The Russian winter lasts a long time. Fans of open water fishing, tired of their favorite pastime, first of all in their dreams of summer imagine a float gently swaying on the surface of the water. In some ways, this is an echo from childhood, in which each of us used to begin our acquaintance with our favorite pastime by mastering a float rod.
And, you see, the first catch in open water is not at all important, what is important is the fishing itself in the spring with a float, which charges us with adrenaline for the whole season. Today we’ll talk about how to achieve unity with nature and make your first trip to the pond unforgettable.
Fishing place
Most fish spawn in shallow waters, laying eggs on underwater objects:
- small snags;
- remnants of last year's vegetation;
- stones;
- man-made objects.
This is where fishing should be done.
In grassy thickets flooded with water, the fish feel safe and actively bite.
In the very early spring, when the water has not yet arrived, it is worth examining the places where the tributaries flow into the reservoir:
- small rivers;
- streams;
- ravines;
- powerful streams of melt water.
In a large body of water, fish are drawn to such locations due to the abundance of oxygen dissolved in the supplied water, as well as in the hope of ingesting food items washed out of the soil by streams.
Catching tench with a match rod
It is much easier and more reliable to catch tench in early spring with a match fishing rod with waggler-type floats. For shallow water fishing, I consider the most popular float loading scheme to be 4+1 or 5+1 g.
Favorite feeding places for tench are located at a depth of 0.5-0.7 m. In order not to scare away the fish, you need to try to lower the equipment into the water without making too much noise. Up to 80% of the total weight of the sinkers is collected directly near the float, an intermediate weight is attached to the fishing line just below, and a small feeder is located directly next to the leash.
With such equipment you can make long casts without fear of the leash getting caught in the main line.
A very important point is the correct selection of leash length. A bait on a long leash falls much slower, which is good. But if it is too long, the fish has more freedom to maneuver, and some bites may simply not be noticed. So the leader length on my line rods is 15–20 cm.
Schemes of rigs for tench fishing
It is best to carry out the “falling” bait feeding technique in shallow water overgrown with grass with narrow-bodied floats that have a low center of gravity and a not very long keel.
Read! Fly fishing rod
Tackle
If the conditions of the reservoir allow, you can use any float, but still the main fishing rod of this season is the swing. It is the fly tackle that is most mobile, allowing you to fish both among snags and in thickets of grass.
Attention! With fly tackle it is easiest to find the required fishing horizon in which the fish is located at a particular moment.
The spring fly rod is chosen depending on the fishing conditions. For coastal fishing, it can be up to eight meters long. Wading fishing involves using a lighter fishing rod, the optimal size is 3-4 meters.
Crucian carp on a float rod in spring
Fishing for crucian carp in the spring can be done with any type of float rod. It is important that the fishing rod rig is as thin as possible. Depending on the location and fishing distance, use:
- A fly fishing rod with a blind rig or a plug;
- Bolognese float tackle with a reel;
- Match float tackle if long casting is required.
If the place has been sufficiently explored, the crucian carp stays at a short distance near the shore - the best choice would be a light fly rod with a blind rig or a plug rod. These are the fastest fishing methods. In this case, bait works most effectively; it is only important not to overfeed.
When fishing underway, it is wiser to use Bolognese tackle. It is more preferable if you are searching for fish. This is the most versatile float tackle.
On floods, for example in meadows, it may be necessary to cast long distances. Coastal sedge and shallow water often do not allow fishing under the shore - here, match float tackle will help out.
Equipment of a float rod for crucian carp
Fishing for crucian carp in early spring is carried out in rather cold water, when the activity of crucian carp is not at the highest level. Therefore, the equipment of a float rod should be thin and light, as far as fishing conditions allow.
Considering that crucian carp is a heavy fish that actively resists when fished, thinning the equipment has its limits.
Based on this, you can try fishing with equipment mounted on a fishing line with a diameter of 0.14 mm, and put 0.1 - 0.13 mm on a leash. The load capacity of the float is 1 – 2.5 grams. The size of the hook is selected according to the bait - the more compact the bait, the smaller the hook.
Float equipment:
- Main line 0.12 – 0.18 mm;
- The leash is 0.01 - 0.04 mm thinner than the main line;
- Float 0.8 – 3 grams.
The loading of the float is made adjustable with the possibility of redistributing the sinkers along the descent from a slowly falling nozzle to a quick dive to the bottom. In some places, crucian carp takes only a stationary nozzle, therefore, the load is divided into the main one and the “auxiliary one”.
The difference between coarse and fine equipment will be visible in the number of bites and catches - anglers using coarse equipment simply will not see a single bite.
Equipment
Often a flooded reservoir does not allow you to get closer to the fish’s resting place, so you have to go into the water. To do this, use wading boots or waders - waders. This allows you to fish in flooded meadows.
Overflowing rivers flood the meadows, and various fish come here to spawn. For fishing here you will need wading boots.
The second option for fishing in such places is to use boats. The vessel is placed close to the border of aquatic vegetation, and the casting of the float rod is made under the very edge of the grass.
Selection of “catchable” gear
Fish in the spring are very careful and timid, so thin, delicate and almost invisible gear to fish eyes works more effectively. But a lot depends on what kind of fish will be hunted.
The fishing line should be thin, and its diameter should be several values smaller than the summer one; it is also better to choose a smaller hook. The float used is thin, with minimal loading.
In the spring, fisherman often have to make long casts, so it is better to opt for a match or Bolognese rod. If fishing takes place near the coastline, a fly rod with a short plug shows good results. If catching fish involves constant movement in order to catch various fishing spots, arm yourself with a “telescope” - it is easier and faster to assemble and more convenient when moving from place to place.
Equipment
Fishing in spring is also distinguished by the elegance of the gear. Underwater inhabitants are still very cautious and distrustful of any rough installation. Therefore, the fly fishing rod is equipped with a fishing line of 0.10-0.12 millimeters without a leash. In another option, you can use a base of 0.12-0.14 millimeters and set a bend of 0.08-0.10.
As a rule, thicker fishing lines are used on a river than in reservoirs without a current.
Advice! The exception is carp fishing and fishing with a predator float. There, the equipment chosen is powerful - to match the likely trophy.
In the pre-spawning period, when the fish has a pronounced hunger, the equipment can be slightly strengthened. However, you still shouldn’t get carried away with thick fishing lines; the bite is noticeably better with delicate tackle.
The float on the fishing rod is also light, a maximum of two grams for still water and four for current. The load is mounted according to its weight. In this case, it is worth observing the rule of several pellets.
The presence of several pellets allows you to quickly reconfigure the tackle by moving them along the fishing line.
What places do spring fish prefer?
Promising places for catching spring fish are:
- Secluded bays, protected from the winds.
- Sunlit shallows where fish bask in the warm water.
- Places with an abundance of snags, logs, and other natural shelters.
- Water meadows. The depth of water in such places is usually shallow, the soil is enriched with natural food, and the water surface quickly warms up under the sun's rays.
Since mid-spring, the water layers have already warmed up, rapid growth of aquatic and grass vegetation is noted, schools of fish are grouped closer to reeds and reeds. Be sure to catch windows of clean water in the middle of a carpet of herbaceous plants. The depth in such places is small (about a meter), there are a lot of fish there and you can detect them even with the naked eye, or you can identify them by the rustling of reeds and characteristic splashes. Experienced fishermen use the following tactics when fishing: select several windows, feed them, and catch them one by one. Just keep in mind that additional feeding of the fishing point should be done only if the bite has completely subsided.
Read: Fishing during the ban
Before you start feeding, make sure there are no external irritants, which could well be a suddenly hanging cloud, or, for example, a sharp, strong wind.
Another feature of spring float fishing is the longer pause between the fish’s reaction to the offered food and the actual hooking. Fish in cold water are still sluggish and require more time to perform any actions. With the onset of spring, the best bite is observed in the evening rather than in the morning, because at the end of the day the reservoirs warm up more strongly.
Lure
Spring bait should not saturate the fish, it should collect it at the selected point. Therefore, the mixture should consist of 50 percent inert components - soils. You don’t have to buy them at a fishing store; you can dig them up on the shore and sift them yourself using a metal sieve.
Advice! Soil from a garden store will also work. Moreover, you can choose a different composition for buoyancy: light peat or heavy humus.
It is also necessary to include a loosening component that produces turbidity in spring bait. It can be:
- ground crackers;
- semolina;
- powdered milk;
- bran;
- coconut flakes.
Bait for catching roach in spring
Bait can have a huge impact on roach fishing in the spring. Until the water warms up thoroughly, the fish remains not too active, so it must be lured to the hooks and kept at the fishing point for as long as possible.
The main requirement for spring bait is that it should create a fragrant cloudy cloud in the water, but not allow the fish to get enough. Therefore, the bait mixture should be finely dispersed and low-calorie. To do this, all components are thoroughly crushed, and before use, river soil or sand is added for viscosity and to reduce the amount of nutrients.
The basis for bait are:
- breadcrumbs;
- sunflower cake;
- powdered milk;
- various porridges - millet, buckwheat and others;
- beans and cereals - peas, lentils, wheat, rye.
A necessary component is animal bait - chopped worms, small food bloodworms or maggots.
You can use fragrances, the main thing is to use them carefully so that the strong and pungent smell scares off the roaches. The following scents are good for spring:
- strawberry;
- banana.
- vanilla;
- garlic.
In the latter case, just finely chop a clove of garlic and add to the mixture. There is no need to be afraid here - even if there is more garlic than needed, there will not be an excess of smell.
Several bait recipes for catching roach in the spring:
Recipe 1:
- 1 cup fried buckwheat;
- 1 cup breadcrumbs;
- 50 g milk powder;
- 50 g bloodworms or chopped worms;
- Anise flavoring;
- soil or sand from a pond for viscosity.
Recipe 2:
- 100 g white bread crusts;
- 100-150 g ground sunflower seeds;
- 50 g breadcrumbs;
- 1 tbsp. l. milk powder;
- 1 tsp. anise
You can also add bait here and mix it with the soil for viscosity.
In addition to the main components, the bait mixture can be improved with various additives:
- sugar;
- cookie;
- flour;
- biscuit;
- semolina;
- hemp oil.
Lures
Features of fishing on the feeder in April
In addition to bloodworms, which are common for fish in winter, other baits are also actively used in spring;
- maggot;
- worm;
- semolina mash.
The good thing about semolina in spring is that it is very easy to flavor; spices are used for this:
- garlic;
- anise;
- dill.
It should be noted that you should start fishing without an attractant, using semolina in its natural form. Often the own smell of fish grain is quite attractive in itself.
It is convenient to insert semolina through a disposable plastic syringe.
Float fishing in the spring for crucian carp and roach - exciting fishing to suit your mood
Oh, how exciting it is to find the treasured date on the calendar when float fishing is planned for half a day, or even an overnight stay! Only here again the eternal questions are drilling into my head: to whom, and where? After all, this summer there are hundreds of options to choose from. And now, while spring has not yet really cleared up, you should have a strong hand in ensuring a chance for success.
In other words, carefully think through your plan so that float fishing in the spring becomes productive in terms of catch, and not only gives emotions and excitement. It’s a well-known fact - a fish’s lip is not stupid; every now and then it engages in “self-education” in its murky underwater kingdom, where we, fishermen, have access only through a cleverly cast fishing rod or spinning rod.
My friends, so that the joys of fishing bring a real trophy to the home table, I am ready to share with you a bit of my personal experience in the matter of float fishing. And I immediately propose a dilemma: either enter into a cunning battle with an unpredictable crucian carp, or relax and bow to the merciful roach.
Catching roach with a float rod
Both characters have their own interests, so let's look at the “personal matter” of each of us. Let's start with crucian carp. Undoubtedly - who would refuse it fried? Nobody. This dish does not get boring, does not set one’s teeth on edge, even if spring float fishing with it is associated with serious intellectual stress (oh, let me tell you, he is a cunning one, especially in the spring!).
On the other hand, roach is no less tempting - you’ll just lick your fingers, and even if you catch it with caviar, and if you dry it, there are no words for how delicious it is!.. Moreover, there are many places where you can find it in the spring, and it bites more constantly than its competitor crucian carp
I do this myself. I'm estimating my time. If time is short, I opt for silver roach. You don’t need too much time “fussing” with it, just find a more or less roach spot, and there are plenty of them, even in quarries or lakes, in any bay, and you can find it almost anywhere in the river.
On the contrary, in the spring, catching crucian carp with a float rod is guaranteed to take a whole day; ideally, you need to plan an overnight stay. Although if I have time, then, of course, I’ll prefer crucian carp. I really missed this fastidious, fickle handsome man during the long winter.
Catching crucian carp with a float rod
Although we must give him his due, before spawning in the spring he shows some loyalty to our brother the fisherman - he allows himself to be seduced and caught. True, to guarantee you should have a whole solitaire of delicious baits with you. Honestly, if, due to being busy, spring fishing for crucian carp with a float rod does not work out, I always regret it. I think - how is he there alone, without me? But okay, it’s not me, but there will be someone else who is eager for crucian carp fishing.
Most fishermen are faced with the following problem: to find crucian carp, you will have to leave the city limits, and it is not a fact that you will be able to catch it. You can immediately “get on the trail” and catch a fortune, or you can waste time and fuel, and you won’t even smell the crucian carp.
After all, this is not like catching roach with a float rod on spring days - crucian carp is a cunning fish, it all depends on his mood, and at any moment he will bury himself much deeper and more inaccessible. But it’s okay, we also have our own tempers! We are happy to puff, but still try a landing net on his head. The main thing is to study the habits of crucian carp, know and understand them.
I’ll say it straight away: I refuse to use bait, but float fishing for crucian carp in the spring does not require this at all. But the roach, on the contrary, really loves this thing, so that some tasty treat will fall on top. Breadcrumbs work best, I have found. If you mix them with the ground, you get a cloudy trail, in such an environment the roach reveals all its secrets at once. Yes, regular sand will do too, it will still respond, dear.
Fishing from the shore in early spring
Now let's talk about attachments. As for the crucian carp, in the spring it is greedy for meat treats. Both maggots and worms of all breeds and stripes, and a mixture of them will do, and he won’t refuse bloodworms either. But with bread bait, spring fishing for crucian carp with a float rod will be completely empty.
Although, again, I am just sharing my personal experience, you may have a different opinion. If you look at it, we are not talking about a crocodile - but just about crucian carp. Perhaps he won’t even disdain to treat himself to baked goods if he’s in the mood, but I just noticed that he’s really greedy for meat this season, so why take the risk.
As for roach, here’s the thing: a meat “bizk” happens, but more often it’s as simple as shelling pears: I took some dough with me, put it in a syringe and squeezed a drop out, no hassle, no need to get sophisticated in sculpting. It’s even better to work on the “basis”. We take a piece of a lean worm, burdock or the same bloodworm, maggot... And we make dough on it. In short, on a raft you should also have a well-thought-out arsenal of bait with you, and not just something that came to hand by chance.
And finally, our conversation has come to fishing rods. 5-meter ones are equally suitable for roach and crucian carp. I recommend stocking up on one hard one with a “meat grinder” and rings, and another - a more delicate device, for swings at close range, without rings. It will be easy to operate in narrow “windows”, along the edge of reed growth. You will use one or the other, or even both, depending on the circumstances.
The main difference between float fishing in the spring for crucian carp and roach is the leash and hook. The roach will go for number 3–3.5 (with a fishing line 0.10–0.12 mm thick). As for crucian carp hunting, I confidently recommend hook number 3–4 (I recommend fishing line with a thickness of 0.17–0.18 mm). And don’t forget about the length: for crucian carp the line length is 20–25 cm, for roach fishing 40–50 cm. Yes, one more thing, friends. I almost forgot about the jig. The roach somehow ignores it, but comrade crucian carp, no, no, and grabs it with its entire mouth, keep that in mind. Well, in general, don’t forget about proper camouflage this season, it’s not for me to teach you...
Now let's talk about finding places. As I said at the beginning, roaches can be found everywhere. Just feed it a little and watch, throwing the tackle. If there is, then there is, stay here, you will get a catch. But you shouldn’t expect her in the reed thickets and reed wilds in the spring, cramped conditions are not to her liking, don’t even waste your time.
The issue of crucian carp is more difficult to resolve. As mentioned above, spring crucian carp goes completely wild. Sometimes you try to pull him up with falling complementary foods - a dead number. He loves to play hide and seek. The main thing here is to figure out where it is, observe, trace, calculate. He is not averse to hiding in the thick of things, he likes to be secretive, and then suddenly stick his head out and inquire if there are any interesting offers for him.
Sometimes it’s quite the opposite - I noticed it on vast shallows when they begin to warm up in the sun. True, the crucian carp tries not to detect itself, but experience helps. A funny trick can await you in the spring: a whole school will rise to the surface to take a sunbath. And they seem to be beautiful, I don’t want to catch them. But no. They don’t react to food, because they have something else to do - procedures in the solarium!
True, there is one place where there is definitely no point in catching crucian carp. This is depth. There are a group of individuals whose brains are clearly frostbitten from the winter. The gaze is absent, the movements are aimless, the state is unwell. Those fish that are more nimble scour the young algae on the warming shallows.
Yes, by the way, the roach also loves the same habitat during this season. The first spring bugs appear here, so there is something for the roach to profit from. At this time, the young cane, and other plants, are abundantly covered with a rich food supply.
I have repeatedly heard from some fishermen that supposedly crucian carp willingly feed on young shoots of spring plants. True, such storytellers never provided any arguments. And I don’t understand where this information comes from. For me, if they “touch” the vegetation, it means nothing more than eating boogers and various insects on them, and not shoots at all. Another thing is how the roach behaves. She has young seaweed on her menu and it seems to have a place of honor. You don’t have to go far - when cleaning, you’ll open the belly, and it’s full of greenery. So to speak, the material evidence is indisputable.
Now let's talk about spring carp in general terms. Personally, in my circumstances, the situation is such that the choice is small: either circle around lakes on the site of former peat bogs (which happens more often), or go to warm canals (which happens less often). Although lake fishing produces more “thin” crucian carp, it will be remembered for a long time and is an exciting activity.
I noticed this moment. While the little pot-bellied fish are sleeping in their cradles (I mean fish the size of an average bay leaf), at this time individuals with a good weight standard are looking for food, and among them there are also very snouty specimens. By the way, I have more than once seen “shot sparrows” among these tough guys - with their lips torn off from the hooks.
On the lakes, the downside is that the crucian carp here is a little shy - in clear water the whole crowd will notice how one of their relatives was caught and taken up. Instantly all the brothers will hide in their closets, and they will sit there for a long time. Only sophisticated camouflage and super-quiet behavior will give a chance for repeated success. In short, this activity is not for the impatient. At night - yes, it’s a different matter, the animation is much different. The problem is that it is uncomfortable at night in the spring, and the fishing ban only allows daytime fishing.
If a crucian carp gives you a ride like this a couple of times in a row, you are unlikely to want to continue. As a consoling alternative, fishing for roach on a float rod with a guaranteed, easier catch is ideal. However, everyone decides for themselves whether to continue persistently attacking the crucian carp, or switch to roach.
I personally know my character. I'll finish it to the last. Here's one example. Once I threw it 6-7 meters to where someone was quickly butting a young reed - a crucian carp, my dear. More precisely, he threw it a little further and began to bring it towards him. An active false bite immediately worked. This is how the “bloodsucker” crucian carp behaves. It will hide, then after 2 hours it will be twenty-five again! — pretends to be actively pecking. I was about to spit on him, but then a breeze blew in, created ripples, and the crucian carp were caught. They started biting actively, the catch was excellent that time.
I also suddenly remembered a story about roaches. One evening I sat down in splendid solitude, choosing a place with a dense bottom and an edge of algae. I figured it was about two meters deep, fed the roach, and cast the fishing rod. I immediately caught 4 and then 2 more good individuals. And silence. In the depths I feel our lady acting mannered, touching the nozzle, and that’s all. I moved the sinker, shortening the leash to about 1 meter depth. What started here! There was no end to the bite.
I advise you to always do this in the spring: change the depth, because roach often walks at different depths (or even at half-water). The main thing is to “tune in” to her roach “wave”, and things will go well. Let me summarize this: both roach with its accessibility and crucian carp with its capriciousness are equally good and attractive. You always have a choice according to your mood, it's up to you to decide.
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Catching certain types of fish
Bream
Fishing for bream in the spring with a float rod is most favorable on sunny days. Moreover, it has been noted that in standing reservoirs it is much easier to find or collect fish for bait than on a river. The fact is that spring meltwater can significantly change the topography of the river bed, which leads to a change in parking areas.
In any case, on the river you need to examine locations on the border of currents, places with pronounced backflows, entrances and exits from bays.
It is best to look for spring bream in shallow bays, where they come in anticipation of spawning. If there are few such places in the reservoir, depths of 1.5-2 meters should be examined.
Attention! Together with the bream, its usual companions are often caught: sopa, silver bream, blue bream. In the upper water horizon, a bite of sabrefish may occur.
The bream are fed with small balls, the consistency of which allows them not to crumble when moving to the bottom.
Roach
You need to look for roach in the spring near the shores, where they come to bask in the sun and profit from what the melt waters brought into the reservoir. And in general, the sorog will most often be found in the warmest places. Experienced fishermen even take a thermometer with them when fishing, which they lower into the water and attach to the equipment.
It is advisable to feed roaches in the spring with dusty components. One of the best options would be a mixture of ground crackers and small bait bloodworms.
In the spring you can hope for solid specimens of roach.
In the upper fishing horizon, rudd or bleak can be caught along with roach.
crucian carp
This popular fishing object behaves in the spring in a similar way to other cyprinids. It rises from the depths to the shores, looking for warm areas heated by the sun. It often happens that the crucian bite begins 2-3 hours after sunrise.
Closer to spawning, crucian carp become even more picky. On the one hand, it can peck at any bait, on the other hand, it is difficult to gather it with bait to a certain place. The fish loiters along the shoreline, literally approaching the angler’s feet.
Taking into account the above, we recommend catching crucian carp in the spring with 2-3 fishing rods, which need to be cast at close but different distances from the shore.
Of the baits, semolina with garlic or maggot is preferable.
Perch
Catching perch in the spring with a float rod is also possible. Small sailors will peck well on a dung or earthworm, a leech or a snail. Large fish can be tempted with live bait in the form of a top-water bait or a small bleak.
The worm must be planted in a bunch. Even the mouth of a large perch will be happy with such a piece.
Perch is a mobile fish, so it is practically not tied to a specific place in the reservoir. Its predatory nature forces it to move to places where small fish accumulate, precisely in places where the fry fatten, and it is worth looking for the striped robber in the spring.
Catching crucian carp in the spring on a feeder
If the crucian carp is located at a great distance from the shore, you can catch it using feeder gear. Fishing for crucian carp on a feeder in the spring differs from the summer in that it is more delicately equipped and has less nutritious bait consisting of small fractions. Before and after the spawning of crucian carp, to catch large fish, you can use flat feeder type equipment.
In order not to overload the page with text, we will leave here a video for beginners to master feeder fishing. In addition, below you will find practical advice on feeder fishing for crucian carp in the spring from experienced fishermen.
The ABCs of feeder fishing:
