Kingstanding Top Pool - Crucian on the margin pole

Thursday 31 July 2008

Fished Kinstanding pools near Needwood, Burton on trent. The object of this session was to refresh my technique using a pole. I have just bought a 6m margin pole for use when I'm crucian, Tench and Perch fishing.

I chose a peg along the dam wall, where the club guide book suggests the crucians like to frequent and baited it with some expo groundbait and a few hand fulls of pellet and corn. The corner swim I selected seemed to be alive with fish that were topping and sending plenty of bubbles up from the obvious feeding activity in the silt. A number of tail patterns on the surface suggested there were some carp in the swim which was pretty much confirmed by my first bite I had to a small cube of meat. The fish dived straight under a tree to my right and I was powerless to do anything on my light pole tactics. It was a fish probably at least 4 or 5lb minimum as it woke up a moment after I hooked it realised what was happening to it, and shot straight under the tree to my right, and when I had the audacity to pull back stretching to elastic and bending the pole round it smashed my 2lb hook length like coton.

I soon set up another hook length and was then landing my first fish, a small roach. A Rudd followed then a few more roach until I caught my main target in the shape of a nice palm sized beautifully formed crucian.
After this fish I struggled to catch although I was still getting occasional bites they had dropped right off. I was really annoyed at losing another crucian to a hook pull. Finally it was too dark to see so I packed up and went home a little disappointed that there had not been more fish caught but also feeling I had achieved the objective. It is apparent that I will need a bit more practice getting used to a pole again as I had not done so for a few years now although it shouldn't be long before I am in tune with the method again as I know I have been in the past. I aim to have one more practice session before Steve and myself embark on our summer adventure to Marsh Farm in Surrey in the hope of catching a PB (true) Crucian each.