Fishing for crucian carp in April is controversial. Spring in the regions comes in different ways, and crucian carp is a heat-loving fish. What affects the bite, where to find and what to catch crucian carp in April.
Features of the behavior of crucian carp
Crucian carp is tenacious and not picky about the habitat, but the fish is cautious, capricious, picky. It is tolerant of oxygen deficiency and pollution of the reservoir, lives in stagnant water and in weak currents. Gluttonous, but active only with a rich food base. Its energy is also determined by the temperature of the water:
- cold – crucians fall into a stupor;
- with the onset of warming, a trifle comes out of suspended animation, but is still sluggish, practically does not eat;
- when warmed up to + 7 – 8 ° С, large individuals begin to “come to life”, rise from winter pits, move to coastal zones for food.
It is sensitive to changes in atmospheric pressure, wind, air temperature. The weather in April is changeable and the crucian carp behavior is also changeable, until the middle of the month the bite will be unstable.
Note! If there is warm sunny weather for several days with an air temperature of + 10 ° C, then the water of small ponds and lakes will warm up in 4 – 5 days, fishing will be successful.
Where to look for crucian carp in April – from ice and in open water
April is mid-spring, but ice remains in the northern waters, even night frosts occur, crucians still remain in wintering grounds here. In large water areas with a rich food base, they
fish out passive crucian carp from the ice . Finding their sites is easier if you know where they pecked in the fall. They definitely stayed here or nearby. These are heaps, holes near the shoals near the reeds.
maggot or
bloodwormto the dregs. They play it smoothly, without jerking, with long stops. Often silvery bites on a standing bait. It is important to make an accurate and timely hooking when he, after unsure jabs, takes the float away.
Important! Crucian carp is still fastidious! Don’t use harsh scents, they scare him away when fishing under ice.
In the central and southern parts, April is the time of awakening after winter. Nature has revived considerably. The reservoirs are open, the water in the spills is warm and clean. The crucian carp has also revived, it actively moves in search of food.
Fishing for April crucian carp is, first of all, its search… The crucian carp has special habits, specific paths of movement, feeding places, which the “crucian” needs to know. Flocks approach the coastline. There is enough food here: growing algae and vegetation, awakening caddis flies, crustaceans, larvae. Cautious fish hide in thickets of reeds, cattails, near snags, near snags. Digs in the silt, getting food from both steep banks and gentle ones. It is easy to find it – by the bubbles rising above the surface, cast your line and catch. If the parking place is not visible, they search at a depth of 2 – 2.5 meters with the help of a feeder, casting with a fan, or with a donkey, dragging the tackle from time to time until it bites. The equipment for passive crucian carp is sensitive, their bites are barely noticeable. The parking lot is lured to keep the school in place for some time. Large individuals are often taken in April.In the south, in the last days of April, pre-spawning games already begin. Crucian carp enters coastal backwaters and river floods, up to a depth of 20 – 30 cm. We attract the flock with a bait, not forgetting that he sees and hears perfectly. Pecks and golden appearance.
We catch crucian carp with any suitable tackle with a more convenient fishing tackle. A float rod is suitable near the shore
, in reed windows, near drowned people – with a side nod. For long distance casting, it is better to use a
feeder or donk.
What it bites on – baits and baits
Crucian carp, although gluttonous, is unpredictable. There is no optimal bait option. Its taste preferences depend on the food base of the habitat. In the spring, he needs high-calorie food. The best bait will be a medium-sized bloodworm, shitik or other bottom living creatures of this reservoir.
Advice! Stir up the muddy bottom, surely someone will be found.
maggot , and sometimes by a double bait: a
worm and a grain of
corn… Going for a crucian carp, stock up on several options for lures and baits. His tastes change repeatedly, but while he is biting on one bait, it is useless to try the other. Salt the fish in advance, preferably the day before fishing. The bait abandoned from the shore scares off the crucian carp, it will not come back soon. The bait is prepared from small particles: semolina, bread crumbs, ground legumes or other cereals. An obligatory ingredient is an animal component. Diluted with water from a lake or river right on the shore. Bottom soil is also added. Among the aromas are honey, garlic, vanilla, anise. Crucian carp will attract only a faint aroma, a sharp one will scare away. Towards the end of the month, a lot of growing greenery appears in the water. Crucians become completely unpredictable, capricious.
Advice! In stagnant reservoirs with a large amount of silt, use a light loose bait, it will stay at the top longer, and will not drown in the silt. On the flow – viscous, the ball will not wash out longer.
Tackle for fishing
Despite the good appetite, it is not so easy to catch a crucian carp. The main thing is to choose the right tackle, relative to the place of the flock. It is important to practice careful feeding of the bait, as it is very shy and moves frequently throughout the day. The rig in April should be:
- inconspicuous – the crucian is careful;
- sensitive – fish bites are uncertain, weak.
Better to use multiple gear. Try different methods, for example, on the same line, 2 hooks with a distance of 50 cm from each other with different baits. This technique also allows you to reveal the working depth.
Features of catching crucian carp with float tackle
A float rod needs lightweight, maneuverable. It is easier to change location with her. It is indispensable for active biting, often used in April. Ideal fishing points:
- flooded meadows;
- reed windows;
- drowned areas:
- border of reed and open water in shallow rivers, ponds, lakes;
- at a depth in river beds with steep or gentle banks.
The main thing is to be able to approach from the shore. Casting depth up to 2 meters, distance from the shore up to 11 meters. Rod
flapping or
Bolognese , depends on the availability Karasin pack. It should be light and flexible to absorb the jerks of large fish, with an average length of 5-7 meters. Crucian
Matchand a plug-in rod is used on large bodies of water with long distance casting. The feature of the plug is noiseless, it would be useful to lower the bait and would be useful when catching shy crucian carp, but in April, bulky equipment will only create inconvenience, too often you have to change the location. In the spring, the angler is saved by the sliding rig, it allows you to carefully lay the float in the fishing point. The line is inconspicuous, but not too thin. The best option is to use monofilament as the main thread Ø 0.2 mm, for the handwheel up to Ø 0.25. Leashes green or blue Ø 0.14 – 0.18 mm, length 10 – 25 cm. The float is responsible for the sensitivity of the bite. It is chosen lightweight 1.5 – 2 grams, fusiform, with one or 2 rings.
It is loaded with maximum sensitivity. 
Important! The bottom of the float is dyed dark to make it invisible to fish.
Below the float, 2 lead pellets are installed, which restrict the movement of the float and load the tackle. His body should be completely immersed, only a small bright tip remains on the surface. The hook size depends on the estimated fish size and the bait used. For the worm – with a long forearm, other attachments – a sharper bend, No. 10 – 16.
Important! In the spring, only starter feed for crucian carp is used. Throwing the bait during fishing is not worth it, the fish gets scared, leaves.
- choice of location;
- starter feed;
- casting bait;
- periodic pulling of the nozzle;
- sweeping;
- playing fish.
Driving the nozzle along the bottom with a weak bite is considered more effective, even if there is a hook option. Taking into account the specific bites of the crucian carp (he uncertainly takes the bait, pushing or biting), the hooking is done smoothly, after the float leaves the water or a strong pull to the side. The rod is pulled up so that the float is raised by 20 – 30 cm, then the fish is smoothly pulled out. It is recommended to take specimens of more than 100 grams with a landing net, crucian carp have tender lips, the danger of breakdown and loss of fish increases.
Feeder fishing
During April fishing, anglers often use a lightweight
feeder (50 g / 3.3 m). The water is still cold, crucian carp often stands still, you need to look for it. Finding a place depends on the type of reservoir:
- lakes, ponds – coastal shallow water, vegetation boundary, reed windows;
- rivers – near edge, coast with vegetation, points of calm water, oxbows, coastal holes.
It is better to approach the fishing site from the leeward side. Due to the circulation of cold and warm water in these places, the fish behave more actively. On warm sunny days, shallow waters at a depth of up to 2 meters are preferred. In cool weather – the fish goes deep into pits and dumps. Carp stops
In the spring, you cannot get stuck on one point, you need to move.
The tactics of fishing with a feeder in the spring is less tempo, they must wait for time between casts. Having chosen a promising place, there is a massive feeding of fish without further feeding. After a while, casts are made with an empty feeder or sinker no more than 15 minutes later. 2 feeders are also used. One rod creates a stern spot, the other makes a reconnaissance pass at different points, but also with long pauses. If it doesn’t bite, you need to look for another place.
corn, dough, bread. The equipment of the feeder allows you to catch the slightest bites of a neat crucian carp, make a competent hooking, and successfully fish even a trophy fish. There are many options. Fishermen are resourceful people, experimenting, everyone is trying to find their own comfortable productive equipment. An individual version is selected for each reservoir. Paternoster is considered the most popular for carp.
Bottom tackle
This tackle is used in warmer water, when the crucian carp is already active or does not yet float. Donka is especially good on the current, or windy weather, when float bites are poorly visible.
A sharp hooking upwards threatens to break the crucian off the hook due to water resistance.
Nozzles – maggot, caddis flies, mayfly larva. The feeding of the fishing site is optional, but it will not be superfluous either. Privada – with the presence of an animal component. Throw in small balls so as not to frighten off cautious fish, preferably on the eve of fishing.
Catching on the side nod
Immediately after the ice melted, fishing for crucian carp with a fishing rod with a lateral nod to the jig was successful. The nodding tackle allows you to fish both common fishing spots and hard-to-reach points. This is a 5 – 7 meter telescopic fishing rod, at the end of which a specific device is fixed – a nod. It is located perpendicular to the rod and is directed to the side. This arrangement allows the fisherman to track the smallest carp “game”.
- smooth ups and downs with swaying;
- pauses;
- tapping and dragging along the bottom.
A bite can occur at any time during the game. The nod bends or sways sharply. It all depends on the mood of the crucian carp. Fishing for crucian carp in April is an exciting activity. The unpredictability of the crucian carp, the use of various tackles, adds excitement to the angler.
