Club just a few years away from a record crucian

OFFICIALS behind an angling club in Wales believe they’re just a few years away from producing a new British record crucian. Around 40 fish weighing 2lb-3lb were discovered as members netted its flagship pleasure water.

Rosie Pool, in Flintshire, has long been the jewel in the crown of Connah’s Quay & District Angling Club. Five years ago it was stocked with hundreds of baby crucians in a drive to transform the lake into a premium fishery for the species.

With the help of an extensive conservation project it’s now clear that the crucians have thrived – maintaining a superb average weight per fish.

Connah’s Quay treasurer James Davies assisted with the netting of the lake and said:

“It’s absolutely fantastic to see how well the crucians have developed over the years.

“A large slice of the credit has to go to Andrew Ellis and his team from AE Fisheries.

“Andrew has assisted in the project from the start and taught us how to turn Rosie Pool into an environment where crucians and tench can thrive.

“We increased the habitat for the crucians with the introduction of lily pads, and have even removed certain fish such as goldfish and smaller fry. This is to ensure that there is no cross breeding and helps bring the biomass of the lake down.

“The result is that we now have a lake full of genuine crucians of quality size. They are even spawning, as a good number of smaller crucians were also found. “The Welsh crucian record sits at 2lb 12oz and I know we already have fish of that size in Rosie Pool, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a British record will be living here in the near future!”

Visit Rosie Pool  

ADULT annual membership of Connah’s Quay & District AC is £35, and day tickets can be purchased for £5 in advance from the Wepre Park visitor centre. For more information, including the lake’s location, visit www.connahsquayanglingclub.com