Any fisherman will tell you that for successful fishing you need only two things: success and the right gear. We are unlikely to be able to influence the first, but the second depends on us.
In this article we will talk about winter fishing with a non-float fishing rod and pay special attention to such an adaptation for it as a nod.
What are winter fishing rods
Winter fishing rod, unlike the usual summer fishing rod, has a short length and a very simple design. All models of winter rods presented on sale today are divided into three categories in form and structure:
- ordinary fishing rod
- "Filly";
- "balalaika".
There are also many home-made designs of winter rods, invented and implemented by our savvy fishermen. Homemade winter fishing rods are in no way inferior to store fishing rods, and in many cases even surpass them.
What are the main models of winter fishing rods
An ordinary fishing rod consists of a cortical or foam handle, a reel and a whip attached to it, 15-40 cm long. These are universal rods, since they can be used to fish on any kind and size of fish, changing whips.
"Mare" is the easiest winter fishing rod. In its design, the coil is not provided. The fishing line is wound on the handle itself, made in the form of a reel. She also has the option of changing the whip. Fishermen very often make “mares” on their own, adjusting them to certain fishing conditions. Homemade winter fishing rods of this type are mainly used for catching small perch, roach and smelt.
“Balalaika” is more often used in sport fishing of small fish, when fishing is carried out for a while. In order to reduce the size of the rod in this model, the reel was placed inside the handle. The whip here can also be quickly and easily changed, choosing the necessary stiffness.
But to buy or make one of the models yourself is half the battle, it is also important to know how to assemble the winter fishing rod correctly. And here the main attention should be paid to such an element as a nod. It depends on him how the fish will respond to the bait, and how quickly the angler will make a cut.
What is a nod
A nod (gatehouse) is an element of a winter fishing rod designed to provide the necessary game of bait, as well as to signal a bite. It is attached directly to the whip using the clamp provided by the construction or through improvised materials (cambric, electrical tape, rubber ring, wire, etc.). Equipment with a nod of a winter fishing rod is used both for fishing for peaceful fish and for hunting for predators.
But only a correctly selected and well-tuned gatehouse will make the bait game perfect and prompt the fisherman about the bite in time. It is very important to choose the right length, stiffness, and material. After all, too hard a gatehouse will turn your fishing rod into a regular stick, and too plastic will become an unnecessary problem, hanging out from the wind or the current. Let's try to figure out what nods for a winter fishing rod are, as well as where, when and which ones are best used.
When a nod is used
A winter fishing rod provides two types of equipment: a float and a nod. In the first case, the rod is equipped with a reel and the main fishing line with a float, which acts as a bite signaling device. Usually this type of equipment is used for fishing with a bait hook.
In cases where the use of the float is not possible (severe frost, wind) or when mormyshka-clawless fish are used as bait, a nod is used.
Typically, anglers have in their arsenal several types of huts designed for fishing in various conditions.
What nods are made of
Nods for a winter fishing rod are made of such materials:
- plastic (lavsan);
- sheet steel;
- steel coil spring;
- bamboo;
- wild boar, etc.
Also, the gatehouse can be composite, i.e., made of several different materials.
Types of nods for stiffness
Any gatehouse, depending on what it is made of, as well as length, has its own rigidity. Nods are usually classified into:
- soft
- medium;
- hard;
- super rigid.
Soft and medium nods for a winter fishing rod can be used to catch any fish in bodies of water with stagnant water or with a moderate course.
Rigid and superhard gates are used at a depth of more than 5 m in conditions of intense current, as well as strong winds.
How to choose a nod depending on the bait
Given that winter fishing can be carried out using various lures, it is very important to choose a gatehouse that would correspond to their weight, size and behavior in the water. The following types of nods are classified according to these criteria:
- a nod for a rewinder;
- nod for mormyshka;
- nod for vertical gleaming;
- nod balanced.
The softest gatehouses are used for fishing on mormyshka without bait roach, a small perch. Most often they are made of thin sheet plastic or lavsan. They have the highest elasticity, which provides a "believable" game of a variety of "devils", "goats", "nymphs" and other clumsy.
The nods for a winter fishing rod equipped with a regular mormyshka should be tougher. The greater weight of the bait, especially the tungsten bait, intended for fishing at medium depths, requires the gatekeeper not to succumb to the shallow vibrations created by the water stream. For the manufacture of such nods, the same lavsan of greater thickness or thin sheet spring steel can be used.
For vertical gouging of large perch, short guardhouses made of thick fishing line are used. The fact is that with this type of fishing, a nod does not participate in the game, but is only a bite signaling device.
To nudge a large predator with a balancer, use a spring nod. The balancing gatehouse is most often made of a thin twisted spring of different lengths. It has a movable mount, which is fixed to the whip, which makes it easy to change its length and, accordingly, stiffness.
There are more “advanced” versions of gatehouses that resemble whole mechanisms. We will talk about the most interesting of them in more detail.
Shcherbakov’s arrow (bearing) nod
Some anglers often use side nods to catch cautious fish such as carp . Their feature is that the gatehouse is placed on the whip not parallel to it, but perpendicularly. This decision makes the gatehouse even more sensitive.
A separate version of the side gatehouses is Shcherbakov's nod. This is a whole structure consisting of a small bearing, worn on the rod of the rod, as well as a metal “rocker arm” (arrows), soldered in its upper working surface. At one end of the boom there is a balancing weight, and at the other there is a loop through which the main line is passed. The weight of the load must clearly match the weight of the bait.
Such arrow side nods accurately determine the bite, so that with any movement of the rocker, you can safely hook. In addition, they are very reliable and easy to install.
Now that we have familiarized ourselves with the main types of huts used for winter fishing, we will try to make some of the simplest models on our own.
Homemade nod of thin plastic
To make a plastic nod we need:
- a cylindrical cup of sour cream or yogurt;
- scissors;
- awl;
- a piece of cambric;
- nail polish.
First, cut the glass, remove the bottom and straighten the plastic. We cut several strips 10 cm long and 0.6-0.8 mm wide. Now we take one of them and with the help of scissors we bend one end into an arc. In it, at a distance of 3-5 mm, with a heated awl we make a hole under the fishing line and paint its tip with bright nail polish. At the other end of the future gatehouse, we put on a piece of cambric 5-8 mm wide.
Thus, we have a simple and reliable nod for rewindless.
Clock spring guard
Necessary materials:
- a spring from a clockwork or a winding children's toy 3-5 mm wide;
- scissors for metal;
- copper wire with a cross section of 0.5 mm;
- sandpaper;
- ruler or vernier caliper;
- soldering iron, soldering acid and solder.
With the help of scissors, clamped in the hand, we straighten the spring and cut off the 15-cm workpiece. Now we cut off one of the ends on both sides so that its width is 2 mm. Sanding the edges of the cut with sandpaper and smoothing out all the bumps.
From the wire we make a loop so that its diameter does not exceed the width of the tip of the gatehouse. We process both the loop and the end of the nod with acid. We solder them to each other and clean the place of soldering with a sandpaper, getting rid of various bumps and burrs.
A fishing rod with a nod from the spring is an excellent weapon for catching large roach, perching on a mormyshka with bait.
Twisted Spring Nod
Catching on the balancer involves the use of a more rigid gatehouse. Neither plastic nor thin sheet steel will fit here. But the coil spring will be just right. So, we need:
- steel spring from the braid of the accelerator cable of the motorcycle 15 cm long;
- soldering iron, acid for soldering, solder;
- a piece of cambric;
- file;
- sandpaper;
- copper wire with a cross section of 0.5 mm;
- nail polish;
- scissors for metal.
Using scissors for metal, we cut off the spring of the required length and carefully grind the cut-off points with a file and sandpaper. From the wire we make a loop, the same as in the previous case. We process it and one edge of the future acid nodding. We solder it to the spring so that the solder in the place of their connection forms a small ball. Grind everything thoroughly and paint the tip with nail polish. From a cambric of suitable diameter, we make two segments 8-10 mm wide. Everything, the balancing nod is ready.
Before you assemble a winter fishing rod with a spring gatehouse, you need to precisely select its rigidity, which should clearly correspond to the weight of the bait. The necessary elasticity of spring nodding is achieved by increasing or decreasing its length. It is enough to move the gatehouse at its junction with the whip in one direction or another, and the stiffness will increase or decrease.
Another interesting nod
There is another spring nod used by fishermen for a long time, not only for winter fishing, but also for summer fishing in the plumb line. They make it not from sheet steel, and not from a coil spring, but from ordinary fishing line with a section of 1 or 2 mm. Because of its sensitivity and elasticity, people often call it snot.
It is made quite simply. In addition to fishing line, usually involved in the manufacturing process:
- 3-6 mm aluminum wire;
- pliers;
- metal container with water and the possibility of boiling it.
We bend one end of the aluminum wire and use the pliers to clamp in it the beginning of a piece of thick fishing line. Next, we wind the fishing line around the wire round to round until we get a tight spiral with a length of 10-15 cm. The end of the fishing line is again clamped with wire and cut off.
Now boil water and put our product in boiling water for 15-20 minutes. After that, we cool it in cold water, free the ends of the fishing line and remove the wire.
We got a plastic spiral with excellent sensitivity. Such a home-made nod for a winter fishing rod is perfect for fishing smelt, roach and perch on various lures. An increase or decrease in stiffness of the gatehouse is achieved by changing the thickness of the fishing line and the diameter of the aluminum wire.
How to choose the stiffness of a nod for a certain type of fish
Catching a nod of different species of fish requires the fisherman to understand how to adjust it for the different weights of the intended catch. The initial position of the loaded gatehouse plays a major role here. In order to carry out its adjustment, we will need a complete winter fishing rod, a bait and a container of water, where tests can be made.
We lower the tackle into the water, so that the mormyshka, baubles or balancer do not touch the bottom. We look at the position of the nod. For fish such as pikeperch, big bass or grayling, its deviation down from the horizontal axis of the whip should be 5-10 0 . For crucian carp, smelt, whitefish - 20-30 about .
But for carp, carp or bream, which when biting usually lift the bait from the bottom, the deviation angle should be within 30-40 o .