Features of making a balancing nod with your own hands. Do-it-yourself Shcherbakov’s winter balancing nod video “Fisherman’s workshop Possible manufacturing errors

23 Feb

The fantasy of amateur anglers often amazes with the originality and effectiveness of many solutions. Take for example a winter balancing nod, which is a truly unique design, which, at the same time, has already accepted many admirers of this fishing method into its ranks.

Nod Features

In this article we will talk about how to make a do-it-yourself balancing nod for a winter fishing rod. But first, a few words about its design. Due to the fact that a correctly weighted nod is able to balance during a bite, it gets its name. This is where the principle of the counterweight comes in - at the end of the nod we put a sinker, which balances the mass of the load of our equipment.

This gives the fish the opportunity not to feel the weight of the tackle even during a careful bite. Such nods are equipped with a bearing. For ice fishing for whitefish, tackle is truly indispensable, especially when it has proven itself when fishing for bream and roach. Let us reassure those who have already thought of buying Shcherbakov's balancing nod - the tackle is really worth it, it is one of the best in ice fishing, so they will do it themselves. You can watch, for example, a video about catching roach on a balancing nod.

What else are good gatehouses of this principle of action? They actually play a role. Due to the mobile sinker, we can easily and with increased accuracy balance a jig with a nozzle or a hook. Fishing on a balancing nod is as follows: at the moment when the fish tries the nozzle, it slightly lifts the weight, and the guard detects a bite.

At this very time, the sinker, located at the nod, compensates for the mass of the load, which is located near the mormyshka or hook. Thus, the fish does not feel the weight of the tackle and swallows the bait more boldly. To balance the gear and fine-tune the nod, sliding weights are used.

For fishing, you should immediately take a set of various sinkers that are on sale everywhere - then you can pick up a counterweight for a mormyshka of any weight and set up any tackle right on the ice. The bream and roach respond well to the free fall of such tackle.

Manufacturing

In fact, as mentioned above, making your own homemade nod for winter fishing will not be difficult even for beginners. So, as the body of our bite indicator, we can take as a basis any old unusable whip from a fishing rod or spinning rod (with a tulip). If there is a need, it can be additionally painted with bright colors, to give it freshness.

As a load, an ordinary olive, or other sinkers, are often used, based on the weight of our equipment. To make a good balancing nod of Shcherbakov, we need a small bearing, which can be found in old, unnecessary spare parts, or in extreme cases, bought in a store.

Attaching the nod to the whip is done in different ways, I will describe the 3 most common if the tip of the whip is too thin for the bearing.

Simplest. We wind tape on the tip of the whip, adjusting it to the diameter of the bearing)

With thread and superglue. We wind the thread around the tip of the whip, impregnating it with glue. It will be necessary to wind up to the inner diameter of the bearing.

We select a small segment of a thin tube (along the inner diameter of the bearing) to be worn on the tip of the whip. If there is a slight play, you can wind a little electrical tape around the tube so that it is well fixed. As in the photo below.

Now we install 1-2 sinkers. To fix them, we use multi-colored pieces of cambric from the insulation of electrical wiring. Before attaching the gatehouse to, some anglers recommend making a forced bend of the whip (if it is made of wire) so that when assembled on a stand it does not “look” at the sky, but is parallel to the surface of the water in the hole. The angle should be no more than 20-30 degrees. A pair of cambric should be fastened to the tip of the whip, through which the fishing line will pass in the future.

We collect tackle

Now you can wind the working line (enough for up to 30 meters in length) onto the spool of the reel. The diameter of the fishing line will depend on the fishing conditions and the intended trophies, but in most cases 0.12-0.14 mm is enough. We pass it through a nod: first through the cambrics at the top of the whip, then on the axis and further through the rings of the rocker balancer.

At the end of the fishing line, an ordinary loop is prepared, after which a leash is prepared separately from a fishing line of a smaller diameter (i.e. if the main line is 0.14, then the leash is made from 0.10). At one end of the leash, a swivel is knitted for attaching to the main working line, at the opposite end, either a mormyshka or a hook with a sinker. You can tie a hook or a fly on a separate leash 15-20 cm higher than the mormyshka.

The only drawback of such equipment is that it is necessary to carefully play the fish so that the second hook does not hook on the edge of the hole and break off. We fix the leash with a swivel to the loop of the main fishing line. In the manufacture of a lodge for a winter fishing rod, the entire structure must be calibrated on the surface so that the weight of the weights is equal to the weight of the mormyshka.

Today, ice fishing with the use of a balancer is gaining more and more popularity. Many novice anglers are of the opinion that this technique is complex, requires specific knowledge and is not effective enough compared to gear with a nozzle.

A nod for a balancer is convenient when catching perch, especially during periods of its active feeding. This species of fish belongs to schooling predators and responds well to such a noisy bait, from which noticeable vibrations come.

What you need to know

Tackle for fishing and a nod for a balancer should be distinguished not only by reliability, but also by light weight and compact dimensions. The best option would be a fishing rod with a reel that has an easy move and is complemented by a push-button brake, and a handle with a length of 40 cm, made of neoprene or cork. The fishing rod is subject to such requirements as playing with bait and high-quality hooking of prey. The whip must be both rigid and strong, this will prevent the occurrence of vibrations after casting the balancer.

Peculiarities

There are different opinions regarding the nod for the balancer. Of course, it is not a mandatory element, but in its absence, the number of bites is noticeably reduced, since many go unnoticed.

A nod for can be made from any suitable material, for example, from bright nipples, watch springs, lavsan thick film. The variety depends on the type and weight of the used balancer, the nod is intended primarily to determine the moment of bite and reach the bottom of the balancer. In addition, the number of protruding parts in the mount must be reduced to prevent line overlap. Silicone devices with a length of no more than 6 cm have become the most widespread. It is also worth noting that they do not form vibration during use and are not subject to corrosion, which metal counterparts cannot boast of.

Materials and tools

Ice fishing is divided into several categories, and each of them requires the use of a certain balancer. The same applies to nods: in some situations, they may not bring the expected effect.

In order to make a nod for the balancer, you need to prepare the following materials and tools:

awl;
pliers;
soldering iron with solder;
strong iron wire or knitting needle from an umbrella;
a miniature bearing from an old hard drive or fishing reel;
waterproof glue;
luminous varnish;
cambric;
sinker;
a small piece of lightweight material, such as polystyrene foam;
high voltage ignition cable for car.

Manufacturing

It is necessary to cut off a part of the ignition cable and insert it into the bearing, after removing the wire core. Two cambric are put on the wire or knitting needle, there should be a sinker between them. The dimensions of the cambric should ensure the free movement of the sinker. If there are difficulties in moving the latter, you need to enlarge the hole with a drill of a suitable size.

To create a signal beacon, packaging foam rubber or polystyrene foam is used. The cut out detail is fixed on the awl and painted with bright varnish. The shape is limited only by the imagination of the angler, it can be cone-shaped, oval or square.

The bearing is fixed on the axis with a soldering iron, in order to achieve better balance, it is recommended to move the part closer to the opposite side of the spoke tip. As a result, the long arm must be balanced by the weight in the middle of the short arm.

The finished nod under the balancer is fixed on the whip gear. It is desirable that the fishing rod had a handle with a hole. It will be possible to place a counterweight in it if the design of the balancer is too heavy.

For fishing line, cambrics are fixed on the whip. Then the fishing line is passed through the hole on one side of the spoke and the sinker is fixed. The position of the balancer changes depending on the buoyancy of the water surface and the baited hook, and here the possibility of moving with cambric turns out to be very useful.

During a bite, a nod for raises the short side, equipped with a beacon. The bearing of the device requires systematic lubrication with automotive lithol or other suitable material.

A nod for a balancer: advantages and disadvantages

Among the positive aspects, it is worth noting smooth operation and the ability to control the foot, which is especially convenient in cold weather. For the stability of the balancer in strong winds, it is enough to deploy it with the front part to the windward side.

One of the disadvantages is that the balancer rotates around the axis, which makes it necessary to make a wider hook. Also, in some cases, it may be difficult to independently manufacture and install.

Equipment

It is recommended to put a fishing line on the rod, it has the best characteristics of elasticity and shock absorption, in addition, it is less prone to freezing, unlike a braided line, which also has low stretch.

The desired object of fishing determines the thickness of the fishing line. In addition, the nod used for the balancer and spinners is taken into account, in particular, its weight and dimensions. For example, for perch, a line with a diameter of 0.18 mm is suitable, but for pike and pike perch, a line with a thickness of at least 0.3 mm and the simultaneous use of a leash will be required. The use of the latter is rational only in this case, since it worsens the reaction to the bait. It is worth noting that during pike fishing there is a high probability of line breakage, but this risk is compensated by a lot of bites.

Inertialess and require the use of whips with a length of more than 30 cm and the presence of through rings. It is desirable that the whips be made of fiberglass or carbon fiber, which can often be found on modern spinning rods, and be resilient.

The need to install a nod for a balancer on a fishing rod in the fishing environment does not subside disputes. Part of the community is sure that the use of this snap item is mandatory. Others argue that the gatehouse does not help, but harms the process. We will figure out which nod to choose and in what cases it is advisable to use it.

Do I need a nod when fishing on a balancer

With the development of modern materials, the need for a general installation of nods on tackle for lure disappears. Predatory fish peck quite bitingly, the bite is transferred to the hand. Modern carbon fiber and graphite whips work out this moment perfectly. When (corresponding to the weight of the bait, and the elasticity of the whip), an additional bite indicator is not needed. When using homemade rough tackle, or old “wooden”, when the game does not feel like a fishing rod, the gatehouse can help in fixing the bite.

A feature of the use of nodding equipment is that the guard is required to be soft. A blank is suitable, which in no way makes springy vibrations under the weight of the bait. In the working position under load, the nod should be almost completely bent.

Correct balancer position

Functions

More often, such equipment is necessary when catching an inactive perch, when the striped one slightly pushes the bait when biting or gently takes it without trying to swallow. The nod is selected so as not to lift the bait up by the force of elasticity. The nod just hangs down (in the common people - “snot”). With a careful tossing of the fish, such a gatehouse, respectively, rises and clearly fixes the bite.

Sometimes pike perch also exhibits similar behavior, especially in the wilderness. Even fans of fishing with ultralight winter rods without a nod sometimes equip tackle with a soft silicone tube. Bites of an inactive perch or pike perch are so weak that they are not clearly transmitted to the hand even on such sensitive gear.

Use cases

It is advisable to use gatekeepers for balancers in the following cases:

What does the gatehouse for the balancer look like? It does not matter how the angler makes such a bite indicator. You can make them yourself from improvised materials or use purchased ones.

The easiest option is to use a special soft lavsan nod for the balancer, it is a little rougher and larger than for jigging. A similar lavsan strip can be cut out yourself if there is material available. The nods of the balancer from a soft silicone tube are popular, which is attached directly to the tip of the rod without ruts or passed into the tulip.

Such a gatehouse is very sensitive, does not lose flexibility in the cold (unlike wire insulation). But it has a drawback - freezing of the fishing line in case of active use at low temperatures. In such cases, lavsan snot is more practical. You can use store-bought metal products, as well as homemade clock springs.

For the lightest balancers, you can use a standard mormuscular lavsan from the store. Anyway, the weight of even a mini-balancer is much more than that of a mormyshka, the bait will completely bend such a gatehouse.

A nod on the balancer is not such an important point as, for example,. Therefore, the design and use suffers from a wide range of applications. The rule, we repeat, is only one - excessive elasticity should not interfere with the balancer to play correctly, as it is only an indicator of weak bites. Therefore, coarse spring guards are not suitable for balancing fishing.

Winter is coming and for many fishermen this means the opening of the ice fishing season. In this case, you need a good nod, especially when it comes to catching crucian carp. The fact is that in winter the crucian carp is rather lethargic and its bites are almost imperceptible. They can manifest themselves in a short one-time nod, which the fisherman may not notice, in addition, the crucian often raises a nod, which is also hard to see. Thanks to the momentum of the nod, you will immediately clearly see that the fish has taken the bait.

Materials and tools for homemade:

From materials:
- a knitting needle from an umbrella or a flat piece of steel wire;
- a small bearing (suitable for a fishing reel or hard drive);
- a piece of high-voltage ignition cable;
- cambric;
- sliding sinker;
- waterproof glue;
- fluorescent varnish.

From tools:
- stationery knife;
- soldering iron with all accessories;
- awl;
- pliers.

The process of making a nod:

Step one. We prepare the components
First of all, take the bearing, we need to prepare it so that it can be easily put on the tip of a winter fishing rod. To do this, you will need a piece of thick cambric, which can be obtained from a high-voltage car ignition cable. Cut off the desired piece and insert into the core of the bearing. For reliability, the gum can be smeared with glue.

Next, take a knitting needle and a sliding sinker. We adjust the hole in the sliding sinker so that the sinker slides freely along the spoke. Also, two pieces of cambric should be put on the knitting needle, one in front of the sinker and one in the back.

Step two. Production of a signal beacon
In order for the nod to be clearly visible at a great distance, you need to make a beacon for it. Here you will need a small piece of foam or foam rubber for packaging. Having cut off the desired piece, we have to paint it. To do this, the author puts a piece on an awl and then paints it with bright fluorescent paint.

Step three. We glue the structure
At this stage, it is necessary to glue the spoke to the bearing. Here you will need a good waterproof glue, the author uses cyanoacrylate-based glue, but hot glue is also fine. We glue the knitting needle so that a lever is formed. The idea is such that the small weight on the short lever balances the long heavy part.

Now it remains to fix the beacon on the lever, it is installed on the short part of the lever.

That's all, set the nod to the bait. The task will be to adjust the nod so that it is in a horizontal position. The weight is fixed with cambric, so by moving them we set the position of the weight relative to the center.

You will also need to glue cambrics to the rod and to the bearing, the fishing line will pass through them.

How it all works
First of all, we draw the fishing line through the cambric, and then through the ring at the end of the knitting needle. With the hook, bait, and everything you need attached, you will need to balance the nod as the rig adds extra weight. We move the sinker forward / backward and select the horizontal position of the nod. That's all, waiting for the first bite!

Now about the bites. Suppose a crucian swims up to the bait and makes even the lightest poke down. As a result, the long lever goes down, and the beacon goes up.

If the crucian picks up the bait, the long part of the lever becomes lighter than the short one with the sinker and rises. As a result, we will have a beacon below.

That's all, the nod is completely ready. With it, you can catch crucian rotan and other fish, which are distinguished by their caution and slowness.

Of the advantages of this design, one can distinguish that the beacons are quite far visible, which cannot be said about ordinary fishing rods. The disadvantages include the complexity of manufacturing, the complexity of setting up, as well as the problem when hooking. You need to hook with a long wave of your hand in order to compensate for the stroke of the lever.

Good luck and big catches!

Winter fishing is not as simple and monotonous as some people think. There are many fishing methods that are interesting and active in their own way. For example, fishing on a balancer is very peculiar - an artificial bait fish, on which you can catch a rather large predatory fish.

It is a bit like summer spinning fishing. Only the rod for ice fishing is much smaller and arranged a little differently. For example, a nod for a balancer is very sensitive bite alarm. It helps to see the approach of even the most inactive fish. The design and options for such a gatehouse are varied and even complex.

What it is

A nod for fishing on a balancer, to be specific, is winter fishing rod tip. It is called a nod, because when some river predator grabs the bait, even very carefully, he leans towards the hole, really, as if “nodding” down.

What does he look like

Most often it is a thin spring, a stick, hair - everything that can have the ability to quickly respond to any tension on the line, but at the same time have a certain margin of strength and elasticity. The material from which this tackle is made must be frost-resistant and not freeze when water gets on it at low temperatures.

At the same time, the gatehouse, like all winter tackle, shouldn't be hard- after all, the fisherman always holds the rod in his hand.

Need a nod or not

Until now, disputes about whether a nod is needed for such river hunting at all have not faded away. Some enthusiasts are sure that a sensitive whip is enough - the basis of the rod itself. Indeed, when attacking a bait used by pike or zander, it is hard not to notice a powerful bite. Moreover, when catching this fish, the fisherman often stands over the hole, so it is more convenient to play a large and mobile individual. A nod in such a situation can really not be used.

Expert opinion

Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich

Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am a professional fisherman.

Important! However, when fishing for smaller and less mobile perch in cold water, the lack of a sensitive nod can cause a missed bite.

So a nod during sitting fishing over a hole is still more necessary than it is an extra tackle.

Functions

As already mentioned, first of all, the gatehouse is a bite indicator, as well as when fishing for a mormyshka or a bloodworm.

Another practical purpose of such a nod is that with a slight twitch, it must provide the so-called lure game, which imitates the behavior of a fry or small fish, which is required to attract predatory fish.

This game depends not only on the movements of the fisherman (although the behavior of the balancer in the water still needs to be learned), but also on the material from which this tackle is made.

There are many store-bought options, but ice fishing veterans often prefer to make their own poles. The choice of material today is quite diverse.

However, the nods of industrial production are quite catchy. You just need to choose them correctly.

How to choose a gatehouse

The choice of such gear depends on many factors:

from the fish that is found in this reservoir;
from the reservoir itself: from its depth and the presence of vegetation;
from the current;
from the weight of the balancer.

Each gatehouse has its pros and cons. Some amateurs prefer to take several species with them at once and determine on the spot which one is more catchy.

But there are adherents of one particular type of nods, they thoroughly study its features and use them to the fullest.

From a spring

Pretty rational gatehouses, have good sensitivity, are relatively inexpensive, but have a number of disadvantages:

in the cold, when water enters, the resulting ice particles stick to them;
over time, the spring stretches and loses its elasticity;
also, over time, such a nod simply rusts.

Lavsan

It has good sensitivity, but due to the increased flexibility, they are only suitable for light weight balancers. A significant disadvantage is fragility A: When moving fishing, the line will quickly destroy the inner silicone tube.

To prevent this cut, some hobbyists insert a small metal ring.

From a metal plate

Such nods have the same positive properties as lavsan ones. But much stronger, so they can be used when fishing with large balancers.

The disadvantages include, perhaps, the relative complexity of self-production.

Combined

These gatehouses are made both from lavsan elements and using a metal plate. Usually these materials do not mix well, but in this case, well-made industrial-made combined nods are quite reliable.

Flaw - relatively high cost of the product.

CFRP

Most often made independently from carbon whips. Such a nod has high plasticity, frost-resistant, but it takes a long time to process.

Apparently, therefore, the industrial production of such lodges is practically absent, unlike whips.

Requirements

Any winter gear must be frost-resistant, this applies to nods in full. In addition, they must have the following qualities:

the materials from which such tackle is made must be elastic and resistant to stress;
the length of the gatehouse depends on the manufacturer, but, as a rule, it does not exceed 5-6 cm;
the weight should not be heavy, but sufficient for stability in relation to the wind.

Selection of a nod for a balancer

The nod is selected under the weight of the balancer so that it does not bend much, and at the same time, has sensitivity. We also pay attention to other factors:

how well the fishing line is skipped in it;
check the flexibility of the product in the cold;
when choosing between a silicone tube and electrical wire insulation, give preference to the first option, it is more flexible in the cold;
with a loaded nod, the angle of its deviation is permissible within 30-45 degrees; this is easy to check with a protractor;
the color of the tackle should be bright so that any, the most insignificant fluctuations, are noticeable;
nods for jigs are most often not suitable for fishing on a balancer, they cannot withstand the weight of the bait.
and do not forget to check the strength of the nod on the whip, especially for home-made designs.

Non-standard models

We have already talked about the traditional nods that are usually used for this type of fishing. Such models are simply put on a whip and serve as a continuation of it. But there are more original and complex models.

Guard-crossbow

The attractiveness of the design lies in the fact that it practically does not create resistance when biting. but creates a certain game for the bait.

The gatehouse consists of a triangular wire structure with a twisted elastic band, on which a silicone tube is put on. A regular nod is inserted into the incision on the tubes.

Shcherbakov's nod

It is called balancing, but when fishing on a balance, it is practically not used, since it does not provide the game of the bait. The essence of the tackle is unusual. Across the main rod, the nod itself is mounted on a bearing, the upper part of which is equipped with a tulip and fishing line, and a small load or signaling device remains on the lower part. When biting, the upper part of the nod smoothly lowers with the assistance of the bearing.

How to do it yourself

It is necessary to consistently make the nod itself and the connector (holder) that will attach it to the rod. From the materials we need scissors, a needle and a plastic lavsan strip:

the strip is made about 6 cm long;
make it cone-shaped;
on the thin side with a hot needle we make a hole for the fishing line.

Now let's start making the connector:

take a two-wire wire, cut off a piece of about 5-6 mm;
from one part we take out the conductive core together with the insulation;
from the other - only the core.

The hole of a larger diameter will be put on the whip of the fishing rod, and the fishing line will pass through the small one.

Equipment

When going fishing with a balancer, do not forget about other gear. Particular attention should be paid to the rod or whip. For large predatory fish, strong rods should be used, preferably carbon fiber. It should be short, no more than 60 cm with medium weight balancers.

Useful video

Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich

Zoologist, hydrobiologist. Graduated from Leningrad State University named after Zhdanov, Faculty of Biology and Soil. I am a professional fisherman.