Toughing It Out For Crucians: Part Two.

 The blog title above is actually fairly misleading I'll admit and heres why. This is possibly my fourth or fifth trip in the last month or so in search of miniature gold, much to my disappointment they have been somewhat difficult to locate. My reasoning behind this being only my second post on the crucian front since my exertions on Enton Mere is because they were very drab affairs.

 Yesterday, I decided to spend yet another day in search of these awesome looking creatures. The dainty lunges, followed by the motion of an ever-decreasing circle is something that I do miss. For too many hours I have sat watching for the tiny little lifts or sailing away of the float, but until yesterday sport has been very sporadic and at best it can only be described as tough, I didn't hold out high hopes on a trip with a different complexion.

 With Enton closed, Harris lake on the Marsh Farm Fishery has been my go to place for the chance of crucians. Blustery conditions on the canals would have made hard work out of a tough situation, so the vision of a relaxing day in the heat of our latest mini summer was too much to pass up.

 A nice early start for myself, Brian and Richard see us on the water and fishing just before 8am and we proceeded to get a little bed of ground bait out on one rod which was fished with a float rod, dotted down to level with the water. The other I decided to fish the pellet cone and a piece of buoyant corn which I know is quite a popular method with some anglers on the fishery.

 By 9am the temp had already reached 21c with all the hallmarks of a tough day ahead! Only a couple of fish showed by this point and anglers who had caught had their successes at dawn or up to 7am, after that sport dried right up (likely due to the sun getting up above the horizon and small tree-lines).

 Midday had come and gone without the sign of a fish or activity below the surface. All my hopes seemed to be pinned on the late-afternoon/evening as the temps would begin to drop gently and the fish could begin to feed as dusk approaches. Thankfully I didn't have to wait that long as by 3;30 I began to catch, the float being my preferred method as for the remainder of the day after a move I started to build a decent little bag.

 Obviously after a couple of tench I thought I may have to move again to try and find the crucians, however not long after my third tench I finally struck gold in the shape of a 1.14 little cracker, this was followed up by another three, weighing 1.15 and two just over the pound mark, not the monsters that I have had the pleasure of catching on other sessions but equally as pretty to hold. In perfect condition they really are one of our best looking species.

1.14

Nearly a "two".

 Laying in the sunlight, on the mat, glistening in all their glory. Angling for me is not all about the next big specimen, but this aspect of it appeals to me just as much.

My Attempt at a Classic Crucian Photograph.