They belong to the family of freshwater cyprinids and have such a strong similarity with each other that sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish them.
Gold
Golden crucian carp (photo will be lower in the article), or, as it is also called, common carp, lives from the Lena River hydrobasin to Eastern Europe. You can find this beauty in rivers, lakes, and small reservoirs such as quarries and ponds. Its presence can be a consequence of the natural migration of the species, or artificial breeding or movement to a particular aquatic zone as a result of reclamation work.
The size of golden crucian carp varies depending on nutrition; in food-depleted places, crucian carp reach only 5–6 cm by the age of two, while in places with an abundance of food they grow into large fish weighing 200–300 g, reaching 25 cm in length. In lakes rich in food for crucian carp or on complementary feeding during artificial breeding, the fish grows even larger in size, gaining up to five kilograms of weight with a half-meter length.
The body of the crucian carp itself is strongly flattened from the sides and at the same time quite high, often the body length is only one or two times the height. Because of this, goldfish are sometimes called round.
Large scales adhere tightly to the skin; there are about 32–35 pieces in a line along the barrels.
The crucian carp has a miniature head, a small mouth and a row of pharyngeal teeth.
The belly of the fish is light in color, and the back is dark, brown in color, with a green tint. The sides are dark gold in color. The fins are paired and may have a red tone.
Golden crucian carp has remarkable abilities to adapt to different environmental conditions from the entire order of the fish family; both its habits and external parameters are plastic.
For example, if there is little food in a reservoir, then crucian carp modernizes its offspring into a dwarf species with a larger head size, a taller body and greatly reduces growth dynamics, and, on the contrary, accelerates sexual maturity, making it earlier.
Under normal conditions, the head of a crucian carp is significantly smaller, the body is lower, and it grows quite quickly.
He just loves muddy, overgrown places. Floodplains and swampy lakes are its most favorite habitats.
It is not very fond of clear waters on the sands, and it is extremely rare to see it there.
The amazing resilience of the fish allows it to successfully survive the winter.
The crucian carp buries itself in the silt and freezes, stops all vital activity, and does not eat.
Even if the reservoir is frozen, it does not die and fully restores its viability after such global cooling. It leaves its winter “den” after the reservoir is completely free of ice, when the water temperature begins to rise.
It can exist for a long time in cold waters, but at the same time stops reproducing. Sometimes it remains the only inhabitant of the water area, where other species simply die under similar conditions.
Usually this fish becomes sexually mature by two years, and in difficult conditions - by four to five years. In males this period begins earlier. Fish spawn in late May or early June, at temperatures not lower than 13 degrees.
Crucian carp gather in schools and are localized in thickets of algae and grass, if we are talking about flooded places. Females lay eggs ranging from ten to one hundred thousand eggs, depending on their age and size.
The eggs are about one millimeter in size or a little more. The spawning period lasts three days. The larvae emerging from the eggs attach themselves to the surface of the vegetation and hang until the yolk sac dissolves.
The larvae are perfectly adapted to respiration, which gives them high adaptive capabilities even in places depleted of oxygen.
The spawning season itself lasts until August, and the female can produce eggs up to four times during this time.
Juveniles feed on planktonic organisms, and as they get older, they gradually spread to insects, larvae, small crustaceans, and aquatic vegetation. The highest feeding intensity of crucian carp is observed in summer.
Golden crucian carp leads a sedentary life and is not inclined to travel, while its caviar, which easily sticks to any surface due to its adhesive shells, can settle on the feathers of birds visiting the surface of a reservoir, moving to other water areas. This explains the sudden appearance of crucian carp where they had not been seen before. This ability, along with vitality and excellent adaptability, is the reason for such a large natural habitat.
Services
TARIFF "UNLIMITED - 1000 rub.
Valid from October 5, 2021 in the waters of the main reservoir. TARIFF RULES:
- The tariff allows you to catch ANY fish, EXCEPT sturgeon, without a catch quota. Sturgeon is paid separately, according to the price list below.
- There is NO limit on the number of gear.
- CLUB CARDS when using this tariff are valid ONLY for services: rental of gear, goods in the store, restaurant, smoking and cleaning of fish.
- All men over 14 years old pay for the trip. Women and children under 14 years of age accompanying a man do not pay for the trip.
- All guests (without purchasing a voucher) can stay on the pond for no more than 15 minutes.
- This tariff allows you to additionally rent a gazebo with barbecue for 2,000 rubles for a full daylight hours!
- The grill is included in the price of renting a gazebo!
- Renting a gazebo is MANDATORY when fishing from the right bank (area with separate walkways)
TARIFF "VIP-UNLIMITED - 2500 rub.
Valid from October 5, 2021 in the VIP area. You are provided with a separate densely stocked water area of 1.3 hectares, containing a large assortment of fish: trout, pike, pike perch, carp, crucian carp, sturgeon, catfish, silver carp, grass carp. Daily stocking of 5 trout. per person. TARIFF RULES:
- The tariff allows you to catch ANY fish, EXCEPT sturgeon, without a catch quota. Sturgeon is paid separately, according to the price list below.
- There is NO limit on the number of gear.
- CLUB CARDS when using this tariff are valid ONLY for services: rental of gear, goods in the store, restaurant, smoking and cleaning of fish.
- All men over 14 years old pay for the trip. Women and children under 14 years of age accompanying a man do not pay for the trip.
- All guests (without purchasing a voucher) can stay on the pond for no more than 15 minutes.
- This tariff allows you to additionally rent a gazebo with barbecue for 3,000 rubles for a full daylight hours.
- The grill is included in the price of renting a gazebo!
- Renting a gazebo is MANDATORY when fishing from the right bank of the VIP water area (area with separate walkways).
Cost of caught fish:
- Amur - 300 rub/kg
- Carp - 300 rub/kg
- Bream - 300 rub/kg
- Sturgeon — 1200 rub/kg
- Som - 450 rub/kg
- Pike perch - 650 rub/kg
- Trout — 600 rub/kg
- Pike - 450 rub/kg
Silver
Silver crucian carp lives in the reservoirs of Eastern Siberia, in the Pacific Ocean, and in rivers flowing into the Aral Sea.
To date, fish have populated many flowing and closed water bodies.
By the beginning of the second year of life, silver crucian carp grows up to ten centimeters, gaining a weight of about 30 grams. In the fifth or sixth year, he can gain a kilogram weight with a length of 30 to 40 cm.
The pharyngeal teeth are in one row, and the large, tightly fitting scales in the lateral lines number 27–33.
Crucian carp has a more elongated body, a longer intestine, and gill rakers on the first arch are also present in greater numbers than those of its golden counterpart. The caudal fin has a larger notch, and the dorsal fin is noticeably longer.
The sides and belly are silvery, and the back is dark, almost black.
Silver crucian carp can be found in large lakes and rivers, in flowing reservoirs, but it still prefers stagnant waters or with a slow flow. It loves muddy bottoms and leads a sedentary, bottom-dwelling life.
It easily survives when a pond freezes; in winter, the species is localized in deeper places. In the spring, after the ice melts, it comes out into shallow water warmed by the sun. By May-June it forms groups for spawning. And starting in autumn, it looks for places for wintering and moves to greater depths. Silver crucian carp also overwinter in groups.
It reaches sexual maturity by three to four years, and if living conditions are optimal, then even earlier, upon reaching 18 cm in length or more.
It spawns according to the same pattern as golden crucian carp; the spawning period itself lasts longer than that of golden crucian carp. Egg throwing requires a water temperature of at least 16 degrees; the female releases portions of eggs ranging from 90 to 650 thousand eggs.
Often, goldfish reproduce through hypogenesis, when only the nucleus of the egg is determined in the development of the embryo, which leads to the appearance of exclusively female individuals.
During hypogenetic reproduction, eggs can be inseminated by related fish species. For example, silver crucian caviar is inseminated with sperm from carp, golden carp, tench, loach and others. In this case, the offspring tend to inherit only the original maternal physical parameters, that is, hybrid forms cannot be obtained with such crossing.
Therefore, in the population of silver crucian carp there is usually a sharp preponderance in numbers towards females. There are populations where there are no males at all. This ratio is quite rare in other fish.
Silver crucian carp that reproduce by hypogenesis have a triple set of chromosomes, while fish with bisexual reproduction have only two chromosome rows.
The silver variety feeds in the same way as the common crucian carp, ceasing all vital activity for the winter.
The dynamics of growth also depend on conditions, but if we take it on average, the rate of gain in length and weight is low. By the age of six, with abundant feeding, it can gain up to a kilogram.
It is not inclined to long-distance migrations, but nevertheless, due to its resilience and adaptability, it has populated a fairly vast area of water.
What’s interesting : this particular variety of crucian carp is the forerunner of the goldfish so beloved by aquarists, artificially bred on the basis of its genetic material.
And from it a whole range of decorative forms of fish, varying in size and appearance, was created. It is surprising that the vitality of crucian carp allows, if the reservoir dries out in the summer, to go into a layer of silt and wait there for quite a long time until the reservoir is restored, since it can make do with a minimal percentage of oxygen.
How to distinguish silver and gold crucian carp
- Only young individuals can be effectively distinguished by color, but with older ones it is much more difficult, especially if they live in the same aquatic area. Due to its higher adaptability, the silver variety eventually replaces the gold one.
- It would be more correct to focus on the number of stamens on the gills and the number of scales on the lateral lines: the golden one has 32–35 pieces. silver 27–31 pcs., gold carp scales are smaller.
- The head shape of the golden variety has a more rounded outline.
- In small specimens of golden crucian carp, there is a dark-colored spot near the caudal fin.
- The dorsal fin of the golden species is slightly concave, while that of the silver species rises in an arc.
Features of catching golden crucian carp
Catching goldfish is not difficult. Most often you have to catch among algae and water lily leaves. You will need a float rod, a fishing line with a thickness of 0.2-0.25 mm, a mandatory leash of 0.15 mm, a hook No. 4-5 according to the domestic classification, an elongated float with good sensitivity. The baits or lures are placed in the bottom to mid-depth range.
The best bait for catching goldfish is a small dung worm or a bunch of bloodworms. In places close to civilization, golden crucian carp can be caught on pearl barley and other plant baits. But still, taking into account the fact that the main food for fish is algae and small bottom-dwelling mollusks, preference should be given to animal bait.
Read! Dough recipes for catching crucian carp
Fishing Features
Fish are caught mainly with float-type fishing rods, using bloodworms, worms, bread crumbs or pieces of dough as bait. Crucian carp reacts well to odors, so aromatization of the bait with flax, anise, hemp, mint, and laurel oils is successfully used.
In different water areas, fish differ in taste preferences.
Silver, for example, often loves the red worm.
For fishing, the deep parts of the reservoir, which border on overgrown shallow water, are preferred. Crucian carp are taken both from half-water and from the bottom layer, and directly from the surface layer. Fish is changeable in this regard, and one time it can be caught well at depth, and another time it can only be caught from the bottom. You need to find out at what level the bite begins and focus on it.
If in the middle of the summer period the catch of crucian carp is insignificant, then in the period after spawning the fishing goes simply “with a bang.”
The best time for fishing for crucian carp is morning or evening. Fishing is especially successful in good, calm weather.
Additional services
Equipment rent
| Service | Price/day |
| Set of fishing rod, stand, fish tank, landing net | 500 rub. |
| Zadok | 200 rub. |
| Podsachik | 200 rub |
| Rental of bottom gear with feeder | 1,000 rub. |
| Rental of float rod and stand | 300 rub. |
| Spinning rod rental | 1,000 rub. |
Loss or breakdown of equipment is paid at the equipment sales prices.
Baits and groundbait
| View | Price |
| Worm | 100 rub. |
| Shrimp 5 pcs. | 50 rub. |
| Corn | 100 rub. |
| Special complementary food “Successful fishing” 0.5 kg | 200 rub. |
Selling fresh fish
| Type of fish | Live (rub./kg) |
| Carp | 300 |
| Pike | 400 |
| Trout | 700 |
| Sturgeon | 1 000 |
Cooking fish
| Service | Price |
| Fish cleaning | 200 RUR/piece |
| Cleaning + grilling caught fish | 300 rub./kg |
| Smoking caught fish | 500 rub/kg |
Red crucian or golden
An individual of a copper-red hue, the color can vary from bronze to golden .
Red crucian carp have 33 scales along the lateral lines.
By the age of eight, the fish gains about one and a half kilograms of weight; young individuals have a dark spot on the body.
This is perhaps the most resilient of all types of crucian carp. It does not accept clean water without vegetation, but sometimes it is found in such areas.
The maximum weight he can gain is five kilograms . Typically, it grows best in small, food-rich waters.
What to use to catch red carp?
He loves unusual smells. Therefore, kerosene, dill, honey, and vanillin are added to porridge or bread crumbs for bait. At temperatures below 12 degrees, the bite stops.
Rare species of crucian carp
White crucian carp
Capable of gaining weight up to 2.5 kg, prefers running clean water with stable feeding. In completely overgrown reservoirs it grows poorly and slowly. The depth for optimal weight requires at least 2.5 meters, otherwise it does not gain more than 250 g of weight.
Lives in heated water areas, begins to bite when water is heated to 22 degrees, in the pre-dawn hour and before noon.
Its shape varies depending on living conditions; its color can resemble either a golden crucian carp or be a bright silver-white color. It is found mainly at the boundaries between overgrown areas of the reservoir and its deep part.
Black carp
A silvery-gray head along with a dark back and yellowish belly distinguish this species. The anal fin closer to the root is almost black. It can change color and body shape. It lives in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, in the tropical zone.
Found in bays and lagoons, both in groups and singly. Hermaphroditic variety - at the age of two to three years, all individuals are male, which later transform into females. They feed on worms, small fish, mollusks and crustaceans. The body length of black crucian carp can be up to 90 cm.
