Spring Fishing for Crucian Carp - April 2016

Best Crucian of the day from Bury Hill Fisheries - Milton Lake

Now that spring is in the air and I'm done with my winter fishing for the year, it's species like the crucian carp, tench, bream and rudd that grab my attention in the freshwater world. The Crucian is not a fish that I have ever specifically targeted before. Sure I've caught a few in the past when just generally fishing for bites.....but 'actually' fishing for them in particular is a new challenge for me.

They have a reputation for being finicky feeders and giving very delicate bites, so I did my homework and discovered that fishing very precisely and delicately is the way to go. That's what the dedicated crucian anglers recommend anyway. Light lines, small hooks and a small float dotted right down to register even the tiniest of bites seems in keeping with the traditional approach. Those after the real specimens favour a scaled down modern carp fishing approach with bolt rig tactics in favour.

For me, there was only one way to have a go for the crucians and that was with a float. I just love float fishing, I get all nostalgic about it as it takes me right back to my childhood angling days with my grandparents. My initial aim was to just catch a crucian, not break any records after all. The float and the concentration required to fish it really helps you engage with your environment and quarry I find. I just don't get that connection when I'm sat behind a pair of rods on buzzer bars.

As the initial aim was to simply catch a crucian by design, I chose a venue that has plenty of them in it - always a good starting point! Old Bury Hill in Surrey is one such place as this fishery has a dedicated tench and crucian lake with a good head of true crucians.

It was a chilly spring morning when my my friend Dave and I arrived at Bury Hill's Milton lake for our crucian session. We chose to fish with our backs to the wind and I focused my attention in the margins where the crucians are known to patrol looking for food. With a bait selection including corn, casters, maggots, pellets and bread we were well prepared.

I kept the bait to a minimum as it's still early in the year and I didn't want to attract the tench either. Fishing for one bite at a time with a little groundbait and a single hook bait was my approach. It seemed like a smart move as after changing the baits around a bit I got a bite on corn and hooked my first crucian of the session. A very pretty, hard fighting fish of around a pound or so. Result!

6 or 7 more followed over the next couple of hours and then as the day got brighter the bites became less frequent and more difficult to hit. The best of the day is the fish pictured above.

In the end I managed 10 crucians, 2 roach and 1 tench for my efforts so it was a resounding success. I was fishing a running line and small waggler float but Dave, on the next peg along, fished the pole. His delicate and accurate approach with the pole really scored for him, with a bag of at least 30 crucians or more. It was interesting to compare and contrast the two approaches and there's no doubting the effectiveness of the pole for these shy biting creatures.