From time immemorial, our great-grandfathers have been catching a pike on a winter lantern. Due to its simplicity and effectiveness, this simple device remains quite popular among anglers today. I would have made some such pieces for myself, came to a pond, drilled a hole, put a zergirls - and if you knew yourself, walk until one of them gave a signal.
But in fact, not everything is so simple. Firstly, you need to know where to put the tackle, and secondly, when is it better to do it. We will talk about how to catch pike in March on zerlitsy, and also discuss their designs and equipment.
What happens to pike after winter
In most regions of Russia, March cannot be called the beginning of spring. In its first half there are still frosts, only occasionally replaced by short-term thaws. Experienced anglers know that during this period, the most effective method of "predatory" fishing is to catch pike with vents. February, March, and in some areas the beginning of April is not the beginning of the summer season of predator hunting, but the end of the winter.
Pike, as you know, does not rest in the winter, although its activity is significantly reduced. With the advent of spring, namely, with the onset of warming, it "wakes up" the very first of all predators, so there is still ice, you can try fishing happiness.
In March, pike are caught on zherlitsa no worse than in winter. During this period, she, excited by pressure drops, activates and begins to intensely seek food for herself in order to stock up on protein for the upcoming spawning period.
Where to look for pike on the river
On rivers, ice begins to thaw earlier than on ponds and reservoirs. This is primarily due to the presence of a current. If the first rims appeared on the site near the fallen trees, thickets of reeds or islands, you need to go to them, observing all the rules of behavior on ice.
Catching pike in March at the girly pits on the river will be most effective in these places. Here, water is richer in oxygen, and there is more food, because peaceful fish also tend to the outskirts. If there are no such sites, you need to place the vents at the ice edge, again taking extreme care.
Pike Search at the Pond
In March, fishing for pike at the girders on the pond is also carried out near reeds, reeds or along the coast. If there are islands in the pond, it makes sense to install gear near them.
Pay attention to the confluence of streams and springs. Their streams also carry oxygen, which attracts fish better than any bait.
Looking for a pike in March at a depth is not worth it. Most often, all of it is on the shallows. And this applies not only to small grass, but also to large individuals as well.
Time for fishing on the lapdog
As for the time of day, traditionally the best hours will be morning - from 6 to 11 in the morning. But if there is a bite, you can continue fishing around the clock. This tackle is good because you can catch it both day and night. By the way, it was noticed that in March the pike are more likely to take zerlits in the pond in sunny weather, and on the river, on the contrary, in cloudy weather, even in the presence of precipitation. Why this happens, no one knows for sure.
Zerglen design
For fishing from ice, two types of girders are used:
- icing (with the placement of the structure over ice);
- ice (when all the tackle is dipped in the hole).
The latter type is more often used in severe frosts and during night fishing. The essence of the under-ice construction is that even when the hole freezes, the tackle will continue to work, as it is under the ice.
In the spring, there is no special need for such a zergel, so we will talk about the ice structure. It consists of:
- platforms (plastic or wooden);
- a coil mounted on it vertically or horizontally;
- main fishing line with a leash and cargo;
- bite signaling device (steel or plastic bar with a bright flag).
The reel can be mounted on the platform in any convenient way, so long as it can rotate, giving the fishing line while biting. The signaling device is installed vertically, bent and fixed in such a way that, with the slightest movement of the coil, it could straighten up and “throw out” the signal flag. That, in principle, is the whole construction.
Accessories for the ventilator
It's time to discuss the snap-in. There are no complicated installations. Usually, pike fishing in March for zergilniks is carried out using fishing lines with a cross section of 0.4-0.5 mm. This thickness is quite enough, even if a trophy instance is caught on the hook. As for the length of the fishing line, usually 25-30 meters are wound on a reel. But if the depth at the fishing site does not exceed 2 meters, then 10 meters will be enough.
The end of the line is necessarily equipped with a steel or tungsten leash: the pike is not at all the kind of fish that you can entrust with equipment. Feeling something was wrong, she will immediately try to eat a fishing line.
The use of cargo is advisable only in cases where fishing is carried out in deep water areas. It is mounted on the main fishing line in a sliding manner in front of the leash and is limited to lead pellets. For predator fishing on the shallows, the cargo is not used.
In March fishing for pikes on zergirls is done on a double or triple hook. The type and size is determined based on the size of the live bait. Usually these are hooks No. 6-8.
Bait for the zharlitsa
For this type of gear there is only one bait - live bait. No other nozzles are used here. In March, pike are more likely to go for zergirls, when it is a live fish that acts as a bait, and not a bait fish, although one can also use one at night.
It’s easiest to get live bait in the market by simply buying it. The prices for it are low, only transporting it to the fishing place is quite problematic. Cannes are indispensable without special utensils.
And if you don’t have the opportunity to buy live bait, you can always catch it right on the pond where you plan to fish for pike. To do this, drill holes in the shallows and catch a small crucian carp or a roach with a winter fishing rod using an ordinary mormyshka. As for the size of live bait, the pike in March responds more readily to girders equipped with large baits. It's all about hunger and the desire to quickly fill the belly before spawning. Ideal for this time of year is a 10-15 cm bait. Some anglers recommend using live bait fish of different sizes, alternating through a hole.
Features of live bait
If you want the bait fish to remain mobile for a long time, you need to plant it correctly. When fishing on girders, they usually do not use methods of sticking on the lips or nostrils. The most commonly used methods are:
- behind the back;
- by the tail;
- through the gills.
The most reliable way to plant live bait is the "behind the back" method. It consists in the fact that one of the stings of a tee or double pierce the back of the live bait between the ridge and the dorsal fin. This must be done with extreme caution: one wrong move, and your bait will turn into a "dead man".
The “through the gills” method involves dismantling the rig before attaching the bait. The leash is unfastened from the fishing line, threaded through the mouth of the fish and one of the gills, and then stretched until the tip of the hook touches the bait lips. Of course, this method cannot boast of either humanity or the longevity of the bait, however, it provides reliable protection against its coming off the hook even during a predator attack.
For beginners in fishing for zerilniki, the “tail” method is perfect. It does not require injuring the fish, as the bait is fixed in a slightly different way. A piece of rubber band is tightly put on the tail of the live bait, for example from a balloon, and the sting hooks on it. This most “humane” way allows the bait to live as long as possible and behave naturally.
Catching pike in March at the zergilniki: secrets of experienced
Finally, we will share with you a few secrets of jerk fishing for pike from experienced anglers.
- An excellent bait for catching large pike is a small perch.
- For fishing on a trophy pike, it is better to plant live bait through the gills: a large predator first grabs the prey across, and then turns it forward.
- So that the bait fish, pushed behind the back, does not come off the hook, a piece of a silicone tube or cambric can be put on its sting, which was used to pierce the body of the bait.
- In areas with a shortened bottom, you should not use a long fishing line: a pike caught on a hook can thoroughly confuse the tackle.
- It is much easier to get a pike, especially a large one, from a hole if you use a special hook.