Making winter vents with your own hands. The right pole for pike fishing in winter

Pike is also one of the most treasured trophies for our fishermen. To catch it from the ice, you can use various baits: spinners, balancers, rattlins, live bait. And today we will talk about catching catfish with live bait, namely, what the equipment for pike is, and we will analyze all aspects of this method of fishing.

There are a variety of girders, differing in design. Previously, most fishermen made them themselves, and each master came up with something new. Now you can easily buy them at any fishing store. But there are still fishermen who pay tribute to the old tradition and make them themselves.

The rigging for pike is quite simple and consists of:

Let's look at the three main types of vents:

On a wide base.

This is the most common and successful type of girders for pike.

It has a base, usually a plastic circle with a diameter of 20-25 cm, it completely covers the hole. This is especially true when fishing in shallow water, since we do not allow direct rays of light to enter it, which can frighten the fish. Also, by covering the entire hole, we better retain heat, reducing the time before an ice crust forms on it. In severe frost, we additionally sprinkle our base with snow to retain heat. For homemade girders, the base can be rectangular and made of wood.

There is a special slot on the base through which we pass the fishing line; there are fasteners on it where the flag and stand are inserted. Thanks to the fastenings, the vent can be easily disassembled, which makes it convenient for transportation. There is a small plastic inertial reel located on the stand; it should have a good and smooth move.

Many anglers have problems attaching hooks for transportation. This problem can be easily solved; just drill holes in the reels and attach hooks to them.

In order to charge our reel, we hold the fishing line and stop the reel with a flag. When biting, the pike spins the reel, and the flag is released from the pinching, informing us about the bite.

Unfortunately, some girders made from low-quality plastic become too fragile in severe frost, so you need to buy only proven ones, since for successful fishing we need more than one or two girders.

The type of girders shown in the figure is also available for sale, but they have a number of significant disadvantages:

• The fishing line is attached to a regular reel and when it bites, when the fish starts to reel it in, it can get tangled.
• The flag is located low and is less visible. Especially if there is a lot of snow on the ice.

Tripod

This pike rig consists of three legs, a short stand on which the reel and flag are placed. The tripods are foldable, making them easy to transport. The downside of this hole is that the hole freezes much faster and needs to be covered with snow.

You just need to sprinkle it when a thin crust of ice forms on the hole. First you need to pull the line up a little to free it from the ice. Now, when biting, the line frozen in the ice will not arouse suspicion in the pike

Gears on the rail

They are compact and lightweight, making them easy to transport. They are a rail on which a reel and a flag are located. They are very easy to make yourself.

To install them, you need to have a snowdrift on the ice where you can stick them, or make a slide from the crushed ice that remains after drilling the hole. If the ice is thick, then you can gouge a hole in the ice and insert it.

When using slatted vents, as in the case of a tripod, the hole remains open.

Rigging for pike in winter

fishing line

The fishing line must be elastic and of good quality. If you want, you can’t skimp on the quality of gear. I do not recommend using braided fishnets, as they will freeze and you may injure your fingers while playing. Line thickness depending on the intended trophy:

• 0.25-0.28 mm for pike weighing up to 3 kg on a bottom not covered with snags.
• 0.3-0.35 mm, when there is a high probability of a large pike biting.

About 15-25 m of fishing line must be wound on one spool. Here everything depends on the depth of fishing, if you fish in shallow water bodies, then 15 m is enough. If you change water bodies and fish at different depths, then reel 20-25 m. In addition to the distance to the bottom, you need to leave a reserve for free movement.

Sinker

The sinker used is sliding. The shape is best suited to a streamlined ellipse; such sinkers cling less to snags. In order to prevent the sinker from overlapping the lead, we make a stopper from a small pellet just above the junction of the lead with the main line, fasten it so that it sits rigidly, but do not flatten it with all our might, so as not to damage the line.

The weight of the sinker is 3-6 grams, this will be enough so that the live bait does not start dragging your equipment throughout the entire reservoir and at the same time the fish will not feel the catch when biting. When fishing at great depths, or in the presence of a current, you can increase the weight to 10-15 grams.

In addition to sliding installation, some anglers use blind installation (in places where the bottom is covered with snags).

Habit

Habit is an element of contention among many fishermen. The old school of fishermen believes that the equipment of a pike rig should be with a leash made of steel, tungsten wire or Kevlar, which the pike cannot gnaw with its teeth, others use fluorocarbon line with a thickness of 0.35 -0.45 mm, citing the fact that fluorocarbon refracts rays of light in the water and thus practically invisible to the fish.

My advice to you is if the fish is capricious and inactive, and the water is clean and clear, fish with fluorocarbon. In cases where pike are active, use a more durable steel material. Habit length 15-30 cm.

Hooks

Hooks are used

• Single
• Double
• Tees

Anglers cannot unanimously say which of these hooks is better suited for equipping a winter lure for pike. The main thing is that the hook should be compact, sharp and not bend. As for me, the most universal is a tee (depending on the size of the live bait, I use No. 6 -8).

Zywiec

In order for the live bait to live longer and not lose activity, it should be placed behind the back, in front of the dorsal fin. But there are other ways.

To rig the girders, you can use small crucian carp, roach, and rudd. When fishing at a depth of up to 3 m, bleak is suitable.

Also, perch is excellent as bait, since for pike it is not only food, but also a competitor. I wrote about it in a previous article.

You can buy live bait in a store, the main thing is that it lives in the given reservoir and is part of the toothy fish’s diet.

Where to catch pike

Features of pike behavior

At first December, as soon as there is ice, the pike begins to eat. Now the periods of greatest activity are morning dawn and evening sunset. But you have a chance of catching her throughout the day, and even at night. Promising places for installing girder equipment for pike are bays, backwaters above capes, small lakes, the mouths of medium-sized rivers and streams, as well as small harbors. It is necessary to search for pike in areas with a depth of 0.6-0.8 m to 2-3 m. Preference:

• Edge of aquatic vegetation (reeds, reeds),
• The bottom covered with snags, as well as areas near them;
• Various bottom anomalies (a section of shell rock against the background of a muddy bottom, tubercles, etc.)

The cause of a weak bite or no bite can be sudden changes in weather.

IN January-February pike activity decreases significantly. But even during this period it can be caught, for which we need to install vents on the edge of wintering pits and channel edges; if the slope is gentle, then we are also interested in the slope itself. Here, the toothy one hunts peaceful fish, and can gather in schools, which does not happen in the summer.

Areas where rivers or streams flow into a body of water, bringing oxygen with them, are also considered promising.

With the coming spring When the thaw begins, pike activity increases. She returns to the shallow water again. You need to look for it at the edge of reeds and reeds, where it hunts for small fish.

Features of pike fishing in reservoirs

In small bodies of water, where the depth is no more than 3 m, you are unlikely to find a pike larger than 3 kg, but it is very hungry and will peck at your live bait with great zeal, since it has already caught almost all the rest of the small fish.

Rules for installing girders on a pond

When going to a reservoir, having only two or three girders with you, you should not count on a good result. The fishing minimum is 5-10 girders. Many fishermen, when going out to a pond, take 20-30 girders with them. A larger number of girders allows you to place some in deep water, others in shallow water and quickly understand where the pike is biting today. True, in this case you need to be careful and know how many girders can be used per person in your region, so as not to have problems with the fishery inspection.

If you are fishing on the edge, then the girders must be placed in a checkerboard pattern, some at the beginning of the descent, the second at depth, in order to fish the entire area.

When installing vents, the distance between them should be at least 6-7 meters.

Installation depth of the girder equipment for pike

Live bait should be in the bottom layer, but not at the bottom, but 5-15 cm from it. In order to correctly position the tackle, you first need to lower the rig without live bait. When the load has dropped to the bottom, we reel out the rig to the length of the leash, plus our 5-15 cm and make a mark on the line with a moisture-resistant marker (if you don’t have a marker, you can fix the length by pressing the stopper on the reel,
only after the bite, you will have to measure the depth again). Then, we unwind the tackle completely, attach live bait and lower our rig to the mark on the fishing line, then we place a flag under the reel, thereby stopping the fishing line. If you used a stopper, then after the line has unwound and you have fixed the flag, do not forget to turn it off.

Line supply for pike

After the bite, the pike generally moves to a distance of no further than 10-15 m. Such a reserve on the reel when fishing on a clean bottom, and away from coastal vegetation, will be quite enough.

It’s another matter when the equipment of a pike rig is installed on a snagged bottom or near similar areas. In this case, if you do not hook in time and give the pike freedom of action, the probability of getting caught and breaking the tackle is very high. Therefore, we leave no more than 2-3 meters of line for the pike to maneuver and fix it by throwing a loop on the reel from the line you are fishing with.

When fishing near reed thickets, we leave just enough fishing line for the pike so that it does not reach them.

Features of hooking

The signal that the pike liked our live bait will be the flag returning to its original position (straightened). You should not rush mindlessly to the biting point, googling with your feet, because this will frighten the pike, and it will spit out the bait. Our movements on the ice can be clearly heard even at depth. The exception is fishing on a snag bottom.

In most cases, at the moment of a bite, the pike grabs the bait by the edge and if you hook it right away, there is a high probability that we will simply pull out the hook. It is necessary to hook the bait at the moment when the live bait is deep in its mouth. The pike swallows live bait after stopping, so we hook it a few seconds after
as she stopped unwinding the line from the reel. True, a pike can stand motionless for 5-7 minutes without swallowing the bait, but nothing can be done about it. When the line stops reeling in, wait a couple of seconds and unwind a few more meters of line from the reel, then move the vent to the side so it doesn’t get in the way. Now carefully pick out the slack, if you feel tension, then the tooth is on the hook and it’s time to hook. The hook is made sharp and sweeping, so that the hook is firmly seated in the mouth.

Fishing for pike must be done slowly and carefully. Pike is a strong opponent and can easily tear off your equipment, and the fishing line can damage your hands. When you have brought the toothy one to the hole, take the hook and hook it on the lower jaw, then pull the pike onto the ice. In order to remove the hook from the mouth, use an extractor or a yawn.

Video of rigging a rig for pike

The pike rig has been assembled, it’s time to hunt for catfish. And in the next article I will tell you about the girders, among other things.

Almost every fisherman knows about the existence of a large number of different gear designed for catching any type of fish. This article talks about zherlitsy. This tackle is designed for winter fishing for predatory fish, especially pike.

This gear facilitates winter fishing for pike, since it refuses to bite on other types of bait. Despite the fact that there are both winter and summer designs, their operating principle is almost the same. The design of such gear includes a reel with fishing line and a flexible plate, at the end of which a bright flag is attached. The reel with fishing line and plate are located on a special holder.

As far as we know, there are several types of vents:

• on the platform;
• with vertical stand;
• Taganka type;
• vents with a flat base.

Priests on the platform

Gutters with a flat frame are very popular due to the simplicity of their design and operation. It can be easily and quickly installed on ice. Moreover, the flat base covers the hole, preventing it from freezing quickly. In addition, it shades the hole, which makes the tackle more catchable.

And yet, despite such promising indicators, this design has drawbacks. As winter fishing enthusiasts note, such girders freeze to the ice and quickly fail. In the presence of wind, such a vent is simply blown away from the hole.

Vertical racks

Considering the fact that such girders are made of metal, problems with its operation cannot be avoided. In severe frosts, you cannot work with it with open hands, especially if your hands are wet, and without this you can’t do winter fishing. Closer to spring, when the sun begins to warm up, the metal heats up very quickly and the ice begins to melt when installing the vent, which leads to its collapse.

Taganka type vents

This design rests on three legs and is made of aluminum. Like all types of poles, it consists of a spool of fishing line and a signal pole. Despite its apparent stability, it can easily fall if bitten. In addition, it can simply be blown away by the wind. The disadvantage of this design is the complexity of its manufacture. The advantages include compactness and ease of use.

Important for every design

Any design of a girder must contain the basic elements on which the catchability and ease of use depend. What to pay attention to:

• To ensure that bites are noticeable from a considerable distance, the signal flag is used only in bright colors.
• The basis of the reel design should be plastic. The rotation of the reel should not be light, otherwise the line will definitely get tangled when biting.
• A sufficient amount of fishing line is wound onto the spool so that you can fish at different depths.
• The bite signaling element must have sufficient flexibility.

Equipment for pike rig

The basis of any fishing tackle is fishing line. Since the fishing line is not used so intensively on the girder, a fishing line from any company or any manufacturer is suitable for equipping it.

The diameter of the fishing line is selected depending on the size of the fish and can range from 0.2 to 0.4 mm. As a rule, up to 25 m of fishing line is wound on a reel. A leash is required. Both a metal and fluorocarbon leash are suitable, the main thing is that the pike cannot bite through it. Depending on the size of the live bait, the weight of the sinker is also selected. The ratio of the mass of live bait to the weight of the cargo should be within 1:2.5.

If the girder is installed on a river, then everything is much more complicated, since the size of the load is chosen depending on the speed of the current. The main thing is that the load can hold the bait at one point, closer to the bottom.

Construction and drawings of a winter vent

Fig.1. Base of the vent

The standard equipment includes: the base of the vent (Fig. 1), a spring signaling device, a box at the base, a coil on a stand and its fastening unit.

As a base, you can use materials such as plastic, plywood or aluminum. It is advisable to use aluminum 10 mm thick. At the base there is a coil attachment point (Fig. 2).

Fig.2. Methods for attaching the reel to the base

• A-block with a groove for the foot and a locking screw:
  1 – locking screw; 2 – rivets; 3 – stand; 4 – base; 5 – foot; 6 – block with a groove for the foot.
• B-screw screwed into the base block:
  1 – pin; 2 – screw; 3 – rivets; 4 – base; 5 – platform for the foot; 6 – foot; 7 – hole for the pin.
• B-nut - wing on a screw:
  1 – screw, tightened motionlessly; 2 – wing nut; 3 – base; 4 – rivets.

Figure 3 shows a diagram of fastening the parts of the vent

1 – base; 2 – box; 3 – coil; 4 – stand; 5 – rack mounting unit; 6 – fixing elements; 7 – hole for fishing line.

In Figure.3 It is shown that the center of hole “a” is located at a distance of 12 mm from the edge of the frame and lies parallel to the center of the fastening element. This distance depends on the amount of rotation of the coil, so it is found experimentally after installing the coil. The center of the reel should be aligned with the center of the hole intended for the passage of fishing line.

Fig.4– blank for the stand with cutting lines.

Fig.5– bracket for fastening.

Fig.6– nozzle box.

Fig.7– indicates two options for mounting the alarm:

• using a plate;
• using a corner:

1. Rack.
2. Nest.
3. Plate.
4. Rivets.
5. Corner.

Fig.8– the rack assembly is shown.

The process of making a winter vent with your own hands

Girders made of galvanized and stainless wire

To bend a reliable frame for the girder, you need to take a wire with a diameter of at least 3 mm and a length of 550 to 700 mm. The wire is bent to create a short and a long end. The short end does not reach the long end by approximately 100 mm. After this, the long end is bent so that it forms a spool holder.

A bite alarm made of flexible steel wire is attached to the short end. A bright flag is attached to the end of the alarm.

From a plastic tube

To do this, you need to take a plastic tube and cut off a part of the tube from it, from 10 to 16 cm long, depending on the fishing conditions. The thickness of the tube does not play a special role. For fishing from the shore, this can be a piece of tube from 13 to 16 cm long, and for fishing from ice, its length can be no more than 10 cm.

To begin with, a through hole with a diameter of about 6 mm is drilled at one end of the tube, and a hole with a diameter of 8-10 mm is drilled at the other end. A thin but strong rope with loops will pass through these 2 holes. A fishing line with a hook should be attached to one loop using a latch.

To keep the live bait in the water column (fishing from the shore), a piece of foam should be attached to the fishing line.

Wood frame construction

As a rule, pine or aspen are used, which are more resistant to moisture.

1. A reel is formed for the base of the structure. To do this, recesses are made on the end sides. To ensure that the line is pressed against the body of the reel, a wire retainer is screwed to it.
2. On the front side there are 2 wire clips with bent ends.
3. The thickness of the springs can be about 5 mm. One end of the spring is straightened by 9-10 cm.
4. The spring is attached to a wooden base. One end must be securely fixed.
5. A bright flag is attached to the straightened end. All that remains is to secure the fishing line with the hook and sinker, as well as bend the spring and secure it between the fixing parts. The zherlitsa is ready for use.

Subglacial vents

Such holes are easy to manufacture, since any unnecessary object that is longer than the diameter of the hole is suitable for this purpose. A plastic tube about 50 cm long should be attached to this object. A cut is made at the end of the tube so that the fishing line cannot fly off before the bite occurs. In case of a bite, the line jumps out of the cut, which allows the rest of the line to unwind freely from the tube. Since the tube is always in the water, such girders, left, for example, overnight, freeze by morning. To check it, you have to punch a hole nearby. Usually, with this method of fishing, the hole is covered at night, if, of course, there is something.

Made from duralumin strip and steel wire

The base of such gear is a duralumin strip (1x60x300 mm) with ends bent to one side. This will make it easier to install it on the ice. A hole is drilled in the center of the plate for attaching the coil, like an “ice block” or “hole”. A hole is drilled next to the reel for a fishing line with a hook.

The spring plays the role of a bite alarm, and an alarm made of bright material is attached to its end. The spring is attached to the end of the base and secured with a regular pin.

In working condition, the spring is pressed with a pin to the base. If there is a bite, the spring is released from the pin and ends up in a vertical position.

Two types from a rubber hose and using a spring from an alarm clock

• To do this, you need 2 pieces of rubber hose, with a diameter of 1.5-2.0 cm and a length of 10 cm. A hole is made at one end of the rubber hose for attaching a loop, up to 30 cm in size. On the other side of the piece, a cut is made, intended for rope fastenings.

The same tube is used as a reel, onto which 10 meters of cord is wound. One end of it is attached to the holes using a loop, and the other end of the rope is inserted into the slot at the other end of the hose. A weight and a leash made of fishing line up to 0.5 meters long should be tied to the free end of the rope, fixed in the slot. A leash made of monofilament is connected to a leash made of metal, to which a hook is attached. For ease of use, a reliable stick is inserted from the side of the loop, the length of which is greater than the size of the hole.

A bent piece made from a piece of steel wire to which a spring is attached serves as a bite alarm. The same part serves as a stopper.

• The stand is made of wood. A hole with a diameter of about 3 mm is drilled in it. Using a nylon cord, a steel section is attached to the stand, as well as a curved piece to which a spring with a signal element is fixed.

Usually, the structure is frozen into ice and all that remains is to install it in its working position by bending the spring and securing it with a stopper. In case of a bite, the stopper is released and the spring unbends, signaling a bite.

Original bottle sump and electric sump

The principle of the electrical circuit is based on the closure of contacts. Electrical gear assembly technology:

1. To do this you need to take a piece of twig. A hook should be formed at one end, and a cambric should be attached to the other end, the length of which is slightly longer than the length of the base of the light bulb used.
2. The light bulb is fixed to the cambric with the help of threads, and the attachment point is filled with waterproof glue.
3. A wire is soldered to the top of the base, the length of which is 40 mm longer than the length of the guard.
4. The guard and the central terminal of the base are connected using a piece of wire.
5. The base is made of wood, preferably pine, after which it is impregnated with drying oil.
6. A spring is installed on the guard.
7. The main and final element is a copper plate secured to the base with nails. In the working position, the guard should be pressed against this plate.

To make a bottle from a bottle, you should take a container of baby powder. A nylon thread with a sinker and a tee will pass through it. A loop is formed at the end of the nylon thread, through which the tackle is suspended from the base.

Design with indicator light

The main difficulty in manufacturing this gear lies in the design of the trigger mechanism, which consists of a guard, a fishing line and two staples.

The brackets are installed into the base. They, in fact, are the fastening elements of the gatehouse. They are located at the very edge of the frame. At the end of the gate, a light bulb is installed, to which 2 wires are connected, connected to terminals, through a copper plate and the gate. The battery is connected to the terminals. As a result of the bite, the mechanism is triggered, the guard is installed in a vertical position, closing the contacts. As a result, the light bulb located at the top of the gatehouse lights up.

Beacon design

The design of the “beacon” includes:

1 – reel ring; 2 – flag thread; 3 – reel; 4 – clamp; 5 – fishing line; 6 – olive-shaped sinker; 7 – rubber stopper; 8 – nut; 9 – flag; 10 – hook; 11 – pin; 12 – stand; 13 – stand ring.

A wire with a diameter of 3 mm and a length of 70 cm is used as a stand. The role of a reel is played by a tube with a diameter of 3.5 cm and a length of 12 cm.

A fishing line with a diameter of 0.8 mm and a length of about 20 m is wound on a tube (reel).

The stand ring and tube ring are held together with a pin. A ring is attached to the reel (tube) to secure the fishing line. The olive-shaped weight and its limiter are on the fishing line. The nut is placed on the tube, and a flag is installed on the nut.

Before installing the tackle, the flag is pressed against the reel, after which it is fixed with a fishing line. In case of a bite, the fishing line unwinds from the flag, freeing it. As a result, the checkbox takes a vertical position.

Techniques for catching pike on girders in winter

As a rule, pike are caught in reservoirs with standing water or in bays where there is no current. This guarantees safe fishing even in mild frosts. On a river where there is a current, the danger of falling on thin ice is quite high.

How to catch pike on lakes and ponds

For fishing to be successful, several points should be taken into account:

• Correct installation. This activity is best done during daylight hours. The trap must be installed correctly, otherwise it will fail at the most unexpected moment.
• Choosing a promising location. To find a predator's site, you need to cut several holes and install girders on them. On familiar bodies of water, this process is somewhat simplified, since anglers know the bottom topography. Suitable places may be gully zones, large differences in depth, as well as places with various underwater accumulations. Pike can also be found in places where there are thickets of reeds or reeds.
• Correct equipment of the girder. Everything matters here, from the choice of fishing line to the choice of bait. Here, a lot depends on the type of fish that is found in the reservoir.
• Knowledge of fish behavior in winter. Such knowledge will help you correctly decide on a promising location.

Conclusion

Catching a predator, such as pike, with a girder has a number of advantages compared to other fishing methods. The most important thing is that you don’t need to stand over the tackle or run from one hole to another, waiting for a bite. But this does not mean that the prey will be easy to get. This is a serious misconception. Firstly, you will have to drill more than one hole, maybe 10 or more. Secondly, you need to install a girder on each hole, and this is also painstaking work. Thirdly, in case of bites, you will have to run from one tackle to another, and they are located at a distance of about 10 meters, or even more. And fourthly, the gear needs to be checked regularly, which also costs time and effort. And if you consider that in winter the fisherman is dressed in warm clothes, which hinder movement and increase the overall weight, then you can imagine how much effort and energy will be expended in one day of fishing.

It is not difficult to make zherlitsa with your own hands. Moreover, many experienced winter fishermen do this, since often store-bought options are of poor quality and still have to be modified. So why spend more when this simple but effective winter gear is easy to make yourself?

In general, the zherlitsa is very common in all regions where ice fishing takes place. This tackle has proven its worth over many decades. Our great-grandfathers also fished with it, and the very idea inherent in this method of fishing has survived to this day and continues to give good results on any body of water, be it a small lake or pond, or a huge reservoir or large river.

Compared to vertical lures, the winter lure is not such a sporting tackle. Therefore, some fishermen, especially those involved in sport fishing, do not accept this method of fishing. However, with an active search and intense biting, you have to run across the ice until you find fish or to the constantly “lighting up” flags.

Important! According to the “Rules of Amateur and Sports Fishing”, the number of fishing poles per person should not exceed five!

The advantages of fishing on girders are as follows:

• The versatility of the gear. Zherlitsy can be used on any body of water. They work in small toad fields and small ponds. They show excellent results in vast areas of water. Installation of live bait can occur at the minimum possible depth or in a large hole.
• Efficiency. Open all season. It allows you to catch a predator even in the dead of winter, when other methods are practically ineffective.
• Cheapness. Manufacturing and equipping the girder does not require large expenditures. All materials and elements can be obtained from nearby fishing and hardware stores.
• Simplicity. Structurally, this is a very simple tackle. Any novice winter fisherman can master making winter live bait.

All the disadvantages of the girders are more related to the fishing process itself than to any design features of the gear or the inaccessibility of its individual elements:

• A constant supply of fresh live bait is required. It has to be prepared in advance or caught directly in the reservoir.
• Arranging gear and then moving it around the water area is a labor-intensive task.
• In the wind or high snow cover, the fishing line can often get tangled, which interferes with the full fishing process.

So, let's look at what are the main types of this gear and how to make a winter harness?

What types of girders are most in demand?

There are so many different designs of vents that have not been invented. Each region has its own characteristics, but all this gear consists of three main elements:

• Base. It can be anything that gives the structure stability on ice.
• Coil. Its purpose is to store the fishing line and allow it to flow freely when a predator grabs the bait.
• Bite alarm. Usually a flag is used for the bait, designed to inform the fisherman that the predator has grabbed the bait and started moving away from the hole.

The equipment of the winter girder is also not very different and can only vary slightly depending on the fishing conditions. This is affected by the strength of the current and depth.

The most common types of vents can be grouped as follows:

• Live bait on a wide base. The most famous design, which is sold in all stores. It's also easy to do yourself.
• On the rail. Its advantage is its compactness and ease of manufacture at home.
• On legs. In demand on high snow cover. More difficult to make than those listed above.
• Subglacial vent. Easy to make. It is used more often for night winter fishing.
• A shapeshifter on legs. It is used less often, but it is very easy to make using scrap materials.

All described winter live baits have their advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a closer look at how to make a vent of one design or another with your own hands.

Broad based

Making a vent on a wide base is quite simple. To do this, you need to take a small plastic reel, which should have free movement. Having grabbed the bait, the predator must begin to reel in the line without feeling any resistance, otherwise it may become alert and spit out the bait.

The signaling device for the girder is most often made of a steel plate, clock or other type of spring. A rectangular or triangular piece of brightly colored fabric is attached to its upper part. When there is a bite, the flag must “shoot”, informing the fisherman that the fish has taken the bait.

Any suitable piece of plywood, fiberglass or plastic is used as a base. It can be rectangular, square or round in shape. A hole and a slot for the fishing line are made in it. A reel and a bite alarm are attached to it.

The described design of the girder is stably located on the ice, compact and easy to manufacture. However, it is inconvenient to fish with it on high snow cover.

Photo 1. Zherlitsa on a wide base.

On the rail

This type of winter live bait is somewhat similar to the baitfish described above. However, the proposed option is more compact and very easy to make at home:

1. Take a wooden rectangular strip of suitable size.
2. A hole is drilled in the middle into which the fishing line will be passed.
3. A flag is attached to one end of the rod, and a coil is attached to the opposite end.

That's it, installation of the girder is completed.

Advice! Such homemade girders are not suitable for fishing on snowy ice. They are also difficult to see from a long distance.

On legs

There are many options for making live bait of this design. Mostly, one-legged and three-legged girders are used. The first one is much easier to do, but it is more difficult to securely fix it on the ice. The second is more difficult, but much more stable.

A pier on one leg is made as follows:

1. A leg is made from a metal or aluminum tube or corner, which will be stuck into the ice.
2. A reel with a flag is attached to it.
3. The coil is selected in the same way as in all other cases - small in size and made of plastic.
4. The alarm is made from a clock spring or elastic steel wire.

That's it, the vent on one leg is made. It is installed on ice by sticking the sharp lower part into the ice. For reliability, it is sprinkled with snow, which is watered with water. Then the live bait will never fall and the fish will not drag it away.

Advice! The legs on the legs are clearly visible from a long distance and are suitable for high snow cover.

During an active search, such girders are inconvenient, since their rearrangement takes a lot of time.

Photo 2. Vest on a leg.

Subglacial vent

These live baits are used in severe frosts or in situations where the gear needs to be left overnight. More often this design is used by burbot fishing enthusiasts. It is manufactured and installed on ice as follows:

1. A metal peg is driven into the ice.
2. A piece of thick fishing line or cord with a length slightly exceeding the thickness of the ice cover is tied to it.
3. At the other end of the cord, a homemade reel of a triangular or some similar pear-shaped shape is attached, onto which the equipment is wound.

Now all that remains is to measure the fishing depth, put live bait on the hook and lower the rig into the hole. In the morning the girders are checked. More often, a fresh hole is drilled nearby, the reel is pulled out with a hook, and the equipment is pulled out.

Changeling zherlitsa on legs

This live bait is very simple and requires minimal financial costs. It is made like this:

1. Take a piece of plastic tube about 40 cm long.
2. Several holes are made in it approximately in the middle, into which wire legs will be inserted.
3. At one end there is a slot for the fishing line.
4. The legs are two knitting needles or a piece of steel wire, also about 40 cm long.
5. The required amount of fishing line is wound onto the tube and equipment is made, consisting of a sinker, a leash and a hook.
6. We paint the lower part of the tube in a bright color. When a predator grabs the bait, it rises and the angler sees the bite.

Photo 3. Changeling.

The tackle is ready. Its disadvantage is the impossibility of comfortable fishing in high snow, and it is poorly visible from a long distance.

With the arrival of winter frosts, fishing enthusiasts are increasingly turning their attention to gear for winter underwater fishing. There are quite a large number of methods, but one of the most popular, without a doubt, is winter fishing. What makes it so popular among fishermen? High catchability compared to balancers and spoons, simplicity of gear design, or catchability even in the deepest winter period?

A fisherman can place several poles and sit and relax or fish nearby. The bright flags of the winter girder will let the fisherman know about bites so that he can react in a timely manner. If there are no bites, you often have to change the fishing location. In search of fish, warmly dressed fishermen with a drill and gear can cover up to seven kilometers a day. Hence the need for lighter and more convenient gear arises. In use, a winter girder should be comfortable and light, so that the fisherman does not have to spend a lot of time and effort changing the fishing location. The designs of winter vents are varied, but they are all built according to one general principle. So, how to make a winter vent?

Video winter zherlitsa

Winter vent design

The winter shelter is arranged quite simply, even somewhat primitively. It can be built while fishing directly, but it is best to go fishing prepared. Various materials can be used to make the girder. It basically consists of a wooden or metal stand, 30 cm long, with its lower ends pointed to make it easier to stick into the ice. Also an integral part of the design of the vent is a reel with 15-20 m. A signaling flag is attached to the top of the rack. This is the simplest and most common design. There are also many other good and functional options. For example, the reel can be mounted not on a vertical stand, but on a plastic or wooden platform, which must be installed on top of the hole, covering it like a lid.

For beginners, as well as perhaps already experienced “veterans”, when creating a winter zherlitsa, the tips and recommendations on how to make a winter zherlitsa, which are given below, will certainly be useful.

It is best to start assembling the girder from the stand. The material from which it will be made and the shape is a secondary issue; the important indicator here is the thickness of the material. Without a doubt, the material for delivery must be durable so that it does not break or crack in the cold, but at the same time it must be light. The shape of the stand may vary. For some, the ideal option is a stand in the shape of a circle, which is larger in diameter than the size of the hole. Others may prefer a square or rectangular stand, which will cover only half of the hole, but this is a personal matter of taste.

The main function of the base is to darken the hole in order to protect it from freezing. Now on sale there are round stands that are made of plastic, their diameter is 200 mm, thickness is 2.6 mm, weight is 80 g. This is a pretty good option. But such stands are designed for a slightly different type of racks, so a little modification is required so that they can be a full-fledged base for racks with stands. But if you do not have the opportunity to purchase such stands, you can easily replace them with alternative ones, which you can make yourself from a suitable material. So, we settled on a store-bought stand.

As for the options for attaching the rack to the stand itself, there are many of them, but at the same time they must be quickly and reliably connected and transported separately. Here we can offer the following mounting option. At the bottom end of the stand we attach a self-tapping screw with a fairly large head; the distance between the back of the self-tapping head and the end of the stand should be equal to the thickness of the stand. We cut a groove in the stand itself; its width should be equal to the diameter of the screw rod. All that remains is to insert the stand into the groove of the stand. A stand with such a simple fastening element, when attached to a stand, is held quite reliably in a vertical position. In order to make grooves for the stands in the stands, you need to use a marker to make the appropriate markings on the stand. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the expected depth of the groove and the direction of the slot for the fishing line. On average, the depth of the groove is about two centimeters. After this, you need to make a cut to obtain a groove. To do this, use a hacksaw blade to make two cuts parallel to each other to the required length, and after that the middle part between the two cuts is removed using pliers.

Processing of irregularities is carried out using. If you use a harder material than plastic to make stands, then in order to quickly remove the middle part, you should drill a hole at the level of the end of the cuts with a drill, the diameter of which is equal to the width between the two cuts.

It doesn’t take very much time to remake the purchased stands, so after all the steps described above, you can start making stands for the vents.

To make racks, you can choose a metal-plastic pipe, which is intended for plumbing work. The outer covering of these pipes is plastic, which means that when assembling and disassembling the vents, your hands will not “cool” so much in the cold. A metal-plastic pipe measuring 20 cm and ½ inch internal diameter is an excellent lightweight and durable stand. Such a pipe can be easily cut with a hacksaw and, if necessary, can be bent in any direction without any problems. The indicated pipe diameter is not accidental. This is due to the subsequent fastening of the self-tapping screw in the end part of the rack pipe. We secure the self-tapping screw at the end of the rack using a piece of plastic glue stick, which is usually used complete with a heat gun.

Good adhesion to any surface is ensured by the molten mass of the glue stick; after hardening, a fairly strong, homogeneous mass is formed. It is not necessary to use a heat gun. The glue stick melts at a temperature of 70 degrees. The glue stick can be heated over its entire surface over an open fire until it becomes transparent, this indicates that the plastic has begun to melt, after which the stick should be placed in the cavity of the rack. When the rod has cooled down, the excess section must be cut off with a construction knife, in this case we will get a kind of plastic plug. You can already screw a self-tapping screw into it, fixed in the rack. The self-tapping screw should not fit into the groove too tightly, but not too loosely, since the stand may be unstable. Then you should attach the alarm and coil to the stand. It is best to use electrical tape for this.

As a bite alarm, you can use a 40 cm long spring from a military cap. As an alternative, you can use a piece of metal measuring tape. A bright flag is attached to the end of the spring with moisture-resistant glue to the metal.

As for the reel, it is better if its design has a reverse stopper; this will allow the reel to be transported already equipped with doubles or tees. You can immediately attach such coils to the girder stand, but it is better to modify it a little. For better visibility, it is recommended to paint the outside of the reel. The movement of such a coil can be seen from afar. The movement of the reel should be smooth and soft; “free movement” of the reel can lead to the line overlapping and tangling. To prevent this from happening, the coil can be disassembled, and then a fairly large amount of frost-resistant grease can be applied to the metal axis. This method will allow you to forget about the “free running” of the reel for several fishing trips.

The main line used is a winter fishing line 10-20 cm long, a weight from 5 to 15 grams, and even more in the current. You equip the harness with the leash that you prefer.

So, you already know how to make a winter vent and you have it ready. Now you can go to the reservoir to actually test the girder that you made with your own hands.

Conclusion

The variety of winter vents is not limited to production using the above method. There are dozens of different designs. Thanks to such a simple fishing device as a girder during winter fishing, one person can try his luck at several cleared holes in the ice at once, and this increases the chances of coming home with a catch several times. Good luck when fishing with winter lures!

Fishing with girders is my favorite type of winter fishing. I fell in love with this tackle at first sight back in school, when I myself constructed five girders from improvised means and already on my first fishing trip I saw a bite and caught a pike.

Since then, flag jigs have been a constant presence in my fishing arsenal. But in the last few years, my wife and I have been fishing quite rarely with classic-type fishing rods - with a reel and a flag as a bite alarm. Most of our winter pike fishing takes place with ice vents, or subglaciers, as they are called in our area. (photo 1).

The design of the subglacier is quite simple, and a dozen of such gear can be made literally in the evening, spending a minimum of time and money on it (photo 2). The basis is an ordinary watering hose with thick walls. It is cut into pieces ten centimeters long. That is, from a meter-long piece of hose you will get ten under-ice vents. It is preferable to take a hose made of thick rubber, because after winding the fishing line on it, it should not be deformed, but should hold its shape - maintain a round cross-section.

At one end of the hose, moving 1-1.5 centimeters from the edge, holes are made into which a strong nylon cord is inserted and tied with a loop. (photo 3). The length of the loop on our vents is 20 centimeters, no more.

Punching a hole in thick rubber is not an easy task. I do this using a thick and sharp nail, placing a piece of hose on the board. It is most convenient to insert the nylon cord into the holes made using a piece of wire folded in half - for example, a large paper clip.

On the first under-ice girders, I made loops from a fairly thin nylon thread, hoping that its strength was enough to hold a caught pike. But after a season I installed loops made of thicker cord. The thing is that even well-covered ice vents froze into the ice overnight, and the next morning they had to be cut out with a hatchet. In this case, it was possible to easily cut the loop that held the vent lowered into the hole. This happened to me several times... Of course, you can also cut a thick cord, but doing it is more difficult.

In order not to be careful when cutting out a vent frozen into the ice, some fishermen make a loop not from rope, but from wire. Of course, there is a reason for this. But I don’t like that the subglaciers equipped with a wire loop become longer in size and take up more space when carried. In addition, I try not to leave sub-ice girders on the reservoir for longer than one night. Therefore, I am not familiar with the problem of taking a long time to cut down tightly frozen vents.

At the end of the hose opposite the loop, a cut is made with a sharp knife 2-2.5 centimeters deep - the fishing line will be fixed in it in a guarded position. Next, the required amount of fishing line is wound onto the hose, and it should be wound so that the fishing line evenly covers the surface of the hose (according to the principle of a spinning reel). This way, it is less likely that when setting the depth or when biting, the under-ice girder will shed several loops at once and form a “beard”.

Next, the equipment is assembled as in a regular rig - a sliding sinker, a rubber stopper, a leash with a hook. How much fishing line to wind on the girders depends on the depth at the fishing spot. You just need to take into account that the bite on an under-ice vent is not visible to the fisherman, he cannot control the line coming off, which means that the pike almost always reels off the entire stock from the rig (photo 4).

Now I caught myself thinking that it would take longer to describe an under-ice vent than to make it. In addition, ready-made subglaciers can be bought in the store. True, it will be a little more expensive than making it yourself.

Another very important point: leashes for under-ice girders need to be long - at least 20 centimeters. Since nothing prevents the pike from swallowing live bait, very often it, along with the hook, ends up in the predator’s stomach. And if the pike turns out to be large and the leash is short, then the fishing line can get on the pike’s teeth and will probably be cut off. I am writing for a reason, but because I have stepped on this rake myself.

As for attaching live bait, it is better to pass the leash under the gills and out through the mouth, hooking a double or tee (photo 5). This method best promotes swallowing and does not arouse suspicion in the pike.

Installing an under-ice girder is very simple: the depth is measured, the fishing line is fixed in a cut in the hose, and the guarded girder is lowered into the hole and put on a stick placed across the hole with a rope loop. (photo 6-7).

A former colleague introduced me to subglacial vents several years (or rather, winters) ago. I remember that after another fishing trip with flag lures, I complained that the gear stood on the lake from dawn to dusk, and not a single bite happened. A friend advised me to leave the rigs until the morning, but I was afraid to leave my flag rigs, made with love with my own hands, unattended. Therefore, we had to start making subglaciers.

It was hard to believe in the success of the event. Why should pike be caught at night if there is no bite during the day? On that fishing trip, which took place at the end of February, Nastya and I, as usual, spent the whole day on the lake with flags and even caught one pike. But in the evening, having collected the gear with flags, we placed under-ice vents in the same holes, deciding to leave them until the morning.

The previous day had been thawing, but during the night there was a slight frost, and in the morning the holes had to be opened with a hatchet. After checking our subglaciers, we caught six pikes, and two of them were of a very decent size for this lake! This fishing result set a record for the entire winter and made us believe in the viability of the under-ice vents.

Of course, under-ice vents don’t work every day either. It happens that you spend the whole evening fiddling with them, drilling into thick ice and freezing your hands. In the morning you come to check in anticipation of the catch, but the gear is either completely empty or just a few empty reels. It’s a shame, there are no words, but this is fishing - the result is very difficult to predict. There are days when the pike simply refuses to bite. But this rarely happens. And even in the worst case, one or two pike per night are brought (photo 8).

Last year, at the end of February (there were several days off), for the first time I left the subglaciers for three nights in a row, and during the day I also fished close to the gear, checking it from time to time. So, it turned out that for two days (meaning daylight hours) not a single under-ice girder brought a catch. But at night we caught pike consistently.

I left the reservoir at sunset, having checked all the subglaciers, returned at dawn and filmed the catch. Judging by the fact that some pike behaved faster than others when fishing, these fish were caught in the morning, while the rest had been hooked since the evening or night. I have not yet been able to calculate the exact time when pike bite in the dark.

But the fact remains that in our reservoirs, especially at the end of winter, pike is caught at night much better than during the day (and it happens that it is caught only at night). Therefore, under-ice rigs become the only working gear.

Since we started fishing with ice rigs, our pike fishing has become much more productive (photo 9). These rigs have a lot of advantages over flag rigs.

Firstly, as already mentioned, under-ice vents can be left on the reservoir overnight. Unlike flag gear, this gear is invisible, and it is unlikely that anyone will dig out a mound of snow poured over the installed gear (photo 10).

Secondly, you can fish with ice lures in the cold, and you don’t need to constantly clear the hole of ice, as with flag lures. And even if the hole is covered with ice, the subglacier will still remain in working order.

Thirdly, it’s not a pity to lose such simple and cheap tackle. For example, if the subglaciers are covered with snow at night or a dishonest fisherman is found...

Fourthly, under-ice vents are very compact, lightweight, and take up little space among fishing gear. Unlike flag lanterns, for which I even made a special box out of plywood, two dozen ice rigs (for two fishermen) are placed in an ordinary bag and modestly lie at the bottom of the fishing box, waiting in the wings.

Fifthly, with under-ice vents there is no need to hook. There is still no consensus among girdlings on when to cut. And very often, seeing the flag fluttering and the reel spinning, the fisherman hooks too early, snatching the bait from the pike’s mouth. In the case of subglacial girders, we are freed from the need to choose the time for hooking - most often, by the time we check the subglaciers, the toothy predator is securely sitting on the hook (photo 11). Well, or I just unwound the tackle and threw in live bait...

Of course, the only and main disadvantage of under-ice girders is that there is no raising of the flag - that very moment that always happens unexpectedly, making the fisherman’s heart beat faster. But, depriving the fisherman of the delight of contemplating the rising flag, under-ice girders give a different kind of joy. It occurs when you go to your gear in the morning in anticipation of good luck, and if you guessed the place of the pike and correctly placed the subglaciers, then a good catch will be a worthy reward for all your efforts (photo 12)!

Vitaly Volkov,
R. Svetly Yar village, Volgograd region