Was a second record crucian banked last week?

CRAIG Smithson’s 4lb 11oz specimen wasn’t the only British Record-contending specimen to be recorded last week as fellow carp angler Alec Dodsworth proved with the capture of this giant!

The 37-year-old was coming to the end of a three-night-stay on a midlands stillwater when he hooked into the crucian on a snowman rig fished over a bed of chopped worm and maggots. 

Alec, who’s from Wigan, landed and weighed the fish in the early hours of the morning but admitted that his scales were too big to get an accurate reading of his catch.

He said:

“My Reubens are rated to 120lb so ounces don’t register very well in the lower numbers, although the needle was bouncing around between 4lb 8oz and 4lb 12oz. 

“It was very early in the morning so I didn’t fancy ringing someone to bring accurate scales, and I was worried of having such a big crucian out of the water for so long, so I just took a few snaps and slipped it back. 

“There’s quite a few pike in this water too and I’d already lost around 60 yards of line from pike biting through my lines as they swam close to the bank.

“if I’d sacked that crucian up In the margin and a pike had attacked it and damaged it I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself.

“Just to have held a crucian of that size is more than enough for me.”

Alec’s superb catch beats his previous 1lb personal best for the species and admitted he’d go back to the water and try and target them by design.

“Catching this crucian really gave me the buzz to target different species other than carp again, so I’m looking forward to going back and seeing if I can catch an even bigger one!” 

Alec Dodsworth’s giant crucian weighed between 4lb 8oz and 4lb 12oz