When fisherman think of common gamefish carp’s the last fish that pops into your mind. It’s not one of the glamour fish, but they sure are fun to catch. They’re big, powerful and able to put a serious bend in your rod. While most fisherman don’t like the taste, there’s an army of carp addicts that beg to differ. Once you try out these carp fishing tips you might just find yourself hooked.
Carp Fishing Tips
Carp are big and powerful and capable of making even the strongest rod and reel bend to its will. I’ve had more than one ride that’s looked dangerously close to snapping into with a fat carp on the line. they might not be the glamour fish that you’re going to be taking pictures of showing your friends, but carp are definitely well worth the fight.For every minute you put into learning how to catch a carp they’ll put in hours of fun fighting you as you reel them in. Carp fishing has an army of dedicated fans that would easily take a big grass carp over your trophy Bass. Once you try the sport you’ll probably find yourself hooked.
1. First Locate Your Carp
If it’s my first time visiting any like I’m going to check for carp around the weed beds and lily pads. Carp are almost guaranteed to be patrolling these areas looking for Natural Food Supplies. You should also try fishing areas that offer natural shelter. Anywhere that provides shade and shelter is a good place to start. Look for overhanging trees, bushes and general downed structure. on a specially hot days you should look around aerators and fountains that lower the surrounding water temperature.
2. Don’t Underestimate Carp Intelligence
At first glance carp don’t look like they’d be very intelligent. Carp are much pickier than any other freshwater fish. Through years of being caught and released, carp have built up a tolerance to your typical fishing rig. Not only are they smart, their power and speed will make quick work of your light line.
3. Be Extremely Patient
Carp fishing is a lot fishing for catfish you’re going to have to be extremely patient. carp are notorious bait nibblers and will rarely strike on the first Approach. make sure you give the carp a chance to fully take the bait before you set your hook. When they do actually take a bite they’ll frequently swallow the bait whole. Make sure you have a hook remover to remove the swallowed hook. I normally bring along my standard fishing pliers for bass and the extra long extractor tool for carp and catfish.
4. Fish Carp With Dough
Most carp fisherman agree that dough catches the most carp. Dough will make a great bait to catch bottom feeding carp. At first it might seem difficult to keep a dough ball on your hook. Luckily most major hook manufacturers make hooks specifically for carp fishing. I really like the size and shape of the Gamakatsu G-Carp Specialist hooks. I like to setup a basic rig using a sinker and 2 12 inch dropper lines. Carp don’t have any teeth, so you don’t have to worry about using a leader.
5. Don’t Forget Your Meats
In a world dominated with fisherman using dough and boilies we often forget basic meat. Meat has long been proven to be an extremely effective carp bait. Chunks of meat offer the natural flavor and scent not found in most commercial boilies. The only problem with meat is that it tends to get eaten up by smaller fish. To catch monster carp you’re going to want to use larger chunks.
To Stop meat from flying off your hook try frying it to harden it up. You should also use a large boilie stop or diy contraption to stop your bait from flying off.
6. Choose The Right Gear
Carp might not be great on the table, but there sure are a lot of them. Even though they’re extremely powerful you should stick to lighter lines. Choose a hook that isn’t overly big and max out around 1/0. If you want to use a sinker stick to a simple split-shot or no sinker at all. Some fisherman swear by manufactured carp baits, but you’ll never beat homemade dough recipes. To catch more carp, try a few different sweet doughball recipes and see what works.
7. Use Light and Clear Line
Carp might be some of the largest fish in the lake, but that doesn’t mean you need a heavy line. Try using as light of a line as possible to help you feel the carps bite. Carp tend to slurp on the bait creating a very subtle movement not felt on heavier lines. For smaller carp stick to 4-6 pound line and bump up to 12-20 pound for bigger grass carp.
Not only should the line be light it should also be clear. Carp are easily spooked so you should always use a clear line. They’ll quickly turn away as soon as they see any type of line. You can use the lightweight braided line, but always use a long fluorocarbon leader on the end if you want the carp to bite.
8. Stay on Your Toes
During the spring and summer carp are extremely active and will really put themselves out there. You should be able to find them if you keep an eye out with polarized sunglasses. Since carp are cold blooded you’re going to want to check the shallows during the summer and deeper water when it gets cold out.
9. Warm Water=More Carp
To find carp you’re going to want to find the warmest water in the pond. Most of the time that’s going to be along the westward bank in the morning. In the morning head for the shallows on the westward bank and travel with the sun throughout the day.
10. Keep Things Simple
You don’t need all the newest and greatest lures to catch carp. You’ll catch more carp armed with a badass dough recipe than you will with expensive lures. A basic carp rig will placed on the bottom will bring in a ton of carp.
11. Adjust Your Link Length
Adjusting your link length is one of the easiest ways to change up your presentation. On heavily fished lakes try changing up your link length to increase your chances. When everyone else is using a 6 inch link change things up with a shorter or significantly longer link. When you catch a carp try and repeat the process using the same length and see if it works. Over time you should start to see trends that you can apply.
I personally find longer links will only work during the warmer months. As the water gets colder and the carps metabolism slows they’ll want a slower action. During the colder months try a 3 inch link with a slow action.
12. Fly Fishing Carp is Harder Than it Looks
River dwelling carp offer more of a challenge than any other freshwater fish. They’re stronger and fight harder than even the biggest trout and smallmouth. I can’t even remember a time I caught carp without running out my fly line. Lake carp are tough too, but they don’t compare to their river dwelling cousins.
13. Look For Signs of Carp
Keep an eye out for bubbles slowly moving across the surface. As carp root their way through the the soft soil bottoms they’ll make a little current. Sifting through vegetation should create a line of bubbles rising to the surface. Try to follow the path and land your bait in front of the line of bubbles.
Carp are perfectly camoflauged against the lake bottom, but you should be able to pick them out by their tell tail puffs of mud. As they blow mud through their gills and lazily suck in food mud will work its way off the bottom. Keep an eye out for their tails slowly waving under the surface.
14. Stalk The Loners
While most carp tend to stay in a group and follow the same routine some follow a different path. These fish that move independently of the group are often the biggest fish in the lake. Stalk the lone fish to get the monster you’ve been waiting for.
15. Don’t Be Slow on The Trigger
Carp might seem like they slowly wade across the bottom, but they’re actually quite fast. Carp are picky eaters and easily spooked. If you see the slightest movement on your line strike fast, because carp will streak away like bullets through the water. You’ll only get one chance, so hope you don’t miss it.
16. Choose The Right Equipment
The massive size of carp makes them a little bit difficult to handle so you need to make sure you have the right type of equipment. Carp are known for violently slashing from side to side while being reeled in. to make things easier on yourself try putting a swivel onto your line. Not only are they difficult of reel in they’re also tough to handle. You’re going to want to keep a landing net handy to make it easier to get out of the water.
17. Change Things Up With Soft Plastics, Worms and Grubs
When dough balls and boilies just aren’t working you’re going to want to change things up. When it comes to lures you’re going to want to choose soft plastics. Carp love to eat little worms and grubs, so choose a basic bluegill grub and bounce it off the bottom. You’ll need to use a bigger jighead like this 3/8 ounce Eagle Claw Jig and slowly bounce it off the bottom. Little puffs off mud are sure to entice nearby carp and other game fish.