Fishing in winter is especially pleasant because this is a unique time of the year in its essence. Special mention should be made of catching catfish in winter, because the variant of such catching is very peculiar. As you know, catfish sleeps in winter, respectively, it is possible to catch it only with a samoder. In most cases, for the winter, catfish gather in a group so that this time of the year is as comfortable as possible for them. The main difficulty in catching catfish in winter is finding a place where catfish can live. And this requires some knowledge and skills.

• First of all, you need to prepare a samoder. What it is? These are three large iron hooks. They, together with the sinker, are attached to a thick fishing line or rope. Three hooks is the best option;
• As soon as the fisherman gets to the lake, you should start looking for a fishing spot. Where does catfish live in winter? This fish sleeps exclusively in pits, and they should be looked for in reservoirs. Finding places of accumulation of catfish at random will not work. What to do? The search for such a place should start from the very summer. The deepest places are ideal for catfish accumulation;
• The next step is to create a hole. No need to make the hole just huge. The ideal option is three catfish heads (medium size). Don't punch a huge hole. First of all, for the fisherman himself, this is quite dangerous;
• Let's get straight to the fishing. We throw the samoder to the bottom (this will be the so-called trial cast). Attentiveness, sensitivity are the main qualities that must be applied during the first cast. As soon as it is felt that the anchor has already definitely fallen to the bottom, we carefully cut it. The first cast (trial) will most likely not bring any results. However, do not think that all fishing is lost. You should continue to send the samoder to the bottom. However, at the moment when the fisherman cuts the samoder, one must take into account the fact that not one fish, but several at once, can get on it;
• Patience is the main quality in winter fishing. If at the moment this is the first fishing in winter, you should not be nervous, you should not immediately leave the place of fishing after several casts. The main thing is to know that it is under the hole that there is a hole in which, in fact, catfish can exist;
• If the fisherman felt the weight of the fish in the samoder area, one should not rush, one should not make unnecessary sudden movements. The winter period is characterized by the fact that each catfish is in hibernation. The average withdrawal rate of a samoder is ideal. In this case, you should not rush, as the catfish can wake up and try to devote maximum of its efforts to resistance. Some fishermen, on the contrary, take too long to bring the fish out of the lake. Under its own weight, the catfish can get away from the tackle without any problems;
• If during the approach of the catfish to the hole, the fisherman sees the head, you should pierce the head of the fish with a sharp object as quickly as possible (example: the same hook) and pull it onto the ice. Only speed, only quick actions solve all the problems of catching fish from the lake.

In winter, the catfish sleeps and this is the main advantage of every fisherman. The greater the number of lowerings of the samoder to the bottom, the greater the likelihood that the fish begins to wake up.

Winter fishing for catfish is very attractive to many fishermen. It really is a quality time pass. The main thing is to do everything right, and you will succeed.

In general, it seems to me that winter catfish fishing is the most difficult type of fishing that you can imagine.

Very often, hard work on the water in the cold does not pay off. The angler must get used to the idea that there are seasons and situations in which he will not see victory.

I don't mean relatively easy fishing in the reservoirs of southern countries like Spain. No, we are talking about the large rivers of Europe, which in winter carry water with a temperature below 5 degrees. During this period, rains and snowmelt often cause severe floods. Over the past winters, I spent a lot of time on the water, and I would like to tell here about my discoveries and tests.

Many anglers believe that catfish can only be caught in the warm season, but this is wrong. Catfish is a robber that feeds throughout the year, and even in the winter cold (if the reservoir is not frozen).

Of course, in the cold season, the energy of the fish drops, and it takes longer to digest prey. For this reason, it is sometimes not possible to achieve more than one grip per day. But in winter, your chances of really big fish are extremely high.

During this period, I use two fishing methods that will help you productively use the days spent on the water. During the day, I move downstream on a boat equipped with an electric motor and catch deep reaches of the river, trying to keep the bait vertical, near the bottom. At sunset, I set up donkeys on the bank and wait for a bite, resting in a cozy tent. At the same time, I have the opportunity to fish throughout the day and increase my chances of guessing the time of activity of the underwater robber.

Catching catfish in the winter in a plumb line

The bait should hang above the very bottom for a long time; periodically I lower it to the bottom and raise it again.

I usually use a fireball or small bream mounted on a lead head; you can also use silicone fish up to 20 cm long. The weight of the equipment depends on the speed of the current; most often you have to use heads weighing from 80 to 120 g.

Catfish search technique in winter

Winter is great for targeted fishing for large catfish. In cold water, catfish most often lie inactively on the bottom, but they can be provoked to bite with the help of an actively moving bait. It is unnecessary to think that the catfish will not take the bait in water with a temperature below 6 degrees, but at such a time, for a grip, the prey must literally fall into its mouth. On most of the rivers where I had to fish, catfish could be found in the deepest areas in winter. These can be pits and furrows in stretches, areas near river ports or weirs of dams. In cold weather, catfish often gather in flocks, so it happens in a short time to experience several serious bites.

The best time to be active from the boat is the first half of the day. In the evening and at night, there are noticeably fewer bites on an actively supplied bait. It seems to me that the catfish are hunting at this time and therefore less likely to react to the bait served at the very bottom.

Successful plumb fishing requires proper rod work, trust in your bait and good knowledge of the reservoir. The fishing technique is generally simple - you move on a boat, lowering the bait vertically to the bottom. When fishing for spinning, time is spent casting; the lure plays while winding the line onto the reel. For this reason, bite can only occur at certain moments of spinning fishing. On the contrary, when fishing in a plumb line, the bait stays above the bottom for many hours. At the same time, an experienced angler uses an echo sounder and an electric motor to control the movement of the boat and bait, which makes it possible to very accurately catch the bottom habitats of catfish.

Rod for catching catfish in a plumb line

When fishing in a plumb line, the rod is an extension of the angler's hand. Hard rods with a fast action, from 180 to 210 cm long, are most suitable. It is advisable to use thin-walled blanks - it’s good if the rod does not weigh too much. At the same time, it must be strong enough to break the resistance of the struggling catfish.

The baiting technique can be quite varied and depends on the current situation. There are three main varieties.

uniform wiring. In this case, the bait must be kept at the very bottom; with this fishing technique, you can use both natural baits and silicone fish. This is a rather difficult fishing, as you need to constantly monitor the echo sounder screen and concentrate on guiding the bait at the right distance from the bottom through vast water areas with solid depths. It is best caught on a bait hanging only 20 cm above the bottom - it goes right above the heads of those lying on the bottom.

Jigging. This term means the constant rise and fall of the lure touching the bottom. In general, it is similar to catching cod and other marine bottom fish. The angler is constantly making short or longer pulls with the rod, which causes the bait to bounce. This technique is especially catchy during those hours when the catfish are actively feeding.

fire ball. Recently, slow, smooth feeding of live or dead natural bait has become very popular; more commonly used species such as crucian carp, carp, bream or eel. The fish is hung on a Fire Ball lead head mount, which allows for a very natural presentation. The equipment consists of a spherical head with a short single hook and an additional leader with a tee. The fish is mounted on a single hook (through the upper lip), and the tee is fixed on its side. A similar rig is fed at the very bottom with slow movements of the rod tip.

The biggest difficulty with plumb fishing is the catfish's caution and incredulity. An experienced angler feeds his bait in such a way that the catfish does not suspect anything and actively grabs it. For this reason, it is desirable to use natural bait, which not only moves, but also emits a smell familiar to the predator. It is very good if your bait imitates the natural behavior of small fish, and when the catfish approaches, it starts to make sudden movements, as if trying to escape. The angler, who constantly twitches his artificial fish with uniform movements, can make the predator suspect that something was wrong and refuse to bite. Prey that does not try to elude a predator may frighten it.

Use of bottom rigging and a submerged float in winter

The colder the water, the closer to the bottom the fish stay. At the bottom, she also finds her food, since in the cold in the water column and on its surface, something edible rarely comes across. It is clear that catfish also stay almost exclusively on the bottom. The best rig for fishing from the shore is a submerged float rig. This float is put on a tackle leash; he picks up the bait and allows it to be seductively served at the very bottom. With this rig, I use heavy lead sinkers or stones tied to fairly thin line. This arrangement of bottom gear has two important advantages. Firstly, a heavy load securely holds the bait on the bottom of the river. Secondly, due to its weight, the catfish that grabbed the bait during the first jerk cuts itself.

Earthworm as winter bait for catfish

Worm. This bait works great in winter too. I put on a hook up to a dozen worms; this bundle plays well in the water and, combined with its natural smell, is a real delicacy for catfish. You can additionally moisten the worms with some attractive attractant.

Winter fishing for catfish

Live fish is one of the catchy bait options for winter catfish. In this case, it is important to offer the predator such prey that would behave actively in cold water. For example, these are asp, pike perch, bream, rudd or crucian carp. I put the live bait on a two-hook tackle. After the tackle is delivered and the live bait is lowered to the bottom, the fishing rods are placed in the holders. The slack in the cords must be taken up and the reel brakes tightened. This contributes to the self-cutting of the catfish after the first bite.

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Catching catfish in winter

Features of winter fishing for catfish

This powerful and heavy predator is the dream of any angler with spinning rods, vents and donks. There is an opinion that with the establishment of ice, fishing for catfish stops. This is true for most reservoirs in central Russia. But it all depends on the temperature regime of the reservoir and the density of the predator in it. Many cooling reservoirs for nuclear power plants do not freeze at all in winter. And if catfish are found in them, then fishing on them is possible all year round.

In the Astrakhan region, in the Volga delta, catfish also do not lose activity during the winter period. It's warmer and there are more fish. A sort of fishing Eldorado, where you can take your soul for real fishing. And catfish, apparently, thinks the same way. Therefore, the mustachioed one does not sleep in wintering pits, but still goes out to rob on the deep pit edges of channels and reed erics. The only difference is that in winter it takes catfish much less time to hunt. Everything is connected with the so-called metabolism, that is, the metabolism in the body, which is slowed down in winter in all fish. In cold water, catfish have no time for fat, if I were alive ... And therefore they eat as much as is required so that the strength in their powerful blued bodies with furious strength does not fade away. This already warm summer, they will bask at night in the moonlight, coming out with a quiet splash to the surface, recklessly attack sleepy fish, on a sunny day grab gaping chicks and ducks in the reeds, pick up from the bottom everything that has protein and calories, be it lying carrion.

Places for catching catfish are chosen in advance, from the open water period. And there is nothing new here. Just like in summer, these predators stay in deep pits, and go hunting to the nearby pit edges, not going far from the parking lots, as happens in summer.

Since during this period the catfish are in a borderline state between lethargic slumber and periodic episodes of activity, then something drastic is required for fishing for catfish to interest the predator, to the point of knocking on the strong head of the catfish with some heavy and fast bait . This, of course, is ironic, but the baits really need active and rather large ones. And these baits include balancers.

Winter fishing for catfish on balancers and spinners

To catch catfish, of course, you need large and active baits, preferably bright colors, with the addition of the article F, that is, phosphorus shades. Why are these colors needed? The fact is that catfish fishing occurs at great depths and often under a layer of snow. Even on a bright day, when the snow-covered expanses of the reservoir or the channels of the Volga delta are flooded with sunlight, this light barely breaks through the ice.

These catchy and active baits include Spider Pro 90mm balancers in colors 27, 29, which are popular colors in pike fishing. They will be appropriate in fishing for catfish. These colors are best used during the day. In the evening or early in the morning, as already mentioned, you need phosphorescent colors with the addition of the letter F. Luminous baits when catching a predator at dusk can give odds to any of the most advanced and expensive balancers of a regular color.

Why exactly balancers can be attributed to successful lures for catfish? Classic balancers, which include Spider Pro lures, have a very active and wide game, which largely depends on the stabilizer of the lure. In Spider Pro balancers, the stabilizer, which is also called plumage, is made of special impact-resistant plastic. Due to its design features, the balancer deviates far away from the center line of the hole, and then on the way back it sometimes makes movements resembling a “figure eight” or a sharp loop. With the next stroke, the bait turns around and moves in the opposite direction. And we have already said that a sleepy catfish sometimes lacks such a show, so that, shaking off the remnants of drowsiness, rush after an impudent fish, even if it is just an artificial bait. Considering that several catfish accumulate in the pits in winter, the joke about poking a catfish in the head with a heavy bait may turn out to be a reality. Underwater filming has shown such episodes more than once, when the bait literally knocked on the fish head.

When catching catfish in the deep-water areas of the reservoir or the Volga channel of the lower reaches of the Volga, there is one important detail: the balancers will work actively and to the full extent of their capabilities, if you use a non-standard swing with a fishing rod, that is, a shortened and sharper one than, for example, in fishing at depth up to five meters. When fishing in relatively shallow water, it is enough just to raise the balancer, as it immediately “starts up”. Greater depths level and average the jerks of the rod. Therefore, more effort is needed to ensure that the bait can make a deviation from the vertical and then glide back in its famous ornate dance...

Spinners are also successful baits in catching catfish, but most often they turn the fish red. Apparently, predators are only curiously interested in a strange fish that dared to invade their living space, but its decision has not yet come to grab. And then the fish itself grabs the king of the underwater kingdom and drags it upstairs.

For fishing at great depths, according to the logic of fishing conditions, it would seem that narrow and heavy spinners are required, similar to walleye spinners, only even heavier. But these baits will work too sluggishly at depth, which may be of interest only to the same sluggish walleye or pike, especially if fishing takes place in the middle of winter. What kind of lure to choose based on the capture of catfish?

Recently, summer spinners have become widely used in ice fishing. Their advantage is that they play well at all depths: from coastal shallow water to a depth of 8-10 m. At the same time, summer spinners have additional game phases, when at the moment of pause the bait rotates around itself for some time. Sometimes it is at this phase that the predator grabs the bait. In addition, the oscillating spinners of the summer series have a long game on their own due to the wide body, which allows you to make many waddling movements, sliding in the water column away from the vertical, nimble dives, which distinguishes these baits from ordinary winter vertical lures that fall to the bottom heavy nail. But for fishing at great depths, even such a wide-playing bait must receive an energetic impulse in the form of a sharp short throw of the rod.

As already mentioned, in order to stir up a sleepy catfish, you need an active bait that irritates the predator and makes him attack. Oscillating lures for summer fishing are also great as a winter active bait. The only condition: the oscillating lure must weigh at least eighty grams, be large and light, resembling a silver roach. These spinners include, in particular, baits: Catfish Spoon - 85 g, Detector Spoon - 80 g, Mad Max Spoon - 80 g.

Jig silicone baits are also successfully used in winter. In the twilight light of the underwater deep world, luminous fluorescent vibrotails and twisters 12-15 cm long work especially well. Recently, the so-called edible rubber has become widespread. These are also very effective baits, which, in addition to the visual effect, have a smell that attracts a predator. The weight of the sinker or jig heads is about 50 grams. At greater depths, more massive baits are also used.

Fishing for winter catfish requires durable composite rods. The length of such a rod can reach a meter. Also, to equip a fishing rod for catching catfish, you need a winter inertialess reel that can work without failures at sub-zero temperatures. The coil is equipped with a braided cord with a diameter of 0.18-0.2 mm.

Catching catfish on postavuhi and zherlitsy in winter

Despite the appearance of more and more new and natural-looking most expensive artificial baits, the predator unmistakably chooses a live fish. In addition to the appearance, the fish has a whole gallery of bright and subtle odors, vital fluids, a spectrum of frequencies and vibrations to which any predator, including catfish, reacts. Therefore, live bait gear for catfish is the most practical and catchy for the winter period. In addition, fixed gear has another very important advantage: when they are placed in the right places, the angler moves away from them and does not create excessive noise on the ice that the fish hears perfectly, be it just the creak of fishing shoe covers in the snow. Any venter will confirm this, because when approaching the vent, which has just been the grip of a predator, no matter how quietly the angler tries to sneak towards it, the pike will still hear him and try to leave, spinning the vent reel with a whistle. And this despite the fact that the depth in this place can be ten meters.

The simplest gear among live bait homemade products are the so-called "postavuhi" for catfish. This is just a piece of strong nylon cord, on which there is an end sinker, and above it is a leash made of strong monofilament fishing line with a diameter of at least 0.3 mm and a length of about 30 cm. A large single hook No. 16 of our numbering or a double of the same is tied to the leash. numbers. A rather large roach or any other "white" fish is mounted on the hook. The most reliable way to hook a live bait is to pull the leash through the gills of the fish and secure the hook in the mouth of the live bait. To do this, the leash must be detachable. This method will not give the predator a chance to pick the live bait and leave. True, the service life of the live bait on such equipment is shorter than with the method of putting the live bait under the dorsal fin. But in cold water it is not as noticeable as in the summer. The difference in life expectancy of live bait with these methods in winter is insignificant.

Upstairs, in the hole, the stand is fastened with a strong stick laid across the hole.

These simple tackles are mainly used by local anglers, for whom catching fish is not only a rest of the soul, but also a serious addition to the table. Therefore, these rational and catchy tackles often bring good prey, as the locals know all the catfish holes and put out several tackles, sometimes quite a lot.

Catching catfish on the vents can be no less prey, but there is already such an important factor for the angler as the bite, that is, the grip of a predator, when the scarlet vent flag rises above the ice silence. And this makes it much more interesting to catch catfish on live bait tackle.

We have already considered the main types of girders more than once. The most popular option is where a rack with a coil and a flag on a spring is attached to a plastic stand. But there is another type of girders that was also once an ingenious DIY, but now produced by well-known companies, which include Akara.

This vent has an original design, which has its pros and cons. The advantages include simplicity, functionality of tackle and the availability of ready-made equipment on the vent. Moreover, unlike other ready-made rigs, made “anyhow”, which are not even capable of catching, on the Akara 3601-002 rig the rig is ready for fishing without any alterations, but ... for catching pike. If you use gear for catching catfish, it is better to replace the monofilament line with a diameter of 0.35 mm with a braided line 0.3 mm thick or with a monofilament of a larger diameter, for example, with a line with a thickness of 0.6 mm. You will also have to replace the tee with a larger one, for example, No. 12-14. Another advantage of this vent is the sound background, or simply a click when the plastic parts collide when the flag is turned over. On ice in frosty calm weather, such a click will be heard quite far away, which will allow you to react in time to the grip and hook the fish.

The disadvantages include the small size of the plastic flag, which will not be visible if the vents stand at a distance of more than a hundred meters from the angler. At least, such a flag will be less noticeable than the flag of a homemade vent fluttering in the wind. However, when catching catfish, you should not go far from the vents, so as not to lose tackle. Catfish is a serious fish.

Zherlitsy and postavuhi are baited with large live bait fish and placed along the pit brows, where hunting catfish can come out. Most often, predators go out early in the morning, sometimes it’s still dark, but it happens that catfish grab live bait before lunch, and closer to spring, the time for daytime hunting of catfish is increasing.

In the review articles: and you will find a lot of useful information about fishing during the period of cold and frost.

The page will tell you about many popular tackle and accessories for fishing.

We describe in detail living, vegetable, artificial and unusual.

In the article you will get acquainted with the main types, as well as tactics for their use.

Learn everything to become a real angler and learn the right choice.

Catching catfish in winter is a rather rare and exotic activity. Despite this, there are two opinions in catching catfish from ice. The first anglers are sure that in winter the catfish hibernates and it is absolutely pointless to catch it, while other anglers say the opposite. The main rule in winter fishing for catfish is to find a promising site and choose a good bait that will wake up the sleepiest fish.

Catfish is a heat-loving fish, therefore, in the cold season, its activity is noticeably reduced. In winter, it eats less often and tries not to waste energy on trifles, in connection with this, 2-3 bites can occur per day, but in most cases only one. Even one bite a day in winter can bring a fairly large individual. In winter, the catfish is located at great depths in various pits.

Deep pits at the junction of two currents are the most promising. It is best to look for such places in open water, then in winter you will only have to make holes and cast the bait.

If you have not been able to find such holes, then a good option would be to look for catfish in the lower edge of the channel, especially where the channel drops sharply to the side. As a rule, catching catfish in winter is accompanied by an active game of bait. Catfish most often lies on the bottom and the bait should be fed as close as possible to his mouth. Catfish fishing in winter is carried out on a silicone bait from 10 to 20 centimeters long, equipped with a heavy lead head.

These can be various twisters and vibrotails made of "edible" silicone. Small individuals can be caught on large pellet-shaped mormyshkas. Balancers and spinners are also a good option for winter catfish fishing. Catching catfish in winter is also possible on vents, but this method of fishing is best used as an addition to active fishing.

The best time for catching catfish in winter is considered to be the time before sunset, while it should be borne in mind that in snowy and cloudy weather, catfish grab the bait well in the daytime. In reservoirs near heating plants that are not covered with ice, catfish are caught in winter by spinning.

Catching catfish in December, January, February

There is no special division by months of fishing in the winter, catfish are caught throughout the winter. At the beginning and end of winter, the catfish is more active, and in the dead of winter it is more passive, rarely goes out for prey and tries to move less.

Baits and lures for catching catfish in winter

When catching catfish on a mormyshka, you will need bait of animal origin, it can be a large bloodworm or a worm. Getting a worm at this time is quite problematic, so anglers mainly use bloodworms. To increase the effectiveness of the selected bait, it is good to process the attractant. On the hook of a bloodworm, they are planted through the middle of the body or under the head, 2-3 larvae at once. You can plant more than 3 larvae, this will cut off other small fish. planted in the same way.

Mormyshka for catching catfish in winter

For catching small individuals, mormyshkas with a diameter of 7 millimeters or a jig head are suitable.

Catching a large catfish is possible on a burbot mormyshka, which is a large head with a soldered elongated body about 50-60 millimeters long. The choice of bait in this case depends on the size of the intended prey. In the first case, a bunch of bloodworms is suitable, and in the second, you can use live bait or pieces of fish. Loach, bream, roach, crucian are suitable as live bait for winter catfish fishing.

The color of the mormyshka is selected based on the conditions of fishing, in most cases a mormyshka with a natural color is suitable - silver, gold. Fluorescent jigs have a special place in ice fishing for catfish and are an excellent replacement for conventional jigs.

Silicone lures for catching catfish in winter

When choosing silicone baits, it is better to give preference to products made of “edible” silicone; twisters and

The length of the silicone bait for catching catfish ranges from 10 to 20 centimeters. The color of the bait depends on the fishing conditions. Catfish fishing in winter is more successful with silicone baits with a shiny color, but baits of golden or silver color will also work. Among silicones for catching catfish in winter, the Predator model from the well-known manufacturer Mann's stands out.

Silicone bait is equipped with a jig head in the form of an olive or a bullet. The lead head of the Fire Ball type has also proven itself well when catching catfish in the winter. The weight of the bait depends on the depth and strength of the current in the place of fishing. In some cases, the weight of the jig head can be more than 100 grams.

Spinners for catching catfish in winter

In winter, catfish are caught on heavy large baubles with natural colors. Spinners with a gray-silver color have proven themselves well.

A good option is Acme's Kastmaster universal spinner with a length of 60 millimeters or more. The weight of the spinner depends on the depth of fishing and the strength of the current. On average, the weight of a spinner for catching catfish in winter is 35-50 grams. Catfish readily responds to special spinners for catching burbot, and specifically the Professor Madepilkki Nestori model from Kuusamo with a weight of 54 grams and a length of 115 millimeters is able to attract even the most passive fish.

When catching catfish in winter, pieces of fish can be placed on the hook of the spinner. Catching catfish in winter is possible on those intended for summer fishing. In this case, choose baits weighing at least 80 grams with a silvery color, which will resemble roach. As an example of such a spinner, Catfish Spoon weighing 85 grams can be noted.

Balancers for catching catfish in winter

As in the case of spinners, you will need large and active baits with bright colors.

Luminous phosphor balancers are on sale, which are an excellent option for winter catfish fishing. As a successful model, we can note the Pro balancer from the manufacturer Spider. This balancer is shaped like a small fish, which is a promising prey for catfish. Spider Pro 90 mm long in colors 27 and 29 allows you to catch catfish from the ice during the day, and in the evening you need to choose the color marked “F” which stands for phosphor colors.

When choosing a balancer for catching catfish in winter, you need to choose baits with a stabilizer at the back of the bait. Such balancers have a very active and wide game.

Catching catfish in winter on a mormyshka

This method of fishing allows you to catch small and medium-sized individuals, and in this case, an active search for catfish is not always required. When catching catfish on a mormyshka, you can use a winter tent, which houses a heat source and fishing equipment.

Tackle for catching catfish in winter on a mormyshka

In this case, a winter fishing rod with an open reel is suitable.

Catching catfish in winter with a mormyshka does not imply a smooth and even game, so most often it is kept with gloves, but it is better to take a fishing rod with a handle made of frost-resistant material. In some cases, the rod will need to be left dormant for a while, so be sure to equip it with legs for stable placement on the ice.

The fishing rod is equipped with a metal or lavsan nod about 15 centimeters long. Monofilament fishing line is used for winter fishing with a diameter of 0.3 to 0.7 mm. The choice of diameter depends on the size of the intended production. Mormyshkas are taken from lead with a diameter of 7 millimeters or more.

Technique for catching catfish on a mormyshka

It is not difficult to catch a catfish on a mormyshka, the main thing is to find a place for its parking. Having decided on the place of fishing, the angler makes a hole with the help of an ice drill and clears it of snow crumbs with a slotted spoon. As a rule, when catching catfish, bait is not required, so you can immediately proceed to the process of catching catching. The selected bait is placed on the hook, and the mormyshka is lowered into the hole.

Playing with bait when catching catfish in winter is very primitive. The angler lowers the mormyshka to the bottom and lightly taps it, raising the dregs, which is an attractive factor for the catfish. Then the mormyshka with slight wiggles rises to a distance of about 15 centimeters from the bottom and then slowly, again with wiggles, sinks to the bottom. As a rule, the bite happens at the moment of lifting the bait.

Catching catfish in winter with silicone lures

This option for catching catfish is considered the most catchy and has recently been gaining more and more popularity among anglers.

Tackle for catching catfish in winter with silicone lures

Catching catfish in winter on silicone is possible on a sheer lure with a hard whip and a nod.

In this case, a nod from a clock spring or rubber is suitable. Such a fishing rod is equipped with an inertial reel and a monofilament fishing line with a diameter of 0.3 to 0.7 mm.

The best option for catching catfish on silicone baits is to use a short spinning rod up to 1.2 meters long, equipped with a light inertialess reel and a braid with a diameter of 0.2 to 0.6 mm. The main thing is that the chosen rod is durable, since winter fishing involves the capture of trophy specimens.

Technique for catching catfish on silicone baits

Having decided on the place of fishing and having made holes, the angler lowers the bait into the hole. Lure play is a series of short jerks with the rod, during which the silicone bait bounces.

When catching catfish in winter on silicone, the bait should be wired starting from the bottom, and subsequently, each time the bait should touch the bottom. Only in this case, you can count on a bite.

Catching catfish in winter on a lure

Adherents of active fishing prefer to catch catfish on a lure, and in order to further interest the fish, pieces of fish are placed on the hook.

Tackle for catching catfish in winter on a lure

For catching catfish in winter on a lure, tackle similar to those used when fishing with silicone lures is suitable. It can be a sheer spinning rod with an inertial reel, a nod and a strong monoline, or a short spinning rod with a non-inertial reel and a braid. The diameter of monofilament fishing line is from 0.3 to 0.7 mm, and braided line is from 0.2 to 0.6 mm.

Technique for catching catfish on a lure

The fisherman will have to play with the bait almost at the very bottom. First, the angler needs to lower the lure to the bottom and move it so that the turbidity rises. In some cases, wiring can be started at a distance of about 3-5 centimeters from the bottom.

The technique of catching catfish in winter on a lure is an alternation of ups and downs of the bait with short pauses. To give the right game to the bait, the angler must sharply raise the rod up. During the pause, the spinner rotates for some more time and it is at this moment that a bite can be expected. Success when catching catfish on a lure mainly depends on the right place and lure. Spinners with a wide body make many waddling movements, which attract sleepy catfish.

Catching catfish in winter on a balancer

When catching catfish in winter, balancers, due to their active and sweeping play, are catching up with silicone lures in terms of their effectiveness, and in some cases they are even a better option than silicone.

Tackle for catching catfish in winter on a balancer

Gear for catching catfish in winter on a balancer is used the same as when fishing with silicone lures or spinners. In this case, this is a fishing rod for winter lure, equipped with a nod and an inertial reel with a strong monofilament section from 0.3 to 0.7 mm. Or it can be a spinning rod with a length of 0.6 to 1.2 meters with a durable inertialess reel and a braided line with a cross section of 0.2 to 0.6 mm.

Technique for catching catfish on a balancer

During the movement, the balancer deviates to the side and on the way back makes movements that resemble a loop or the number eight.

At the next stroke, the balancer turns around and moves in the opposite direction. Catfish fishing in winter is carried out at great depths, so the angler must make a short and sharp swing of the rod to make the balancer work properly.

The technique of catching catfish on a balancer is not particularly complicated. The angler, making a swing with the rod, raises the balancer to a distance of 10-15 centimeters from the bottom, but sometimes it is necessary to raise the balancer to a distance of about 30 centimeters. A short pause is made at the top point, and then the angler returns the rod to the starting point.

A pause is also needed at the bottom point, hold the bait until the balancer stops rotating. Catching catfish in winter on a balancer is also good because in some cases it can hit the head of a catfish, thereby provoking it to aggressive bite.

Choosing a place for catching catfish in winter

A place for catching catfish in winter should be chosen in advance, that is, during the open water period. Finding a promising fishing spot with an echo sounder will not be difficult. In winter, several individuals of catfish stand in deep pits, and in search of food, nearby edges come out, while trying not to go far from their parking lots.

While searching for places, look for areas with natural obstacles in the form of snags. Catfish can stand in a snag waiting for prey.

Find out where it is possible to catch catfish in winter in your area:

Say what you like, but fishing in the open water of rivers, lakes and reservoirs in winter is a new topic in modern fishing, because until recently, talk about some kind of climate warming seemed to be something far away. But already today, strategies for “summer” fishing in December (and during thaws and in January) are being discussed with might and main, until the first picks noisily clatter on snow-white ice and freshly caught red-finned perches dance on the ice.

And somehow it turned out that spinning became the main scout of cold waters, probably because its catches are quite stable, and often extremely effective. Until the freeze-up, active spinningists do not give up, pulling large pike and zander on the rivers. And what is interesting, in zander's pits, it is not uncommon for fate to endow them with catfish bites. Yes, this is not surprising, pike perch and catfish are frequent neighbors.

As experienced fishermen say: “Late freeze-up is a great success for us! Well, if there is no ice at all, then this is a great happiness. After all, from ice, that pike perch, that catfish are badly taken, but from boats they jig perfectly, until the ice floes float. And they are well caught, even at minus 10, almost after each cast, the line has to be soaked, cast again and the fish are biting - what not happiness! And it happens that you go tomorrow, and that's it, the river has become - there is no way to even lower the boat properly, even though you gnaw this ice with your teeth.

It is worth noting that the main feature of the catfish winter jig is that the baleen often wandering in the summer and autumn on the riffles, more or less crowded in the pits. But even here you still need to look for fish, since the channel pits are long, with ragged depths. In early December, catfish can take at the bottom of the pit, almost at its exit. But closer to January, there is a feeling that the predator rises up - to the very entrance. But still, this is not an axiom, and in the absence of grips, one has to tap almost the entire promising hole - from the entrance to the exit, because there are suspicions that migration exists during the day.

Catfish come across on a jig from dawn to dusk. But it happens that it breaks through the fish for biting at specific hours, it happened that it only pecked in the morning hours, almost in the dark. But according to the rules, you can sail on a boat only “an hour before sunrise”, and you have to use distant coastal artillery, which does not always help out - it is difficult to break through a steep channel edge on large rivers. Therefore, if possible, fishermen change to boats.

About postings. The classic high step is good for catching an active summer predator, and when the mustachioed is sluggish, lying on the bottom, the results drop sharply - the bait often flies over the fish during high jumps. Experienced jig riders assure that under such conditions, a low, slow step works much better, showing good results at different depths, in the course and in still water of large lakes and reservoirs.

Ideally, the bait should slowly go no higher than 20 cm from the bottom, periodically beat it briefly, and then continue its unhurried movement. For such postings, two radically different techniques for working with tackle are used.

reel. All wiring is carried out only by the coil. The rod is motionless, in a position convenient for a particular situation. After the bait touches the bottom, the slack is selected and a smooth, slow winding begins, 4-6 turns. Then a pause, in a maximum of a second, the bait should hit the bottom. If it beats for a longer time, say, for 2-3 seconds, then the winding speed is still reduced. If the pause turns out to be quite small, clearly less than a second, then the winding speed is slightly accelerated.

If you have to turn too fast, then the loading of the bait is reduced. And vice versa - it increases when it is not possible to catch with a second pause even with the slowest winding. As a rule, with such postings, the weight of the bait loading is 20-30% less than with a conventional high step.

The whole point of these manipulations is the desire to lead the bait as close to the bottom as possible. And the pause here is not some additional "lure" in the wiring, but simply a reliable way to control the depth of the wiring. Since almost all catfish bites in winter (up to 8 out of 10) go on a uniform reel, in which mini-playing with the tip of the rod or changing the reel speed is usually not possible - the most common unhurried uniform wiring, to which a not very active responds well whiskered.

spinning. The second option is evenly - stepped wiring is already done with the help of active work with the rod. After casting, the bait reaches the bottom, the slack is selected, the tip of the rod looks in the direction of the cast. The rod is smoothly retracted to the left or right (as it is more convenient) with the rotation of the body body - the amplitude of this movement is 2-3 m, with a long spinning it can be more.

Further, the rod immediately returns to its original position, and at the same time, the slack of the braid is smoothly selected by the reel, preventing it from sagging. Only the rod was in its original position - in a maximum of a second, the bait should hit the bottom. This is one cycle of the game, which then repeats over and over again. If necessary, all with the same adjustment of the speed of movement and the selection of the weight of the load, in order to achieve the movement of the bait at the very bottom - no higher than the same 20 cm.

Lures. Considering that usually slow, even hauling gives a much better result on winter catfish, not all baits are suitable. Large front-loaded turntables with quick-release weights are good. Massive spinners-oscillators also give excellent results, but here it is already more difficult to choose the necessary weight of the bait for a specific place.

And the leaders, of course, are tires loaded with “cheburashka”, the weight of which is easy to match to a wide variety of conditions. In any case, for any bait with a slow, uniform winding, a good game is required, which is embedded in the design, because there are no jerks here as a class.

"Manns Predator" is one of the first American rippers that came to us at the dawn of domestic jig fishing, but it is still in demand by spinning anglers, including catfish. This rubber is praised for its high softness, giving excellent play even at minimum speeds. True, for the softness of silicone, you have to pay with an increased consumption of these baits, which are not very resistant to catfish teeth - “brushes”, and pike and zander favor these baits. In terms of colors, the leaders are mother-of-pearl with a black or red back, yellow with red and yellow with black.

Another variant of the catfish rubber that has been popular for many years is the American Relax Hoof, with a slanting body and notches on the tail, designed to improve the game. Many appreciate the "hooves" for the denser than the "Manns" silicone, which is somewhat better resists the teeth of predators. At the same time, it has the same excellent game even on the same slow postings.

The large "hoof" of the fourth number is a favorite bait for many catfish spinningists. The third number is also often in demand, especially when catching catfish and normal-sized pike perch is promising in places where both predators often coexist, and the mustachioed normally responds to small baits.

And a few words in conclusion. I don’t believe in catfish tales - I’ve been hunting for him all my life and I know his habits. The main story is that catfish in late autumn and winter peck in the right way, like a fisherman, and this is an honest, not crimson fish. It’s just that sometimes he doesn’t partly take it with his mouth, but simply beats with his tail. And it hits balancers, heavy bolts and other motley baits from the ice.

Let's be honest - why would a normal fisherman deceive himself? And the poacher is a bugler, he is glad to be deceived, he will say anything to disguise himself among our brother. And such gaffers rake out a lot of catfish. The situation is only getting worse, and I propose to introduce a ban on catching catfish from December 1 and for the entire period of freezing. Let this predator winter in peace. Is it bad? Otherwise, the culprits of the decrease in the catfish population will be made quads, spinning fish, bottom fish, again sending this fish to the Red Book.

It’s already sickening to hear about these “tailed bites”. Why does this predator normally take bait with its mouth in October, and often with its tail in winter? What, his roof is going, habits are changing dramatically? Of course not! From time immemorial, in the middle lane, catfish stop actively feeding at the end of October and go to wintering pits. It is there that the poachers begin to scare them for all parts of the body, convincing us that the mustachioed predator “pecked” with its belly or tail.