The winter lantern is one of the best devices for catching freshwater predators from ice. Especially successfully with the help of it they fish out pike and pike perch. Every angler who has ever caught on a zerglenka knows that in many respects the success of fishing depends on its design. If it is unsuccessfully made, then this will bring a lot of inconvenience when arranging gear in the holes. At the same time, you can’t wait for a big catch. Therefore, going to a pond in the winter, buy only proven models of zergilza. Better yet, do them yourself.
Criteria for the selection of a model of a winter lantern
A standard winter necklace consists of a base, reel, fishing line, sinker, hook and flag. Everything at first glance is quite simple. But in reality, the quality of fishing depends on the design of this gear.
When choosing a necklace, first of all, you need to pay attention to the base. It is necessary so that the tackle is firmly held in place. Preference should be given to a round shape and a diameter of 25-30 cm. But this is not the only function. The base, closing the hole, prevents its freezing. Therefore, you need to choose the most frost-resistant material. The tree shows itself best on this side. Often, a necklace is made of another material, such as plastic. It is preferred on the first and last ice, when in some places there is water and the snow is wet. The tree in this case swells and quickly loses its shape.
But not only the foundation needs to be paid attention to when choosing a girly. No less important is how the bite signaling mechanism works. The main thing is that it works properly. If the flag flies up at the slightest vibration of the coil or, on the contrary, remains motionless with a not very strong bite of a predator, it must be replaced.
Which is better - monofilament fishing line or kapron thread?
The snap-in of the winter lantern must be durable. Therefore, the question of which fishing line is best to use is a monophilic or kapron thread. In practice, the first and second options are successfully used. But it is noticed that it is the kapron thread that has greater strength. Moreover, it is soft and not brittle. Also captivating is the fact that kapron thread is slightly cheaper than monofilament fishing line. And to fish out of the hole when using this gear is much easier.
The fishing line causes a number of inconveniences, it cuts its hands and stretches. But there are no such problems with kapron thread. As for freezing, then all the advantages, again, are not on the side of monofilament fishing line. When ice is beaten, it inevitably deforms and quickly becomes worthless, but nothing happens to the thread. Of course, the choice always remains with the fisherman, but still there is something to think about. After all, pike is a nimble fish, and here every detail and the slightest advantage are important.
Winter lantern accessories
The snap-in of the simplest girly consists of a sinker, a leash and a hook. But there are options too. The sinker is placed depending on the severity of the current in the pond. The stronger it is, the more weight. But basically a “droplet” of 8-10 grams is attached. Other forms of sinker are better not to use.
Next is the leash. It must be taken a little more carefully. Both zander and especially pike are endowed with nature by a number of rather sharp teeth. And therefore it is important that the leash is strong. If the pike perch rarely cuts the line, then the pike does it regularly. Therefore, if the leash is absent, this can lead to at least loss of hook, bait and sinker. And this will spoil the fishing. It is better to put the leash already ready, but if you want, you can do it yourself from the pressure tubes and the lead material. As for its length, there is no consensus. Some anglers prefer to put leashes of 20-25 cm, while others choose longer - from 80 cm to a meter.
And the last nuance in the question of how to equip the winter lantern, concerns hooks. You can use single, double, and tee. The main thing is that the hook is sharp. His sting should be slightly bent to the side.
Home-made winter lanterns
Perhaps, no one will argue with the fact that the best zherlitsa is the one that is made by oneself. There are many models, and, probably, each experienced fisherman has his own tackle, personally developed and tested for years and hundreds of bites. Here is an example of a fairly popular and convenient model of a zerglas.
As a base, a duralumin strip is taken. Its dimensions are approximately as follows: width - 60 mm, length - 300 mm, thickness - 1 mm. The ends of the strip are bent so that it is more stable on ice. The coil is set to standard. It is mounted in the middle of the base. A hole is drilled in front of the reel on the strip, through which the fishing line with a sinker and hook will be passed. Now only one question remains on the agenda: how to make the winter lantern effective and catchy? A lot depends on the bite signaling device. It is best to attach the spring to the end of the strip. The checkbox is fixed so that it can rest against the upper handle of the coil. During the bite, the fishing line will set the mechanism in motion, and a red rag will fly up.
How to find the best place for the girly?
So, in order to catch pike or pike perch from the ice, you need winter lanterns. Making them is an important thing, but do not forget that they still need to be able to use. Half the success of fishing depends on how well the fishing spot is chosen. It is known that the fish has its own paths, so it makes sense to place the girders in an unfamiliar pond at a distance of 15-20 meters from each other. After some time, it will become clear which of them are “working” and which are “silent”.
Here you will need to do the following. Drill a few holes in the ice near the catch hole at a distance of 1-1.5 meters and install additional vents. So the chance of a good catch will increase.
Installation of ice vents on ice
There are several rules for installing ice boxes. Firstly, the predator is usually found at the bottom, therefore, bait must also be there. We set the base of the ventilator so that it closes the hole as much as possible, and lower the sinker into the water. As soon as it touches the bottom, the line will sag. Now we make a coil of 4-6 revolutions. Thus, live bait will be approximately 50 cm from the bottom. It remains only to sprinkle the base with dry snow and fix the flag. On the last ice, winter zerglas for pike perch and pike are set so that the bait fish is in the middle of the water column or near the surface. During this period, the water is cloudy, and the predator rises higher.
Zhivitsa for zherlitsy
Zhivtsov for the zherlitsa is not difficult to choose. Almost all types of small fish are perfect, except for a ruff, which only burbot can be pretended to be. Most often, anglers hook on perch, roach and bleak. This fish is easy to get. But it so happens that where the winter lantern is installed, there is no way to simultaneously catch live bait. Therefore, they must be bought in advance. Well, or you can constantly move from place to place. On one pond, set zergelis, and on the other catch perch and roach. But this, of course, is extremely inconvenient and uncomfortable.
If we compare live bait among themselves, then it behaves best in water as a perch bait. It is very tenacious and can maintain its activity throughout the day. What else is good perch? He does not confuse the zergirl herself, as, for example, roach, which rushes from side to side, trying to get off the hook. By the way, perhaps this fact is decisive in that the pike reacts to it much faster. But roach quickly dies, and it has to be replaced with a new fish.
There is another small nuance regarding the choice of live bait. It is necessary to give preference to the species that dominates this pond and is more familiar to local predators. If there is any doubt, equip half of the zherilniki, for example, with roach, and with a second perch and look at which pike or zander will be more willing.
Method of putting on live bait hook
There are several ways to put the bait fish on the hook. The most popular are the methods of threading the sting through the back and lip of the fish. But they have a lot of disadvantages. Live bait quickly loses activity and dies. More often than not, a winter garret is equipped with a single hook. His tip for convenience should be slightly bent to the side. This is very practical, since a pike or other predator can hook itself, and then the chance of a successful bite increases significantly.
Experienced fishermen have long figured out how to, without damaging the integrity of the bait fish, put it on the hook of the zergilza. This is done very simply. As carefully as possible, we pass the gum through the caudal fin of the fish. And already for her we hook a sting of a hook. Live bait remains without damage. This means that he will live and maintain his activity much longer. If the ventilator is equipped with a tee or double, then this method can also be effectively used.
Girly Fishing Strategy
If fishing is carried out exclusively on girders, then it is necessary to act according to the developed strategy. After choosing a place, holes are drilled, and girders are installed, you must wait. At this time, you can catch live bait a little further from the holes. After about an hour, you need to go for a check.
In those places where the tackle worked, we get our catch and make additional holes. We put on them vents. The optimal number is 4-5 pieces in one place. Zhivtsov change every four hours. Those girders that are "silent" for 4-5 hours can be completely removed.
Bites: when to hook, and when to pull out?
The design of winter vents allows the angler to instantly see the bite. The raised red flag will notify you of this. But the question is: when to pull out an unlucky predator - immediately after biting or wait a bit? There are many opinions. Experienced girders do not immediately grasp the fishing line, so as not to scare the fish. If a pike suspects something is wrong, it can quickly drop the bait and swim away. But you should not wait too long. Otherwise, the predator will swim away quite far and confuse the entire fishing line.