Where to look for perch in January on the river. Perch biting in January. What does a bass angler need?
Perch is a fairly common predatory fish and is found in almost any body of water in our country. And even if fishing is unsuccessful, the perch will always be a lifesaver for you. And yet, catching perch in January is considered not such a simple task, since its activity decreases and it becomes sedentary. The vital activity of this fish is greatly influenced by how rich the reservoir in which it lives is in oxygen. It thrives in flooded ravines and old river beds, if there is enough oxygen there. Prefers a hard bottom and stays near small fish sites. Perch also loves bottoms covered with snags.
Perch may begin to experience a lack of oxygen in stagnant bodies of water. In order for perch fishing to be more successful in January, the fisherman needs to be very well oriented in the chosen body of water. In January there are severe frosts and cold winds. They cause inconvenience not only to anglers, but also to the perch itself. If you don’t know the specifics of perch fishing in January and don’t know the reservoir well, then you’ll have to cut more than one ice hole. The small activity of the perch is maintained due to the fact that at this time it moves to the bottom, where the water temperature does not fall below 4 degrees Celsius.
When going fishing in January, it is enough to take a fishing rod with jig tackle. This is a tackle that is used for vertical trolling. In more rare cases, you can use fishing rods for fishing with a float. But rods and reels are more convenient for catching perch in January. This is the type of tackle that is most often used for fishing this fish.
The length of the whip must be at least 15 centimeters. Thanks to this size, it is possible to create a certain shock absorption during hooking and protect the already weak line from breaking.
Any fishing rod is suitable for catching small perch. But in order to catch larger perch, you need to stock up on the appropriate gear.
To make the number of bites more voluminous, the diameter of the fishing line should be small. Most often, a fishing line with a diameter of up to 0.15 millimeters is selected for January fishing.
To increase the efficiency of catching perch in January, it is best to use jig tackle. But we must take into account that in the middle of winter this fish becomes very picky about bait and prefers sluggish play or its complete absence. As practice shows, fishing is good with a “devil” jig. It’s a good idea to use bulk jigs no longer than 7 millimeters. For greater efficiency, multi-colored hairs are added.
The nod is taken hard, and its length should be 10 centimeters. To ensure that the nod bends only slightly, it must be well adjusted. Otherwise, the bite will be poorly visible, which will significantly worsen the situation.
Different baits are used for catching perch in January. But this fish is best caught using bloodworms. Also suitable as bait are maggots, dung worms, fish fillets, and the eyes of the perch itself.
In January you can catch perch using both lures and jigs. But fishing with a spoon is more difficult and begins with drilling holes, which is labor-intensive work. To begin with, about ten holes are drilled and fishing begins. If you fail to catch a perch in any of the holes, then you need to move 200 meters away from them and continue working on drilling the holes.
The color of the spinners used to catch perch can be different: white, red or a combination. On sunny and bright days, fishing will be much more successful with duller lures that are made of copper or brass, and on a cloudy day it is better to catch perch with a white metal lure.
Perch will bite faster on a lure that moves slowly in the water, so you shouldn’t constantly tug on the fishing rod when luring. It is most effective to tap the rod on the bottom after several lifts.
Most often in January, perch is near the bottom and does not move very actively around the reservoir. The only exception is sunny days with a thaw, when he begins to actively hunt.
It is easier to interest even a large perch with a jig with a bloodworm or worm attached to it, but usually sailors actively respond to such bait, and it is very difficult to catch a decent-sized perch against the backdrop of constant pressure from the fry.
Catching perch in January with a spinner allows you to weed out small prey, since a spinner measuring 5-7 cm is unlikely to be interested in small things. If there are few perches of decent size in the reservoir, then it is worth choosing a smaller bait - 3-5 cm.
Do you know something about such a bait as a balda for winter perch? We recommend reading: catching perch in winter with a balda.
In very frosty times, schools of perches lie at the very bottom, in all sorts of bottom holes. If the atmospheric pressure changes outside, pressure drops occur, then the fisherman should postpone fishing for perches, because at this time the perches do not want to bite at all.
If the weather is more or less normal, then the perches go hunting. Moreover, the intensity of perch biting on January days can vary at the same time of day.
However, experienced fishermen have noticed that perches begin to bite best not in the morning, as in other times of the year, but closer to lunchtime, but towards evening the bite again begins to deteriorate or stops altogether.
There are periods for perch when the intensity of the evening bite can simply go off scale, but it is very difficult to catch such a moment; many fishermen still cannot understand and explain this fact. Choosing a place for fishing
When fishing for representatives of the perch family in January, it can take a lot of time to find the right place for your fishing, and for this you should know the places where perches stop in January. Indeed, at this time, perch families move in small families, each of which contains no more than eight perch representatives.
If there are quite severe frosty days outside in January, then perches can hide at the very bottom of the reservoir, where it is deeper, because it is there that the temperature regimes of the waters remain almost at the same level. Moreover, perch may not react at such moments even to the most attractive bait offered by the fisherman.
In January, schools of perch increasingly prefer to stay at the bottom of flooded ravines, where the bottom can be covered with all kinds of snags. Small perch can spend the winter near the coastline, somewhere in the thickets of grass or reeds.
It is mandatory to drill several holes at once in the fishing pond. You can drill ten holes at once. Drilling is best done starting from the coastline. Many fishermen with extensive experience say that catching perch in January in places where there is vegetation is not a waste of time. The best fishing will be where the harder bottom of the reservoir is located.
Catching perch in January with a spoon. Features of January fishing
To catch perch in January, anglers use either float rods or nod rods. For the most part, fishermen use nodding rods, because the fisherman has to move around too much.
In a nod fishing rod, the main component is the nod itself, the length of which is selected by the angler to suit himself and will depend on the weight parameters of the bait used and on the conditions for catching perches. This gear should be equipped with a reel, which will have a supply of fishing line of about ten meters; no more will be needed.
The nods are made from plastic or metal springs; all nods can be adjusted according to length.
But a float rod should only be used when the angler has already found a perch site. In this case, a float will signal a perch bite. Many anglers try to adjust the float so that it can submerge a couple of centimeters in the water.
How to increase your fish catch?
catching perch in January with a spoon
successful, there are many tricks that fishermen successfully use in practice.
Here are the main ones:
- Perch does not like illuminated space, so when the reservoir is covered with snow, the hole must also be darkened. You should not drill many holes at once, this will scare away the prey.
- If within 10-15 minutes the lure in the hole does not bring a single bite, you need to change the place. Either there is no prey there, or she has already gotten scared and gone to another place.
- When searching for perch, you need to periodically change the size and color of the spoon. Sometimes this affects its catchability.
- If lures are carried out at shallow depths in vegetation, then it is best to use small lures with lateral planning. The further the spoon moves from the hole, the greater the likelihood of success.
- In order to know when the perch leaves the parking lot to hunt on the shallows, you can install several girders along the intended route of movement. Most likely, the perch will not catch the bait, but it will give a signal about the start of its hunt.
One of the best baits for perch in winter, a balancer. Catching perch in winter with a balance beam, be sure to read.
Choosing bait for perch in January
When fishing for perch in January, a wide variety of baits are used, both artificial and live bait. The most common midwinter bass baits are:
- - all kinds of balancers;
- - a wide variety of types of spinners;
- - live bait, which is used when fishing with girders;
- - jigs.
Of course, you can catch perches on a regular hook, putting bloodworms or worms, small pieces of fish or meat on it; some fishermen remove the eyes from the fish and put them on the hooks.
What does a bass angler need?
The angler's arsenal of perch fishing in January is small. Basically, this is a fishing rod with jig tackle and tackle used for vertical trolling; fishing rods configured for fishing with a float can also be used, but this is less common. Mostly fishing rods equipped with reels are used; such tackle is much more convenient to use, especially for those who like to catch perch.
The whip on the fishing rod should be at least 15cm long; this size will sufficiently create the necessary shock absorption when hooking and protect the line from breaking. Of course, small stripers can be caught with any fishing rod, but if there is even the slightest chance of catching a worthy specimen, then the tackle must be appropriate.
The diameter of the fishing line is generally selected within the range of 0.15mm, because thinner tackle brings more bites.
The nod should not be very hard and up to 10 cm long. It is important that the nod is correctly adjusted; it should only bend slightly under the weight of the jig, otherwise it will be very difficult to see the bite.
Catching perch in January is much better and more effective if you use jig tackle, but there are some drawbacks. With the advent of the low season, the perch becomes very picky about lures and playing with them, he is more interested in a more sluggish game or even its complete stop; it is better to use a jig that is more voluminous, but not longer than 7 mm.
“Devil” type jigs performed well. To increase the effectiveness of the jig, you can use multi-colored hairs tied to the fore-end.
The baits mainly used are bloodworms, dung worms, maggots, pieces of fish fillet, the eye of the perch itself, but to a greater extent fishermen use bloodworms.
Catching perch in January with a spinner is a little worse than with a jig, but still, it cannot be ruled out as an option. All luring always begins with a lot of work with an ice drill. A dozen holes are drilled, to begin with, in the direction from the shore and their fishing begins. If the perch does not find itself in any of the holes when trolling, then physical work should be continued, moving to the side 200 meters.
Sports fishing for perch (video)
You can catch perch using various lures 3-4 cm long. By color, they can be red, white or a combination of several colors.
On bright sunny days, duller ones made of brass or copper perform better; on cloudy days, spinners made of white metals are effective. More often, a perch is tempted by a lure that does not move too quickly in the water, therefore, there is no particular need to continuously twitch the fishing rod while luring.
It is better, after a couple of lifts, to swing the spoon at the bottom or knock on it.
This article talks about how to prepare for bass fishing in January. Where to look for a predator, what determines the choice of place to catch it. What gear is used to catch perch in January, what baits are used.
Lure fishing. This type of bait is used in January mainly when catching an active predator, when its stopping place has been determined. You should start catching perch with a spoon from the shore, that is, from shallow water. If there are no predator bites, then you should move to the side at least 20-25 meters. You shouldn’t spend more than 10 minutes on one hole; we note that if a predator is present in the fishing area, you won’t have to wait long for it to bite.
For catching perch, it is recommended to select spinners up to 4 cm in length; regarding color, it is better to opt for white, red or combined options. In cloudy weather, perch more readily attacks light-colored baits, and in sunny weather, bright-colored lures. This point is important to remember and take into account when choosing bait regarding color shade.
During the fishing process, the bait should not be jerked sharply, all movements should be smooth, only in this case it will be possible to attract and provoke the predator to attack. The bait needs to be torn off the bottom to a height of up to 20 cm, and when lifting it is necessary to pause (2-4 seconds). At the top point, the pause can be increased to 10 seconds. It is often possible to attract perch by lightly twitching the spoon directly on the surface of the bottom or a few centimeters from it.
Always remember the main rule of any winter fishing: Knowledge of the water area is the key to success! Winter is a difficult period for all fish. And the activity of perch in January, like many other fish, very much depends on how rich the reservoir remains in oxygen:
If there is enough oxygen in the water, then fishing for perch in January will be more effective in the upper boundaries of coastal dumps, old channels, and flooded ravines. When going fishing in January, keep in mind that perch prefers a hard bottom covered with snags and chooses places closer to small fish sites. Fishing for sailor perch throughout the winter is possible along the coastline, near reed thickets.
- if the reservoir is not flowing, then by January the fish begins to lack oxygen. Perches reduce their area of movement and divide into small groups of 5-8 individuals. For perch fishing to be successful in January, the angler must have a very good understanding of the pond. Catching perch in January becomes quite a labor-intensive task, because if you don’t know the exact position of the predator, you will have to walk around a lot and drill more than one meter of ice. In January, perch moves deeper into the pits; the water temperature in such places does not drop below four degrees, which at least to some extent keeps the fish active.
January is a month of severe frosts and piercing cold winds; this causes a lot of inconvenience not only to the fisherman, but also to the fish itself.
Perch fishing gear in January
The angler's arsenal of perch fishing in January is small.
- Perch fishing rod
To fish for perch, you will need a fishing rod with jig tackle and tackle used for vertical trolling. Also, catching perch in January can be done with fishing rods configured for float fishing, but this is less common. Mostly fishing rods equipped with reels are used; such tackle is much more convenient to use, especially for those who like to catch perch. Of course, small stripers can be caught with any fishing rod, but if there is even the slightest chance of catching a worthy specimen, then the tackle must be appropriate.
- Fishing line for perch in January
The diameter of the fishing line is generally selected within the range of 0.15mm, because thinner tackle brings more bites. The whip on a fishing rod for catching perch in January should be at least 15 cm long; this size will sufficiently create the necessary shock absorption when hooking and protect the line from breaking.
What to catch perch in January
- Catching perch in January with a jig
Catching perch in January is much better and more effective if you use jig tackle, but there are some drawbacks. The nod should not be very hard and up to 10 cm long. It is important that the nod is correctly adjusted; it should only bend slightly under the weight of the jig, otherwise it will be very difficult to see the bite. With the advent of the low season, the perch becomes very picky about lures and playing with them, he is more interested in a more sluggish game or even its complete stop; it is better to use a jig that is more voluminous, but not longer than 7 mm. “Devil” type jigs performed well. To increase the effectiveness of the jig, you can use multi-colored hairs tied to the fore-end.
- Baits for catching perch in January
Fishing for perch in January can be done using various baits, the following baits for perch are mainly used: bloodworms, dung worms, maggots, pieces of fish fillet, the eye of the perch itself, but to a greater extent anglers use bloodworms.
- Fishing for perch in January using lures
You can catch perch using various lures 3-4 cm long. By color, they can be red, white or a combination of several colors. On bright sunny days, duller ones made of brass or copper perform better; on cloudy days, spinners made of white metals are effective. More often, a perch is tempted by a lure that does not move too quickly in the water, therefore, there is no particular need to continuously twitch the fishing rod while luring. It is better, after a couple of lifts, to swing the spoon at the bottom or knock on it.
L catching perch from the ice in the middle of winter with spinners, jigs, balancers, with or without a nozzle, as well as universal tactics for playing with a jig - this is, perhaps, a fairly universal guide with which you will receive quite a decent amount of knowledge in order not to leave the reservoir without a fair supply of sailors.
In winter, the best time for catching perch is considered to be 2-3 weeks immediately after the ice is installed. The only thing that can compete with it is the period of pre-spawning feast, when the fish are especially actively gaining strength after a long winter, but this period actually falls in the spring. The very first ice practically does not scare away perch from their usual stopping places. It begins to move away from the shore only as the ice grows. The perch begins to bite intensively about a week after the ice stops. Usually the good bite lasts until the end of December.
Midwinter is the time to search for perch throughout the reservoir. It no longer moves over a large area in a large flock, but winters in small flocks, no more than 5-7 individuals in each.
Most closed reservoirs are characterized by a capricious and unpredictable bite at this time. Severe January frosts and burning winds bring inconvenience not only to the fisherman, but also to the perch. Strongly cooled water forces it to sink deeper into pits, where the temperature of the aquatic environment in any case remains at four degrees Celsius. That's where the perch stands. It is very difficult to attract his attention even with the most attractive baits.
If the oxygen regime allows, then schools of perch try to winter at the upper boundaries of coastal dumps, old riverbeds or flooded ravines, giving preference to places with a hard bottom, possibly covered with snags. They often coexist with schools of small fish. It is quite natural for undersized perch to spend the entire winter close to the shore, near reed thickets.
When choosing a time to catch perch, you should give preference to quiet, windless weather with light but persistent frost. During the day, the intensity of the bite may change. In most places, the river perch bite is still better in the morning, when there is stable atmospheric pressure and slight frost (not lower than -15-20 ° C).
Sometimes there are times when the bite is better not in the morning, but in the afternoon or evening. Therefore, after spending a day without a bite, you should not rush to leave the hole. A fantastic evening bite just before dusk can end a seemingly bad day, but it usually doesn't last long.
Jig for winter perch fishing
The most rational bait for catching perch is a jig. Perch is one of those few fish that respond more to the action of the jig rather than to its shape. It can best be attracted by jerky movements of the bait, while trying to minimally deviate it from the vertical axis. Smooth movement or planning of the jig when playing will not interest the perch.
It is best to gently twitch the bait and slowly lift it from the bottom. Sometimes you just need to move the bait so that it does not come off the ground. On a muddy bottom, such manipulation will lead to slight agitation, which will attract fish. With the deterioration of the oxygen regime, the perch’s pickiness increases: it is attracted only by a sluggishly moving bait, and in some cases even a completely stopped one. This behavior forces you to choose a jig of a certain shape.
The volume of the jig can be quite large, but in the horizontal plane it should not be longer than 5-7 mm. The most common shapes are spherical, spherical, rectangular, cylindrical jigs, as well as in the shape of a truncated pyramid. The copper or brass top part adds an additional effect to the jig.
Throughout the winter, perch responds well to miniature vertical jigs - “devils”. The maximum diameter is 3.5-4 mm, while the height, including hooks, is up to 5-7 mm. The jig should have a copper or brass outer shell, filled with lead along with the hooks, or a lower part made of the same metals. It is almost impossible to interest perch with large vertical jigs.
You can increase the attractiveness of the bait for perch by stringing rings of colored insulation taken from a thin radio wire onto the shank of the hook. Perch is attracted by the red, yellow and green color of the rings. You can add efficiency to the jig using red hairs tied to the shank of the hook, but they should not cover its barbs and should not be overly fluffy so as not to interfere with the play of the jig.
Balancers for winter perch fishing
Balancers for perch. Balancers that are larger in size are better suited for catching perch. When choosing such bait, you need to be attentive to the size of the hooks. Some products are equipped with hooks that are too big for perch, so it makes sense to replace them with smaller ones, the size of which does not exceed domestic ones No. 5-7.
For fishing with balance beams, use a regular fishing rod used for trolling. The balancer must be combined with a hard nod. This will allow you to dampen the jerk when the fish strikes for the first time, as well as guide the bait correctly. An experienced fisherman can move the balancer very differently, and the nod plays a fairly important role in this process.
Spoons for winter perch fishing
The most successful of domestic spinners used for winter perch fishing are small-sized products, such as Universal and Trofimovskaya. It is easier to attract perch with baits that vibrate with high frequency and wide amplitude and move vertically over a distance of up to 0.5 m. In this case, during the season you need to change the size of the spinner. On the first ice it is better to use large baits, gradually moving to smaller ones over time.
An angler focused on catching perch is usually armed with jig tackle or a fishing rod for vertical trolling. It is better to organize perch fishing with gear with a reel; it is much more convenient, because with its help you can much faster and at the same time very accurately set the length of the fishing line required for fishing. For an angler hunting for perch, this is very important, since in search of prey he often changes location and makes transitions.
When choosing a fishing rod for catching perch, you need to choose the right length. It should allow the elastic whip to create some shock absorption when hooking in order to protect the thin vein from breaking. In order for the whip itself to be capable of shock absorption, its length must be at least 10-15 cm. Moreover, it must also be thin and flexible.
The fishing line for perch fishing is chosen with a thickness of 0.08-0.15 mm. Moreover, the frequency of bites can even depend on hundredths of a millimeter. For winter fishing, it is enough to take a reel or reels with a vein reserve of 5-10 m.
The nod for fishing should have a cone-shaped shape, it should be moderately rigid, and its length should not exceed 10 cm. The most successful nod designs are those made of lavsan or copralon, a polycarbonate plate or a metal plate with an additional rib rigidity. A nod of this design is less susceptible to side winds. Thanks to the shape of the nod and its rigidity, it is possible to play with a jig in high-speed mode, which is very important and fundamental in certain periods.
It is very important to adjust the nod correctly so that the weight of the jig only bends it slightly and does not bend it at a right angle, otherwise it will be impossible to notice the bite at all.
Winter baits for perch
Winter fishing for perch occurs with the following baits: bloodworms, red worms, pieces of freshly caught fish, preferably relatives of perch. A classic cannibal bait of this kind can be considered the eye of a perch with the iris intact. Not every fisherman has the nerve to rip an eye out of a still-living fish, so this bait is not popular. Another thing is the pelvic fin cut off from a small perch. The effectiveness of such a nozzle attached to a spoon can compete with the nozzle from the eye.
In addition, dragonfly larva is always popular with large perches. You can successfully fish with it all year round. For perch it is even preferable to bloodworms.
Jig fishing tactics
A jig is a lead droplet with a hook soldered into it and a hole for the line to pass through. The fish are probably tempted by this impetuously moving object, whose “behavior” is reminiscent of many small aquatic animals.
The more skillfully a jig plays in the hands of an experienced fisherman, that is, the more natural its movement, the more catchy it is.
The techniques for fishing with a jig are very diverse and are easy to master in practice. The jig is first lowered to the bottom, then slowly raised up 5-10 cm, lowered to the bottom again, etc. Sometimes it is useful to lift the jig up 60-90 cm with a short twitch. A reasonable question arises: how to find the desired speed of movement of the bait and amplitude of oscillations? There is only one answer - empirically. First, you can give it any speed and any amplitude. If this leads to success, then the choice was correct. But this happens very rarely. Sometimes you have to try one, two, three speeds and amplitudes until it becomes clear what the fish likes.
There are many techniques for playing with a jig. It is advisable to know them more. But first, you can get by with the most commonly used ones. By the way, they are suitable for all periods of ice fishing, you just need to adjust the speed of movement and the amplitude.
Here are the techniques developed by practice:
1. The jig is placed on the bottom; after a few seconds they begin to rise with a small twitch; from a height of 15-20 cm they are again placed on the bottom and again raised to the same height with twitching; This is repeated until the bite, which, by the way, often happens at the moment the jig comes off the bottom.
2. With small twitches, the jig is made to tremble at a certain depth, gradually raising it by 0.5 m and lowering it to its original position.
3. From the bottom, the jig is slowly raised, twitching, to the height of an outstretched arm of the fisherman sitting on the box: then it is quickly lowered to the bottom and again slowly raised with twitching to the same height.
4. As in the previous version, the jig is slowly lifted from the bottom, but without twitching or with twitching on individual segments of the rise.
5. With a twitch, the jig is lifted from the bottom to a height of 0.8-1.2 m, stopping periodically for 3-5 seconds.
6. Sharply lowering the jig, hit it on the bottom 2-3 times (knock), then with frequent twitching raise it to a height of 0.5 m, after which the operation is repeated. The “ground stirring” technique attracts fish with raised turbidity.
7. When fishing at shallow depths, performing any technique, move the fishing line from one wall of the hole to another.
8. Raising the jig from the bottom by 3-5 cm, make it rotate around its axis. To do this, use the thumb and index finger of your free hand to slightly twist the fishing line.
9. The jig that has touched the bottom is slowly lifted, every 2-3 seconds the twitching is made a little stronger.
10. The jig is slowly lifted from the bottom by 15-20 cm. Here it is given oscillations for 10 seconds, then stopped for 3-5 seconds, after which it is slowly raised higher by 15-20 cm. And so it is raised with pauses to the height of an outstretched arm fisherman
11. The jig is driven close to the bottom, often hitting (the drum) with the index finger on the fishing rod.
12. The jig is lowered and raised at different depths, tapping the whip on the outstretched index and middle fingers of the left hand.
13. The jig lowered to the bottom is allowed to lie on the ground for 3-5 seconds, after which it is raised, first slowly, and then faster and faster. Sometimes the move is delayed for 1-2 seconds.
Experienced fishermen also use other techniques for playing with a jig, as well as various combinations described above. If all fishing techniques are used from the bottom, the jig is played in half-water or at the lower surface of the ice. You just need to take into account that in half-water and under ice, bites do not happen immediately: the fish need time to find the bait here and get used to the new pressure.
A jig, as you know, is attached to the end of a fishing line. Being at the same time a sinker, a hook, and bait, it is very sensitive. The perch eagerly grabs such a bait. Other fish are also readily caught using a jig with bloodworms: ruff, roach, ide, and silver bream. They are caught with a jig and with a float immersed in the water. Having lowered the jig to the bottom, the float is fixed 2-3 cm below the surface of the water. Many anglers who regularly engage in ice fishing use bait. The best bait is considered to be small bloodworms, cakes, bran, and steamed oats. The bait is lowered to the bottom in bait bowls. Various small fish scurry around the bait, and perches come after them.
When fishing with a jig in reservoirs with a strong current, you can tie a thin leash 20-25 cm long with a blood hook to the fishing line at a distance of 10-12 cm above the jig. With such equipment of the fishing rod, there are often cases of simultaneous catching of fish with both a hook and a jig. But there is also an inconvenience - when fishing for a large fish caught on a hook with a nozzle or on a jig, the free part of the tackle sometimes clings to the lower edge of the ice, and the fish breaks off. To prevent this from happening, the holes must be made wider and the lower edge of the ice must be carefully cut off.
The best fishing lines for fishing with jigs are, of course, vein ones without knots. You cannot fish with a jig using a line with knots: even the slightest frost will cause ice formations near the knots. The fishing line becomes heavier, loses its elasticity, and bites become unnoticeable. Even when fishing on a fishing line without knots, ice pieces form on its surface part - they must be constantly removed.