Catches over recent seasons suggest that crucian carp are well worth targeting early in spring, but they’re by no means a pushover.
Long, biteless hours are a reality of targeting these delicate fish before temperatures really start to soar. However, if there’s one man capable of cracking a tricky water, it’s current British Record holder for the species, Julian Barnes.
The Cambridgeshire angler has superb form for catching them, and this week got his spring campaign off to a brilliant start when he landed this 4lb 3oz fish from a Surrey lake where very few crucians had been caught so far this year.
Julian admitted that the fishing had been difficult, but by sticking with his flatbed Method feeder tactics with fake caster hookbaits – the same combo that tempted his 4lb 12oz record this time last year – he banked his first four-pounder of the season. It came after he had landed ‘crueys’ of 3lb 14oz and 3lb 15oz on an earlier trip.
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