When to catch burbot in the fall. Catching burbot in the fall ~ Free Fishing. Catching burbot in the fall. Where to catch burbot in autumn

Answers the question:

Generalist specialist. From floats to carp fishing. Fisherman with great experience.

Good day, dear experts. We are going for the first time to go night fishing specifically for burbot. Tell us what to prepare for and the required fishing kit.

The river was chosen as the fishing location. Pyshma (in the Sukholozhsky district of the Sverdlovsk region). Friends recently came from there with a solid catch, and it caught fire too

The main points that you want to understand for yourself: how to look for a burbot trail and what are its priorities in bait?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

With the onset of autumn cold weather, burbot, the only representative of the cod family in domestic reservoirs, begins to dominate the reservoirs. Unlike other fish, burbot loves cold water. You should look for it in clear and clean water. The best time to start fishing is at night. It is noteworthy that burbot spawns in December-January. Therefore, as soon as the heat subsides, the burbot begins to hunt for small fish.

It is recommended to use the simplest fishing gear, since on a cold night, when your fingers get cold, controlling more complex gear is quite problematic. You also cannot do without good lighting - you can take a good-power headlamp with you. The light of the flashlight should be enough to attach a live bait, worm or lobe. Having a headlamp will be very convenient, because your hands will be free.

In autumn, it is best to catch burbot using a donk. The gear is quite simple and consists of a reel with a thick line wound, a heavy sinker and a leash. Hooks should be large enough, with a long shank, for example No. 8-12. If fishing will be done with live bait, it is better to use doubles. In this case, a cut fish, mounted on two hooks at once, will hold better when casting. In addition, larger fish prefer live bait, although they bite less often than with a worm.

Before casting, it is necessary to unwind the fishing line from the reel and lay it out on the ground in wide rings - this way it will be possible to avoid the occurrence of tangles. At night, burbot prefers to hunt on rifts and holes, while during the day it sleeps under snags. After casting the line, the guard twig is stretched and inserted into the split. To signal a bite, a small bell is hung on the fishing line.

It is recommended to take care of spare leashes in advance, since burbot swallows bait deeply. There are many known cases when the leash broke and the fishing ended there. The best option would be to equip the leash with a special clasp, to which, if necessary, you can quickly attach a new leash. The best places for catching burbot are slopes into and out of pits, rifts and their boundaries. It is in these places that you need to throw the fishing line.

Burbot bite best on stormy, cold nights, when it is raining outside and a strong wind is blowing. Therefore, you should take care of warm clothes and a comfortable place to stay. Since the fisherman’s capabilities are extremely limited in such weather, the gear is checked in the morning. Do not neglect building a fire - burbot is attracted to its light. If desired, you can equip the bells with special sticks that glow in the dark. This makes it much more convenient to control the bite.

It is noteworthy that burbot never chases its prey. That is why bottom fishing is encouraged. When hunting, burbot focuses exclusively on sensory touch, so it will sense a slightly wounded fish used as live bait much faster. During spawning, burbot goes to spawn in shallow waters or in the upper reaches of rivers. After this, some of them return to their favorite place, the other part remains in the surrounding area until the summer.

The process of fishing for burbot is not a difficult task; any fisherman can handle it, but immediately determining the casting location is difficult. Most often, the first cast is done at random. If there was a bite, you should throw it back to the same place. If there is no bite for a long time, you need to change the place. When burbot grabs prey, it, unlike pike, does not swim further, but remains in place. Only when the prey is completely swallowed does the burbot begin to slowly swim away from the spot, gradually pulling on the fishing line until it gets hooked. You shouldn’t even try to catch burbot by timely hooking - it’s practically impossible.

Video about catching burbot in autumn

when is the best time to fish
choosing a place to catch burbot on the river
how to fish and how to choose the optimal gear
bait for catching burbot
useful tips for night fishing for burbot

For me, burbot fishing is the simplest and most cost-effective fishing. You can’t catch any other fish so easily with such rough tackle. Let me remind you once again that this article will focus on catching burbot in small rivers (up to 50 m wide).

When is the best time to catch

Burbot is a unique fish; its habits are very different from other freshwater fish, so the choice of fishing conditions will be different. This fish is cold-loving, which means that the colder the fish is, the more active it will be (I advise you to read in detail about the habits of this fish). It has long been known that the worse the weather for humans (rain, wind, snow, frost), the better for burbot. This fish loves bad weather, when other fish, to put it mildly, are “uneasy”, burbot feels great and is full of activity. Many anglers are too lazy to go fishing in bad weather, but in reality it’s not difficult or scary, you just need to dress warmly and take it with you necessary things. Burbot is also a nocturnal predator, so in most cases it is necessary to catch it in the dark.

In autumn, you can start fishing for burbot on small rivers in October, when the water temperature drops below 12 degrees. This time falls during active leaf fall. According to my observations, in late autumn, after frosts, when the temperature becomes above zero, catching burbot is somewhat worse than during them. Burbot also like moonless nights with frost and wind.

Choosing a fishing spot on the river

Choosing a place to catch burbot on a small river is not difficult. It must be remembered that during the day the burbot tries to stay away from the light, while climbing into snags, under stones, holes and pits. Therefore, it is better to choose places for fishing based on the habits of this fish. This fish loves a rocky bottom and a fairly fast current - this is another criterion for choosing a fishing spot.

promising place for burbot fishing

You should avoid long, flat sections of the river with a weak current and a silted bottom, as well as shallow bays - burbot do not like to be here. Bridges (bridge piles), hydraulic structures (hydroelectric power plants, dams, etc.), heaps of large stones can be considered a good place for catching burbot.

It should be taken into account that on small rivers burbot are not very numerous, so it is better to fish in different promising places than to focus on one.

Method of catching burbot and optimal gear

Since we have a bottom predator, we will catch it with bottom gear. The main methods of catching burbot:

single bottom stakes (I call them burbots)
rubber band with several hooks
feeder fishing

There may be other methods of fishing, but these are the main ways to fish from the shore. I recommend fishing using the first method, and here’s why - in small rivers there are usually not so many burbots; they feed mainly near their daytime shelters, because burbot are quite lazy, and the use of single baits allows you to cover more promising places compared to one bottom with several hooks.
In simple words: if we assume that under each tree fallen into the water there are 1-2 burbots, then it is better to place 10 bets near ten such trees than one donka with ten hooks near one tree. I tried fishing in different ways, but this tactic turned out to be the best. The only exception is when fish en masse come closer to spawning from a larger river or lake. Then burbot can be caught in one place using different gear, but this does not happen every year.

Now I’ll tell you in more detail how to place such a bet yourself. The main advantages of these platters are simplicity, reliability and low cost. To make a bet we will need:

fishing line you need something strong enough so that even with minor snags you can pull out the tackle without at least losing the load. Hatched burbots often go into snags and wrap the fishing line around them. I recommend using leashes made of fishing line with a smaller diameter than the main fishing line. In this case, if there is a break, the load will most likely remain. You don’t have to take an expensive fishing line, take a thick and cheap one, it makes no difference, even if you tie a cord, the burbot still won’t see anything - its eyesight is very poor. Twenty meters of fishing line is enough for a bet when fishing on small rivers, and a skein of 100 meters is enough for as many as 5 bets.

Hooks must be large enough and strong enough. When fishing with a worm, they should be such that the worms do not burst when baited. The hook should have a large barb so that during a long fight (all night) the fish does not come off. The large size of the hook does not frighten the burbot at all, I have hooks of different sizes, but I have not identified any pattern in the bites; the burbot swallows both small and large hooks equally well.

Cargo It's also not difficult to choose. In principle, anything that sinks is good. It is better to choose weights with a streamlined shape so that it clings less to vegetation. The best weight, in my opinion, is a regular large nut. It’s convenient to tie a fishing line to it and, importantly, you can find them completely free in your garage, at home or at a friend’s. Of course, no one forbids you to buy weights for burbots that you like in the store. But the main purpose of the load is to hold the bait in the place we need in the current. What I haven’t installed before are pieces of reinforcement, bricks, various parts from bicycles and cars, self-floating loads from a battery. No patterns from the use of cargo in the burbot bite were identified.

Reel You can use absolutely anything to wind fishing line, as long as it’s convenient for you to use it yourself. I use it in the form of a thin stick (see photo) for two reasons:

Minimum size
It can be easily secured almost anywhere by sticking it into the ground, both on the shore and in the water.

Catching burbot using bottom stakes is very simple. Come to the river, attach bait to the hook, unwind the line from the reel, throw the tackle from your hand to the intended place and secure the end of the line to the bank. There is no need to hook fish with this method of fishing; burbot swallows the bait very well and hooks itself. If there are a sufficient number of active burbot in the river, you can pull out and check the tackle every 1-2 hours. And if the bite is weak, the easiest way is to leave the tackle all night, and check the rates in the morning, when it is light. This type of burbot fishing is quite popular because it is the simplest and, in addition, while fishing you can sit by the fire with a fellow hobbyist and talk about various fishing topics.

Bait for catching burbot

As bait for catching burbot, you can use: bunches of worms, small fish (live or asleep), pieces of fish, sea fish, meat of crayfish, frogs, chicken liver, etc. But it is best, in my opinion, to use bottom fish that are found in this reservoir. After all, this is the most natural bait that burbot eats every day.
It is best to use bottom fish such as ruffe, gudgeon, sculpin whole or in pieces.
Worms dressed in a bunch are also a good bait, but in late autumn they go deep into the ground and become problematic to find if they are not prepared in advance. Therefore, I personally prefer to use pieces of fish as bait.

The easiest way install platters when it is still light, this allows you to choose a good place to throw the tackle much better and saves a lot of time. If possible, it is also more convenient to remove them when it is light.
When fishing for burbot in the dark, I recommend having an LED headlamp with you, it is very convenient, your hands are always free and it has a long operating time.
If just before fishing, at home, bait the bets and carefully put them in a bucket, then on the river you will save yourself from this work, perhaps not in the best weather conditions.
Pulling out bets It’s not very convenient with your hands; there is a high chance of getting caught and breaking the tackle. For convenience, you can use a 2-4 meter long stick cut from the bushes with a “flyer” at the end. You can also take some old fishing rod in advance, without the upper leg, attach a “flyer” to its end and use it to pull out the bets. I do this all the time, and there are many fewer snags.
If you began to lift the tackle, and she got caught on something, don’t rush to “tear” with all your might, maybe there’s a burbot “sitting” there. You need to try to pull the line not too tightly and wait a little (up to a minute) with small twitches; often the fish, having twisted the leash onto an underwater snag, unwinds and you pull it out.

One of the options for betting on burbot

Do not forget that burbot, like other fish, has a spawning season and it lasts from December 25 to February 28 (for the Republic of Belarus).

In conclusion of all of the above, I would like to add that the success of catching burbot on the river in the autumn depends not only on you, but also on many other factors. Therefore, if you are suddenly left without a catch, you should not get upset and give up this fishing, you should try again, but at a different time and under different conditions, and luck will definitely smile on you. I wish everyone good catches and, as they say, “no tail, no scales.” See you.

P.S. I will be glad to hear your stories, advice, additions and criticism in the comments.

Burbot is quite a unique prey for fishermen. Considering the fact that this representative of the cod family lives only in freshwater bodies, its habits are very different from representatives of other families. This representative of the cod order leads an active life exclusively in cold waters. At water temperatures above 15 degrees, burbot becomes inactive and practically does not feed. Therefore, it is almost impossible to catch this fish in the summer.advert_dir

The period of active burbot fishing begins in the second half of October and lasts until the beginning of April. This period largely depends on weather conditions; early winter or late spring can extend it slightly.

Burbot fishing spots

No matter how strange it may seem, the smaller the river, the greater the likelihood of finding a habitat for large burbot in it. Small, clean and fast rivers often yield decent trophies. Firstly, in these rivers the water temperature becomes lower much faster than in large reservoirs, and secondly, given the small size of the reservoir, it is easier to examine it.

Most often, burbot is caught on the river in the following places:

stone embankments of artificial and natural origin;
coastal areas with a steep bottom or near trees that have fallen into the water;
deep places of differences between fast and calm currents;
stone spits near pools and pits.

The autumn activity of burbot in these places can be explained very simply. As the water temperature drops, small fish try to move to quieter places so as not to fight the current, and the burbot, awakening after summer hibernation, begins to actively feed on it.

But, even knowing the bottom topography and burbot habitat well, searching for it requires spending some time. Most often, several donks are thrown at different distances from the shore and the entire expected area of fish habitat is gradually caught.

During daylight hours, even at great depths, small specimens are most often encountered, and only with the arrival of darkness can decent prey be caught.

Night fishing for burbot

Unlike the bulk of fish, burbot shows increased activity in inclement weather. Strong wind, rain, night frosts are the ideal time to catch burbot. Large fish become active mainly with the arrival of night frosts.

Experienced fishermen claim that burbot practically never changes its fishing paths. So if a fisherman manages to find such a trail, then he will not be left without prey.

Night fishing tactics are very simple. In a pre-selected place, 5-7 donks are thrown at different distances from the shore. Donks need to be equipped with a heavy load that will not allow the bait to move and wait for the first bite. After several fish have been caught, the route of its movement will become clear. Donks on which there was no bite are removed and fishing is carried out on 1-2 donks that fell on the route of movement of the burbot. The first cast of gear is done in the evening, the condition of the bait is checked after 30-40 minutes. The time for catching burbot is usually before 2.00 and before dawn. In the morning, you can safely roll up the gear. Further hunting for burbot will not bring a positive result.

Listen to the advice of experienced fishermen, try your own methods and draw the necessary conclusions. With this approach you will not be left without a catch.

Especially for- Eugene

For autumn fishing hunters, catching burbot is one of the most exciting ways of fishing. It is better to catch burbot at night and on bottom tackle. Since this tackle is very easy to use, it can be easily used at any time of the day.

It is better to use worms, small fish, and meat as bait for catching burbot. It is worth looking for burbot in rivers where there are stone embankments, coastal areas with snag bottoms, whirlpools and holes. Autumn is considered the best time of year for fishing this cold-loving predator.

Burbot is active when other fish in the reservoir, on the contrary, reduce their activity. As soon as the water temperature drops to 15 degrees and drops below, the burbot will stop its summer inactivity and begin searching for food.
It is known that burbot from the middle zone loves the clean water of small rivers with fast currents and a rocky, muddy bottom.

Attention should be paid to snag areas, confluences of small rivers and streams, transitions between current and calm water, and islands. As the temperature drops, small fish - the main prey of burbot - look for secluded places and accumulate where energy consumption is least. This is where he will be. In general, burbot begins to hunt, gradually moving from the bottom closer to the shore.

The search for this fish is carried out by making test casts of equipment into areas with different depths and at different distances from the shore. And if you know the places where white fish have gathered for the winter, then you can expect burbot to appear there at night. In search of food, it moves along its underwater paths, and it feeds not far from its habitat.

Selecting gear

Catching burbot in the fall is most often done using bottom tackle with bait lying on the bottom. For greater efficiency, several donks are usually used at once. There are no special requirements for gear; a 3-4 meter rod with a reel will be enough to catch this fish.

The reel is equipped with a fishing line of 0.28-4 mm, a sliding sinker with a flat profile (the weight is selected according to the intensity of the current), leads of 30-50 centimeters with a diameter of up to 0.28 mm and No. 2,3,4 according to the international classification. It is better to mount the leashes using swivels with fasteners for quick replacement.

The sinker should be chosen based on the relief and type of bottom. Any type of load can be used in clean areas. Where the bottom is rocky or snaggy, take oblong weights. After all, burbot can swallow the bait so deeply that it is easier to cut the leader than to remove the hook from its insides.

Use hooks with a long shank. This will make it easier to remove them from the catch. Because burbot likes to swallow the hook very far.

Advantages of bottom fishing in autumn

Despite the many ways to catch burbot, bottom tackle remains a universal means of catching this fish and has a number of undeniable advantages.

There is no need to hold a fishing rod or spinning rod in your hands
There is no dependence on the wind, and with a correctly selected sinker and current
A sound signal (attached bell) will notify the angler of a bite
The design of the donkey is quite conventional. Each athlete or amateur can use in its manufacture the material that is convenient and accessible to him.

Bait and Bait

Undoubtedly, the best bait for catching burbot is live bait. Small specimens grab almost any small thing, but large burbots prefer ruffs and minnows. You can place live bait on a hook in two ways, either by piercing it under the dorsal fin, or by hooking it by the lips. Thus, live bait retains its agility and mobility longer, which is important.

You can cut small fish into pieces, which also attract burbot. They also catch it with bunches of worms, pieces of meat, lard and other baits. There are adherents of placing a crushed ruff on a hook. It is believed that this gives off a greater aroma in the water. You can also use small frogs, crustaceans, shrimp, and larvae of various insects.

It is necessary to use those representatives of the aquatic world that stay close to the bottom, where the burbot lives.

Burbot is not afraid of the hook, so when baiting, leave the sting open for a greater chance of hooking. But the bait is not as important as the choice of fishing location.

Fishing for burbot in the fall is done at night and the worse the weather, the better the bite. Of course, these are not the best conditions for fishing, but on calm nights in clear weather you can’t hope for a good catch. The fishing process itself is quite simple, the tackle is cast to a pre-selected place, and a bite alarm is placed on the rod; a regular bell will do.

The burbot bite is very delicate; it carefully sucks up the bait without moving. You shouldn’t rush things and hook, as you might just snatch the bait right out of the burbot’s mouth. Wait until he swallows the bait whole and hooks himself.

Then you can start fishing. Usually, burbot does not offer strong resistance; it can only make a couple of somersaults over its head or cling to uneven bottoms, twisting into a ring. To prevent the burbot from getting caught in snags or getting caught on rocks, it is enough to simply, without loosening the tension of the fishing line, carefully pull it to the shore.

The best time to catch burbot is between sunset and the beginning of darkness.

Burbot does not gather in schools, but its entire family uses the same paths. Therefore, having caught the first fish, you don’t have to change the place of fishing. After some time, her “relatives” will appear in this place. Having found such a path, you can turn around and throw all your donks in its direction.

The fishing location must be remembered by coastal landmarks for subsequent fishing trips. Since burbot rarely changes its paths, even after a few years in this place you can count on a good catch.

Catching a predator at night

Experienced fishermen claim that burbot almost never changes its fishing paths. So if a fisherman manages to find such a trail, then he will not be left without prey. Night fishing tactics are very simple. In a pre-selected place, 5-7 donks are thrown at different distances from the shore.

Donks need to be equipped with a heavy load that will not allow the bait to move and wait for the first bite. After several fish have been caught, the route of its movement will be determined. Donks on which there was no bite are removed and fishing is carried out on 1-2 donks that fell on the route of movement of the burbot.

The first cast of gear is done in the evening, the condition of the bait is checked after 30-40 minutes. The time for catching burbot is usually before 2.00 and before dawn. In the morning, you can safely roll up the gear. Further hunting for burbot will not bring a positive result.

Night fishing for burbot in late autumn on a donk.

The days at the beginning of autumn can be warm and even hot, but the nights are already noticeably cold. The waters of ponds, lakes and rivers are gradually cooling. The burbot, which is in a daze, begins to awaken. As soon as the maximum daily water temperature drops to 12°C, the bottom predator finally leaves its summer shelters and begins an active search for food.

This usually happens at the very beginning of the season, although there is information about isolated catches of burbot in the third ten days of August and earlier. However, special fishing for this fish begins approximately in the second half of the first autumn month - closer to October. All of the above is typical for our latitudes, but for the northern regions this period shifts two or even three weeks earlier.

Important nuances of burbot autumn fishing

Burbot is a special fish, no matter how you catch it, you won’t be able to catch it because of its very unique way of life. Adapted to existing at the bottom, it does not rise above it more than a quarter of a meter, unless some anthropogenic factor - be it water pollution or other misfortune - can force it to do this. Therefore, gear for autumn burbot fishing in most cases is used on the bottom. They will be discussed in this article.

I dare say that this is not the only way to catch burbot in the fall. The fishing community knows experts who catch this fish exclusively using spinning rods, and in other villages they “fish” for it using the so-called. “radiation,” that is, with the help of a banal prison. But the first method is not possible to implement everywhere, but only where conditions allow you to actively “tap” the bottom and drag the bait along it. The second one, in most regions, is a poaching fish, although in terms of its catchability it is noticeably inferior to nets, and in fact is a “surface version” of completely legal underwater hunting. But consideration of both methods is beyond the scope of this narrative; it is better to devote separate essays to them (which will be done in the near future).

Burbot is active in the dark, therefore, you should immediately mentally prepare for it. Moreover, you can count on a good bite only on moonless nights, at other times - even with a short month, the burbot will be picky, or even refuse to bite at all. On top of everything else, this fish is clearly perverted: it loves bad weather with a cold north wind, rain or even the first snow.

But it is in the very darkness, in the very cold, that burbot catches are the most impressive. And the closer the freeze-up, the more vigorously this fish bites.

Methods for bottom fishing for burbot in autumn

In total, there are two ways to catch burbot from the bottom in the fall:

Active or sports. This is when a fisherman uses a small (1-3) amount of gear, and sometimes does not even sit at one point, but moves around, alternately fishing in different places. The main gear is a standard bottom fishing rod, or a feeder slightly converted for burbot. Here the fisherman clearly sees the bite and hooks himself, but sometimes he has to freeze.
Passive. He's the same supply. This method involves installing a fair amount of gear along the shore (up to several dozen), which are then periodically checked. For this purpose, the lightest and most simplified version of the donkey is used (including without a bell); less often, girders are used for this purpose. This method is good because while fishing, fishermen sit comfortably in the warmth of a fire and have conversations over tea (or something stronger). This kind of fishing is somewhat more productive than the first option, but here, again, it all depends on the number of baits. Well, and the greed of the fisherman, of course.

Which method to choose from the two is a personal matter for everyone. You can also combine them - fish with an active bottom, and place a few hooks at a distance.

Used gear and equipment

Regardless of the gear used, to catch burbot, you should use special equipment that has the following characteristics:

Possibility of quick leash change. This is often observed: a novice fisherman, who has tied the equipment with ordinary knots, drags the trophy to the shore and is perplexed - what to do with it now? Burbot swallows the bait deeply. To pull out the hook, you will have to tinker thoroughly and for a long time, therefore smart fishermen always mount the equipment on a clasp, and prepare several dozen spare leashes.
Presence of tungsten leash. I am sure that there will be fishermen who will object to this. And indeed, the teeth of burbot are not as sharp as those of pike. To thoroughly damage the fishing line, it will take a fair amount of time, much longer than what is required by its food competitor. If a fisherman constantly checks his fishing rods, then it is not necessary to install tungsten (but you should check the leads between fishing trips and replace those that seem unusable). However, if the tackle is left for a long time, the burbot may well grind it, and this happened from time to time, including with fishermen I know. Including on gear where there was a very thick fishing line! On top of everything else - if the fishing is carried out with live bait, then there is a small, but still chance that the pike will covet it, and for it a strong leash is mandatory.

Rice. 1. Equipment of a donkey for catching burbot in the fall: 1, 4 - fasteners (the one at the end of the leash is needed to change the hook, in principle it is optional); 2 — swivel; 3 — tungsten leash; 5 - hook (in this example, a double is used, threaded under the gill cover of the live bait).

One day, on one of our reservoirs, a fisherman I knew put a hook on a burbot and left, intending to check it the next day. Imagine his surprise when, having returned a day later, he took out of the water not a fish, but a sinker with a piece of fishing line, which had clearly been “gnawed through.” By the way, the rig was tied without a leash, on a fishing line 0.4 mm thick.

Yes, regarding the thickness. In our area, the following parameters are in use:

Main: 0.4 - 0.5 mm;
Lead sinker: 0.3 mm;
Lure leash: 0.3 mm (the part between the main line and the fastener).

Why is the line so thick? The thing is that on Ural rivers the bottom is usually rocky and the sinker can easily get stuck between boulders. The stronger the line, the better. By pulling well, you can move the stones and release the sinker. If this doesn’t work, you can pull even harder and “shoot” it. In any scenario, the main part of the equipment - with the hook and leash - will be preserved.

Classic bottom fishing rod

Typically, such tackle is a converted spinning rod with a test corresponding to the weight of the sinker. As a bite alarm, a bell on a leash is used, tied to a stand under the rod and attached to the main line in some soft way, for example, in the slot of a piece of “foam”, or using a weak clothespin.

Feeder

It should be used if you plan to fish with bait (which will be discussed in the chapter on baits). You can also abandon the feeder, replacing it with a sinker, and fish with a feeder - as with regular bottom tackle. The English donka is good for its information content - its flexible tip perfectly shows the bite of burbot, which is sometimes very careful.

If you plan to actively fish for burbot all night long, a feeder is best suited.

Zakidushka

It is the most simplified donk - right down to the fishing line and leash with a hook (in this version, the sinker is a more or less angular stone, picked up right there - at the fishing site and tied with hemp twine). The zakidushka clings to a stake driven into the shore, or to natural objects such as heavy “land” snags or bushes.

The advantage of this gear is the extremely small space it takes up and its negligible weight, which allows some particularly enterprising fishermen to carry almost a hundred pieces of fishing tackle, installing them along the shore for a kilometer every 10-15 meters (of course, if space allows) . The truth is the most real poaching, because Fishing rules in most regions limit the number of hooks on gear to ten.

Some fishermen, who are keen on dragging burbot to hooks, do not set bells, because they do not see any point in bite alarms. Gear is checked in the morning and evening. Even if the burbot has been sitting on the hook for a long time, it will not go anywhere. However, if there are underwater snags in the fishing area, it is better not to relax, because no matter the hour, the hooked fish may get entangled in them. Therefore, in snaggy places you should not leave gear unattended for a long time.

Nozzles, lures and... groundbait

There are several options for baits for catching burbot in the fall, but in different places one is usually used - the one that has proven itself to be the most effective.

Zywiec

Any small fish or juvenile fish can act as live bait - from gudgeon to roach. Typically, live bait is attached to the upper lip or the back under the fin - if a single-hook version of the equipment is used.

Rice. 2. Methods for attaching live bait to a single hook.

There is another way of attaching live bait, in which it does not need to be pierced; accordingly, the fish will be active on the hook much longer, but here a double hook is used, the leash and shank of which are carefully inserted into the bait fish’s mouth and removed from under the gill cover.

Rice. 3. With this method, the live bait will be active longer than if it were simply pinned on a hook.

Some fishermen advise crushing the bait with a boot before baiting. They say this improves the attractiveness of the bait. I’ll say this: I’ve never tried it and I don’t see much point in it. In my opinion, a whole live bait is still better than a wounded one, since it remains active longer and attracts burbot not only with its smell, but also with its vibrations.

Gudgeon

The most popular live bait option when catching “freshwater cod” is the ubiquitous minnow. This small fish is found in many rivers in decent quantities, and catching it will not be difficult. It is also a natural food for burbot. He very willingly takes the minnow.

Char (the one with a mustache)

A small fish that usually lives in small rivers. Char - just like gudgeon - is quite easy to catch.

Ruff

Photo 5. Ruff is one of the best baits for catching burbot in the fall.

The third most popular live bait when catching burbot in the fall. According to knowledgeable fishermen, burbot takes the ruff noticeably more readily than other baits, because it has a strong smell.

Some literature mentions that the ruff can be used for hookless fishing for burbot. To do this, the fish is tied by the tail. The burbot, having taken the bait, swallows the ruffe head first. If you pull the line at this moment, the ruff will spread out its spines and sit firmly in the burbot’s throat.

Other types of live bait

In the absence of the first two, burbot can be caught with: roach, crucian carp, as well as juveniles of large fish like pike, ide, etc. However, you should definitely take into account the following important nuance:

Practice shows that those species of fish that lead a pelagic or surface lifestyle (that is, they do not roam along the bottom and are generally able to quickly escape) can be taken by burbot reluctantly, or even completely ignored.

Pieces of fish meat

Dead live bait should not be thrown away - they can also be used, but there is no particular point in planting them whole, because in this form they are the least attractive to burbot. It's better to cut them into pieces first. This bait is more fragrant than a whole fish; burbot smells it from afar and goes for it noticeably more willingly.

However, it should be borne in mind that pieces of fish in their action time are noticeably inferior to normal live bait - which, if properly mounted, can remain active for a day or more. Fish meat, as a rule, is only good for one night. Then it will either “dissipate” or be plucked by other underwater inhabitants.

You can also catch burbot using pieces of crucian carp, carp bought in a store, or other freshwater fish, and if you don’t have it, you can also use sea fish.

Frog

Fishermen's opinions were divided regarding this bait. Some argue that it is completely useless for catching burbot, others believe that you cannot find a better one. I guess it all depends on the specific places. In some places the burbot knows the frog and willingly feeds on it, but in others it does not.

This bait is attached in two ways: by both lips, or by the back (under the ridge).

Rice. 4. Methods of attaching a frog: on the left - by the lips, on the right - by the back.

Usually small two-year-old frogs or more or less grown-up yearlings are used. They are caught in the dew back in August, then kept until autumn in a cold, dark place like a cellar - usually in some container with wet grass, closed with a lid with holes for ventilation. Some fishermen equip frogs with a small terrarium with a reservoir - like for amphibious turtles. The container is periodically inspected and cleaned, and the grass or water should be changed.

Dung or earthworms

Photo 7. Dung worms in some regions are considered the best bait for catching burbot in the fall. Ordinary crawling earthworms are no worse than them.

It takes burbot on a worm, and quite willingly. The bait is prepared at a time when it is still more or less warm and the worms are digging their tunnels in the surface layers of the earth. With cold weather they go to some depth.

Store worms in a container with soil - in the refrigerator or cellar.

The burbot has a rather large mouth, so it is better to plant the largest worms, or in a bunch. This will also prevent the bait from being quickly damaged by small items.

Other attachments

This can be crayfish meat, leech, or pieces of fresh chicken, beef, pork or liver, as well as other offal or offal. There is information that meat and offal can work for burbot even better than pieces of fish.

Some fishermen soak cotton wool with ghee and fish with it. According to them, this bait imitates crayfish meat and also attracts burbot quite well.

Nothing prevents you from using a “sandwich” of two instead of one specific attachment. But some fishermen didn’t stop there and tied two hooks onto a leash—the first hooks bait, and the second hooks worms. It is argued that this technique increases the catchability of the gear.

Bait for autumn burbot

Classic burbot fishing in the fall does not involve the use of any bait, because the bait is usually quite large and odorous enough to lure fish from a distance.

However, some fishermen have tried feeding burbot (and even attracting it to a specific place), and they claim that there is a positive effect from this.

It’s clear that burbot will not go well with crackers. It is usually attracted by finely chopped worms or fresh minced meat, chopped from fish, meat or offal the day before fishing.

Site selection and tactics

Theoretically, in the fall, burbot can be caught on the river anywhere, be it a deep reach or a coastal shallow, a quiet backwater or a rapid, because this fish moves very actively during this period. However, it is worth considering that predators always follow their potential prey, therefore it is best to throw the gear to where the bottom small fish are holding.

On some Ural rivers, where my companions had a chance to fish for burbot, the following was noticed: the most convenient (from a fisherman’s point of view) places for catching it were sandy or pebble beaches, which went gently under the water, but to a good depth. Here the fisherman could light a fire and sit and watch for a bite, and it was more convenient for him to fish. But places where the shore was washed away by the current and went steeply down turned out to be good for sneaking around. The best catches were here.

However, from time to time burbot exhibits some unpredictability. Today, let’s say, he is caught 10 meters from the water’s edge, but tomorrow he may not even come to the shore and walk “along the fairway.” This must be taken into account, so it would be very justified to use several gears thrown at different distances from the shore.

And in other places it also happens that burbot moves only along certain areas of the bottom. It turns out to be a kind of “fish trail”, which is the first task for the fisherman to find. To search for it, two or more gears are also used, which periodically check different places along the riverbed. As soon as a “patch” is discovered where regular bites take place, you can fish this area purposefully.

Finally, it’s worth writing a few lines about one tactical technique that burbot fishermen have been practicing since time immemorial - from the time when fish were caught in rivers with harpoons.

Since ancient times and everywhere it has been believed that burbot is attracted at night by the light of a fire lit on the shore. But ichthyologists do not entirely agree with this; in their opinion, everything is somewhat different. Burbot is rather completely indifferent to the fire. However, small fish willingly approach the shore, attracted by light and thermal radiation, where they accumulate. Burbot somehow senses this and follows. Be that as it may, the advice to build a fire at the fishing site works and has been tested for centuries.

A few lines about bycatch

When catching burbot in the fall, you often come across other fish that live in a pond or river, especially at the very beginning of the season, when the burbot bite coincides with the autumn feeding of other representatives of the ichthyofauna.

Chub. The most frequent guest for snookers, especially if the fishing is carried out with a gudgeon, worm or frog. Just like burbot, it goes out at night to fish in shallow waters.
Pike. It may also covet live bait. Rarely bites in the darkness of night, but can easily be caught in the late evening or early morning.
Ide. Sometimes he is tempted by a small frog.
Asp. Just like ide, it can bite on a frog, or (extremely rarely) on a worm. Usually, like pike, it is caught at dawn, but sometimes it happens in the middle of the night.
Carp. It can also peck at night on a large crawler or a bunch of dung worms.
Som. There is information about catching catfish on large rivers using burbot gear. But this is rather an exception to the rule, because by the time burbot begins to be caught in full swing, the heat-loving catfish is already busy preparing for wintering.