Regular common carp bait

[Scoop]

This weekend there is a carp catching contest on the local lake. They are trying to reduce the huge population. I would love to catch some carp and have some fun. Anyone have suggestions for good bait and fishing techniques?<br /><br />I heard fresh Sweet corn. Any other baits. Do I just lay this on the bottom and wait? Do I put it on a flaoting jig. For obvious reasons, the water is pretty cloudy. 5 to twenty feet of water. It is a dammed river. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Not looking to win the contest (Well maybe the ugliest carp or boat for that matter), just want to have some fun with my kid.

 

[Emby]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Hey! On a slow Saturday afternoon, my kid and I used to go to the local duck pond (city park) for a couple of hours and catch crap - oops carp. Here's the history. (FYI- you wouldn't want to eat anything out of the pond in this park, so everything got tossed back in.)<br /><br />I used to see anywhere from 1 to 5 folks around the lake and once in a while (couple/hr) they would catch a 1#er or so. I asked/watched and found there were a number of baits - corn, corn meal balls, flour balls, marshmallows, oatmeal & peanut butter balls, etc., etc., etc.<br /><br />Then one day I saw an older kid pulling in one about every 3-5 minutes for over an hour and most were larger than normal. When I asked what he was using he showed me - corn tortillas! I'm guessing that something in the mix of corn, salt, dextrose, and goodness know what else is a powerful attractive to these 'fish'. I tried it and sure enough, yank, pull, zip every few minutes.<br /><br />This was one of the best introductions I've seen for getting a kid to like fishing. You gotta have some regular yanks to keep the attention span going.<br /><br />Be sure to post the results back here after your tourney!

 

[JCSuperman]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Hiya Scoop, I live in Wisconsin, and here we just use night crawlers and pretty much fish off of bottom. You can try minnow on a jig set up.. but seems to work better, for me anyway, to use worms.

 

[Scoop]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Thanks for the replies. I will let you know. I took my son out on Sunday and he caught a couple big bass on a cleo. We each caught a couple in two hours. He said it was the best day he ever had fishing. I hope this next weekend is the same.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Regular common carp bait

how the heck do ya hook a tortilla Emby? <br />sounds like good fun Scoop! it's more fun to watch the kids hook into a big one than catchin' one yourself. <br />good luck,<br />M.Y.

 

[Fishbusters]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Chum with creamed corn as it spreads a scent out better. You can use several baits with sweet corn being a good one. There are several carp fishing sites if you do a search you should find some recipies I know I did but nothing for grass carp which is what I am looking for.

 

[Scoop]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Thanks Peter.I have hit a lot of the carp sites. I think I am going to buy some fresh corn, a can of cream corn for chum, a thing of tortillas, and maybe a can of those small potatoes. I hope I catch something. My brother uses canned corn straight on the hook where he fishes. He says the carp are extremely fun to catch.

 

[Emby]

Re: Regular common carp bait

MellowY-<br /><br />It's actually pretty easy. Tear off about a 50-cent sized piece. Push a snelled hook point through the middle and pull it all the way through, eye line and all. Push the hook point back into it a 1/2 inch or so in from the edge, and pull any excess line back through the original hole.<br /><br />The cheaper brands of tortillas seem to work better - softer and less breakable. If it's tearing too much when putting it on the hook, dip the piece in the water for a second and give it a few more seconds to absorb the water.<br /><br />Now that's my weird advice for carp. If you want some weird advice for trout, try Starburst Fruit Chews in the original flavors. Works about the same as Salmon Eggs and Power Bait in stiller/calmer waters. Much water flow and it disolves off of the hook too fast.

 

[Scoop]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Well, I just got back from the fish. Caught 7 Carp. Smallest 13 inches (Missed smallest carp prize by 1 inch), the largest was over 25 inches.<br />I also caught a softshelled turtle that had a shell over 18 inches long. He was the hardest fighter of the trip. He would stay on the bottom and did not want to come up. When I tried to take the hook out, it was imbedded in his jaw and the hook broke off. He was succesfully released. My son also brought in an old beer can with that was opened with a can piercer. Because it was full of mud and near the dam, it put up quite a fight. My son caught one of the carp 16 inches long. He was a pleasure to got out with. we went out at 7:30AM and did not finish until 4:00 PM. He did not complain, he was good company and he nows know how to net a fish like a pro. His Carp fought harder than all the rest. Every time, it saw the net, it ran. <br /><br />All carp were caught on fresh sweet corn. We almost had one a marashino cherry, but the way the cherry was hooked, prevented the carp from getting hooked.<br /><br />I tried the tortillas, but the ones I got were too crumbly and did not stay on the hook. Other baits tried. Hominy (too crumbly), pickled Beets, too soft, Marashino Cherries (Ok, but hard to hook and cast). I did chum with fresh sweet corn I crushed in my hand to release the juice. I also chummed with creamed corn.<br /><br />The contest was won by a guy that caught 96 carp. His largest was 37 inches. He went out the first night of the contest at 7:30Pm and came in after 1:00 AM. He used fresh sweet corn soaked in Garlic.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Scoop... Carp..large..dam...Wisconsin...<br />sounds like Phantom Lake, or Wind Lake.<br /><br />The key to carp fishing is make the bait stinky. We used to use bad cheese in a mesh spawn sack in the Menomonie River in Milwaukee. Hard to turn or play out a 30" river carp. Lost lots of line and bait, but will never forget the fun.

 

[Scoop]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Roscoe, the lake was not very big, but has two dams. Park Lake in Pardeeville. I was kind've surprised the 25"+ was not that big of fighter. The 16 inch my Son caught did not want to come in at all and was the best fighter. I was using my Medium 7' Ugly stick with a center drag Abu Garcia and 14 pound Trilene. The drag on that reel is excellent and easy to adjust on the fly. My son was using a Daiwa Goldcast on a Shakespeare 6 foot with Approx 8lb test. I can say it was fun. My stuff still stinks like Carp. It seems that slime does not come off very well and has a distinct odor. In fact, when the fish broke the surface a couple times, you could smell the odor. Not stinky like rotten, but different smelling. It did not drip off like on a Northern or muskie. I will definitely go out again some time. Probably at night and definitely with Garlic soaked Sweet corn. Hopefully I can get in to chum for a few hours before I go. I still haven't got the pictures developed. I have 7 pictures left on the roll.<br />How did you use the stinky cheese? What kind of cheese? Aged Brick? Limburger?

 

[roscoe]

Re: Regular common carp bait

We used limberger only once or twice, cause we hated the stink it left on us. <br /><br />I remember using cheddar, chicken livers, hamburger, and a guy gave us some kind of dough balls once. Not sure what was in them, but it stunk. <br /><br />We used a small nylon mesh sack, which salmon fishermen would use to hold spawn. I think we got ours at Kmart, but a place like Dunhams should have some. Or you can us a piece of cheese cloth, pack it in, tie it shut, and hook or tie it on the hook. Do a few ahead of time, then just change hooks if you need to change baits. <br /><br />We don't have many carp around where I live now,<br />(NW of Wausau), seem to be more abundant further south in the state. And to think that they were imported from Europe. <br />Is chumming legal in WI? I thought it wasn't. Check first, or be careful.

 

[Scoop]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Roscoe. Thanks for the information. I never did see the rule on chumming. I just went out to the DNR site and it was listed in the FAQs section. I went through the regulations book and cannot find anything other than not throwing entrails in the water. Either way, I really appreciate the information. I don't want to lose my fishing privledges. the DNR is pretty harsh if you don't follow the rules. Sounds like the bag with stinky stuff is the best way to do this since you can retreive it after fishing so that is legal.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Scoop, I not sure you understood me about the "bag".<br />The bag or pouch is small, about the size of your thumb or half your index finger. It attaches right to the hook or snap swivel. <br /><br />Remember, these fish scavenge, mostly by scent, they are primarily bottom feeders, and will be drawn to the smell of something dead or half rotten.<br /><br />I've seen people chum for carp, don't know how tough they would be on you if they caught you. Maybe if its part of an organized event like you described it is ok.<br /><br />I used to eat at a restaurant on Pewaukee Lake, they used to provide corn or other stuff to the kids. They would sit on the dock, put the corn between their toes, dangle them in the water, and wait for the carp to suck the food from their toes. Just the thought gives me the chills.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Regular common carp bait

What's the story behind the flaming pumpkins?<br /><br />Yaw'l check this out:<br /> http://members.fishingworks.com/Scoop/photos.cfm

 

[Scoop]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Yes, sorry, I was slow on the uptake there for a minute. You rig the bag up as a hair rig. The fish sucks in the hook when they suck in the bag.<br /><br />The flaming pumpkins. Some of us guys get together to drink and sit around the fire. This year was the 17th annual. One year, 8 guys said they were coming, but 4 of them cancelled due to other committments. Being under the influence of a few beers, one of the guys decided to make pumpkin effigys of the lost guys. Being the guy that likes to experiment with fire, I decided that we should burn the effigies. It sure made for some good film. That year we also had T-shirts made up. We promptly smoked the T-shirts of the guys that did not make it over the fire, then bagged them up and sent them to their houses. We also added a couple shots of tequila to the bags for extra smell. I know the wife of one of the guys made him keep the T-shirt outside for 2 months because of the smell. I am not sure the US mail would let the packages through now after 9/11. The fire balls that are made are definitely more spectacular since they make a louder sound and go 40 feet in the air. One of the other pictures is a still of one in the process of going off.

 

[Fishbusters]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Flaming pumpkins and punkin chunkers should the two ever mix look out I think i am developing a new redneck game. "HEY YA'LL, WATCH THIS!!!!"

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Every couple of years I get out and bowfish for Carp while they are spawning (on Lake WI). I get some monsters that way. I give what I can to those who will eat them (they're pretty popular with some Asian people here) and the rest go into the garden for fertilizer.

 

[rwise]

Re: Regular common carp bait

Reminds me of fishing with my Dad when I was little, if nothing else was biting he would pull out a box of wheaties and use a little water to make dough balls. Man a big carp on a 5’ rod and a Zebco 202 real! I have also heard of using strawberry soda with the wheaties.