Fishing for crucian carp with a float rod

For many anglers, catching crucian carp with a float rod is a fishing classic. During periods when crucian carp is catching, you can catch it without any difficulties. On the other hand, if you know exactly where the fish live, you can pull out a couple of crucian carp with the right approach even without biting. But for the most part, fishing for crucian carp is something between these two extremes. To catch, you need to experiment with tactics, bait, lures, and find the right place to fish. Let's look at how to properly catch crucian carp with a fishing rod, depending on the conditions of the reservoir and seasonal changes.

Crucian carp on a fishing rod

For the amateur, crucian carp can be caught on a float from the shore in all small bodies of water, and in large ones - in the warm season. Although, of course, in the main channel of large rivers or reservoirs it is often possible to reach its habitats only from a boat or by feeder or donk.

However, even in such water areas, quite often you can find depressions near the shore, overgrown with reeds, breaks, creeks, where there will definitely be crucian carp in the summer - if they are even present in this body of water in principle.

The determining factor here will be the fishing distance. From the shore or fishing, you can reach the desired place with a regular fly rod. In some places on small rivers, lakes and ponds you can catch crucian carp literally under your feet - among the coastal water lilies or on the near edge. We need to go a little further - we use tackle with a reel, a Bolognese fishing rod, and cast. Even further - match equipment.

In the current, if the float is not standing, you can use equipment in the half-bottom version. However, if the crucian carp stands at distances of 40 meters and further, then of course it is logical to use bottom gear rather than float gear.

Attachments and baits for crucian carp

Pearl barley in fishing is ideal for crucian carp

The choice of bait usually depends on the time of year and the type of body of water. Crucian carp is found in almost all reservoirs and its “menu” is very diverse. Their favorite baits are of animal origin. These are dung worms , bloodworms and maggots .

Dung worm , thanks to its hard skin, attaches very well to the hook. It is recommended to select young worms. Bloodworms can be used for fishing at any time of the year. It is no thicker than a matchstick in size and is a desirable food for crucian carp. We love maggots as a fish in the warm season.

In addition to baits of animal origin, you can use plant baits . This:

wheat;
corn;
peas;
pearl barley.

It is also good to use porridge :

semolina;
mastyrka;
hominy;
millet;
bakery products.

It will be good if all this can be flavored with honey, dill or anise oil.

Some anglers like to use boilies. This is a bait rig that needs to be cooked. They are called "dumplings" for fish. There are many recipes for making them yourself. Basically, they are cooked from different types of cereals with the addition of various spices, but more often fishermen resort to using store-bought boilies.

Where to look for crucian carp

Silver crucian carp, and especially its alien Amur form, which reproduces by gynogenesis (fertilization from any similar cyprinids), has already spread everywhere, especially in the south. This fish broke the stereotype that the habitat of crucian carp is quiet ponds and muddy bays. Hybrid, dushman, and in some regions - buffalo, which is wrong, since this is a completely different fish - just like the Amur silver crucian carp, which has spread virally since the 80s, is not called.

And now it is everywhere - in large rivers, reservoirs, on sand and clay, and in traditional muddy reaches. In addition, it does not sleep in winter, but thrives quite well and is even caught from the bottom. In winter, he sleeps, buried in silt, only in closed, remote ponds and peat bogs. For example, in the basin of the Volga, Don and other rivers, crucian carp lives like bream, carp - on the edges right in the riverbed, going out to the shallows in the grass in the warm season. On ponds - in thickets. On small rivers - it plies everywhere in the water area.

In addition, huge masses of migratory crucian carp from large reservoirs rise into tributaries in the spring to spawn. Some remain there, while others gradually slide back in the summer. So, now you can catch crucian carp anywhere, and the further south you go, the more. However, in closed reservoirs, especially to the north, you can still find golden, yellow crucian carp, or our indigenous sedentary silverfish, just in Sabaneevsky places, on silt and in mud, in overgrown peat bogs and oxbow lakes.

Now 9 out of 10, and even 99 out of a hundred crucian carp caught are precisely this alien Amur form. This crucian carp has spread so widely due to its adaptive ability. They catch it everywhere - in the current with donks, at depth with feeders, in the coastal zone and overgrown irrigation with a float. On each specific body of water, the choice of location is important - it determines whether there will be a catch or not. Naturally, despite some differences, crucian carp also gravitate towards warmth and thickets in the warm season. And the places for catching crucian carp with a fishing rod are standard:

In the warm season - areas with or near aquatic vegetation, the edge of reeds, shallow overgrown bays, the first coastal edge, fields with water lilies.
In cold water - lower edges, holes, snags, deep places.
Large crucian carp are also present in the grass in summer, but they can also be found in deep areas, especially on shells or snags.
In the south, the rule is blurred - where there are fish, in principle, because there is a feeding area, there is also a high probability of crucian carp appearing. And at the depth where carp or bream are caught, and in standard shallow crucian carp floodplains.
Any windows of clear water among the thickets, places near flooded bushes, fallen trees, areas with a smooth current, overgrown with water lilies are suitable for float fishing for crucian carp.
Not far from the shore, you can use a fishing rod to reach the deep-sea (relatively) lower parts of coastal dumps, tables and anomalies with differences in depth.

This difference determines the huge range of possible gear for hunting crucian carp with a fishing rod - from a short fly rod for fishing in water lilies from the shore or boat to gear for long casting, or even half-boats. It all depends on the specific fishing conditions.

Detailed article about the basic principles of crucian carp fishing: link coming soon

The best time to catch crucian carp is in the summer

Just as when choosing a place to catch crucian carp in the summer, you need to choose the time to catch it based on a comfortable temperature. And the most comfortable temperature for crucian carp in the hot season will be in the morning, evening and night, when there is no sun or when it has minimal effect on heating the water and air.

On each individual reservoir, crucian carp has its own personal biting schedule, and these schedules may vary from one reservoir to another. But it is possible to create an approximate template for the summer bite of crucian carp, it will just require slight adjustments for each reservoir.

The morning bite of crucian carp begins at about 5 am and can last until lunch, but it often stops at about 10 o’clock. Then the crucian carp has a lunch break, the sun is now at its most active and the crucian carp is resting. In the evening, the bite resumes at 17-18 hours and continues until sunset.

Then the nighttime emergence of crucian carp begins, and here it is very difficult to draw up a schedule, since the nighttime bite of crucian carp can vary greatly even in two neighboring reservoirs. So, on one of the reservoirs, night crucian carp can bite until 24:00, after which the biting will stop and there will be no bites until the morning. And on the other, it’s the opposite - there’s silence until 12 at night, and then there’s an active bite for several hours. In the same way, for example, the night bite of crucian carp in a pond can occur from one to three in the morning or at any other time interval. In almost every reservoir where night crucian carp is caught, the time for catching it is different and often constant every day.

What is noteworthy is that at night large crucian carp become more active, while small ones bite much less often. Plus, other small fish, such as bleak, rudd or roach, will not interfere until the morning. Therefore, night fishing is very comfortable and targeted.

Another thing you should pay attention to when choosing the time to catch crucian carp is the weather. You need to know if there have been any sudden changes in pressure. After all, if in one day the pressure has changed by more than 3 points, then the crucian carp begins to feel unwell and you should not count on a good bite on such days. It is optimal when the pressure does not change for three days - after three days of stable pressure, crucian carp can be very active.

But during the summer rain, the active bite of crucian carp can begin even at lunchtime. Rain saturates the water with oxygen, which is so lacking for fish at this time of year. Rain can cause an attack of hunger in large crucian carp, so powerful bites of respectable specimens in such weather are common.

If the sun stays hot all day, then the fishing hours for crucian carp can be reduced to the maximum and its activity will manifest itself only at night, early in the morning and late in the evening. If, on the contrary, the weather is cloudy, then crucian carp may not stop being caught around the clock.

The bite of crucian carp throughout the summer is, in principle, quite stable, although crucian carp are more active at the border between summer and other seasons - spring and autumn.

The right fishing rod for crucian carp

This, of course, is not quite the correct formulation - there is no fishing rod for crucian carp or roach. Well, perhaps, for large carp you need special, more reliable equipment. The tackle is adjusted to the fishing conditions - range, current, size of the fish. And it doesn’t matter who gets caught there, it’s more a matter of tactics, bait, bait. The difference in conditions determines what the fishing rod will be like for crucian carp in that particular place. Of course, we add to this the personal preferences of the fisherman.

Fly fishing rod - when a piece of fishing line is tightly attached to the tip of the fishing rod without guides.
A fishing rod with a reel - a regular one with rings and a small reel, or with a spinning reel for long-distance casting. Or even match tackle - you can cast a donkey almost to a distance, with a heavy loaded float with a long antenna.
A plug fishing rod in which, when fishing, a short rig is delivered to the fishing point and back by docking and undocking the knees. The length of such a boom can reach 10, 15 meters or more. But this is more likely not for an amateur, but for a narrow circle of athletes. The average fisherman doesn't need such hassles.
A half-bottom is a rig with a sinker of obviously greater mass, up to tens of grams, for fishing in currents where a regular float carries. Instead of a sinker, a spring feeder is often placed, which is very effective for crucian carp.

For fishing from the shore, you can use either a walnut rod or bamboo just for fun. However, telescopic blanks made of fiberglass or carbon fiber, carbon fiber, have long replaced these ancestors of modern fishing rods. And it’s inexpensive - the simplest fishing rod made of carbon fiber now probably costs less than bamboo, which still needs to be found.

Fly fishing rod

The simplest thing to start with is catching crucian carp with a fly rod. This is the easiest and most convenient type of gear for manipulation. A piece of fishing line with equipment slightly longer than the rod is tightly attached to the tip - through a plastic or rag connector. This is a modern version of a regular bamboo fishing rod, when the line was attached to the tip with cambrics, nipple rubber, or some other means.

The equipment is most often mounted in the usual, blind way, but you can also install a sliding float. Even a 5-6 meter carbon fly rod weighs 200-400 grams, and it is easy and pleasant to handle. This gear is perfect for fishing nearby areas from the shore or boat. What could be more pleasant than a kilo of crucian carp from a boat onto a float in water lilies on a light three-meter fishing rod, like a toy.

The equipment is stored on reels. Athletes have several of them for one rod - they simply install the one they need into the connector for fishing. Many amateurs have one equipment. For ease of transportation, rolling up and deployment of gear, the reel can be installed directly on a fishing rod, standard or regular plastic with voids on clamps or electrical tape. As a last resort, you can make hooks under the reel using electrical tape directly on the form, the old fashioned way. The fly float makes it possible to simply manipulate in conditions of reeds, coastal thickets, and over grass. There is no fishing line or guides on the rod - there is nothing to cling to.

Detailed article on fly rod rigging

More universal, but similar in fishing method, is a fishing rod with rings and an inertial reel. Here the reel is used to store fishing line - you can’t make long casts with it. However, the presence of a coil provides additional possibilities. When fishing, you can release the equipment slightly, or play it downstream. This option is probably even more common among our fishermen.

Fishing rod and reel

If you put a spinning reel on a telescopic fishing rod, you get the so-called Bolognese, or Italian, tackle. I don’t know why they call it that - well, we have a fashion for Western names. I fished with this kind of gear for many years before I found out that it turned out to be a lapdog. Ever since cheap plastic spinning rods for fishing rods appeared in stores.

This is an even more versatile fishing rod. It can also be caught as with the swing. However, with the right approach, even 1-2 gram floats can be thrown at a distance of about 20 meters and caught further from the shore. The equipment is also installed with both a blind float and a sliding float. If desired, the same fishing rod can be converted from a float rod into a half-bottom rod or into an amateur version of a fly rod with a heavy long-range float. An ordinary telescope from a store and a cheap reel are enough.

If you are targeting a large crucian carp with the possibility of a carp getting hooked, as long as the clutch works properly. This makes fishing much easier. Of course, if you wish, you can also buy an expensive stick or reel in order to get the “correct” gear as recommended by advertisers and athletes. There are plenty of articles and videos on topics like what is the best fishing rod for crucian carp and crucian carp on the Internet.

Detailed article - Bolognese float tackle

Match tackle

Catching crucian carp with match gear is relevant when the range of a lapdog cannot reach the desired point. In the classic version, a match fishing rod is a special fishing rod, similar in appearance to a feeder or picker rod, but without a flexible quiver tip, with a good reel and special equipment. The equipment is mounted on the basis of a match float - with a long antenna for observation from afar, a weighted lower part for aerodynamics, in a sliding version.

A correctly configured match is capable of casting to medium feeder distances, 40-60 meters. In the amateur version, in order not to buy expensive rods or reels, a semblance of such gear can be easily mounted on a regular fishing rod with rings and a reel. The possible casting distance, of course, will be shorter with such gear. But up to 30 meters it’s calm, and this is often quite enough. More about match fishing rod with float

Fishing rod rig for crucian carp

Correctly assembling a float rod for crucian carp means, of course, not only making fly tackle, or Bologna, match, etc. The type of gear rather depends on the desired range and the preferences of the fisherman. But for tactical fishing, directly, the equipment itself, floats, hooks, and weight are much more important.

The technique of catching crucian carp with a float rod in most cases involves holding the hook with the bait at the bottom, at the point with the bait. And it doesn’t matter whether we have a sliding rig or a blind one, or even a half-bottom one - the crucian carp needs to put the bait correctly. In this case, the float, no matter what it is, must clearly register the bite. Crucian carp do not always strike boldly and confidently, even in summer. Often the silver glutton tries the bait, sometimes for quite a long time.

I noticed that many fishermen have floats of 5 grams or more when fishing - I use these for catching perch with live bait. Yes, the crucian carp will pull even such a reel into an active bite. However, during periods when the bite is cautious, neat and small spindle-shaped floats, with a thin long leg and antenna, work better. Or even a goose feather with a weight, so that when the weight hangs above the bottom, about two centimeters sticks out above the surface. And if the sinker was at the bottom, the float would be in an oblique position - well, according to all the classics of the genre.

Sometimes the movement of the bait works on crucian carp - that is, when it is slightly dragged along the bottom. Even less often - in the wiring, like on a roach. Still, the basis of the float tactics for catching crucian carp is bait on the bottom, a sinker or a catch, too, or directly above it. It all depends on the fishing conditions. There is no current, there is no wind either - the hook is on the bottom, the load is above it. It blows away - we try to place the sinker on the bottom, and we need to accurately set the depth so that the float becomes askew or rises slightly from the standard position - signaling that the load is lying. Then you can clearly see the crucian carp biting on the float rod as it rises - the float rests on the water or the antenna simply rises, depending on the design.

Equipment for crucian carp can be made in any version:

Sliding;
Deaf;
Match sliding;
Half-bottom with a sinker or feeder;
Generally a jig with a summer nod.

Detailed article - equipping float rods for crucian carp

It is important that there is reliable contact with the equipment, and even cautious bites are observed. It is this factor in the rig that distinguishes a successful angler from an empty one, when the crucian carp takes it sluggishly in cold water or is simply lazy in the summer, because it is not hungry and is capricious.

For crucian carp, a basic monofilament of 0.12-0.2 mm is sufficient. For small crucian carp from a puddle, 0.1 mm is suitable. In the south, where crucian carp grow up to 1.5 kilos and above, carp can also bite - up to 0.3 mm. But usually it is 0.14-0.18 mm. This is enough to pull crucian carp of any size and non-trophy carp (provided there is a working clutch on the reel). We do not set the hooks for crucian carp - this is a misconception. The size of the hook is selected according to the dimensions of the nozzle. Usually these are sizes No. 16-10 according to the international classification.

How to properly prepare the tackle

Float fishing rods are universal equipment. Such gear is suitable for catching different types of fish. In addition, they can be used quite successfully for fishing in a variety of bodies of water (lakes, rivers, ponds). However, to get a good result, especially when fishing for fish from the carp family, the float rod must be properly and correctly equipped.

First of all, when equipping a float fishing rod, you need to correctly select the hook for crucian carp. For successful fishing, it is preferable to select hooks with a straight ring eye. The tip of the hook should be bent inward, and the fore-end should be of a standard type. Thanks to this shape, the fish will not feel the presence of a hook on the bait when biting.

To catch crucian carp with a float, it is best to equip the rod with well-sharpened black hooks. The hook size is selected depending on the size of the bait used. In addition, when choosing hooks, you should take into account the size of the fish you are fishing for. Simply put, to catch large crucian carp and when using large massive baits, you need to use large hooks.

As a rule, float rods are equipped with inertial or inertial-free reels. At the same time, most experienced fishermen recommend using spinning reels when fishing for crucian carp with a float rod. To catch crucian carp, you can select floats of any color, since in this case the color schemes of this equipment have absolutely no effect on the fishing result.

For fishing in calm waters with a slight current, small floats weighing up to 5 grams are suitable. In addition, they are better suited in cases where crucian carp fishing is carried out in shallow water, near the coastline. If you plan to catch this fish far from the coastline using long casts, then it is better to equip the fishing rod with large floats with bright colors, which will be easy to see from afar.

Expert advice

Forester Seva

Expert

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Ideally, crucian carp should be caught with the lightest possible equipment, and the lighter it is, the thinner the line should be in order to cast the tackle. Therefore, I recommend using the most delicate equipment if the target fish is crucian carp and bites, for example, from carp, are not expected. However, if you know that there is carp in the reservoir and it can periodically bite, then the equipment should be made more reliable, sacrificing lightness.

To equip a float fishing rod, as a rule, monofilament fishing line is used. The diameter of the fishing line for crucian carp depends on the size of the fish being caught. For example, for catching small crucian carp weighing up to 100 grams, a 0.1 mm fishing line is perfect. If fishing is carried out on large individuals weighing more than 800 grams (up to 1 kg), it is preferable to use a 0.14 mm fishing line (when fishing in reservoirs with strong currents, it is recommended to use a 0.16 mm fishing line).

For fishing in unknown, unexplored waters, where the average weight of crucian carp is unknown, it is better to prepare several fishing lines of different diameters for the gear, which can be replaced if necessary. A good, high-quality fishing line should have such qualities as elasticity and strength. In addition, it must be invisible to underwater inhabitants.

Tactics and fishing techniques

Fishing for crucian carp is always an experiment, even if there is a lot of silverfish, and, in principle, now is the season for catching it. The composition of the groundbait, bait, some nuances in equipment and tactics - all this is selected experimentally already on the reservoir. Somewhere it goes in a hole for a worm, in another place - in the bushes for pearl barley. In some places, fishing for crucian carp using a float rod at night, with phosphorus tips, works.

In the usual classic version, you need to correctly set the height of the float, the working descent, and correctly work with groundbait and lures. Sometimes it is necessary to use thin equipment, especially in reservoirs pressed by fishermen. It all depends on the specific fishing conditions and reservoir, as well as the season.

Clean standing water

More often you have to fish in the usual way - on a clean one, when long casting is not required. Well, or not far away - up to 10 meters, with a Bolognese fishing rod. It could just be a good place from the shore or a boat, a large gap in the vegetation, a canal, a river, a pond. Or a section with a reverse flow, a clear strip behind the water lilies.

Here nothing interferes with fishing - we test the entire arsenal of accumulated methods for catching crucian carp with a float, from experiments with baits and bait to the position of the composition on the bottom. We are experimenting with attachment methods and flavorings. You may have to look where it is coming from - closer, further, to the left, to the right. And sometimes - twitch the rig so that the bait moves on the bottom. In a small current or wave, the equipment can be slowly dragged along the bottom. On the one hand, this is good. The fish may respond better to movements. However, it is better to work with one fishing rod - since it needs to be re-cast often. And because of such dragging, the hook can get caught on something at the bottom. This is, so to speak, semi-wiring fishing.

Crucian carp in reeds and water lilies

In late spring or summer, it is better to look for crucian carp in thickets of reeds or water lilies. In ponds and stakes, where these massifs are continuous, crucian carp live there all year round. From the shore you can fish in the existing windows and clearings. Sometimes the fishing strip is cleared artificially. It’s easier from a boat - you can swim up to a specific window, clean it for the fishing rod and feed it precisely. Then move away to the required distance and fish.

For fishing in reeds, you need more powerful equipment, up to a fishing line with a diameter of 0.25 mm. This type of fishing for crucian carp from a boat using a float rod is fraught with slips and snags. Therefore, fishing with a reel is out of the question. Therefore, if the rod is with a reel, tighten the clutch brake. The fish must be quickly and forcefully brought straight into the landing net so that it does not take the equipment into the thicket. Hooking a crucian carp on a float rod in the bushes also needs to be done clearly when laying the float or starting to move to the side - otherwise it will lead.

Long cast

In larger water areas, if we don’t catch it near the shore, we try catching crucian carp by long-distance casting on a float. To do this, you need a tuned lap dog or match tackle. If a fisherman has an ordinary telescopic fishing rod, a reel for 200 rubles and light equipment, then it may simply not fly when casting. To improve the range, you need to wind the backing onto the spool so that it is filled to the top. In addition, on cheap plastic spools there are often burrs along the seams - they interfere with the flow of the fishing line, they need to be smoothed out with zero-grade sandpaper.

For very long casts, it is better to use equipment with larger floats and, accordingly, a heavier load. Then it will be easier to throw. Or even use match floats with sliding equipment.

When casting long distances, accuracy is important. The length can be limited by a clip on the spool. And in azimuth - when casting, aim at some landmark on the other side. After all, we are catching crucian carp - which means, most likely, we have fed the place. And this means that you need to get exactly into the feeding place. This is probably the main secret of catching crucian carp with a float rod on a pond, when you need to cast far. It is important to feed the point pointwise, and not over an area. And then place the equipment exactly on the baited place.

On the current

If the current is so strong that any float, even a large one, drags, then it is more convenient to use a half-bottom. Especially in the spring when the current is stronger by default. The usual sliding equipment is mounted - only with a large inline sinker, up to 10.0 grams and above, to keep it in the current. This kind of fishing for crucian carp with a fishing rod is to some extent bottom fishing, it’s just a float rod, and the float itself is present in the equipment.

The float is sliding, the sinker is heavy - so it will completely sink the float if the depth is set less. It is important to fine-tune the working trigger here. When biting, the line is pulled freely through the sinker, and the float is pulled away by the fish. Instead of an inline sinker, you can put a spring feeder or a small watermelon.

Another trick when catching crucian carp with a fishing rod in this way is that you don’t have to adjust the float at all in depth, but raise it obviously higher. When charged, it will simply hang on a line above the water. The bite will still be visible - by the movement of the fishing line, float and rod tip. This method is useful for fishing underfoot, no further than the length of the rod, in narrow channels and rivers. The equipment is not even cast, but simply lowered with the rod down into the water.

More details - fishing rod with feeder for crucian carp

Equipment for fishing with a float rod

In specialized stores you can choose a ready-made version of the tackle. It usually consists of a float rod and assembled equipment. Many fishermen still prefer to prepare their fishing tool by assembling it from individual elements. In this case, you should consider which of the floats, hooks, fishing line and rod options is suitable for this fishing.

Here you can learn how to stew crucian carp in a frying pan and in a slow cooker.

The list of necessary goods can be described as follows:

Float rod. Fly and Bolognese are considered the best options. The first option allows you to cast at a distance of up to 15 meters, and the second - at longer distances. Bolognese rods are used when fishing both from the shore and from a boat, but only thin fishing line is suitable here.
Float. Such an element for equipment must be selected based on certain factors. For example, light floats are suitable for catching crucian carp from a boat in still waters, a sample with a small antenna is taken in windy weather, and for fishing from the shore you can purchase a sliding version.
Hooks. To catch crucian carp, sellers recommend taking this product under numbers 14–17 according to the European classification or 5–7 according to the Russian classification. If you want only large individuals to bite, then you need to buy hooks with a short shank. For regular fishing, the standard option is suitable. If you purchase this element of equipment with a sting curved inward, then there will be much fewer cases when the hooked fish escapes.
Leash. When purchasing a plug or fly rod with a 0.16 mm fishing line, you don’t have to buy this product. When using a leader, it is recommended to use a thin fluorocarbon thread with a diameter of 0.12 mm.
Sinker. The choice of this product depends on the conditions of the reservoir, pond or lake. Usually a sinker in the form of an olive or a shot is used. You can also notice that ready-made versions of the rigs do not use a sinker.

Lure

Catching crucian carp correctly with a fishing rod also means feeding the point. Only in winter or early spring is bait for crucian carp not needed; here you need to accurately hit standing fish. As the weather gets warmer, we begin to use finely dispersed mixtures. Even warmer - add feed fraction - corn, millet, pearl barley, chopped worms.

To feed crucian carp, you need to take into account seasonality. If you throw a bucket of bait over passive crucian carp in cold water, then it may simply not approach such a strange point. Or just eat enough and abandon the bait on the hook. Composition and aromatics are a matter of experimentation. The capriciousness of crucian carp in this regard is known. In the south he loves sunflower cake, in the north - breadcrumbs, in Siberia - mormysh. On one body of water it goes for the smell of garlic, on another - on anise, on a third - on some kerosene, WD-40, Corvalol or Doctor Mom.

Bait and crucian carp are a separate big topic for discussion. This issue is discussed in detail in the article on proper feeding of crucian carp

Lures

The main bait for crucian carp when fishing with a fishing rod, as with other gear, is worms, maggots and corn. In cold water, passive crucian carp are attacked by bloodworms. In the summer, when small fish don’t allow us to fish with a worm or maggot, we experiment with plant baits. Steamed peas, pearl barley, corn, dough, bread, mastyrka - thousands of recipes for various attachments can be found on the Internet. The best of them does not exist - one thing works somewhere, another works in another place. Here we need to select and again experiment.

There is no exact answer to the question of what to use to catch crucian carp using float tackle. Only if a specific body of water, season, and fish preferences are known. The standard set is worms, maggots and corn. In the summer - plus peas, mastyrka, some kind of semolina mash. It all depends on the specific area.

On pseudo-sites about fishing, one list is copied, in which:

Horseflies
Gadflies
Bark beetle larvae
Caddis flies
Grasshoppers
Slugs
Some bugs
Leeches

Of course, you can catch crucian carp with this. But I can hardly imagine where to procure sufficient quantities of such bait for fishing. Just try it once for fun. Crucian carp is omnivorous. That's why it spread like that. But what he likes at this particular moment - you need to find out. In the spring, any worms usually work steadily - dung worms, earthworms, crawlers, maggots. As it gets warmer, there will also be corn, pearl barley, and steamed grain. For a well-fed summer crucian, you may need to invent some special delicacy - bread with halva, dough with cottage cheese, etc.

There are hundreds of DIY recipes for crucian carp baits for fishing with a fishing rod - there is no point in listing them. You need to select which of these works on the specific body of water where the angler fishes. But usually worms always work. Or maggot. Or corn.

Detailed article about baits and attachments for crucian carp

What can you use to catch crucian carp - bait

Crucian carp can be caught using such baits as:

Animals are living creatures smaller in size in relation to the fish itself.

Positive aspects of using animal bait:

They are located in most cases near bodies of water;
Fish bite on such bait at any time;
The catch definitely increases in the spring.

Artificial - something that can be purchased exclusively in fishing stores;

The following features can be noted:

Will provide large catches, with the right choice;
This bait can be used at any time of the year.

Vegetable - are those baits that are of plant origin, such as pearl barley, wheat and other seeds.

Advantages:

Use at any time;
You don’t need to spend a lot of money buying ingredients;
Cooking does not take much time.

Let's celebrate! Each type of bait will be described in more detail below.

Baits of plant origin

Vegetable baits that are most suitable for catching crucian carp:

Crumb of black bread, to which you should add egg yolk and a little vegetable oil.

Manufacturing method:

Remove the crumb from the bread and add other ingredients, mix thoroughly;
Form small lumps and place in a bag that should be stored in the refrigerator.

Semolina mash, inexpensive, but very effective.

Cooking method:

Pour semolina and water in a 1:1 ratio and leave for 1 hour to swell;
Stir and draw into 20 thunder syringe;
Squeeze contents onto hook.

Porridge, preferably semolina or millet, preferably boiled in milk.

Cooking steps:

Pour water over any cereal and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring continuously;
Add a little salt and sugar, let it boil;
Remove from the stove and cool, roll into balls, which should be placed before fishing.

Animal baits

Such baits include:

Maggot;
Bloodworm;
Worm.

You can purchase them:

Directly independently obtained, for example in manure or soil;
Purchase at a fishing store by weight.

Let's celebrate! The cost in the store is not high, so those who like frequent fishing can stock up for future use and store it in a cold place, so the bait will not lose its properties.

Artificial baits

The most effective artificial bait is a microjig, this equipment has a taste and smell. Edible silicone attracts fish with its shape and appearance.

Other baits should be chosen in such a way that their shape resembles worms or maggots. Preference should be given to fish of a calm color, which are more similar to the real ones. In winter, you can use foam rubber or foam plastic for fishing.

Seasonal influence

When catching crucian carp with a float, as with other gear, it is important to take into account the peculiarities of seasonal changes. Places, groundbait and bait, tactical features directly depend on the time of year and where and what the crucian carp is doing now. In early spring, it can stand in the depths and feed at certain hours during the lunch hour. In the summer, in the forty-degree heat, it’s the other way around - it may be more successful at dawn or even at night catching crucian carp with a float rod somewhere on the edge of the reeds near the edge, when the heat subsides.

Spring

In open water, the entire float fishing season for crucian carp opens in the south immediately after the ice melts. You can catch silverfish in March before the high water, almost in winter, on overgrown stakes in the bushes, in rivers in pits, in reservoirs near the mouths. At this time, the main object is small rivers. Since in large reservoirs ice breakup is usually accompanied by floods. And the crucian carp there is still far from the shore, along the riverbed.

With warming, local crucian carp become more active, and migratory carp rise upstream. When the water temperature reaches +10°C, crucian carp begins to actively feed, and at 15°C, it spawns. In April May you can get into real food. At this time, the usual bunches of worms, maggots with a corn sandwich, are already working, and not a small moth as before.

More information about catching crucian carp in spring using fishing rods:

https://rybafan.ru/poplavochnik/po-vidu-ryby/karas-vesnoj-na-udochku

Summer

All summer is the ideal time to fish for crucian carp using a float. At this time, the silverfish lives near the shore, in overgrown bays, even in large reservoirs. And in small bodies of water you can get it everywhere with a fishing rod. In warm and nourishing months, crucian carp may not bite simply because they have already eaten, and the angler did not get there when it was feeding. Here you need to study the reservoir - look for a place, a time. Somewhere the crucian carp feeds in the morning and evening, in another place - measuredly all day long. The weather also affects this. It's difficult to predict. It happened that catching crucian carp in the heat on a float right in the heat in the water lilies brought success, but a perfect quiet morning in a known right place - not a bite. A sudden change in weather can stop the biting, and vice versa - in unexpected rain, a frenzied bite can begin.

Summer fishing for crucian carp is a classic of the genre. You need to pick up the keys for the silver glutton. Besides, he is no longer hungry. Here you need to seduce the fish, put bait on the spot, lure it with a tasty bait or aroma.

Autumn

In autumn, the crucian carp moves deeper, following all the fish. There is nothing left to do in the coastal reeds. The speed of this transition varies. On ponds, for example, silverfish can stand in the reeds all year round. On rivers, most likely, from small bays, already in August you need to move to the lower shore edges, entrances and exits from holes, calm reaches. Overgrown shallow waters and rapids often seem to die out by September - all the fish are deeper. The colder the water and the closer to winter, the more relevant animal bait becomes again, as well as the live component in groundbait. Article about fishing for crucian carp in autumn

Winter ice float

Do you think it’s impossible to catch crucian carp with a float rod from the ice in winter? Ask the fishermen in the south of the European part and Siberia. There it is the main fish for winter fishing, like roach or bream. It is caught there both on the first ice, and in February, and on the last one. Crucian carp sleep in winter only in northern closed shallow water bodies with a poor food supply and a thick layer of silt.

Detailed article on Podgladnik about winter fishing for crucian carp