Winter fishing in our country can truly be called a large-scale phenomenon. There are a huge number of lakes, rivers and reservoirs in Russia, so the question of where you can fish is almost never raised.
General information
Each Russian region has its own large and small water bodies where you can fish. Moreover, winter fishing in stagnant water and in the course are quite different from each other. Fishing during this period is very interesting, because it is often possible to pull out real trophy specimens. Especially exciting is winter fishing on the Volga, because in this river there are many types of large fish. It should be noted right away that not only the quantity, but also the variety of prey caught depends on the site chosen for fishing. For example, closer to the shore, roach, bream, and, of course, a small perch are more likely to come across. However, if a person sets a goalpull out a large fish, then he should go deep into this wide river, away from the main cluster of the same lovers of "silent hunting".
Features of winter fishing on the Volga
So, in order for fishing to work, you need to know some of the nuances. Let's start with the fact that the hunter, in the absence of bites, should not linger even on the most promising sections of the river for more than five minutes. At the same time, it is important to know that when fishing from ice with the help of bait, it will be possible to explore only a small patch of just a few square meters. And if there is no prey there, then the approach to the bait cannot be expected even for a whole daylight hours.
Winter fishing on the Volga involves the constant movement of the hunter on the ice. Inveterate anglers know that they will have to drill a huge number of holes, walk more than one kilometer on the ice, until they manage to find an active area. Fish in the winter on the Volga tries to move less, so even if it notices the bait, but it turns out to be at a great distance from it, then the potential prey will most likely ignore it. This is especially noticeable during the period when the fish is not in the phase of active hunting.
Recommendations
Those who are interested in winter fishing on the Volga should prepare for it responsibly. And this applies not only to the choice of the right gear and baits, but also ammunition and an ice ax. The latter should have sufficiently sharp blades. Throughout the time that winter fishing on the Volga will take place, it is imperative to havea hand pick, with which you will need to expand the hole in case of catching trophy fish. A necessary piece of equipment is also a hook, with which large prey brought to the edge is removed from the hole.
In many ways, the success of winter fishing on this mighty Russian river also depends on the angler's mobility. His ability to correctly identify the most promising places for fishing is also important. Experienced anglers know that bites of large prey can be unexpected all day long, so you should always be ready for them. In order for each to end with a successful sweep, the hunter must be as careful as possible. As a bait, you can safely use a variety of options. The choice of bait primarily depends on what specific prey the angler is targeting. When going out on the ice on the Volga, it is recommended to always have at least five or six different options of nozzles in sufficient quantities.
How to catch pike perch on the Volga in winter
This fish is most often found in deep areas, so you should follow it to areas where the bottom is more than five meters. Winter fishing for pike perch on the Volga takes place both on artificial lures - lure, mormyshka, balancer, and on natural ones - live bait, sprat. For fishing, a diverting winter leash is most often used. For fishing, you should choose places with a slow current. The most promising will be areas with a hard bottom, where there are snags or other voluminous underwater obstacles. It is behind them that this predatory prey andhiding most of the time. Holes must be drilled a few meters from such a place, that is, at the exit from the pit, since bites will be rare directly above it. You need to drill every two meters. Winter fishing for pike perch on the river. Volga occurs approximately as follows. The bait sinks to the bottom slowly, and it is not necessary to immediately raise it either. Small pauses should be maintained, after which you should gently tap the bait on the bottom. And if there is no bite, you need to slowly tear it off the bottom by about twenty centimeters. After that, the bait should be returned to the original point, and the whole procedure should be repeated again. If there is no bite within five to seven minutes, it is worth moving on to the next hole.
Pike perch should be hooked sharply: if the sting does not break through the jaw of this prey, then a gathering will definitely follow, and this can happen right at the hole. When fighting, do not allow the line to loosen. This can also lead to a descent of zander.
Catch in the winter on the middle Volga
In different parts of the river, ice fishing starts at different times. Its upper part freezes already from the beginning of November. Winter fishing on the middle Volga begins in early December, and on the lower one in the last week of the year. True, sometimes weather conditions surprise, so the ice rises a little earlier or later. The most common fish in winter catches are pike perch, roach, bersh, pike. However, the main object of fishing for many fans of ice fishing in the middle Volga is perch. For capturetrophy "minke whale" most of all, perhaps, balancers are suitable - horizontal spinners. They are inexpensive, easy to learn, and extremely effective for both catching and finding perch. Experienced winterers recommend using different nozzles, but bloodworm, worm and sprat “work” best of all.
Winter fishing on the lower Volga
This river acquires its full strength after the Kama flows into it. The most popular place on the lower Volga for winter roads is the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain. And here fishing on ice in terms of excitement is in no way inferior to summer fishing. If in the lower reaches of the mighty Russian river the water has not yet frozen and remains open, many fish for winter spinning. The prey will be pike, pike perch, bersh and perch. As for white fish, winter fishing on the lower Volga on the feeder will delight lovers of "silent hunting" with roach, bream and bream.
Fishing in the Volga Delta
Winter fishing in this part of the river is not unambiguous. If you go below Astrakhan, then when fishing, you should take into account the features of the channel, the ice cover and, based on this, select gear. If in November-December there is a stable ice formation, and the air temperature does not rise above minus 2-4 degrees below zero, then winter fishing in the Volga Delta will take place without much hassle. You should not look for catchy areas, because at such a time fish are caught almost everywhere. If in the cold you can fish pike perch, bersh and perch, then in the thaw, which is not uncommon, for example, in the Astrakhan region, pike, rudd,white bream and possibly roach.
Interesting facts
Like any other body of water, the Volga also has its own characteristics, in particular, those associated with ice fishing. For example, large predatory fish on this primordially Russian river are successfully caught with artificial lures, but only in favorable weather for fishing. If the activity of the prey is low, then it is unlikely that it will be possible to provoke it to attack. The only way out is to bring a natural nozzle right under her nose. I must say that on the Volga, anglers most often use sprat, which can be bought at any local store.
