Do you need antifreeze for rings and line?
Of course, in cold weather it is better to use a cord treated with water-repellent impregnation. The stronger the frost, the higher the air humidity and, what is especially important, the more the cord is worn out, the higher the significance of the “antifreeze” treatment. The most affordable and at the same time effective “antifreeze” is vaseline oil. It is sold at any pharmacy. The slip rings can also be lubricated with some kind of “antifreeze”, but the effectiveness of this treatment is very low. In the last couple of seasons I have given up on it altogether. The rings, of course, freeze over, but this creates more psychological discomfort than interferes with fishing.
Is it true that retarded winter fish are easier to catch with slower retrieval?
To some extent, this is true – especially in those cases when you have to fish in very cold water – on the verge or in the initial stage of freeze-up (slush, rims). At temperatures not higher than + 4 °, the fish, even during periods of food activity, does not always turn out to be frisky enough to respond in time to a fast-moving bait. Therefore, in such conditions, it is sometimes useful to reduce the amplitude of the “step”, as well as to lead the jig bait with a small delay at the bottom, or even introduce a “creeping” component into the wiring. In most situations real for winter spinning, the most effective version of jigging is the most effective – with a rather sweeping “step” in which the pause lasts 2-3 seconds.
Foam rubber or “rubber”?
To be honest, this question is already pretty “got”. But it continues to be asked again and again – even some of my friends who have been successfully fishing in winter for a long time continue to wonder what more fish were caught – for a twister, foam rubber, lurex or some other version of jig bait? On large reservoirs I fish more often with foam rubber, in small ones – with “rubber”, but this is not a consequence of fish preferences, but rather a tribute to tradition. If you are accustomed to “rubber”, there is little reason to readjust to foam rubber, and vice versa. In my opinion, the most effective long-range non-hook is a compact foam rubber with a pressed double. Some minus of foam rubber – it quickly freezes outside the water and becomes a “stake”, but this drawback is more likely one of those about which they say: when there is nothing, we will come up with it.
It’s good for you in Moscow, but where can we catch in winter ?!
Six or seven years ago, I myself would have asked myself: where can I fish with a spinning rod in winter near Moscow? Now every year I discover more and more winter reservoirs, which I did not pay attention to before. If you live in roughly the same climatic zone (not to mention an area with milder winters), you will almost certainly find an ice-free river or cooling pond within a radius of several tens of kilometers from your home. It is known that a river with a width of about fifty meters below a town or village with a population of ten thousand, with a stable ten-degree frost, remains open for several kilometers. If there are any decent depths in this area, then with a very high guarantee it can be assumed that fish will be well caught here in winter as well. Well, a power plant of the level of an average state district power station is able to completely prevent ice formation in the water area of the order of a square kilometer or more. Finally, there are almost always extended open areas below the dams of hydroelectric power plants. The main thing is not to find a winter-spinning reservoir, but to understand it, that is, to be able to choose the right place, time and in the right way offer the fish bait. This skill comes with experience. Experience largely depends on your perseverance and perseverance.
I tried to fish in winter – it doesn’t bite! What to do?
In fact, very many spinning fans, some on their own, some under the impression of what they read in the literature or seen on TV, attempted to join the number of winter spinning rovers. Most often, such attempts end in vain. There are several objective reasons for this. Firstly, many are accustomed to fishing with a spinning rod only in summer and early autumn. In winter, completely different maetas, lures and fishing techniques work. As it turns out, not everyone understands this from the beginning. Secondly, not everyone is mentally and physically ready for spinning fishing in significant frost, especially if the fishing is not supported by a quick result. Third, the gap between theory and practice in fishing is sometimes formidable. The fact is that the authors of many publications in periodicals, without themselves having sufficient experience, nevertheless give a lot of advice to “teapots” who, following them, often find themselves on the wrong path. The theme of winter spinning is one of the most characteristic in this regard.
It follows from all this that the most effective way to achieve a result is to take as mentors for the first time someone from the acquaintances who are more experienced in winter spinning fishing. If there are no such in your environment, try to take the materials of printed publications on the topic as a basis, but not one to one following their recommendations, but linking them to the peculiarities of the conditions in which you have to fish. Based on the reviews of various spinning anglers about their previous books, I can conclude that for many they have become effective textbooks on the relevant sections of spinning fishing. Hopefully, “Winter Spinning” will be no exception here.
author: Konstantin Kuzmin
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