Catching burbot in winter: on vents, donks, spinners, an overview of baits

With the onset of winter, many species of fish significantly reduce their activity, but for burbot this is a great time, and it begins to be caught on amateur gear. Unfortunately, there are quite a few such anglers who purposefully catch burbot, which, oddly enough, belongs to the cod family. As far as is known, codfish are more common in salt water, in the seas and oceans, and burbot prefers fresh water reservoirs.

The problem is also related to the fact that burbot hunts at night, which is not very convenient for anglers, since they prefer to fish from the ice only during the daytime. Many anglers are not satisfied with this factor, since fishing at night is not as easy as during the day.

Of course, if you know the parking lot of burbot, then you can really catch it during the day, but at night the bite of this fish is much more active, and individuals come across much heavier.

Therefore, we can safely say that night fishing for burbot is the lot of fishermen who are strong in spirit and body. The stronger the frost, the colder it is outside, the more active this fish is. As you know, it is colder at night than during the day, so not every fishing enthusiast will go on such an adventure, even if there is a tent with heating, although it is not so easy to heat the tent in such conditions.

As a rule, anglers prefer 2 types of burbot fishing: with the help of spinners and with the help of hooks. According to the method of fishing, two categories of anglers are distinguished: some prefer to put bottom gear at night to check them in the morning, while others completely devote themselves to night extremes, hunting burbot with vertical flashing, while being in conditions that are not entirely comfortable.

Both methods have the right to recognition, since both methods are highly effective. Both anglers are professional, so the right choice always depends on the angler, who has the right to decide whether to freeze at night in a tent in which the temperature is only a few degrees higher than outside, or spend the night in comfortable conditions, and in the morning go and just check tackle.

This article explains how to catch burbot in both ways in more detail.

Behavior of burbot in winter

With the advent of real cold weather, the behavior of burbot is standard. In other words, his autumn fishing almost imperceptibly, by the nature of his behavior, passes into winter. When the first ice appears on the fast-flowing winter rivers near the banks, they continue to catch burbot there for snacks. When ponds with stagnant water are covered with ice that can withstand the weight of the fisherman, they begin to catch burbot on stakes. Many species of fish, in the conditions of transition from autumn to winter, stop pecking, as they have a couple of weeks to adapt to new conditions. As for burbot, it does not have such a period, and it continues to actively peck at all types of gear. Although some individuals begin to float to the ice itself, where they remain until the ice reaches a thickness of 10 cm, or even more. It seems that they decided to check whether access to the surface of the water is really blocked.

Interesting fact! Our ancestors in this period caught burbot with axes and light. People looked for individuals that stood close to the ice and jammed them with the butt of an ax, after which it remained to cut the ice to pull out the fish. Pike and other fish species were caught in the same way.

After the ice gets stronger, all individuals are already closer to the bottom, as are those that surfaced for reconnaissance, where they hunt for potential prey. After some time, having made an appropriate supply of strength and energy, they begin to prepare for spawning. Burbots that inhabit rivers begin to move upstream, and burbots that live in lakes move to pebbly or rocky shallow waters. Moreover, all this time, burbot steadily continues to take baits that anglers offer him with the help of bottom gear and in the form of burbot lures.

Specialists do not observe clear spawning dates for burbot, but it is known that this fish spawns in December-January, and in colder latitudes – from November to December. First of all, trophy specimens spawn, followed by smaller ones. Individuals that have barely reached puberty are the last to spawn. In connection with this factor, the spawning process is greatly extended in time and it is almost impossible to say exactly when this fish spawns. One more interesting fact worth paying attention to: spawning does not have any effect on the biting of burbot, in comparison with other types of fish, which completely refuse to feed during the spawning period, with the exception of individuals that have not reached puberty.

After spawning, the burbot leaves the shallow water, as well as other places, and moves to the depth, where it continues to be caught on various gear.

Tackle and lures for catching burbot in winter

You can catch burbot in winter with the help of various tackles, but the most popular are hooks and vertical lure. At the same time, there may be several specific gear for catching burbot, depending on the fishing conditions.

Zherlitsa

In fact, a burbot is a pike tackle, although it can be easily adapted for catching burbot, you just need to pay attention to the behavior of burbot. To catch a pike, you need a supply of fishing line, because after a bite, it does not completely swallow its bait, but tries to go to the side and deal with it there. Burbot, on the contrary, swallows the bait immediately, so an extra line is not needed. But the supply of fishing line does not hurt, because there are places with different depths on the reservoir. So that the extra line does not have a negative impact on the fishing process, it is enough to have a stopper that would allow you to stop the line after determining the depth of the reservoir in the place of the drilled hole. As a result, you can get a universal tackle, designed for catching both burbot and pike.

Winter donka

As a rule, this is a fairly simple tackle that any angler can build. In order not to bother too much, it is enough to use a donkey for autumn burbot fishing, partially converting it for winter fishing.

There are several options for rigs, but many anglers prefer winter rigs made on a single line.

What are the advantages of this type of equipment? The thing is that the autumn equipment is connected with the conditions of fishing, since it has to be cast from the shore for a certain distance. In this case, the sinker is fixed at the end of the main line so that the line does not overlap during casting. When fishing from ice, this is not necessary, since the line simply falls into the hole to a certain depth. When catching burbot, it is very important that the bait literally lies on the bottom. Therefore, the sinker is attached directly to the fishing line, in front of the leash. In order to be able to quickly convert tackle, you should use such modern equipment elements as fasteners and swivels.

In addition to fishing line and other additional elements, you will need a reel on which all the tackle is stored. As a rule, the reel is made in the form of a plank, which is at least twice the diameter of the hole in length. The thickness depends on the material of manufacture. At the same time, it should be strong enough, but not too voluminous and massive.

In the middle of the board, on the left or right side, a slot is made. It is desirable that the slot reaches the center of the plank, otherwise the structure will turn out to be unstable. At the same time, it must be remembered that this will weaken the entire structure, so the material must be selected taking this factor into account.

When the donk is installed in the hole, the rest of the fishing line remains on the reel, and the working tackle is passed into the slot. After that, the plank lies across the hole so that the reel is securely held in this position. It is very important to secure the reel, otherwise the burbot will be able to drag all the tackle under the ice with their actions.

This tackle is simple, but its effectiveness does not suffer from this in any way.

Winter spinners

For winter burbot fishing, spinners are suitable for catching pike, pike perch, as well as balancers, from which the tee is removed. In addition, special spinners are used for catching burbot. Of course, it is better to use special spinners, but they are not on sale and you have to make them yourself at home. The use of spinners is no different from the use when catching other types of fish. Her movements are animated so that they look like the movements of a small fish, but there should be pauses when the lure is at the bottom.

It is important to know! The main attracting factor when catching burbot is not the peculiarity of the game of the bait, but its tapping on the bottom, which collects a flock of burbots near the spinner.

Handicraft baits are horizontal baits. They are made in various ways: they are cast from metal, turned on a lathe, and balancers are also remade. Some anglers manage to adapt the bullet for this business.

Not always the bottom in the place of fishing is hard and it is impossible to knock on it. And here the anglers also got out of the situation, making the lure noisy. The easiest approach is to add various moving elements to the spinner that make noise when moving. Moreover, it is possible to equip the spinner with these elements, both in the process of its manufacture, and after, with the help of clockwork rings.

In addition, avid anglers came up with hollow lures, inside which they placed metal balls. They began to make similar “rattles” from copper or brass tubes and other materials. The main thing is that water does not get inside the bait. In addition, movable petals are also installed on such baits.

Many experienced anglers claim that fish go well with such baits before spawning. During this period, burbot responds well to various sounds. According to experts, the fish actively reacts to the spinner not only as their prey, but also as a foreign object that interferes with spawning. Therefore, he attacks her, trying to get rid of her.

Recently, burbot spinners of industrial production have appeared abroad. The basis of the bait is a hook, which is located on the bait so that when it moves, it knocks, making sounds. In addition, small petals can be installed at the bottom of the bait, which also make sounds in the water.

In fact, lures made by hand by anglers are more effective. The same can be said about other spinners, which are made by anglers themselves at home, for catching other types of fish.

Fishing rod and fishing line

Since there are specimens weighing 10 kg, or even more, you will need a reliable fishing rod. Many anglers make it from fiberglass or other durable yet lightweight materials.

For fishing, you need to take a fishing line, not thinner than 0,3 mm, otherwise a trophy specimen may break a thinner fishing line.

Nozzles and refills

For catching burbot in winter, the number of nozzles is very small, given that this fish is predatory.

Zywiec

Ruff is preferred by many predatory fish and burbot is no exception. This fish is caught consistently throughout the winter, so there should be no problems with live bait.

A good alternative is minnow, but it will have to be harvested at the beginning of the season, since it does not show much activity in winter.

On a note! Bottom fish are more attracted to burbot, so it makes sense to give preference to them when choosing live bait.

Live bait can be caught in the daytime, on the same reservoir where it is planned to catch burbot at night. Some anglers are preparing for winter burbot fishing in advance, harvesting it in the fall. Live bait is kept in special containers with water, into which air is supplied to enrich it with oxygen.

Often the live bait turns out to be the only nozzle on which the burbot pecks, and so actively.

It is important to know! As practice has shown, when using live bait, the fish are interested in the bait much more often than when using other types of baits on the hook.

Snuly fish

When the live bait is prepared in advance and kept in special containers, then part of the fish may fall asleep. In this case, it should not be thrown away, but rather frozen. Such a fish can be used in the future, in the form of replanting for spinners.

As a rule, this practice is resorted to when it is not possible to get the live bait. With a dead fish, you can easily put bottom gear and vents.

fish meat

For burbot, a dead fish will also go, but if the fish is cut into pieces, then these pieces of burbot begin to attract more. Therefore, you can go this way: go to the store and buy the same carp or crucian carp, then cut them into pieces and use them as a nozzle or replanting on a lure.

Interesting fact! It is believed that burbot can eat carrion and, nevertheless, it is better to use pieces of fresh fish for baiting or replanting.

Search for burbot

It is not enough to know what and how to catch burbot. You need to be able to find a promising place, otherwise you can be left without a catch. If this is a familiar body of water, then fishermen have long known where to look for fish, but if this is an unfamiliar body of water, then serious problems are possible. Although, in our time, when compact echo sounders appeared, this is not a problem and you can quickly find the site of this fish, although you will have to drill a lot of holes for this. For this reason, we can safely say that winter fishing is, first of all, hard work and only then rest, and rest is already at home, in comfortable warm conditions.

Burbot trails

Burbot is a fish that migrates through the reservoir along its own paths, so various oddities happen in the process of fishing.

Interesting fact! A local fisherman from one of the villages located near the Sylva River managed to catch a whole group of lure fish. This is despite the fact that there is a lot of burbot in the river. According to a local fisherman, he managed to punch a hole right above the burbot trail.

Therefore, quite often there are moments when one angler is actively catching burbot, and several located nearby have not seen a single bite during this time.

What is a “burbot path”?

The way of life of the burbot is dictated by its way of feeding and its physique. Massive head and wide mouth allow him to cope with serious prey. In addition, there is enough space in his body to digest this prey. The burbot has a long, ribbon-like tail, which allows it to feel great on the bottom surface. Unfortunately, such a complexion of the body does not allow him to actively move in the water column, and especially in the current.

For this reason, burbot stays away from fast currents, and prefers quiet places with a weak current.

Before the start of spawning, when the burbot begins to look for places for spawning, it overcomes the rifts, but does it reasonably. He finds places where the current is not so swift and forces similar barriers. He finds similar places on the sides of the riffles or near the shore, if the distance between the ice and the bottom allows him to do this.

Before forcing rifts, flocks of burbots gather to have a little rest before the next movement forward, since this requires a lot of effort and energy. As a rule, they always move along the same route, which the fishermen call the “trail”. By the way, this is typical not only for burbot: each type of fish has its own “paths” along which they move in search of food. When a path is found along which the fish moves, you can always be with a catch, while not small specimens come across on the hook.

For experienced anglers, this is not at all a difficult task, it is enough to figure out where the jet boundary ends. Then they drill several holes and determine in which of them the spinner does not drift over the edge of the hole. The thickness of the ice can also indicate the prospects of a place: the thicker the ice, the weaker the current in this place, which means that this place can be promising.

As soon as burbot has spawned, burbot should be looked for in completely different places and mostly at depth, but in any case you will not meet him in the course.

Such behavior is not typical for burbot during the daytime, since at this time of the day it mostly rests in areas where the depth is not too great and where there is enough oxygen brought by the current.

Locations of burbot at different times of the day

When winter has not yet come into force on the reservoirs and has not covered them with a thick, reliable layer of ice, burbot in the daytime, as a rule, is in shelter and practically does not feed, waiting for it to get dark. In winter, burbot can take the bait even during the day if the fisherman finds the parking lot of this fish and feeds the bait right under his nose. In this case, you can count on productive fishing.

Despite this, fishing at night will still be more effective, since during this period the fish always has an increased appetite, which is associated with the peculiarities of its behavior. In the daytime, burbot can study the bait for a long time and, in the end, may refuse it, but in the dark, he grabs it without spending time studying.

No less actively burbot is caught before spawning, but only early in the morning and late in the evening. In the middle of the night, its activity drops to almost zero. After spawning, burbot behaves actively all night long, without interruption.

What is the result?

The result can be presented in the form of a picture located below in the text, which indicates in which parts of the reservoir it is better to look for burbot in winter.

This is what concerns reservoirs with a course, and in reservoirs with stagnant water, everything is much simpler: before spawning, burbot prefers shallow water, and after it – depths and other parts of the water area.

How does the moon affect the behavior of burbot

Burbot is a fish that reacts very actively to the moon and its absence.

Changes in the behavior of burbot are already felt when a thin month appears in the sky. As the night luminary increases, the biting of the burbot becomes not so sure, and when the full moon comes, it stops biting at all. This continues until the new moon period.

Attention anglers! When going fishing for burbot, this factor must be taken into account. About when the moon rises and sets is now not a problem to find out on the Internet, as well as what quarter of the moon.

Burbot is one of the most interesting fish inhabiting our fresh water reservoirs. When the bulk of the fish go for wintering to great depths and emerge from the pits only in conditions of winter thaws, the “golden” time begins for burbot. The same can be said about some of the winter burbot lovers, for whom it becomes possible to catch a rather weighty specimen. It remains only to seriously prepare, armed with reliable tackle and equipped in accordance with all the rules. For greater effectiveness, it does not hurt to stock up on live bait in the fall, since it is not so easy to get it in winter. As for anglers who practice this type of fishing, this does not present any difficulty. In extreme cases, live bait can be caught in the daytime on the same reservoir.

For those fishermen who prefer to catch burbot with artificial lures, it is enough to stock up on catchy spinners and patience, as well as endurance and willpower, since you will have to constantly be in difficult weather conditions. Although for real, avid fans of winter fishing, no weather conditions, even the most severe, are an obstacle.