Specifics of fishing in December
The planet has recently experienced global warming. Therefore, at the beginning of December, not all regions of the country still have strong ice. Winters become warm, but gradually as December progresses the weather takes its toll. Frosts are becoming more severe, and there are less and less thaws and snowmelt.
If at the beginning of December they fish only in ponds and lakes, then by the middle of the month you can safely drill holes in the rivers. The real winter season begins, when there is a large selection of places where you can go to indulge in your favorite leisure activities.
Fishing calendar
It should be remembered that ice less than five centimeters thick will not support a person; it can crack and drag the fisherman and his gear along with it. But if the ice thickness is above twelve centimeters, then you can safely walk on the ice and look for catchable places and schools of fish.
Safety precautions should always be remembered. It is necessary to avoid gullies and wormwood, edges near the fall of the stream into the river. Reservoirs freeze unevenly, so at the beginning of December, they mainly fish for perch and gorse in shallow water first.
More respectable river inhabitants (bream, pike perch, pike) become available for fishing after the appearance of thick ice cover. If the angler has chosen the right place to fish, then December fishing will certainly bring a solid catch and the most positive emotions
December fishing is still a good and positive mood
Fishing for pike perch in December
Pike perch, like perch, must be looked for. Even if you somehow find a school of fanged under the ice, it is not at all necessary that it will be caught. Often it is impossible to seduce a passive predator even with the best baits, which means that it is necessary to look for active fish. She will hold:
- along the fishing trails,
- in the pits
- in the whirlpools,
- where rivers flow into large lakes and reservoirs,
- next to schools of small fish.
They catch pike perch using narrow spinners for vertical trolling, hitting them on the bottom. In recent years, balancers or ratlins have become especially popular when catching fangs, which even beginners who have never fished from ice can master. Pike perch also bites on large jigs with live or dead fish, or a piece of fish attached. Some fishermen use fresh frozen sprat, which can be purchased at any supermarket. This is interesting: The best balancers for zander
Equipment
For winter fishing in December, you need to take everything you need with you. A difficult situation may arise, and any of the things may come in handy. The main thing is to dress correctly. Clothes should be both warm and not restrict movement. The suit must be waterproof.
Thermal underwear will help you not freeze even in severe frost and your clothes will retain body heat. Shoes should also be comfortable. It should be waterproof, warm, sized and not restrict walking. But fishing can take a very long time.
Felt boots with galoshes or EVA shoes that can withstand severe frost of forty degrees are perfect. These shoes have good thermal padding made from sheepskin wool. For comfortable fishing, you should wear warm mittens; it is advisable to put a spare pair of mittens and socks in the fishing box.
The tent is warm and cozy
You should wear a wool or fur hat; a good option is a hat with earflaps, like those produced in Soviet times. If the jacket or suit has an insulated hood, then you can get by with a lighter hat.
Before your trip, you should check the weather forecast on the Roshydrometcenter website. If strong winds are expected, you should take a tent with you. It will be warm and cozy in the tent; you don’t have to constantly clean the hole from snow and ice. You can install a stove in the tent, and it will be warm, like at home.
This is how winter fishermen fish, who go fishing at night or for a day. You can't do without an ice drill when fishing. An excellent option is to buy a Russian, Swedish or Finnish device for drilling holes. But Chinese ice screws often fail and quickly fail.
If you are going winter fishing, you need to dress warmly
Before fishing, you should prepare a winter box. It should have all the necessary gear. It is necessary to take several winter fishing rods at once, even if you are going to fish with one or two fishing rods. A spare one wouldn't hurt; all the gear is made of plastic and can break at any time.
The line should be chosen thin, especially if the fisherman goes to fish for roach and dace. The thinner the line, the better. The fish is afraid of the thick fishing line. And the industry has now learned to produce such fishing lines that, with a thickness of only 0.1 millimeters, you can pull out a very large “minke whale” without any problems.
There should be several types of jigs in your winter box. They should be different in weight, color, size, and made from different materials. After all, the sun may shine in the morning, but in the afternoon the sky will be cloudy. And it depends on the weather which jig is best to attach to the fishing line. You should have a supply of nods, floats and sinkers with you.
Fishermen lying on the ice look for fish in the hole
If you are going to go lure fish or fish with girders, then you should immediately take more lures and girders. Experiments with spoons will certainly bring success, because fish in winter are capricious and don’t want to bite on one spoon, but if you throw another spoon under its nose, it will immediately grab it.
In addition to the above-mentioned things and gear, you should definitely take with you a thermos with hot tea, sandwiches, sweets for tea, mashed potatoes or instant noodles. After all, you may have to stay longer while fishing, since the bite will be excellent, and in nature the appetite is always very strong.
It would be a good idea to bring a portable hand warmer. If a fisherman has chronic diseases, then he needs to take medications and a first aid kit with him. Don’t forget about a large and clean bag for future catch.
Features of December fishing
Given the peculiarities of our climate, the weather in early December may not always be cold.
However, gradually, step by step, winter takes the reins into its own hands, and the frosts begin to get stronger. The snow stops melting even during the day, and the temperature rarely rises above zero. At the beginning of December, small bodies of water (ponds, lakes and small rivers) are covered with a thin layer of ice, and by the middle of the month the ice becomes thicker and covers larger bodies of water. It is during this period that the winter fishing season begins.
The ideal thickness of ice, which can easily support the weight of an adult, should be at least 5 centimeters. However, following safety rules, you can go out on the ice and fish there only when the ice reaches 12 centimeters thick. In any case, when on ice, you must be extremely careful and constantly monitor the strength of the ice.
Due to the uneven freezing of water bodies, in early December, anglers will have to be content with the fish that live exclusively in shallow water. For example, a significant part of the catch consists of roach and small perch. As the ice becomes thicker, larger inhabitants of the reservoirs, such as pike, pike perch and bream, become available to fishermen.
In December, fishing almost always bears fruit, especially if the fisherman has chosen the right place to fish.
How to catch perch in early winter
Fishing for perch with a fishing rod or lure
perch in any body of water in December , since it lives in shallow water. Such areas of reservoirs are the earliest to become covered with ice. At the beginning of winter, perch are searched near reed thickets, on sandbanks and in small bays at a depth of no more than 1.5 meters.
They catch the “minke whale” with a fishing rod and use a lure. It is easier for a perch to see a bright spinner than a bait on a jig, so the active spinning of a striped predator wins the love of fishermen. The spoon is lowered to the bottom soil and raised five centimeters.
Then they make small swings with the fishing rod, because the perch reacts to movement and play. If you fail to catch it, you should make a hole in another place. When catching stripers with animal bait, maggots, bloodworms and worms are used.
The fisherman should not fish passively, but playfully, that is, actively move the fishing rod so that the fish is tempted and shows its predatory instinct and gets caught on a jig or hook.
Perch fishing in December
One of the most common fish in winter catches is perch. Perhaps there is no fisherman who would not pull this striped robber out of the hole. They catch perch using spoons, balancers, jigs and a float rod. Only trophy specimens are caught on the girder.
Perch is a schooling fish, which means that successful fishing for it directly depends on finding it. They look for perch near snags, on the edge, near thickets of reeds or cattails, in places with underwater vegetation. The holes are drilled in a checkerboard pattern, starting from the shore and moving towards the center of the reservoir - this makes it easier to determine the depth at which the perch will stand. And the chance of running into a hole also increases sharply.
Useful articles about perch fishing in December:
- Active fishing for perch on the first ice;
- Catching perch on balance beams;
- With a jig behind the perch;
- Ice fishing for perch with a spoon;
- Rating of the best perch balancers;
- Effective tackle "Balda";
- With a reelless reel for perch.
To catch perch, small baits are used - jigs, spinners for vertical spinning, and small balancers. Each angler has his own fishing technique, but it comes down to the same general rules - during a weak bite, playing with the bait should be sluggish and slow, during a feeding season - fast and active. Most often, when the bite is good, fishermen use spinners and reelless baits, since hungry fish grab the bait perfectly even without adding bloodworms or maggots. At the same time, the fisherman does not waste time planting larvae in the cold. For such cases, many fishermen even keep jigs with a sawed-off barb to make it easier to remove the striped robber from the hook.
Video “Fishing through the eyes of a fisherman and fish”
Winter fishing underwater photography from Always Alone
December fishing for burbot
Burbot spawns just in the first weeks of winter. Therefore, the fisherman has an advantage, because this fish, similar to a snake and covered with a layer of mucus, actively prowls around the reservoir to eat. Burbots do not live on muddy bottoms, preferring hard soil with pebbles. In winter they love the abundance of oxygen in the water.
Catching burbot in December is a positive experience from a rich catch. The fish is active, but most often it can be found near the shore, at a depth of up to three meters. But spawned burbot loses activity for a while.
Night fishing in a tent
It becomes passive and then it will be possible to catch only small burbots that have not reached sexual maturity and therefore have not spawned. Burbot is a voracious nocturnal predator. Therefore, the fisherman must take with him a tent with a stove and a flashlight, plenty of food and fish for burbot in a comfortable shelter environment.
Some fishermen do this. They catch small fish (ruffs, perches, minnows, and moths) and use them as live bait. Fishermen put donks on burbot, cover them with snow, put a mark in the form of a branch next to them and go home, and the next day they check the donks, take the catch and, if necessary, change the bait.
The colder, windier and more inclement the weather, the better for the burbot's mood. Fishermen are also engaged in trolling this predator. Lower the spoon to the bottom and move the fishing rod in different directions. At the same time, you should not fuss too much and nervously move the fishing rod, and you should not lift the spoon close to the surface.
Roach bite in December
Roach is a capricious fish, and its bite in December is very unstable. The best fishing for this silvery fish will be during sunny, windless weather, in the absence of severe frosts or during a thaw. Unlike summer, in winter roaches bite uncertainly and cautiously. This is interesting: Following the roach on the first ice
It is best to look for roach in places with underwater vegetation or on a muddy bottom. Most often it is in close proximity to the perch, and if a sailor sits on a jig or hook, then most likely there is a school of roach somewhere nearby. All that remains is to feed her and enjoy the excellent bite. Roach also prefers coastal edges, slopes into the riverbed, and holes. However, it does not always stay near the bottom. Before leaving the feeding area, it is necessary to fish all layers of water - it is possible that the roach will stand right next to the ice. Read also: December roach fishing
It is worth paying special attention to bait, since without it the quantity and quality of the catch can be sharply reduced. As bait, it is better to use purchased mixtures for white fish, created specifically for cold water, but most fishermen prefer homemade bait, using bran, breadcrumbs or cake mixed with live food bloodworms for these purposes. Often, powdered milk is added to the bait to form a cloudy cloud.
They catch roach using a float tackle or jig - both regular and reelless. Active play with the bait is not required - just a sluggish swing of the jig or rare raising and lowering of the float tackle, during which the weight hits the bottom, causing a cloud of turbidity to form, attracting fish to the bait. Bloodworms, maggots, burdocks, pieces of dung worms, dough, bread, etc. are used as bait.
How to catch bream and bream
A fishing rod for bream fishing should be sensitive
When summer fishing in open water, bream and bream are usually caught at depth. But in winter, these fish change their behavior. They rise slightly from the bottom and live at a depth of about three meters. They do not like to stay on muddy bottom soil, but they love clay and sand.
If the ice is already thick, then there is less oxygen in the water. As a result, the bream becomes lethargic and does not offer much resistance when fishing. A fishing rod for bream fishing should be sensitive.
It must be supplied with a reel for fishing line. The fishing line is thicker than when fishing for roach or dace. Bream are caught with a jig, moving around a reservoir in search of fish or sitting in one place and feeding the hole.
Evening fishing for pike perch
Fishing for Bream in December: Features
Bream is a bottom and deep-sea fish. Spends most of its time at depth, but not in December. During the first ice season, with the onset of the first frosts and the appearance of ice, it from time to time leaves the depths and goes out into shallow water to feed. Bream does not like muddy places, preferring a sandy or clayey bottom.
The most important thing in successful bream fishing is to choose the right fishing spot, feed the hole well, and choose equipment with bait that is suitable for the fishing spot. For December bream fishing, you can use any fishing rod, preferably with a reel.
As long as there is enough oxygen in the water, the bream bite is active and it can be successfully caught in large quantities. As soon as the reservoirs are completely covered with a thick layer of ice, and the oxygen in the water begins to fall, the activity of the bream will decrease. You might also be interested in reading: catching bream in the middle of nowhere.
Winter fishing for roach
In December, roach likes to live closer to the bottom; its neighbor at this time is perch. Bites depend on wind strength, temperature and choice of reservoir. They look for roach where the current is not strong, and drill holes closer to the shore. They fish with jigs.
The bait (maggot, bloodworm or worm) is either lowered to the bottom or raised. This game teases the sorog, and she takes the bait. In order to catch a lot of roach, you should come to the reservoir with pre-prepared feeding. They feed by throwing dry or liquid food into the water, or by lowering a feeder with bait into an adjacent hole.
In this first winter month, both peaceful and predatory fish are successfully caught, namely: roach, bream and bream, silver bream, ruffe, perch, pike perch, burbot, crucian carp, ide and pike. And now in more detail.
Roach fishing in December.
Roach can be caught during the entire ice fishing period in winter, but in December it is most active, which is why December is considered one of the best months for catching this fish.
In December, roach can be caught using both a winter float rod and a jig.
If we talk about jigs, then for catching roach you can use them as usual - these are droplets of pellets, and also roaches in December can be caught with the same success using reelless jigs, these are ant, tablet, uralka, devil.
You should look for roach in December at medium depths, at differences in depth, usually starting from the shore and going deep into the reservoir.
Perch fishing in December
Perch, like roach, can be caught throughout the winter. And in December it is also hyper active.
Typically, small perch will be at shallow depths at this time, and large perch will be at greater depths.
In December, you can catch perch using small spoons and jigs, both reelless and regular ones with bloodworms attached.
Fishing for bream and bream in December.
In December, large bream should be looked for at greater depths in holes near the holes. The bream will stay at shallower depths at sharp changes in depth.
To catch bream in December, winter float rods are often used, and they can also be caught with jig tackle, using both regular jigs and reelless jigs.
At the beginning of the month, it is suggested to catch bream using a reelless bait, since the bream is still quite active, but by the end of the month the bream becomes less active and is caught in a passive way, and therefore float tackle is more often used, and here you can no longer do without bait.
It is recommended to buy bait for winter fishing for bream and other peaceful fish in stores and you should choose winter bait for cold water.
Pike fishing in December.
In December, it is recommended to look for pike at differences in depth along edges, snags, or along the border of reeds and clear water, at the confluence of two rivers, at the entrances to the pool.
They catch pike in December in several ways, namely with girders, spoons and balancers and other baits that imitate the behavior of fry.
When fishing with girders, the bait is whitebait.
And when fishing with spoons and balancers, the vertical lure method is used. The technique of this kind of fishing is simple, you move your hand with swinging movements, then lower and then raise the bait. Pike prefers smooth play.
Fishing for pike perch in December
In December, pike perch are searched for at depth, often at channel edges, holes, drop-offs and sudden changes in depth.
To catch pike perch, as well as to catch pike, you can use girders and artificial baits.
On the contrary, you should flash the pike perch with sharp strokes rather than smooth ones.
Burbot fishing in December.
In December, the burbot has a pre-spawning fry and therefore it is quite active; they also catch it on girders, hooking both a live fry and just a piece of fish meat.
You can also catch burbot with spoons with balancers, or with silicone baits using the same method of vertical lures.
Retrieving is done smoothly, raising the bait to a shallow depth and making long pauses at the bottom.
Burbot is most active in the evening and at night.
Ice fishing for pike in December
Pike caught on a girder
activity in December . Therefore, catching this toothy predator is an activity for active and passionate fishermen. In December, pike are trolled and caught using girders. Sometimes small pike are caught on bait on a jig intended for other types of fish.
If there are no bites for a long time, you need to change your fishing spot. The more holes drilled, the better. First you need to catch live bait on the girder, and then install several girders at once. The permitted number of fishing rods per fisherman differs depending on the region.
But usually the fisheries inspection allows the installation of up to ten girders. Pike trolling is becoming more and more popular from year to year. On one hole, you should throw the spoon to the bottom about seven to eight times and slowly raise it by 1.5 meters.
Repeat this several times, and if the pike does not bite, you should move to another hole. Pike is caught in December and in shallow-depth areas of the reservoir. They are caught using spinners, wobblers and balancers.
Successful catch of crucian carp
What and where to catch pike in December
December is the best time for pike fishing. She still continues to actively feed and greedily rushes at everything that moves within her vision. Even weather changes are not always able to affect the toothfish’s bite on the first ice.
You need to look for the predator in its usual places:
- near thickets of coastal plants;
- among snags and sunken trees;
- in places where there is a difference in depth;
- at the underwater edges;
- near underwater springs or in places where a stream flows into a reservoir;
- near artificial structures - near bridge supports, piers, etc.
Most often, pike will hang around places where small fish accumulate. If you manage to find a feeding place for the fry, then you can safely catch the toothy predator there - most likely, it will swim somewhere nearby. This is interesting: Catching pike in winter using a balance beam
In December, pike are caught using plumb spoons or jigging rods; balancers are used less often. Lures are large during active biting and medium or small during sluggish biting. Small crucian carp, roach, perch, brushfish and other small things that live in this reservoir are used as live bait. Read also: Spinning fishing for pike in December, as well as with a fallen fish for pike from the ice
How to catch crucian carp at this time
Crucian carp sleeps in deep hibernation in winter. Therefore, unfortunately, you won’t be able to catch golden crucian carp in December . But you can try to catch its silver brother. True, it bites weakly, but if the fisherman has an ordinary fishing rod with a nod in his hands and he goes to a pond or lake with a muddy day, then there is a chance to catch a fat crucian carp.
Well, if he doesn’t catch it, then he shouldn’t be discouraged, because crucian carp and perch live next to the crucian carp, and you can catch them with your ear. To catch crucian carp, the jig with bait must be lowered to the bottom and then slightly lifted. The crucian carp will begin to bite after the nozzle is lowered onto the bottom soil.
Burbot in December
December is a month of good burbot fishing.
This fish is preparing for spawning, and therefore feeds heavily, gaining calories. They catch burbot in areas with moderate currents and a hard bottom - rocky or clayey, going fishing when it gets dark. To catch burbot, fishermen use girders or baits baited with live bait (ruff, roach) or sharp bait. The nocturnal predator is also caught with fishing rods with a large, heavy jig, on the hook of which a piece of fish is attached. This jig is used to tap the bottom, causing the night predator to bite.
Safe behavior on ice
You cannot be on fragile ice less than 12 cm.
Safety is the most important thing when ice fishing. Under no circumstances should you walk on ice unless you are sure of its strength. A lot of fishermen have lost their lives ice fishing due to carelessness and “Russian chance”. It has already been said above that you cannot be on a body of water with fragile ice thinner than twelve centimeters.
If you hear the cracking of ice, then you need to lie on your stomach and slowly crawl to a safe area of the reservoir or to the shore. If, nevertheless, the ice cracks and you find yourself under the ice, the main thing here is not to panic. There should be a neighbor next to you who will come to your aid. Under no circumstances should you go ice fishing alone on the first and last ice.
After all, in the event of a tragedy, there will be no one to save you. First you need to check the strength of the ice in front of you with an ice pick or a thick stick. If you still managed to swim, you should immediately start making a fire and warm up.
The strength of the ice is checked in front of you with a simple stick.
If possible, if one of the fishermen is in a car, then ask him to take him home so as not to catch a cold or get sick with a dangerous illness, for example, pneumonia. When you go fishing, tell family members exactly where you are going.
Do not take alcoholic beverages with you when ice fishing, but do not forget to take a long and thick rope, which can serve as an excellent life-saving device. The fisherman must have a cell phone with him, which must be fully charged before fishing.
After all, in the cold the battery drains quickly. When fishing in December, if possible, you should put spare warm clothes in your fishing box. Do not walk on ice covered with snow, but walk along the paths that fishermen have walked before you.
Useful tips
Transparent ice around the hole is sprinkled with snow to darken it
- Even if you are going to fish with only one or at most two fishing rods, it is better to drill more holes. This is necessary so that the fish comes to this place where there is a lot of oxygen. — Look for moth larvae, because experienced fishermen claim that in December they bite better than maggots or worms. - If you have made a hole and want to fish for dace, but it doesn’t bite yet, don’t be discouraged and wait half an hour. This fish is shy and after drilling holes, it leaves for a while and then returns again. — To avoid freezing, do not place the caught fish on ice, but immediately place it in a bag. — If you pour a little vegetable oil into the hole, it will not freeze and it will take less time to clean the hole with a ladle. — The ice near the hole should be sprinkled with snow to darken the transparent ice and thereby not scare the fish. An ice chip should not be left near the hole. After freezing, they become frozen and crispy, which alarms shy fish.
