A large predator, pike perch, is found throughout the European territory of Russia. The fanged robber can reach a mass of 20 kg with a length of 1.3 m. However, fishermen most often deal with individuals up to 0.5 m long and weighing up to 5 kg. Pike perch is caught in different ways. It bites well on live fish, as well as on a number of artificial baits. We'll show you in the video how to make catching pike perch with ratlins in winter effective.
In order for fishing for pike perch in winter to bring only pleasant impressions and a catch, you need to carefully prepare for catching this fish. It is important to know where pike perch live, understand its behavior, and what is best used as bait.
Where does pike perch live in winter?
This fish is nocturnal. But it can also switch to a daytime lifestyle. Also, the non-standard features of this predator include its habit of hunting in the water column or on the surface of a reservoir, even though it is a bottom-dwelling fish. In winter, it most often lives on hard sand and gravel lake bottoms. But depending on the type of reservoir (river, lake, reservoir), the location of the fish may vary; this must be taken into account when going fishing for pike perch. In some bodies of water it can live in sandy and rocky dumps, in others in underwater snags, and somewhere among flooded and fallen trees. Read also: Catching pike perch with sprat in winter
Where to look for pike perch? Pike perch habitats
Catching pike perch with a jig has already become a classic in Russia. You can catch pike perch with a jig anywhere at any time of the year; the fanged fish eats jig baits confidently. It rarely happens that he prefers nothing else besides them.
Pike perch lives in all major rivers of our country, especially in:
Volga;
Don;
Khopre;
Dnieper.
Pike perch loves to be at great depths, where it lies in wait for unwary small fish. Pike perch is a schooling fish, if you catch one member of the pike perch gang from a jug, then be prepared for a second and even third bite.
Sometimes from one place you manage to catch a dozen equally active fish at once, which is very pleasing.
Pike perch occupies such places as deep holes, dumps and edges, especially there are a lot of fanged ones in the pits and on the edges.
It is possible to catch good trophy pike perch in heavily snagged places.
There are 2 types of baits popular for pike perch:
Twisters;
And Vibrotails.
Both options work very well, but of course it all depends on the activity of the fish at a given time.
For example, in the summer it is excellent to fish with both twisters and vibrating tails, but in winter only the vibrating tail, since it has a more passive game than the twister.
When catching pike perch with a jig, the color of the bait and size play an important role. In the dark, lures in bright colors such as red, yellow and green work well. During daylight hours, white and even black will be in demand.
Pike perch fishing is divided into 2 types, these are:
Fishing from the shore;
And boat fishing, when fishing is carried out over a large area.
It is very important in such fishing to correctly determine the length of the spinning rod. If we are talking about a shore jig, then this is 2.80 - 3 meters, and if from a boat, then a length of 2.40 is quite enough, even in excess, and taking a long stick is simply pointless.
When the pike perch bite subsides, it’s time to use an attractant. Any self-respecting fisherman knows what this is. The attractant increases the number of bites significantly and stimulates the fish’s appetite.
Based on the above, we conclude: the bite of pike perch depends on the time of year and the bait, as well as the speed of reeling. And to achieve success, you need to combine knowledge and the ability to fish into one whole, then you will succeed.
Night fishing for pike perch with a jig in the fall. Issue No. 18. Video
Lures for winter pike perch
Spoon
Fans of catching pike perch in winter most often use spoons. But in order to choose this bait correctly, you need to take into account many nuances. The depth and strength of the current must be taken into account. For reservoirs, a spoon weighing no more than 20 grams is used. It is made of brass, copper and cupronickel. In those reservoirs where there is a strong current, the weight of the bait increases to 40-50 grams. This is interesting: The best winter lures for pike perch
Using a balancer
This fishing method is no less effective. To make the bait, a metal alloy resembling small fish is used. Additionally, such a bait can be mounted to the equipment: fastening is carried out by the eye, which is located on the back of the balancer. Then the bait is immersed in the bottom of the reservoir, and this imitates the natural food of pike perch. Read also: Top 10 Balancers for zander
Using a jig
It is also an interesting way to catch pike perch in winter. The only condition here is the size of the jig. It should be large due to the fact that the fish itself is quite large. Usually they use a “devil” jig in the form of a drop with a soldered hook. For additional bait, bait is used in the form of bloodworms or pieces of “live” fish.
The best time to catch predatory fish is clear and frosty weather. Especially in the morning and evening. But it’s also worth considering that pike perch is an unpredictable fish. That is, she may not have any interest in the bait for 24 hours, but then she suddenly becomes hungry in broad daylight. All this needs to be taken into account before you go hunting for walleye. This is interesting: Fishing with a balancer for pike perch in winter
How to catch pike perch from ice in winter?
Winter ice fishing for pike perch is in no way inferior to summer fishing. The most important thing is to choose the right day and a bait with the desired body geometry is also very important.
3 ways to improve your fish bite!
Over 15 years of active fishing, I have found many ways to improve the bite, and here are the most effective:
1. Bite activator . This pheromone additive attracts fish most strongly in cold and warm water. The Fish Hungry bite activator has proven itself to be excellent - Read more…
2. Tackle with increased sensitivity . You should first familiarize yourself with the features of using a particular type.
3. Pheromone baits . They attract the attention of fish, stimulate hunger and cause a schooling reflex, which allows you to collect a lot of fish in one place.
You can get the rest of the secrets of successful fishing for free by reading my other materials on the site.
3 ways to improve your fish bite!
Over 15 years of active fishing, I have found many ways to improve the bite, and here are the most effective:
1. Bite activator . This pheromone additive attracts fish most strongly in cold and warm water. The Fish Hungry bite activator has proven itself to be excellent - Read more…
2. Tackle with increased sensitivity . You should first familiarize yourself with the features of using a particular type.
3. Pheromone baits . They attract the attention of fish, stimulate hunger and cause a schooling reflex, which allows you to collect a lot of fish in one place.
You can get the rest of the secrets of successful fishing for free by reading my other materials on the site.
Lure fishing is carried out in large bodies of water with decent depth.
For fishing, places are chosen that are replete with holes and naturally snags, where pike perch likes to be due to its natural predisposition. Holes can be easily detected using an echo sounder, or, in extreme cases, with an ordinary depth gauge.
Winter record. Pike perch on Ratlin video
Having seen enough photographs of large perches that Sergey Karpov successfully catches from the ice on a Jackall TN60 rattlin, Maxim Dubkovsky decided to go to the Saratov Reservoir himself with winter gear. Extreme weather conditions did not stop our anglers from catching perch and pike perch using different types of bait, and at the end of the trip Maxim got a real “bonus” that every fan of vertical pike perch can envy.
This is interesting: The best weather for fishing
Read also: Universal echo sounder for winter and summer fishing
Winter fishing for trophy pike perch using vibrations. In crowd!
#Winter #fishing and #trophy #pike perch are parts of one whole, when you understand how to act in the icy deserts of frozen bodies of water. We found ourselves in the vast expanses of the Rybinsk Reservoir with Andrei Chulanov and luck was clearly on our side. Or maybe it’s not just luck?) About this - in the video about catching trophy pike perch using vibes, enjoy watching.
Useful things: Choosing an underwater camera for fishing in winter
Habits
Pike perch is a predatory fish of the Perch family. Habitat: the entire territory of the Russian Federation. Schools of pike perch can be found in large rivers with gentle currents, as well as lakes and reservoirs rich in oxygen.
The main condition is that the water must be warm enough (up to 18°C) and always clean.
The fish remains active throughout the year. This makes fishing for pike perch all-season, with the exception of the spawning season.
Pike perch prefers to stick to the bottom, stopping near mounds, depressions, holes and ditches. When he is young, he gathers in flocks. Adults choose a solitary lifestyle.
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Late April to mid-May is spawning time. The main condition for it is that the water must warm up to at least 7°C. Parents remain in the spawning area for some time to look after the fry.
Schools of pike perch feed all year round, usually choosing the night time.
As can be seen in the photo of the pike perch, its mouth has a very specific structure, so the diet of the fanged predator consists of fish of slender body shapes - dace, minnows, bleaks, squints, and river lampreys.
Pike perch prefer a sedentary life, combing certain areas of the reservoir to search for food.
