In most cases, the same fish behaves differently at different times of the year.
This is due to the fact that seasonally it invariably changes its gastronomic preferences and parking places on the reservoir, depending on the availability of food supply. Skilled fishermen, before going fishing, study the weather conditions, which literally affect the behavior of the fish. In addition, they know how fish behave in certain conditions. Therefore, based on this, skilled fishermen constantly return home with their catch.
Catching crucian carp in the summer with a float rod occupies a special place in their lives for many anglers. It’s not for nothing that they are all simply called “crucian carp fishermen,” since all their lives they have been doing that: catching crucian carp. This “narrow” specialization makes it possible to study the behavioral temperament of a given fish in detail. In addition, they know what gear and when is best to catch crucian carp. Regardless of this, virtually all of them use a simple float rod. This tackle is not only simple, it is also quite effective in the right hands.
In addition, catching crucian carp with a float rod is quite a gambling and exciting activity. In most cases, if a crucian carp bites, it bites actively, just have time to cast the fishing rod. This article talks about how crucian carp behave in the summer, what they eat, where they prefer to be and what specific baits they love.
When and where to catch crucian carp in summer
As a rule, in summer crucian carp bite especially actively in cloudy weather. With a slight wind, especially from the south and southwest, crucian carp feed more actively.
The best time for catching crucian carp in summer is morning (from 5 to 9) and evening (from 7 to 22). At night the bite is very weak, but the chance of catching a trophy crucian carp increases.
It is also important that the pressure is stable for several days before fishing - serious changes in pressure adversely affect the activity of crucian carp.
Crucian carp really do not like sudden changes in weather - as a rule, after such a period, its biting stops or weakens for some time.
The best areas for fishing are usually areas of clean water next to thickets of aquatic vegetation - here crucian carp can find enough food throughout the summer. If you want to purposefully catch large crucian carp, you can look for it in holes and snags far from the shore.
Where to look for fish
In small ponds and quarries, where there are a lot of small crucian carp, they will bite on any bait throughout the entire water area of the reservoir, but the following places have priority:
- areas covered with water lilies;
- thickets of reeds;
- shallow water.
During the summer, crucian carp prefers to be at depths in the range of 1–2 meters.
In small lakes and quarries, it is better to bait fish and catch them in windows between plants and near reed beds. In such places there is a chance to wait for large specimens to bite, especially if fishing takes place in the evening or at night.
On rivers, crucian carp looks for places where the water flow will be weaker. Usually you can find it:
- near the shore, in areas with bushes hanging over the water;
- in places with fallen trees and snags at the bottom;
- in creeks and oxbow lakes;
- in overgrown bays;
- in reed groves.
At night, crucian carp can be found on the coastal shallows, where they swim out to feed after sunset in mid-summer. You can also find out about the location of crucian carp by the characteristic “smacking” sound, which is often heard from the reeds.
Tackle for crucian carp fishing
Fly fishing rod
When it comes to sports gear, most fishermen choose a fly rod for catching crucian carp - a telescopic rod without guide rings, to the end of which a fishing line with equipment is attached. The usual length of such a fishing rod is from 4 to 9 meters. It is easy to use and at the same time can provide good catches and real pleasure in the fishing process.
Match tackle
With a match fishing rod you can make long casts, which allows you to fish at long distances. In addition, the presence of a reel helps to cope with a large trophy that has landed on a hook.
Plug rod
These rods allow you to very accurately feed the equipment into the baited area and in most situations provide maximum catches. They are mainly used by athletes.
Advantages of using a float rod for crucian carp
Fishing with a float rod has its advantages:
- Fishing takes place close to the shore. This greatly simplifies the entire fishing process;
- The equipment of the fishing rod is quite simple and requires minimal cash outlay;
- Easy to use. This type of fishing is accessible to any age and almost any physical ability;
- The fishing process is possible at any depth.
The fly fishing rod, among other things, has a thin rig, which allows you to successfully catch cautious fish, and the flexible tip and the rubber shock absorber enclosed in it help to catch large specimens.
The fly fishing rod, among other things, has a thin rig, which allows you to successfully catch cautious fish, and the flexible tip and the rubber shock absorber enclosed in it help to catch large specimens.
This tackle is a real heavy artillery in the arsenal of float tackle and it serves for particularly long-range casts, which can reach 30-40 meters. Therefore, special waggler-type floats are 30 cm or more in length, and the load reaches 15-20 grams along with weights on the fishing line. Wagler floats can be loaded, depending on fishing conditions, with shot in the float body and washers, which are screwed on as needed.
A detailed article on how to equip a fishing rod with a reel and float is already on our website. The article has a long thread of discussions. Join the discussion!
Fishing rod equipment
The fishing rod can be equipped with a monofilament line with a diameter of 0.15 to 0.2 mm. The usual diameter of the leash is 0.1-0.14 mm. This diameter will be quite enough to hold the “frying pan”. In the event that bites from large crucian carp or crucian carp are possible, you can use a main line with a thickness of 0.25 or even more and leashes with diameters of 0.16-0.2 mm. Hooks 14-18 numbers work well.
Much attention needs to be paid to the float. It should be sliding and small, with a load capacity of 1-2 grams, and in some cases even 4 grams. If you are fishing in a current or need a longer cast, choose larger floats. For still water with shallow depths, a light float is better.
Golden rule: the more delicate your equipment and the thinner the leash, the more crucian bites you will get!!!
Tackle
Crucian carp is caught with a regular fishing rod with guides and a float or a long-casting rod with equipment for fishing with a slowly sinking bait. Since this fish often feeds in shallow water and at mid-water.
Rod
For catching crucian carp with a float in the summer, a fly or Bolognese rod 5–6 meters long is perfect.
When choosing a form, you should pay attention to its weight, since fishing with heavy models will be less comfortable. Therefore, priority will be given to fishing rods made of lightweight materials.
The fly tackle does not have guide rings or a reel seat; the line is attached directly to the end of the rod through a connector. The Bolognese fishing rod has these elements; it is an ordinary telescopic rod familiar to everyone.
Coil
When fishing with float tackle, you can use two types of reels:
- inertial;
- inertia-free.
The first option is mostly used only as a storage area for fishing line reserves, so that after the gear breaks, you can quickly re-bandage everything and continue fishing.
Inertia-free models can be useful for making long casts in case the crucian carp feeds at a great distance from the shore, and will also help in the fight against large fish with the help of an adjustable brake.
An inertia-free reel will make the tackle very heavy, which will make your hand tired, especially when catching small crucian carp, when bites follow one after another. In such cases, you can use rod stands, but this is not always convenient.
fishing line
The thickness of the fishing line in the float tackle depends on the size of the fish and fishing conditions. For crucian carp the size of your palm, monofilament with a diameter of 0.08-01 mm is suitable. For medium and large fish, it is better to use a fishing line with a cross-section of 0.16 - 0.20mm. In both cases, monofil is used.
To catch crucian carp in the reeds, you need to use thicker fishing lines, since in such conditions you need to catch the fish as quickly as possible, cutting it through the reed thickets.
If you plan to use a leash, it should be thinner than the main monofilament. Otherwise, its use will be pointless. You can use a main line of 0.16 mm in combination with a leader line of 0.12 - 0.14 mm and a length of 15 - 25 cm made of monofilament or fluorocarbon.
Hooks
The hook must be selected according to the bait that will be used for fishing. If the bait is a worm, then models with a long shank will be optimal for it. For fishing with corn, hooks with a semicircular, wide bend and a short shank are suitable. If the bait is 1-2 maggots or bloodworms, then small models made of small-diameter wire are well suited.
To catch crucian carp, it is better to use small hooks made of thin material, since even a large specimen is unlikely to be able to straighten them.
Float
For crucian carp in still waters, floats up to 5 grams are usually used. The best option would be models with a load capacity of 2–3 grams. With such a weight of the alarm, the fish practically does not feel it when it lifts the equipment from the bottom. If you need a long cast, then you need to choose heavier models, but for them you need to do spaced loading.
For fishing in still water, thin-bodied floats with a long antenna are used; for currents, a drop-shaped or flat shape with a carrying capacity of 4-8 grams will be optimal.
You need to load it with 3-4 pellets, the lightest of them is attached first from the hook, only the tip of the antenna should remain on the surface of the water.
Sinkers on float rig
It is very important to weight the float correctly, and if it says 2 grams, then you need to use one or more weights with a total weight of 2 grams. With a correctly loaded float, only the antenna is visible in the water.
Now regarding the number of weights on the rig.
The main principle of float gear is that the farther apart and the smaller the weight of the sinkers in the rig, the slower the hook with bait sinks to the bottom.
If you use one weight or collect all the weights together, the equipment will sink faster.
Bait and baits
Crucian carp is famous for its fastidiousness, and throughout the summer this trait is fully manifested. The best option is to take as many flavors as possible when fishing. In this case, you can make “clean” bait at the beginning, and then during the fishing process, flavor each ball of the bait mixture separately, looking at the bite as you go fishing.
Try different colors of bait, ranging from light to dark and red.
There are original versions of flavorings that sometimes bring success in crucian carp fishing - first of all, garlic and dill are worth mentioning. It is also necessary to keep in mind that any bait can bring success when fishing in summer, so you also need to take as many of them as possible.
If you want to make a bait mixture yourself, we advise you to read the article about bait for crucian carp. In the article you will find several bait recipes and educational videos about bait additives.
Lures for crucian carp
- Bloodworm
- Muckworm
- Crawling pieces
- Maggot
- Pearl barley
- Corn
- Peas
- Semolina (chatter)
- Dough
- Ottoman
- Pellets
- Pasta.
Fishermen have noticed that in summer crucian carp are better caught on plant baits, and in colder times on baits of animal origin!
Features of crucian carp fishing techniques
If the crucian carp is actively feeding, there are no peculiarities in the technique of catching it: you need to cast to the feeding point, hook it in time and pull the trophy ashore.
The lips of a crucian carp are quite strong, and if the hooking was timely and strong enough, the probability of escape is low.
But much more often, the fisherman finds himself in a situation where the crucian carp is picky and takes the bait carefully. In this case, it is very important to hook in a timely manner - exactly at the moment when the fish takes the bait into its mouth, not earlier and not later. Delicate equipment will help you notice all the bites in a timely manner - a lightweight float with a lifting capacity of up to 1 g with a thin antenna.
By following these tips, you can count on good catches of crucian carp in a variety of conditions. Go to bodies of water as often as possible, always try something new and experiment - in this case, you will quickly learn one wisdom of float fishing after another.
Author of the article: Vitaly Leonidovich Ivanov, 2021.
Tackle and equipment for catching crucian carp with a float rod
We figured out all the intricacies of catching crucian carp in the summer, but I’m sure many fishermen have questions about equipment. Now we will figure out which float fishing rod is more suitable for catching crucian carp and which equipment for this fishing rod will be most effective. When choosing a fishing rod, do not forget about the comfort of fishing, because fishing for karai usually involves frequent use of the rod. And it is important to select the equipment so that it is as thin and inconspicuous as possible, but at the same time copes with fishing without much risk of breakage. So, first things first.
Rod
As mentioned above, a fishing rod for crucian carp should be chosen primarily based on considerations of comfort, and the conditions in which crucian carp fishing will be carried out should also be taken into account. So, recommendations for choosing a fishing rod will be for the most universal option, but for specific conditions, adjust the selection yourself.
The optimal rod length is 5 meters. Don't buy the cheapest rods that are made of fiberglass or similar material. It’s better to take a more expensive rod, but which is much lighter and will be much more comfortable to fish with, and your hand won’t start begging for mercy after a couple of hours of fishing. With a five-meter rod it will be quite comfortable to fish in the reeds, and in open areas the cast will be quite long.
When choosing a fishing rod, in addition to simply comparing its weight, be sure to try holding it unfolded. If the center of gravity is not distributed correctly, then even a rod made of lighter material will be quite difficult to hold in your hand. The closer the center of gravity is to the handle, the easier it will be to operate the rod. Keep in mind that when fishing you may have to swing the rod all day, so if you just picked it up and it already seems heavy to you, you might want to look for something lighter.
Coil
For catching crucian carp, a reel is absolutely not an essential element of gear. You can generally use a blind rig, when the fishing line is attached to the tip of the rod. But, from the point of view of comfort, it is of course more convenient to work with a reel.
The coil can be used with a regular inertial or the simplest of the inertialess ones . It's purely a matter of your preferences. Although, if you are going to make equipment for long-distance casting, in the semblance of a Bolognese fishing rod, then you definitely need to use a spinning rod.
For a regular float fishing rod, a reel is useful only for the convenience of winding up the fishing line at the end of fishing, adjusting its length during the fishing process and when preparing the tackle for fishing - when you are just laying out the tackle. If you like to use an inertia-free reel, please, it will allow you to wind and unwind the fishing line faster, an inertial reel does not do this much longer, so it doesn’t matter. But personally, I like the inertia-free one - it’s still more convenient.
fishing line
It’s worth taking the choice of fishing line more seriously. Because there is a mania among beginners or fishermen with little fishing experience to take a fishing line with a large margin of strength, just to be sure, so to speak. Although crucian carp is not the most timid fish, rough equipment can have a rather serious effect on the number of bites.
Fishing for crucian carp with a float rod will be much more effective when using thin equipment, which will not be too rough and at the same time have a margin of safety for catching even a trophy specimen.
For catching crucian carp, it is optimal to use a fishing line of 0.12-0.2 mm. Modern fishing lines with this diameter can withstand quite heavy loads, so you will definitely have a margin of safety. Even if a carp bites a couple of kilograms, with proper fishing you can cope with a 0.2 mm fishing line. And if the possibility of biting large fish is excluded, then a 0.12 mm fishing line will be quite enough.
Hook
Choose a hook for crucian carp No. 16-10 according to the international classification. Do not overuse large hooks; often small hooks are more effective, although carp hooks are often used for large crucian carp. True, crucian carp of this size, starting from at least 600-700 grams, are not present in every body of water.
Float
The float is, of course, a purely personal matter for each fisherman, but still, for catching crucian carp, the website rybkolov.ru recommends using narrow floats of the “goose feather” type. After all, crucian carp bites are often very careful; in many reservoirs you have to hook them at the slightest lifting of the float. A float in the shape of a goose feather or pencil has the greatest sensitivity, which allows you to notice a bite in time and make a hook.
You can find more information on the rod and equipment in one of our specialized articles about float tackle for crucian carp. So, if you need help choosing gear and equipment, you can check it out, there is a lot of interesting information on this issue.
That's all about catching crucian carp with a float rod in the summer season. I hope the article was interesting and useful. No tail, no scales! Good luck!
