A small river is a small body of water with a weak current, the width of which is from 10 to 15 meters. In rare cases, it can reach up to 25 meters. There are two types of profile of such rivers: straight and winding.
- Straight, when the rivers have few twists and turns, many rifts, shallow shallow holes, and deep ones are very rare.
- Sinuous type. The rivers have many bends and turns, a large number of deep holes and rifts, overgrown with algae.
It often happens that one river has sections with two profiles. If you choose a profile, for example, for catching pike, then everything is obvious: you need a river with a slow current, which has hollows. It seems that everything is simple, but this is not always the case.
Winter fishing on the small rivers of Siberia
Of great importance is the season. Siberian fishermen know that the most interesting fishing on the small rivers of Siberia is winter, and they are not serious about summer fishing. Winter fishing is shrouded in a special atmosphere, it presents great difficulties for fishermen, because Siberian frosts are very severe and even several layers of clothing do not save much from severe frost. But these are far from the biggest troubles encountered in winter fishing in Siberia. To overcome them, you need to thoroughly prepare. Then fishing will bring a lot of positive emotions.
For Siberians, winter fishing is a great opportunity to enjoy fishing without annoying mosquitoes and midges. In the summer, fishing is a rather unpleasant activity because of insects: there are too many of them in the summer, and there are few such fishermen who decide to fish in Siberia in the summer.
Climatic conditions are very harsh, not everyone can withstand temperatures of -50 degrees. Fishing in Siberia in winter is a harsh activity. But despite such cold weather, there are many fish here and the catch in winter is usually several times higher than that which can be in summer.
The importance of safety
Fishing on small rivers in winter is unsafe. There are many factors that cannot be ignored. They may mean nothing in large bodies of water, but in small ones they are of great importance. The most important thing is that river ice is very insidious, going on winter fishing, this must be remembered. Even experienced fishermen who have been fishing for more than one year sometimes fall under the ice. Most of these cases occurred in narrow small rivers, which, as it seemed to them, had been studied along and across. In order for fishing on small rivers to bring pleasure and not have to risk your health, and possibly life, you need to go in company. In this case, the danger of falling under the ice and not getting out will be minimized. Friends can always help. It’s also worth taking an ice pick in addition to the ice ax, so that you can check the strength of the ice. After the fisherman has entered the ice, it is necessary to unfasten the backpack so that it rests on one strap, then during a difficult situation that can happen at any moment, it can be discarded.
How to dress for winter fishing
Dressing for fishing in winter is warm and comfortable. But you can’t just put on a lot of clothes - it will be heavy and will not allow you to normally cover long distances. The first and most important thing is warm underwear. It is best to wear thermal underwear. Pants should be made of a fabric that does not get wet or blown. They can be purchased at special stores. Under them should not be put on underpants so as not to sweat.
Fishing in small rivers in winter is quite an active activity, and outerwear should be light and spacious so that you can put on several layers under it. It is also very important to choose shoes that will not get wet, and socks, preferably from dog hair. They will retain heat well, and their legs will not be barred.
When to spin
It makes sense to exclude December from winter fishing, because in recent years it is too warm and looks more like late autumn. But January and February - this is the period of the year when fishing is best. On small rivers, spinning is a great tool for fishing. It should be borne in mind that industrial streams discharge into small rivers, which increase the temperature of the water. This affects the environment, and the fish may be unusable. But this does not stop the real fans of spinning.
Basic spinning technique
Winter fishing on small rivers for spinning has one feature: the main and main fishing technique is jig. In such fishing, the basic principle of "caught - let go" is respected, so the bite will be constantly. This fishing technique has no particular specifics. Here the main rule applies: "warm water is the horizontal component of the wiring, cold water is the vertical component of the wiring."
If the temperature of the water in the river does not rise above 10 degrees Celsius, then the main fishing technique is still jigging, only you need to use it in deep areas.
Grayling fishing on small rivers in winter
Grayling is a beautiful freshwater fish living in cold and clear water of mountain or northern rivers. It is difficult to find fish even in places of constant habitat.
In winter, grayling tries to spend less energy, its activity decreases, and this fish can only be found in calm and quiet sections of the river. If you catch it with a spinning rod, then this must be taken into account and used for fishing slow wiring. In winter, grayling changes its diet and eats a passive type of food. For this reason, in order to be able to catch it from the ice, it is necessary to use live nozzles. The best of them is the amphibian. Fishing in February on small rivers is a good time for grayling.
Winter Grayling Tackle
Fishing on small rivers for grayling from ice is not very different from hunting for perch. You must have the usual fishing rods for winter fishing, which catch perch. The difference is in the nod: you need to put it longer and increase the amplitude of the oscillations. The size of the fishing line should be 0.12 mm. For grayling you need heavy mormyshki (1-1.5 g) of various shapes and materials. Most experienced fishermen advise tungsten. If you catch on a rewinder, then mormyshki should be golden in color. It does not hurt to add a hook, tying it to the fishing line above the mormyshka for 15-20 cm sting down on a short leash. Due to this, he will not cling to the ice while fishing.
Optimal time for grayling
Grayling is most active in the morning and evening. The best bite is morning. For successful fishing, the fisherman must be on the river before dawn. During the day, fish can only occasionally show bite activity. To bite was most active in the morning, grayling must be caught on the rifts. In the evening, the activity of the bite decreases, and the fish goes into the pits. Much depends on the weather. Professional Siberian fishermen argue that the best bite in the winter is after a thaw, which should last about four days. If the weather is cloudy, then all day a bite will be excellent. During fishing, there should be no loud sounds, otherwise it will not bring the desired catch. Wells should not be cleared of sludge, some fishermen throw snow into the hole, and make a small hole for a snap with a branch.
Grayling technique
It so happens that for a good bite it is not enough just to lower the equipment with the bait into the hole. Often the most important role goes to wiring jigsaw. For fishing to be successful, you need to smoothly raise the equipment from the bottom by 5-7 cm, and then do a dump. At this time, mormyshka will plan in the water. Usually a bite appears when the wiring reaches a low point. Periodically, it is worth checking the entire horizon, starting from the bottom to the hole itself. This must be done with smooth movements so that the fluctuations do not exceed 1 cm. Thus, the bite will look like a hook, and the grayling will strongly resist after cutting. He must not be given free rein, especially if any obstacles are observed at the place of fishing.
To ensure that the snap does not catch, the fish must be forcefully fished out. To do this, the fishing rod is equipped with fishing line with a diameter of up to 0.18 mm. There will be no problem with such fishing line when pulling a large specimen onto the ice. Each river has its own food supply, with which grayling is used. For successful winter fishing, the fisherman must learn from the locals both about the habitat and about the eating habits of grayling. Then it will become easier to choose the necessary bait, and fishing will bring great pleasure.
What you need to know to return with a good catch
To fishing on small rivers in the winter was successful, and the catch was good, you need to choose a river, about which everything is known. This is necessary in order to easily determine where the deep holes are, because in winter the fish leaves the shallow water. The fish begins to migrate as soon as the first ice appears. It occupies small and narrow sections of indentations. Here in such small areas you need to try to get a little mormyshka to catch a good catch and fishing is a success. So you should make a lot of effort and drill more than one hole until you can find the right place.
You cannot fall into despair at the first setbacks. It may be that the first few holes “will not work”. It is necessary to continue - there must be fish there. In winter, the fish loves calm and avoids strong currents, hiding in quiet places where there are bushes. For fish, this is a real paradise. For fishing in such places you need to have spare mormyshki - they will often remain in the bushes.
In the dead of winter fishing has great prospects, if you use non-nozzle mormyshki with striped beads on the forearm of the hook. It is desirable that they were not similar in color to insects and larvae that live in the river in which fishing will take place. Why this happens is not known, but such mormyshki attract fish very well. For successful winter fishing, you need to choose a working mormyshka, focused on a specific pond. And the result will not be long in coming.
Catching in the dead of winter, despite all the difficulties, attracts a huge number of winter fishing enthusiasts and brings them great pleasure.