The name of this bait comes from the French word balance, which means scales. And scales, as you know, mean balance, which characterizes this bait. It’s not for nothing that it received this name, since it is able to maintain balance in the water column under the selected hole. Why does the balancer attract perch? It's simple: a small balancer resembles an inactive small fish that leads sedentary lifestyle life in cold water, being in a horizontal state. After all, using a spoon in a hole may look suspicious for a perch, as it assumes a vertical position. Using a spinner in the summer is more natural, since when performing a retrieve, it also takes a horizontal position.
What is a balancer and how is it different?
The balancer came to us from Scandinavia and occupies the positions that were previously occupied by vertical spoons. They appeared in the arsenal of fishermen relatively recently, in the seventies of the last century. Our winter fishing enthusiasts paid attention to this Finnish bait when the fish did not want to take a spinner and jig in winter. There is an opinion that the first balancers were made from oblong jigs, which were equipped with hooks on both sides, and a hole was drilled near the middle and tied to the main fishing line. When lifted slightly, it oscillated, which resembled the movements of a fish and aroused the perch’s appetite for attack.
Successful fishing with a balancer attracted interest from manufacturers, and jig models made of strips of copper and brass were replaced by cute models in the form of fish, which are present in every fishing store.
The balancer is a small artificial fish with single hooks soldered into the head and tail of the body. At the bottom of the bait there is usually a ring for an additional tee, and on top there is another ring, through which the bait is tied to the main fishing line with a fishing knot or using a carabiner. Manufacturers produce balancers of various colors and patterns, which should be used depending on the fish that the angler intends to catch and the fishing conditions. The most popular sizes of balancer are from number 2 to number 9. The bait can be supplemented with flies or beads of bright colors that attract predators.
The balancer is the same vertical spoon, but only with a horizontal suspension. The balancer consists of a lead body and a plastic stabilizer. Moreover, the stabilizer may not necessarily be plastic, but also have wool or synthetic threads. The balancer suspension is located approximately at the center of gravity of the bait. When we lift the bait up, due to the design of the body and tail blade, the balancer begins to move to the left and then to the right.
A stabilizer is located in the tail part of the balancer. A correctly adjusted bait, suspended on a fishing line, is slightly raised by the head, and the smaller the balancer model, the greater the angle of inclination and vice versa. When the balancer is lowered into the hole, the bait takes on an almost horizontal position. A correctly made balance beam goes to the side as far as possible and turns back. The greater the amplitude of its movements, the higher quality the balancer is considered, and the more catchy the bait. After all, then she is able to fish a large area and attract the attention of a passive striped fish. When the balancer is lowered into the hole, it reaches its lowest point of the trajectory, and when the fishing rod swings, the bait goes to the side and, thanks to its properties, moves until the balancer takes up all the slack in the fishing line. After that, it turns around, performing a figure-eight-like figure, and moves in the opposite direction, like a pendulum on a clock moves.
Fishing stores amaze with the variety of balancers they produce. But we can distinguish the following several main varieties. These are silicone balancers, which began to go on sale relatively recently, as well as metal balancers with plastic wings or fur tassels instead of wings in the tail section.
The balancers differ in their proportions and the shape of the bait. In metal balancers with an enlarged head when swinging the fishing rod, the shape of its tail allows for maximum deflection in the direction of the bait's head. After tension and resistance of the fishing line, the balance of the bait is disturbed, and due to the enlarged head part, it suddenly somersaults, and the bait begins to move towards the original direction head first, and the tail plumage aligns the balancer horizontally.
Balancers with a narrow nose work in a similar scenario, but instead of somersault they perform a smooth turn in a circle.
Silicone balancers attract predators when played like a jig. Here you should carry out a stepwise and slow rise of the bait upward, and even if the bite is weak, play with it like a jig. At the beginning of fishing on each hole, you should lower the balancer to the bottom a couple of times, make a few smooth swings to muddy the water, dropping it down from a short distance of 10-20 cm. Raise the bait more sharply than with a metal balancer.
Winter fishing with lures on a balancer
Flashing on a balancer differs in that the pause value is selected empirically for each swing size. If you make a high swing, the pause length is the same; if you make a short swing, the pause size is different; if you make a sharp swing - the pause value is the third, a smoother one - the pause value is the fourth. On this balancer (Kuusamo), I deliberately bit off the front hook on the muzzle, because when playing, very often the front hook clings to the lower edge of the hole, which is very inconvenient. This is the weak link of the balancer.
Basically, on the balancer, perch and pike perch are caught on the lower tee, the pike grabs it across the whole. It occurs mainly either on the rear single or on the lower tee - i.e. the most effective hook in the balancer is the lower tee. The most interesting thing is that even if the balancer is very large, all the bites still occur on the small three-point. Those. the perch tries to pinch off the edge of this bait.
You can lure in the water column, you can lure from the bottom, you can lure while touching the bottom. So, this balancer needs nine counts - on the ninth count it stops completely. The pause is determined by the moment when the balance stops.
As soon as the balancer has stopped, the next swing should be made. An underexposed pause on the balancer causes the line to spin.
“Tease” without pause. This method is very good for teasing perch and pike perch. But you can’t do this for a long time. After 5-6 strokes, you need to pause so that the line unwinds. As a rule, as soon as we pause, a bite immediately follows after teasing. It is very useful to diversify the movements in this way.
We make a few swings and, during a pause, swing the balancer. All this needs to be checked at home in advance to determine the length of the pause. As long as the balancer is in motion, it is attractive to fish.
Flashing with the balancer touching the bottom
The principle is this: at the moment when the balancer goes back and forth, it should scratch the bottom with a tee and lift the dirt from the bottom. This is very effective method flashing with a balancer.
The balancer is installed almost at the bottom, rises slightly, a swing is made and the balancer passes along the bottom, touching it. The next stroke is touching the bottom.
In this case of flashing, the pause is made a little shorter. Due to the fact that the tee touches the bottom, the balancer stops much faster. Therefore, the pause can be made shorter.
Practical history of acquaintance with balancing
I met the balancer about five years ago, during a group winter fishing trip. Previously, I didn’t have to fish in the winter, so for the trip I bought several sets of jigs of different sizes and a couple of my favorite spinners. The set is certainly small, but for the first time I thought that it was not worth collecting everything in a row, it was better to decide on the spot.
The place for fishing was chosen on the small river “In” flowing into the Amur. It was the end of November, according to the stories of experienced fishermen there was good pike fishing there, which is why it caught fire. We arrived at the river when the sun was just beginning its morning run, and the morning frost was quite biting. Having agreed, they decided on places within sight of each other, began to look for suitable places and drill holes. Drilling holes significantly raised my body temperature, and the frost was not felt at all; the awakened fishing adrenaline significantly lifted my mood.
On the very first prepared hole, I began to test my new gear, starting with spinners, since I thought the jig for pike was of little interest. On the first hole, as well as on the next three holes I drilled, the result turned out to be zero; I began to use jigs, but it was all in vain. Until I thought of attaching a tail made from part of a crow feather to one of the large jigs. The result was something similar to the play of a small fish, which, moreover, when the rod oscillated, became similar to the natural behavior of a fry.
With this device, having caught several squinting, a hundred grams each, I realized that a more substantial bait was needed. But I didn’t know what form it was, so I decided to look at the fishermen sitting down the river, not from our group. As they say, curiosity is not a vice, and it allowed me to find out what a balancer is.
The fisherman sitting below, near the hole, had about a dozen decent pikes, which aroused great surprise and envy in me. Vladimir was the name of the fisherman, although he was reluctant to show the balancers he had in his arsenal and which one he used best today. They were shaped like flattened minnows, with hooks soldered into both ends, and some also had a tee in the center of the abdomen. I returned back in a slightly depressed mood, while at the same time thinking about what to do, I walked around our grief-stricken fishermen. Their result was no better than mine, since they were the same specialists in winter fishing as I was. Having learned from me the news about the miracle bait, which catches a fairly decent pike, my friends rushed to Vladimir in a noisy crowd in order to verify the truth of what they had heard. I immediately imagined his reaction to such an invasion, and what gratitude he would express to me about himself.
The high spirits encouraged me and my design capabilities a little. Taking out of his backpack a small suitcase, taken just in case, with various fishing accessories for summer fishing, he began, mentally sorting through them, to invent something similar to Vladimir’s baits.
As a result of my about an hour's work, I got an excellent bait for the given conditions. I made it from two large jigs, a piece of metal tube from an antenna, three small pellets, a tee, a crow feather and soft metal wire. I placed pellets in a tube about 6 centimeters long and clamped it on both sides with pliers, and flattened the ends so that jigs could be attached to them. I carefully rewound this entire structure with wire, making two loops for the leash in the center and a tee at the bottom. To give my invention a more decent appearance, I melted it in a fire plastic bottle and with the help of wood chips I covered the structure with plastic, trying to give it the appearance of a fish as much as possible. When finished, I tied a small piece of red wool thread to one hook and a piece of feather to the second.
With such a super-fashionable balancer, he immediately headed to his holes. The first bite was only at the third hole, when my confidence in success had already dropped to complete despair. It happened so unexpectedly that I almost dropped the fishing rod, the pike took, as it turned out later, 1.9 kg. While I was getting out from under the ice, the adrenaline, after such a long disappointment, went off scale, so that you could feel your heart beating. Now I had something to be proud of in front of my fishermen, my cheerful mood and hope for a bigger catch immediately returned.
But, unfortunately, it was already lunch time for us, but for the fish it was the complete opposite. Having stood around the hole for another half hour to no avail, he went to his men, who had already settled down near the fire for the mass meal. My success and the method of making the bait aroused admiration, I already looked like an ace among them and after accepting not large quantity alcoholic began to give out free, practical advice.
What I took internally not only increased my confidence in my abilities, but also added a feeling of complete satisfaction; it made no difference whether I would catch more fish or not. We had fun around the fire until four in the afternoon, after which some, hoping for a catch, began to go to their places, and a little later I went to my holes. Before six o'clock in the evening I managed to catch eight more approximately the same predators, which later played a certain role in my attitude towards winter fishing. By the end of winter, I had accumulated a whole set of various homemade balancers, made with a more professional approach, the play of which I tested directly at home in the bathroom.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the use of balancers for catching predators is currently one of the the best ways winter fishing. This bait is usually used by a more respectable predator, and the end result is always more effective than when using spinners and jigs.
For pike with a balancer: Tackle and fishing methods.
The first ice and the first half of winter are best time for catching pike on a balance beam. And first of all, this is not even due to the activity of pike (although this cannot be denied), but also to the fact that pike is much simpler and easier to catch on thin and medium ice. On thick ice, the girders will come to the fore, but now, without wasting time, you need to fish with a balancer and enjoy this fishing to the fullest...
It is a generally accepted fact that in most cases the balancer will catch winter vent. Firstly, with a balancer we explore a larger area of the reservoir than when fishing with girders; secondly, there are almost no failures with the correct balancing gear; thirdly, the pike attacks an active bait with great pleasure, since the predator, regardless of its condition, always has an instinct to grab a sick and struggling fish.
More than once I witnessed and even showed others how I managed to catch pikes on the holes drilled between the girders, while the girders were “silent.” Of course, there are fishing trips when the pike ignores any bait, and at the very least it is caught on the girders, but if you do not retreat and continue to search methodically and, most importantly, meaningfully, then you can always find your pike. What is needed for this? Let’s go through all the components in order of importance and start with the gear, because without reliable gear it’s difficult to count on a good catch: there will be a lot of empty bites, slips and other troubles.
Places and methods of fishing
There is almost no difference where to catch pike - on a river or a lake, the only thing is that the oxygen regime is better on rivers and in the dead of winter, rivers are still preferable to lakes. Although it is, of course, more convenient to fish on lakes. Typical sites for pike are not difficult to determine - a variety of shelters and breaks in the river bottom. Snags, dumps, stream mouths, rip currents.
At the beginning of winter, pike often walk along the shallows. But after a month, her forays onto the shallows are of a short-term nature (this was noticed when fishing on girders), and on other days they do not go aground at all (caught only on girders placed according to depth). On lakes, pike mainly stay along the shoreline. As for the horizon, most often the pike stays at the bottom or 1 meter from it. At depths of over 4 meters it is worth trying to fish at half-water.
The tactics for catching pike are quite simple, but they require hard work and much more perseverance than when catching perch, a school of which can be attacked and caught perfectly from just a few holes. Pike do not gather in schools, which means we choose a fishing spot based on possible pike sites, and drill as many holes as possible. How to drill: “envelope”, zigzag or other shapes is almost not important.
If this is a dump, then we go along the dump from left to right. The optimal distance between holes is 8-10 meters. If the pike is not very active, the distance should be reduced to 5-6 meters - a sluggish pike will not swim far behind the balancer. If there are no bites at all on the holes, you need to radically change the place and look for pike somewhere else. Although pike do not gather in schools, it was again noticed that they regularly change their hunting territory. Today you fish on one side of the lake, and tomorrow on the other side.
Following the chosen tactics, we fish the first holes and, regardless of the result, drill another 4-6 holes, fish them and thus move, drill and fish new holes. After an hour, it makes sense to run through the old holes and quickly catch them, preferably with a bait with a different color, size - in a word, characteristics. Thus, we kill several birds with one stone: we do not let the old holes freeze, we look for a new catchy bait and catch pike, which can bite on any of the old holes. In general, work and more work.
In the middle of winter, you often encounter biting intervals when pike may bite only a few times a day. Let's say half an hour in the morning, a little in the afternoon, and another half an hour in the evening. Moreover, more than once we traced this periodicity, even while on neighboring lakes, when we caught pike at the same time and at the same time the bite ended. So take this nuance into account. On some lakes in the middle of nowhere, this is the only way to catch pike when you know approximately what time it bites. The rest of the time can be devoted to perch fishing or relaxation.
How many pikes can you catch from one hole? Quite often two pike per hole are caught. On my last fishing trip, I caught three pike in 5 minutes, and another large specimen broke the braid. Half an hour later, my friend pulled out another pike from the same hole. Thus, one hole brought four trophies.
Balance game
Catching pike with a balance beam is probably much easier than catching perch. Easier - in terms of the game. If you find yourself in a pike camp, very often the pike grabs the balancer literally on the first strokes, regardless of the quality of your game.
First of all, we need to once again debunk the myth that the balance bar makes a figure eight after swinging. In fact, most balancers play quite differently. When swinging the rod, the balancer goes to the side and up, at the top point it turns around and goes down. Having descended to the lowest point, the balancer no longer has the inertia to rise upward and, stopping in place, makes light swaying for some time. At the beginning of fishing the hole, we play at a fast pace - we make another jerk as soon as the balancer returns to the lowest point.
After the second jerk, the balancer moves up again (but in the other direction), reaches the top point and, turning around again, returns to the bottom position. This is the main tempo of the game and it is better to use it first and foremost. the last ice, during periods of pike activity and at the beginning of fishing the hole. In addition to the fact that the bait plays actively, it attracts a predator from a great distance with its amplitude jerks.
At an average pace of play, let the balancer hang freely at the bottom point for 2 or 3 seconds. And finally, at the slowest pace, we make pauses as long as necessary (even up to 30 seconds - depending on the features of a particular balancer model). The need for long pauses is usually necessary in severe frosts or when there is little fish activity. Another method often helps, when we don’t just let the balancer hang at the lowest point, but lightly, literally at the level of hand trembling, we support it and move it from one edge of the hole to the other.
Oh, how many wonderful discoveries are prepared for us by the producers of all kinds of fishing joys! Not so long ago they showed the world another miracle called “balancer”, intended for winter and, less often, summer fishing. Despite the fact that they started fishing with a balancer relatively recently, this bait has already won the hearts of many anglers. And even if it does not completely replace the already familiar options, it has a lot of advantages, and you will certainly see this in practice.
Today we will briefly introduce you to this interesting bait. Without offending the feelings of adherents of jigs and jigs, we will turn to fans of spinners and, accordingly, winter fishing for predators. Perhaps, over time, a new interesting bait will appear in your fishing arsenal. It will not be an absolute replacement for the good old spoon, but in conditions of unstable bite it will certainly increase your chances of a decent catch. It is not difficult to handle, you just need to take into account certain nuances.
The purpose and design of the balancer
Here is a bait that imitates juvenile fish - the main object of hunting for freshwater predators. Thanks to unstable center gravity and the design of the “tail fin”, it is able to behave like a living fish: it takes a natural horizontal position in the water and, at rest after wiring, makes “figure eights” on its own. This allows you to effectively use the bait when fishing in a hole vertically, but sometimes they also fish from a boat.
The main materials for the manufacture of balancers are metal alloys. The finished design has a characteristic cigar-shaped shape and is colored like a juvenile fish (sometimes in a super bright incarnation). Single hooks are located at both ends of the bait (from the head and tail), and a tee is suspended under the “belly”. Variations in design and design are possible, but the basic principle remains the same.
Winter fishing with a balance beam is a more common option than summer fishing. The main object of fishing is perch, less often - pike perch and pike. When fishing in summer, you cannot ignore the factors of wind and current, when the boat cannot be secured even with several anchors. However, fishing by rafting with the current using an anchor (parachute) with this bait seems to be quite effective. In winter, when fishing vertically, the wind factor can be ignored.
Pros and cons of bait
The main advantages of the bait are:
- High catchability. The balancer demonstrates high efficiency even with a bad bite: an inhibited, and even more so an active predator cannot remain indifferent to the play of the bait. At the same time, all types of predatory fish that live in our reservoirs are caught with it.
- Versatility. The bait is suitable for winter and summer fishing. At the same time, it can be used to search for schools of predators.
- Ease of learning. The technique of fishing with a balance beam is simple and does not require special skills or applications. physical strength. Even an ice fishing neophyte can easily master it.
There are no perfect baits, but knowing their shortcomings will minimize possible problems. TO obvious disadvantages balancers include:
- Fragility and fragility. The most weak spots— a layer of paint and tail: they most often suffer from intensive use and improper storage. The bait must be stored carefully, preferably in personal lockers.
- Risk of snagging. The “combat rig” of the bait is often the reason it gets caught on the edge of the hole when fishing for prey. You can rid it of two hooks, leaving only a tee, but this method negatively affects the effectiveness of the balancer.
- Problematic extraction. When the bait is on, the pauses between bites are short and every minute counts. It is sometimes irrational to waste time removing the tee, so during such periods it is better to switch to regular vertical spoons.
Choosing a balancer depending on the type of predator
When choosing bait, attention is paid to many factors (current, season, wind conditions), but the main criterion remains the size and type of intended prey. Let's look at the most typical predators for our reservoirs:
- Zander. When fishing for pike perch, use medium-sized balancers - 5-7 cm in length with a red “tail”. In this case, it is highly desirable to equip the bait with a clearly defined “attack point” - for example, a multi-colored “drop”.
- Perch. River perch is the most common predatory object of winter fishing. It rarely grows to impressive sizes, so small and medium-sized balancers (20-50 mm) are used to catch it. The belly tee is often replaced with a brightly colored “blob” to indicate the point of attack. The color of the bait is traditional: in shallow water the natural coloring of juvenile perch works well, in depth - bright colors and fluorescence.
- Pike. The predatory queen of our reservoirs has a large mouth that opens wide: she can swallow prey only three times smaller than herself, her beloved. To hunt it, they usually choose the largest baits, often replacing the tee on the belly with an even more powerful one, and the line with a soft metal leash.
Balancer fishing technique
The technique and tactics of fishing with this bait are not too complicated and do not require special skills, but some subtleties still exist. The effectiveness of fishing directly depends on the correct choice of tactics depending on the type of fish.
- Perch. Perch is a schooling fish, so the first thing you should do is decide on the location of the school. To do this, you should drill holes, sequentially moving from the shore to depth, testing them for catchability. It would also be useful to observe the behavior of other fishermen. Here are the main stages of working with this bait for perch: lower the balancer to the bottom, making several strokes with it, make an intense swing with the fishing rod, lower it and pause. We repeat this algorithm at the bottom several times; if there is no effect, we raise the bait above it and make intense, frequent swings of the fishing rod, varying the duration of the pauses and giving the tackle a slight vibration. Often the perch catches well even right under the ice.
- Pike. The toothy predator prefers to hunt alone from ambush, from previously chosen places. She prefers to hide in all sorts of uneven terrain (in holes, behind bogs, on dumps) and make a sharp lunge towards prey. Since the study of the bottom topography in winter period is very difficult, it is advisable to fish in reservoirs familiar from summer fishing, or use a special echo sounder.
- Zander. Pike perch extremely rarely leaves the bottom layer of water, and schools should be looked for there - right under the ice the chances are slim. The tactics for searching for catchable places are the same as when determining the location of a perch. However, the balancer should be used more softly and smoothly, alternating periods of activity with long pauses.
Typical mistakes of novice fishermen
Typical mistakes made by neophytes using a balancer include not paying attention to the advice of professionals who have used this bait many times. The most common mistakes are:
- Choosing bait. Universal advice There is no bait to choose from, but the main ones are outlined above. However, one cannot fail to take into account that in each body of water the fish may have preferences that differ significantly from the average, so the advice of experienced “colleagues” should not be neglected.
- Tactics for finding catchable places. Some lazy fishermen completely neglect searching for promising places: this is a labor-intensive process that sometimes involves drilling dozens of holes. Here it is worth remembering the old Russian proverb that says: without difficulty you cannot catch a fish from a pond.
- Directly by technology. When catching a predator with a balance beam, it is important to take into account its species characteristics. Remember: perch - sharp and frequent strokes with short grooves, pike and pike perch - neat and smooth work and long periods of rest.
We hope that thanks to our practical advice your winter fishing will be as productive as possible and full of unforgettable impressions!
Fishing in winter with a balance beam is quite an interesting and productive activity. This tackle is quite easy to use, but at the same time it brings a big catch. For these reasons, it is gaining popularity among anglers. Also, from its very appearance, it competes with the spinner. They only catch on the balancer predatory fish, which is undoubtedly its advantage.
If the fish is very active, then almost any type of bait will do. If not, then it is necessary take care to choose the right model. There are many types of balancers. All of them, as a rule, differ in shape and size. The most common types are:
Today, balancers have gained immense popularity. This happened for a number of reasons. The main ones:
As a disadvantage of the bait, one can note the inconvenience of removing the fish from the hook, since it can swallow it quite deeply. This is especially noticeable when the bite is very active, and removing fish wastes a lot of precious time.
Balancers for catching perch, pike perch and pike They differ only in their sizes. Do not forget to take into account the characteristics of the reservoir. For example, if the water is cloudy, then the bait must be of a brighter color.
For catching perch, the most suitable bait is considered to be 3 to 7 centimeters long. Despite this, the best results are achieved with a five-centimeter nozzle. The fact is that it has the optimal length and “game”.
The perch balance is usually taken from 5 to 9 centimeters long, depending on the size of the fish being caught. Lures measuring 7 and 9 centimeters are considered the best. To reduce the risk of “empty” bites, there is one trick that will help avoid this. It consists of installing a larger hook, which will significantly increase the catch.
The size of the tackle for pike fishing is practically irrelevant. The most common attachments are balancers measuring from 9 to 11 centimeters. The pike balancer will also benefit from replacing a small hook with a larger one.
At making the right choice the size of the nozzle, fishing on a balancer in winter will bring the angler a much larger catch.
Choosing bait color
Each company that produces balancers has in its assortment more than a dozen colors of balancers for winter fishing. Choosing the most suitable color - quite a difficult task. The catch rate may change several times during the day. There are also frequent cases when the most catchy bait becomes the one that previously did not bring any catch to the angler. There is no need to put “on the back shelf” a bait that has proven itself poorly in a certain body of water, since in another the situation may be the opposite.
When choosing the color of the balancer, it is necessary to proceed from the fact that the bait is noticeable and stands out against the background of the reservoir. On bright sunny days it is better to take a bait that is not too bright. When fishing in the dark, on the contrary, it is better to resort to choosing bright colors. Pike perch, which lives at the bottom of the reservoir, is usually caught using glow-in-the-dark baits. For pike fishing, lures with a red head are most often used, which shows the fish where to attack.
Even novice anglers can fish with a balancer, as it does not require any special skills. To learn how to fish correctly with a balance beam in winter, the first thing you need to do is learn the fishing technique.
The technique of fishing with a balancer is quite simple.. First you need to lower the bait to the bottom. After this, the bait rises slightly from the bottom of the reservoir. Movements should be smooth. After lifting, the rod returns to its original position. The bait, which has gone to the side, also moves there.
This is followed by a similar movement, which also helps to shift the nozzle, but in the other direction. This results in a figure-eight “game” that is very attractive to fish. This is the peculiarity of fishing with this bait.
After performing such a wiring about ten times, the fisherman raises the nozzle 15-20 centimeters from the original position and repeats everything again. Thanks to this, it is possible to fish a larger area with one cast.
As you know, no one is immune from mistakes. Therefore, it is better to see the most common of them, and try to avoid . They are:
Fishing with a balance beam in winter is quite simple, the main thing is to follow all the rules and instructions.
Winter fishing with a balance beam has become widespread among ice spinners. This fishing method is gaining more and more fans. Some fishermen use only this bait on ice. Station wagons, among other pieces of hardware, are also armed with a box with these baits. Fishing in winter with balancers is also used separately, but it is more advisable to use these tackles in combination with spoons, vibrations and other baits. It is impossible to predict in advance what fish in a reservoir will respond best to at a particular time. In this article we will look at the general features and secrets of fishing with a balance beam in winter.
What does a balancer look like for ice fishing?
The balancer is a full-bodied, heavy bait for vertical fishing with a back attachment. The bait itself hangs strictly horizontally in the water (a slight rise of the nose is allowed). They are usually equipped with two single hooks (in the nose and tail) and a hanging treble under the belly. In the rear part there is an angled plastic blade, which makes it yaw to the sides when pulled. In addition to this type of game, depending on body shape and balance, good ones also perform other movements in the water.
How to choose balancers for winter fishing? To successfully fish with a balance beam, one must master the technique of the game, properly equip the fishing rods and apply certain tactics (depending on the type of fish, the period of winter and the conditions of the reservoir). There is a wide variety of models on store shelves, varying in color, weight, and body shape. The choice of bait also depends on the depth of the reservoir where it is planned to be used. Deep-water lures will not perform correctly in shallow water, and vice versa. Recently, silicone balancers for winter fishing, plastic ones, and also combined ones have appeared. The body of a standard bait is often made of lead and painted.
Tackle
For winter fishing with a balance beam, you need clearly tuned gear, depending on the weight of the bait and the depth of fishing. A fishing rod for fishing with balance beams needs to be elastic in order to feel the game. At the same time, a very soft fishing rod that falls through when swung is not suitable. The golden mean is chosen. To fish at depth with heavy bait, you will need a fairly powerful but sensitive fishing rod equipped with a reel. When fishing for small perch in the shallows, ultra-light tackle with a nod is suitable. In winter, perch often bites sluggishly; the tackle should register weak bites on the rise. Often anglers make their own rods from feeder or carbon rods.
The equipment when fishing with balance beams in winter also depends on the size and depth. So with any installation components:
- Correct .
- Choosing fishing line for winter fishing with balance beams.
- Correct tying of the bait and its position in the water.
- Rod equipment (if necessary).
You need strong tackle and bait big size. Pike loves to stand in snags and bushes, so fishing often takes place in such places. In such places, due to the specifics of the game, the balance beam often clings to bushes and underwater grass. Therefore, the fisherman needs a special cut. Some fishermen equip the bait with a metal leash, for fear of losing it in the pike's teeth. Experienced fishermen It is recommended not to use a metal leash, justifying this by a clear improvement in the bite when using transparent materials. It is better to use thin tungsten or fluorocarbon (twisted from 2-3 threads) as a leash.
Pike perch, of course, is a desired trophy for every angler. There is even a special detachment of fishermen that stands out from the general mass, specializing in catching this fish in winter. The tactic is to survey a fairly large area and promising places. If during the day you catch holes where the predator rests, then at night you should look for the prickly pirate at the exits from these places, edges, tables and nearby shallows. This is where the pike perch comes out to feed in the dark. In winter, pike perch loves sluggish, calm play. The pause after the toss is maintained as long as possible. You need a rigid rod, capable of cutting through the tough mouth of this predator. Compliance with the same nuances requires winter fishing bersha. These fish are similar both in lifestyle and in appearance.
Other fish
Winter fishing with a balance beam is not limited to perch, pike or pike perch. Asp, chub, and large rotan are caught with this bait in winter. There are carp, large crucian carp, ide and other white fish. Such cases are common when using the smallest microbalancers.
In the seventies of the last century, lure fishing began to win more and more fans. Such popularity was due to the fact that fishing with this bait is characterized not only by great excitement, but also by a large catch. As the technology of such fishing improved, the range of spinners began to grow rapidly. At first, such types as the “triangular” and “cut” were in great demand, and then a balancer appeared, which radically influenced the attitude of fishermen to this component of the tackle as a whole.
A little information
Fishing with a balance beam is relatively new. And although there are very few fishermen who have been using this method for more than ten years, nevertheless, there are simply no winter roads that do not know about the existence of such bait.
Today, fishing on a balance beam has just begun its victorious march through Russian reservoirs. Mastering this type of fishing is not at all difficult. Many experienced winter skiers believe that this is one of the most simple options for a beginner to succeed.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main object for fishing, of course, is perch. However, if there are pike perch or pike in the reservoir, then not everyone can resist the tempting game of such a unique bait.
Naturally, its use does not guarantee a 100% catch, but it gives the spoon a head start, especially during the lack of biting. In addition, winter fishing with a balancer makes it possible to catch solid, sometimes even trophy, specimens.
The balancer, in addition to a large number of advantages, of course, also has its disadvantages. And the main one is that you need to keep a slow pace with him. And this, in turn, means that removing prey from the tee becomes somewhat more difficult. This is especially noticeable when the bite is intense, but short in time.
Fishing tactics
Experienced winter skiers always say that it has certain differences from the spinner. And first of all, they consist in the need to make soft swings of the fishing rod with an amplitude of movement within twenty centimeters. And when there is a pause, the fisherman needs to make movements with the tip of the rod. This is done to encourage the prey to attack.
Fishing can be done using a balancer at almost any depth. If a fisherman wants to switch to this type of bait, then it is better for him to take a reel that can accommodate a fishing line twenty-five meters long, and its diameter should be in the range from 0.2 to 0.27 millimeters. The whip should be fifty centimeters long, and a pass ring should be placed at the tip. Many winter roads do not use a nod, believing that it is unnecessary. And this is really logical, since in this case its absence makes it possible to feel the bite more clearly. However, the fastener at the end of the fishing line is very effective: its presence makes it possible to instantly replace baits.
Fishing technique
Even beginners catch fish with a balancer in winter. Initially, it needs to be lowered to the very bottom, then raised a few centimeters. At this time, swinging the fishing rod should be smooth. After raising the balancer, the fishing rod returns to its original position. The bait that moved to the side also returns to its original place.
The next similar movement that the fishing rod makes leads to it moving again, but in the other direction. Thus, it turns out that both of these swings lead to a figure-eight trajectory. This is the determining component of the movement of the balancer.
After playing with the fishing rod ten times, the fisherman makes the line half a meter shorter. So he fishes other areas that are higher in depth.
With balancer for pike
In this way, the predator can be caught at any daylight time. If you are fishing for pike with a balance beam on a lake, then you need to play this “advanced” spoon as softly as possible. The rise should be carried out quite slowly, and pauses should be short: up to a maximum of three seconds. When the fishing is determined by the river, then the game on it can be much more active.
Catching pike with a balance beam requires the hunter to have fairly large species of this bait. The optimal size is considered to be seven centimeters. As for the colors, a balancer that is made to match perch or roach is considered a good option.
Peculiarities
When choosing this bait for an upcoming fishing trip in a store, experienced winter hikers first of all pay attention to the size of the hooks. If two balancers have the same dimensions, then they choose the one that is equipped with a larger tee.
Winter fishing begins with drilling holes in the pond. Fishing with a balance beam, regardless of the prey - pike, perch or pike perch - suggests that they should be located in a checkerboard pattern. The distance between holes should be approximately six meters. Being aware of the nature of the bottom topography, the fisherman lines up holes along the line of vegetation or along a guide coming from the shore.
In the case when pike fishing is going on, and the reservoir is quite familiar, then holes are drilled in places where snags and holes are located, as well as bottom elevations. The most effective balancers for this predator are Karismax, Rapala Jigging Rap or Nils Master.
For zander
This fish takes it better than all the others. But at the same time, catching pike perch on a balance beam is characterized by frequent gatherings, since this prey does not always completely capture the bait. Preparation for fishing begins with the choice of this equipment; important characteristics are both size and shape or color.
The most popular balancers for pike perch resemble a torpedo. They sink to the bottom fairly quickly, and they also have excellent spread when swinging.
In turn, winter fishing with a balance beam, which has a flat shape, is due to its wide range of action. However, at the same time, its expansion in the “tummy” area does not allow the pike perch to swallow it completely.
In addition, some fishermen, especially in the central regions of our country, use so-called “bladeless” balancers. The tactics for catching pike perch with them are the same as with lures.
Another important characteristic is the size of the bait. The best option for pike perch is a five-centimeter balancer. If your plans include trying to catch a trophy specimen, then you can use the “seven”. An advantage to this important characteristic will be the sharpness of the hook, so you need to control this parameter as well.
As for colors, fishing for pike perch with a balancer works better when the color is as close as possible to the real fish, although some winter travelers believe that poisonous tones are the most effective.
Balancer for perch fishing
In the case when the angler is focusing on trophy prey, only this bait can help him in winter cold conditions. There are no universal balancers for perch, so for insurance, experienced hunters always have in their arsenal the most different variants, which can meet the needs of production in a variety of conditions.
For example, if the depth of the reservoir is within three or four meters, then fishing is better on models that are from two to five centimeters in length. Regarding the color scheme for perch, we can say that this fish prefers the option with a light “body” and a dark “back”.
Although, as in the case of pike perch, you can also have poisonous yellow or green shades in stock. And the size of the balancer should not be limited to only five centimeters. Sometimes perch can be caught well with seven- or eight-centimeter baits.
As for their hooks, the sting should be directed slightly upward. Since perch is a schooling fish, if the bite is good, it is better not to change the place and stick to the chosen fishing technique. Otherwise, you need to try to attract the fish, for example, by placing something bright on the tee or making such movements with a balancer on the bottom to raise a cloudy cloud. Such a move can attract perch, which has already lost interest in this bait. When such actions do not help, there is only one thing left: replace it with another one - both in size and with a brighter color.
How to catch perch using a balance beam
Since this striped prey is schooling, during the period of active feeding the fry are the number one target. And this is what makes the balancer the number one bait for perch. Its effectiveness is due to its great similarity to the natural food of prey. In addition, it is, according to anglers, “loud,” which is good when searching for stripers. The vibrations created by the balancer can instantly attract this hungry predator.
At the same time, you should not linger for more than five minutes near the hole. But at the same time, during this short period of time, the fisherman must try to fish almost all layers of water. If luck smiles on him and a school is discovered, then with the correct game with the balance beam you can literally pull out a dozen perches from the hole in the same five minutes.
When playing the balancer, you must be sure to remember the winter habits of the striped predator. She is always passive at this time of year. This means that during the game you need to take at least five-second pauses so that the perch has time to grab the balancer. The simplest method is quite easy: the bait, thrown into the hole, waits at the bottom for some time, then it smoothly rises about twenty centimeters and freezes again. Then the balancer goes up just as smoothly by almost the same amount. At the same time, the fisherman, playing with his hand, makes a stop, then allows him to fall to the bottom again.
Fishing rod
For fishing with a balance beam, equipment equipped with lures specifically for this type is suitable. It differs from the traditional one not only in its size, but also in the presence of a handle. For correct equipment you need to decide in advance on the reservoir and the specific type of production.
If, for example, in a given river there are “humpback whales” weighing about a kilogram, then they need strong and reliable tackle, somewhat different from that which is equipped when going for, for example, a three-hundred-gram perch.
For beginners, the following equipment is best suited: a rod with a length of thirty or thirty-five centimeters, equipped with a cork handle. It is better to take a small diameter of the coil, a hard whip.
