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March on the river is the off-season for fishing. In many areas, the rivers have already fully opened, and summer fishing is possible here. In other places they are completely covered with ice, and fishing on the river in March will be winter. Most of the rivers are in a semi-open state – the rapids and channels of the channel are freed from ice, and in quiet backwaters and bays, in the coastal part, it still stands.
Where to look for fish
This is the first question that worries the angler – where to find it? As you know, the fish are activated by spring. Caviar and milk ripen in it, metabolic processes intensify. She is preparing for spawning, she wants to eat more. Most species of fish try to gather in large schools, which can then spawn on the spot or travel to where they are supposed to by nature.
On rivers that are completely covered with ice, fish should be sought in relatively calm, food-rich areas. First of all, these are places with a weak current. Peaceful fish try to stay here because it is easy to do so. On fast sections, you can meet a predator that can hunt for a fish that accidentally passes by. Both pike and zander are largely overwintered. They lie motionless on the bottom, so it is easier for them to stay in place, and when they see a fish, they begin to hunt for it.
If the river is partially broken by ice, you should prefer areas for fishing that are still covered with ice. The fact is that the cold March wind will blow heat from the open surface of the water, especially at night and in the morning, when the air is the coldest. This does not happen under ice.
True, fish can go out to open areas to “breathe”, since the water here is more saturated with oxygen. The most successful fishing will be just at the edge of the ice, but you have to be careful, because it is here that it is the most fragile! On half-open rivers with weak ice, you should choose a place for fishing where the depth is not more than one and a half meters. This is quite enough for fish, and if you fall through the ice, you can simply stand at the bottom and not be afraid that you will drown or be carried away by the current.
Fishing in open areas is usually less interesting than from ice. Here you need to try to choose places where the fish can find more food or not far from the spawning ground. For example, near a stream flowing into a river, another river, where in spring the river overflows and then there will be a large floodplain, where the river itself flows into another river or lake.
What can you catch in March?
In the spring, you can catch all kinds of fish that pecked in the winter, plus some more.
Roach
The main fish in our rivers, the catch of which can almost always be counted on. It lives in places rich in plankton, spawns not far from them, that is, in places where the current is minimal and there are shallow thickets of shrubs. During spawning, this small fish rubs against them; it spawns immediately after the ice cover has disappeared from places overgrown with shrubs. It bites on animal and vegetable baits. You can fish with a winter jig, a summer float rod, a donka and a feeder.
Perch
Predator, common no less than roach. It also spawns simultaneously with it and practically in the same places. In March, his biting is very greedy. He huddles in large flocks and tries to stay where the ice crust is still preserved. They catch on a float rod for a worm, a summer mormyshka, a winter mormyshka and a spinner, for spinning. In early spring fishing for spinning, they try to lead the lure near the very edge of the ice near the bushes.
Pike
Spawning starts very early, the smallest ice pike comes first. Catch on spinning, on winter vents. If there is ice on the river, it is effective to catch such a predator on a lure or balancer.
Head and yoke
Typically river fish that prefer running water. During the winter months they were relatively inactive. When the water is freed from ice, they can be successfully caught on a summer mormyshka, spinning, float fishing rod.
Zander
It is caught both from ice and on spinning. Goes to smaller places than in winter, especially at night. Unlike other fish, it does not stand under a crust of ice, but on clear water on a dump, waiting for a careless small fish that has descended to it. It is very effective to catch it on a spinning rod from a hole or from a riverbed, but care must be taken that the rod is long enough – it is easier to get the fish out of the water onto the ice without going to the very edge. From the hole it is caught on a lure and a balancer.
Crucian
By spring, this fish is activated. It is necessary to look for him on the river where he can find relatively quiet water. Usually it is silver carp, which stands in small channels, bays, oxbow lakes. These places are the last to be freed from the ice, and in March they catch carp there more from the ice. You can also catch this fish in a pond, especially near the confluence of streams and channels with melt water, storm water and other relatively safe drains.
Gustera and bream
These fish are relatively rare together, but have common habits. The bream begins to gather in large flocks. It goes to the mouths of small rivers flowing into a large one, preparing to spawn. Again, you should pay attention to the flooded shrubs – the fish often spawn there, and try to approach such places in advance. They catch from the ice with a mormyshka, in open water there is a place for a feederist and a floater to roam.
Burbot
Last chance to catch this cold-loving predator. Fishing at this time can take place during the day, but fishing at night is more effective. He tries to go out to places of accumulation of small fish, but now he is looking for places where he will hide and sleep in the summer. These are places where there is a large pile of stones, snags, old rat holes and other natural shelters, as well as a sandy bottom in which you can burrow almost completely. The depth of fishing, as a rule, is more than two meters; burbot does not go to the shallowest water at this time.
Fishing methods
Winter fishing methods remain the same as they were in winter. They may differ, perhaps, in that they will have to be caught at a shallow depth, and such a large supply of fishing line on the reels will not have to be done. You can safely switch to shallow-water planning spinners – in the spring they are especially good. Mormyshka will also be a priority – the fish becomes active, and it will respond to the game without fail. Zherlitsy and other tackles are applied in the spring without changes.
Of the summer gear, we can recommend fishing with a summer mormyshka. This method allows you not to come close to the ice edge and catch fish near it for an active game. Mormyshka put optional. Good results are shown by a balancer, winter baubles tied to a nodding summer fishing rod, they do not need such a “voiced” rod, which is recommended directly for mormyshka. They catch both predator and peaceful fish.
The basis of prey will be perch or roach, the main nozzle is a classic worm. They fish exclusively with a lead or with a hold, using different gear – a blind rig for catching a hold, a running Bologna rig, a rig with a flat float. The latter should almost always be given priority in the current, both with blind and running rigs. A strong spring current will allow you to make good, long-distance wiring, perform various baiting, experiment with loading and fish a large area from one place.
Spinners are also on the alert. At this time, the season for fishing on turntables and jig opens. They should also avoid the muddy fast currents of large rivers and switch to fishing in small rivers. Fortunately, in March the water even in large rivers has not yet become cloudy, and you can catch quite well. Perch fishing on ultralight is especially effective, but you can try to catch pike, zander, and other fish.
The feeder in the spring is good where the water is clear, there are fish and they are looking for food. Usually these are relatively shallow stretches, open from ice, before the onset of floods. You can try to fish on the canals, where the fish keeps willingly, because they are usually the shortest route to spawning grounds, and the water is cleaner there. When the water begins to rise, become cloudy, you should move, like floaters, to smaller rivers. Nozzles are used by animals, soil rich in oxygen, such as garden peat, is necessarily added to the bait.