How to choose winter bait for pike perch?

Where to look for pike perch in winter?

Pike perch is a fish that lives in schools of several, as mentioned earlier. It is in continuous activity.

This fish has excellent eyesight and a developed sense of smell, which helps it quickly find food in the form of:

Tulki;
Bleak;
Sprat.

Pike perch bites at the same time in winter and summer; this time is called exit. Then you can observe a graph of fish activity.

Let's celebrate! A fisherman who is an expert in catching pike perch knows that in winter it is necessary to fish at depth and along river beds, especially at night.
In fresh water bodies, the most profitable bait is a spinner. Below we will talk about how to choose it.

Winter lures for pike perch - spinners

You should choose a spinner according to the following criteria:

The size of the bait should be up to 10 centimeters;
It is desirable for the wiring to have jerks and steps;
Availability of hooks;
A bright appearance is also required;
Must be resistant to current.

Winter baits are recommended to be yellow or white; in some cases, striped or scaly patterns can be used.

The most popular baits that can be used in winter are:

Sudachya;
Vlasovskaya;
Uchinskaya;
Nurse;
Ray;
Boat.

Let's celebrate! Each of the baits will be described in detail below.

Vlasovskaya

It is used at night in winter and is made of brass.
The appearance resembles a ski weighing 15 grams.
Vlasovskaya remains attractive even after a long period of use.
When used in conjunction with fishing techniques, it should be in motion even at depth.
The Vlasovskaya bait can be purchased at a cost of 500 rubles.

Nurse

Used only in clean lakes, it floats freely in the water and in appearance resembles a small fish.
The material is similar to the above bait, but the weight is a little more up to 19 grams.
Has several hooks and shows good results in the absence of current.
The cost of a wet nurse is 300 – 750 rubles.

boat

Unlike the above, it has a fundamental difference in the form of a fishing method.
Has positive characteristics. It is used not only at depth, but also where it is shallow.
This bait is equipped with several hooks from one to three.
The price varies from 370 rubles per piece.

Ray

Expensive and, according to surveys of winter fishing enthusiasts, more effective, it is made using cupronickel and has the shape of a boat with concave, sharp edges.
The weight is on a bright feather, with the center of gravity on the hook.
The movement is similar to small fish.
The cost of the beam attachment is from 80 rubles.

Sudachya

The model is quite catchy and flat.
The material used can be durable brass, and the color ranges from silver to gold.
It has proven itself positively even in fast flows.
Using the right bait, the spoon moves from one side to the other.
With its help you can catch large pike perch up to 5 kilograms.
Even beginners use pike perch.
You will need to spend 200 rubles or more to purchase.

Uchinskaya

It has the heaviest weight compared to others, while its length is only 9 centimeters.
A special feature is the lead weighting material.
Most popular in strong currents.
This bait can be purchased from 350 rubles.

The best domestic spinners

Imported spoons are considered to be of better quality and catchability. However, domestically produced spinners may well compete with Finnish or Japanese ones. Each fisherman selects for himself those baits that bite him.

Aqua Shniaga. This spoon is suitable for slow and smooth retrieve, and not for active play. It can show quite decent catch results.
"Luck Pier No. 2." This bait has a special shape. According to fishermen, this form is designed specifically for Russian perch and gives a good catch.
"Orlovskaya lure zander 07". This bait is suitable for pike perch, perch and pike. The shiny corrugated surface reflects light well.
Russian Bait "Micro". This bait is universal. It is suitable for both winter and summer fishing. It has a unique shape with a lightweight tail section. When properly retrieved, it shows an attractive game to the predator.
Eco Pro Favorit. The spoon is only suitable for calm waters where there is no current. Thanks to its features, even with slow retrieval, the bait makes sweeping movements. Predators like this and start attacking.

Read How to make a snack

Tactics for catching pike perch in winter using lures

Tactics are always based on knowledge of the fishing location. In any case, you need to find a specific fishing spot, so fishermen make several holes in the ice. If the reservoir is already familiar, then you should wait for a bite.

In the case of an unfamiliar reservoir, it is difficult to determine the location of the fish exit. The positive aspects will be a group of fishermen who can simultaneously check the bite

Let's celebrate! A winter echo sounder can also tell you about the condition of a fishing spot.
An echo sounder is a sonar that is used to recognize fishing spots.

Choosing a place and fishing tactics

The difficulty of winter fishing is that finding fish under a layer of ice is much more difficult than in open water. The fisherman must accurately decide on the choice of place in order to ensure a good catch without constantly running from point to point.

Pike perch leads an active lifestyle and constantly migrates across the pond in search of food. For hunting he prefers the following places:

– depth differences; – eyebrows; – pits; – heaps of stones and snags.

During the winter, the behavior of pike perch changes:

1. At the beginning of winter, the predator is very active. On the first ice, it is effectively caught throughout the day at shallow depths - pike perch often goes to elevated areas and shallow water. The average fishing depth is between 2-4 meters.

2. In the middle of winter, with increasing frosts, pike perch becomes more lethargic and most of the time stands in deep holes, where the water is more saturated with oxygen. It goes hunting in the evening and is caught throughout the night.

3. The end of winter awakens the pre-spawning hunger in pike perch; it begins to move for prey to the beds of streams and melt water flows flowing into the reservoir.

When choosing a place on an unfamiliar body of water, it is better to interview local fishermen, who will tell you the winter stops for pike perch. But the angler must be prepared for the fact that catching pike perch in winter will require significant effort - to find this active predator, you often have to drill several dozen holes and walk 10-15 kilometers.

When catching pike perch from ice, you need to drill at least 10 holes in the selected area. The sequence is from the shore to the center of the reservoir. They are caught in the same sequence, starting with the first one. For each hole, 15-20 cycles of play are enough - if there is no bite, you should move on to the next one.

Other artificial winter baits for pike perch

Artificial baits include those baits that are used from inedible materials, with the exception of rubber, which can be eaten.

These include:

Balancers;
Amphipods;
Jigs;
Wobblers.

Balancers

One of the most popular baits with which you can catch pike perch.
Balancers are large baits in the middle, to which a fishing hook is attached.
Colors can be either calm or bright acidic.

Wobblers

Wobblers are large baits that are made of plastic or wood. The shape and size can be varied.

Amphipods

The amphipod spinner has a different type of attachment; it is not an ordinary bait, but a combination of a balancer in a vertical position.

Edible rubber and silicone

Edible baits are used for:

Increased appetite;
The smell attracts fish.

Let's celebrate! If there is no bite or minimal catch, you can use edible bait. The fragrant bait is stored for a long time and does not lose its properties.

Jigs

A jig is an artificial bait that creates a positive result in roach fishing. The difference from regular fishing is the presence of gambling and active fishing.

There are several types of artificial bait, which differ from each other not only in the material of manufacture, but also:

Color:
Shiny;
Combination of several colors;
Plain, simple colors.
Shape:
Nymph;
Ant;
Goat;
Uralochka.
Weight:

Let's celebrate! To attach the hook to the jig, you can use a soldering iron with light solder so as not to add weight. You can use the bait as a small spoon, often it has to be painted in a bright color so that the fish pays attention.

Average

Unlike others, they have a light structure, even in some cases fishermen make them themselves. Popular among winter fishing enthusiasts. Tin is quite plastic, which allows you to slowly erase the line using rounded edges.

Heavy. The positive aspects are a long service life, as well as use at depth. From the name it is clear that the jig is heavy, which allows it not to react to the current and wind. It will be most appropriate for morning fishing in winter.
Super heavy - created from an alloy that is even heavier in weight than tin, namely tungsten.

Manufacturing materials:

Lead is a gray metal with a plastic shape;
Tin is one of the components of the group of light metals, a white metal;
A variety of alloys are materials that consist of several chemical elements;
Tungsten is a hard material with a silver tint.

Examples of effective zander lures

Let's now look at the photo of some of the most effective spinners, which are very effective for catching pike perch. And the basis of a catchable spoon is its game. The action of the spinner must be perfect and with each twitch its fall must be exactly repeated. Pike perch loves it when the spinner repeats its movements. Let's take a closer look at these spinners.

Spinner "Sudachya"

The spoon is ideal for catching pike perch and trout. It is especially convenient when fishing in currents or deep water, as it is quite heavy. Has various colors. Most common colors:

silver;
gold;
copper.

It is made mainly of brass or cupronickel. It is also great for catching other predators, such as perch and pike. It has an excellent game that can attract pike perch.

Tips for fisherman: How to catch pike on girders in winter - Features of choice

Spinner boat

The boat spinner has an interesting two-stroke action. Works well at great depths, although it works just as well for predators in shallow water. The game of this spinner is planning . Can be with a single soldered hook, a double soldered hook or a tee on a chain.

Spinner Vlasovskaya

Another spinner that has shown itself to be excellent when catching pike perch. The interesting play of the spinner cannot leave the predator indifferent and provokes him to bite. Usually equipped with a tee, but can also be equipped with a soldered single or double hook. It is very similar to the “Nurse” spinner, but the play of these two spinners is different.

Luch spinner

The beam spinner has a center of gravity at the bottom, right at the tee. Curved inward. Because of its shape and weight distribution, when it falls, it does not just fall vertically, but goes to the side, rolling over on its side. With each fall, it changes direction. Very reminiscent of the game of a real fish. It works great not only for pike perch, but also for other predators. It can be either with a loosely attached tee or with a soldered single hook.

Spinner Nurse

An excellent spinner that lives up to its name. It has a wave-like shape, which is why it has an incredibly attractive game for winter pike perch. When falling, it becomes parallel to the bottom and moves to the side. Such movements are very reminiscent of the behavior of real fish, which pike perch is used to feeding on. A pike perch cannot swim past such a spoon without attacking it.

Spinner Uchinskaya

The Uchin spinner is a heavy spinner, which is used mainly when fishing at great depths and strong currents. It works flawlessly on pike perch. Often made from two plates of different colors - silver and gold. In combination with red feathering on a tee or cambrics it works quite effectively.

And you can learn about the best summer lures for pike perch in our other article.

See also:

Reviews from fishermen

I always use different baits when winter fishing for pike perch. I can credit the right location for the big catch. Grade:

Petr Ivanovich