The outcome of fishing depends on many factors that directly or indirectly influence the fishing process. First, you need to decide what type of hunting, peaceful or predatory, you intend to hunt. In this regard, the choice of the nature of the gear is made. At the same time, we must not forget that poaching gear should be discarded immediately, as not promising. Moreover, their use may result in administrative penalties in the form of a fine. Predatory fish differs from peaceful fish in that they feed exclusively on animal food. Offering her peas, corn, various cereals, etc. is absolutely pointless. The diet of predatory fish is based on all kinds of fish, so you should pay special attention to this fact. Fishing for a predator is most effective if it is offered a live fish or, as it is popularly called, live bait as bait on a hook. But first you need to catch him.
Which live bait is better
According to some fishermen, the predator is more willing to take the bait that is caught in the same body of water. Well, what if it is not possible to use live bait from a given reservoir? What then? It turns out that there is no point in going fishing at all. And this is when another part of the fishermen boldly uses live bait caught in another body of water, and quite effectively. In fact, the predator is attracted by the appearance of the fish, its behavior in the water and its aroma.
It is permissible to use small fish of any species that are not prohibited from catching as live bait. Mainly used: roach, bleak, dace, bitterling, and also small crucian carp.
Crucian carp is considered the most tenacious fish, so it remains active on the hook the longest, attracting a predator. In addition, this is the most common fish in our waters. It can be found in places where many fish species simply cannot survive. Therefore, many anglers prefer to use crucian carp on the hook as live bait.
Live bait size
Live bait is selected depending on the size of the individuals that are supposed to be caught. The larger the fish, the larger the bait can be.
Perch fishing
If you are catching a small perch, then the bait will be a small fry, which prefers to be in the shallows, near the coastline. Larger perch also prefer larger live bait. As a rule, large perch are caught using live bait up to 10 centimeters in size.
Fishing for pike with live bait
Grass pike is best caught with small fish ranging from 8 to 12 centimeters in size. At the same time, she can take a larger bait, but she will not be able to swallow, therefore such bites are considered idle and are accompanied by gatherings. If you plan to catch trophy pike, then live bait must be of the appropriate size. A pike will be able to attack an object that barely fits in its mouth, and the pike’s mouth is not small. The pike's biting pattern is also influenced by the period when its teeth change. Many argue that during this period the pike stops feeding altogether. In fact, this is not so and the pike only switches to food items that are smaller in size.
Catching pike perch and bersh
Many people believe that pike perch prefers small baits, no larger than 15 centimeters in size. According to some statements, pike perch were caught on live bait up to 25 centimeters in size. As a rule, these were large specimens, the landing of which was accompanied by the release of a lot of adrenaline.
Catching catfish with live bait
As you know, this is a fairly large representative of fresh water bodies. In this regard, sometimes fish weighing up to 1 kilogram are used as live bait. Since catfish is a nocturnal hunter, you will have to catch it at night. Despite this, the catfish sometimes comes out of its hiding place even during the day, but this is rather an exception to the rule, but not a pattern.
Burbot fishing
Burbot is a predator that will not refuse any live bait. This is a nocturnal predator that does not overeat and will attack any baitfish that gets in its way. At the same time, catching burbot has its own characteristics. The fact is that burbot is considered a cold-loving fish and it is better to catch it in winter.
Asp fishing
The asp is a predator that feeds on fry, so to catch it you need to select live bait, from 3 to 8 centimeters in length. The most suitable bait for catching asp is considered to be bleak.
In this regard, we can conclude that the larger the fish’s mouth, the larger the bait is used to catch predatory fish.
Where to catch pike in autumn
First of all, the angler must understand where to look for pike in the fall and where to throw live bait, otherwise fishing in unpromising places will be of little use. If the place is chosen correctly, there will be a result that will be noticeable at least in the bite of a predator, and if you’re lucky, then in successfully landing it.
In addition to identifying a promising location, you must also adhere to certain fishing tactics, otherwise the most you can count on is, at best, one toothy fish in your catch. Below we will talk about promising places and tactics for catching pike in the fall with live bait.
What should you know about pike behavior at this time of year? The closer to winter, the larger the masses and the farther from the coast the predator moves. If in September it can still stick to its summer camps, then at the end of October and November you will no longer find it in shallow water. The pike prepares for the winter and goes to the wintering pits. But more about this below.
September is ideal for catching pike with live bait, since in this month it can still be successfully caught at a short distance from the shore; it practically remains in the same places where it hunted in the summer. This month, live bait should be thrown into the following places:
- in the windows there are reeds or reeds;
- near trees fallen into the water;
- among the snags;
- near flooded bushes;
- near steep banks, especially if there is some kind of shelter near them - be it a flooded bush, snag or some kind of building;
- fishing along thickets of vegetation (reeds, reeds, etc.).
October is a transition month when there is usually a sharp drop in temperature towards the low side. This makes the predator think about moving closer to the wintering pits, especially since all the white fish, that is, the predator’s prey, have already begun to move there.
As long as the fry remains in the coastal zone, in the area of reeds and other vegetation, the pike will also continue to hunt here. But as soon as it gets so cold that the small fish go to the wintering pits, the pike will go after it and will go to the shallow water only on warm and clear days, when the small fish will approach the shore.
October should be divided into 2 periods. The first is when the pike’s stopping places are not very different from those in September. The second is when the pike is already preparing for winter and moves to depth. If the weather continues to be warm in October, continue fishing in the same places as in September. If it has already become significantly colder, look for pike in the following places:
- holes - any depressions on the bottom become a haven for fish; such places during this period are very promising for catching predators;
- The edges are also essentially slopes to depth, and this is where you should look for toothy ones starting in October. Most often, the predator stands at the bottom of the edge;
- dumps;
- any depression will now be promising, however, if there are various anomalies in the hole, for example, a snag, a submerged stump or a boat, in general, everything that can serve as shelter and is located at a depth of at least 3-4 meters will serve as an excellent place for pike ambushes.
November. If in October, depending on the region and climatic zone, pike can still be caught in completely different parts of the reservoir, then in November, in almost all regions, the toothy one goes to wintering pits, where it still continues to feed and hunt. Now, undoubtedly, the most promising areas for fishing will be great depths - drops, edges, holes and whirlpools with a slow or no current.
During this period, many anglers catch their trophy and the reason is simple. Firstly, in the fall, pike have a zhor, and secondly, with cold weather, pike fishing moves exclusively to depth. And as you know, large pike stick exclusively to depth at any time of the year. Zhor plus fishing at depth contributes to catching trophies in the fall.
The most effective way to catch pike with live bait in November will be from a boat. By boat it will be possible to sail directly to a deep section of the reservoir at a great distance from the shore, where the likelihood of a predator biting will be highest. True, the weather is not particularly conducive to boating, so if you decide to do so, dress warmly.
Methods for catching live bait in summer
Using a jar
The simplest but most effective way to catch live bait in the summer is to use a regular 3-liter jar with a lid. To do this you need:
- A hole measuring 2x2 centimeters is cut in the plastic lid.
- Pieces of bread are placed in the jar.
- The jar is tightly closed with a lid.
- Fills with water.
- A rope is tied to the neck of the jar.
- The jar is thrown into the water.
- After this, this place should be left so as not to alarm the fish.
Catching live bait on a jar
In about an hour you can come up and ask. If you don’t throw the jar too far, you can determine from the shore whether there is a fry in the jar, since the jar is transparent. It’s also not worth casting deep, since the fry prefers to stay close to the shore and at shallow depths.
Using a plastic bottle
You can make a fairly effective trap from a plastic bottle, at least 5 liters. In addition, a plastic bottle has better characteristics compared to a 3-liter jar: firstly, it does not break, and secondly, it is much lighter. To do this you need to have:
- A bottle with a capacity of at least 5 liters.
- Knife.
- Suitable rope.
- Cargo.
Manufacturing technology
- The upper part of the bottle with the neck is cut off at the level where the bottle narrows.
- The cut part is turned over and inserted into the bottle with the neck inward.
- You need to make holes around the perimeter of the bottle, for example, with a soldering iron. It is necessary to make holes in the cut off part. In short, the entire bottle should have holes in it, and the more holes, the better.
- Using a wire, you should securely connect the cut part inserted into the bottle, and also attach a rope with a weight to the bottle, since a plastic bottle without a weight will not sink.
Live bait fishing | The most effective way to catch live bait | Fishing tackle for catching whitebait
In conclusion, all that remains is to throw this trap into the water and wait a while.
The water that penetrates the plastic bottle slowly begins to wash the bait out of the bottle. As a result of this, its aroma begins to attract small fish, which enter the bottle through the neck, which is directed inward. The design is such that a fish that gets inside will no longer be able to get out. Therefore, this design can be left for a long time.
With the help of a spider
A spider is a special fishing tackle that consists of a square mesh, which is stretched in a square metal or wooden frame with little sag. This tackle, with the help of strong ropes, is attached to a long pole, with the help of which the spider is lowered into the water. As a rule, bait is attached to the center of the net, which collects fish in this place. The only problem is that to catch live bait you will need a fine mesh net.
Top or muzzle
It is currently considered prohibited tackle and looks like a plastic bottle with the neck cut off and this neck secured inside. The only difference is that the top or muzzle, as it is also called, is larger in size compared to a plastic bottle. It is made either from willow branches or woven from strong thread. There are designs made of metal wire. This gear has a special hatch to get fish out of it. Usually the top was installed for a long time, but was regularly checked for the presence of fish.
It was installed near the shore in such a way that it would not be difficult to check it. If you make a small top, then you can throw it into the water with the help of a rope, and then, after a while, pull it out of the water and check for the presence of live bait. Again, you need to make the tackle in such a way that fish of a certain size penetrate the top. It is imperative to provide a small hatch so that you can get the fish out without any problems.
Catching live bait with your snout. How to catch live bait?
Tulle, gauze, piece of fabric
If you urgently need live bait, but there is nothing to catch it, then you can use a piece of fabric such as gauze or tulle, which easily allows water to pass through. You will need a piece up to 1 meter long and up to 0.5 meter wide. One stick must be tied to the short ends. In addition, you will also need a couple of fishermen who must take this tackle by sticks from opposite sides. At the same time, the lower part of the homemade part is lowered into the water as low as possible, and the upper part should be at water level. You need to move towards the shore. Approaching the shore, the lower part rises sharply above the water level. After the water has drained, select the fish of the desired size. If you try, one person can do it, but it will be very difficult.
How to catch
Having entered the water, you need to spread the sticks to the sides and wade. The remaining actions are performed as in the first case.
Using a fishing rod
It is better to catch live bait, especially if there are no helpers, with a fishing rod. To do this, you will need a short rod, since small fish prefer to stay away from the shore, at shallow depths. A fishing line is tied to the fishing rod, to which a small hook and a light, sensitive float are attached. It is not necessary to attach the sinker. A slowly sinking bait quickly begins to attract small fish. The thickness of the line is 0.1-0.12 mm, which is quite enough for catching fish of this size.
How to catch live bait in summer and winter
To catch live bait, fishermen resort to several methods. The most dynamic and interesting is to catch roach, rudd and perch on a fly rod. In fishing areas this is quite easy to do. The bread is kneading. Balls are made from it and placed on a small hook. Throw any fine-grained bait into one of the promising places and methodically catch the fry.
If it is not possible to easily catch live bait, then use improvised means. Namely: vertices, spiders, little ones and others. The easiest way to get live bait is to take a five-liter plastic bottle and cut off the top along with the neck. Insert this part back into the bottle only with the arced side - so that the neck is directed towards the bottom of the jar. Next, carefully glue the edges of the bottle and the cut part with tape.
We make two holes on the side of the jar. We tie a rope or fishing line 10 meters long to them. We place a stone and a crust of bread inside and throw the jar into the water closer to the reeds. We wait 15-20 minutes. In a good situation, the fish should swim inside for bait. After that, we take it out and check if there is any live bait. If we managed to catch live bait, we repeat the procedure several times.
If you have a net made of netting, it can be used to catch live bait. Its operating principle is similar to the previous fishing gear. It's just a larger trap that will hold more fish. This net will hold more fish. This is what she looks like:
We do everything the same as in the first case. We place the bait inside and throw the top to a promising point. After 30 minutes, take it out of the water and look at the result.
Another way to get top is to use a spider or a lift. It consists of a square piece of fine mesh that is attached to a crosspiece. Next comes a holder with a cord. The length of the pole is approximately 4 meters. The mesh is lowered into the water and after a while pulled out. The mesh size is approximately one meter by one meter. The cell size is usually 1 cm by 1 cm. The design looks like this:
Sometimes in the center of the mesh the cake is placed in a stocking or in a mesh. The fry of crucian carp, roach and rudd are not averse to enjoying this delicacy. The net should be lowered carefully, without unnecessary noise, so as not to spook the fish. The depth where the net is lowered should be at least half a meter.
In winter, catching live bait is a little more difficult. To do this, we use the same bottle or a small top. We put some bloodworms and crackers there and lower them into the hole. After some time, we remove the trap and see if there are fish in it. Live bait can also be caught with a fishing rod from the hole.
Historical information
Few people know that such a fish as the spined loach lives in rivers. She leads such a lifestyle that it is difficult to catch her, especially with a fishing rod. At the slightest danger, she buries herself almost completely in the sand, leaving only part of her head with eyes outside in order to see everything that is happening around her. At the same time, spined lance can serve as an excellent live bait, since it can stay on the hook for a long time, remaining active. Previously, she was caught in an unusual way. To do this, they entered the water up to their waists and began to move with the flow. At the same time, when you pressed the bottom, you could determine that something was moving under your foot. The following actions boiled down to the fact that after a sharp squat, the sand was scooped up with the palms of the hands and quickly washed ashore; as a rule, this very pinched fish was found in the sand. This fish is a desirable food source for many predatory fish.
Ways to catch live bait in winter
Catching live bait in winter is not an easy task, but sometimes it is very necessary.
Using a jar
With the help of a jar, just like in the summer, you can also catch live bait in the winter. The main thing is that the size of the hole allows you to squeeze a 3-liter jar into it. And yet, the second option is more suitable - a plastic bottle with a large number of holes. It is much easier to both immerse and remove from water, since water quickly pours out of the container through many holes.
Using a scarf
A scarf is a special tackle for fishing in winter. It is called a scarf because it has a triangular shape. It is not a sports fish, but you can catch small things with it if you use a net with small cells. For successful and simpler use, it is necessary to punch a hole so that the scarf can easily submerge in water. The technique for using the scarf is the same as for the screen. Practically, this is the same tackle, which differs only in its shape.
Screen (TV)
The screen presents a grid connected by a rectangle. The same does not apply to sports equipment. The principle of fishing is the same as with a scarf, but a wooden block is used to tension the net. The design also includes a cord, with the help of which the screen is lowered into the water and pulled out of the water. Naturally, catching live bait in winter is accompanied by a number of difficulties to which you have to adapt.
Using a firecracker
This is a fairly effective tackle for fishing at any time of the year, both summer and winter.
Appearance
This design consists of two arcs connected movably. If both arcs are opened, you will get a circle with a diameter of 1 to 1.5 meters. The frame is made of wire with a diameter of 8-10 mm. Inside the circle there is a fine mesh mesh fixed around the perimeter of the circle. A rope is attached to the top of the arc. There should be two such ropes, since there are two arcs. The length of the ropes should be such that the tackle can lie on the bottom of the reservoir.
Techniques for catching live bait with firecrackers
Before starting the process, the cracker should be opened to put bait into it. You can not just lay it down, but also secure it. After this, the firecracker is closed and sent into the water. But before that you need to punch a hole of a certain size. When the cracker sinks to the bottom and the ropes are loosened, it will open. Before you pull it out of the water, you should pull both ropes sharply so that the firecracker closes. After this, the caught fish will not go anywhere.
Catching live bait with a fishing rod
With the help of a winter fishing rod you can successfully catch live bait for catching predatory fish. In this case, even small perch will do. To do this, you need to take a fishing rod with a thin fishing line (0.08-0.1 mm) and a small jig weighing up to 4 g. A “devil” type jig will do. It is advisable to have a fairly sensitive nod installed on the fishing rod.
How to save live bait
It’s not enough to catch live bait; you also need to preserve it, which is not so easy. This is especially true for winter fishing. If in summer you can catch live bait and immediately put it on a hook, then in winter this option is considered unpromising. So!
How to keep live bait in the summer
The problem of preserving live bait comes down to providing it with conditions close to natural ones. The main task is to provide the fish with oxygen. As a rule, there is always more oxygen in cold water than in warm water. Therefore, you need to regularly replace warm water with fresh water taken from a reservoir. If live bait is caught directly on a reservoir, then it is enough to place it in a small cage and send it into the water. At the same time, you need to choose the right place. You should not leave live bait in areas exposed to sunlight. Most fish species simply cannot tolerate this.
In other conditions, when long-term storage of live bait is required, it is necessary to provide a special container with an aerator that provides the required level of oxygen in the water.
In case of transportation over a considerable distance, care must be taken to ensure that the water always remains cold. To do this, you can use artificial ice or freeze a bottle of water and place it in a container with live bait.
It should also be remembered that fish do not tolerate temperature changes well. Therefore, there is no need to add water that is too cold. You need to monitor the temperature in the container where the live bait is kept, and try to add water at the same temperature.
How to keep live bait in winter
In winter, it is necessary to ensure that the water in the container where the live bait is stored does not freeze. As it is, there are no special problems, except when it is necessary to ensure long-term storage of live bait. Then the task comes down to saturating the water with oxygen.
How to keep live bait in winter
Live bait for pike
It is very important to choose the right live bait that will suit the predator’s taste and will be visually attractive to her. To do this, first of all, you should choose live bait, which is familiar in the reservoir where pike fishing will take place and which the predator is accustomed to seeing for lunch. If you offer live bait that is not found here, then the fishing performance will be worse, despite the fact that pike is not particularly picky about its prey in the fall, since an unfamiliar fish may alert it.
Also, purchasing live bait is not the best option. Such live bait is usually grown artificially; it has never met a predator and its behavior will also alarm the predator. He will not try to run away at the sight of a toothy one; the pike may find this suspicious and may ignore him. Also, pike are often visually dissatisfied with live bait that was not caught from this reservoir. Perhaps she distinguishes them by shades or smell, but the most effective will be live bait caught in a reservoir in which the predator will also be caught. You can read about how to catch live bait in this article, which describes many effective methods.
The pike most actively attacks such live bait:
- gudgeon;
- ruff;
- perch;
- crucian carp;
- roach;
- rudd;
- loach;
- loach;
- perched water;
- gustera etc.
Ruff is one of the best live baits for pike; it remains mobile on the hook for a long time. In addition, if a pike pricks itself on the hook, it will continue to try to swallow the fish, thinking that it has pricked itself on the prickly fins of the ruff. The same goes for perch. Also, the most tenacious live baits are crucian carp and gudgeon. Rudd, roach and redfish are also good baitfish, pike bite well on them, but these fish do not stay alive on the hook for long and they have to be changed often.
To determine the most effective type of fish for use as live bait on a particular body of water, it is enough to catch only one pike. If you rip open the belly of a predator, you will most likely find her last meal there. This is exactly the kind of fish that was found in the toothy stomach and should be offered to it as live bait.
The size of live bait for pike depends on the size of the intended prey. To cut off perch bites, you need to take live bait of at least 7-8 cm in size. In general, in the fall, pike prefer large prey, so they use 7-12 cm live bait for catching small grass pike and 12-18 cm live bait for larger pike. Trophy pike are caught with live bait of such a size that it itself is more of a full-fledged fish than bait, and crucian carp weighing 300-400 grams, or even more, can be used as live bait. For a novice fisherman, it is optimal to focus on the size of the live bait, which will be equal to the length of the index finger or a little more. This live bait is excellent for catching toothy fish.
For a beginner, a standard live bait of 7-12 cm will be the most optimal. Both a kilogram pike and a trophy-sized predator will peck at such live bait. In this case, perch bites will be practically excluded. Also be sure to read the article on how to properly hook live bait, where you will find a lot of useful information on the topic.
