How to catch a loach in winter. Catching loach in winter - effective methods of catching

The body of the loach is elongated, slightly compressed from the sides, its height is almost the same throughout, and its scales are small. The head is small, slightly directed downwards. The loach has a lower mouth, around which there are 5 pairs of antennae. The eyes are small, yellow, located near the forehead.

The color of a loach largely depends on its habitat. Basically it is yellow or gray-yellow with a hint of brown. On the side, from the eyes to the tail, there is a dark stripe at the top and bottom of which thin black stripes run parallel.

Loach very widespread. The only thing he doesn’t like is fast mountain rivers. The loach prefers swampy streams, lakes, ponds, creeks and bays of large rivers. It stays at the bottom and likes to burrow into the mud. During the day, the loach hides under snags and in the grass, and comes out in search of food at dusk. Loach is a fish that does not require oxygen. In this understanding, he is tenacious even of crucian carp. Can breathe through gills, skin surface and intestines. When the reservoir dries out, it buries itself in the silt and can only emerge from it after rains.

How, when and where to fish.

Loach fishing is carried out all year round both summer and winter. This is mainly done by amateur fishermen, for the subsequent use of the fish as live bait for pike, catfish or even eel. Loach, by the way, is very suitable for these purposes, because it is very tenacious and can be kept alive for a whole week! To do this, just put water in a bucket with loach, a layer of 10 centimeters will be enough, and sprinkle wheatgrass or nettles on top.

If there is a lot of loach in the reservoir, then it can peck almost on an empty hook, so there should be no problems with catching this small fish, the main thing is to find the reservoir in which it is found. Usually these are reservoirs with shallow depth and silted bottom. In general, loaches work well on worms, maggots or bloodworms.

If you decide to start catching this fish, it is better to use a light, small float rod, light, so that holding it in your hands for a long time does not cause discomfort. The hook should be small, since the fish’s mouth is not large, and the float should be light, so that it is better to see the loach’s bite. We put the bait on the bottom and wait for a bite. Happy fishing!

It has its own characteristics, so not every fisherman is ready to become interested in such fishing, despite the fact that the loach has the usual taste. This fish has unique survival abilities and is able to reproduce in small areas.

The loach belongs to the carp family and is freshwater fish. It grows in length from 15 to 18 cm, but there are specimens up to 30 cm or more in size. It has an elongated body, covered with very small scales, but which can be seen with the naked eye. The caudal fin has a rounded shape, and 10-12 antennae can be seen around the mouth. There is an infraorbital, non-functional spine located in the thickness of the skin. Males can be distinguished by an elongated and somewhat thickened second ray of the pectoral fin. On the left and right of the dorsal fin, there is a barely noticeable thickening formed by adipose tissue. If you have never seen this fish before, it can easily be confused with an eel or a snake.

Therefore, the loach received such a name, because of its appearance and the ability to squirm. It is possible that these factors had a direct impact on its popularity among fishermen. It is little used in food, and fishermen go out for any fish, but not for loaches.

All fins, like the rear one, have rounded, very neat shapes. The loach has both pectoral and pelvic fins, which are located at some distance from the pectoral fins. The scales of the loach are almost invisible because they are covered with a layer of mucus. On the back of an adult loach you can see black dots located on a yellow-brown surface. The belly of a loach can have different shades, depending on living conditions: it can have either a reddish or yellow color. Small, black spots can also be seen on the brown fins. The loach has small, yellow eyes.

Symmetrically, along the sides there are 3 black stripes, the middle of which is slightly longer than the other 2. Depending on the living conditions, the full color of the loach may change: if you take a loach from a river with clean running water, then the loach will have lighter colors, and if you catch this fish in a pond with a muddy bottom and not so clear water, then the loach will have shade much darker.

As mentioned above, individual specimens can reach a length of about 30 cm, while the thickness of such fish can be equal to the thickness thumb adult.

Habitat

Most of the loach can be observed in the reservoirs of Central and East Asia. As for the European part, it is not so rich in this interesting fish. Some numbers of loaches were noticed in eastern France, as well as in the reservoirs of Yekaterinburg and the eastern Urals.

The fact that it moved to these areas indicates that the ecosystem began to be disrupted, as a result of which part of the swamps, where it is the largest representative of the ichthyofauna, dried out. Quite a lot of this fish is found in the muddy reservoirs of the Western Urals, which give rise to the largest rivers of the Asian part of Russia. Most likely, this is due to its spread closer to Asian regions.

IN Leningrad region You can hardly find loaches, and only Kronstadt Bay and Peypus can boast of the presence of this fish.

The loach prefers swampy areas and all kinds of ditches with a large amount of silt. There is quite a lot of it in the swamps of Polesie, where its fishing is widespread. It can be found in large quantities in the Kuban, but in the Crimea and the Caucasus it can hardly be found.

Nutritional Features

The loach can eat quite a variety of foods: larvae, mollusks, bloodworms, worms. It may well feed on the eggs of other fish species, which can reduce their numbers. Enjoys eating mosquito larvae.

As observations show, this representative of the underwater world is quite voracious and can cause damage to the quantitative composition of other inhabitants, such as crucian carp or carp. But this can happen if there is a lack of other food in the reservoir. If the reservoir is muddy, then the loach will find food for itself, not paying attention to the eggs of other fish species.

Breeding period

Not many people know when the loach starts and when it stops spawning. Because of this, quite a few disputes arise. According to observations experienced fishermen, then the loach spawns in the spring, at the beginning of March. The only problem is that the spawning period can be extended in time. Some individuals begin to spawn in winter. Females are quite fertile and can lay from 15 to 150 thousand eggs. Nature made sure that this unique look fish have fed humans for thousands of years.

How to catch a loach

Loach can be caught both in summer and winter. In summer, it can be caught with a regular float rod. The best option can be considered a fishing rod with a sensitive float, equipped with hooks No. 3-No. It is advisable to use a green fishing line so that it does not stand out at the bottom, among the silt and underwater thickets. The thickness of the fishing line can be within 0.25mm, although you can immediately say that it is thick enough for catching loaches, so you can use a thinner fishing line. There is no need to catch particularly large specimens. You can use grasshoppers, bloodworms, bark beetle larvae or caddis flies as bait.

According to the recommendations of experts, the bait should be cast to the border of clean water and algae, and then slowly carried out. If you have a boat, it can make the task easier. With the help of a boat you can move freely with the current. If there was a bite during fishing, but you couldn’t catch a fish, then you can return to the starting point and repeat your actions. There shouldn’t be any special problems with catching loaches if you have at least some skills in handling a fishing rod. At the same time, you need to have skills in handling the boat, and even more so in the current.

Loaches bite vigorously no matter when fishing occurs, day or night, although they are most active between sunset and darkness. The loach bites in a specific way: the float can sink slightly and, as it were, move to the side. The hook should be made after several such twitches. The loach's appetite is quite large, so it swallows the bait instantly and completely, so that there are practically no escapes.

Instead of a hook, you can tie a needle to the main fishing line, this is how they practice catching eels. The needle is tied not behind the eye, but in the middle. The worm is placed on a needle and thrown into the tackle. During the bite, when the loach swallows the worm with the needle, a hook is made and the needle becomes across, so that the fish has no chance to escape.

Winter fishing for loaches is of great interest. If in the summer, when the loach has enough food, it is problematic to wait for a bite, then in winter there is a way that allows you to catch hundreds of loaches throughout the winter. It should be said right away that it is somewhat unsuitable for a typical fisherman, because you need to go after fish and check your gear very often. As a rule, fishermen go fishing, especially in winter, for a day or two, but no more, but here, quite more time is needed.

In winter, the loach is caught using a specially made trap. Moreover, the guarantee of capture is very high if there is still a loach in the reservoir. In winter, fish suffer from a lack of oxygen and if the fish has such an opportunity, then it will definitely want to breathe fresh air. In this case, it is appropriate to remember winter fishing in general. An ignorant person can throw out something like this: “They don’t have enough fish in the summer, so they also catch it in the winter”! This may be true, but what is the benefit of winter fishing obvious, that's for sure. While on a pond, fishermen drill hundreds of holes through which the water is enriched with oxygen. Maybe they will catch something, but what they will save is much more more fish- That's for sure.

First you need to make a trap from a suitable vessel. This could be a sieve without a bottom, a box without a bottom, a basket without a bottom, etc. A long time ago, such traps were woven from vines and successfully caught loaches. The bottom of the vessel is covered with a tarpaulin, in the center of which a hole is made into which the tube is inserted. It should be above the bottom, but below the trap itself, otherwise the loaches will be able to get out of the trap. It turns out to be a trap in which there is an entrance, but no exit. The tube should have a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the loach.

And now you can start the most important thing - punching a hole. To prevent the hole from freezing, rods are laid on top, after which the hole is covered with hay or straw. After this, you will have to wait several days until the loaches gather in the area of ​​the hole, wanting to breathe clean air. After this, the hole is widened and a trap is placed in it, after which the hole is covered again. The loaches rise to breathe and crawl into the tube to the surface, but can no longer get out. If you constantly monitor the hole, you can have at least a dozen loaches every day. The benefit is mutual: the fish feel good and the person is not hungry.

Loach is a very tasty fish that can be fried, boiled and cooked in other dishes. Anyone who has ever tried this fish will never forget this taste. Many consider loach meat to be a delicacy, although catching it is not so easy: it takes a lot of time, and there must be a body of water somewhere nearby, in which loaches must certainly be found.

In conclusion, it should be said that interest in this fish was lost in vain. Just 100 years ago, this fish saved entire families from starvation. Thanks to their fertility and ability to survive in extreme conditions, there were a huge number of loaches in stakes, ponds, small rivers and rivulets. Its craftsmen caught it throughout the winter and its reserves did not dry out. Moreover, crucian carp, tench and other fish coexisted next to the loaches. If there was enough food for the loach, then it did not pay attention to the eggs of other fish species, spending most of its life in mud and silt. He rose to the surface only in winter to take a breath of fresh air. Things with the loach are somewhat worse these days, because some of the small rivers have dried up, as have parts of the small ponds where the loach felt very good. He could be caught in any ditch, as long as there was water in it. Why did the loach prefer such bodies of water? Yes, most likely because in such rivers and ponds there were not as many predators as in large reservoirs with clean water and a hard bottom. Loach for predatory fish- this is a tasty morsel, so it is unlikely to be able to survive in such conditions, despite its fertility.

The loach is very sensitive to meteorological changes. Some fishermen deliberately keep a couple of individuals in an aquarium or jar in order to be on the safe side and not go fishing at the most inopportune moment.

The fact is that before a sharp jump in atmospheric pressure, the fish become restless. They begin to rush around, try to jump out of the container, and do not touch the food.

This behavior of pets is a serious reason for abandoning the planned fishing. There definitely won't be a good bite.

If they are calm and do not refuse food, you can safely prepare gear. There will be beautiful weather soon.

Techniques for catching loaches in winter

Catching loach does not require any special skills. Enough to own float rod and know his favorite habitats.

These are usually windows in the middle of vegetation in shallow ponds. On such reservoirs there is a high risk of snagging and breaking of gear.

In addition, the loach has a truly fighting character and, despite its size, always offers stubborn resistance when fished. Therefore, you cannot use too thin a fishing line.

But the float must be tiny, otherwise it will not convey a gentle, neat bite.

After a sufficient number of loaches have gathered in the area of ​​the hole, the hole is expanded to accommodate the trap. The trap is installed so that it protrudes from the water by at least a couple of centimeters.

This will prevent the fish from leaving the trap freely. After installation, the trap is left for some time, and hay or twigs should be placed on top again, otherwise the hole will freeze along with the trap.

Having a constantly ice-free ice hole and a properly made trap, loaches can be caught all winter, and their number can reach several hundred.

As you can see, the answer to the question of how to catch a loach is obvious: it can be caught by making a special trap. Loach is a tasty and nutritious fish, in addition, it is interesting.

In ancient times, the weather was predicted by the behavior of this fish. It was noted that if the loach was calm, then the weather would be sunny, without precipitation, if the behavior changed and the loach was very active, then a blizzard with heavy precipitation should be expected.

How to make a trap

Winter fishing somewhat different from fishing in warm seasons. You will need to make your own trap for this.

A basket, sieve, box or any similar container will do. A tarpaulin is placed on the bottom, and a hole is made in the center of the trap, which should be slightly higher.

The principle of a crayfish trap is used, where there is an opportunity for fish to enter, but not for exit. To make such a hole, you can use several methods.

Try installing a tube with a larger diameter than the thickness of the loach's body. It is desirable that it be several centimeters higher than the bottom, but at the same time lower than the sides of the trap.

Using a trap: A hole with a smaller cross-section than the diameter of the trap is cut in a reservoir. Twigs are laid on top of it, and then the whole thing is covered with hay.

After everything is done, you need to wait a few days. The fish, sensing the influx of oxygen, rises up and accumulates in large schools around the hole.

After several days, when a school of loaches is already near the hole, it is necessary to expand it and lower the trap there.

The sides of the trap must be higher than the water level, so the fish will not be able to get out of it. Having completed all the steps, the hole is again covered with twigs and hay. It turns out that the fish will come to the surface for oxygen and crawl into a trap from which there is no way to escape. Thanks to this method, you can catch dozens of loaches with a basket.

In the Leningrad region you can hardly find loach, and only the Kronstadt Bay and Peypus can boast of the presence of this fish. The loach prefers swampy areas and all kinds of ditches with a large amount of silt.

Catching grayling with a fishing rod. Recent posts How to salt silver carp caviar Penalty for fishing with nets Recipe for salting pink salmon caviar Fishing for crucian carp in August Catching bream in July on a feeder Lake Volgo Tver region Fishing for crucian carp in July.

Write a reply Cancel reply Your e-mail will not be published. Each page of the site on which our materials are copied must have an active hyperlink open for indexing by search engines to the domain. The text of the hyperlink can be anything.

The loach serves as the main representative of a small group of fish that are characterized by an elongated body covered with very small smooth scales, and sometimes no scales at all, small eyes, small gill openings and thread-like antennae on soft lips.

Catching loach in winter with a trap is an ancient method of fishing, interesting and productive fishing. Currently, it is rarely used, mainly by residents of villages located near water bodies. You can make a trap for fun or for tourists.

Trap for catching loaches in winter.

Catching loach in winter with a trap - photo homemade trap

The trap is a box of any shape; a raised hole is made in the center of the bottom for fish to enter. Currently, the box is made from various materials, the main thing is that it is strong enough, in otherwise it can be crushed by ice in the hole, you can use boxes. The bottom can be made of durable fabric, tarpaulin or polymer fabrics.

In the photo, the trap is made of planks, which are attached with wire to hoops made of wicker; the bottom is made of wicker and wood chips, also fastened with wire. First, an entrance neck with a diameter of 6 cm is made from 16-20 flexible rods, and divided into 4 parts, attached to the body of the trap, the free areas are covered with wood chips secured with wire. The result is a fairly robust structure.

Scheme for making a loach trap

Catching loach in winter with a trap - trap diagram

The diameter of the trap is 30 cm, the height is 15 cm, the size of the entrance hole is 6 cm, the height of the entrance hole is located 7-8 cm above the bottom of the trap. In some trap designs, the entrance hole has an additional bend from the center, preventing fish from escaping.

diagram, loach trap

Loach fishing

General principle catching loaches in winter is based on oxygen starvation of the fish and its desire to approach the hole for oxygen. In winter, loaches tend to the hole in search of oxygen. A trap is installed in the hole into which the loaches enter. Holes can be made well in advance of setting traps so that fish can gather near them.

The trap is installed in a hole so that the entrance hole is below the water level; the top is covered with branches and straw to prevent it from falling asleep with snow; you can use film.

The loaches, in search of oxygen, enter the hole of the trap, but cannot get back out.

The trap is set for a long time, a day or two.

trap for catching loaches in winter with a trap

Loach is a good bait for catching catfish and large pike with live bait.

Loaches sense changes in weather very strongly, and before the weather changes they begin to rise to the surface towards the water. Some fishing stores install jars in which loaches are placed. If the loach stands still, the weather will not change, if the loach swims, the weather will change to bad weather and, accordingly, pike and perch will be caught well.

loaches barometers in a jar

Venter - an effective fishing trap

These traps are very easy to make. To do this, take the rim of a sieve, which is found in any kitchen. A box, an unnecessary basket or an old drawer will also work. In short, any container that has hard “sides”.

The bottom of the future trap is made of tarpaulin with a hole in the middle. A tube or piece of hose slightly larger than the size of the fish is threaded into it. It is worth considering that the tarpaulin needs to be raised a little - so that there is approximately five centimeters from the tube to the edge of the sieve.

After this, the trap is ready, but it is too early to put it in the water. To ensure a good catch, first make a small hole.

It is needed to collect more loaches at the fishing spot, which are attracted by the flow of fresh air.

Oxygen bait

Important point: First, the hole should be smaller in diameter than the trap. The top is usually covered with dry grass or twigs; bark and snow can also be used. This is necessary so that the hole does not freeze.

Then comes the waiting time. It takes several days for a sufficiently large number of loaches to gather. The fact that the fish became interested in the “oxygen bait”

Loaches are freshwater fish belonging to the order Cyprinidae. Average length from 15 to 18 cm, individual species grow up to 30 cm.

The loach is the main representative of a small group of fish, which can be distinguished by an elongated body covered with small and smooth scales, and in some cases the complete absence of scales, small eyes, poorly defined gill openings, as well as thread-like antennae. It is according to these data, as well as some other signs of body structure, that loaches belong to the family “Cobitidae”.

Among the habitats, the loach prefers ditches and swampy rivers, rivers with a stagnant and slow flow, creeks and other bodies of water with a bottom covered with silt. This preference is due to the fact that the loach practically lives in silt, extracting food from it in the form of river mollusks, various larvae and worms . Loaches can often be found in bodies of water where other freshwater species are completely absent. Due to its high sensitivity to weather, the loach often rises to the surface before a shower or thunderstorm.

Catching loach is not particularly difficult. From the gear you should choose a fishing rod with a light float and small hooks, which can easily be explained by the small size of this species. The sinker is adjusted so that the bait is at the very bottom. The loach most readily bites on a worm, although in rare cases you can catch a particularly unreasonable individual on a bare hook. The method of “trampling loaches” is also common. With this method, a basket is placed among the vegetation in the direction towards which the fish are “trampled down” - driven out of the silt in the direction of this simple device.

Biting activity does not depend on the time of day, although fishing from sunset until dark is preferable. Of the seasons, it is preferable to catch loaches in summer or spring. In winter, fishing is very difficult and, as a rule, is not done with a fishing rod. Before fishing, it is recommended to clear the selected area of ​​silt and algae.

When biting, the float shakes rapidly, sometimes moving to the side, sometimes plunging into the water. It is better to start hooking after a small amount of float flutter. The loach does not break off often. The catch is stored in a fine mesh that is partially submerged in the water. During transportation, the fish is placed in a container with water. With periodic changes of water in the container, the loach can live quite a long time.

Due to its “survivability” - it can last more than a day on a hook and its small size, the loach is an excellent bait for catching pike, large specimens of catfish and burbot.

The disadvantages of this type include strength, energy and increased “slipperiness”. It is very difficult to hold it in your hands, let alone put it on a hook.

Video: Catching loach in winter

Most fishermen are skeptical about this interesting fish. Just a few decades ago, fried loach was certainly on the dinner table, next to crucian carp, pike, rafts, etc. As a rule, loaches were mainly caught in winter, since at this time it is quite easy to catch loaches. The peculiarity of this fish is that it cannot be caught with a regular fishing rod. This is probably why fishermen don’t want to mess with the loach. In this case, it is very important to listen to the advice of experienced but experienced fishermen. To catch loaches, you need to make a special trap, then the number of fish caught will be in the dozens.

The design of the trap is very simple, and anyone can make it. For the base of the structure, a rim made from an unnecessary sieve, a box, a basket or a box will be used. The main thing is that the vessel has strong sides. The bottom of the future trap is made of tarpaulin with a hole in the center. A tube or rubber hose should be inserted into this hole, in which there is a hole with a diameter slightly larger than the size of the loaches. The tarpaulin should not sag, but on the contrary, it should be raised to a height so that the edge of the tube is below the level of the dishes, about 5 cm. After this, we can say that the trap is ready, but there is no point in lowering it into the water yet. After this, you need to make a hole and wait for as many loaches as possible to gather near it. They will certainly begin to gather in this place to absorb more oxygen.

In winter, when reservoirs are covered with a layer of ice, the access of oxygen to the water practically stops and all fish, including loaches, suffer from this. Therefore, collecting loaches near the hole will not be difficult. First, a hole is punched with a slightly smaller diameter than the trap itself and covered with dry grass, tree bark and snow so that it cannot freeze. After this you should wait a few days. If the fish is interested in oxygen bait, then this can be determined immediately. Foam may appear on the surface of the water; in addition, they can be detected by the peculiar splashing sound that loaches make when they swallow air. This fish has another interesting feature: most of their oxygen is absorbed through the skin and only the rest through the gills.

Techniques for catching loaches in winter

After a sufficient number of loaches have gathered in the area of ​​the hole, the hole is expanded to accommodate the trap. The trap is installed so that it protrudes from the water by at least a couple of centimeters. This will prevent the fish from leaving the trap freely. After installation, the trap is left for some time, and hay or twigs should be placed on top again, otherwise the hole will freeze along with the trap. Having a constantly ice-free ice hole and a properly made trap, loaches can be caught all winter, and their number can reach several hundred.

As you can see, the answer to the question of how to catch a loach is obvious: it can be caught by making a special trap. Loach is a tasty and nutritious fish, in addition, it is interesting. In ancient times, the weather was predicted by the behavior of this fish. It was noted that if the loach was calm, then the weather would be sunny, without precipitation, if the behavior changed and the loach was very active, then a blizzard with heavy precipitation should be expected.

The loach is a very tenacious fish and can be used as live bait, but not always. on a hook can behave unpredictably, so a predator may refuse such live bait.

Video

To get to know this interesting fish better, you can watch the corresponding videos that will tell you how to use traps in winter.