New lake - targeting the better fish

[The Flying Tench]

I've recently joined a new club which mainly consists of a small lake. It's got carp, tench and bream (nothing too huge, I think) but also smaller fish - roach, rudd and crucians. I've had all the latter three up to 6oz on maggot, but of course the problem with maggot is that it attracts so many small fish. So my question is, how best to target the better roach, rudd and crucians?

Meat seems to be a popular bait on this lake. I know roach will take it. Does anyone know if rudd and crucians will take it? For rudd I'd use it as a falling bait.

A subsidiary question is whether to buy a meat cutter. I've just watched a video on this. They seem quite efficient, but do I want one more greasy bit of equipment in my garage? I'd be interested to know if anyone uses one.

Or is there another bait you'd recommend? There's sweetcorn of course. Though one angler I spoke to didn't find it worked well on this lake.

[Chris Plumb]

Yes crus will take meat - and I've caught 1lb+ rudd at Marsh Farm on ledgered meat (I was after the tench). I would also try chopped prawn sections - my go to bait for crucians these days!

 

C.

[Martin56]

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Caster, (single or double) will almost always sort out the better fish mate.

 

[Tigger]

I find rudd and roacn often go for floating or sinking bread, bunches of maggots and casters.

I've had a lot of crucians on those same baits but they definately like meat, and they can take larg'ish pieces.  I like to freeline for crucians using no other weight than the meat on the hook, just watch my liine and as soon as it starts to move it's time to strike.  It's a great way to catch them if fishing the margins or not to far out.

[Ken L]

Location and time are probably more important than bait, unless you're struggling to get through the tiddlers.

If meat is popular, I'd fish meat, arrive in the evening, have a walk around until you find a peg that has obviously been fished that day and drop a bait or baits in right under the rod tip.

Even when I'm fishing in the daytime, I often have a bait right in front of me on a little 6 foot rod (sometimes as close as a foot from the bank) and it picks up a lot of bigger bonus fish.

[The Flying Tench]

Thanks everyone for very helpful replies