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Open water is a spinning paradise. Among the numerous species of fish that can attack artificial bait, asp is considered the most lively. In many regions, the predator is called “white” because of the bright silver color. Asp is a schooling fish that lives in the rapids, arranging “boilers” at certain hours of the day. The fish is so strong and cautious that catching it 10 years ago was considered something unique.
Where to look for asp
The diet of the white predator consists of 80% fish. It gathers in groups and drives the fry from different sides, after which it stuns the prey with a powerful tail. The asp picks up the confused bleak, and drives the one that scattered in different directions again. One hundred sides of the action looks like a seething on the water surface, as if there is a boiling cauldron under water.
In the daytime, when the air temperature reaches its maximum, the predator arranges stops in the shade of trees, in rubble, under steep banks. During this period, its activity drops and it is not always possible to get fish with any bait. Fish share recreation areas and feeding areas. As a rule, a predator feeds in the same place every day at the same time with an error of 20-30 minutes. If you managed to catch the “cauldron”, then the fish will be here on other days. Of course, various factors influence activity: weather, atmospheric pressure, water level and temperature, etc.
Photo: fishingwiki.ru
Promising areas for fishing:
- river mouths;
- upper column of deep holes;
- rifts and rapids;
- narrowing of the rivers;
- sharp turns;
- old channels in reservoirs.
The fish often stay at depth, leaving to feed in shallow water. There are cases when asp attacked large silicone baits intended for zander or pike. As a rule, he comes across in the pits and takes from the bottom.
In the daytime, the fish can go on rifts, but, as a rule, the size of the caught prey does not exceed 600-800 g. A large predator is caught in the early morning or evening, when there is no heat and strong wind.
Asp is characterized by life in mixed flocks. This means that in one group there can be both very young specimens and mature individuals, three to four times the weight of the young.
Small predators are the first to feed, large fish begin to hunt later. Trophy specimens can come across after dusk or after complete darkness, so you need to leave the promising area only when the bite has completely disappeared, and the pops on the surface of the water have subsided.
For a white predator, a representative of the carp family, the choice of parking is characteristic according to several principles:
- the presence of shelters, such as stones and driftwood;
- shading due to hanging trees;
- high concentration of oxygen in water;
- moderate and average course;
- adjacent exit to the shallows, where there are a lot of fry.
Often the predator stays at the exits from the pits, in the middle of the water column or near the surface. You can notice the asp in special polarized glasses that remove vertical and horizontal glare. Glasses are an indispensable attribute of a white predator hunter, since finding a fish with your own eyes allows you to save time and correctly set the bait, where you need to stop the fishing or speed it up.
Asp activity peak and fishing seasonality
Stable weather is the best sign of a good predator bite. Air temperature in the range of 20-25℃ is considered optimal. Asp begins to take in April, when the water warms up, and the vegetation wakes up after winter. In April, the fish can peck throughout the daylight hours. In the early morning, if the air temperature approaches zero, you should not count on bites. As a rule, the predator comes out to feed when the sun rises higher.
The best weather for fishing is a sunny warm day with moderate wind. In squalls, the predator goes to the bottom and waits out bad weather there. In the rain, asp is also caught badly, even if it changes heat. High atmospheric pressure for fishing is considered the norm, with low pressure, activity weakens.
In the middle of spring, you need to look for “whiteness” on sandy rifts with a depth of up to 2 m. In the pits, fish come across less often. Large and small rivers, reservoirs are the main types of water areas in which the asp lives.
A spawning ban is often imposed on the spring fishing of a predator. At this time, you can fish with one hook within the settlements. You can’t take caviar fish, you should also observe the catch rate and sizes, which differ for each region.
The peak of activity comes in May. This month, fish are perfectly caught in their usual places, they can be found in the morning, afternoon, and evening. In May, the asp catches large baits, as it fattens up after spawning. Spawning takes place in mid-April, however, depending on the season and the temperature regime of the water, it can move in different directions.
In the spring there is a chance of meeting with large fish, if you approach fishing correctly:
- equip with a large number of baits;
- choose a day that was not preceded by a change in weather;
- observe the surface of the water in polarized glasses;
- carefully explore promising areas with different baits;
- change wiring, size and type of artificial nozzles;
- behave quietly and carefully approach the shore;
- not stand out and be dressed in an inconspicuous costume.
Bright clothes and noise are things that can scare away fish. Professionals recommend not to come close to the water, making long casts under the opposite bank or towards the perspective zone.
The bite continues until July. With the beginning of summer and the arrival of heat, the situation on the reservoir changes slightly. Now the fish goes to feed in the early morning hours, stops pecking closer to 10-11 am. Also, the asp can go out for a new portion of fry in the evening, before sunset. It is difficult to get a bite during the day: it is absent in feeding places, and in areas where the fish is resting, it does not respond to any bait. You can provoke an asp to bite in the heat only if you hit him with a bait right under his nose.
Photo: activefisher.net
In summer, fish bite well on large reservoirs and rivers. With the help of a boat and open navigation, you can search for a predator in a wide area. You can navigate by birds feeding above the water. Seagulls often serve as a guide for spinning. They circle over the boilers where the predator feeds, picking up the stunned fry. The bird does not always point to the asp, in some cases it is possible to find a perch.
In August, the fish begin to bite again. With the approach of autumn colds and with a decrease in water temperature, a larger asp comes across. At this time of the year, small wobblers and turntables, long oscillators are popular.
Promising places for fishing in August:
- exits from pits, dumps and their upper steps;
- a stretch with a strong current;
- the narrowing of rivers, the so-called “pipes”;
- areas near major bridges.
Fish are attracted to large structures. In summer, insects and their larvae fall from them, on which the predator feeds. Often, asp can be seen on the narrowing of the rivers, where the current accelerates. A strong stream of water carries the fry directly to the predator, where it attacks it from all sides.
The way of life on the current and the elongated body made the asp, perhaps, the strongest rival for the spinner. It is thanks to fighting qualities, and not to taste, that anglers hunt for the elusive river predator.
In autumn, fish are actively caught until cold and frosts set in. The lowering of temperature marks to zero indicates that the fishing season for “whiteness” is ending. As early as in September, asp can be found in the usual sections of the rivers, in October bites become rare, but trophy fish are biting more and more often. In November, the asp goes to the depths, where it hibernates until the onset of spring.
How to choose tackle for asp
The first step is to assess the fishing conditions and the size of the alleged predator.
Spinning is selected according to four main parameters:
- Lure size.
- The weight of the prey.
- The scale of the water area.
- The presence of a clean shore.
These parameters allow you to determine the test and the length of the rod. For fishing for a white predator, blanks with a test range of 5-25 g are most often used. Slightly stiffer products are also popular, the load of which is in the range of 10-40 g. The presence of several spinning sets makes it possible to quickly adapt to fishing conditions.
For asp fishing, carbon fiber rods are not always used. Composite blanks do a great job of pumping out big fish and are flexible enough to deal with asps in short bursts. Such models have a relatively low price and are perfect for both beginners and more experienced anglers.
Rigid and biting “sticks” have an advantage, since fishing is carried out on wobblers, spoons and turntables that require dynamic postings. Fishing in the current makes its own adjustments, increasing the load on the form.
Photo: livejournal.com
The rod handle made of cork is not as comfortable as the analogue made of EVA polymer material, however, this parameter is purely individual and cannot affect the main characteristics in any way. The form should have wide and strong rings, located often. Their main tasks are to distribute the load when playing fish and increase the flight range of the bait.
Asp often withstands the distance, so the length of the rod is selected non-standard. For fishing from a boat, an ordinary spinning rod with a height of 240 cm is enough, but fishing from the shore requires a “stick” of at least 270 cm.
The coil must have several key characteristics:
- powerful main pair;
- large spool;
- large gear ratio;
- comfortable handle;
- long clutch neck.
The friction brake should have a long leg, thanks to which you can rebuild it more accurately. A large supply of coil power allows you to work with wobblers in the course. Asp fishing affects the resource of the inertialess product, so some anglers replace it with a multiplier. The design of the multiplier reels makes them more durable, so they are often used when fishing in salt water and other tough conditions.
A soft, memoryless cord with a cross section of 0,12-0,16 mm completes the spinning set and makes it more complete. The breaking load of the braid is sufficient for angling a large predator in snags, when the asp must not be given any slack. Stranded braided lines are preferred, and anglers try to pick subtle colors as angling requires caution. The main method of fishing is the transfer of the boiler and wiring through its epicenter. A bright line can scare or alert the fish, even if there is a meter of fluorocarbon leader between it and the bait.
In some regions, asp is also called cherry, sheresper and whiteness. All names are somehow connected with the silver color of the fish.
Almost no metal parts are used in equipment. As an exception, there is a clasp with a swivel, which allows you to quickly change lures and prevents the cord from twisting when fishing with spoons and spinners. The “American” type carbine is much more reliable than our domestic counterpart. The American is less noticeable and is made of high-quality metal. The thickness of the fluorocarbon leader varies between 0,35 and 0,5 mm in diameter. In places with a probability of meeting with a pike, a thicker material is used.
Types of baits and effective wiring for asp
The asp has a small mouth and preys on narrow-bodied fry. Bleak is considered to be the main food base of the predator, however, “whiteness” attacks any small thing that feeds in the upper layers of water, for example, rudd. The predator also picks up beetles falling into the water, flying insects and their larvae. The baits that are used for fishing take into account the characteristics of the predator’s food base, repeating its shape and movements.
Wobblers
Wobblers are considered one of the most effective types of artificial baits. For fishing, floating models or suspenders are used. Floating wobblers quickly rise to the surface, transmitting the movements of a frightened fish. Suspenders have neutral buoyancy, they imitate a stunned fry.
For fishing, it is recommended to use small feta and minnow. Feta imitate beetles moving near the surface, minnow – a narrow-bodied fry. Bright colors only scare the fish. As a rule, wobblers are selected in natural colors.
Popular colors of wobblers:
- silver sides and black back;
- blue sides with holographic effect;
- black body with bright specks;
- brown sides with a dark back.
Among the most famous wobblers recommended for catching asp, you can find L-Minnow from Yo-Zuri. The wobbler has a small size and a suitable shape for long-range casting and dynamic play. The depth of the bait is at around 0,5-1 m. For catching asp, models with a small depth are used, since fishing is carried out right at the surface.
In addition to wobblers, you can use bladeless products: walkers and poppers. They are effective if you find a cauldron, but surface attachments tend to miss more, although the attacks are spectacular.
Wobbler wiring consists of jerks, although monotonous broaches work at slow speeds in cold water. When catching asp, you should always experiment with animation, trying to hold the bait so that its game is similar to the movements of a wounded fish.
Spoons
Small spoons are not as popular with anglers as wobblers, however, they can also seduce a river predator. For fishing use chub models with low weight, painted in dark colors. Natural metallic shades that shimmer in the sun also work. The classic bait for asp fishing is the ACME Kastmaster, a narrow-bodied lure with edges. Today, the fishing market provides a huge selection of castmasters of different colors and sizes, but not all of them are working.
Photo: manrule.ru
A large number of fakes from China speaks of the catchability of the original spinner. Castmaster is one of the most popular spinners among manufacturers of analog products.
Popular colors for asp:
- silver (light and dark);
- silver with a holographic sticker;
- golden metallic color;
- silver with painted bottoms in blue and red tones;
- blue color with holographic sticker.
Spinners are popular in sizes from 7 to 20 g. For fishing on spoons, monotonous windings are often used on the verge of a game failure. Broaches with pauses are also possible, during which the oscillator begins to fall, emitting a characteristic brilliance.
For catching asp, wide-bodied models are rarely used. If the angler chooses this shape, then the smallest size is used.
Spinners
Every experienced spinner knows that the white predator is partial to spinners. A high-quality spinner should “start” from the first turn of the reel and work on the current. Mepps is one of the most popular manufacturers of spinning reels. The Comet and Aglia Long models have found their way into chub, asp, pike and perch fishing.
Turntables come in several sizes: 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. For catching asp, models with a size of 2 to 3 are used. The fact is that it is almost impossible to throw an ultra-light bait to a promising zone. For fishing with turntables, you can use sbirulino – a heavy float that helps to deliver the bait over long distances.
Photo: sfish.ru
The following colors are popular for catching asp:
- silver and gold, copper petal;
- black with red, yellow and green dots;
- metallic shades with holographic stickers;
- yellow-green petal for summer fishing.
On small rivers that are overgrown with hornwort and water lily, you can use baits to match the green plants. It is not known why, but the fish reacts positively to such a move. Perhaps blending the lure with its surroundings makes it more like a living creature trying to hide and match the color of the plants.
The pinwheel is driven slowly to the point of lobe failure. A high-quality model is able to start immediately, so expensive branded products also lead by a step. On falling, the spinner, like the oscillator, emits a shine in all directions, imitating the scales of a fry.
The subtleties of fishing on spinning
A noticeable wobbler or lure is chosen as a search bait. When a predator is found, the artificial bait is changed, trying to find more attractive prey for the asp.
Better wiring is considered single or double twitching jerks with pauses of 1-2 seconds. During a period of low activity, the wiring is slowed down, with intensive fishing, it is accelerated.
When fishing, be sure to adjust the friction brake. A powerful bite of a predator is accompanied by sharp jerks of willows. Pumping out lasts long enough, but the fish always have the strength for the last spurt near the shore or boat. When pulling the prey towards you, you must remember that the asp should be taken carefully, without tightening the clutch. To simplify the task, anglers use pickup or lipgrip.
If you drag the fish “impudently”, the resource of the spinning tackle will quickly end. These actions have a particularly negative effect on the coil. Pumping out with a spinning rod is more efficient, and it is important to get the trophy out of the fishing area as quickly as possible so as not to frighten off the flock.
When using several spinning sets, you need to equip the rods with different types and sizes of lures. At the moment of “distribution” it is easier to catch a fish and immediately take the second rod than to unhook the asp and waste precious seconds. Sometimes it is possible to get only 1-2 fish, acting as quickly as possible.
Catching asp with spinning is an exciting activity comparable to hunting. Searching for fish, looking out for splashes on the surface of the water brings no less pleasure than the process of fighting.