Fishing for Carp?

[Mel Taylor]

I haven't fished for any thing but Bass with artificial lures since I was a kid. Now I want to do some carp fishing and haven't the foggiest notion of what to use for bait, what size hooks, etc.

I will be using the same tackle I use for bass: fiberglass rods with bait casting reels, and will be fishing in the Rio Grande and Elephant Butte and Caballo lakes here in New Mexico. Any help, tips or advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ozdog]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

Carp feed on a lot of things and bite readly. I know guys that fly fish for them and guys that use tiny jigs for them. When I want some easy big fish exitement I just get where there is some current and use dough balls on small treble hooks using very small split shots or no weight at all. I used to make my own when I was a boy now I just keep a package of store bought carp dough in the tackle box. Really makes a nice trip for kids or new anglers to tie into some true power houses! carp are truely an under rated fish.

 

[Kamdyn]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

Mel,

Carp fishing is fun when you got a big one on, I use a medium light spinning rod with 8lbs test line and a size 6 hook. I use a slip weight technique with about a foot of line from my weight and either corn or marsmallow on the end of my hook. I usually give my line a little slack until I see it tighten and then I know I have a fish on, Ther'es a lot of different baits out there that are cheap and really good to use goodluck.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

Try chuming your lake fishing spot w several large cans of yellow corn early in the morning.Open the cans and sling the corn as far out as you can if bank fishing and add a can of creamed corn to the mix.When you return to fish later,4/6 hours, bait your hooks w more canned corn and a small weight and get ready for some nonstop action!!

 

[Silk]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

I take the kids out carp fishing frequently, we have caught them on boiled dough balls, store bought carp bait, worms, corn and marshmellows.

They can put up quite a fight and I have lost several that dove into rocks, I usually have a 6-8 lb test and they take off with a drag and I do end up losing a few due to their size and general strength, lots of fun to catch.

Hooks, I have used simple worm hooks, egg hooks and there are even trebel carp hooks that hold bait on pretty good. Carp have fairly small mouths.

Anyway, have fun! My son was probably 10 yrs old when he landed a 18lb grass carp on a junior fishing pole with 6lb test. He is an avid fisherman to this day, and I put it squarely on that whopping big carp he managed to reel in.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

im not sure my method works for grass carp,but it does for common carp.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

I used to fish for carp when bored or getting skunked and didn't want to come home zeroed. For bait I used a bit of oatmeal (plain jane Quaker oats, not the flavored stuff in pouches) in my hand, dip in in the water, mush it around a bit, squeeze out the excess water, it makes a firm paste. Take a bit of the paste and form a ball of it on a small trout treble hook, rig it up on a slip sinker. The oatmeal will flake off slowly and "chum" the carp. Loads of fun catching a 10-15# carp on a trout rod and 6# test line.

I helped some kids fishing off the dock one day, tied on a hook for them, baited them up and 2-3 minutes later the battle was on. Those kids had a blast catching a huge fish.

 

[1980Coronado]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

You can fish for Carp in Indiana on the Wabash river without a pole...watch this if you don't believe me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=x3Bf0WhvsNk&vq=medium

 

[Navigator_Victory]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

+1 on the corn I used that alot as a kid I also found you can go to the local feed store and buy a 50lb bag of cow....ummmm food cubes I think they call it......anyhow it is cheap like $5 bucks and you can chum a good size area over and over after about two days...catch em as quick as you can cast almost......chewed up the carp make good fertilizer.....or catch and release but, I am not so sure they are good for the lake???

Try chuming your lake fishing spot w several large cans of yellow corn early in the morning.Open the cans and sling the corn as far out as you can if bank fishing and add a can of creamed corn to the mix.When you return to fish later,4/6 hours, bait your hooks w more canned corn and a small weight and get ready for some nonstop action!!

 

[STARCRAFT16SS]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

2 years ago my brother talked me into carp fishing for one day in Minnesota...We had
never fished for carp before and had looked on the internet for tips...Most
people seemed to be using corn...we used corn that day and I caught a 15lb and a
20lb carp...fun...I had the corn on the hook and used a bobber with the hook just
on the bottom...did some more research and it looks like I should have had the hook
about an inch from the bait....the bait on the end of the line and the hook an inch up toward the reel....like I said ...first time going for the carp....I'm usually going for
Northern, Walleye and Bass

 

[rolmops]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

Carp usually are very good fighters.They match up pound for pound with catfish and bass.In fact,they fight a lot longer than bass.
We used to chum the area with quaker oats mixed with sand,throwing a full hands full every half hour or so. the carp was attracted to the smell, but they stayed very hungry.When using corn for chum they fill up on that stuff.
Carp are prime subjects for catch and release fishing.They are very strong survivors and besides,they taste like mud.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

In February I was in Mexico and the caretaker of my house there caught and filleted some carp. He gave some to me, my wife cooked them up and I found them to be surprisingly good. Not quite as good as bass in my estimation, but still perfectly edible.

I had heard about the supposed muddy taste and hadn't even considered fishing for them for that reason. Perhaps the fact that Lake Novillo is a clear desert mountain lake eliminates the muddy taste. All I know is that I've been turning up my nose at what looks like some great game fishing and good eating for a long time.

Will I give up bass fishing for carp? Of course not. But, it will give me something else to fish for when bass fishing is slow or when I just want a change of pace.

 

[produceguy]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

You can fish for Carp in Indiana on the Wabash river without a pole...watch this if you don't believe me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=x3Bf0WhvsNk&vq=medium

That is good stuff, right thier.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

I was bass fishing w a Rattle Trap at a public lake from the same bank where a friend had caught two 9-10lb bass in two days.I hooked something big, and ive caught lots of 8-9 lb bass.I was looking at the low sun and glare on the water and saw the Big fishes back come out of the water and thought it must be a 20 lb bass!8 or 10 mins. later,It Turns out it was a 35lb. Common Carp W about 5 silver dollar sized scales left on each side of its body.It was hooked right in the lip on a trailer hook attached to the RT.I released it into a 1 acre public fishing pond a mile away that allows bank fishing.It was a heck of a fishfight!

 

[geoffwga1]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

For information on carp fishing go to www.carpanglersgroup.com.

Geoffwga1

 

[cinca123]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

When selecting fish for your aquarium there are several things to consider before purchasing it e.g. diet, aggression, territoriality and weather it will nip at your corals.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

When selecting fish for your aquarium there are several things to consider before purchasing it e.g. diet, aggression, territoriality and weather it will nip at your corals.

Cinca,

I notice that this is your first post on iBoats. Welcome to the forum.

As it happens, I select all my fish for the cook pot. Diet, aggression and territoriality do play a part in my choice of what to fish for. However, I'm more concerned about whether they will nip at my crankbaits than whether they care about my corals.

I'm told that bass go for certain aquarium type fish but most places where I fish have laws against using them for bait.

 

[Silk]

Re: Fishing for Carp?

Cinca,

I notice that this is your first post on iBoats. Welcome to the forum.

As it happens, I select all my fish for the cook pot. Diet, aggression and territoriality do play a part in my choice of what to fish for. However, I'm more concerned about whether they will nip at my crankbaits than whether they care about my corals.

I'm told that bass go for certain aquarium type fish but most places where I fish have laws against using them for bait.

ROFL, seriously, ROFL