We catch everything
There have been a considerable number of different civilizations on our Earth, but many of them have sunk into oblivion. But still, the most ancient civilization, Rybolovnaya, lives and flourishes to this day. Surely every man has a “fisherman gene”. For some, it sleeps serenely for the time being, while for others, it has been pulsating powerfully since childhood, giving a considerable incentive to enjoy life.
But is it so easy to become a happy person - a truly skilled fisherman? Is it really worth just buying an armful of gear, learning a little how to use it, finding fish and filling your fish tank with it? Is this really true fishing happiness? No, this is not quite the right way to this magical land. To begin with, a person must come to his sense of Nature. And it doesn’t matter whether he absorbed this feeling with his mother’s milk, nurtured it within himself over many years, or simply received it as a gift from Mother Nature.
A river or lake may one day make it clear that you belong, that they trust you and give you a sincere scene from their life. This could be pike spawning in shallow water. This could be an asp fight in clear, fast streams. Or maybe just some kind of roe deer that came out to the river bank and was not at all afraid of you. And if you didn’t want to take a stone or a stick, if you didn’t have an uncontrollable desire to kill, and you just don’t breathe, for fear of interfering with the natural mystery, then Nature has accepted you, it’s time to buy gear.
Even if it’s still potential, even if it’s still in its infancy, you are already a real fisherman. If fishing truly captivates you, if you begin to live according to its “concepts,” when your head contains only hooks, floats and wobblers, then you will be surprised to understand that life is beautiful and amazing.
We have our own language and our own concepts, as the masters say: “Fishing unites us into a single tribe, which has its own laws and even language. Just try to describe exactly, so that everyone can understand, in simple literary language, at least the gathering of bream after a three-hour wait. It won't work out!
And on the reservoir in front of the water surface, everyone is equal, where did yesterday’s hard worker go, and let’s say the director of the plant, together casting fishing rods into the pre-dawn haze of fog spreading over the “pecking water”, with itching and buzzing myriads of hungry mosquito throats!? Here we are all just fishermen, and with virtually no sleep, hastily sipping tea, but extremely happy, we enjoy every moment, the mystery of communication with Nature.
After all, there are always real miracles around on a river or lake! On a pond, the right spinning rod, fishing rod, feeder, bait and groundbait, adjusted to your needs, also work wonders. And it doesn’t matter at all whether it was all bought for a lot, a lot of money, or collected and arranged on the knee of a house or river, the important thing is that it will be a working thing and will catch, and how!
And if you can’t catch anything at all, then there will always be an experienced fisherman on the shore who will always tell you how and what to catch, especially in the evening by the fire under the fishermen’s “hundred grams” that warm you up in the autumn cold. After all, on the shore you meet such unique people that, be healthy, they will tell you things that you just have time to write down!
And about fishing with a spinning rod and a fishing rod, methods of bait and bait, the secrets of fishing with a boat and mugs and much, much more. However, a person who decides to take up fishing or simply move to another, higher level has a very difficult time.
By letting a sea of other people's experience pass through you while you gain your own fishing experience, you will often throw a lot of time and money down the drain. And often the reason for this is not entirely correct fishing literature, television, and now the Internet, where the categorical recommendations of “experts” are strongly tied to the interests of fishing brands. This is especially noticeable in the many faces of spinning rods and specifically in the boundless world of spinning lures. But it’s okay, don’t despair, everything will come with experience, because every persistent fisherman is waiting for his big trophy.
And in principle, it will not be so important whether it is a large pike, catfish or pike perch. And even though we fishermen are often teased, they say, you are quietly crazy. Don’t pay attention, “non-fishermen” live differently, think differently, relax differently, make plans for vacations and weekends differently. And if we need to go to the dacha, then we’ll dig up some worms at the same time; if my wife wants to go to the beach, then okay – here we’ll find a cool whirlpool that’s hidden behind the cape. Do you need to go to the forest to pick mushrooms or berries? That’s also normal; at the same time you might run into an unfamiliar lake of crucian carp.
People in our “division” arrive every year, it happens, and you get ready until midnight, “you’re going to play” for an hour and get to the water. And there, especially good places are already occupied according to the principle “I fish for a week, then my brother fishes for a week, then me again.” If you are not too lazy and walk along the shore, you can find a division based on territoriality.
Here the boys from such and such a village are catching, there from another, and there the townspeople are sitting on their campaign, having escaped for the weekend. But it’s okay, there’s enough room for everyone, we’re all fishermen, practically fellow countrymen. This is understandable, of course everyone wants to relax, cook energetically valuable fish soup in nature, and get away from stuffy cities. But it’s impossible to occupy all the places, you can get to good places on foot, and where there are no entrances and there are practically no people, that means there are more fish. If you have the desire and patience, you won’t be left without a catch!
Author Evgeniy Bliznets
What to use to catch pike perch in the fall
When talking about autumn pike perch fishing, first of all, we mean two methods. This, of course, is traditional spinning fishing and trolling. In the case of the first option, we will talk about jig fishing, since this particular method will be the most appropriate, taking into account the behavior and habitats of pike perch in the autumn. You can also try to catch pike perch using deep-sea wobblers and heavy Castmaster spinners, but the primacy still remains with the jig, so most of this article will be devoted to jig fishing.
Catching pike perch with a jig in the fall
The main requirement when jigging for pike perch in the fall is effective step-by-step fishing at the bottom of the reservoir. The role of bait can be taken on by a foam fish, an ordinary silicone fish (twister, vibrotail) or a mandula. The mandula is considered one of the most catchy lures for fanged fish; if you want to make this bait yourself, read the article “Mandula for pike perch with your own hands.” During the retrieve, the artificial bait must be systematically raised and lowered to the bottom again until it is finally pulled towards the shore or boat.
Jig for pike perch
You cast, the bait touches the surface of the water and begins to sink.
When the jig bait falls to the bottom, the tip of the rod bends a little and trembles, which indicates the active play of the artificial fish. When the bait reaches the bottom, you need to make about 2 turns of the reel, and then pause for 2-3 seconds. Another second - and again you start a new step according to the same pattern. Although such wiring is quite tiring and boring, at the same time it is very effective for pike perch, and not only in the autumn. Such wiring is very effective, but if such wiring does not bring results, you always need to experiment and do the wiring somehow differently. Pauses during wiring can be either long (up to 7 seconds) or very short (2 seconds), and jerks can also be stronger or weaker.
Lures for catching pike perch on a jig
Jig baits are mainly foam rubber fish, silicone vibrotails, twisters, mandula, deep-sea wobblers. The length of “autumn” baits for pike perch can reach a maximum of 12 cm. When choosing jig heads, take into account the strength of the current in the places where you are going to fish and the bottom topography. Fishermen have noticed that the most effective colors for catching pike perch are variations of light green, white and machine oil colors.
Night fishing for pike perch on a jig
Autumn fishing for pike perch at night is an extremely exciting activity, and often also very productive.
The wiring method is the same as when fishing during the day. The color of the baits, as well as all sorts of additional silicone fireflies, are not particularly important, although preference should still be given to light green colors. The success of fishing largely depends on preliminary preparation. You should find in advance promising places for fishing that are suitable for the conditions, because at night it will be much more difficult to find good areas. Naturally, don’t forget to bring a flashlight, or better yet two. The arsenal of silicone and foam rubber baits can also be supplemented with high-quality submerged wobblers, the bottom wiring of which can also please with a good result in the form of a hungry pike perch.
Catching pike perch from a boat using a jig
Catching pike perch in the fall with live bait
Along with artificial baits, pike perch are often caught in the fall using live bait. Small (up to 10 cm) perches, bleaks, gobies, minnows, roach or silver bream are used as live bait. Large pike perch sometimes does not refuse the same large live bait. The rule that says that a large bait and a larger catch also applies in this case, but remember that the number of bites will decrease significantly. Usually, live bait is usually placed behind the back, a few centimeters from the fish’s head. The hook can be single or double; tees are also used. It is not the type of hook that is more important, but its size, which should be approximately the same as the size of the live bait itself. When hunting small pike perch, live bait can also be hooked onto the upper lip.
Catching pike perch in autumn with wobblers
As mentioned above, wobblers are often used for night fishing for pike perch. Temperature changes push pike perch to swim in shallow water, where these predators are then often caught on wobblers. When choosing this type of bait, you don’t have to worry about it resembling a specific fish or insect. At night, pike perch are attracted, first of all, by the bright eyes of the bait and its very silhouette. The colors of the wobbler should be yellow-light green.
Where to look for pike perch in the fall
The autumn pike perch fishing season can be divided into two stages.
The first stage, which we will call summer-autumn, begins at the end of August and continues until approximately the end of October, depending on the territory. When at the end of summer the water begins to cool down a little, the movement of the pike perch becomes more intense, it begins to feed more actively and gradually, with the onset of cold weather, comes closer and closer to winter moorings. At the end of October, the time comes for the autumn feeding of pike perch, which opens the second stage - autumn-winter. This period lasts almost until freeze-up. The first half of November marks the peak of the autumn feeding season for pike perch, when it feeds heavily for the winter. A decline in activity is observed only on those days characterized by a sharp deterioration in weather.
Autumn fishing can be very effective in those parts of the reservoir where the water still maintains its previous temperature. A real concentration of pike perch is often found near drains of conditionally warm water. Examine the shoreline carefully, looking for gutters or small holes. Also pay attention to air bubbles, the appearance of which on the surface of the reservoir may indicate the presence of underground pipes. In other words, in the fall you should look for pike perch in places with relatively warm water.
Types of fish
Today in the waters of the Oka there are:
- Amur;
- Chub;
- crucian carp;
- Carp;
- Carp;
- Rudd;
- Bream;
- Tench;
- Burbot;
- Perch;
- Roach;
- Catfish;
- Zander;
- Barbel;
- Pike;
- Ide;
- Cancer
and other less rare species of fish that are rare, but still found.
Naturally, like on any other river, lake or reservoir, you can fish on the Oka both for a fee and for free. A free way of fishing without excess comfort is described in simple words as camping accommodation.
If you have your own tent and gear, free fishing is your option. Of course, thanks to the development of infrastructure, this is not so simple.
Every day, an increasing number of fishermen prefer paid areas of fishing bases and grounds, where you can go fishing in an absolutely concomitant environment, the only negative is the payment. But no one will scare away your prey.
Most often, paid fishing includes accommodation, meals, and additional services in the form of guarded parking for your car, the services of rangers and fishing professionals, and cooks.
So you can stay either in a comfortable cottage but for a decent sum, or in your own tent.
There is also a budget option for visiting fishermen or those who do not have their own equipment - a camping complex that offers accommodation at a low price.
Where to stay?
If we talk about infrastructure near the river, then most often fishermen travel with their portable means of living - tents.
We invite you to read: Fishing for carp on a donk: production, fishing tactics in spring, autumn or summer
There are several special tourist bases and VIP class fishing grounds where you can stop and fish in comfort.
Speaking about the best places to stop to fish with “consequences”, that is, an excellent catch, you should choose:
- Fishing places near the city of Kashira.
The area is characterized by rocky rifts and sand pits.
In the area of the old bridge live in large flocks:
- pike;
- zander;
- perch.
Near the quarry you can catch the same fish, and also asp. This is where you have a great chance of catching large-sized burbot or catfish.
- Fishing places in close proximity to the city of Kolomna.
The area near Kolomna is ideal for bream fishing enthusiasts. The largest bream are found near Kolychev. Both ide and pike perch are easy to catch here.
Moving further towards the Moscow River, you can trace a certain unpleasant feature - the entire reservoir is shrouded in poacher’s nets, so fishing here will not be possible normally, and there is no question of sport fishing at all.
The confluence of the Moscow River and the Oka is an ideal option for donka fishing. You can catch bream. Pike perch, pike and asp are used for spinning.
- Fishing places near Serpukhov.
Serpukhov is an ideal place for fishing. Here you can fish for any inhabitant of the Oka River, from pike perch to catfish. When you stop for fishing on a spit or rift, you may be lucky enough to catch a bream or chub.
Shilovsky district
Shilovsky district is located almost in the middle of the river. The best catch is obtained when fishing on boats.
Residents from neighboring regions, such as Moscow or Ryazan, also come here. The flow of fishermen is large, so the fish have become quite shy, and the river itself is shallower.
But this does not interfere with experienced fishermen who know good places. One of these places is the Para River and the Krutitsa stream nearby.
Here the Oka has a depth of about 4 meters, the bottom is covered with sand. Mostly pike are caught; fishing with a spinning rod on the right bank is popular. The left bank is lower; spinning gear is also used here for catching pike perch.
Pike also lives in the Terekhovo-Tyrnovo area. They catch it using donkeys and spinning rods. In this place there are 2 deep holes, about 6 meters. The first is located near the bay, and the second is near the right bank.
Near Krivtsovo on the left bank, winter fishing for perch or roach is especially popular. This fish is easy to catch with many baits.
This place is especially attractive for fishermen. The fish here are considered more numerous. They are caught mainly using spinning rods.
The most commonly caught fish are zander, pike and perch. Fishing boats are often used in the Dubrovka area.
There is also a pit in this place, which is about 18 meters deep. Here you can even find large catfish. They mainly use various non-hooking baits for fishing.
To fish for predators in the Kasimovsky region, two types of spinning rods are usually used: for the shore and for the boat.
The largest predators can be caught from a boat using fairly large baits. If fishing is done from the shore, then long casts are made.
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Ryazan Oblast
Avid fishermen believe that fishing here is especially successful in the spring. At this time, they can catch a good catch of silver bream, bream or roach until the first days of May.
Then the fish begin to spawn, and strict restrictions are placed on fishing. Near the Oka riverbed at the end of May you can catch white fish after spawning. It is caught using match rods, donks and feeders.
In summer, during high temperatures, the catch is often small; at night it is more successful. They catch roach, white-eye, and pike perch using long casts.
But it is best to catch large predatory fish on the Oka in the autumn, when they are most active.
Fishing occurs mainly using spinning rods. In this case, they use boats or fish directly from the shore.
In winter, predatory fish are caught using girders and vertical lures, and jigs and winter fishing rods are used to catch white fish.
On the Oka River within the Moscow region you can often find pike, catfish, silver bream, perch, and rudd. Here you can see many boats with fishermen, so the fish here are shy. Now its number has noticeably decreased.
It is still possible to get a good catch. There are several places that are especially popular with fish.
The first of them is the Zibrova district. It is excellent for fishing with a spinning rod, and bream is caught here with donks. You can catch pike perch and pike perch.
You can also catch bream using bottom gear in the Malysheva Dacha area near the recreation center.
There are quarries in the Kaluga Highway area. This is a great place to fish. Even catfish live here. Roach and burbot can be caught here using donks. They catch pike with a spinning rod.
We suggest you read: Spring bear hunting with bait
The most fishing spots on the Oka
It is difficult to recognize the Oka, the largest river in the Moscow region, today.
Today's busy shores and beaches looked completely different just a few years ago: nature untouched by human hands, an abundance of fish in the water surface. Today the Oka is crossed by boats, water scooters, boats and catamarans. You will no longer find such a large number of fish as before, but there are still places for lovers of true fishing, where you can catch a very cunning predator.
Infrastructure and industrial development have also negatively impacted the viability of the river. Therefore, when going fishing in the spring, at the beginning of May, arm yourself only with a float rod.
An excellent catch will guarantee successful fishing. Therefore, it’s not worth throwing the fishing rod anyhow, throwing the tackle every time, it’s better to look around and choose the most suitable place with an accurate eye.
The right place for fishing is the key to success. Fishing places should be looked for carefully. Sometimes you have to move far from your things and equipment, but this will exceed all expectations.
It should be said that although the availability of the best places for fishing on the Oka is not great, it still exists and changes depending on the time of year, as well as weather conditions. These factors are worth keeping an eye on.
The most visited areas of Oka are:
- Serpukhov;
- confluence of the Lopasny River;
- Malyushina Dacha;
- Kashiry;
- Ozery;
- Kolomna.
