Perhaps, Karas can be called one of the most well-known fish. It is found almost throughout Russia. Among the many freshwater underwater inhabitants, he is the most recognizable, unpretentious and hardy. It prefers ponds, marshy lakes and rivers, completely covered by mud, and is rarely found in flowing clear water bodies with a strong current.
general information
Each person who went fishing at least once with a fishing rod must have caught several carp. It is difficult to find a pond that does not have this fish. Karas can live in such conditions in which not all underwater inhabitants will feel comfortable. Due to its incredible vitality, this fish can be found not only in small ponds, but also in stakes and even in grooves filled with water.
This species feels good in conditions of a significant lack of oxygen. And you can catch a representative of cyprinids year-round. However, there is an opinion that winter crucian carp is much tastier than summer one. This is due to the presence of an accumulated fat layer in it. In this article, we will talk about the secrets of fishing for crucian carp in the winter, and also introduce the technique of fishing with different gears, etc.
Features
This fish with the onset of cold weather becomes much less active than in summer. Therefore, catching crucian carp in winter is somewhat difficult. However, experienced anglers are well aware of what and in what places it is better to "hunt" for this representative of cyprinids. Therefore, with the first ice they go to the pond, having already prepared both tackle and bait in advance. Fishing in the winter is full of features. You don’t need to think that it’s worth coming to the lake, drilling a hole, abandoning the bait and you can pull one fish after another. In winter, crucian hides in backwaters, snag, and bottom recesses. Experienced fishermen are sure that it is necessarily found in those reservoirs where roach or perch are found.
The fact that these underwater inhabitants also prefer places enriched with oxygen. In winter, crucian carp spends most of the time at the bottom, burying itself in silt. He comes up in shallow water only in order to get food.
Carp fishing in winter
In the cold season, this representative of cyprinids is caught equally stably regardless of weather conditions. True, based on numerous observations, its activity is maximum on a frosty clear day and during thaws, when everything around is illuminated by sunlight. But during a heavy snowfall, the effectiveness of fishing for this fish is reduced to almost zero. The presence of pike in the reservoir is an activator of the instinct for the preservation of other underwater inhabitants, which, having hibernated, become easy prey. That is why in lakes and ponds, where a toothy predator is found, crucian carp is relatively active. Of course, the bite is not as frequent as in the warm season, but nevertheless it is.
Where to look for prey
Depending on the specific reservoir, the activity of this representative of cyprinids is different: it pecks only in the first half of the day, or after dusk. With the onset of cold weather and during frequent frosts, this fish in the deepest places of a pond or lake finds reliable places for itself. Only in the bottom holes where the water practically does not freeze, does it feel relatively comfortable. And if a lover of sitting with a fishing rod manages to find a place of such parking, then catching crucian carp in winter can be quite productive. Another important fact that the fisherman should know is important: for this fish, lakes with a clay and sandy bottom are more preferable than ponds in which there is excessive silt sediment.
In the latter, fishing in the winter from ice, judging by numerous observations, is practically unrealistic. In such reservoirs, this representative of cyprinids buries itself in silt, from where it is very difficult to lure.
Tackle
For fishing crucian carp in winter, some anglers prefer to use fishing rods with nods, while others choose a float option. Ideally, it is better to have both of these gears with you, since each of them has its drawbacks and its advantages.
The advantage of a nod is that it can be observed even from a fairly decent distance. Even from twenty meters the angler will be able to see the bite. The catchy nods, judging by the reviews, have bright colors and thickenings at the end in the shape of a ball. However, with a strong wind, this tackle begins to play, simulating a bite, which annoys the angler. Moreover, in severe frost, a nod may not react at all to a careful nibble due to the fact that the hole is seized with ice. That is why many people like fishing in the winter with a bobber with a float. Hidden under a many centimeter layer of water, it does not respond to winds and frost, but it sensitively responds to a bite, diving into a hole.
Each fishing rod should be equipped with two hooks or a combination of one sting on top and mormyshki below. The fishing line needs to be taken thin, but strong, despite the fact that during an active bite, such a capricious crucian doesn’t care what hooks are attached to. But to the fisherman it is important. In the wind, too thin fishing line will constantly become tangled, and in the snow it can sometimes be not too noticeable. Hooks should be chosen small with a long forearm. It is much easier to take them in the cold with fairly frozen fingers, as well as adjust the bait and get it from the mouth of prey.
Bait selection
The most common is catching crucian carp in winter on ice mormyshka with replanting bloodworms. This version of the bait, judging by the reviews, is the most effective. Mormyshka, the most catchy in a particular pond, is selected by trial and experiment. The fact is that catching crucian carp in winter on a lake or pond is different at different times, and preferences for prey are not always the same and change over time. Nevertheless, there are several recommendations for the proper selection of mormyshka.
Very catchy on crucian carp are options such as uralka, bug, droplet, disc, pellet and ant. As for the color of this bait, here the fisherman will have to experiment. As a rule, catching crucian carp in winter in a pond or in another reservoir is best carried out with silver mormyshki, which perfectly attract this representative of cyprinids. Although the yellow and golden baits often work well, they also show good results. At the same time, mormyshki in dark colors should not be ignored. Sometimes they can also bring a catch. Based on the foregoing, we can conclude: it is impossible, having come to a reservoir, to immediately determine and apply the most effective bait of the desired color and shape.
Nozzles
Of course, when fishing for crucian carp from the ice, the fisherman will have to tinker with the selection of mormyshka, but this is exactly what will ultimately play a decisive role. Choosing the right bait for a specific reservoir, he will already be able to actively catch. Crucian is omnivorous, therefore, for fishing in winter, almost any head can be used. The most popular and effective bait for fishing from ice is considered a bloodworm. At least three to four pieces should be mounted on the hook, and if the larvae are small, five or more. Sometimes there are situations when the bloodworm, having lain for a long time in the refrigerator, gets dark, stops moving and even smacks of smell. It doesn’t matter: you can safely put it on the hook. Catching crucian carp in winter on such a bloodworm - “with a darling” - is even better.
The second most popular bait is the dung worm. Although it is a serious competitor to bloodworms, nonetheless, not every angler is available in winter. On small hooks it is enough to chop a half of the worm.
Less commonly, anglers use maggot, semolina, and bread pellets. Usually, those who value not the quantity but the quality of the prey catch these baits: in this case there is a chance to pull out a larger trophy.
Lure
Most anglers think that catching crucian carp in the lake in winter does not require feeding. This is partly true. Indeed, in some situations, complementary foods can adversely affect the result, although more often it is still necessary. Crucian carp are fed moderately, adding at the very beginning of fishing one handful in each hole. Then during fishing you can throw another pinch periodically. Feeding can be bought at the store. It is a granular mixture based on sunflower cake. Crucian is not indifferent to porridges. Experienced winters are advised to add garlic and unrefined vegetable oil to them.
Recommendations
Winter fishing for crucian carp from ice is a lottery: it is very rarely possible to immediately pick up the “key” for this fish. She is equally productively caught both on the playing mormyshka and on the standing one. If crucian carp is highly active, then the second option, which does not require special expenditures of energy and strength, will be more catchy. And with a long absence of bite, you can occasionally support the rod so that the mormyshka is animated.
If the crucian is too sluggish due to weather conditions, it must be stirred up. And again, you need a game mormyshka. Typically, experienced anglers use light twitching rods with a five-centimeter amplitude. But if even such a technique did not “stir up” the crucian, then one should resort to another method - imitation of worms swarming in silt. To do this, lower the bait to the bottom and start banging mormyshka on the ground. This will lead to a cloudy cloud rising, which will certainly interest the prey.
Interesting Facts
Those who are interested in crucian carp fishing in winter should know that the probability of getting prey on the hook is higher during the first and last ice. But in the dead of winter, judging by the reviews, go to the pond is almost pointless. After all, even that fish, which is very active in December (for example, perch), often at the height of winter ignores any bait. There are many other factors that can affect the outcome of fishing in the cold season - the water level, temperature in the reservoir, the nature of the bottom soil, etc. However, the presence of predators and the period of fishing are fundamental.