Catching burbot with a snitch - do it yourself, fishing technique

Burbot - what kind of fish?

Burbot is a fish that likes to stay on the bottom. Belongs to the cod family and lives in fresh water. By the way, he is the only one of his kind. It is very cold-loving, which is why it is caught in the cold season, in autumn and winter. It is active only when the water temperature is 10 degrees Celsius and below. It is not considered so popular among fishermen, most likely due to weather conditions. Few people would agree to spend the whole night in the cold. But the result is worth it!

Tackle

The knocker is a heavy balancer spoon, often cone-shaped, which is suspended horizontally. The hook goes to the side, and the eye is at the top of the bait. Has a slight resemblance to a spinning jig head. There are variations that are not similar to the balancer.

Why can’t you catch burbot using regular spoons? It is possible, but the efficiency will not be high, since this type of fishing is not considered purely “burbot”. It would be much better to make a special bait for burbot and hunt exclusively for it.

Options and equipment

Equipment for knocking
The equipment itself for fishing by knocking is a stick with a reel, a strong monofilament line 0.4-0.5 and a bait tied to it. A flexible whip or nod is not needed - the bite of this fish is clearly felt “in the hand”. Therefore, you can use any hard fishing rod or even a homemade “dryn” - a makhalka.

The right bait is more important. As a last resort, you can simply pull the fishing line with your hand in the hole. As already mentioned, any heavy jig or jig head is suitable for knock fishing in winter. But the most catchy options are special hooks created for this fishing method. Some assortment is available in fishing stores. When purchasing, the main thing is to pay attention to the hooks. It’s good if the bait has additional sound stimuli (for example, balls sealed inside). You need to imagine where the knocker will knock on the bottom and whether adding bait to the hook will interfere with the sound.

Making a snitch

To begin, obtain and prepare a sheet of almost any metal, be it brass, copper or nickel, the thickness of which should be up to one millimeter. The best option is a sheet whose thickness is from 0.5 to 1 millimeter.

From such a sheet, cut a rectangle thirty millimeters wide and sixty millimeters long. This rectangle needs to be bent in half to eventually form something like a gable roof. Make a through hole exactly in the middle. Wire eyes will then be attached through it. Two fairly large hooks need to be attached to the eye antennae. After these steps are left behind, the workpiece can be turned over and the empty space filled with lead.

After this, it is advisable to file and polish the finished product.

By the way, the shape of the knocker does not have to be triangular - you can create an oval or round shape with several hooks. Everything is in your hands, create as it suits you!

Squealer for winter burbot fishing

There is nothing tricky about making a rod for burbot snitching. Few people will buy a fishing rod specifically. You can take a piece of a spinning rod with a handle or a part of a blank 35 - 40 centimeters long and equip it with a handle, or you can simply use a knife to cut a thin tree trunk (enough for a season) and screw homemade access rings to it with insulating tape.

I used just this version of the snitch to catch burbot from a boat. While the water has not yet frozen.

The reel is purchased in the summer version. Simple, inertial. This float rod is completed. You can also use a plastic one, but it will last, at best, one season with frequent use.

The fishing line is wound from 0.3 to 0.45. It's not worth it. Even if you pull out a 5-6 kilogram burbot, nothing will happen to it. Subject to certain conditions, of course. Out of stupidity, you can even break things. The fishing line is wound around 15 - 20 meters. This will be enough for fishing in any deep place. I tried using braided cord. Did not like. It freezes and stands up like a stake, and it’s inconvenient to drag the burbot; your hands can be cut.

At the end of the fishing line, a carabiner is attached to the loop. It's not worth grinding. No need for a leash. He will be superfluous for snitching.

Previously, I independently cast and soldered spinners for burbot: “vertical” and “horizontal”, “rocker arms” with two hooks. But it’s been five years since I abandoned this business. In the store you can choose a jig head that suits the weight. You just need to look at the crochet equipment. It happens that the manufacturer solders in a noticeably weak hook.

The tip of the hooks should be moved slightly to the side. So the detection rate will be higher.

We connect all the parts into one whole and the winter hook for catching burbot is ready.

Bait

Bait is one of the most important key components of success; its choice cannot be taken carelessly. Moreover, burbot is quite whimsical, and it will not swallow everything. Let's look at the most popular and used baits for burbot.

Worm. In winter, getting a worm yourself will be more than problematic, so you should buy bait in advance from a fishing store. The larger and fattier the worm, the better. Try to bait it better so that it doesn't slip off the hook.

We use small dead fish as bait - sprat, gudgeon and other types of small fish. It will be good to cut the carcass on the sides - this will play a key role, the burbot will feel the smell and swim to dinner. It would also be a good option if the fish is a little rotten - this way the smell will reach the burbot even faster.
Cutting fish are also very effective bait. Remember that burbot is a predatory fish; even cut meat (for example, pork or beef) is suitable for catching it. Make medium sized pieces and place it well on the hook.

We make a snitch with our own hands

To make a catchy snooker with your own hands for burbot, you should prepare:

A rectangular fragment made of brass, annealed copper, nickel, 0.5-1 mm thick. Its dimensions should be 60-80 mm in length and 30-40 mm in width.
Corner eye..
2 large hooks.
A chain of rings or a large winding ring.
Polishing paste.
File for processing uneven edges.

Step-by-step instructions for making homemade bait:

Bend the metal rectangle along the middle and along the edges at an angle of about 60 degrees, ultimately you should get a structure shaped like a gable roof.
Drill a hole in the center of the already bent workpiece.
Make a loop from wire material.
Pass the loop through the prepared hole.
Attach two large hooks to the wire part inside the workpiece. The output should be the same - the tips of the hooks peek out from under the gable structure.
Fill the resulting frame from the inside with molten lead.
Clean and polish your homemade drummer. Using a file, remove all unevenness and roughness. After that, clean the bait with polishing paste using velvet cloth.

The knocker can be not only triangular in shape, it can be made square or oval, and also be equipped with several hooks. The main thing here is that the bait produced makes a characteristic sound, or rather a lot of noise, and attracts the attention of a predator. As an option, as a knocker you can use a double spinner – a “clanger”, which also effectively makes noise and provokes the burbot to grab the bait.

There is another way to make a burbot snitch:

Make a standard triangular bait model.
On the fishing line in front of the structure, pass a 12-gauge brass sleeve, previously sawn in half, where there is already a 32-gauge sleeve inside.
The result should be a three-stage design that creates an excellent sound effect upon impact.

Video on how to make a snitch with your own hands

Improving snitching at home:

Habitats

We said above that fish are cold-loving, so they are caught mainly in autumn and winter.

The most favorable time for fishing is the end of December - mid-February. December, along with January, are the richest months for fishing. In summer it is almost impossible to catch burbot, as it is in hibernation. But in the fall, when he wakes up, he begins to actively look for food for himself. It emerges from the depths at night, so you need to go fishing in the evening.

The best places for catching burbot are uneven banks or calm, deep pools. As a rule, burbot goes upstream, trying to stick to the maximum depth. It is not found in shallow waters; these cases are extremely rare.

At night, you can attract burbot with the light of a flashlight . He doesn't particularly like sunlight, but he does a great job with a flashlight.

What is a snitch?

The squealer can have a variety of appearances. Different fishermen imagine it completely differently, so they use different gear:

Heavy balancer;
Jig with a large sinker;
An ordinary hook with a massive Cheburashka weight.

Some people prefer to buy ready-made gear, while others decide to make it themselves. But everyone agrees on one thing - the main thing here is not the shape, but the heavy weight.

Yes, the knocker should have a decent weight, about 20-35 grams, so that when you twitch the rod, it sharply falls to the bottom, making a corresponding sound. This type of gear does not require any special play - unlike lure fishing. After all, the main task of the snitch is only to attract the attention of the burbot to a certain place, and then the bait used comes into play.

Even experienced fishermen find it difficult to answer why snitch fishing is so productive when fishing for burbot. Maybe he is affected by infrasound waves that occur when the tackle hits the bottom, or maybe he’s just curious and wondering what the source of the sound is. In any case, this feature should definitely be used if you want to return from winter burbot fishing with a rich catch.

Of course, you should use this gear only if you are going to fish on a reservoir with a rocky or hard clay bottom. On a muddy bottom, the snitch will simply fall into the soft mud without making the slightest sound. Of course, she will be able to raise the dregs that small fish are hungry for. But in this case, you will be more likely to catch perch, pike perch or pike, which happily hunt for small things. Burbot is indifferent to such phenomena.

Fishing process

First, hook the bait with a snitch and lower it all the way to the bottom. The line will sag when it reaches it.

Start knocking with delays of 2-3 seconds and raising the bait 5-10 cm from the bottom.

Fishing with a hook is effective precisely because when the workpiece hits the bottom, it makes a characteristic sound that burbot feel, thereby getting hooked. The most important thing is to create as much noise as possible under water, it will definitely attract fish.

When a burbot bites, you will immediately feel it. At first he will pull hesitantly, picking up the pace more and more. When the movements become sharp and confident, hook!

The fishing itself is problem-free, but you should not allow the line to sag too much.

This type of fishing is most effective on cloudy nights and in bad weather. Therefore, if you do not want to freeze, especially in winter, then prepare for this in advance: stock up on clothes and heating pads.

You can watch a detailed video that will tell you and show all the details below.

Technique for catching winter burbot using a snitch

The technique of fishing with a snitch is quite simple. The bait is raised above the bottom by about 35 cm, then thrown onto the ground, followed by quickly lowering the tip of the rod down. Having made a couple of blows to the bottom, you can move the bait along it for a few seconds, then lift it above the ground by 15 cm and hold it in this position for a few seconds. Then drop it to the bottom again and lift it up again. At this moment, the bottom predator usually carries out an attack.

When is the best time to catch burbot using a snitch?

Fishing is really interesting just before spawning. However, not during the period of newly established ice, but later, when the ice has already reached at least 20 cm in thickness. Snow will be useful. At this time, on cloudy days, burbot can be caught during the day. There is darkness under the ice, which predetermines the success of such fishing.

This is interesting: Normal atmospheric pressure for fishing, Best weather for burbot

If you want to please your family and friends with large fish, bet on fishing in mid-February.

Finally

Our story is coming to an end, now you know where burbot lives, when is the best time to catch it and what to use, what place to choose and what fishing tactics to take. Finally, I would like to write a few more simple tips to ensure that the catch is maximum with minimal effort.

As you remember, burbot is attracted to noise, so for maximum effectiveness, your squealer can be supplemented with metal rings or balls. Thus, they will create even more noise at the bottom, attracting this predator.

In addition to the classic knocker, which we examined in detail, you can make a round one. It’s also very simple to do: a ball is turned out of metal, and two blind holes are made that are symmetrical to each other. A wire loop is inserted into one of them for inserting a hook, and into the other for securing the fishing line. The size of the ball can be absolutely any; you need to focus on the depth of the reservoir, as well as the speed of the river flow in this place.

Subsequently, you yourself will be able to experimentally determine which bait, hook and hook will ideally fit into the fishing, what is most effective and what is not. So try, experiment, take action!

As you can see, there is nothing supernatural or super complicated; if you want, you can do everything! Good luck and rich catches! Burbots are waiting for you!

And in the end, I would like to show you a video of catching burbot in winter. Enjoy!

Squealer is the most effective bait for burbot

Whatever snitch the fisherman uses, it is important that it has the following characteristics:

Had sufficient weight (5-30 g),
Preferably made of brass or bronze (experienced fishermen note that it is these metals that “ring” correctly when hitting the bottom),
Equipped with large and strong sharp hooks (a weak burbot hook will simply break or bend),
The hooks are located in such a way as not to interfere with the metal part of the bait hitting the bottom.

Winter fishing for burbot using snitching is widespread everywhere. Anglers use jigs for burbot, summer jig heads, some vertical spoons - it doesn’t matter. The bait hits the bottom and produces a sound that attracts predators. Burbot reacts to the stimulus and goes to see what is happening. The bait is used with bait, which gives an attractive smell and a lump of mass that the burbot will grab when it approaches. That's why this method is so effective. Fish are lured from afar first by sound. Then, when she approaches a sufficient distance, she also smells the attractive smell of the nozzle. The best burbot bait for catching is a piece of fresh fish with a specific smell that attracts a predator.

When baiting the hook, the tip of the hook remains open; you need to make sure that scales do not stick to the tip - this can interfere with normal hooking.

In Siberia and the north, fishermen catch burbot using hooks in huge quantities, stocking up for the winter. But during the rest of the winter, this method of fishing justifies itself as the most effective.

Video about winter fishing for burbot using a snitch: