What kind of fish is caught in January? Winter fishing in January, fishing in January video
With the onset of stable cold weather, the mode of life of underwater inhabitants is changing. Perch in January is no exception. The predator becomes generally less active, but this does not mean the end of the bite. Throughout the winter, the striped pirate continues to feed, just not as actively as in the warm season. And if you get close to the striped one correctly, using the right tactics and fishing technique, then perch bites will not take long.
Winter migrations
For us, January is the middle of winter. In the underwater world, this time is the end of the transitional period from the smooth attenuation of activity after the first ice to the deaf winter. Of course, all this also depends on the geographical location of the reservoir. In the regions of Siberia and the North, the deaf winter is already in full swing, and in the south there are periods of thaws, sometimes prolonged ones. Naturally, such a difference imposes specifics on the January behavior of underwater inhabitants.
Winter fishing tactics and techniques depend on the activity of the predator. The methods of catching active and passive fish are different. Perch fishing in January occurs both according to the first and second scenarios, even within the same reservoir.
In January, the cooling of the water causes the perch to gradually sink to greater depths, as the temperature there remains around +4 degrees Celsius. Since fish are cold-blooded animals, the ambient temperature directly affects the rate of metabolism and metabolism. The colder it is, the slower these processes are, the worse the body absorbs oxygen and nutrients. As the water gets colder, the fish are looking for warmer places, every degree counts. Underwater inhabitants go into energy saving mode. Therefore, in addition to temperature, the fish also looks for places with a high oxygen content in the water in order to spend less energy on ventilation of the gills.
Features of tactics
In January, in many regions, the wilderness is just beginning. Despite the tendency to decrease in activity, the perch sometimes makes short hunting raids. With the approach of February, the exits become less frequent, shorter in time and distance, until the flock finally rolls down to the chosen hole. In such places, in addition to the temperature and oxygen regimes, there should also be a food base - fry, benthos. Perch stands in the same places where juvenile fish spend the winter. Basically, they coexist peacefully (since the minke whale in a passive state prefers to slowly eat small organisms, rather than actively hunt). Sometimes the predator makes short exits to the fry, and having stuffed the belly again falls into an apathetic state.
Perch does not sleep and does not hibernate. The prickly robber simply saves energy. Therefore, even in a passive state, the correctly served bait makes the predator show curiosity. Catching perch with a jig in January becomes the main way of fishing. There is an opinion that in the middle of winter, attached jigs work better. But on the balancer and lure, good catches are also often obtained, especially if you manage to find a parking lot for large flocks of large perches in low-feeding water bodies. The predator cannot resist the freebies that are spinning right under his nose.
During the day in January, it is difficult to predict what hours the perch will bite best. The predator may not take it at all, but after some time enter an active raid. In some reservoirs this can happen in the morning, in others in the evening. Therefore, on large reservoirs, one should focus on finding parking lots - if they are found, even passive fish can be forced to peck with mastery of gear. In small reservoirs with a large number of spiny predators, it is necessary to repeatedly return to the drilled holes on promising places– the bite can start at any time.
Changes are being made to fishing techniques. During periods of activity, this predator loves fast, high-frequency play. In January, small and slow twitching of the bait, stirring at the bottom, tapping with raising clouds of turbidity and rather long pauses are more often used.
Lure
Bait will serve the perch angler well in January. Unlike baiting peaceful fish, perch does not need to be lured - it still will not come if it is not in this place. But on the other hand, the bait works well if you throw it in places where the striped robber is found. The bait acts as an irritant, bringing the fish out of its passive state and forcing them to feed. Therefore, you need to throw it into the hole only in those places where there were bites. For more information about perch bait in winter, see.
Therefore, the search for perch in January, especially in vast areas of water, can be a laborious task. But the successful completion of such exploration often brings excellent catches. You need to search on the entire spectrum of places where a predator may be present, except for coastal shallow areas with vegetation:
- The upper or lower boundaries of coastal slopes, edges, and flooded channels.
- Areas with a hard bottom and holes.
- Snags, exits from pits, banks in the depths, underwater ridges and slopes.
- Small perch can winter in the coastal zone next to the remains of summer vegetation.
What to use to catch perch in winter in January
Often striped appears in the by-catch on a float rod when catching winter roach, bream and other fish. With purposeful hunting for perch in January, you can use the entire range of gear. There is an opinion that in the middle of winter, baited jigs are the most catchy. They can be used by a generalist fisherman. In addition to bloodworms, maggots, pieces of worms, strips of chicken fillet, cow's udder, and liver are used as bait. Supporters of specific fishing methods (reelers, jiggers, spinners) should not despair - in January they can successfully fish with their favorite gear.
It is more reliable to catch with bloodworms - it is difficult to tempt a low-active perch with an iron, but with a natural larva, and even with additional feeding, it is easy. However, by properly organizing your search and fishing tactics, you can achieve success with artificial baits, and no worse than with bloodworms.
Provocateurs
When fishing with spoons and balancers, you need to use small baits, preferably with hanging hooks and decorations on them. Above the main bait, it is worth placing an additional hook with red beads as a provocateur and point of attack. If during the first ice you don’t have to worry too much about the playing technique, using regular jigs or tossing a spoon, then in January it’s worth showing all your skill in seducing fish. Various combinations, deceleration and acceleration, raising the haze - this is just the beginning of the list. Good results shows .
Tandem with balancer (Finnish method)
With the arrival of January in the Lower Volga, as a rule, real winter sets in. The river is covered strong ice, however, in places with strong currents the water remains open. In some years in the lower reaches of the Volga it is warm weather and Akhtuba remains without ice cover until mid-January. In such years, in warm weather, it is possible to fish in open water with summer gear - spinning rods and donks. But we will not focus on summer fishing, and let's describe winter fishing.
Fishing calendar in January:
| Fish | nibble | Fishing places | Fishing time | Tackle | Lure baits | Lure | |
| Bersh | Deep pits with reverse flow, moderate depths near the pits | Early morning, at sunset, at dusk, during the day in warm weather | Winter fishing rod for vertical trolling | A large, heavy jig with a fry or sprat attachment. Heavy winter spinner or medium-sized balancer | |||
| Guster | Deep holes, moderate depths near holes, in deep backwaters, in spills near bushes | All daylight | |||||
| Rudd | Morning, evening, afternoon in calm, warm weather | Winter fishing rod with float or nod | Medium heavy jig with a bloodworm or piece of worm attachment | Medium heavy jig with a bloodworm or piece of worm attachment | |||
| Bream | Deep holes, moderate depths near holes, in deep backwaters. | Winter fishing rod with float or nod | Large heavy jig with a bunch of bloodworms or worm attachment | Bran, crackers, chopped worms, bloodworms, unikorm | |||
| Perch | Shallow sections of the river with a quiet flow, in backwaters, in spills near bushes. In eriks and lakes | All daylight | A large, light jig with a bunch of bloodworms, a worm, an eye, and a fry attached. Lightweight winter spinner or small balancer. Small baitfish | Bloodworm, chopped worm, unikorm | |||
| Roach | Shallow sections of the river with a quiet flow, in backwaters, in spills near bushes. In eriks and lakes | All daylight | Winter fishing rod with float or nod | Small light jig with a bloodworm attachment or a piece of worm | Rusks, chopped worm, bloodworm, unikorm | ||
| Sinets | Early morning, at sunset, during the day in warm weather | Winter fishing rod with float or nod | Medium heavy jig with a bunch of bloodworm or worm attachment | Bran, crackers, chopped worms, bloodworms, unikorm | |||
| Zander | Deep holes, moderate depths near holes, in deep backwaters, in backwaters, in spills near bushes. | Winter fishing rod for vertical trolling. Zherlitsa | A large, heavy jig with a fry or sprat attachment. Heavy winter spinner or medium-sized balancer. Small baitfish | ||||
| Pike | Moderate depths, shallow sections of the river with a quiet current, in backwaters, in spills near bushes. In eriks and lakes | Morning, evening, twilight, during the day in warm weather | Winter fishing rod for vertical trolling. Zherlitsa | Large heavy jig with a whitebait attachment. Heavy winter spinner or medium-sized balancer. Small and medium bait fish | |||
Spawning
Sleeps/does not bite
Bad bite
Average bite
Good bite
In January you can catch bream, silver bream, roach, rudd and blue bream from the river ice. You need to catch white fish with a winter fishing rod equipped with a nod or a float. As bait, it is better to use a jig with animal bait - a worm or bloodworm. For successful fishing in January it is necessary to use complementary food, which should also contain bloodworms or chopped worms. With a winter spinner, a balancer or a large jig with fry or frozen sprat (small fish), you can successfully hunt for pike perch and bersh. The main thing is to find their parking place in Akhtube and then success is guaranteed. The main places for fishing in January are pits and places in close proximity to them, but when high level water, it is advisable to look for fish in shallow water near flooded bushes and trees. Akhtuba has just such places for winter fishing. base "Sudachye Place".
Eriks and ilmens on the floodplain in January are completely covered with durable ice that can withstand a fisherman with all his equipment. You can catch perch and pike well in them using a medium-sized balance beam or a winter lure using the vertical lure method. It is better to catch pike using a large jig with a fish fry or using a jig with medium-sized live bait. From peaceful fish to winter period on eriks and lakes you can sport fish for roach, rudd and bleak, which in turn can be used as live bait for catching pike, pike perch and large perch. To do this you will need a lighter winter fishing rod and bait than when fishing on the river. Baits and bait should be based on animal origin - bloodworms and pieces of worm.
January is the least promising month from the point of view of sport fishing. The active bite associated with the formation of ice has already ended; active biting associated with the gradual melting of ice is still a long way off. The fish feels a lack of oxygen and therefore feeds rarely and reluctantly. The wilderness is especially pronounced on small lakes with large areas of dead vegetation - here the oxygen regime is completely unfavorable. On rivers, especially fast ones, it is easier - the current provides a small influx of oxygen, but in particularly severe frosts, life freezes here too. However, even in the dead of winter, an experienced fisherman will be able to get a couple of tails, heads and other fish components. Whose exactly - read below.
Chub
In January, chub are caught very rarely and only small ones. Its biting stops completely towards the end of the month: oxygen starvation takes its toll. The relative activity of the chub is observed only during thaws - at temperatures from 0 to -5C0.
At this time, he goes out to feed in places with shallow depth - sandbanks, ridges, etc. cover the ice with something lightproof.
Guster
The silver bream bite in January is weak and unstable. During the thaw it is caught a little better, in deep frosts it is worse, and sometimes it stops feeding altogether. The silver bream in particular is caught extremely rarely: usually the angler focuses on all the active white fish at the same time. The fishing method is traditional - reel and reelless jigs. The silver bream is not too timid and often forgives the angler serious mistakes: the only thing you should pay close attention to is the thickness of the fishing line and leash.
Ruff is perhaps the only fish that, at the very peak of winter, retains an excellent appetite and bad character. The latter manifests itself in the fact that if you come across a school of ruffs, you are unlikely to see another fish - they will confidently peck all the bait thrown to them. The problem, however, is that the ruffe population in many reservoirs in last years decreased, and in some places it was completely replaced by either rotan or otra
botanical petroleum products. If there is a ruffe in the reservoir, then you should look for it near the pools, as well as near the sandy shores, where there are no rotting plants absorbing oxygen.
Burbot
At the end of December and beginning of January, burbot spawns and at this time it is practically not caught. The exception is immature individuals, which are consistently caught even at the height of spawning. After spawning, burbot “gets sick” for 7–10 days, and then the actual feeding begins. At this time, the main thing is to find a place where the burbot is staying or to be on the path of its movement. In places where burbot is found in large quantities (this is almost the entire north of Russia), catches can be very large. You can catch burbot at this time with very simple bottom tackle, using pieces of fish, meat or a small fish (ordinary frozen herring is quite suitable) whole as bait. The bait, even a whole one, must be changed periodically in order to enhance the smell. Pieces of meat or fish intestines can be additionally seared over the fire.
Perch
In January, large perch stand in holes and practically do not hunt - they save their strength, which is already in short supply in conditions of oxygen starvation. Only sometimes, when the weather is favorable, the predator becomes active, and at this time it is caught with vertical lures and balance beams.
As for small fish weighing 400–500 grams, they feed more or less steadily throughout the month, with the exception of days with particularly severe frosts. Very young “sailors” can be caught with a jig or bloodworm at the same time as roach and ruff (in winter they usually stay in the same places, hunting bottom invertebrates and sometimes fry). Schools of young perch stay very compact and rarely engage in collective driven hunting, which requires active breathing. Individuals the size of a palm or larger can attack both a jig and a spinner. Very often, alternating fishing methods is effective: first a balancer is in the water, then a spoon, then a jig, and then the angler moves to another hole.
Roach
Roach is one of the few peaceful fish that turns January from a dead month into an unpromising month. Even in the dead of winter, roach (together with bream and silver bream, which lead a similar lifestyle at this time of year) sometimes shows quite decent activity and allows you to get away from zero.
You can catch roach with a float or nodding fishing rod. As a rule, jigs with attached bloodworms or burdocks, or even just a foam ball, are used as bait. Often the bite can be enhanced thanks to bait, which mainly includes porridge.
Bream and white bream
In the depths of winter, large bream show minimal activity: their capture is extremely rare. Podleschiki different sizes They are caught better, but they very often refuse all baits. This is primarily due to a lack of oxygen: it has been noticed that in areas with gullies and ice holes, bream and other fish are caught much better.
Bream is caught in much the same way as roach and silver bream - using a jig with bloodworms or maggots. Bream is quite shy, and therefore
It makes sense to darken the ice in the fishing area. In addition, it would be a good idea to pour some snow into the hole, although it can create some difficulties in severe frosts. Since the movements of bream in the middle of winter are very limited, the fisherman has to move: it is not uncommon to find a good place obtained only after checking several dozen holes (which still need to be drilled).
Zander
Sudak doesn't read manuals fishing and therefore does not know that in the dead of winter he is supposed to sit quietly and not stick his head out. Even in the dead of winter, pike perch retains the habit of feeding at exits. The only problem is that the place and time of such an exit is almost impossible to guess. The exception is open sections of rivers with medium and weak currents - there the probability of catching this predator is quite high.
In open water, winter pike perch is caught with a jig, on ice - with lures or balance beams. In general, pike perch prefers fairly large spoons, but in January it is wiser to use small and medium-sized baits. Why is not entirely clear, but it works.
A winter pike perch bite feels like a series of short pulls and an unexpected heaviness, reminiscent of a hook. This is a full grip of the bait, which should be followed by a confident hook. The predator resists quite actively, although weaker than in the warmer seasons: however, if you let the pike perch “take a walk”, it will most likely hide in a snag and tear off the bait.
Pike
The pike bite weakens in January, but persists. However, it is not interesting to catch it at this time: the pike, weakened by lack of oxygen and low water temperature, cannot provide serious resistance. In addition, girders are usually used to catch pike in January: this is a completely unsporting and, in general, barbaric method of fishing. As for winter glitter, it deserves to be discussed in more detail.
Winter pike is extremely wary of artificial baits, and therefore only an attentive fisherman who knows the habits of the predator can get a decent specimen using lures. For pike fishing, lure throwers of various designs are used - from short fishing rods with a regular inertial reel (for example, Nelma is suitable) to high-tech devices with multipliers. Line thickness - from 0.22 mm; leash is required.
Pike activity is observed in the morning and briefly at noon. Sometimes pike hunt in the late afternoon, but only during thaws. The main depths are from 2 to 5 meters, although much depends on the nature of the reservoir.
The choice of spinners and balancers for pike fishing is huge and it’s impossible to point out absolute favorites here. In general, the baits that you know how to work with work best. It should be noted that even the most best spinners and the pike releases the balancers from its mouth very quickly, and therefore the reaction to a bite should be instantaneous. However, this is precisely the main attractiveness of trolling pike - unlike installing dozens of fishing poles, such fishing requires a developed brain and straight arms.
January is a difficult month for anglers. In the middle of winter, almost all types of fish bite poorly, including roach. The lack of oxygen and light under the ice and low water temperature have an effect; in such conditions, the fish eat less than in the warm season. Nevertheless, anglers who know the habits of fish well return from fishing in January with good catches. Amateur fishermen who have been specializing in roach fishing for many years can also boast of good January catches - they just know: where, when and with what gear to catch roach.
Roach is found in almost all freshwater bodies of Russia, which is why there are a lot of people who like to catch this fish. She gets caught all year round. Many people who like to catch roach go out on the ice in winter. However, if on the first ice and at the end of the sub-ice season - in and April, tens of thousands of anglers go after roach, since at this time any fish bites well, then in the middle of winter this silvery fish is caught by more skillful fishermen.
The process of catching roach in the middle of winter is very different from how it happens on the first ice or in the spring. In January, there is little oxygen in the water under the ice, little light, and all the fish suffer from this. Fishermen consider January and February to be the dead winter months. The ability of an angler to catch a good catch of roach or any other fish at this time speaks of his professionalism. At the end of winter, everyone can catch a lot of fish, but not in the middle.
Roach fishing gear in January
Roaches are caught in winter using fishing rods in which either a float or a nod serves as a bite signal. There are a variety of designs of fishing rods: filly fishing rods - the handle of such tackle is made in the form of a reel on which the fishing line is wound; in other fishing rods the fishing line is wound on reels.
fishing line
Most often, monofilament fishing line with a diameter of no more than 0.12 millimeters is used to catch this fish. In many cases, a fishing line with a thickness of 0.08–0.1 millimeters is sufficient (the thinner the fishing line, the more bites, but if you are catching large roach, then it is better to increase the diameter of the monofilament).
Catching roach with a float rod in January
Float tackle is most often used in a place in a reservoir where there is little or no current; a nodding fishing rod is more versatile - it can be used in any conditions. In a nodding fishing rod, a jig is used as bait, in float rod A jig can also be used, but most often hooks are tied here for attaching various attachments and baits. The hook and jig should not be large - the roach will not be able to swallow such baits with its small mouth. The hook should not be larger than No. 4 according to the domestic classification.
It is better to use a stationary type of float, through the hole of which the fishing line is passed. The antenna stopper saves you from uncontrolled movement along the line. In order to move the float to the required distance, you need to loosen the stopper and then fix it again. There are a great variety of float designs, for example, there are floats into which a fishing line is inserted through a side slot, and then they are locked in various ways.
Nod
The nod is made of some springy material. The range of nods on store shelves is huge, and currently there is no need to make them yourself. The most common nods are made of metal plates or springs. The nod must have good sensitivity. For catching roach, the length of the nod is preferably 5–7 centimeters.
It is pointless to look for roaches in small and shallow reservoirs in harsh winters, since they freeze to the bottom. In January, roach is mostly found at depth - in holes or not far from them. It has been noticed that large roach are located at great depths, and small roach are located on the periphery of the depths.
A nuance: when they talk about the depths where our heroine of the story is, they do not mean depths of more than 10 meters; most often large roach can be found at 5-7 meters, or even shallower depths. During the thaw, roaches are sometimes found not far from the shore at a depth of no more than 3-4 meters.
In the middle of winter, roaches can be found near the places where rivers and streams flow into a body of water, since there is more oxygen here and the water is a little warmer. However, remember that the current washes away even thick ice and therefore you need to be especially careful here.
In the middle of nowhere, if you manage to find a school of roach, you should not move too far from this fishing spot, even if the bite has stopped. Perhaps the fish stopped being caught not because they went somewhere, but for other reasons. The following picture is often observed: one angler drags one roach after another, but his neighbor, sitting two meters away from him, has no bite. In January, the roach moves little, so if you find a place where it moves, it’s worth fishing here, otherwise, in search of a bigger and better catch, the short winter daylight hours will be spent, and you will have to return home without fish.
If an angler knows a good place where roach is likely to be found, then he should come here before 11 o’clock in the afternoon. Experienced fishermen claim that the time from 11 to 13 hours is the best for catching this fish.
Bait should be used when fishing for roaches, but you should not overdo it with its quantity. Half a kilogram of bait mixture is enough to feed one place for the whole day. It is possible and necessary to add flavorings, but it is advisable to use aromatic substances in moderation, prepared from natural ingredients.
Limit the number of fishing rods you fish with at the same time - with such fishing, attention is scattered between several bite alarms, so the reaction may not be enough to hook a roach. Experienced fishermen catch roach with one fishing rod.
Roach is caught using a variety of baits and lures, but it often happens like this: yesterday the fish was caught perfectly on the dough, but today it pays attention only to bloodworms. Conclusion - take several attachments and baits when fishing and experiment with them, changing the hook.
In winter, jig fishers catch roach using slow-motion bait. The jigs and hooks on the tackle are especially small so that the sluggish roach can swallow the bait.
Catching roach in January video
SUPER CATCH!!! Catching roach in winter video
Winter roach fishing - Jig fishing techniques video
Winter fishing for roach with a jig in January video
This article talks about how to prepare for bass fishing in January. Where to look for a predator, what determines the choice of place to catch it. What gear is used to catch perch in January, what baits are used.
Lure fishing. This type of bait is used in January mainly when catching an active predator, when its stopping place has been determined. You should start catching perch with a spoon from the shore, that is, from shallow water. If there are no predator bites, then you should move to the side at least 20-25 meters. You shouldn’t spend more than 10 minutes on one hole; we note that if a predator is present in the fishing area, you won’t have to wait long for it to bite.
For catching perch, it is recommended to select spinners up to 4 cm in length; regarding color, it is better to opt for white, red or combined options. In cloudy weather, perch more readily attacks light-colored baits, and in sunny weather, bright-colored lures. This point is important to remember and take into account when choosing bait regarding color shade.
During the fishing process, the bait should not be jerked sharply, all movements should be smooth, only in this case it will be possible to attract and provoke the predator to attack. The bait needs to be torn off the bottom to a height of up to 20 cm, and when lifting it is necessary to pause (2-4 seconds). At the top point, the pause can be increased to 10 seconds. It is often possible to attract perch by lightly twitching the spoon directly on the surface of the bottom or a few centimeters from it.
