In the fall, when the leaves fall from the trees, many predatory fish fall prey to the anglers. During this period, balance pilkers are an effective bait.
Late September, October and, above all, November – it is hard to imagine a better time to catch predatory fish. In nature, feverish preparations are underway for the upcoming winter, predatory fish prey on the whole. The thermal layer of water literally changes from day to day. Strong wind constantly mixes hot and cold water, all fish are looking for new positions. Zander quickly migrate to deeper places, perches stand motionless above the bottom and less and less often they are observed on the water surface. The fishing techniques so effective in the summer are now failing completely. It is a time of constant changes in tactics and artificial lures. There is only one rule in the fall – the lure must work just above the bottom as slowly and as long as possible, that is, near the fish stands.
Preferably for balance pilkers
Ordinary twisters and very deep wobblers are quite good lures for autumn predators. For some time in the fall, however, I have had the best effects on the so-called balance pilkers – many times I managed to catch dozens of perch and zander with them in one day. Also pike, and even very large pikes, they seldom resist this artificial bait. If you start fishing with balance pilkers and you do everything right now, you'll probably come to the conclusion quickly, that it is some kind of miraculous bait. In fact, however, the effectiveness of a balance pilker, just like any other artificial bait, it is also limited. In other words – this lure is only hunted from early autumn to early December. Later, for numb predatory fish, the movements of the balance pilker are already, so to say, too frivolous. so what, you still like this lure? if so, let's move on to the details.
Size and weight
There are plenty of balance pilkers, including such models, which are not always fit for our purposes. In many cases, however, it does not depend on the balance pilker itself, but on the parameters of the spinning rod used. Just like any artificial lure, a working balance pilker offers some resistance in the water. And it is precisely this resistance that should not overload the rod. As soon as we activate the pilker, that is, we will pick it up in a smooth movement about a meter above the bottom, the rod bends immediately. If it bends too much, we will have a bad feeling for the work of the pilker, and we won't notice many strikes either. In fact, the pilker should only bend the tip – the rod will be flexible enough then, so that the taking fish can be jammed effectively. In other words – about that, will we fish with light, or heavy equipment is mainly determined by the fishery and its conditions. In light winds and in shallow water it is advisable to use a light spinning rod, while in a deep fishery and in the wind, rather heavy set. In strong water current, we also have to take into account the necessity to use heavier lures. Larger weight of the lure obliges us to reach for a heavier spinning rod. The individual balance pilkers, however, do not differ that much in terms of weight. Speaking of rods, I mean sticks with a casting weight from 10 into 20, up to 30 grams. Personally, I only use two rods for spinning with balance pilkers. The optimal casting weight for a lighter stick is 12 g. When spinning with this stick I use balance pilkers weighing from 8 into 14 g. A stick with a casting weight is the best for fishing with heavier lures 18 g.
Perfect casting weight
How the ideal casting weight of a rod is calculated? It is very easy.
Suppose, that the manufacturer of the equipment specified the casting weight of the rod in the range from 10 into 20 g. average value, and so 15 g, it is therefore an ideal casting weight. If we use such a stick to spin with a weight of bait 15 g, we will take full advantage of all the advantages of our equipment – not to mention the length and precision of casts and full contact with the bait. Vein, as is the weight of the bait, it must also be perfectly adapted to the rod. Thanks to the new generation of fishing braids, there is no problem with it. If, for example, we need to lead a balance pilker at a depth of more than ten meters, the extensibility of the monolithic line is already so great, that it is difficult to feel the action of the lure. When fishing with braided line it looks completely different – every, even the slightest bump of the lure is perfectly transferred to the rod. At the beginning of winter, we should fish with the thinnest braided lines possible, preferably with a strength of three to five kilograms. This corresponds to diameters from 0,12 into 0,20 Mm.
