Tricks and secrets of winter fishing
On a frosty winter day, it is useful to take a walk in the fresh air instead of a sofa. Go out on the ice in good company and return home with a good catch. After all, ice fishing is an exciting activity. But as in any business, ice fishing has its own tricks and secrets of winter fishing. Without knowing the basics of fishing and fishing tricks, it is difficult to find fish. It is even more difficult to achieve a bite, hook and remove from the hole. Although, at first glance, the sea is knee-deep for a novice angler.
In this article, we will collect all the tricks and secrets of winter fishing from experienced winter roads. We believe they will come in handy and will be useful to all novice anglers and winter fishing enthusiasts.
Preparing to go out on the ice
To go out onto the ice, you need to choose areas of the reservoir located on shallows and not covered with snow. When stepping on the first ice, you always need to check with the foot in front of you.
White ice is always weaker than transparent ice. Particularly dangerous is spongy ice (frozen snow), there is absolutely no strength in it.
During fishing, fishermen often kneel on ice and sleet. To avoid getting wet, you need to wear knee pads. They will protect you from water and fish slime when you remove the caught fish from the hook. You can also sew homemade knee pads made of thick leather, leatherette, rubber on winter fishing pants.
On a frosty day, your feet will be much warmer if you first put on woolen socks, and cotton socks on top.
A strip of foam rubber or a wide leather patch should be sewn onto the strap of the fishing box. In the place where he rests on his shoulder. It will become much more convenient and easier to carry the box.
In sunny frosty weather, prolonged exposure to ice and bright reflections can impair vision. The use of fishing sunglasses is recommended.
Fishing goggles will not fog up in the cold if the glasses are wiped from the inside with dry soap. And so that they do not fall off the nose, the temples of the glasses are connected with an elastic band.
You can protect yourself from possible frostbite by lubricating open areas of the body with goose or duck fat.
Before going out on the ice, especially on the first and spring ice, you should familiarize yourself and follow the rules of safe behavior on ice in winter .
Ice fishing equipment
The working properties of an ice screw depend on the sharpness of the knives. Therefore, you need to handle them carefully. Transport them in a special case, try to avoid accidental hits on the ice. Then the blades of the ice auger will not dull prematurely and will serve the whole season without additional sharpening.
On the way to fishing, an open ice pick can injure someone or become blunt. Therefore, for transportation, put a piece of rubber hose on the tip or wrap it with a canvas cloth.
When fishing, it is better to use special gloves with open fingers. To prevent your fingers and hands from cracking in the cold, you need to periodically lubricate them with sunflower oil.
Winter fishing tricks
A new hole should always be fished with a spoon. In the absence of bites, you can go to the jigs.
In sunny weather, you should sit down near the hole so that the fisherman’s shadow falls on the hole. Alternatively, you can sprinkle it with snow. The fish does not like and is wary of marked holes.
If water appears on the ice while fishing under the snow, you need to trample the snow around the hole. The snow crust will quickly freeze and stop “squishing”.
At the beginning of winter, roach, perch and pike should be found in deep places. The fish avoids the current. From the second half of winter, the fish, on the contrary, tends and keeps on flowing due to the lack of oxygen in the water.
During a weak bite, you need to drill more holes. Sitting at one hole, especially in the wilderness, is ineffectual. The more holes, the more likely there are more fish caught.
Another way to increase the catch in dead time is to use the smallest jigs
In winter, it is more effective to use jigs and spinners with hooks whose beard is cut off. This makes it easier to remove the fish from the hook without touching it.
In severe frost, frost that appears on the line can hide bites and even damage. Therefore, it must be scraped off by passing the line between the fingers during fishing.
Raw potatoes will help keep bloodworms in severe frost when fishing. The large tuber is cut in half. A recess is cut into one half, removing the pulp. Bloodworms are poured into the recess and covered with the second half. Fasten with an elastic band on top.
When hooking up a large fish, pull it out of the hole following the head under the gills or hook. Often the thin line does not support the weight of the fish outside the water and breaks. Many fishermen make a landing and drag the trophy along it.
In addition, when playing prey, you need to monitor the direction of the fishing line going into the water. Bending the line through the lower edge of the ice is fraught with trimming and loss of large fish. It is necessary to play on a straight line, walking around the hole after the fish.
Do not drink water and hot tea from a metal mug, freeze :)
Catch storage
In severe frost, a fish thrown on ice quickly freezes and loses its taste. Experienced fishermen put the caught fish in a fishing box.
These simple secrets of winter fishing will help a novice angler get comfortable on the ice and bring home a solid catch.
Read all the tips for fishing on our website.
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