Bream - one of the common representatives of the cyprinid family in our country - occupies a special place in commercial and sport catches. This is a very careful fish, afraid of even the slightest noise. Therefore, fishing for bream is considered a difficult task. In the old days, until spawning, the peace of this fish was guarded by the locals themselves, who lived near the reservoir. They say that during this period it was forbidden even to ring church bells. The fact is that under unfavorable conditions for reproduction, this fish does not produce offspring, its caviar and milk are reborn, moreover, females can die.
general information
The bream lives in most rivers, reservoirs, many lakes. Often it comes across in desalinated marine areas. It can not be found in deep lakes or fast small rivers in which there is cold water. The bream lives up to 10-12 years, reaching basically four kilograms. Although sometimes larger individuals come across. This "artel" fish does not live alone. In autumn, gathering in large flocks, bream move in strings to the wintering pits. Moreover, they never go anywhere: this fish has deep walked paths. The bream prefers quiet, warm ponds with a clay or sandy-silty bottom. With the advent of spring, with the meltwater entering under the ice, this fish leaves the hibernation and, moving against the current, makes the so-called "feeding circles", circling in the favorite feeding places. Interestingly, the "youth" gives way to more mature individuals.
Fishing
Those who are familiar with ice bream fishing know that you cannot sit in one place at this time. The fisherman needs to follow the orbit of the flock, returning to the old holes again and again. Fishing for bream is a rather difficult task, requiring the fisherman with sufficient knowledge, skill and endurance. Equally important for the effectiveness of fishing are the right gear.
The presence of prey can be judged by the characteristic bursts in the heat or before a thunderstorm, by chomping, by the small bubbles that it lets out, poking around at the bottom. The bream is sensitive to weather changes. With pressure drops, as well as during a strong north or northeast cold wind, biting almost stops. At this time, bream fishing is most unproductive.
Tackle
The best time for biting in open water is: before spawning - April, and after - June, August, September. In these months, bream fishing is most effective from dawn until nine in the morning, as well as before sunset. At this time, the fish is in its habitat - in channels and pits. In spring, bream fishing takes place in small areas. The key to success in fishing is the right gear. Fishing rods are used very different: float with a fishing rod length of up to 5-6 m, as well as bottom. In the winter, fishing for bream takes place with a short option. The fishing line should have a diameter of 0.25 mm. Experienced anglers pre-boil it for about thirty minutes in a tea decoction. Having received a brown tint, it does not stand out against the background of the bottom, moreover, it becomes very elastic.
In summer, fishing for bream takes place using bait such as algae, dung worms, insects and their larvae, crayfish, bread, etc. Some anglers put several maggots on the forearm of the hook.
Ice bream fishing
Among lovers of winter fishing, this representative of cyprinids is particularly popular. The fact is that you can fish it all year long, because it does not hibernate. In the winter, fishing for bream, as, in fact, for any other fish, is quite different from summer.
In the cold period, production activity is low, it is sluggish, inactive. But this, judging by the reviews, only increases the excitement and interest in winter fishing for bream. The fisherman needs to study the habits of the fish in advance, correctly select tackle and bait. Only in this case, winter fishing of bream will be productive.
Selection of ice fishing equipment
During winter fishing on bream, much depends on the conditions and method of fishing. And first of all it concerns the choice of equipment. Many people catch on a winter fishing rod with a reel, equipped with special legs that are mounted on ice. The whip should be tough. If winter fishing for bream passes to a fishing rod with a nod, then the latter should have high sensitivity. Another option for ice fishing gear is “filly” equipped with a reel.
Ideally, it is best to use monofilament having a minimum diameter. Recommended thickness is 0.16-0.2 mm. However, the choice of diameter depends on both the fishing method and the size of the intended production. The fact is that catching bream on the course necessarily requires the use of the thinnest fishing line that the water stream does not blow, besides it is almost invisible. When narrowing in winter, hooks from 5 to 8 number having a long forend are more suitable for the float. Their color can be black or red. Of the mormysheks, the most “catchy” are “little devils” with a body in the shape of a cone or a roller.
Where to look for bream in winter
First you need to decide on the place of fishing. With the onset of cold bream leaves in large reservoirs to a depth. Due to the decrease in the amount of oxygen, this representative of cyprinids begins to look for places where its content is higher. Therefore, the angler should immediately exclude areas where there is a lot of fallen grass at the bottom. When choosing a place where winter bream fishing will take place, the angler should take into account several important circumstances.
On the first still thin ice, this fish can still be at a depth of three to four meters. However, in the future it is pointless to seek it there.
Most of the time the winter bream spends at depths of more than five meters, in those places where there are many pits and irregularities at the bottom. This representative of cyprinids can also be found in fontanelle spouts, as well as in places where rivers and streams flow into. In such places, the amount of oxygen dissolved in water is very large. The lower the temperature, the deeper the bream should be sought. In winter, this fish feeds along the edges of pits and cliffs, at the entrance to the bays and at the pre-channel “feet”. During this period, bream avoids holes piled up with snags.
Lure
Many experienced anglers consider these two conditions the key to successful fishing. In winter, bream respond much worse to baits, so they should be fed in advance. With the onset of cold, all cyprinids switch to protein-rich feed. Therefore, in bait, animal components must be.
Bloodworms are most often used as the basis, and additional components are semolina, breadcrumbs, cake, milk powder. The presence of plant fine particles is necessary to create a cloud of nutrient turbidity. She will lure the fish to the fishing spot. However, the effectiveness of winter bream fishing is directly dependent on bloodworms. Use flavoring when snaking from ice should be careful. The fact is that too strong a smell can frighten off a very cautious bream.
Step-by-step instruction
Catching a not too active bream in winter is not easy. Therefore, beginners need to adhere to the tactics developed over the years by more experienced anglers. Winter bream fishing is migration, zonal and stationary.
In the first case, in the process of hunting, the fisherman has to move a lot on the ice, exploring more and more places in the pond. He drills a large number of holes, explores the topography of the bottom, applies a variety of methods, lures, as well as bait. All this is done by the angler in order to identify the most catchy places.
When choosing zonal fishing tactics, a suitable point for fishing is first found. After finding such a place, several holes are drilled at once at a distance of ten to twenty meters from each other. Then they are fed. And after the fisherman, it remains to begin to catch all the holes until the most catchable one is discovered. When fading away in one bite, go to the next. And so you need to move in a circle. And if the bream in some hole pecks well, then you can concentrate all fishing on it.
When a fisherman is well acquainted with a specific body of water, he always has his own permanent feeding place where he drilled two or three holes that are quite close to each other. The advantage of stationary winter bream fishing is the possibility of installing protection from wind and cold, which is generally not possible during constant movements on ice in the previous two cases. Apparently, that's why many fishers prefer it. Few people know that winter fishing for bream at night is also possible. Such fishing refers to the stationary method of fishing, since in the dark it is difficult to move in search of new places.
Winter bream fishing on feeder
In recent years, more and more ice-fishing enthusiasts have begun to use not only season-appropriate bait, but also a feeder in equipment. Such fishing for bream on a feeder is different from summer. Any winter fishing rod equipped with a small simple inertialess reel is suitable for it. Usually it is equipped with a nod for signaling. Good for such fishing and homemade fishing rods with a length of up to a meter. According to experienced anglers, winter fishing for bream on a feeder is most effective in places on rivers where fast currents border on slow ones. Such sites are along the coast near the edge. When a fishing spot has been determined, prepare it. Since bream fishing on a feeder in the winter in a classic form involves only one fishing rod, you need to make two holes that will be at a distance of 1.5 to 2 meters from each other. One of them, located upstream, should be used for feeding, and the one below - directly for fishing itself. If the ice is very thick, the working hole is made to flow at an angle to facilitate fishing.
Fishing is always accompanied by discoveries, so it often combines different fishing methods. After all, two decades ago, no one could have imagined that feeders could be used on ice. But today this method of fishing has become quite popular.