Catching Crucian Carp In Winter

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Crucian carp from ice

Catching crucian carp in winter is not much different from catching most other fish in winter: the same cold, short daylight hours, frequent weather changes, and a sedentary lifestyle. Perhaps, here you can also add the notorious finicky crucian carp. There seems to be very little chance of catching this fish off the ice. However, if you set yourself a specific goal and prepare well, then it is quite possible to achieve success. Let's try to figure out how this can be done, while at least theoretically …

You can, of course, try to fish for crucian carp the old fashioned way - with an ordinary float rod. One of the many options, see the figure. The sinker is a pellet, hook No. 2-2.5, the float is carefully adjusted for carrying capacity, the hook is located at a distance of 15-20 millimeters from the sinker at right angles to the line going to the float. Nozzle - two or three bloodworms.

In the picture:

1 - rod float

2 - main line

3 - sinker

4 - swivel

5 - leash

6 - hook

They are caught from the bottom with a submerged float. When biting, as a rule, the crucian carp lifts the load, and the float floats up. Such a fishing rod is used mainly for small crucian carp. If you use the well-known fishing adage: "Though small, but still a fish", then it is quite possible to be content with such trophies.

But the overwhelming majority of fishermen prefer to catch winter carp with jig gear. This is due to several reasons … First, fishing with a playing jig is much more interesting than with a fixed nozzle of a float rod. Secondly, fishing with a jig in the same conditions is much more efficient. Thirdly, with certain skills, you can successfully fish even with a bare jig, that is, without a nozzle on the hook. This will not work with a float rod.

The techniques of playing with a jig are usual. They must be selected separately for each reservoir. In winter, the crucian takes on the same baits as in summer: a worm, bloodworm, caddis flies, maggot, burdock moth, various apple caterpillars. It is believed that of the many vegetable baits, he most willingly takes on a non-steep dough and on various steamed grains.

And, as a seasoned winter fisherman told me, the crucian carp is very reluctant to bite on dry grain. “You see,” he explained, “most often the crucian carp will come up, knock once or twice and leave. Is it too tough for him? The bite of crucian carp during the winter is subject to great fluctuations, then it takes only in the morning, then - only in the late afternoon, or there is no bite at all. However, on some days the fish takes not only the whole daylight hours, but even at dusk. Moreover, it was found that the greatest activity is observed by noon.

It is well known that noise (loud talk, walking on ice, careless handling of tackle - knocking) scares the fish away. In a fishing magazine, I came across this statement: "After drilling a hole, you scared away all the fish in the area with the grinding of an ice screw and a flash of light." I testify: this certainly does not apply to carp! It has been established that pandemonium, noisy behavior of fishermen on ice not only does not frighten crucian carp, but rather, on the contrary, attracts.

I was always surprised by the anglers who, having drilled several holes, surrounded themselves with a picket fence of fishing rods, naively believing that the more tackle, the more chances of a bite. However, practice has proven that increasing the number of rods does not increase the number of bites. And that's why…

The abundance of fishing rods does not allow you to notice the bite in time, hence the frequent delays with the hook. As a result, such an angler allows significantly more “blunders” than the one who catches with one or two rods. A very important component of successful catching of winter crucian carp is the nature of its bite. This fish bites very carefully, therefore, even with the slightest movement of the nod, an immediate hooking is necessary. If it was not possible to hook the crucian carp, you must quickly fix or update the nozzle and lower it to the bottom again. Since very often, after an empty hooking, the crucian does not go far from the hole and can peck again as soon as the nozzle is at the bottom.

Both summer and winter groundbait is essential. Sometimes it is enough to throw a handful of groundbait into the water, and the biting of the crucian carp is noticeably activated. This is especially important in winter, because in order to induce the activity of sedentary fish, it is often necessary to use various types of baits. Only in this case can you catch a winter carp.

It is impossible to give an exhaustive advice: what kind of bait is the most, the most catchy. Each angler offers his own recipe and assures that his bait is the most faithful! The only thing that, perhaps, occurs most often - cake. And here again a natural question arises: what kind of cake will be the most effective in this particular reservoir? Sunflower, linseed, corn, hemp or peanut? This can only be established by trial and error.