Mike Lyddon's mighty mixture
Mike with the best of his 29 crucians over 3lb.
Mike Lyddon enjoyed a red letter day when he banked his season’s greatest mixed bag... made up of crucians to almost 4lb, roach, tench and a personal-best carp.
The Gardner Tackle-backed rod spodded out a bed of groundbait at 50 yards and dropped a Method feeder over the top.
Then, in a breathtaking 48-hour stint, he netted an amazing 29 crucians over 3lb, the best of them going 3lb 15oz.
That was only part of the tale, though. Half-a-dozen tench to 6lb, stacks of quality rudd to almost 2lb, roach to 1lb 8oz and a UK personal-best carp of 34lb also muscled in on the act.
All Mike’s fish were beaten on a rig made up with 6lb Gardner Hydroflo mainline to a 4lb Mirage fluorocarbon hooklength and a size 16 Target hook.
Marsh Farm crucian scales exactly 4lb
This pristine 4lb crucian put a smile on Chris Petter’s face during a visit to the UK’s most famous venue for the species.
Godalming Angling Society’s Marsh Farm Fishery has provided countless visiting anglers with their fish of a lifetime.
Hampshire angler Chris spent a day on Johnson’s Lake, where he fished an imitation caster on a size 16 Drennan Super Specialist hook in conjunction with helicopter rigs and 4lb hooklinks.
Winning crucian pics are revealed
THE WINNERS
Crucian – Richie Martin
Specimen Crucian – Andy Lewis
Scenic Crucian Waters – John Spilsbury
Junior Crucian Anglers – Michael Ewing
Each winner was given a £100 tackle voucher, a £35 crucian-themed bucket of products from Bait-Tech and a copy of Peter Rolfe’s book about the species, ‘Crock of Gold’.
There were eight runners-up who each received the Bait-Tech bucket.
Here are the results of a competition aimed at raising the profile of one of the UK’s most iconic fish!
The photographic contest was run in conjunction with ‘Catch a Crucian Month’ – an initiative aimed at raising awareness of the troubled species – and attracted hundreds of entries.
After hours of deliberation by a panel of species experts, a stunning shot of four fish in the net caught from Surrey’s Marsh Farm by Ringwood’s Richie Martin scooped the ‘Crucian Picture’ award, while seven-year-old Michael Ewing, of Godalming, was handed the ‘Junior Crucian Anglers’ accolade.
Stockport angler John Spilsbury’s inspiring image of a traditional float next to the lily pads won the ‘Scenic Waters’ category, while Andy Lewis from Warwickshire bagged the ‘Specimen Crucian’ silverware for a 2lb 5oz fish. He said: “I think it is a brilliant idea and I entered to try to help raise awareness of true crucians. I never expected to win, but I am delighted I have.
“Unless something is done, crucians could be extinct in a decade. I think this campaign is just what is needed to provide a bright future for the species.”
Numbers of ‘true’ crucians have declined at an alarming rate in recent years due to hybridisation with other species. This is the reason the Angling Trust has teamed up with the Association of Crucian Anglers to launch the National Crucian Conservation Project (NCCP).
One of the project’s many objectives is to encourage fishery owners and clubsto stock more true examples of the species while also persuading anglers to target them regularly.
Trust Campaign Coordinator Martin Salter played a big part in the process, and he said: “We have been delighted with the response to ‘Catch a Crucian Month’ and the accompanying photo competition.
“Many entries encapsulated the charm and beauty of crucians and the delightful and intimate waters that they inhabit.
“There is no doubt that the project has inspired many clubs and fishery owners to create bespoke fisheries and think more carefully about how stocks are managed.
“I’m sure this competition will go from strength to strength in future years.”
Renowned big-fish angler Chris Turnbull has a series of big crucians to his name and is an ambassador for various schemes dedicated to their protection. He said: “They are one of the UK’s most loved summer species, but within a short space of time they have become highly endangered.
“It is really important that we work to prevent their demise, and the first step must be the education of anglers.
“This competition is a great step forward in that process.”
To find out more about the National Crucian Conservation Project (NCCP) visit www.anglingtrust.net.
Three crucian bests in one session
Carl Hill with his best of four Surrey crucians at 3lb 9oz.
Carl Hill broke his crucian personal best three times in a session with fish of 3lb 3oz, 3lb 4oz and 3lb 9oz.
The specialist from Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, visited the famous Marsh Farm complex run by Godalming Angling Society, where he hair-rigged a single buoyant imitation maggot to a size 16 hook.
This hookbait was fished alongside a Method feeder carrying 2mm pellets cast at range.
His three best crucians from the Surrey venue were backed up by another that weighed in at 2lb 14oz.
This season's biggest crucian carp
This is the picture of the biggest true crucian of the season. It topped the scales at 3lb 13oz and was banked by Korum-backed specialist Ed Matthews.
The specimen came from a little-known venue in Shropshire that Ed himself stocked with the species seven years ago.
He started his short afternoon session at Sutton Carp Syndicate in style with a brace of impressive fish of 3lb 4oz and 3lb 2oz, but the best was yet to come.
After rebaiting his spot with balls of groundbait laced with pellets and then recasting his simple feeder rigs over the top, it wasn’t long before the huge fish sucked up an 8mm Sonubaits oozing pineapple boilie.
Ed said: “I was so chuffed to have two three pounders I called my mate to come and take pictures and, as we were getting the shots, my rod rattled off again.
“As soon as it was in the net I could tell it was much bigger as it was much rounder with a higher back. I was overwhelmed, as I stocked these crucians when they were around 1in long and cared for them for so many years just hoping one day that they’d weigh over 3lb.
“Now it’s got me wondering just how big they could go."
His session-to-remember also produced fish weighing 2lb 10oz and 2lb 5oz, which were all taken on rigs that featured Korum Easy Feeders that were packed with 2mm pellets.
There are very few venues in the UK that hold genuine crucians because of the hybridisation that occurs with other fish.
Ed’s a supporter of the National Crucian Conservation Project (NCCP) which helps promote and protect the future of true crucians. Now he says he hopes the fish he’s nurtured will help inspire other fishery owners and managers to increase the spread of this popular but declining species.
“The exciting thing about this catch is how young the fish look. I hope the lake produces many more like it in what is a testing time for crucians,” he said.
“Their growth shows what’s possible. I just hope that what I’ve done helps inspire others to do the same and get on board with initiatives like the NCCP to play their part in seeing numbers of this wonderful species increase across the country.”