Although it is hard to believe, crucian carp can be caught using ordinary foam balls. Of course, this requires special equipment, because fishing with foam plastic is not practiced with a regular float rod, and it is not technologically feasible. The advantage of such a bait is that you can catch as many fish as you like with one ball until the foam flies off the hook, and if it does, it’s not a big loss. Therefore, it turns out that fishing is not very expensive. If you find a piece of polystyrene foam, you can make a lot of these balls out of it. In this case, polystyrene foam of the lowest density is taken. It will not be possible to pick out balls from denser foam.
Tackle for catching crucian carp using polystyrene foam
To catch crucian carp using foam plastic, you will need bottom tackle with a spring-shaped feeder. Although many anglers believe that the “nipple” may be the most effective. The “crucian carp killer” tackle consists of several “spring” type feeders, located one after the other, so this option will be considered.
Before casting the tackle, the spring is stuffed with bait, and foam balls are placed on the hooks. As a result, it turns out that the pieces will be in the water column above the feeder due to positive buoyancy. The crucian carp will definitely become interested in the contents of the feeder and begin to eat its contents.
At the same time, when the crucian carp is feeding, the hooks with foam plastic are very close, since the length of the leashes can be only 5 cm. Having occupied the feeder, the crucian carp also swallows foam balls. As a result, the fish ends up on the hook. It self-cuts under the influence of the weight of the feeder. There are several versions among fishermen about the reason that crucian carp swallows foam balls:
- The crucian carp gets carried away with eating the contents of the feeder and at the same time swallows a foam ball. It's hard to say what the white ball reminds him of. It is quite possible that he sees a balloon in it and decides to swallow it in order to replenish his air reserves. There are also foam balls covered with a shell of different colors and smells. If the ball is similar to a pea or a grain of corn, then everything is clear: the crucian carp will not refuse such a delicacy. Having swallowed such a ball, the crucian carp immediately ends up on the fisherman’s hook.
- There is another opinion, which is based on the fact that crucian carp is still able to determine how edible the bait is. If everything is clear with multi-colored balls, since they can look like ripe peas, green peas, or corn and can smell the same, then with ordinary foam balls, on the contrary, nothing is clear. Most likely, the crucian carp has determined that there is some kind of garbage flying around its feeding area that needs to be removed. In addition, this garbage interferes with normal feeding and the crucian carp takes this ball into its mouth and tries to move it away from this place. So he ends up on the hook.
Equipment
Equipment for catching crucian carp using polystyrene foam is sold in any fishing store. There are many varieties, including the “crucian carp killer” rig. Other accessories, such as “pacifiers,” may be suitable for this purpose, but this is not for sale, since you can easily make it yourself. If you don’t want to spend precious time making equipment, then it’s better to buy, especially if funds allow. There can be 2-3 hooks near each feeder spring, although many fishermen attach up to 6 hooks. If they are secured correctly, on short leashes, they will not get tangled.
For the equipment to work correctly, it is necessary to properly secure the leashes with hooks. Usually they are attached to both sides of the feeder. On a purchased feeder, the hooks may not be tied as needed for fishing with foam, so they will have to be moved to another place. The most important thing is that the length of the leashes does not exceed 5 centimeters. As practice shows, this is the optimal length of leashes for such gear.
Rod
Since this is a bottom tackle, it must be equipped with any fishing rod, either a spinning rod or a feeder rod. Naturally, a feeder rod will cost much more. Many fishermen still use old Soviet spinning rods with inertial reels. Unfortunately, they are not suitable for catching crucian carp, since you will have to frequently re-throw the tackle, and it is difficult to determine bites on them. The fact is that bite detection is carried out by the movement of the rod tip. In this case, the softer the rod tip, the more sensitive the tackle, and old spinning rods are very rough and rigid.
Coil
For such fishing conditions, it is better to opt for a spinning reel. There are no special requirements for the reel, but it must be powerful, since you will have to throw significant weight over a long distance. The reel should fit at least 50 meters of fishing line, 0.3 mm thick. Spool size 2500-3000. This will be quite enough.
fishing line
Despite the fact that mostly you come across individuals that weigh no more than 150-200 grams, fishing line thinner than 0.25 mm cannot be used. A feeder filled with bait can weigh up to 100 grams and when casting, a thinner line simply won’t hold up.
Hooks must be attached to elastic leashes. It is better to use a thin white cord for this, although fishing line about 0.15 mm thick will do.
Fishing with foam. Equipment for fishing with foam plastic. Bottom tackle. Fishing. Fishing.
Why do crucian carp bite on foam balls?
There are some features of fishing with bait such as foam balls. But before you talk about this, you need to figure out why this fish pays attention to such a bait.
Some are of the opinion that crucian carp is attracted by originality and brightness. This fish has good eyesight, which allows it to see prey at a distance of up to one meter. Well, this fish can easily see a white or even colored foam ball on a rocky, sandy or even muddy bottom. Crucian carp are curious, therefore, having noticed something new, they immediately, without hesitation, strive to taste it.
Others are sure that the fish swallows such balls fleetingly while eating complementary food on the bottom. Especially if you fish in a river with a fast current. The fish has no time to think; it attacks its prey, not allowing it to swim past. According to the third hypothesis, fish get rid of debris through their gills. Including trying to get rid of the foam ball. It prevents him from getting to food. But in the end she hooks herself.
Important: Those who aromatize foam believe that it is the smell that attracts fish. We should not exclude the fact that the white ball looks like a piece of dough.
There are quite a lot of opinions about why crucian carp bite on foam balls. But one thing is clear - this bait turns out to be one of the best.
How much foam do you need to hang on the hook?
Fishermen who have heard that crucian carp are caught using foam plastic also try to catch them, but in doing so they make one mistake. When hooking a foam ball, they don’t think about keeping it and the hook in the water column. As a result, the foam ball turns out to be too small and cannot lift the hook, or a heavy hook made of thick wire is used and the foam ball is not able to lift it. Therefore, the hook along with the foam sinks to the bottom and the likelihood that the fish will bite is practically zero. Therefore, before casting the tackle, you need to check whether the hook with foam plastic is sinking. It may happen that one large ball is enough, but sometimes you have to put 2 or 3 small balls in the form of a bead. To check, just throw the tackle into the water near the shore, where the depth is not great and the bottom is visible. If the hook with the ball rises and is placed in the water column, then everything is in order. If the hook does not come off the bottom, then you need to add foam or use another hook made of thin wire.
Fishing stores sell foam balls of any color and with any flavor. Because the foam is encased, it does not have the same characteristics as regular white foam. To use purchased foam, you will have to use hooks with a long shank and made of thin wire, since you will have to attach at least 2 or 3 balls. At the same time, balls of various sizes are sold, which allows you to choose balls for any occasion.
How to catch roach using polystyrene foam
Firstly, its balls are visually similar to the food that fish eat (barley grain, corn, lumps of dough). For greater catchability, they are tinted in the colors of cereals and impregnated with flavors (and the foam retains odors well). So roaches like the aroma of vanilla, caramel and rum (small individuals), chocolate and almonds - large ones. An important property of this bait is its buoyancy: it floats in the water column, attracting the attention of the fish. This is especially important when the roach is not at the bottom. Foam can be combined with other types of bait. If you pierce the ball all the way through, it sticks well to the hook, so after catching one fish you don’t have to change it (however, it’s still worth stocking up on a few balls). Its advantages include cost-effectiveness (does not require material costs, does not require time to prepare, does not take up much space in a backpack, does not spoil for a long time).
The roach prefers a bait moving near the bottom to one lying on it, and during the current in muddy water it does not have enough time to clearly see the bait - this is the basis for catching roach with a feeder on foam plastic with or without the addition of regular bait.
How to attach foam to a hook
When placing foam on a hook, the main condition is that the tip of the hook is always open. Moreover, no matter how many balls are placed on the hook. Under this condition, the fish will always catch on the hook. If this is not done, then the chances of the fish being detected are very small. In this case, fishing may not be effective.
Catching crucian carp with polystyrene foam means that it hooks itself. When he gets hooked, he tries to get away, but the weight of the feeder prevents him from doing so. As a result, the hook thoroughly hooks the fish, after which it will no longer be able to leave the hook. But she continues to try, as evidenced by the movement of the rod tip. The fisherman can only begin to reel in the fishing line, pulling the next crucian carp ashore. Since there may be more than one hook, there may be as many crucian carp. Therefore, fishing with polystyrene foam is very effective. The main thing is to choose strong, thin, but sharp hooks. As a rule, imported hooks from well-known companies have similar characteristics. Domestic hooks are not suitable for this type of fishing.
Catching carp and crucian carp using flavored foam plastic
Carp on polystyrene foam and makushatnik
To catch carp using polystyrene foam, it is better to use a bait or feeder method. Equipment with foam plastic for carp looks like this:
- Rod. An ordinary durable feeder or a special carp feeder.
- Working line.
- Makushatnik or method feeder.
- A short leash, five to seven centimeters.
- Carp hook with foam, giving positive buoyancy.
The equipment for carp differs fundamentally from the equipment for other types of fish in the presence of a makushatnik - a lead plate with a piece of makukha (sunflower cake) attached to it. The carp, sucking the cake, constantly encounters the foam bait and, in the end, swallowing it, feeds itself thanks to the heavy lead plate.
The method feeder for foam fishing is filled with bait containing dusty components. The principle of its operation is similar to the work of the makushatnik.
To better seduce the owner of our ponds, bait balls can be painted corn yellow or red.
Using bait
For a more active bite, when catching crucian carp, various types of bait are used. These can be either purchased, ready-made mixtures or home-made ones. For those who do not want to stand at the stove and cook porridge, it is enough to purchase bait at a fishing store. Moreover, it is not necessary to ask the seller anything, since each package indicates what kind of fish the bait is intended for catching. Of course, if you constantly buy bait in the store, then fishing can turn out to be “golden”. In this regard, many fishermen practice preparing their own bait.
Naturally, you need to know what bait should be for crucian carp. In addition, the specifics of fishing with a spring require bait, which has a special consistency. The fact is that the bait from such a feeder is quickly washed out. In this regard, you need to compact the bait tightly into the feeder. But this still does not guarantee effective fishing, since the bait must open after some time. Thus, a feeding spot will be formed, which will keep the crucian carp at the fishing point. Therefore, each time it is necessary to throw the tackle in the same place.
Many fishermen do not particularly prepare baits with a large number of ingredients. They practice preparing porridge containing a couple of ingredients, or even prepared from one grain, for example, pearl barley. At the same time, they do not stand at the stove, but steam the barley in a thermos. This method is convenient because you don’t have to spend a lot of time on preparation. Barley is filled with boiling water before going fishing. In the time it takes to get to the reservoir, the pearl barley is ready for use. Near the pond, dry ingredients are added to it, for example, makha (cake), to bring the bait to the desired consistency. You can also get water here if needed.
In any case, if you prepare the bait yourself, it will be much cheaper, since most of the ingredients can be found in the kitchen.
If you look on the Internet, you can find a lot of different recipes that do not contain scarce ingredients.
Crucian carp on FOAM!!! Fishing for crucian carp on a NIPPER Tackle NIPPLANT
What you need to know
The balls used as bait must have a bright color. Granules made from industrial polystyrene foam can be painted yourself. To do this, use brilliant green or a marker of the desired color, or a special varnish. There are also factory-made products that can be purchased at most fishing stores. They are called scented floating bait. This foam is made in several colors, and various flavoring additives are added to its composition.
Whether to fish with purchased products or use self-made balls - each fisherman has the right to decide for himself. The size of the ball should not be larger than a grain of corn. Such voluminous products cannot be swallowed by fish. In addition, large foam will rise above the feeder along with the hook and will be out of the crucian’s attention zone. When going foam fishing, you need to prepare special gear. Let's look at this in more detail.
Where else can foam plastic help out?
Fishing with foam can be effective even in cases where fishing with classic baits does not produce any results. As a rule, polystyrene foam is effective in reservoirs with heavily silted bottoms. What's the matter here? But the fact is that, falling to the bottom, the feeder can gradually sink into the silt along with the nozzle. As a result, the crucian carp simply will not notice them. Experienced fishermen, knowing what's going on, twitch the rod from time to time, causing the feeder and the hook with the nozzle to move at the bottom. The task can be greatly simplified if you use polystyrene foam. It can be placed next to the main bait, and it will no longer drown in the mud. If everything is calculated correctly, then you can generally raise the hook with bait above the bottom, which will make fishing effective.
Catching fish such as saberfish requires that the bait be in the water column, since sabrefish do not feed from the bottom. It attacks the bait either at the moment when it slowly sinks to the bottom, or when it is in the water column. And here foam plastic can also help out. The main thing is to insert such an amount of foam so that the hook can rise from the bottom and can be in the water column. Then you can guarantee bites from other fish, such as grass carp or silver carp.
How to use polystyrene foam?
So, there are a lot of different foam fishing kits on sale now.
It is best to use small foam for fishing. It is desirable that the smell of the foam matches the smell of the bait or is not very different.
Place on the hook so that the tip and barb completely pass through the foam. In this case, as a rule, the crucian carp is spotted on its own.
First you need to check the buoyancy of the foam. You can simply test the foam with your equipment at home in a bucket.
When fishing with foam without bait, there will be no result. If you try to fish on foam plastic with a float rod, then your result will be zero, so there is no way without bait.
It is best to use bait that creates a cloudy cloud and disperses fine particles.
You can always buy ready-made bait in the store. If not, here are some simple recipes:
Recipe No. 1
- breadcrumbs,
- ground flour,
- corn flour,
- powdered milk,
- wheat bran.
Mix it all, moistening it with water from the pond. The condition must be achieved in such a way that the bait can last in the feeder for about 25 minutes.
Recipe No. 2
- breadcrumbs,
- ground flour,
- boiled millet, milk powder,
- wheat bran,
- corn flour.
Mix everything, achieving a stable consistency.
Bait for crucian carp
In addition to the above tips, a fairly important component is the feeder and bait for crucian carp. Usually, if the food is heavier on the spring, the more likely the chance of independent hooking is.
In addition, if you use this method of fishing in water without a current, it would not hurt to purchase special flavors so that the fish can smell the bait faster; also, you should not use too much aromatic additives.
A strong smell will scare away the fish, but a smell that is too weak will simply not be felt and will not pay attention to the bait. During the winter seasons, honey is best; it has a sweet and not very strong aroma.
In summer, vanilla or anise flavors are best suited; they do not have a cloyingly sweet smell and perfectly attract crucian carp. (some people recommend star balm)
Porridge for catching crucian carp with a spring
There are several types of bait and each has its own characteristics:
- Dry. It can be prepared immediately at the place of fishing, using water, pulp, and crushed seeds. (the pulp can be taken from both white and black bread) All this is mixed into one consistency and we add a small amount of water to consolidate; the mass can be adjusted depending on the flow.
- Boiled. This type can be made at home, most people cook it at home, many simply call it “porridge” because it’s really no different from it.
For such bait you can take different types of cereals:
- corn
- wheat
- semolina
- pea
It is not necessary to take everything at once; it is best (and more effective) to take just one. These cereals can be combined with seeds, crackers, bran and pulp; it is possible to experiment by mixing several types together.
There are two uses for the feeder:
- Sliding . In this version, the feeder simply slides along the fishing line and the fish that is hooked cannot understand from the beginning that it is hooked. In this option, it is best to make sure that the rod stand is strong enough, since the bite occurs unexpectedly and is great in its strength.
- Fixed. The feeder is attached to the fishing line and the fish that is caught on the hook cannot swim away anywhere, thus the process of self-hooking occurs. A fixed feeder requires a strong fishing line and the usual, more simplified leashes are not suitable here.
Selection of equipment
Unfortunately, not every rig is suitable for this bait. So a regular float rod or “elastic band” will be useless in this case. Here you need to use a bottom fishing rod (spinning or feeder) with a “spring” or “nipple” type equipment. The fact is that foam plastic tends to stay in the water column and if you use a float tackle or an “elastic band”, the bait will always stick to the surface (as far as the equipment allows) and away from the bait.
- The design of the equipment is designed in such a way that the hooks are located close to the spring with bait and do not get confused with each other;
- Many hooks and springs can be used in a rig, but typically there are one to three springs with 2-6 hooks;
- The equipment has the property of self-hooking fish.
It is also important to note that when placing foam on a hook, it is worth checking the bait for buoyancy. The fact is that small balls alone are not always able to rise into the water column under the weight of the hook. If this happens in your case, you should add one or more balls. Good luck and no tail, no scales!
For this fastening you need to take a piece of fishing line about 40 cm long and 0.3 mm in diameter. A loop is formed on one side of the segment, after which the fishing line is passed through a hollow tube. After this, the feeder is locked, and a carabiner is attached to the loop. This type of fastening has a number of advantages, such as quick change of feeder and the ability to minimize snags;
This option involves attaching the feeder directly to the main fishing line. As a rule, the feeder is equipped with appropriate mounting points. Currently, even this method of fastening is not complete without fasteners and swivels, which allows for quick replacement of the “spring”. Leashes with hooks can be attached to the spring itself or at the point where the feeder is attached to the fishing line.
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The rod should be selected depending on the fishing conditions and casting distance. Its length can be in the range of 2.5-3.5 m or more. The test load depends on the weight of the feeder and, when fishing in stagnant water, and crucian carp is mainly caught in stagnant water, it can be within 40 g. A spinning reel can have a size from 2000 to 4000. The diameter of the fishing line can be from 0.25 to 0 .3 mm. Hooks - No. 7 and No. 8.
Making a spring
A spring is used to catch crucian carp in warm water, when its activity in search of food is maximum.
But crucian carp, like any other fish, does not like heat, so you need to catch it either early in the morning or late in the evening. At this time, she comes out of her daytime hiding places and actively feeds. You can find different designs of springs, as well as their sizes, and therefore their weight. When choosing a suitable feeder, you need to take into account the casting distance. The further you plan to cast the tackle, the heavier it should be. The spring can be attached either rigidly or slidingly. In the case of a sliding fastening, a hollow tube must pass inside the spring through which the fishing line is passed. It would not be amiss if the spring was equipped with an anti-twist tube.
You can make a spring of various designs and shapes. There are cylindrical, conical and curved springs, with and without a sinker, small and large. The smallest structure has a length of 2 cm and a diameter of 1 cm. The largest feeders are limited in size to 6 cm. These are optimal limits, beyond which there is no point in climbing.
To avoid the hassle of making it, you can buy such a feeder in fishing stores. As practice shows, homemade structures made by experienced crucian fishermen are more catchy. This is due to the accumulation of certain knowledge, which allows us to make a more successful design that takes into account all the intricacies of fishing.
To begin with, you should find a promising place where the crucian carp spends the most time. Naturally, in clear water crucian carp are unlikely to be interested, especially if they have their own enemies in the form of perch or crucian carp. Therefore, he tries to stay close to thickets or rubble of fallen trees, as well as snags.
Having decided on a place, they carry out preliminary feeding of the fish, which is expressed in several, one after another, casting of the feeder with food. After this, you can begin the fishing process. To do this, each hook is equipped with the appropriate bait. To prevent the hooks from overlapping when casting, they are stuck into the bait.
After hitting the bottom, when the process of washing out the food begins, the hooks with bait are released. It will be better if the hooks are suspended, that is, have positive buoyancy. A sandwich consisting of a foam ball and bait (worm, bloodworm or maggot) can provide this.
Due to the fact that the fish are feeding, all casts should be made to the same place. If you don’t do this, but scatter all the food over a large area, then you shouldn’t expect a good bite, much less a catch.
The specificity of fishing with a spring, especially when it is rigidly attached to the fishing line, is that the crucian carp hooks itself under the influence of the weight of the feeder. Therefore, there is no need to do any cuttings. If the bite alarm goes off, then the crucian carp is already on the hook. In order for self-cutting to occur without misfires, sharp hooks should be used, preferably imported, branded ones.
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The fisherman's task is to carefully pull the caught crucian carp ashore. As a rule, large individuals are rarely found, so you will have to pull out small crucian carp, only about 100 g, but this is not a problem.
In any case, it is better to have a small landing net, since the leads can be very thin, and even a small specimen can break it when fished out.
Foam balls for catching crucian carp in various colors and sizes
If you don’t want to worry about how to make this tackle yourself, buy a ready-made one. The seller will offer equipment specifically for foam fishing. One 2-5 cm leash is tied along the edges of the spring. The fishing line is threaded through the spring tube, and a ring or swivel is tied at the other end - the equipment is ready. You can make several options for equipment, using the purchased one as a sample. The main parameter here is the length of the leashes. They must be of the above length. I wind the finished equipment on special reels.
