Carp Location in Lakes?

[MinnesnowtaWild]

My Dad and I are planning on heading out on our local lake for a days worth of Carp fishing. The lake is infested with them and I have fished them before with success in a Carp contest but I was quite a bit younger and it was pretty much dumb luck where we found them. The lake is called Long Lake and it's in the west metro.

I have fished Carp a lot in the Minnesota River but that is a much easier place to find them in my opinion than a lake. I will rig us up with a 1/2 oz bank sinker and probably 3/0 Team Catfish circle hooks. I have had good success using sweet corn so that will probably be it for bait.

Now the main question where I am confused is locations. What depths are common to find Carp in lakes? There is an area of the lake where a creek begins and leads to Lake Minnetonka and that is where the deepest point of the lake is (apprx. 30 feet) so there is a huge drop off here. I was thinking about starting in 8 feet of water and slowly working our way down to about 15-20 feet. Should we be concentrating on shallower water than this or is that about right for lake Carp? Also we found a spot on the depth finder that was completely flat and looked fairly weedless and was about 12 feet deep. Do they prefer these flat areas with minimal weeds? Keep in mind this lake has milfoil and it gets pretty bad usually.

I know that lake has 25+ lb. Carp in it so we are looking for the big girls. I see them jumping usually in locations that are about 5-10 feet of water but if I remember right the spot we fished them once with some 15+ lb range Carp was about 12 feet deep.

[carpmanjake]

key features to look for weedlines and softbottom.

carp preffer soft bottoms with a little vegetation, so i would target the 12 foot area like you were talking abot.

carp will usually feed from 6-14 FOW depending on the water clarity.

the lake i fly fish for carp has like 0 water clarity. so the carp often feed up in 2 FOW making them easy targets for me.

look at a lake map, try edges of flats where a good drop off is. the top of drop offs and flats with some vegetation and some pencil reeds have yet to fail me.

if you dont get any while bottom fishing, try sight fishing. walk slowly and quitely in the water, concentrate your efforts along pencil reeds and cattails.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

The lake has really poor water quality but I will try that flat and then head shallow if needed.

[Muddog]

I tend to find Carp on the up wind side of the deep holes in 8 -12 FOW near a sharp dropoff. If you can find a point where one side has a slow taper right up to shore and the other side has a steep drop to deep water I would start there. Most of all don't fish an area where you don't see sighs of Carp. Carp have a way of letting you know where they are. Look for them before you put down a line.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Another question for you guys. Do you use a slip type sinker system or do you have a fixed sinker? I'm just trying to decide if I want to use a regular octopus hook with a slip sinker and clicker type of approach or a circle hook fixed sinker tight line approach.

[carpmanjake]

Another question for you guys. Do you use a slip type sinker system or do you have a fixed sinker? I'm just trying to decide if I want to use a regular octopus hook with a slip sinker and clicker type of approach or a circle hook fixed sinker tight line approach.

slip sinker is the best way to go when fishing a new lake. use a 1 1/2' flouro or braided leader.

i like to use owner mostquito hooks in size 6 for hair rigs.

when using a fixed sinker approach (aka bolt rigs) you have to use weights over 2oz to fish effectively. which is why i like running rigs when fishing for lakes for the first time. they dont feel anything, so ya.

mosquito hooks are also perfect for fixed sinker, aka bolt rigs. they really poke into the carp when the leader gets tight. and it will not come out.

to be honest, i dont like circle hooks for carp. especially with fixed sinkers. they usually tend to just pull out right when the carp takes off

so, either buy the mosquitos, or go with regular octopus hooks

[Muddog]

Quote:

Another question for you guys. Do you use a slip type sinker system or do you have a fixed sinker? I'm just trying to decide if I want to use a regular octopus hook with a slip sinker and clicker type of approach or a circle hook fixed sinker tight line approach.

With corn i use a Gamakatsu size 8 Octopus hook.

I have two links to the South Central Mn page. It may have some answers for you.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1958330/1

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1942766/Carp_In_August#Post1942766

[HuskerBen]

I go with a slip-sinker rig. Sometimes (depending on how they're hitting) I'll leave some slack in the line. I'm usually using corn, and for that it's a #6 Gamakatsu octopus.

[roughfish29]

all i use is two small split shot and an octopus hook no larger than size four with half of a crawler

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Hmmmm looks like I'll need some smaller hooks

[Float tube guy]

Linder's angling edge has some pretty good video's on rigging up for carp on myoutdoortv.com