Crucians

[The Flying Tench]

I was float fishing for roach on a local gravel pit about 10 feet deep a couple of days ago. Started nicely with 6oz roach a bite a chuck. The it went a bit dead. First i wondered if it was Mrs Esox. Then I started getting very slow lifts and dips which I never managed to hook. I assumed it was crucians, though I was a bit surprised they were able to barge out the roach. I made sure the float was shotted right down, but it made no difference. The roach took immediately the maggot landed on the bottom, whereas the slow dips etc were after it had settled a while. I only got about 6 of these sensitive bites, so I don't want to give the impression they were every couple of minutes.

 

I read my various notes when I got home and there were 4 suggestions of how to convert these into bites:

 

a) leave a longer stretch of line on the bottom. It's claimed the tiny lifts are line bites - but in that case I wasn't getting bites at all, so maybe that wouldn't have worked!

freeline, so the fish feels no resistance - though I've heard of this working with bigger baits in shallower water

c) in Anglers' Mail this week - slowly draw the bait away - apparently this can cause them to give a proper bite, though it's the first time I've heard this.

d) If the float lifts slightly and then stays still, strike. Well, I kind've did, but maybe not as well as I might.

 

Have you tried any of these and made them work, or found other ways of hittiing crucian bites?

 

John

[terry t shirt]

Are you sure they were crucian. I sometimes get this kind of bite and when i do i pack up and move. CRAYFISH i find if there there not much else stays around thats could be bite size.

[Vagabond]

. I assumed it was crucians, though I was a bit surprised they were able to barge out the roach.

 

On at least two waters I fish, larger (1 lb plus) crucians certainly will "barge out the roach"

 

The description of the bite fits crucian, but as TTS points out, it fits crayfish as well.

 

My response would have been your option (d) - failing that, move the bait slightly.

[Chris Plumb]

Crayfish would be my bet too! I'd do something akin to D - though switch to lift method and hit any lift as it lifted. (If possible!)

 

 

C.

[Anderoo]

If it was crays, I'd expect you to have either caught one or at least felt a weight as you lifted it off the bottom before it let go. As that didn't happen, I'd err on the side of shy bites. If that's the case, I would keep going as light as I dare, dot the float right down and keep trying to hit one, maybe taking the bait out of the swim for 20mins and continuing to feed to up their confidence. Either that or switch completely and fish bolt rig style with a heavy feeder and short hooklength - apparently that's quite effective for crucians.

 

If you want to find out if crays are in your swim, stick a lump of luncheon meat on a big hook. You'll soon know!

 

(Incidentally, I had 2 crays from a local stream recently which was previously free of them. Very bad news indeed. The march to victory continues...)

[wayne baker]

Sounds like it could of been crays but strange like the others said you didnt catch any. Correct me if i am wrong but i always found that crucians were mid water feeders. And maybe you should try fishing off the bottom with a verywell shotted float so that only a very small tip is showing. Another thing that could of accounted for the bites could have been a fish trailing line.

[The Flying Tench]

If it was crays, I'd expect you to have either caught one or at least felt a weight as you lifted it off the bottom before it let go.

 

I did feel a weight on one occasion, I think. Hmm.. Chris, the lake was Collins which I haven't fished for years. Do you happen to know if there are crays there?

 

Have people found that crays will frighten off roach and other smaller fish?

 

J

[Chris Plumb]

Chris, the lake was Collins which I haven't fished for years. Do you happen to know if there are crays there?

 

J

 

Definitely - loads of them - same with Knotts AND to the best of my knowledge Collins was never stocked with crucians!!!!!

(doesn't mean of course that some might have got in - last July's floods moved quite a few fish around.....!

 

C.

[Vagabond]

. Correct me if i am wrong but i always found that crucians were mid water feeders.

 

This suggests you are usually loose-feeding continuously (as one would do if roach fishing in still water).

 

Crucians (and even tench) will come "up in the water" if you do that. Crucians often prime at the surface (like roach) in one or two waters I fish.

 

...and as Chris says, lift method will catch crucians also.

 

I suppose the majority of my crucians have either come whilst "lift" fishing for tench OR whilst fishing "up in the water" for roach. I rarely target crucians alone - I catch quite enough whilst tench or roach fishing!

 

Both methods are successful - you can catch crucians on the bottom or in mid-water .

[kleinboet]

I have found that if you want to be successful fishing for Crucians, use a single maggot on an 18 hook. If your float is moving around in a stop/start sort of way, it could be that the Crucians are shy, I get over this by changing my bait to bread punch, and the float just sails away confidently!