Catching roach in winter: on rivers and reservoirs

Who is this chebak?

Chebak is a Siberian roach , lives in lakes and rivers of the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East. Belongs to the carp family and is an object of industrial fishing.

Chebak quickly reproduces and grows, reaching the spawning age of 3 years. The female lays up to 10,000 eggs.

The usual weight of chebak is 100-300 grams . Occasionally you come across specimens weighing under 1 kg.

Why do many anglers prefer winter fishing?

In summer, Siberian roach are dispersed throughout the reservoir. Most often it can be found in coastal areas near thickets of aquatic plants. With such dispersal, it is not often possible to catch large fish.

In winter, fish gather in large schools. Since fish of all sizes are represented in a school, having discovered a school, it becomes possible to catch large individuals .

When to catch?

The fish's zhoring begins before spawning in May.

Another time of increased activity is the first and last ice.

As soon as you can move safely on the ice, you should go fishing for Siberian roach.

The chebak is active until the pond is covered with a dense blanket of ice and snow. Dissolved oxygen becomes low, the fish are inactive.

The lazy period is short-lived, ending in mid-February. The Siberian roach begins to gradually emerge from the pits.

Tips from experienced anglers

Thus, if you have a sudden desire to go fishing in winter for chebak, you should know that this fish is practically not caught in the middle of winter (to catch a chebak in January is great luck, since during this period of the year the fish does not show any activity).

Chebak is caught mainly during the period of ice formation on the reservoir, in most cases until mid-January. You can also hope to successfully catch a chebak from mid-February until the ice melts.

Before you go fishing for this representative of the aquatic world, you should definitely take into account that the best time of day for a successful fishing outcome is the morning, as well as the second half of the day before sunset. If it’s dark outside, it will be almost impossible to catch a chebak.

Weather conditions play a big role when fishing for chebak . fish bite much more often in sunny, clear weather (especially if clear weather lasts for several days), while cloudy weather conditions are not to the fish’s liking, and as a result, the bite will be much worse.

However, you should not be upset if you are planning to fish, and the weather is not too good: the chebak often bites in cloudy weather at a certain time of the day - late in the evening . It is at this time that it is worth visiting the reservoir to improve an excellent specimen.

This article will give you some useful tips when catching silver carp in winter.

Weather and time of day

In summer the chebak prefers gloomy weather, in winter it prefers sunny days. This is not an axiom; in each body of water, the weather can have a different effect on the activity of fish.

More predictable feeding hours are early morning before sunrise and immediately after it, then an afternoon siesta, after which the chebak usually wants to have a hearty dinner before sunset.

The activity of the Siberian roach fades along with the last ray of sun.

Winter fishing methods

You can catch chebak in winter using a float rig and a jig.

For a float fishing rod, it is better to use live protein baits:

• worm;
• maggot;
• mormysh;
• bloodworm;
• insect larvae.

Plant attachments:

• pearl barley;
• dough;
• bread crumb;
• semolina chatter;
• steamed cereals.

Expert opinion

Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich

Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.

Important! Although plant baits are more often used for warm water, sometimes in the winter it is best to use a sandwich - a plant bait with flavor plus a live bait.

You can use a jig with the same bait as for a float rod.

As an effective method of fishing in winter, experienced fishermen use several winter fishing rods - 2-3 float rods plus a fishing rod with a jig.

Float rods with different attachments are used to identify the most effective one. Having determined the optimal nozzle, you can use it to attach it to the jig.

Winter roach fishing

Nikita Dupin, Candidate Master of Sports in Fishing (ndup):

“During different periods of the freeze-up season, roach stand in different parts of the reservoir, and the behavior of this carp fish differs significantly during the first ice from the period of deep winter. During the period of first ice on reservoirs, bays, shallow (up to 10 m) sand pits, roach prefers places with depths from 2 to 5 meters, and it is best to look for it on a slope, but not on a sharp one, but on a flat one.

If we talk about rivers, then it is better to look for roach in creeks with a weak current, a sandy bottom and good depth.

During the deep winter period, the behavior of roach changes, at this time it becomes more and more difficult to catch it, but with certain knowledge and skills there is a good opportunity to leave the reservoir not empty-handed. On lakes, pits and reservoirs, roach at this time prefers deeper places in the reservoir (4-8 meters). You need to look for it on dumps and holes, but if some river or stream flows nearby, the likelihood of finding this fish there will be even higher. It is more difficult to find roach on rivers, but if you have information about wintering pits, I advise you to look there.

I catch roach in winter using the method of feeding several holes. From the start of fishing in a promising area of ​​the reservoir, I drill about 8 holes at a distance of 5-10 meters from each other and generously feed these holes with food bloodworms and breadcrumbs. After about an hour, if there is a roach in this area, it manifests itself.

I fish with a regular drop-shaped jig, with a line no thicker than 0.08, unlike perch fishing, I use a long nod, about 8-10 cm, you should pay attention to the game, roach does not always like fast play, you need to make smooth swaying motions with the nod near the bottom, but sometimes check above the bottom. The best bait is definitely a bloodworm or a burdock larva. The best bait is regular feed bloodworm mixed 50/50 with breadcrumbs. Closer to spring, it makes sense to add aromatics (citrus, fennel, anise, garlic).

Where and how to look?

Chebak can be found on large and small rivers with slow and fast currents, on lakes with currents and with standing water. On frozen rivers, the best place to look for a school of Siberian roach is a reach, a sharp turn in the river, known places with deep holes, barrels, and whirlpools. If the river is unfamiliar, then you will have to look for deep places, drilling holes diagonally or in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 3-10 m from each other, depending on the width of the river.

On lakes with standing water, you should also explore deep depressions, holes, and snags. As a rule, it is in deep places that springs carrying dissolved oxygen flow .

Peaceful fish occasionally swim in snags - they look for food stuck from the summer and hide from predators. Most often, chebak can be found in snags along the first and last ice.

You should look for a fishing spot on the lake by drilling holes in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 10-15 m from each other.

Where to catch chebak in winter

Like any other fish, the chebak chooses deep-sea places for wintering. Where there are the deepest parts of the water area, this is where you should look for this fish. Naturally, finding such places is not easy if you have to fish in an unknown body of water. As a result, you will have to spend some of your precious time to find a catchable place. To do this, you need to drill as many holes as possible (at least 10) at a distance of 10-15 meters from one another. When fishing each hole, you need to remember the depth. At the same time, you should not linger more than five minutes near each hole. This approach will allow you to determine the bottom topography. If the depth in all holes is almost the same and there is no difference in depth, then you can safely move to another place and start drilling holes. If you find a promising place and there is no bite, you can use bait. If the chebak bites without it, then there is no point in using bait.

With the approach of spring and the onset of thaws, the chebak begins to leave the pits and begins to be distributed throughout the entire reservoir. During such periods, you don’t have to look for it too much, since it can be caught anywhere in the water area, especially since there is always plenty of it in the reservoir. And if you consider that it moves around the reservoir in schools, then if you catch one fish you can count on a good catch.

Tackle

Fishing rod

You can use any winter fishing rods. The best option is the traditional balalaika.

Coil

An inertial reel with a stopper and winding of 20-30 m monofilament is used. This length of fishing line is needed for an unforeseen event - if the fishing line gets caught and breaks, then a long enough piece will remain for fishing.

Nod

There is a huge variety of nods from soft to hard for balancers.

For roach, a 14-18 cm long nod made of soft material , capable of providing smooth mid-frequency play.

A rigid, insensitive nod can be improved by slightly narrowing the wide part of the nod - turning it into a double-cone. The nod will become softer, the load will be evenly distributed on the nod form, which will ensure clear, stable play.

1. Lavsan. The most popular material for making a gatehouse. The elastic properties of the nod allow you to smoothly change its rigidity by changing the length.
2. Astrolon film. Used for making templates in printing houses.
3. Plastic. Made from PET bottles. A soft nod for light jigs.
4. X-ray. A hard nod for large jigs.
5. Clock spring. Suitable for low-frequency, swinging play of medium and heavy jigs.

fishing line

The thinner the line, the better, but the determining factor is the expected weight of the fish. If it is known that the weight of roach in a pond is 100-300 g, you can use a fishing line of 0.06-0.08 mm. For roaches weighing from 300 to 800 g, a fishing line with a cross-section of 0.12 mm is suitable. If there is a possibility of catching heavier trophy specimens (the record weight of a chebak is 3 kg), you can use a 0.18 mm fishing line.

Material for jigs

1. Tin – light jigs 0.1-0.6 g for playing in calm water at shallow depths.
2. Lead - medium and heavy jigs 0.4 -1.5 g for use at depth and in currents.
3. Tungsten - heavy jigs 1.5-4 g for deep places and fast currents.

Which material is better?

Chebak prefers deep, quiet places in winter. For such places, lead jigs weighing 1.2-1.5 g are quite suitable.

Roach is a cautious fish; a jig that is too heavy will alert the fish.

Tungsten is an expensive material.

Most anglers use either lead jigs for holes, or tin jigs on the last ice when the Siberian roach comes out of the holes.

Tackle and bait for winter fishing for chebak

An integral component of successful fishing is the correct gear, bait and the layout of the angler’s fishing rod.

Fishing rod equipment

In winter fishing, a fishing rod is a bite indicator. The successful outcome of the entire enterprise can depend on its proper equipment.

Comfortable fishing will be ensured with a small, lightweight rod of medium hardness, equipped with a reel or with a supply of fishing line in the handle.

The use of thick fishing line is not justified due to the small size of the prey. It is better to use monofilament 0.06-0.12 mm.

For the nod, spring steel, lavsan, polyethylene, polycarbonate or wild boar wool are most often used.

The variety of gear is determined by the desire of the fishermen to catch - with a bait it is much easier to catch a chebak, and the best masters of their craft in Siberia can attract the attention of the fish only to bright colors and moving elements.

Advantages of jig fishing

Fishing without bait is difficult at first, but an exciting activity. To gain skills, you can study lessons on catching roach in winter with a jig, since the behavior of it and the chebak is similar.

If a jig is used, then the fishing process forces the fisherman to constantly set it in motion, attracting the attention of the roach, so this passive activity takes on an active form.

The method increases the likelihood of catching a large representative of the species, since there is no need to waste time baiting bloodworms.

Considering that in winter a school can settle at the bottom of depressions and not respond to bait, hiding in the pools of reservoirs, this method greatly increases the chances of attracting the attention of prey: which fish will not react to an unusual object moving from the bottom to the surface.

Choosing a jig

All jigs for winter fishing are divided into two groups - with bait and without reel (nozzle).

The most popular fishing is with a bait tackle, the hook of which is additionally supplied with natural bait. Even a beginner can handle this process.

Reelless products for chebak are similar to jigs for perch, crucian carp, roach, and have the common shape of a devil, jellyfish, boat or donkey.

The composition can be different: they are tin (the lightest), lead and tungsten (the heaviest). The stronger the current in the reservoir, the heavier the jig should be. For small lakes, tin is perfect.

Experienced fishermen began to notice the chebak’s preference for jigs of the same shape and color at different times of winter:

1. In the first ice, it is better to use the following types: Ural, ant, nymphs and devils in black, purple or dark green.
2. In the dead of winter, all types of fish are sluggish; biting during this period can only be achieved through the use of the smallest gear with bloodworms.
3. During the period from February until the last ice, it is preferable to take with you small tungsten products in the form of a shot or a devil. Popular baitless baits include goats and ants.

Fishing technique and tactics

Fishing for chebak in winter begins with finding the place where the school is concentrated. Most often these are the deepest sections of the river. On narrow rivers such places are located at sharp turns. Finding depth in large bodies of water, especially for a beginner, will be difficult. You'll have to play a lot of holes.

To begin with, 5 holes at intervals of 10 m, into which complementary foods are placed, will be sufficient. Then a rod is installed on each hole and observation is made to see where the first bites will occur. If the search is unsuccessful, they take up the drill again.

The fisherman will find a fishing spot and designate the hole that he will use throughout the winter.

If a jig with bait is used, it is simply lowered to the bottom of the reservoir, periodically lifting it and returning it back. If during the rise the float stopped sinking or went down sharply, this means that the chebak is floating in the middle or upper layers of the reservoir.

A naked jig implies constant manipulation of the fishing rod:

1. First, it is lowered to the bottom and slowly, with twitching, raised up.
2. On the way down you need to do some gentle twitching. After lowering to a depth, gently raise it.
3. The location of the school at the bottom of the reservoir limits the horizontal movement of the jig or its tapping on the ground.
4. Posting and lifting alternate effectively with short pauses of 1-5 seconds on different planes.

It is necessary to take into account the chebak’s preference for smooth movements; if they are sharp, there is a chance of catching a perch.

Which jig to choose?

Attachment

A regular nail ball works well for a jig attachment.

The simplest manufacturing option:

1. A round lead fishing sinker of the required weight and diameter is selected, cut to half.
2. The cut is treated with flux, and a tinned fish hook is inserted into it.
3. The cut is sealed with tin solder.
4. The nail ball is processed with a file and sandpaper.
5. If necessary, the jig is painted. White, yellow, light gray colors are suitable for roach.

Mothless

The most effective and interesting fishing for chebak in winter is fishing with a reelless jig.

The chebak in open water even throws on spinner bait No. 0 and No. 1, i.e. Siberian roach is more attracted to dynamic baits. This means that in winter, fishing with a reelless jig with an optimally selected action will be the most effective fishing method.

Catchable reelers that should be present in a fisherman's box:

• devil;
• witch;
• ant;
• nymph;
• Uralochka;
• goat.

Making jigs

Homemade jigs, made taking into account all the nuances of winter fishing, are often much more catchy than store-bought ones. It happens that a new catching model has not even been manufactured industrially yet.

New model “crap”

A jig in the shape of a drop, cut in half, or half a seed, from the plane of which a hook emerges at an angle of 450 with a colored bead on the underside. Tests have shown its high catchability for roach.

Fish of different sizes bite on this jig.

Instructions:

1. A melt of tin or lead is applied to a flat flat surface (for example, a glass cutting board) with a soldering iron. Depending on the volume of the melt, a drop is formed, 6-8 mm long - a suitable size. As it cools, one side of the drop becomes flat.
2. In the cooled half-drop, on the flat part on the side of the sharp edge, an incision or cut is made to half the length of the jig, with a depth equal to two diameters of the hook wire. The channel is treated with flux.
3. The hook is bent approximately in the middle of the fore-end with the fore-end toward the tip at an angle of 450. The hook is cleaned and tinned at the junction with the drop, inserted into the cut, and the junction is carefully sealed without haste.

Expert opinion

Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich

Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.

Important! It is best to solder slowly, gradually dripping molten tin into the channel and waiting for the workpiece to cool. Then the half-drop will not heat up and lose its shape.

4. Irregularities are processed with a file to give the jig an ideal shape.
5. The jig is painted black with nail polish.
6. The bead is put on through the point and secured against falling out with a short, thin heat-shrinkable tube. The tube is put on, heated, tightly wraps around the hook wire and locks the bead in the right place.

Expert opinion

Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich

Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.

Important! Tests have shown that roaches readily respond to blue or dark green beads.

More detailed instructions for making crap in several ways.

"Witch"

The Witch is a dynamic cone-shaped jig with freely rotating hooks in the upper part of the body. When moving, it waves its hooks, reminiscent of an insect moving its legs. Large specimens of roach are more likely to peck at the witch.

Instructions:

1. Take any solid cone-shaped object of a suitable configuration. Several layers of foil are wrapped around the cone and the foil is smoothed out. Excess foil is trimmed evenly with a paper and cardboard knife.
2. The cone with foil is inserted evenly into a container with sand, the solid cone is removed, ferrous wire is placed vertically into the cone, molten tin or lead is poured into the foil, not reaching the edges of the cone by a hair.
3. A needle of suitable thickness is placed on top of the foil cone, lubricated with paraffin or silicone ointment for easy removal from the body of the jig after the melt has cooled. (On the witch you can attach 2 or 4 hooks symmetrically. For two hooks you need one needle, for four - two needles, arranged crosswise).
4. Another portion of molten tin or lead is added until a mound is formed. After the workpiece has cooled, the needles are removed.
5. The body of the jig is processed with a file to give it an ideal conical shape.
6. The wire above the dome of the jig is twisted to form a loop, or wound around a nail to create a winding ring.
7. Ferrous wires are inserted into the resulting holes from the needles. At both ends of the wire, winding rings are screwed onto a nail of suitable diameter.
8. Hooks with beads are put on the rings.
9. Sometimes the witch's body is painted in whole or in part, but for roaches this is not necessary.

Ant

A light ant-type jig is made very simply: beads are put on a hook with a long shank in turn: a large one, a smaller one, the smallest one. The beads are pressed with cambric.

Instructions for making a heavy ant:

1. The shank of the hook is cleaned with a file and tinned.
2. A hook is inserted into a large sinker, cut to half (the cut is treated with flux), right at the eye, and the cut is sealed with tin solder.
3. Do the same with medium and small lead balls.
4. After cooling, a colored heat-shrink tube is placed on the balls and heated, tightly encircling all three balls.

PHOTO 3

Expert opinion

Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich

Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.

Important! If the length of the forend is not enough to accommodate three balls, the forend is extended with ferrous wire of a suitable diameter - the eye of the hook is bitten off, the ends of the hook and the wire are stripped, tinned, overlapped, and soldered. At the end of the process, a loop is made at the end of the wire or a winding ring is screwed on.

Winter fishing rods for roach with a nod

The most convenient and working winter gear for roach fishing in the current is a fishing rod with a nod and a heavy sinker. For large fish, the fishing rod can be equipped with a heavy jig. But this option is not suitable for roach, so a sliding olive or a blind weight at the bottom with a retractable leash is used. The weight of the sinker is selected based on the strength of the current, most often from 5 to 30 grams. This fishing rod can also be used as equipment for fishing without a current, for example, in reservoirs at depths of 5-6 meters. Simply lowering a light fishing rod to the bottom in such conditions takes too long.

With sliding sinker

The simplest equipment for catching roach in the winter on the current is a sliding sinker, a stopper, a leash and a hook. Important points of such a fishing rod:

1. A fairly large and heavy fishing rod (a small and light one will be pulled away from the installation site).
2. Strong fishing line about 14-0.18 (when fishing for roach in the current and good depth, bream, large silver bream, and chub can bite).
3. A fairly elastic metal nod that can withstand the pressure of the flow.

When biting, the line is pulled through the sinker, a nod shows this well.

Rigging a winter fishing rod with a nod

With retractable leash

A rig with a retractable lead is more versatile than a rig with a sliding sinker. In winter, roaches can stand either at the bottom or in the middle of the water. If you make a diverter leash on a loop with two stoppers, you can set the depth by raising the working part higher or lowering it lower along the main line, thus fishing the entire thickness of the water. A blind weight is installed at the end of the fishing line, holding all the gear at the bottom.

Retractable leash

Feeder rigs - a life hack for ice fishing for roach

Tackle for catching roach in winter on the current can be equipped according to the principle of feeder rigs, only in miniature. A paternoster, asymmetrical loop or inline in a smaller version can be easily knitted with your own hands. Instead of a sinker, you can attach a small feeder. Experience confirms that such experiments on roach work well.

Asymmetrical loop

Heavy Tooling

Sometimes you have to catch roach in conditions of great depth and a very strong current, when light tackle simply cannot stay on the bottom. For example, on fast northern and Siberian rivers, you can successfully use helicopter gear to catch sorog (chebak) in the current in winter. A heavy sinker is installed at the end of the fishing line; a piece of monofilament with several leads is attached as a lead, the end of which is attached to a specially shaped blade using a swivel.

Thanks to this blade, the working part stretches with the flow and maneuvers with a certain amplitude to the left and right. At the top, the fishing line is attached to a nod or a homemade signaling device. The helicopter can be made sliding, which will allow you to change the fishing horizon.

Helicopter equipment

Blade for helicopter rig

Ride

In Siberia, rolling is used to catch chebak in the current in winter. This fishing rod is assembled with a round sliding sinker and a leash with a hook. The point of fishing is that the tackle is released far enough under the ice, the sinker with the hook rolls along the bottom. Naturally, such fishing is only possible in areas with a clean bottom. The tackle is equipped with a powerful fishing rod with a reel and a nod that can withstand strong currents. The hole needs to be drilled slightly at an angle, with the flow, this will make the process of managing the gear easier.

The simplest signaling device from a twig

Operating principle of the roller

Rolling equipment

For all roach fishing gear in winter, it is advisable to use relatively small, sharp hooks and thin, strong fishing lines. If for the northern regions and Siberia, where there is a lot of fish, this is not very relevant, then in the urbanized European part of the country, roaches in winter simply will not be taken with a rough fishing rod.

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Two words about complementary feeding

Throwing complementary food into a hole in the middle of nowhere means counting on chance. The chebak is inactive during this period; most of the time the flock is in one place. Sprinkling food in the hope of luring fish from afar is useless.

It is too presumptuous to expect that complementary food will fall right under the nose of the flock.

In January and until about mid-February, one thing we can advise is to actively search for a promising hole .

If a chebak bite happens in any hole, you need to put the bait there in small portions in order to collect the lazy fish in one place near the hook.

The rest of the winter, it is worth putting small portions of complementary food into the hole in promising places.

If the hole is working, it is worth constantly adding complementary food in small portions so that the flock does not lose interest in the hole.

Composition of winter complementary food : 30% animal protein + 70% plant food.

You should always remember that fish should be attracted by complementary foods, and not by feeding.

Time to catch chebak in winter

In winter, it is very important to determine the conditions under which the chebak will actively bite, otherwise fishing will not take place, as anglers like to say.

The chebak begins to actively peck at the first appearance of ice on the pond. At the same time, it should be remembered that ice fishing is an unsafe activity. You should only go out on the ice when it is stronger. At the same time, the “hunt” for the chebak should not be postponed if there is a desire to catch it. The fact is that with the arrival of real cold weather, and this is the northern regions anyway, fishing becomes problematic. This happens in the dead of winter, with the arrival of January. During this period, the chebak loses its activity and its bites can be very rare.

This period does not last long and already at the beginning of February the chebak begins to come to life again. You can safely go fishing, because the ice becomes very strong and thick, so it is almost impossible to fall through. At the same time, you will have to work hard when drilling holes, since the thickness of the ice can reach 1 cm, or even more. Still, safety precautions should always be observed. This period of active chebak fishing continues until the ice melts.

Chebak is most active early in the morning and until lunchtime, when he goes to “rest.” Towards evening, the activity of this fish is restored again and continues until sunset. As soon as it gets dark, you can safely pack up your gear and go home. Nobody practices night fishing for chebak, since this is impossible due to its disregard for bait.

Almost all types of fish have a significant dependence on weather conditions and chebak is no exception. It has been noticed that in cloudy weather conditions, the chebak bite decreases sharply. He continues to take bait, but, as they say, without much enthusiasm. In clear sunny weather, its bite is simply amazing, which brings a lot of pleasure to anglers.

Game, bite, fishing

Chebak loves mid-frequency play with a smooth rise of the jig to the surface of the water, then a smooth lowering with oscillations of the same frequency. This is the start of the game.

Each body of water has its own games. You have to select the style of play - change the frequency, the speed of lowering, the time of short pauses, etc., until you find the optimal, “your own game.”

The bites of Siberian roach are gentle and careful. There is no point in delaying cutting. A short, sharp, but smooth hook is optimal.

You need to pull the fish out of the hole quickly, but smoothly, without jerking. The fish actively resists when fished; it can fall off the hook if you hesitate or tear its lip if you fish it too hard.

Common mistakes

1. Throwing complementary food into the wilderness in an unknown place.
2. Feed the fish with complementary foods.
3. If there is no bite, change holes frequently without testing different playing styles.
4. Limiting yourself to one hole is a waste of time.
5. It is useless to expect that in winter the fish will look for your jig on its own. The working hole should be actively sought by the fisherman himself.
6. Limit the set of jigs. You can guess the model and color while fishing in the morning, but in the evening the chebak won’t like it.
7. Sharp or, on the contrary, slow fishing - 99% of the chebak coming off the hook.