Winter fishing for bream from ice using different gear

Catching bream in winter is considered to be one of the most difficult, but at the same time exciting and rewarding pastimes. The success of fishing depends not only on correctly selected tackle, bait and bait, but also on where and at what time you plan to fish. And if an experienced bream owner already knows all the secrets of winter fishing for bream, then a novice angler, before going out on the ice in search of the coveted trophy, first of all needs to master the basic knowledge about all the components of winter bream fishing - from choosing a place and time to fishing and feeding techniques.

The specifics of catching bream in winter

Fishing for bream from ice in winter has a number of features:

• Bream is caught all winter - unlike carp, crucian carp and carp, the breeder is actively caught during the entire winter period.At the same time, its high activity is observed in the first ice and along the last ice, low - in the wilderness.
• Bream is quite active in winter like in the rivers with strong current, and reservoirs with stagnant water - in winter you can fish in various reservoirs from medium flowing lakes to large reservoirs and rivers.
• You should look for this fish at depths of at least 5-6 meters - in winter, bream most of them move in flocks at great depths in search of food. Outcrops of medium and small breeds can be observed at the beginning of freeze-up or during mild winters, when water bodies are not covered with ice for a long time.
• Eats and catches actively at night - throughout the winter, large bream actively feeds in the middle of the night, when most other fish do not bite.

These features of catching bream in winter contributed to the fact that among the fishermen who are fond of ice fishing, a whole caste, specializing in this fish, stood out - "bream". From these people you can learn a lot of useful information that they accumulate on the basis of personal experience. For beginners in this type of fishing, the advice of such experienced ones helps to get on the right path and join the ranks of adherents of this method of fishing.

Video: winter bream fishing - underwater shooting

Where and when to catch bream in winter

For effective bream fishing, you need to know when and where to catch bream in winter.

Fishing place

In winter, most of the time bream stays in deep places with a hard bottom covered with a small layer of silt.

As for the density of bream concentration, depending on the bottom topography, the so-called "tables" will be the best place for fishing.

The main habitats of bream on the river are:

• deep pits near steep banks at river bends;
• reaches;
• upper edges of channel ditches.

On large flowing lakes or reservoirs, the most suitable places for bream fishing are:

• the deepest places of the reservoir (from 6-7 meters) with a bottom covered with a small layer of silt on which there are driftwood, lonely stones, pits, hillocks;
• deep-water irrigation with depths of 5-6 meters, gradually turning into the channel part of the river blocked by a dam.

Month and time of day

During freeze-up, bream is active in the following periods:

• On the first ice (in December) after the ice finally bound the pond.
• Late winter - early spring (late February - early March)when melt waters penetrating under the ice saturate the habitat with oxygen, and the fish become more active.
• January-February - due to lack of oxygen under water, insufficient illumination, the fish is passive.

During the day, the following patterns were observed in fish activity:

• During the daytime in constant weather, bream most often actively bites from 10-11 hours to 14-15 hours.
• At night Bream is caught from 1-2 am to 4-5 am.

Weather

The weather significantly affects the behavior of bream in winter:

• Bream bites well in the middle of a stable thaw at an atmospheric pressure of 740-745 mm Hg.
• When the weather changes - the onset of frost after a thaw - the breeder feeds poorly and only after a few days, having got used to the new pressure, begins to feed again.
• Bream does not bite in inclement weather with strong winds and snowfalls.
• When fishing at night, bream is saturated with the weather already established for 3-4 days.

Features of catching bream in winter by months

December

December is the first month of freeze-up. This month, as a rule, a reliable ice shell is established, which greatly affects the behavior of the bream. Among the main features of catching bream at this time should be highlighted:

• As the reservoirs freeze, bream tends to go to deeper places, where the temperature in the bottom layer at this time is 3-4⁰C. After the fish adapts to new conditions, it begins to peck actively.
• They catch bream on the first ice on deep-water reaches, underwater plateaus, on the upper channel edges.
• On reservoirs and lakes, bream is caught with nod and float gear, on rivers - with a winter feeder.
• With an active bite, bream is caught in December with winter float gear or a feeder corresponding to the season; with a more passive bite, they practice running fishing with jig gear.
• Jigs are used at this time, large, lead golden color.
• Small fodder bloodworms are used as bait.
• The main bait at this time is a large bloodworm, attached to a hook or jig, 3-4 pieces each.
• The most active during the day at this time is the breeder, trophy bream are more often caught when fishing at night.

January

In January, under the ice, there is a low oxygen content and a lack of light. All this affects the behavior of the bream at this time:

• In the wilderness, bream prefers to stand in deep places - channel ditches, wintering pits, deep-water irrigation of reservoirs.
• They fish at this time on a winter feeder, winter float gear. The nod tackle is used for passive standing fishing.
• In the wilderness, dark or brown baits are used with the obligatory addition of feed bloodworms and a small amount of flavorings.
• During the day, small and medium breeders bite. In January, the most catchy bream fishing at night.
• Jigs in the wilderness use small tungsten ones.
• Of the bait, bloodworms, maggots, burdock moth larva are used.

Video: winter fishing for bream in January

February

In the last month of winter, fish become noticeably more active. Fishing at this time is characterized by the following features:

• Bream and bream are caught not at the very bottom as in the wilderness, but about 1-1.5 meters from it.
• It is better to feed at this time, opening the feeder 2-3 meters above the bottom, so that the gradually falling mixture attracts the bream below.
• At this time, bream comes out of pits and channel ditches for irrigation with a depth of 4-6 meters near the places where small streams and fast rivers flow into the reservoir.
• During long thaws, bream bites not only at night, but also during the day.
• They are fed with a homemade or purchased mixture with the obligatory addition of bloodworms
• They catch bream at this time, as well as on the first ice, with a jigging tackle, when a promising place is found, they switch from running search fishing to stationary fishing using 2-3 float tackles.

Video: winter fishing for bream in February

What to catch bream in in winter: basic tackle

A variety of tackles for catching bream in winter are used - from an active jig (nodding) to a stationary float and winter feeder.

Winter float rod

For catching bream in winter, a float tackle is used, consisting of:

• Udilnika with cork or foam handle integrated coil and whip at least 15 cm long.
• The equipment for a winter fishing rod for bream with a float consists of 15-20 meters of dark monofilament line section 0.14-0.16 mm. and two jigs - the lower one tied to the end of the fishing line and the upper one located 15-20 cm higher.
• When fishing on the river, the lower jig replace with spherical lead sinker, and the upper jig - with a leash up to 30-40 cm long with a thin hook No. 12-14.
• At the same time, metal is used as bite signaling devices. nod and winter float.

Fishing technique

Fishing for bream with a winter float rod is somewhat different from the summer analogue. The whole fishing process consists of the following stages:

• The process of fishing with a float tackle consists in drilling two holes at a distance of 60-70 cm from each other, feeding them with a dump trough, casting the baited tackle and waiting for a bite.
• When biting, the fisherman sees it well by the movement of the nod or float "upward" or "into the bottom".
• Striking is performed with a short sharp jerk for the line.
• When playing a lively bream or large bream, the whole process is controlled by holding the fishing line between the index and thumb of the right hand. With strong jerks, a small amount of fishing line is "handed over" to the fish, while keeping it in a constantly taut state.
• With a prolonged absence of biting on the holes, supplementary feeding is performed with a pinch of feed bloodworms or balls of a bait mixture the size of a chicken egg.

Jigsaw (nod) tackle

The jig is used for catching bream throughout the freeze-up season. This tackle consists of parts such as:

• Fishing rod - type "Balalaika" with flexible whip 15-20 cm long.
• Fishing line - monofilament dark color with a section of 0.1-0.12 mm.
• Nod - lavsan up to 10 cm long with a bright red colored tip and a hole for the line to pass.
• Bait - in winter, when fishing for bream, jigs such as "Drobinka", "Uralka", "Ant", "Kaplya", "Banana" and others are most catching.
• Of the non-nozzle jigs, dark and silver tungsten lures of the "Devil" type with a length of up to 12-15 mm have become widespread recently.

By the way! Read more about winter fishing for the devil in this article!

Fishing technique

The fishing technique differs from the usual one used for small perch, roach. It consists of the following sequential operations:

• When fishing for bream with a jig, the amplitude of the oscillations (the stroke of the nod during the game) should be greater, and the frequency - less than for perch, ruff, roach.
• The rise of the bait from the bottom is accompanied by 2-3 second pauses every 15-20 cm.
• The lifting height depends on the activity of the fish and the weather conditions: with low pressure and active fish, it is less, with a weak bite and high pressure - more.
• When fishing on "Hell" use a "tandem" consisting of two lures of this type - one at the end of the line, the other 20-30 cm higher.
• Fishing technique to "Hell" similar to trolling - the bait is gradually raised 15-20 cm above the bottom, then allowed to lower under its own weight to its original position. The planting of a bloodworm on such a jig is caught only with a weak bite or uncertain bites and frequent gatherings.

Winter feeder

This winter tackle for bream has a similarity with the summer analogue in terms of fishing principle and composition. The winter feeder consists of the following parts:

• Rod - for a winter feeder, special carbon fiber rods up to 70-80 cm long with strong and flexible whips, equipped with guide rings, a cork handle with a reel attachment are used.
• Reel - Spinning reels up to 1500 are used in this tackle.
• Line - monofilament with a section of 0.16-0.18 mm for the main line; 0.12 mm - for a leash.
• Rigging - Paternoster, Gardner's Loop, asymmetric loop.

Fishing technique

When fishing with this tackle, it is necessary to take into account the strength and direction of the current. The process of fishing with this tackle, with a similarity in structure and equipment, differs from the summer feeder.

• Fishing with a winter feeder is carried out in places with a weak or medium current.
• To install the gear, two holes are drilled at a distance of 1-1.5 meters, so that they are oriented along the streamline.
• The holes are fed with a "dump truck" feeder, dropping 2-3 portions of the mixture into each of them.
• As a supplement, tightly stuck balls of bait with ballast - clay or loam are used.
• A tackle with a feeder is installed in the hole installed upstream.
• In the feeder installed in the adjacent hole in the rigging, the feeder is replaced with a drop-shaped sinker of the same weight.
• Bites in this tackle are signaled by the bending of the tip of the rod whip.
• Hooking and playing fish is done with a fishing rod and a reel.

But, in general, winter fishing for bream with a feeder from the shore is considered more effective.

By the way! You can read more about catching bream in the current in this article!

How to feed bream in winter

Without the right preparation and application of bait for bream it will be very difficult to catch a good trophy in winter.

The bait used for catching bream in winter includes such fractions as:

• The foundation - lightweight components that create turbidity when dissolved in water (bread crumbs, semolina, ground sunflower cake, shortbread sweet biscuits).
• Feed fraction - nutritious and heavy boiled cereals (millet, corn, barley), bran.
• Additives - flavors (vanilla, bloodworm extract), weighting agents (clay) or loam.

A small amount of feed bloodworm is also added to the bait.

Preparation

Preparing the bait mixture is an important process - unbalanced bait will not attract fish and the result of fishing can be unpleasant for the angler. Prepare a standard winter groundbait for bream, following simple instructions:

• To prepare the bait mixture, dry base components are mixed in equal amounts until a homogeneous free-flowing mass is obtained.
• The aft cereals are boiled until cooked and allowed to cool.
• The base is mixed with the stern.
• The resulting bait is stored in a plastic bag on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator before fishing.
• Basis to stern ratio - 3: 1

Video: winter bait option for large bream

The feeding process

They are always lured before fishing. When fishing without bait, the bites of bream will be random, episodic.

A simple but effective feeding technique involves the following:

• The bait before feeding the holes is mixed with small fodder bloodworms (15-20% of the bait volume).
• A small amount of flavoring - honey, bloodworm extract, molasses - is added to the resulting mixture.
• To give the mixture a viscosity, a small amount of water from the well is added to it.
• For mixing bait, a sealed and bulky plastic bag is used - this allows you to avoid contact of the skin of your hands with cold water at low temperatures.
• The feeding of the bream is carried out with the help of a dump-trough with a densely filled mixture.
• The feeder is carefully, without sudden movements, lowered to the bottom and, having raised it by 20-30 cm above it, is jerked open, thereby allowing the mixture to spill out onto the bottom with a large forage spot.
• To supplement the holes with a weak biting or its termination, use balls from a bait mixture the size of a chicken egg. The balls, in contrast to the mixture stuffed into the trough, are made denser so that when they fall to a great depth, they do not strongly disintegrate in the water column.
• On the current, loam or clay is added to the bait, which, when moistened, prevent the rapid erosion of the mixture and the drift of particles from the area under the hole.

By the way! You can read more about feeding bream on winter fishing in this article!

In addition to everything described above, during winter fishing for bream in any period of freeze-up, experienced breammen try to be as quiet as possible - even at great depths, bream is often alarmed by loud steps on the ice, frequent drilling, as well as blows by the auger auger during "pumping" finished holes.

Also, for bream fishing, in addition to tackle, at this time of the year it is important equipment such as a tent, a portable lamp, warm clothes, a camping gas stove - fishing for bream in the winter at night in an open area without these things is not only uncomfortable, but also dangerous to health.

Video: catching bream in winter - tips from experienced fishermen