Balancing pike: description and reviews. Winter fishing on the rocker

Winter fishing for pike is a special passion. This predator is one of the few fish that lead an active lifestyle even in severe frosts. However, getting a pike from a hole is not so easy. First, it must be found, and secondly, only properly selected gear and bait can make the predator react properly.

What is a balancer and how does it differ from a spoon-bait

Among the variety of attachments for winter hunting for pike a special place is occupied by balancers. They came to us from Scandinavia in the 1980s. This is a bait made of metal (steel, lead, tin, various alloys), made in the form of a small fish with an appropriate coloring. It differs from the spoon-bait by the presence of hooks, both from the side of the head of the bait, and from the side of the tail. In addition, the balance on the pike is supplied with an additional tee from below.

The bait received its name from the French word balance (balance), literally translated as a scales. The fact is that the balancer, unlike the spoon-bait, does not have a front attachment to the tackle, but the upper one. It is fixed to the leash by a loop located on the back of an artificial fish. Suspended in this state, the bait retains a horizontal balance even when wiring underwater. Winter fishing on the rocker means only a vertical nozzle play with a minimum lateral amplitude. The tail tail (rudder) of the bait is made in such a way that, with its free fall to the bottom, it is playfully reminiscent of the natural behavior of a wounded fish.

Advantages of the balancer before other winter baits

When fishing pike in winter, anglers very often use various vertical spoon-baiters, silicone nozzles or grasshoppers. And if the catchability of the "silicone" at this time of the year is a big question, then bait or catching bait is considered the most effective way for winter fishing for a predator.

However, some fishermen are sure that only catching a pike on the balancer can bring a good catch. And there is a great deal of truth in this.

If the effectiveness of catching spoon-bait, livestock and balancer are approximately the same, then the advantages of the latter can be attributed to such indicators:

• Maximum similarity with fish, which is the natural food of pike;
• A variety of sizes, shapes and colors, which makes it possible to choose the bait under the conditions of catching;
• The presence of hooks on three sides of the nozzle, which minimizes the likelihood of the descent of the predator;
• Winter balancers for pike can be successfully used for catching in spring, summer and autumn.

Balancer selection

When catching a predator in winter, it is very important to choose the right bait. If it is a balancer, the first step in buying is to check its balance. At the hanging from the loop in the back of the fish head and tail should be on one horizontal line parallel to the ground. Any manifestation of imbalance is unacceptable.

With regard to the size of the bait, the balance on the pike must begin with a minimum of 6 cm. The optimal length of such a nozzle is 6-14 cm.

The material of baits can be any, the more so that today in addition to the classic there are plastic and silicone models. All of them equally well attract the predator. Balancers on the pike should have an appetizing color. It is desirable the presence of red, simulating blood.

Also, when choosing the color scheme, you should prefer the classic yellow and green colors, as well as their combinations. It is believed that the most catchy baits are the red balances. Comments on the work of such attachments are the most flattering, especially when pike fishing.

In the ranking of popularity the leading places are occupied by manufacturers of baits with the world name Rapalla with the model Jigging Rap, Kuusamo - Tasapaino 75 "- and Nils Master - Jigger. All of them have different sizes and are intended for catching not only pike, but perch, and pike perch.

Non-firm winter balancers on the pike often have problems with the steering wheel - a kind of stabilizer located in the tail part of the bait. Violation of balance leads to a deterioration in the quality of the game, because of what they often have to adjust or even change. Therefore, it is better to give preference to models of proven manufacturers.

Types of balancers for pike fishing

All balancers, regardless of the manufacturer, are divided into five main types:

• With an enlarged head;
• Sycamiformes;
• With classical tail fins;
• With fur tail feathers;
• Silicone.

Balancers on a pike with an enlarged head when lowering to the bottom are first submerged by the head part downwards, and after they are turned over, whereupon the tail and head change places. Approximately the same happens with a sharp rise of the bait up. This game is very reminiscent of the predator of the convulsion of a wounded victim.

Uzkonosy balancers in the absence of flow have the ability to slow the speed at the top and bottom point with vertical wiring. This behavior of the bait perfectly attracts the predator in the standing water.

Balancers with classic tail feathers retain a horizontal balance when lowering the bait, and when lifting it.

Nozzles with fur tail feathers, usually used for fishing at shallow depths on small predators, but a large pike never disdains them. Such balancers are rarely used in winter, since the plumage is subject to icing, which leads to a disruption in the balance of the bait.

Silicone nozzles have not yet gained sufficient popularity among fans of winter fishing, but when catching an inactive predator, they showed the greatest efficiency.

All listed baits are suitable for pike fishing at any time of the year.

Tackle for pike fishing on the balancer

To catch the predator in the winter and pull it to the ice, you will need not only a catchy bait. Winter fishing on the rocker should be carried out with reliable tackle, capable of providing an excellent nozzle play and withstanding the resistance of the predator during vyvazhivanii.

The usual fishing rod for fishing from the ice here is not suitable - a pike, after all. It is better to use a small special rod, equipped with a quick - release coil. Its length should be 30-50 cm. It is no longer necessary. You can buy a ready-made refrigerator yourself or make yourself from an old Bologna form or a quivertype of a feeder rod. In order for it to lie well in your hand, you need a comfortable grip, which can be made from champagne plugs or other improvised materials.

When choosing a spiker in a store or hand-making it, it's not worth saving. Cheap Asian plastic under the influence of minus temperatures easily breaks at the slightest load.

The coil is suitable even the cheapest, but with the presence of a friction brake. Experienced fishermen manage to hack and steal the predator by hand for fishing line, but not having enough experience, it is better to perform these procedures with the help of a spar and a spool.

Pike fishing on the balancer in winter assumes the use of a fishing line with a thickness of at least 0.25 mm, and with a probability of pecking a trophy specimen not less than 0.3 mm. Neglect this rule should not be. Still, the fishing line near the bait will not be noticeable - it will require the use of a steel or tungsten leash, because the pike can bite anything but metal.

As a bait alarm , a guard (nod), taken from a winter fishing rod, is used. Some anglers do not use it, arguing that if they take a pike, everything will be noticeable. However, this does not always work. In some situations, even the pike bites gently, so much so that the bite does not notice. Therefore, the use of a nod is desirable.

Tackle Mounting

Tackle for winter pike fishing on the balancer is mounted in the usual way. The line will require twice the maximum depth at which fishing will be carried out. This length will ensure the repair of gear in the event of its breakage. The line, previously passed through a nod and access rings, is wound on a coil. At its end, an ordinary loop is made in two nodes. To her through a carbine the steel or tungsten leash is fixed, to which the balancer will be fastened. But its attachment can be different. It is best to do this with a pull-on loop or a mini-fastener. The latter is more in demand, because it makes it possible to easily change the bait. Everything, the tackle is ready, you can go fishing.

Where in the winter to catch a pike on a rocker

Fishing for balancing on a pike in winter can be successful only in the case of an accurate determination of its location. Toothed predator in this sense is very different from pike perch or perch. She does not gather in flocks with the first cold snaps, but always keeps apart from her relatives. Pikes in their own way divide the reservoir into hunting grounds, which are controlled by them around the clock.

The location of the predator depends on the time of the year. At the beginning of winter, the pike may be in the coastal zone, in particular, near reeds or cane thickets. In these places still feeds peaceful fish, so the predator quite often goes there.

In January and February, when the frosts hold the pond with thick ice, the pike leaves for a depth. Now the places of its parking and hunting are close to the pavement pits, bottom tables and stalls. But do not go too deep. Experienced anglers say that the winter horizons of the pike lie between the depths of the habitat of pike perch and perch.

We catch pike on balancer in winter

Arriving in winter on an unfamiliar pond for pike, it is necessary to determine the places of its possible movement, because this predator never stands still. Its winter channel, in contrast to the deep pike perch and surface perch, lies in the water column. Having counted from the shore a distance of at least 10 m and having ascertained that the depth here exceeds 3 m, you can start drilling holes.

Usually they do this in parallel to the coastline. To catch a place, you need to make at least 5-6 holes. If there are thickets of reeds or fallen trees in the water, go there - if not a pike, a pike perch or a perch will necessarily react to your initiative. These predators often hunt near, so the probability of an unintended bite is quite high. Small balancers on the pike in winter excellently provoke a large perch and pike perch, because their culinary preferences in this period are very similar.

Drilled holes, you can start to harvest the selected area. This procedure is usually performed while standing. Such a solution allows for more efficient wiring.

For fishing, it is better to use large balancers, reaching a size of 12-14 cm. This will allow the perch to be cut off at the initial stage. Tackle with the bait lowered to the bottom, withstand 2-3 seconds, after which they make a sharp wave to "take off" the balance bar up. The bait in this case should not be raised by a meter or two, but only by 10-15 cm. Sharp movements deter the predator. Then the balance is lowered in free fall to the bottom. So repeat 7-8 times.

When lowering the bait, you can make several tapping on the bottom. Extra vibration often attracts a predator. Similar wiring is used when catching pike perch or perch.

If there is a pike, it will react. Most often the bite occurs during the lowering of the bait. By the first pike bait determine the type of balance bar that was used to apply it in the future. But even in case of spot fishing, smaller baits are used.

Fishing for pikes on a summer beam

Many consider the balancer as solely a winter bait designed to work under ice. This is far from the case. These nozzles are successfully used for catching predators in open water.

Pike fishing in summer in the balancer is carried out in the same way as in winter. But to find a pike parking, you need a boat. With her help you can get close to the predator.

Looking for a pike in the summer is far away from the shore. In the hot season, she seldom goes to the shallows, preferring to sit out and hunt in the depths. Particular attention should be paid to places where there is a difference in depths, reverse flow, and also to the crooked parts of the reservoir.

As a rod, the purchase or homemade side fishing rod with a length of no more than 50-60 cm is ideal. A larger size is not required, since the bouldering will be done strictly vertically, as in winter. A small but reliable inertial coil is also required. The requirements for the line and the leash are the same as for the winter fishing rod.

Wiring for the summer fishing of pikes on the rocker begins with lowering the bait to the bottom and holding for 3-4 seconds. Further, a sharp rise of 15-20 cm is made with the same pause, after which the bait again descends to the bottom.

As for the size and color of the nozzle, the balancer on the pike in the summer should not be large (no longer than 10 cm). It is better if the bait will resemble the predator as much as possible its natural food: roach, bleak or perch. This applies to the coloring. The ideal color for summer fishing is natural. Excellent work balancer of yellow and silvery colors with a small interspersion of red.

Fishing for pikes on the balancer in autumn

In autumn, when the pike is activated, the balancer can also become an excellent bait for catching this predator. Since September, it should be sought in the middle water horizons. Often the pike stands in the lily of the water lily, where flocks of roach gather. And here the balancer is the only bait that allows to extract the predator by means of a boat and vertical flashing. This will require the above described tackle, consisting of an onboard fishing rod, fishing line cross-section 0.25-0.3 mm and a steel leash.

The size of the balancer for autumn fishing should start from 7 cm. Advantage should be given to baits with bright colors: red, yellow and green. The wiring method is standard: lowering to the bottom, a sharp rise with an exposure and again a dive.

In autumn, the pike attacks the lure much more sharply than in the winter or summer, so you need to be constantly prepared for a strong jerk of tackle.