Carassius carassius · Also called Crucian
A small, round, buttery-gold carp with no whiskers. Shy, delicate bites make true crucians a cult favourite.
🏆 British record: 4 lb 14 oz (2.212 kg), Barham Syndicate Lake, Ipswich (2024)
Short, deep and round, with buttery-bronze flanks and a long, rounded (outward-curving) top fin. No barbels at the mouth.
Many 'crucians' are really goldfish or hybrids. True crucians have a convex top fin, no whiskers at all and often a dark spot at the base of the tail when young. Brown goldfish have a straighter top fin; F1s and carp hybrids have small barbels.
Ponds, estate lakes, old clay pits and quiet commercials, especially weedy, lily-covered water. They tolerate low oxygen and can thrive in tiny farm ponds.
Fish close to lilies and weed beds, in the margins and in the shelter of reeds.
Crucians root about on the bottom for bloodworm, small snails and seeds. They feed in small groups and are famous for tiny, fiddly bites that barely move the float.
Best in warm weather, particularly at dawn and dusk.
Best time: Late spring to early autumn, dawn and dusk. Warm, still days.
Maggots or casters
Small soft pellets
Bread punch
Sweetcorn
Small red worms
Ponds and lily-pad swims
Use a tiny float shotted so only a pinprick of the tip shows, with one small shot close to the hook. A crucian picking up the bait often makes the float lift or rise a few millimetres, so strike at any odd movement.
Small and gentle; quick, wet-handed return.
📜 Rules and seasons
On rivers, streams and drains in England and Wales there's a close season for coarse fish from 15 March to 15 June. Most lakes, ponds and canals are open all year, but check the water's own rules.
Check the official rules on gov.uk
How to Catch Crucian Carp on the FloatKorum · YouTube ↗
Crucian Carp Tackle and TacticsGardner Tackle · YouTube ↗Videos open on YouTube. We don't make them, but we think they're good.
