help me catch a carp

[ZEEK1223]

I have a lake near my house that is absolutely filled with carp. They are in the cattails on the north end rolling around and jumping all over. I have tried worms and corn with no success. The water is really stirred up with basically zero visibility. Is there some kind of stink bait that I could use or something? There OS no current in the lake,they are just stacked up in the mud on the north end..... Thanks.

[KidMoe]

Sometimes we have had luck using balled up bread in the past. But if corn isn't working I'm stumped. Maybe try chumming the water with a couple fist fulls of corn then toss your line out on the bottom, no bobber.

[luckycrank]

MY GUESS IS THERE PROBALLY JUST FOCUSED ON SPAWNING AND ONLY SPAWNING BUT I COULD BE OFF TRACK I DON REALLY KNOW

[Stick500]

sounds like spawning to me too and it is hard to get them to bite on anything when they are behaving like that

if there is any rainwater drainage into the lake (don't all MN lakes have at least a couple of spots?) go there after a spring rain and they should be stacked up swimming into the current close to shore

toss a couple of handfuls of canned corn out, rig up a simple slip sinker rig with just enuf weight to keep it on the bottom, and hang on tight!

most carpers use relatively small hooks (4 or 6) but I use a 1/0 baitholder hook so I can put a whole bunch of corn on- I fish lakes that only have big carp so I rarely miss a hookup even with such a big hook

[Comit 2]

ZEEK1223 check your PM.

[ZEEK1223]

So should the corn be sitting on the bottom or should I float it up a bit. I was using a bobber 6in down.

[Gordie]

Set it up lindy rig style and bread dough works also along with euro-larva but it takes quite a few of those on a hook and it may get a bit spendy.

With the bread dough just roll into little balls and put them on your hook.

Good Luck

[Comit 2]

Quote:

So should the corn be sitting on the bottom or should I float it up a bit. I was using a bobber 6in down.

Carp have there mouths on the bottom of there heads. So they feed down! You would have better luck floating your bait UP off the bottom.

I have had luck throwing paddle tail jigs this time of year. Keep the jig on or near the bottom with a slooow retrieve so the Carp can pin it to the bottom. The hook on the jig faces up so the Carp will get hooked.

[rough_rider]

LoL @ stinkbait: no, carp are not "bottom-feeding, garbage eaters" they are made to be.

Do you notice them nibble or tasting your bait (line movement, rod tip movement)? Carp are extremely sensitive: any little disturbance or something unusual, such as feeling the weight of a sinker, the pull of a bobber, a metal hook in their food, and they're spitting it. Occassionally one will hook itself.

*With that, try either worm or corn (don't waste time or money with carp gimmick baits on the market aside from Euro-inspired boilies but that's on a whole another level). Worm might trigger a more natural response, mimicking insect larval hatch. Plus, the protein in a worm would be the diet of pre-spawn fish as opposed to veggies.

*Use a sinker that will slide freely, such as an egg or dipsey. DO NOT tie the weigh directly onto the line but rather let it slide at will.

*Use a small but not tiny circle hook. No bobber.

*Cast it out but still within a shallower zone. Reel the line tight then set it and wait.

*Most importantly, keep an eye on your rod tip. Don't hold it because you'll get too focused on anticipating the 'feel' of a nibble--it's easier to see a nibble. My suggestion is to set the hook the moment you see your rod twich. Go with a softer, lifting hookset rather than a Bass Masters Championship hookset from hell.

***Don't hope they'll commit to your bait, try to hook them as they're tasting the bait before they spit it out***

[carpshooterdeluxe]

A really good bait to use is a Muzzy Arrow tied onto 200 pound test. Cast it really fast with a Bear recurve.

[goblueM]

A really good bait to use is a Muzzy Arrow tied onto 200 pound test. Cast it really fast with a Bear recurve.

[bobbymalone]

i know people like the doughballs and boilies and corn, whatever else.

I usually use some crawler on a circle hook, couple split shot if there is no current. some sort of sliding rig if you need a bunch of weight to keep it down.

but like other's have said, i'm thinking they are probably one-track minded right now.

[OnAFly]

Don't bother fishing them during spawn when they are chasing each other shallow. Wait until June. They will be cruising around until later in September. They are much easier to catch then.

To all who shoot them, please don't just throw them on the shore or in a bucket at the landing. You want to shoot them I'm fine with that, but you get to deal with disposing of them properly.

[roughfish29]

bowfishing season isn't open yet. try corn on the bottom

[carpshooterdeluxe]

Don't bother fishing them during spawn when they are chasing each other shallow. Wait until June. They will be cruising around until later in September. They are much easier to catch then.

To all who shoot them, please don't just throw them on the shore or in a bucket at the landing. You want to shoot them I'm fine with that, but you get to deal with disposing of them properly.

If you see somebody leaving fish along shore call them in. Guys like that give guys like us that dispose of every fish a bad name. I've lost access to great spots because others left fish to rot.

[Gordie]

A really good bait to use is a Muzzy Arrow tied onto 200 pound test. Cast it really fast with a Bear recurve.

Now that's funny right three

[mainbutter]

I had zero luck getting any carp to bite last friday, despite a good population and water clarity where I was fishing. I could put a fly or a worm right in front of their nose, and they'd ignore it. Water temps are too cold, or perhaps they are thinking about the spawn already. Plenty of fish were jumping, others were flashing their sides. I assume this is spawn behavior.

Either way, I'm just going to wait it out until after the spawn before going after them again.

When they are finally biting, corn or a worm on a single hook, fished on the bottom (using a sinker of various sizes depending on if there is current and how much) is pretty typical and has worked for me very well.

[LPCrowRiverFisherman]

They definately aren't spawning on lakes yet. The reason they are up shallow is just because of the warmth of the water, they are in a negative mood just trying to warm up. Spawn won't happen till water temps are consistently around 70 degrees. If you want to catch a carp I suggest picking a river with carp in it and putting a crawler on the bottom.

The sliding sinker as mentioned above is a good idea, but I prefer to hold the rod insted of watching the tip. If you slide the bait a few inches every 30 seconds or so, I have seen much better results this year.

Bowfishing can't come fast enough, the behavior of the carp described is just the way you want them for bowfishing.

[pushbutton]

Yep, way to early to spawn. Have no clue what the fish are thinking/doing in that "cruising" pattern you often see, but they are certainly not interested in eating and not worth chasing. The ones you see jumping are in the mood and are feasting on bugs. The only way to get them would be a fly rod. I just picked up a cheap one for 35 bucks. Still have not been able to land one yet, but have been able to get some hookups. It really is not that difficult, but a pretty steep learning curve as far as putting all the equipment variables together....line, leaders, fly size ect. Regardless, if you see active fish on the top, usually they will also be active below. My go to has always been jigs and crawlers, the jig literally acts like a circle hook for self hooking, also allows for some extra bite if setting the hook manually.The size of jig is determined by the water depth/flow. Size them to where they will slow roll in a river or slow drag in a lake. I have always been in the bigger bait bigger fish camp and usually am loading the hook up. If fishing current usually leave the drag open letting line feed either holding or propped, but lakes and slack water will almost always ever so slow retrieve and go for and immediate hookset. Here is one from sunday......

[Ic3wind]

Carp have one of the most efficent metabolisms of any fish. They are one of the few fish that will really only eat when they are hungry. If you see them all stacked up and laying around thos are lazy ones just sunning themselves. You can cast to them all day and you wont get one to look at your bait sideways. It is awfully early for spawning but the rolling around and flopping all over is spawning behavior. Those you also will never get to eat a thing. What you need to look for are the ones that are tailing. Look for bubbles, mud trails, or if its shallow enough look for tails sticking up out of the water. Thats a fish that has its face buried in the mud and is digging around for food. They are the ones you want to cast to.

[mainbutter]

Haven't seen a single carp tailing all spring so far