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Pike perch belongs to the perch family and, like perch, is a predator leading a benthic lifestyle. This fish can be found in almost all major rivers or lakes, where there is clean water and appropriate conditions for its habitat. Prefers to be at depth and closer to the bottom. At the same time, it should not be even, with differences in depths, but not muddy, but rather sandy or rocky. He does not feel bad in places where trees or shrubs or a lot of snags are drowned. To catch this predator, you need to familiarize yourself with the behavior and its diet, as well as the characteristics of gear for catching zander. Basically, zander is a schooling fish, but larger individuals can hunt alone. In muddy reservoirs, where there is little oxygen and no clean water, pike perch can hardly be found.
The choice of live bait for catching zander
When choosing a live bait, you should know that pike perch does not feed on carrion and only active “detail” is suitable for it. A half-dead specimen is unlikely to interest a predator. Pike perch hunts mainly at night, acting from an ambush or stealthily approaching the fish. Such an opportunity for pike perch is given by its unique vision, which allows it to examine its prey at a depth in almost complete darkness. Based on this, we can say that it is practically impossible to get away from zander, which he uses.
As a rule, fish is used as live bait, which is found in the same reservoir and is part of its diet. As live bait, you can use bleak, perch, small roach, chub fry or crucian carp. For this, fish up to 12 cm in size, caught in the same reservoir, are suitable. You can catch live bait with an ordinary float fishing rod or various gear with small cells. To catch fry, you can make a special folding trap. In order for a fry or a small fish to be guaranteed to be caught, a bait is placed in the trap.
Site selection and gear
Spring
When the water warms up to a temperature of +10-+15°C, the spawning period of zander begins. It is characterized by the fact that pike perch begins to look for well-heated places with an uneven bottom, where it lays eggs. After this process is completed, it goes to rest and is inactive for about 2 weeks. After that, being very hungry, pike perch begins to actively feed, moving from one place to another.
During this period, pike perch can be caught on any tackle designed to catch a predator. It is actively caught both from the shore and from the boat, actively attacking various baits, including live bait. This period does not last long, after which its activity decreases and it goes to the depth. During this period, he hunts only in the dark. His measured life begins somewhere in early June, and he starts spawning from mid-April or early May. It all depends on natural conditions, and on how quickly the water warms up.
Summer
Starting from June, pike perch are caught on spinning or other bottom gear. It should be remembered that he hunts mainly at dusk. Therefore, the best periods for catching it will be early morning or late evening, including night. To catch pike perch, like catfish, bottom gear is set late in the evening with various baits, including live bait. Early in the morning you can hunt pike perch with a spinning rod using various silicone lures.
Autumn
Before the beginning of autumn, when the water temperature begins to gradually decrease, the pike perch becomes active again, but does not leave the depth. During this period, it can be obtained using a jig head or baubles. But even at this time, he does not swim past the live bait without swallowing it. The peak of its activity falls on the months of October-November, right up to the appearance of the first ice.
Winter
In winter, it is less active, but continues to feed. From the ice, it can be caught on a balancer or other baits. At the same time, it is always at a depth and only occasionally rises into the water column in search of a potential victim. This can happen during periods of winter warming. If you carefully study the nature of the reservoir, you can easily “calculate” its location. Having caught one pike perch, you can count on a good catch, as pike perch walks in a flock.
Catching zander on live bait with a float rod
The classic way
To implement it, you will need a long (about 4-6 m) and reliable rod. Silicone rods can also be used. The rod is equipped with an inertia-free reel with a friction brake. On the spool of this reel there should be a sufficient amount of fishing line, with a thickness of 0,25 to 0,3 mm. It can be either monofilament or braided fishing line, especially since you have to catch pike perch in snags.
Float
The design and weight of the float is selected depending on the live bait used. As a rule, the float is not rigidly attached, which allows the live bait to move in the water column. At the same time, the weight of the float must be such that it does not resist the pike perch when biting, otherwise it will throw the bait. Experienced anglers use two floats. An additional float is installed slightly higher than the main one. Its use allows you to control the behavior of pike perch during the bite. Steel leashes, when catching zander, are not used, because he is not able to bite the line. But if there is a possibility that the bait fish can be grabbed by a pike, then there is no way out, and the leash will have to be installed, although this may scare off the pike. The live bait is mounted both on the feeder and on the double hook or on the tee. The size of the hook is selected depending on the size of the bait. As a rule, these are hooks No. 4-No. 1, based on European standards.
Cargo weight
It is selected based on the intensity of the current. For shallow depths (up to 3 meters) and a slow current, a load of about 16 g is sufficient, and at great depths and with a strong current, a load weighing from 25 grams is selected. When planting a live bait, you need to ensure that vital organs are not damaged. The most important thing is that it remains mobile under water for a long time.
A single hook needs to be fastened in different ways. They can be hooked on one or two lips, as well as in the region of the upper fin. As for the double or tee, then it is somewhat more complicated. As a rule, such hooks are attached to the dorsal fin or in other ways that do not interfere with the life of the bait bait.
A float rod is quite convenient if fishing is carried out in places where there are underwater obstacles. Spinning or other tackle will be useless here. They fish with a float rod, both from the shore and from a boat.
Pike perch bite in different ways and this can be influenced, first of all, by natural factors. Sometimes he behaves actively, and sometimes passively, studying the object for a long time. Having grabbed the live bait, he will definitely try to leave the place of biting, and here you need to be very careful, otherwise he will confuse all the “cards”. In most cases, having fallen on the hook, it does not show strong resistance, but sometimes this resistance is felt, and even very much so.
Fishing for zander on a donk with a spinning rod
In spring and autumn, when pike perch stays closer to the bottom, it is better to use bottom gear for catching it, and plant live bait as bait. The main thing in hunting for zander is to choose the right place. For fishing to be successful, you need to install several donks, which will make it possible to catch a large area of water. This will certainly increase the likelihood of catching this predator.
The rod should be taken reliable, as well as all additional elements, such as a spinning reel and fishing line. Do not disregard the choice of hooks, which should be very sharp. Here you can not do without imported components. Only branded hooks meet such requirements. After all, the mouth of a pike perch is very strong and only a sharp hook can pierce it. The thickness of the fishing line is selected depending on the weight of the load, which can weigh up to 100 g. Therefore, the thickness of the fishing line is taken 0,3-0,35 mm, or even thicker. Do not forget about the bite signaling device, as you will have to catch in complete darkness or at dusk.
It is desirable that a leash be present in the equipment, the thickness of which is less than the thickness of the main fishing line. This is very important, because not one fishing trip can do without hooks. It is better to lose the leash than to ruin the entire tackle. With a main line diameter of 0,35 mm, the leader can have a diameter of 0,3 mm and this is quite enough.
To prevent the leash from overlapping during casts, part of the leash must have a certain rigidity. Some anglers install an L-shaped rocker made of thin but stiff wire. In the event of a bite, it is important not to gape. Pike perch can either catch on itself or have to do hooking. It should not be forgotten that large catfish or pike can bite at night. A large catfish can break the tackle, and a pike can bite off the leash, since special leashes are not used when catching zander.
Catching zander on the feeder
An alternative option for bottom gear is a feeder. The feeder rod is mainly equipped with three tips, which allows the rod to be used in various fishing conditions. When fishing on the current, a hard tip is used, since you will have to throw a load weighing from 80 to 100 g, or even heavier. If zander fishing is carried out in an open place where there are no special obstacles, then a sliding load can be installed on the tackle, and if there are various obstacles at depth, then the load is attached to a separate leash. Basically, narrow and long sinkers are used. The most suitable reel size for fishing is in the range of 3000-5000. The coil must have a friction brake, which will have to be well adjusted. When biting pike perch, the reel should begin to bleed the line if a large specimen is caught.
Some fishermen use a steel leash, others do not. There is a category of fishermen who do not even install such leashes on pike, believing that they frighten the attacking fish.
When catching pike perch, you can use a feeder into which bait for peaceful fish is stuffed. It attracts small individuals, and they, in turn, attract a predator. We can recommend the following bait: breadcrumbs are mixed from chopped fish. As a fish, you can use store sprat or capelin.
The duration between casts can reach 20-25 minutes. After casting, the rod is set so that the live bait can rise from the bottom and be in the water column.
Catching pike perch on a winter bait
The chute is used for ice fishing. This tackle can catch any predatory fish, including pike perch. Moreover, you should start catching pike perch as soon as the first ice appears and strengthens. Somewhere over the course of 2-3 weeks, he can actively peck, and with increased frost, his activity decreases. They catch it in the same place as in summer, since the pike perch prefers to winter in permanent parking lots and the seasons do not affect its hunting grounds for small fish in any way.
Zherlitsa was invented by our ancestors when they started catching fish, such as perch, pike and pike perch. You can make such a tackle, both for winter and summer fishing. There are both simple structures and complex ones. The simple design of the vent consists of a wooden twig that is stuck into the snow near the hole and a patch of bright material that signals a bite. An advanced design may consist of:
- Bases with coil holder.
- Reels with fishing line.
- A bright flag, as a bite signaling device.
The design is such that it must be installed on the hole. This is done so that the hole does not freeze so quickly. A fishing line with a live bait is lowered into the water. The flag is set so that when the fishing line is scrolled, it cannot straighten up. As a rule, it is folded and fixed with a coil handle. At the first turn, the handle moves and releases the flexible base of the flag. He straightens up, signaling a bite. The presence of bright fabric on the top of the flag allows you to see it at a great distance.
Having seized the live bait, the predator tries to go with it to a safe place. At the same time, the line begins to unwind. So that the pike perch could not get the tackle into the snags, you should not hesitate with hooking. The cutting is made with effort so that the hook can pierce the predator’s lip.
To increase the chances, you should install several vents at some distance from each other. When catching pike perch, the fishing area should be narrowed, focusing on the hole where the bite occurred.
The advantage of vents is that they can be installed indefinitely, covering the hole with a suitable material so that it does not freeze.
Catching pike perch on a winter float rod
For winter fishing, any rod is useful, from an ordinary wooden stick to an ultra-modern model. For catching zander, both live bait and various baits in the form of balancers and spinners are used. Fishing for live bait is characterized by high efficiency, as it is a natural object included in the diet of a predator. When fishing in winter, it is very important to properly adjust the rod. Most importantly, the float should be neutrally buoyant and within the hole. This is due to the fact that the water in the hole constantly freezes and the float freezes much faster than a thin fishing line. The fishing line should be taken no thicker than 0,2 mm and always inconspicuous for fish. As for the hook, the same requirements are imposed on it as for other gear. Fishing techniques, as such, are not required. The main thing is to lower the live bait closer to the bottom, where the pike perch is located.
When going fishing, hoping to catch pike perch, you need to remember that:
- Pike perch does not like a lot of noise, so you need to adhere to a certain silence.
- When using low-quality hooks, they should be constantly inspected for damage. The predator has quite a lot of power to damage it. The hook may break or unbend. In this regard, it is recommended to use only hooks of well-known companies.
- During an active bite, pike perch can swallow a hook with live bait deep enough. To get it later, you must always have an extractor with you.
- The use of an inactive or inanimate live bait fish can only bring negative results.
- To catch a predator, such as pike perch, you should use only high-quality tackle, consisting of a high-quality rod, high-quality fishing line, high-quality reel and other high-quality components.
- If zander is caught, especially on live bait, a pike attack is possible. It is better to play it safe and take measures so that the pike does not bite the fishing line. A fisherman will never give up pike when catching zander. In this case, the result matters.