, where the water is crystal clear and low in temperature. Most often you have to rely on catching individuals weighing up to 1 kg, although it is also possible to bite record trophies about 70 cm long and weighing up to 5 kg. Lenok feels great in winter. A depth under the ice of 5 cm to 1 m is sufficient for the fish to actively move in search of food. Promising points for fishing in winter are: • river oxbows; • bays with standing water; • water areas near rapids; • not deep areas of lakes. Trying to catch this fish at a depth of more than 1.5 m is useless. Due to the fact that you have to make holes in shallow areas, the ice drill blades often bite into the rocky bottom. Recommendation! When fishing in an unfamiliar place, you need to have 2-3 sets of spare knives. Otherwise, it will be difficult to drill through thick ice with damaged blades. If fellow fishermen have already visited a cool place, then it is best to make new holes in the ice next to the old holes. After drilling, do not remove ice slush from the hole. It is better to make a hole with a thin wooden stick through which you can lower the rig with bait without any problems.
Lenka fishing in January. Can you catch flax in January? Like any other fish, lenok has its place.
Lenok does not bite well in January, but this does not mean that it is not worth catching at all. Catching January lenok is quite possible, you just need to know where to look for it and what gear to use.
Habitats.
Lenok lives only in large rivers; in small rivers you don’t even have to look for it, you still won’t find it. But no matter how paradoxical it may sound, it lives in large rivers, but at shallow depths. It spins near the shores at a depth of no more than three meters.
On January days it stands on flat areas or close to pits, but it does not go into the pits themselves, since there is a large difference in depth, and it does not settle at the drops.
Loves rocky or sandy bottoms, can be found on clay bottoms, does not like large accumulations of aquatic vegetation.
Many anglers don't catch lenka in the winter just because they can't find it. They bypass deep spots, excellent places for chub and bream , but for some reason they try to avoid the shallows, thinking that there are no fish there at all in winter. This is their main mistake; you won’t find lenka in the depths.
What to catch.
Lenok is caught on small horizontal spoons, and can be caught on balance beams . Often caught on jigs .
But it’s worth saying right away that you are going to catch it in January, when the dead winter , so you shouldn’t count on an exciting bite. It is in December that you can catch lenka very successfully, when there is still a lot of oxygen under the ice, and the ice is not too thick, but in January the fish becomes sleepy, lethargic, the activity is extremely weak, but still it is there, at least some, which means you can catch A few good copies are possible.
Tackle for catching lenok.
To catch lenka, you will need a strong rod, since this fish is very strong, it is not so easy to pull it out onto the ice, it will resist until the very last drop, as far as it is strong enough, so prepare your tackle properly. Since lenok is caught exclusively with nodding tackle when ice fishing, use a hard nod, lenok is a fairly rough fish and it is not necessary to put soft nods on it, they often break, bend, and you hardly need this when fishing. fishing line with a cross-section of at least 0.3 millimeters. And if you plan to catch an extremely large, trophy lenka, then set it to 0.5 millimeters, otherwise breaking the line will be inevitable.
Metal leashes are of no use; this fish does not have the habit of biting the fishing line, it only breaks it off.
Playing with bait.
The spinner should be played in the form of a stepwise rise from the bottom. You shouldn’t raise it too high, since lenok is more of a bottom-dwelling fish and doesn’t really poke itself into the water column. Feeds at the very bottom.
When fishing with a jig, it will be good if you attach maggots , bark beetles or caddis flies. This will attract the flax well.
The use of complementary food when fishing for lenok is not necessary; it practically does not react to it in winter; it may only be interested in the bait itself.
Lenkas move in packs, so if you catch one, you have a chance to catch at least a few more.
Don’t sit in one place for a long time; if there is fish in the fishing spot, then within half an hour it will show itself in all sorts of ways, and if there is not a single bite within this time, then move to a new place.
Lenka bite.
The bite of the lenok is serious, the blow is powerful, it is felt immediately, it is impossible to see it. Immediately after the bite, if the hook was successful, the fish begins to try to escape and free itself from the hook. This is where he will show you all his character and his abilities. It is better to have a small hook with you to pull the fish onto the ice. With a hook, you minimize the risk of the line breaking and the fish leaving.
If in December lenka can be caught in any weather and at any time of the day, then when January comes, there is no such activity and the fish are more susceptible to weather conditions .
In frosty weather it won’t bite, you don’t even have to waste time on this fish, it’s better to try to catch perch or roach so as not to be left in the dust.
But warming activates the fish, cloudy snowy weather adds to the fish .
Happy fishing!
Fishing rod equipment
Winter fishing with lenka is suitable for both fans of vertical lures and supporters of jigs. If you assemble the tackle correctly, both spinners and jigs can count on a good catch. 1. For vertical trolling, a short rod about 50 cm long is required. 2. The fishing rod is equipped with a reel or the simplest inertial reel. 3. The tackle is equipped with a monofilament fishing line with a thickness of 0.30-0.40 mm. The length of the thread is usually from 10 to 30 m. 4. A rigid nod is attached to the rod whip, which is adjusted to a specific lure.
To catch lenka with a jig, a more sensitive fishing rod is assembled. 1. The basis of the tackle is a plastic rod. It should have a reel and a whip up to 15 cm long. 2. A monofilament line with a diameter of 0.18...0.22 mm is wound onto the reel. When trying to increase the thickness of the thread, the angler will encounter a deterioration in the performance of the jig. 3. It is necessary to select the length and width of the nod taking into account the weight of the jig used. Recommendation! It is useful to sort all jigs at home into groups by weight. A suitable nod should be selected for each group. When fishing, if the jig breaks, it will be possible to restore the functionality of the gear.
What to catch lenka with
Catching this representative of salmon in winter requires using specific baits. They can be divided into several categories. • Spinners use cross-type artificial baits when fishing. In such spinners, the center of gravity is located in the middle, like a balancer. After lowering into the water, the bait takes a horizontal position. “Beetles,” “whitefish,” and “crabs” have become popular models among Far Eastern fishermen. • Lenka jigs also have certain distinctive features. These are large models with an elongated lead body. Fish respond better to jigs that have a metal plate on top and a soldered layer of lead on the bottom. Experienced fishermen make their own baits using copper or brass as a base. But silvery metals (stainless steel, cupronickel, silver) are used very rarely. Sufficiently large hooks from No. 6 to No. 12 are also soldered in.
Attention! The hook on large jigs should be soldered at an angle. On small models, the hook is a continuation of the body line. • Among the baits, the most popular bait in winter is the caddis fly. It is mined in non-freezing streams and rivulets. Geese and stoneflies can also be found under the stones. On the shore, white grubs live in the thistle stems. And under the bark of fallen trees it is not difficult to find a bark beetle. You should also take worms, salted salmon caviar and freshwater shrimp with you. And it is best to offer a large lenok a frog. • Particularly skillful fishermen manage to seduce lenok with artificial baits. First of all, these include various fly fishing flies. The fisherman's arsenal should include imitations of bloodworms and maggots.
Tactics and fishing techniques
When fishing for lenok, the main tactic is to continuously search for fish. Even if you manage to catch a flock, the bite does not last long. The fish may get scared while catching a relative or simply change its feeding place. Therefore, in the absence of bites, it makes no sense to linger on one hole. If you managed to remove one or more lenks from the hole, it is useful to leave it for a while. Perhaps the fish will calm down and bite the offered bait again. Sharp, confident bites usually occur after freezing and at the end of winter. During the dry winter period, it is necessary to strike even when the nod is slightly raised or lowered. Fans of sheer lures who decide to catch lenok should forget those fishing lines that helped them catch pike, perch or pike perch. The main technique for vertical trolling in winter is moving the bait at the bottom. It is enough to lower the spoon to the bottom and tap it at different frequencies to raise a column of turbidity. The fish's reaction to this action will not be long in coming. A characteristic moment of a bite is the fish’s preliminary pressing of the spinner to the bottom. Only after this does the lenok grab the prey into its mouth. Jig fishermen also don’t have to sit idly by when catching lenok. The key to success in fishing will be continuous play with bait. The fisherman needs to make small high-frequency vibrations with the jig with a smooth rise to a height of 2-3 cm. The same technique is performed when lowering the bait. A prerequisite for the game is stopping at the top and bottom points. It is during the pause that the lenok often attacks. Many anglers have to prepare in advance for lenka fishing. It is important to choose the exact time of vacation, pack a set of gear for the trip, and work out the route. But all these hardships will be fully compensated by interesting fishing and the incredible fight of the lenok for its life. After such a trip, more than once there will be a desire to visit Siberian or Far Eastern reservoirs again.
Choosing gear and bait for winter fishing
Fishing rod
The main attribute of any fishing is a fishing rod. Fishermen have a huge opportunity to choose this tool for ice fishing. There are five main types:
- Live bait.
- Mormuscular.
- Deliveries.
- Donkey.
- Float
From these names the purpose and application of each is clear. For catching lenka, any one is suitable to one degree or another, it all depends on the requests of the fishermen.
Most fishermen use jig rods in winter, using jigs as bait.
Read! Original baits for winter fishing
Jigs
This bait is made by combining a sinker and a hook in a monolithic manner. They can be used with or without bait. Their types vary in color, size and shape. Jigs of the “droplet” type are widely used for catching lenok.
To obtain a trophy, in most cases, brass, copper and silver jigs (number 5-7) are used, depending on the depth of the reservoir.
fishing line
When preparing for winter fishing, special attention is paid to the selection of fishing line. It will be used in extreme cold conditions and clear water.
Lenok is a cautious fish, so it is necessary to use a thin, but at the same time strong fishing line that is not noticeable in a bright reservoir.
When fishing with a jig, it is necessary to equip a fishing line with a diameter of 0.15-0.2mm. A larger cross-section of the fishing line can affect the “game” of the bait. In most cases, monofilament fishing lines meet all these requirements.
Bait
Live bait (borm, bark beetle, maggot, caddis fly, bloodworm) greatly increases the chance of a bite. Bait can be purchased in specialized stores or produced independently.
Boer
A necessary tool for drilling holes in ice. The diameter of the drill is selected depending on the size of the fish living in the reservoir. For catching lenok, the universal size will be 130mm. With this hole size you can catch fish of a fairly decent size.
Scoop
Tackle used for cleaning the hole from slush and fishing line from ice. After all, it’s not comfortable to do this with your bare hand in the cold. It is preferable to use metal scoops, which are stronger and more effective for breaking ice.
Hook
A piece of equipment used to fish fish out of a hole. Models with handles made of hard materials are best suited for this. When catching lenok in winter, be sure to have a hook with you, since there are known cases of catching lenok over two kilograms.
Read! Choosing fishing line for winter fishing
