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Long awaited Saturday morning. After a long and not very successful search for pike, one of the bays, densely streaked with brows and various irregularities, was chosen as a testing ground for the first cancer test. Depths – from half a meter to seven – in some places were stuffed behind melted bushes or half-rotten tree branches. We entered the bay about half past two. The day was sunny, hot, and that’s all, given the full moon at night and the ever-increasing pressure. The water temperature is about 24 degrees and zero current. In general, at first glance – a typical “span”. Given such an unpromising picture and these conditions, rather sluggish wiring was implied, and absolutely any bait. Naturally, from the very first casts, I blindly rested on catching pike and, possibly, another predator, specifically on crayfish.
Testing silicone crustaceans as bait
So let’s start fishing. Silicone crayfish flies to a lonely island of water lilies, located near a flooded snag. During the first cast, the crustacean touched the bottom too quickly – the head of 10 grams turned out to be too big even for a pronounced sharp four-meter drop. Change to seven – that’s it. To begin with, I try the “step”, lifting the bait above the bottom with the help of a rod, followed by winding the reel. Pause – up to four seconds.
Looking ahead a little, I’ll note that subsequent casts already on harder ground only slightly increased contact with the bait, but it didn’t make sense to increase the weight of the head under these fishing conditions, because the time would change and, accordingly. falling speed. I note that additional comfort was provided by a sensitive rod, fulfilling its purpose. On the second and subsequent casts, I continue to experiment – after a pause, two or three short twitches. performed with the tip of the spinning rod, then pause. At least, it seems to me, it was possible to make the movement of cancer along the bottom naturalistic. The fourth cast is a light poke. Idle hooking returned from heaven to earth with nothing. Nothing, I think, the main thing is worth it, dear. On the fifth cast in the same place – a bite. Quick hauling – and a kilogram pike migrated first to the landing net, and then to the boat …
On this day, in addition to four more idle bites (I think they were perches, and I only needed a smaller crustacean (3 ″ / 8 cm), I caught: one “pencil”, 25 centimeters long and a pike a little over one and a half kilograms, which, True, it automatically gave me a reason to boast in front of two elderly fishermen passing by on a motor.You should have seen their eyes when, after the exclamation: “I took it,” I calmly dragged her to the boat and, quickly taking it off the hook, with not a single muscle on my face trembling, casually sent her to the cage and immediately made another cast.By the way, all of the spinningists met on the way and interviewed on the pike had a zero result, including a boat partner, he, however, distinguished himself that day on asp, which was caught on a fairly large spinner.
Conclusions from the practical experience of catching pike on crustaceans
First impression: with an outwardly seemingly large volume of a silicone crustacean, and on the advice of my colleagues, I chose exactly 4 ″ / 10 cm – quite good ballistic data. The second is a very soft contact of the head with the ground. In this case, I attributed this fact to the large windage of the bait (due to the many limbs protruding from the body), and, in addition, to the soft clay bottom.
Now let me comment on a few points. First, about the “survivability of rubber” – quite ordinary. For seven fishing trips, I lost three crayfish on the holds and gave one to my partner, who liked this “joke” in action. Pike and pike perch ruffled them like ordinary rubber. If, when fishing among water lilies or in the grass, the probability of releasing the bait from the hook is quite high, then places stuffed with snags, roots and other hooky brethren are clearly contraindicated for fishing for crayfish. The loss of the bait in this case is guaranteed one hundred percent, except when the cord allows you to unbend the hook. It is clear that any bait can be planted in writhing from the first cast, cancer in this case is no exception, but by performing certain actions, the troubles associated with frequent hooks can be avoided. Therefore, I would recommend before you start fishing, to conduct reconnaissance with a “non-hook”.
Another inevitable nuance: over time, the puncture site, where the hook comes out, begins to tear towards the head. This trouble right on the fishing trip can be eliminated with the help of the Cyjanopan glue. With the loss of limbs, the result does not particularly worsen; I caught several pikes on the bait with a torn off claw.
I have already been on seven fishing trips. On each of them he paid attention to silicone cancer. Of the ten pikes caught on crayfish, four were cut under the lower jaw. Pike were mainly taken into the throat in places where there was at least a slight current, it is understandable, life goes on in a slightly different rhythm during the course. It is she – the jaw – as a rule, that serves most predators as a “fist” to discourage or test the edibility of a possible victim. About 80% of the pikes that attacked our jig lures not “in the mouth” were caught by the lower jaw. The remaining twenty percent were pectoral, anal, or belly purplish at or immediately after the pause.
Separately, I would like to pause. It is in it that the secret of the successful use of such baits in the deadlock is hidden. It is clear that in autumn, for example, during the period of active predators, almost any bait, even with high-speed continuous wiring, causes an attack. People who have been to the north of Russia will confirm that in places where pike is a weedy fish, bites go one after another even on a bent piece from the lid of a tin can with a bent and sharpened nail soldered instead of a hook. Another thing is the middle of summer in the middle lane – high fishing pressure, heat, blooming water, lack of oxygen, etc.
Or, for example, a sudden change in the weather or bodies of water with crystal clear water, which require a separate approach? Yes, the fisherman who will claim that he has never “flyed” during such a period of the fishing season will not be sincere. In my opinion, it is the process of raising the claws, moving the paws and whiskers that are the main irritant that provokes the attack of a predator. A similar effect can often be observed when using bucktails, barbs and other similar baits, when the paused fur begins to fluff up, then the grip follows.
How to put a silicone crustacean on a hook
Even if the fish is full, it simply tries to butt an unwanted competitor, with the goal of at least driving it away from the chosen territory. And she often does this very carefully, as if reluctantly, which makes the bite indistinct.
Therefore, the tackle should be “tailor-made”: a fairly rigid rod 2,0 – 2.7 m and a cord no thicker than 0,13 mm. I have not yet had a chance to experiment with attractants when fishing for crayfish, I think this is a separate word with such a fishing technique with a similar bait, because a long pause allows the predator not only to examine the bait, but also slowly sniff its prey, and if you also “guess” with attractant, I think the result can exceed all expectations.
One of the options for setting a crustacean is when the ball of the jig head is inside the cavity, and the hook ring looks out of the “crab neck”. This method of installation is quite working, it is recommended by the manufacturer. There are other installation methods, but for various reasons, I did not practice them.
Conclusion on crustaceans as bait for pike
In general, the conclusion is: for those places where I fished – a typical pike lure. I have a fair amount of confidence that ninety percent of anglers in different places and at different times of the year have pike as their main actual prey when fishing with spinning, so it obviously doesn’t hurt to have silicone crustaceans in a fishing box.