After the January lull, the fish from the end of February - beginning of March begins to slowly activate. Along with perch and pike, pike perch, roach, ruff, and bream can also be caught at this time.
For those who are just starting to discover the delights of ice fishing, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with simple but relevant tips and tricks regarding the correct choice and arrangement of a fishing place, as well as facilitating the fishing process itself.
I. Tricks on choosing a place for a hole and its arrangement
1. When choosing a fishing spot, the presence of wind and its direction must be taken into account. It is necessary to occupy such a position that the wind blows in the back.
So freeze much less.
2. Having drilled a hole, you need to "protect" it - to cling to the leeward side with a thick layer of snow.
This is necessary in order to protect the line from the formation of "beards"
3. During fishing, water often comes out of the hole.
In order not to sit in a puddle, stamp your feet a little in the place of the spill. Then the snow is compressed and quickly turns into ice.
4. If fishing is carried out by small fishing rods, there is a danger that your potential prey will drag the tackle into the hole, under the ice. Accordingly, it becomes difficult to move anywhere.
To safely leave such a fishing rod, use the circle from the vent. Just put it over the hole of the hole, and let the fishing rod line through the cutout in it.
This simple technique will allow you to leave your place of fishing at any time, without fear that the fish will “steal” the tackle.
5. Winter fish need to be fed. But you need to do this in such a way as to only tease the appetite of the underwater inhabitants, and to prevent their overeating.
A good option for this would be to “feed” not the hole where you are currently fishing, but the neighboring one, located a little upstream.
6. The correct choice of a place for breakdown is one of the important factors for successful fishing. You need to choose such a section of ice of the reservoir so that there are not a large number of drilled holes nearby.
If there are too many holes, the fish from this place is likely to leave.
II. Tricks of using an ice drill
1. During the breakdown of the holes, the ice drill is often covered with ice. It is especially unpleasant when ice-like growths form at the junction of the upper and lower parts of the instrument.
If such a nuisance occurred, and the screw of the folding mechanism made ice, preventing it from folding the ice drill, do not try to bring it down with any improvised objects. You just need to lower it briefly into the hole. The water in it, as you know, has a positive temperature, so the ice will quickly melt and release the screw connection.
After such a simple operation, it will not be difficult to untwist and assemble an ice drill.
There is another way to get rid of the ice formed on the outside or inside the folding mechanism of the ice drill. If you need to leave already, but you can’t put down an ice drill, use the rest of the tea from the thermos. Hot liquid is perfect as a means of emergency defrosting.
Even a little hot or warm water can solve this problem. Pour the remaining liquid from the thermos onto the problem area and the ice will melt, loosening the connecting screw.
Now you can spin the ice drill without much effort.
If the drink was sweet, do not forget to rinse and dry the connecting screw and parts of the ice ax with tea at home.
2. Every fisherman is faced with the need to replace ice ax knives. The most common reason for their blunting is contact with the bottom soil (when the holes are made in the area of the reservoir with a shallow depth). In this case, grains of sand, small pebbles and other particles very quickly deprive even high-quality and expensive knives of their original sharpness.
The process of replacing ice ax knives is not difficult. All you need is a Phillips screwdriver and a new set of knives.
However, there is one trick. To prevent threaded connections from “sticking” in the future, wrap the threads of the FUM fastening screws with the tape used in plumbing work for sealing.
Another plus of winding the threads of FUM screws with a tape is that it acts as an additional joint sealant, so it is almost impossible to unscrew the fasteners with it.
You just need to remember that FUM tape is a one-time thing. After the connecting screws are unscrewed, they will need to be wrapped in a new one.
III. Tea Party Winter Fishing Tricks
Thermos with tea is an important and indispensable element of equipment for everyone who enjoys both summer and winter fishing. Tea needs to be prepared immediately before leaving, pouring the finished drink into a heated thermos (for this you should pour a little boiling water there, and after a couple of minutes - pour it) - so it stays hot longer.
Models with simple twist-off covers best hold heat, and worst of all are buttons with buttons. In addition, size is also important: in large-capacity thermoses, heat lasts longer.
In winter - in contrast to the summer rule of "drinking as often as possible, but in small portions" - you should adhere to a different strategy: during the whole fishing (the road does not count), one or two tea parties should be arranged on the pond.
The logic here is simple: if you often open a thermos in the cold, tea will cool very quickly. One or two tea parties at a low temperature are enough to get really hot tea and really get warm. But after the third and subsequent discoveries of the thermos, most likely it will remain just warm water that will not help in the cold.
That's all.
Thank you for your attention and good bite!