The size of the top for catching fish. Homemade simple tops and nets for catching fish when surviving in an extreme situation, making tops and nets. Technique and tactics of fishing

Publication date: 06/15/2017 15:28

Kubar is a trap for catching fish, which was invented a long time ago. For manufacturing, flexible and thin willow branches were used. At present, the tops are made from small cells in nets, which are stretched over a frame of metal rings. Kubar is a cone-shaped narrow deaf top. Its base has a hole, which is found inside the cavity. The entrance to the device is small, the fish that enters it cannot swim back out. The fish goes to the smell of bait, enters the opening of the chamber. The inlet hole is made at a special angle, so the possibility of a reverse exit is very small.

There are also tops with two entrances, the shape of which resembles a cylinder. Modern devices for convenience are made folding. To prevent sagging of the mesh, which may occur over time, springs are installed between the frame rings. How to find the right corner to install the top. The delivered lift with the correct calculation will bring a good catch. It is best to determine the places of frequent stay of crucian carp on the selected reservoir in advance.

Early in the morning at sunset, large individuals loudly "champ" when feeding. And you can also hear the muffled splashes of fish jumping out of the water. Usually such a celebration of life takes place near thickets of sedge or reeds. If it is not possible to look after the place in advance, then the optimal setting of the top will be the conditional border of the transition of clean water to places of thickets. Use bait or not? Should I put an empty top or still attract fish by putting something into it?

The issue is rather controversial.

The net trap may appeal to fish even as a refuge from predators, bringing good catches without the use of any baits. Versha without bait will not leave you without a catch only during the spawning of fish. For a better release of the accumulated internal content, the crucian rubs against objects in the water. It can be any aquatic vegetation or various snags submerged in the water.

And also during the laying of eggs, crucians prefer shallow water. It warms up faster in the sun. By installing the device in such places, the probability of catching without food will be very high. The top with filling will still show the best result, at any time of the year it will bring the desired catch. The presence of an acute sense of smell in carp is guaranteed to interest and attract fish. Usually, for bait, pieces of bread poured over with fragrant sunflower oil are placed in the top. For this, various cereals, ground into cereals, are also used. In order not to be carried away by water, the bait is placed in a special bag and tied to the top. What feed to use? Bread and cereals are not the only ingredients that can effectively attract fish.

Feed is often used for these purposes.

Cake is a product that remains after sunflower processing into oil. It does not require the addition of flavor, as the pomace smells deliciously like seeds. Sponge or foam rubber is good for long-term use when it is not possible to inspect the top often. It will not become sour and will not start to emit unpleasant odors for the fish. To get the aroma, it is well saturated with sunflower oil.

A rather controversial bait is foil.

According to some hunters, it attracts fish, while others believe that it is completely useless. The opinion that the shine of the foil is repelled has not been proven, so its use would be appropriate. Species such as crucians live almost everywhere. It is unlikely to meet him only in mountain streams, with a cold and fast current. The rivers of the plains are quite suitable for this fish.

Use of fish lifts.

Putting the device right on the river is pointless. She will bring a good catch near the coast, in various creeks or whirlpools. Yes, and the fish caught will please with variety. The design of the river peaks is somewhat different from those installed in the pond. The tight mesh cell is chosen smaller, since the size of river fish is still inferior to those in the pond. The inlet is often equipped with a kind of valve to protect already caught fish from predators.

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Fishing top

When there were no modern gear, our ancestors used improvised means to make all kinds of devices to catch fish. This is the pinnacle. One of these inventions has survived to this day almost unchanged. Modern technology has made changes and improved this tackle, but at the same time narrowed its specifics more. The top was woven from branches and vines. It consisted of 3 parts: the main part resembles a cylinder, the other two parts are made removable - this is the bottom and throat.

The throat is a removable part of the top, it looks like a cone with a cut top. The top was used in two ways: under water and for fishing with hands in a standing cylinder.

On small channels between lakes, in swamps, in shallow whirlpools, in places with stagnant water and a muddy bottom, where the fish are lazy and like to rummage in the mud, it is not so easy to fish with a bait. But the top, or rather the cylinder from it - just right. A cylinder made of twigs and a vine with a diameter of about a meter was carefully lowered into the water and sharply set in front of the very bottom. Trapped fish were pulled out by hand. The top is rearranged several times.

For underwater fishing, the top was assembled completely: the bottom was attached to the cylinder and the throat was put on. Bait was placed inside (porridge, peas, pieces of fish and intestines). It turned out a trap - sensing the bait, the fish enters the top through the throat, but cannot go back.

The modern top is made of high-quality materials: metal-plastic frames covered with a metal or nylon mesh. The frame is rigidly fastened with longitudinal ribs, so it can be immediately thrown from the shore, lowered from the boat. But such tops are bulky and are increasingly using the spring version. There are no ribs in it, but there are several coils of a large spring covered with a net. For transportation, it is enough to fold the spring and secure it with latches. For convenience, the tackle has additional improvements: a zipper to make it easier to get the catch, sewn in net bags for bait.

If you are relaxing by a pond and want to enjoy an ear of minnows and other small fish, then you can easily make an impromptu top out of an ordinary plastic bottle. She needs to cut off the neck, put some bread and put the bottle in water. A curious fish will definitely end up in a bottle, and a rich ear is provided to you.

Do not forget the experience of our ancestors, use it, this gift is priceless.

sudak-fishka.ru

fishing rod how to catch

Versha, in other words, and a diver, or who knows the merega. This is, first of all, a tackle with which it is convenient to fish from the shore. This device has a variety of shapes. It can be either a round or a rectangular frame, with one or two entrances, the design is collapsible or, on the contrary, non-collapsible. By contacting the appropriate store, you can easily choose exactly the option that suits you best. It can be a design with a clasp on the side, thanks to which it will be convenient to pour the catch out. You can also consider this option, where there is a sewn-in pouch designed specifically for the bait. In order for the catch to be successful, you should know several options for catching fish with the help of the top. This is with the help of bait, but the catch is also possible without it. As for the first method, it is often used in the summer, and the second in the spring, when the fish needs a solid object during spawning, against which the fish rubs and squeezes out the eggs. In addition, pay attention also to the place you choose to fish. You just need to know where and when the fish spawn aground. Splashes of water will tell you more precisely this good place. By setting the tops in a place convenient for you near the washed roots of trees or bushes, you will ensure yourself a 100% good catch. The most successful places for installing gear will be large-diameter drainage pipes (it is necessary to clean the pipe itself and install the top, while firmly fixing the structure itself), as well as streams or rivulets, which, narrowing, wash trees and stones. It is here that you can install the tops, having previously tied them in several places. As for catching fish with bait, we note that bread will not be appropriate, as it is quickly washed out, it can turn sour and generally scare away the fish. It is recommended to use cakes or, at worst, pieces of foam rubber, which must first be soaked in oil.

And remember that open water space is not the most profitable option for setting the top. Choose a better place with dense thickets, where there are washed-out shores. After all, the top itself is a great place for fish that are looking for a place to spend the night, or where you can hide from predators. By following these simple rules, you can please your family with a good catch.

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Top fishing

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Versha (merega, dive) - a fishing trap tool, very reminiscent of a merezha. The main difference: a second entrance (throat) is possible on the other side of the tackle, there are no wings, and the frame does not consist of separate hoops, but of rigidly fastened longitudinal ribs. Thus, the tackle does not need to be stretched in the water on stakes driven into the bottom, but can be cast directly from the shore, which, of course, increases the convenience of fishing.

The second advantage is that the depth at the selected location does not play a significant role, while the fencing and vents are applicable only at limited depths.

Design

There are many designs of tops - on a round, triangular, or rectangular frame; cylindrical and conical; with one or two entrances; collapsible and non-collapsible…

All this abundance and diversity is described in detail in my books Lifts, Traps, Casting Nets and Carp. All methods of fishing”, and I address the reader who wants to make a catchy top with his own hands.

Here we will consider one top, the most convenient for transportation (Fig. 51), fishing with it does not fundamentally differ from fishing with tops of other designs.

There are no transverse ribs in it, the whole frame consists of several turns of a huge spring, which tends to straighten even more, but is held by a stretched mesh. The tackle is brought from the transport position to the working position almost instantly: it is enough to remove the latch hooks, and the top itself is extended to its full length.

Fishing tackle shops now sell spring tops in all sizes (often sold under the trade name "trap net"). Often, these tackles for sale are equipped with additional improvements: for example, a zipper on the side, which allows you to quickly pour the catch out, or a sewn-in net bag for bait, also fastened with a zipper.

Rice. 51. Two-neck top with a spring frame

Technique and tactics of fishing

There are two main types of fishing with tops: with bait and without it.

The first method is summer, and the second (without bait) is used in the spring, from the very disintegration of the ice. It is based on the fact that many fish need hard objects during spawning to rub against them, squeezing out eggs and milk. Naturally, for a good catch, you need to know the reservoir chosen for fishing: where and when its underwater inhabitants spawn. However, such fish as pike, crucian carp, carp spawn in the shallows and give out the spawning place with noisy splashes, signaling: the top set here will not remain without a catch.

Finding a spawning ground, for example, perch is much more difficult. L.P. Sabaneev advised in such cases to create artificial spawning grounds, lowering piles of stones, heaps of brushwood and cut down young trees with a tied load to the bottom, and then, with the start of spawning, wrap around this artificial spawning ground with nets and expose the tops directly between the flooded trees.

Many supporters of fishing exclusively with bait and spinning have the opinion that fishing during spawning with net tools is detrimental to fish stock and can very quickly turn any body of water into a fishless desert. But, since we have repeatedly recalled Sabaneev, it is not superfluous to quote the opinion of the classic on this matter (he cannot be attributed to the apologists of predatory fishing). So, the word to L.P. Sabaneev:

“... Catching during spawning is usually considered harmful to reproduction and unprofitable for proper fisheries, but this opinion in fact - in practice - is far from always true, and it seems to me that there is no reason to unconditionally prohibit fishing during spawning. Harmful always - in spring and winter - only destructive methods of catching, when the fish is caught completely - adult, along with a trifle, when a more or less significant part of the fish dies in vain, for example, when "crimping" or catching with a samoder on bare hooks, during a spear fight, when Finally, the fish going to the spawning place is blocked by braids-yaz and it is caught entirely. Fish do not incubate children, do not feed them, but the number of eggs in it is considered to be thousands and tens of thousands, and therefore the protection of fish in the spring cannot have the same meaning as the protection of four-legged and feathered game. The whole point is that some part of the caviar is safely swept out, and therefore fishing before spawning is more harmful than during spawning. Some fishing methods even positively contribute to the increase in the number of fish; such, for example, is catching both with various top-shaped shells and with nets near those arranged for baiting rubbing fish and more successful catching of artificial spawning grounds, rowing, etc., in the form of piled brushwood, spruce branches (spruce forest), piles of stones. Wooden top-shaped gear even in themselves is a bait for fish, an artificial spawning ground, and under the condition of a more or less long stay under water, a mass of juveniles hatch from eggs stuck to the walls of the top. For the same reason, fishing with cats also cannot be called destructive if such shells do not block the mouths of rivers and the beginning of lake sources, but are arranged near the coast.

The validity of this view of the insignificance of the harm of spring fishing and the irrationality of its unconditional prohibition can be proved by the fact that the main fishing of some fish is carried out precisely during spawning; in some places it is possible only during this period. Pike, for example, are mainly caught in the spring, when they spawn, and shortly thereafter.”

L. P. Sabaneev, “Fish of Russia. Life and fishing of our freshwater fish.

Well, what is there to add? In my opinion, it is quite exhaustive and reasoned opinion. However, back to fishing with tops.

Fishing with tops on small forest streams and streams (especially those flowing into reservoirs rich in fish) has its own characteristics. The high water on such rivers is very violent, but the water subsides quickly, and the fish cannot find banks covered with vegetation and flooded with water for spawning. Very often, spawning of roach and pike occurs near washed-out steep banks, on the roots of coastal bushes and trees hanging into the water. Such gullies, small underwater caves, are very convenient for setting the top - the tackle is not just close to the shore, but actually under it, and it is impossible to detect it by chance, for example, by hooking a fishing rod.

The second method of spring fishing is that the top does not lure the fish as a convenient object for liberation from caviar and milt, but stands with its open throat in the way of a fish hurrying to a spawning place, or spawning and returning to its usual habitat.

Since the top does not have wings that concentrate the fish opposite the mouth of the trap, you have to choose places where the fish naturally concentrate.

For example, they are very successful in fishing with tops where a stream or a small river narrows sharply and speeds up, bending around some natural or artificial obstacle: a large boulder, a blockage of trees that have fallen into the water with all kinds of garbage nailed to them, etc. carried away by the current, the front hoop of the top is tied in two places to a stake driven into the bottom.

Old, long-destroyed hydraulic structures - dams and sluices on small rivers are also very promising for fishing: gaps in them and old spillways, through which water barely oozes in summer, during spring floods they give out jets that can clog, squeeze fish into the throat tackle. It is much easier, of course, not to wait for favors from nature and with your own hands to build an obstacle along the course of the fish: the so-called stabbing (aka zaezdok, zayazok, etc.), most often representing a kind of wattle fence on stakes driven into the bottom, with small gaps for tops and similar gear. But the fishing regulations of almost all subjects of the Russian Federation prohibit the installation of permanent obstacles that prevent fish from reaching the spawning grounds. Therefore, fishermen who do not want to come into conflict with the law have to find places convenient for fishing that have arisen without their participation.

It is very successful to catch tops in small streams that flow into a river or lake. Looking at a thin stream of water in the summer, it is hard to imagine that in the spring you can catch a meter-long pike here - however, the top, exposed to the stream swollen from the spring flood, will never be left without a catch. The ideal place for its installation is large-diameter drainage pipes at the intersections of streams with road embankments. By clearing the pipe of debris in advance and measuring its diameter, having specially made the top in accordance with it, it is possible to achieve very large catches of roach and pike. You can also choose among the purchased gear suitable in size, and if the diameter of the pipe is slightly larger than the diameter of the top, then the gaps should be filled with spruce branches, bunches of cut reeds or other improvised material.

In addition, the top hidden in the pipe is reliably hidden from the eyes of those who like to profit from someone else's catch. Especially successful in such places is catching fish in two-entry tops, oriented to both rising and downstream fish. If two, three or more pipes pass under the embankment, then several single-entry vertices can be used, orienting some of them with the flow, others against it.

* * *

Summer fishing with tops, as already mentioned, is mostly carried out using a variety of lures.

For river fishing, the tops are chosen with the smallest possible mesh (such that even the top could not slip through), and a so-called “valve” is placed on the inlet throat. The fact is that pike and other predatory river fish (burbot, perch, etc.) are not interested in vegetable bait, but go inside the tackle, attracted by the small carp fish floating in the top: roach, tops, minnows.

If fishing is carried out on the current, then the bread bait is of little use, since it is quickly washed out of the gear. If they are not caught in the current, but the angler does not have the opportunity to frequently inspect the gear (at least once every two days), then it is also not recommended to use bread for bait - it turns sour and scares the fish away. In both cases, cakes are used for bait, in their absence - pieces of sponge or foam rubber soaked in oil. Many anglers believe predators are attracted to aluminum foil rolled up into fist-sized balls and placed in the top. This opinion has not been confirmed by anything and no one, but it has not been refuted either. In any case, there will be no harm from the foil placed in the top.

In fact, the question of what exactly attracts fish to the top during summer river fishing requires additional research: sometimes good catches happen without any bait at all. I believe that the tackle itself, even without any bait, lures peaceful fish seeking refuge from predators. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain how tiny perches, which are not interested in plant baits and are unable, due to their smallness, to hunt for other fish, as well as ruffs, get into the tops. Pikes, in turn, try to get to their victims who have taken refuge in the top - and also find themselves in a trap.

It makes no sense to put up tops on clean, open places of rivers and lakes, even with bait. The best places for fishing are dense thickets of aquatic vegetation, washed-out banks with roots hanging into the water, willow bushes growing directly from the water, etc. In general, the top should lie in wait for its prey in those shelters where daytime fish go to spend the night, and night - for the day, where they hide from predators and bad weather.

Fish that love space and fast currents (asp, salmon, etc.) are extremely rare in the tops. Tench, roach, perch, pike, burbot, silver bream, bream, in some places ide and rudd (in some places these last two fish for some reason do not go to the top at all) usually predominate in catches during river fishing.

Versha is a strainer-type fishing gear installed at the bottom of a reservoir. In the practice of fishing, there are several types and methods of fishing with tops:

• with and without bait;
• summer and spring during spawning.

The first way is very simple: the top is set on the bottom between stones or in dense algae. You can put bait inside the top. The fish follows the smell of the bait and enters the opening of the chamber. The inlet is made at a special angle, so the probability of going back is very small.

The second is based on the fact that many fish need additional accumulation during spawning and look for solid objects to rub against them, squeezing out eggs and milk.

To achieve a good result, it is necessary to know the reservoir chosen for fishing, the behavior and habits of the objects of fishing. For example, fish such as pike, crucian carp, bream spawn in shallow water and give themselves away with noisy splashes. Finding a spawning ground for tench, lamprey and perch is much more difficult.

The classic of fishing Leonid Sabaneev advised in such cases to create artificial spawning grounds from a pile of stones or branches and only after that to install a top in it.

Many supporters of sport fishing have an opinion that fishing during spawning with net tools is detrimental to the reproduction of fish. On this issue, we can cite an excerpt from the book by L.P. Sabaneev “Fish of Russia. Life and fishing of our freshwater fish”: “... Catching during spawning is usually considered harmful to reproduction, but this opinion in fact - in practice - is far from always true, and I think that there are no full grounds to unconditionally prohibit fishing during spawning. Harmful always - in spring and winter - only destructive methods of fishing, when the fish is caught completely - adult, along with a trifle, and in cases where a significant part of the fish dies simply in vain. Fish do not incubate children, do not feed them, the number of eggs in it is considered to be thousands and tens of thousands, and therefore the protection of fish in the spring cannot have the same meaning as the protection of four-legged and feathered game. The whole point is that some part of the caviar is safely swept out, and therefore fishing before spawning is more harmful than after. Some fishing methods even positively contribute to an increase in the number of fish. So, for example, fishing with various top-shaped gear. Wooden tops are even in themselves a bait for fish and create an artificial spawning ground, and a mass of juveniles hatch from the caviar that has stuck to the walls of the top.

What else can be added here? This is a completely exhaustive and reasoned opinion. However, back to fishing with tops.

Fishing with tops on small rivers and streams has its own characteristics. The flood on them is very stormy, but the water subsides quickly, and it is very difficult for fish to find shores that are convenient for spawning, covered with vegetation and flooded with water. Very often, spawning of roach and pike takes place near washed-out steep banks, on the roots of trees and bushes hanging into the water. Such places are very convenient for setting up the top - the tackle is not close to the shore, but actually under it, and it is almost impossible to detect it by chance.

Another way of fishing in the spring is that the top does not lure the fish as a convenient object for squeezing out eggs and milk, but stands open on the turbidity of fish migration.

The tops are very successfully caught where the river or stream narrows sharply. It is necessary to ensure that the top is not carried away by the current; for this, the top is tied to a tree or to a stake hammered into the bottom.

Two-way tops are especially successfully caught. They can be oriented to both rising and downstream fish.

Fishing with tops in the summer is usually carried out using a variety of bait.

If you choose the top with the minimum mesh of the netting, then the small fish that got inside serves as bait for such predators as burbot, perch and pike. If you catch in a fast current, the bread bait is ineffective, because it is quickly washed out with water. With stagnant water and a small current, if the top is checked less than once every two days, the bread turns sour and, on the contrary, scares away the fish. The most traditional and popular is the use of cake, in its absence - pieces of foam rubber soaked in oil.

In open and clean places, putting out tops, even with bait, is not effective. The best places are dense water thickets, washed-out banks, bottlenecks in rivers and streams, and passages between boulders. All types of tops and tassels can be bought in our

One of the types of fishing tackle is the tops, which were known in Ancient Russia (you can read about this in Saltykov-Shchedrin's The Wise Gudgeon). This tackle is made of willow twigs and has a frame cone-shaped structure. In some regions of our country, the top is called muzzle (has two entrances from both ends), as well as norotom, venterem, nershoy.

The vertex does not allow the fish that swam into it to get out, since the captive muzzle sticks into the cone, and she cannot turn around and break free. Only crayfish can walk backwards. However, this tackle is also used for catching crabs.

In simple terms, a top is a bottom trap for fish when there are no other ways to catch fish. Nowadays, in addition to willow rods, metal and nylon mesh are also used. The design itself resembles a venter or muzzle, but does not have a guide wing. Perch is usually caught with this tackle, and lampreys are practiced in northern Finnish rivers.

Top fishing technique

Top traps are used with baits, without them, during the period of spawning of fish. Large silver carp can be caught on the trap we are considering with the bait installed in it at the moment when he has just left hibernation. At this time, the fish are most voracious, they gather in flocks, roam the pond in search of food and willingly go to the top, in which the bait is placed. Up to fifty carp can fill the trap, while the flock is near the top. But after some time, without getting food for themselves, the rest of the fish leaves, and the trap can stand empty for several hours in a row.

Catching fish with a bait is not difficult at all. The trap is set either in thickets or between large boulders. Approximately in the middle of the structure, a bait is placed. Feeling the smell of food, the fish, as if under hypnosis, is drawn there. The opening of the trap is made in such a way that it is impossible for the fish to break out, it gets stuck inside the top. But it is useless to set a trap with food placed in it in a clean and open place. The most catchy places are passages between large stones, washed-out coast, thickets of aquatic plants, as well as narrow sections of streams and streams.

Fishing with the help of a fishing rod in the spring and summer in spawning grounds is probably the most effective. This is due to the fact that during spawning, fish are forced to accumulate, in addition, they need to rub against some hard objects, such as stones, or dried reeds, etc. At this moment, the fish, as it were, squeezes caviar or milk out of its body.

With this method, it is necessary to study well the habits of the fish you are going to hunt, as well as the place of spawning. For example, pikes, breams and crucians spawn in shallow water, and finding a spawning ground for perch or tench is problematic. Sabaneev, a well-known classic fisherman, advised making dams for spawning using branches or stones. And then to install at the bottom of the top. But Sabaneev himself believed that this method of catching fish is almost barbaric, as it injures the fish and deprives it of the possibility of reproduction.

The essence of fishing with a top in the summer lies in the fact that the trap is placed by an open entrance against the current. The fish, going after spawning, gets into the top and gets stuck in it. It should be remembered that the spawned fish is inactive, “without mood”, and therefore one cannot do without bait here. Consider a method of catching carp, for example, in a pond. In this case, dried bread or a roll richly moistened with vegetable oil works well as bait. If you don't mind, you can use buttermilk too. The trap can be placed anywhere you like. One way or another, crucian carp, which will smell the oil, will certainly go to the top. It is fair to say that in this case the catch will be unsatisfactory. In order for fishing to be catchy, you need to follow the following recommendations.

First of all, you need to choose the best place to fish. Such places where perch, pike, and silver carp live should be excluded. This can be easily explained by the fact that the silver carp is larger, so it will not hit the top, and besides, it outnumbers the golden carp. Therefore, you need to look for places where goldfish live.

To catch goldfish of a large size, it is necessary to put a top covered with a net, the cells of which are about 4–5 cm. The bait itself must be put in a small bag, also made of a net, but with smaller cells. This "vessel" must be placed in your trap so that the bait does not spread over the pond through the cells of the top. Bread or other grain products are used as bait.

To find the “right” fishing spot, you must first determine whether a large crucian will peck here, and whether this place is its “dining table”. You can determine a potential feeding point before the morning dawn using a traditional fishing rod. Just at this time of day, the big fish are biting. The main thing here is not to oversleep the moment when the characteristic intense splashes of water and the so-called "smack" of the fish will be clearly heard.

It is possible not to use "reconnaissance in force", but simply to establish heights between aquatic plants and water, on their border. But in this case, large specimens will not come across to you: the large specimens simply do not fall into such traps.

The bottom tackle can also be used for catching fish in the river, and even such fish can be trapped in the trap, which you did not expect to catch. For rivers, top traps of this design are used, where a grid with miniature cells is used. At the outlet, a so-called plug-valve is installed. A fine-meshed net is needed in order for small fish to enter the top: it will serve as bait for large fish. Pike and perch that have entered the trap, for example, will eventually drive away peaceful fish. Some anglers also use crumpled foil as bait. Perhaps such a trick can also serve as bait for fish.

In conclusion, I would like to add that top traps make fishing itself a highly intellectual activity. And this type of fishing, most likely, cannot be compared with any other type. It is built on the "introduction of fish astray", its deception. When, as they say, "the eye sees, but the tooth is numb."

Tackle for passive fishing - fishing top - with your own hands can be made from any suitable material. You can quickly make it, having a ready-made container for the case. When surviving in extreme conditions, it makes sense to spend a little time and make a trap using traditional technology.

The muzzle, venter, or top is a trap with a funnel-shaped entrance. The fish, interested in the bait, swims through a gradually narrowing tunnel and gets inside the body, where the bait lies. When trying to get out of the tank, the fish is no longer able to find the hole through which it got inside.

Taking the tackle out of the water, the fisherman can get the catch through another hole, which remains closed during the operation of the tackle. If a home-made top is made from a ready-made container (can, plastic bottle), then it is advisable to provide for mounting the funnel, which will make it easy to remove it when the catch is taken out.

How to do it yourself?

Traditionally, wicker or other thin and flexible branches were used to make the top. For weaving a funnel, a ring with a diameter of 5–7 cm was made, on which a vine for the base was fixed. The base was braided with thinner vines, while it was given the shape of a funnel, expanding from the ringlet. Having made an entrance about 20–25 cm long, they began to weave the expanded upper part of the muzzle, spreading the warp rods to the sides and gradually bending them down.

In this case, the entrance funnel turns out to be inside a wicker vessel, which again begins to narrow towards the top. With a simple method, the ends of unbraided rods can be tied with a ribbon of strong bark or rope, closing the hole. In a more complex version, a ring of a larger diameter was placed on this hole, and a cover made of a circle of thick bark or woven from a vine was attached to it. Similar structures are still woven in the villages, using wire for this.

From a plastic bottle

At a picnic by the pond, the muzzle is easy to make from improvised material, using a container of water or beer for this. The amount of fish that can be caught in 1 cast and the size of crucians depend on its volume.

At the bottle, cut off the neck and part of the body by about 1/3 of its height. If necessary, you can also remove the screw part under the cover to enlarge the hole a little. In 5-liter cylinders, this can no longer be done.

Turn the cut-off part of the cylinder over and place the neck inside the container. Connect the edges of the parts with wire. The mount must be detachable so that the neck can be removed and the fish can be taken out of the trap.

From the air filter

You will need a large filter from a truck (most often they take an air filter from KAMAZ). Remove all filling from the mesh body. A cylindrical metal grate is well suited for quick do-it-yourself top making:

• cut and fasten at one end a tight blind cover made of tin or plastic, plywood, etc .;
• make a funnel to enter the trap from flexible sheet material;
• strengthen the funnel with a narrow end inside the mesh body;
• tie a rope.

With metal frame

Frame products will require the use of thick steel wire and material for wrapping the frame. Most often, a nylon or plastic mesh with a fine mesh is used as a tight fit. You can make a top on the frame with 1 or 2 funnel-shaped entrances:

1. Roll up several rings of the same size from steel wire. Their diameter is chosen arbitrarily, but to catch large fish it is better to make a muzzle at least 30 cm wide. The length of the product depends on the number of rings; 3-5 frame rings can be made.
2. From the same wire, make 1-2 small rings for the entrances. Their diameter can vary between 5-10 cm, depending on the size of the desired prey.
3. Wrap the net around the large ring, leaving a free edge about 20 cm long. Tie the net to the ring with a slight overlap at the junction of the side edges. After 20-30 cm, also tie another 1-3 rings, and strengthen the last one at a distance of 20 cm from the edge of the grid. You should get a soft cylinder with a loose mesh on the end sides.
4. Form the edges of the network in the form of a cone, laying several folds, attach small rings on the edges.
5. Bend the conical ends into the body. To prevent the fish from swimming through the trap in a straight line, the entrances are shifted to opposite sides of the vent, securing them with wire or fishing line leashes.

If you make a top with 1 entrance, then the other end can be tied tightly so that the fish does not leave through it. Crayfish are assembled according to the same principle, but one side is made flat so that it lies better on the ground. The frame wire can be replaced with a plastic tube rolled into circles of the desired diameter.

Made of metal mesh

Another way to make a fishing top is to use a rigid galvanized mesh. From it you need to cut a rectangle, the width of which will be equal to the length of the future product. The length of the workpiece is selected so that a cylinder with a diameter of about 30 cm can be rolled out of it.

Roll up the body of the top and connect the side seam with a wire. Cut out a reamer of the funnel from the same mesh, roll it up and fasten it to the end of the mesh cylinder. Equip the other end of the body with a lid that can be opened to retrieve the catch. Attach the rope.

Top fishing methods

Fishing for tops is done with and without bait. The smell of food or the structure itself (during the spawning period) can attract fish. But for successful fishing, you need to know how and when it is better to catch crayfish or crucians.

With bait

The food instinct makes the fish crawl into the most inconvenient places if it expects to get to the food. Baits that many breeds consider attractive are placed in the muzzle: bread or dough flavored with vegetable oil, and sometimes odorous substances (anise drops, perfume, valerian tincture, etc.). Suitable for potato husks, egg shells, dough. In addition to crucian carp, minnows and minnows go to such bait.

They are caught with bait in the summer, casting their snouts into the shady corners of the reservoir. It is advisable to drown the top where the strip of coastal underwater vegetation begins. If it is possible to observe the reservoir during the morning and evening feeding of fish, then the fisherman will be able to determine a more accurate place to cast the tackle: the top is placed where the fish played.

You need to check the tackle several times a day, taking out the caught prey from it.

Without the use of bait

Sometimes catching tops is possible even without the use of bait. The method without bait is used in the spring, when the fish are spawning and may think that such a convenient place is suitable for spawning. Different breeds of fish that prefer to spawn in thickets of plants can get into the muzzle at this time. The trap is placed where an accumulation of crucian carp, bream, ide is found. The spawning place is easy to determine by splashes of water.

On the rapids, in small streams, the vents are placed in a narrowing channel. Passing along the river, the fish is forced to get inside and cannot get out of the trap. With a little practice, you can determine the best way to put the top on the river: in the current or closer to the spawning grounds.

Top Disadvantages

Homemade fish traps (tops) are rather bulky structures. The folding version can only be made from wire rings or spirals covered with a mesh, but other methods lack this property.

The disadvantages include the difficulty of catching large fish.