The water in the coastal zone, warmed by the first rays of April sunshine, beckons the crucian carp to swim out from the depths and warm up. Therefore, the belief that it is better to catch peaceful fish only in the summer months is completely unjustified.
April is one of the best periods to enjoy not only beautiful weather and the absence of sultry heat, but also to enjoy catching peace-loving crucian carp.
The main thing is to thoroughly prepare for fishing and study the taste preferences of fish in the spring months.
Fishing for crucian carp in April will give you a lot of fun!
Where to go in search of crucian carp in the spring? Arriving at the reservoir, you should study the coastal zone in detail and choose the most successful place for fishing. Among the main habitats of fish are:
- small pools where algae grow - it is in them that the crucian carp looks for food;
- quiet shallow areas of water with islands of reeds or cattails;
- coastal zone with flooded trees and low vegetation;
- bay exit areas.
Fishing for crucian carp in April with a float rod occurs in the morning (from 06:30 to 8:30) or in the evening (from 19:00 to 21:00).
Sometimes active biting can be observed at night. Despite the fact that the fish does not always get hooked as quickly as we would like, almost all specimens are quite large in weight.
April fishing for crucian carp with a fishing rod
Spring warming awakens an active desire to spend time near the water.
Catching crucian carp in April with a float rod will allow you to combine business with pleasure. After all, the activity of crucian carp at this time is high, and its gastronomic qualities are known and respected by fishermen. It is very popular among fishermen to catch crucian carp in the spring. Since it is at this time of year that crucian carp is one of the most common fish that can be caught in any body of water.
Crucian carp is not a picky fish, which is found in both small and large, both in clean and muddy water sources. A fish such as crucian carp can grow up to 2 kilograms in size. However, it can be caught with a regular float rod. Today, everyone can find any gear in a fishing store in their city, choose a fishing rod and other gear to suit their taste.
Bait for catching crucian carp
What bait to choose for catching April crucian carp? The answer is obvious! After the winter cold, crucian carp prefers:
dung or earthworm (be sure to bait it carefully so that it retains its mobility);- maggot;
- mask.
Since the taste preferences of fish may change, it is recommended to take several types of bait with you so as not to be left without a catch. It is advisable to feed the fish several hours before fishing. The ideal option for bait would be:
- a mixture of soil (from the bottom of the reservoir) and bloodworms;
- pearl barley;
- store-bought bait mixture for crucian carp.
Where to look for crucian carp in April
When the ice melts on reservoirs in early spring, crucian carp swim away from their wintering grounds and begin to feed very actively. He really likes places with warm water and plenty of food. In early April, it can be found off the shores of a reservoir at a depth of 25-110 centimeters. If we talk about the second half of April, the crucian carp swims further and further into the depths and moves away from the shores.
Read also: Where and how to catch crucian carp in early spring
Where to catch crucian carp in April using a float rod:
- Places overgrown with reeds and algae (up to one and a half meters deep)
- In coastal areas heavily overgrown with grass or reeds, which are prone to flooding during high water
- Curved, high places where crucian carp can find shelter in times of danger
The most frequent bite usually occurs until mid-May. After May, crucian carp begin to spawn, and subsequently very small crucian carp are found.
Crucian carp in spring
The stability and intensity of the crucian carp bite in April depends on a number of natural factors. The latitude of the region, the speed of the onset of spring, weather changes - these points do not coincide from year to year. You need to focus not on exact dates and incomprehensible biting calendars, but on natural changes in a particular year.
One year, especially in the middle zone, there may be ice on reservoirs in April. In this case, it will be winter fishing for crucian carp on the last ice. However, the further north you go, the fewer crucian carp, and if there is one, it most likely sleeps buried in the mud. In the south of the European part and Siberia, the last ice in one year occurs in February-March, in another - without it at all, and in March along the banks it is already caught with a summer fishing rod or donka.
When thinking about fishing for crucian carp in April, you need to focus primarily on the water temperature. Usually crucian carp begins to become active when the reservoir warms up to at least 7-8 degrees. If the temperature is lower, you will most likely be able to find him in the pit, half asleep. You can catch it with neat gear and small baits. However, this is not a rule. On southern rivers and reservoirs, even in severe winters, the hybrid is caught from the ice, and in the spring it goes upstream, sometimes through cold water, and is sometimes caught.
- Globally, the bite becomes more active at a water temperature of 10-12 degrees. This is the temperature cutoff that affects the tactics of catching crucian carp in the spring.
- If it’s colder, this means catching passive crucian carp, often in pits, using thin equipment, small animal baits, and being extremely careful with bait.
- If it’s warmer, there’s classic fishing for active crucian carp, including using corn or other plant baits, with the active use of bait and experiments with aromatics.
At a water temperature of about 15 degrees, crucian carp spawn, and not all individuals at the same time - so the bite continues. In some places it’s not just a bite, but a real glutton. This activity continues for some time after spawning, until the end of May-June, gradually turning into summer fishing for well-fed and capricious crucian carp.
How to equip a float rod?!
The correct gear and equipment significantly increases the chance of catching a good crucian carp. Even an ordinary street with a float has various variations designed for different fishing conditions.
Choosing a fishing rod
For catching crucian carp in April, there are four rods that are most convenient:
- Fly fishing rod - a fishing rod with the smallest number of elements, there are no rings or a reel, the fishing line is attached to the end of the fishing rod. The casting distance depends entirely on the length of the fishing line attached to the rod barrel. A 4 meter length is suitable for crucian carp.
- Match fishing rod with a huge number of rings, as well as a built-in reel holder. With this rod you can cast a line to a greater length, but only if the reel has a smooth stroke.
- Bologna is a simple and cheap fishing rod. It has built-in rings and a reel holder, which makes it possible to fish at any distance. The most popular fishing rod among beginners and amateurs, as it is very easy to learn. The best rod length for catching crucian carp is four meters in length.
- Plug - unlike the previous rod, this tackle is intended for professional fishermen, due to the fact that it requires certain skills in operation. It is a fishing rod that is assembled from different parts and can reach a length of sixteen meters. There is no spool holder, and there are no rings either. The fishing line is attached to the end of the rod as in the fly rod. However, despite all this, the plug fishing rod has one huge advantage: this device makes it possible to very quietly and accurately lower the hooks into the water, thereby allowing you to catch wary crucian carp in early spring.
Read about catching crucian carp in spring with feeder gear
Also, when choosing a rod for catching crucian carp, you should pay attention to what material the rod is made of. The material must be flexible and strong. For example, made of fiberglass.
Coil
The choice of a reel for catching crucian carp in April with a float rod primarily depends on the rod on which you will place it. Any reel is suitable for a Bolognese rod. For a match reel you need a reel that has a good brake.
fishing line
In early spring, crucian carp are always very careful, so you need to choose a fishing line that is very thin and inconspicuous. The best choice is fluorocarbon thread 0.12-0.16 millimeters.
Choosing a float, weight and hooks
- For a match fishing rod, you should choose a float weighing from 12 to 15 grams.
- For plug and fly rods, floats up to one gram are needed, since noiselessness is very important for these rods.
- Bolognese fishing rods require floats from three to five grams.
Read more about how to equip a float rod here
It is best to use small lead shot as a weight, which should be secured at the very end of the fishing line. Their weight depends on the float.
You should choose small hooks, as large ones can scare the crucian carp. The best hook size according to the international chart is ten.
Search for a place
The main dilemma after arriving at an unfamiliar body of water is where the crucian carp is now and in what condition, whether it is standing in holes or climbing under the shore and in the bushes. On shallow overgrown ponds and stakes it is easier - it is always in the reeds or next to them, since there are no other places here. On rivers you need to look - both in the riverbed, and at the exits from pits, and on coastal shallows.
Whether crucian carp is caught in April in this particular body of water depends entirely on the combination of the factors described above, timing, and water temperature. Therefore, if the place is unknown, when fishing for crucian carp in early or mid-April, while it is cold, you should not feed in the first place you come across and wait, it is better to look. You can also search with a feeder with a bottom - do not create a bait spot, but cast in a fan with a weight, sometimes dragging it a meter or two until you find a bite point.
Another thing is fishing for crucian carp at the end of April, when it is already clearly warm and the silverfish are active, and this is known to the fisherman. Then you can safely feed the zone and wait for the fish to approach.
This usually happens to fishermen who constantly visit the reservoir in the spring to fish for crucian carp. The first catch of crucian carp in April is at the beginning of the month, in cold water (and in the south - in March), when the silverfish begins to move and feed, often at depth. By the end of the month, it is already in the bushes, on larger bunches of worms, and not a couple of moths.
Fishing for crucian carp in April on a pond with a depth of no more than a meter or two, both at the beginning and at the end of the month - in the reeds, especially if there is at least a meter deep under them. But the principle is the same - in cold water you need to look for standing fish and slip bait under its nose. As the weather gets warmer, we attract the flock to a convenient point with the right bait and bait.
After activation, the search locations are standard:
- Shallow bays overgrown with reeds, cattails, and pondweed.
- Vast bays with roughness and mud, with depths of 1-3 meters, where young reeds begin to sprout.
- Water meadows.
- Entrances and exits from narrow bays and oxbow lakes.
- Any coastal zone near reeds.
- In rivers there are quiet areas, coastal zones, spits and transitions from deep to shallow, general standard fishing spots for spring.
- Overgrown shallows with depths of up to 30 cm - sometimes the silverback warms itself by moving through such places.
- For early crucian carp - holes, exits, edges, returns with depths of up to 6 meters. On large rivers in the channel - under the edge, on reservoirs - medium depths not far from the shore, with groundings. On rivers and canals with trough-shaped terrain - on small uneven surfaces or along the main shaft.
- In large reservoirs, especially in the south, there are coastal zones and large river bays, into which the hybrid will spawn with further warming.
Techniques for catching crucian carp in April
Fishing for crucian carp from April to mid-May is very simple. After choosing the place where you decide to catch crucian carp with a float rod
- cast a fishing rod with attached bait
- wait for the catch
- You can fish with several fishing rods; the main thing is to carefully monitor the floats.
The fish should be pulled out gently and slowly, as crucian carp have soft lips and they break off easily. Be sure to have a landing net of convenient length. The cage can be used either metal or from various nylon and synthetic materials.
Tackle for crucian carp fishing
At the very beginning of a fishing trip, a fisherman is often faced with the question of what fishing rod and equipment to take with him. Fishing for crucian carp with a fishing rod requires the following gear:
fly rod (length 6 meters will be most suitable);- fishing line 0.14 - 0.18, which has a strength of no more than 3 kg;
- hook No. 5 - No. 10 (be sure to take good quality hooks to minimize the number of fish hatches);
- a very light white float with a painted top (made from a goose feather that has proven itself to be excellent).
