Pike perch - a predatory fish of the perch family - is often called by amateur hobbyists as "a dumb underwater inhabitant." But it’s hard to agree with that. The fact is that zander prefers only clean reservoirs with a high oxygen content, which is necessary for its vital functions. This representative of perch is a fairly large representative of the underwater world. There are lucky ones who managed to pull out specimens with a length of 120 to 130 cm and weighing up to 20 kilograms. However, mainly three kilogram individuals are found in commercial catches.
general information
The meat of this fish has a high taste. Therefore, zander is so appreciated by lovers of "silent hunting." This predator at an early age eats crustaceans, and only growing up, passes to small fish. It is believed that adult zander is even more gluttonous than such “champions” as perch and pike. This fish is found in large numbers in the basins of such seas as the Black, Azov and Caspian, less - in the waters of the Baltic. It is quite a lot in large rivers, for example, in the Volga. The main condition for the habitat of zander is running clear water. In those lakes or ponds, where there are no sources or keys flowing into them, there is no this fish.
Pikeperch fishing will be successful in deep, clean rivers, as well as in bodies of water with a pebble, rocky or sandy bottom. Not bad is fishing in the pits. Pike perch avoids algae, but likes to relax in snags or in shelters near stones. This representative perch is very careful. They catch it in open water twice a day: at dawn, still dark before sunrise, and also after sunset until midnight. At this time, in pursuit of prey, he swims close to the shore.
Often in the evening dawn, pike perch reaches pebble or sandbanks and rocky ridges, moving along steep dumps or slopes of flooded channels. Sometimes it is caught at a depth of one and a half to two meters.
Fishing
It is hard to call this representative of perchs a simple occupation. To begin with, the fisherman should know well the habits of prey and its food preferences, as well as certain seasonal characteristics. It is very important to study the topography of a particular reservoir for a preliminary determination of the location of this predator. Without such knowledge, the catch can be zero, and any capture can be a coincidence. Pike perch has a very bony mouth, so it can only be penetrated with very tough gear. Powerful fishing rods with fast action and inextensible braids are used for fishing.
The choice of spinning and other elements of pikeperch rigging requires a careful and thoughtful approach. The most common lures for zander are silicone twisters and vibro-tails. In some bodies of water, it pecks on foam rubber fish, narrow-body swayers, or forward-loaded turntables through open water.
Winter zander fishing
With the right approach, ice fishing for this predator can be even more successful than in the warm season. In order to pull the pike perch in the summer, you should first of all know the pond well, or rather, the location of the troughs and snags at its bottom. But in winter, the pack of this representative perch does not stand in one place: she needs to move in search of prey. Therefore, the fisherman has to travel quite a lot in search to find the most suitable place for fishing.
This fish loves only clean water. Therefore, pike perch fishing in the winter or summer can take place only in the corresponding reservoirs. In the cold season, this fish is kept in great depths, where it makes constant movements in search of food. The most promising places in large rivers, ponds or reservoirs are channel pits, dumps and pre-channel edges, reaching 7-9 meters. At shallower depths, the predator is rare, except on days when there is a strong warming and a drop in atmospheric pressure. At such a time, pikeperch fishing in winter successfully takes place in shallow areas, where there is a large accumulation of other fish - the one he is hunting for.
Where to look for prey?
But there is one circumstance that good knowledge is known to the experienced lover of the “silent hunt” for this fish: although a flock of pike perch travels constantly in winter, it usually always follows the same route. And if a person already knows some places where he caught well and successfully last year, then by checking these holes repeatedly, he will most likely succeed again.
True, pikeperch is not always behaving identically predictable. Sometimes a flock can freeze at some point near the bottom and cease to be interested in food, including bait. Such a fish, as if falling into suspended animation, is no longer possible to catch. Underwater fishing of pike perch in winter will be much more successful if the fisherman finds out in advance all the features of the behavior of the fish and studies the reservoir. This is necessary in the first place in order to properly prepare gear.
Features of ice fishing
Experienced anglers know that fishing in the winter is not always the same. For example, during the deaf-land period, which lasts for about a month in many regions, it can be almost impossible to obtain it. True, the rest of the time this predatory fish of the perch family is quite active: it, constantly in search of food, migrates to its habitat. Therefore, the fisherman needs to move all the time during this period, drilling all new holes. Moreover, you need to do this even when large specimens can be caught from already caught holes. The flock will never stand in one place, even if there is enough food under the hole. Such behavior is a characteristic feature of zander: it must always move, not stopping, in order to survive.
Best time to bite
Like many other predators, this representative of perch is best caught on the first and last ice. In these winter periods, he always has an excellent appetite, which cannot be said about deaf-and-go. Fishing for pike perch in winter, more precisely, its result also depends on the weather. On windy days, especially when there is a northerly wind, successful fishing is not worth the wait. At such a time, it is better to stay home and wait until the blizzard subsides and the frost subsides - until calm, steady weather sets in.
As for the best time for biting in the daily section, it is better to catch pike perch on the first ice from 6 to 11 in the morning and from about 3 days to 8 in the evening. At the end of January and all of February, a good bite is later - from 7, and sometimes from 8 in the morning.
Rigging
We are talking about a fairly large fish, besides predatory, which means that the fisherman will have a strong, agile and at the same time able to provide powerful resistance to the enemy. Therefore, with any method of fishing in winter, tackle for catching pike perch must be durable and of high quality. And if the type of fishing rod is not very important, although it is better if it is equipped with a reel, then the issue of fishing line thickness is very relevant: the thinner and more transparent it is, the more bites can be expected. Usually experienced anglers choose a rather long option and with a diameter of 0.1 to 0.3 mm.
For ice fishing, the usual winter gear is most often used, which is adapted for catching large fanged predators. It can be a zherlitsa, for example, a fishing rod for fishing on a jigsaw or silicone baits. It is very common in winter to catch zander on a tyulka. On the Volga, for example, judging by the reviews, this bait “works” especially well. A nod that provides a smooth play of tackle is an essential component in equipping a fishing rod. Pikeperch has a special habit: before grabbing the bait, this predator first carefully tries it. Therefore, the design of the nod should be chosen so that it gives good sensitivity.
Bait and bait
A special type of bait for zander is not provided. For example, in winter, catching a zander on a reservoir or in a large body of water will be effective if you try to lure fry to the fishing point, followed by a predator. For this, a small bait of plant origin is used, which creates a nutrient cloud in the water. Various small fish such as perch, ruff, bleak, roach, as well as pieces of meat of larger individuals can become bait on zander. The lures can be used as follows: spinner, mormyshka, balancer, silicone tips. Experts advise to hook additionally small pieces of fish on their hooks.
Pike perch fishing
In winter and summer, this method is the most effective and at the same time simple. It is necessary to use non-salted kilka purchased in a store. The equipment should also have a strong durable rod with a flexible nod, a powerful inertial coil, ideally a metal one.
The fishing line needs to be taken monophilic. At the same time, catching a pike perch in winter on a tyulka will be very effective if you use a tee, although some anglers prefer a jig head or mormyshka. The equipment should look like this: a sinker is attached to the end of the line, and a relatively short leash is attached to it, to which the tee is connected. Tulle can be planted along or across.
Technics
There are three types of games with such a snap. In the first case, the bait is motionless in anticipation of a bite, in the second it with a sharp movement throws up twenty centimeters and is released. Pauses between such jerks should be a maximum of one and a half minutes. Third option: the bait is in constant motion. Such pike perch fishing in the winter will be effective when using not a tee, but mormyshki or spinners. As for the nozzle, then certain requirements are imposed on it. The tyulka should have a size of up to 5 centimeters, otherwise the predatory prey will simply bite off part of the bait before it reaches the hook.
Fishing on the river: how to catch zander in the winter?
On the Volga, this representative of perch, as you know, is found mainly in deep areas. Winter pike fishing on the Volga is equally effective on artificial baits, for example, spinners, balancer, mormyshka, and natural ones such as sprats and bait fish. Most often, experienced anglers use a leash in a snap. For fishing, you need to choose areas with a slowed flow. The most promising are those where there are snags and other volumetric obstacles. It is precisely behind them that this predatory prey hides in the river.
Wells need to be drilled a few meters from the intended location of production. They need to be drilled at a distance of two meters from each other. Winter fishing for pike perch on the Volga goes something like this: the bait slowly sinks to the bottom. You do not need to lift it immediately. After a short pause, you should gently tap it on a hard bottom. If there is no bite, you need to slowly raise the bait by about twenty centimeters, then return it to its original position and repeat everything again. If nothing happens within five or seven minutes, it’s best to go to the next hole. The technique of catching zander in the winter involves a sharp cut. Otherwise, the sting will not pierce the jaw of the prey and a gathering will follow. Sometimes this happens right at the hole. In addition, during fishing, you should in no case loosen the fishing line. This also leads to a descent.
To the balancer
Compared with the lure, the balancer is more promising. In the winter, catching pike perch on this bait is a relatively young destination in modern fishing. It has a natural look and gives an attractive game. Thanks to this, catching pike perch on a balancer in winter is gaining more and more fans. However, keep in mind that this fish is special. Given the natural addiction of pike perch to clean water and depth, the weight of the balancer should be impressive. In some cases, the mass of this deep bait reaches twenty grams. The dimensions of a stumbling balancer are from five to twelve cm, and large ones are intended for trophy specimens. Since the main food of this predator is narrow-body small fishes, the baits intended for its catch should have a narrow, oblong shape.
Necklaces fishing
This is a fairly common way of fishing. In particular, pikeperch fishing in winter for stallions is very popular - the same girders in which dead fish are used as bait. It can be catchy both in current and in still water. In the first case, the installation of the supply is the same as that of an ordinary girly. And when fishing in very weak currents or even in stagnant water, you need to attach a heavy jigsaw or the same jig-head to the end of the fishing line, and fasten a short leash with a sharp hook thirty to forty centimeters. The tyulka, which is most often used when fishing for zander for stalls, can be planted both on bait and on the sting. If you install not one, but several pieces of this gear, that the chances of a good catch increase. The fact is that in this way you can catch a much larger territory. It is believed that every angler should have at least five stallions. After installation, they need to go around every hour, spending the game. To do this, the bait comes off the bottom by about forty centimeters, and then falls back to the bottom.
Among fans of sheer whitening, winter fishing for zander on rattles is popular. Each spinner can experiment with this bait to find application. Ratlin is a flattened wobbler with a flattened shape. The peculiarity of fishing on this bait lies in its confident "work" with uniform winding of the fishing line. Ratlin attracts the attention of a predator that attacks this artificial bait. Since pike perch has lateral vision, smooth wiring with a slight twitch will be enough to make it immediately rush to the prey.