posted by admin on Apr 4

The Basic Carp Fishing Reels, Rods and Rigs Setup

Your basic carp fishing setup isn’t very complicated. Although these are finicky fish you can get set up without much difficulty and really be successful with them.

Fist you will want to use a hair-rig to better your chances of hooking one of these guys up once they do suck the bait in. One of the challenges with carp is that they will “taste” their food first and if they decide that they don’t like it they will spit it right out and never come back to it again…

One thing about carp is that they are extremely strong so I would suggest that you use a spider Line and be sure to keep it over a 50 lbs test. Once you have this you can use a leader material that seems to be most appropriate for you specific scenario.

You will want to start out by making a baiting needle. This can be accomplished by simply straightening out a long shank-hook. Once you’ve done this you can move your choice of bait down the shank. Then you will be able to slide the bait right from your needle onto the hair.

By threading whatever bait you decide to use onto your baiting needle and then hook the hair-loop you will have the best shot of keeping the bait on the hook. For bait you can use anything from corn to biscuits to chick-peas to actual Styrofoam that has been flavor soaked.

To give yourself the greatest advantage you will want to use a float. Floats add weight to your bait and cast so that you can get longer distance AND because of the heightened visibility it is much easier for you to identify exactly where your line is. Carp fishing is usually in mucky water so doing this is not always the easiest.

It is really important that you remember to use a controller float rig. In order to do this you can use at least a 3 foot leader that is attached to a swivel coming off of the main line.  I recommend that you do this with at least a 10 lbs. Drennan double strength line to reduce the chances of a break. If you can’t get this type of rig together a lower diameter monofilament can indeed accomplish the task, but you want to make sure that it is something that you can see…
Make sure that you have some way of knowing when you have a hit. Most carp fishermen will have multiple rods going at once and using some sort of an alarm system is important in this case. Carp only bit once and you don’t have a ton of time to set that hook. As such, you want to make sure that you grab that bite quickly.

Be sure to continue baiting your area every day AND in the same spot. When carp realize that there is indeed regularity to the food source, trust me they will continue to come back for it.  Be patient, persevere and be smart about where you are fishing and you will be pleasantly surprised with the successes you will have carp fishing.

posted by admin on Apr 1

Carp Fishing 101

Carp fishing is probably one of the most unbelievable experiences. Carp are extremely efficient at sucking in, analyzing and either eating or discarding bait. You really can’t under estimate their frugality… And what a huge rush to see a big carp suck in the bait that you have worked so hard to prepare and then turn to run with it as you set that big meat hook…

First things first, you will want to find a good spot where you can see these guys feeding on their own. If you can’t find this, you will want to find a place that has good cover and isn’t too deep where you can begin to “bait” the area in order to draw them in. If this is the case, it may take a few days of continual baiting to get them coming back consistently.

Carp really are happy to eat most things on the surface of the water, as long as the food is plentiful and they are not in danger. By putting a hook into some of the food you’ve been using as bait your ready to start fishing for these bad boys…

If you are going to use bread or biscuits (which are great options by the way) you will need to pre-soften them with water before using them as bait. Just soak them and put them into a plastic bag after a few minutes. Biscuits and certain breads can be too mushy to cast, so pay attention to which ones you’re using so you don’t have any issues in the field. If you decide to use pre-made carp pellets, putting a hook through one can be tough. In this case, don’t be afraid to use super glue.

Once they finally begin to feed in your area, make sure to let them feel comfortable around the bait. This will give you more possible catches as they will be less skittish. Once you have gotten them good and comfortable, this is perfect for the use of Zig Rigs.

Now that they’re feeding, cast the bait over them, but make sure not to go directly onto the feeding carp. Just get your bait close to them so that you can retrieve it into the area where they are feeding. While the bait is still on top of the water, be sure to keep the bait coming in slowly and steadily so you don’t scare them.

Once it is in the midst of the feeding giants, just let it settle and be patient. Although carp are finicky, they are very diligent in their feeding… Due to their size they are almost always feeding so your chances of getting one to go over your bait are really good. When that line dips, you need to be quick and accurate with your hook set… Once that hook is indeed set though, you are in for the ride of your life.

By following this general strategy you are on your way to catching some huge carp. Be patient and keep your cool, that is what the carp fishing game is about. If you can do these two things you will be a success.

Carp fishing is probably one of the most unbelievable experiences. Carp are extremely efficient at sucking in, analyzing and either eating or discarding bait. You really can’t under estimate their frugality… And what a huge rush to see a big carp suck in the bait that you have worked so hard to prepare and then turn to run with it as you set that big meat hook…

First things first, you will want to find a good spot where you can see these guys feeding on their own. If you can’t find this, you will want to find a place that has good cover and isn’t too deep where you can begin to “bait” the area in order to draw them in. If this is the case, it may take a few days of continual baiting to get them coming back consistently.

Carp really are happy to eat most things on the surface of the water, as long as the food is plentiful and they are not in danger. By putting a hook into some of the food you’ve been using as bait your ready to start fishing for these bad boys…

If you are going to use bread or biscuits (which are great options by the way) you will need to pre-soften them with water before using them as bait. Just soak them and put them into a plastic bag after a few minutes. Biscuits and certain breads can be too mushy to cast, so pay attention to which ones you’re using so you don’t have any issues in the field. If you decide to use pre-made carp pellets, putting a hook through one can be tough. In this case, don’t be afraid to use super glue.

Once they finally begin to feed in your area, make sure to let them feel comfortable around the bait. This will give you more possible catches as they will be less skittish. Once you have gotten them good and comfortable, this is perfect for the use of Zig rigs.

Now that they’re feeding, cast the bait over them, but make sure not to go directly onto the feeding carp. Just get your bait close to them so that you can retrieve it into the area where they are feeding. While the bait is still on top of the water, be sure to keep the bait coming in slowly and steadily so you don’t scare them.

Once it is in the midst of the feeding giants, just let it settle and be patient. Although carp are finicky, they are very diligent in their feeding… Due to their size they are almost always feeding so your chances of getting one to go over your bait are really good. When that line dips, you need to be quick and accurate with your hook set… Once that hook is indeed set though, you are in for the ride of your life.

By following this general strategy you are on your way to catching some huge carp. Be patient and keep your cool, that is what the carp fishing game is about. If you can do these two things you will be a success.