Mormyshka fishing in winter
As a rule, mormyshka fishing in winter is carried out on water bodies without a current or in places where the current is very weak (with a strong current, the mormyshka is pressed against the ice or its game is very difficult).
The process of “playing” with a jig is very simple on the one hand, and very complicated on the other.
From a simple point of view, the game consists in moving the jig in a vertical plane, while making small vibrations with the body of the jig, and the smaller they are, the better. Sometimes you need to stop the movement or make the jigsaw tremble in one place. That is, as you already understood, everything is very simple in theory, unfortunately in practice everything is much more complicated.
After reading this article, you will not become a master, but we hope that you will understand at least the principles of jigging.
There are a number of factors to consider when fishing for baitfish:
First factor: ice fishing period. Three periods can be distinguished - fishing on the first ice, dead winter and fishing on the last ice. Fishing on the first ice is the best time to start your winter fishing hobby. At this time, a lot of oxygen is dissolved in the water, so the fish are active and hungry. The game at this time is fast up and down, and the amplitude of trembling is large. The second period is the most difficult in terms of fishing. There is little oxygen, the fish becomes slow and passive.
It is difficult to arouse interest in mormyshka, especially without attachments. Vertical movements are slow, while oscillations should be very frequent (from 200 oscillations per minute). With the onset of spring, the fish wakes up, begins an active search for food. Therefore, the game with a mormyshka should gradually return to the option of playing on the first ice.
Second factor: the habits of the fish you went after. Predatory fish react to a more mobile bait, not predatory to a slow one. But the opposite is not excluded.
Third factor: feature of the reservoir. Here it is necessary to take into account: the color and nature of the bottom, the food base of the reservoir. That is, light mormyshkas are desirable on a dark bottom, dark ones on a light one, and, naturally, the movements of the mormyshka should be close to the movements of bugs, or crustaceans living in this reservoir.
It is also necessary to pay attention to the illumination of the reservoir. But sometimes, even taking into account all these factors, the mormyshka you have chosen does not work, but a completely unexpected option works. Therefore, you should always have mormyshkas of various sizes, colors, shapes with you.
What to choose the speed of fishing tackle and the amplitude of oscillation? No one will give an exact answer. Sometimes it happens that sitting side by side and catching on the same bait and making similar movements, one fisherman takes out fish after fish, while the other is silent. Everything depends on experience. The main thing is to try to pick up movements for your gear and for your hands. Very rarely there really is no fish in the reservoir, more often it is simply not possible to stir it up. Tip one: change the place and when you find yourself in another part of the reservoir, everything can change.
Mormyshka fishing methods
It is very long to describe all the ways of playing the mormyshka, so we will describe the most commonly used ones.
- The movement of the mormyshka starts from the bottom, with small twitches we raise it to a height of a couple of tens of centimeters and smoothly lower it to the bottom. We repeat all over again until the bite;
- A similar method: we raise it from the bottom in the same way, only at the end we make the jig freeze for a few seconds. Variants are also possible when the mormyshka is lowered slowly with the same twitches. A bite is possible both when breaking away from the bottom, and when the mormyshka freezes in the upper phase, in this case the fishing line sags and it is necessary to have time to hook the fish;
- A variant is possible when the mormyshka rises to a certain height in several phases; in different areas, simply rises or trembling with the bait are possible;
- Often, the bait must be held for 3-5 seconds in the final phases, and then quickly start lowering or lifting. In this case, the fish reacts to movement and grabs the bait instinctively;
- A good option is tapping on the bottom. The mormyshka is raised and sharply lowered. At the same time, turbidity rises at the bottom, which attracts fish. You can knock on the bottom once or several times. Raising the bait above the bottom, let it freeze and lower it again. In this way, you imitate swarming in the mud of small bugs;
- When fishing in shallow water, you can set the movement of the mormyshka between the walls of the hole, naturally oscillating and raising;
- A good option is to raise the mormyshka above the very bottom and drive it from wall to wall, while often and finely “drumming” with the index finger on the whip.
In all variants of mormyshka fishing, you can start moving both from the bottom and from a certain depth. When you gain experience, you can combine these options or come up with your own. Do not forget that fish can stand at different depths, and when fishing, catch all levels of the reservoir.
Often several mormyshkas are used at the same time, tying them at different heights. Whether this is justified is up to you. Both options have their pros and cons, as in principle when choosing any options.
The main thing is to try and soon you will understand what a thrill winter fishing for mormyshka is.
