Mega Carp

[tolle141]

If you were going to pick a top 5 lakes in MN for mega carp, what would they be?

[Markula]

Lake Minnetonka has the biggest i've ever seen in MN.

[Wanderer]

Tonka

Horseshoe Chain

Mille Lacs

Mississippi

Tetonka

Those are the places I've seen, shot or caught my biggest.

[mainbutter]

Small ponds CAN have huge carp, I saw a 30+lber come out of a handful of acres in a Louisiana pond years ago.

However, big water is what you want for your best chance. The 'sippi is where I've caught my biggest and have the biggest avg size. The cannon river has the smallest avg size of any of my carp catches, rarely anything over 5lbs. I don't do much lake fishing for them but have seen some monsters swim by on big, clear-ish water lakes.

[hydro]

I've taken 30lb+ fish and seen 40lb+ from Clearwater so I would add that to the list

[CANOPY SAM]

I think rivers hold bigger carp then most lakes.

Used to see fish well over 40 lbs. up here on the Red Lake River years back.

Wouldn't be at all surprised to see those same giants over in the Red River of the North!

[Archerysniper]

Millacs, Minnetonka, Clearwater, Forest and Rush

[Getanet]

I'm not a carp fisherman, but I lived on Medicine Lake in Plymouth for a few years, and on the south end where some of the creeks flow into it, you would see some huge carp. Looked like a bunch of logs just floating around.

[bobbymalone]

I've always heard the carp gorging on french fries around the deck pylons at those minnetonka resturants are monsters.

[monger]

cannon lake and billsby lake have tons of huge carps.

i caught some that maxed out my 25# scale.

[Mid-Lake Rock]

I've always heard the carp gorging on french fries around the deck pylons at those minnetonka resturants are monsters.

Yep. Go to Maynard's in Excelsior and you will see some giants.

[Stick500]

as far as the Lord Fletcher's restaurant in Tonka goes, they don't allow any fishing right from the docks

I imagine the other restaurants frown on catching their tourist attractions, too

but it's certainly proof that their are some well-fed hogs cruising the lake!

[expl]

Id say most waters that have carp in them are going to have some monstors,very small amount of people target them.Misissippi River is where Ive caught my biggest ones,of course I wasnt fishing for them,but Ive seen giants In allmost every lake I fish from the Metro to Grand Rapids to Alexandria.Have fun.

[Stick500]

Id say most waters that have carp in them are going to have some monstors,very small amount of people target them.

and even when they target them, nearly everyone lets them go!!

what a great set-up for carp anglers

[Archerysniper]

I target them with archery equipment

[fishuhalik]

Where have you seen carp by Grand Rapids? I've never heard or seen one north of ML

[Archerysniper]

Could be Buffalo up north

[smalltastybird]

Tonka is probably the best option, i have caught many carp over the 20lb mark from there over the years. As to fishing by maynards/ lord fletchers, last year the lake association banned bow fishing in these areas as well as the entire lake from 9am-ish to sunset on weekends. however, if you are angling from a boat the restaraunts can not make you leave (i actually fished in the marina as a kid from a boat for carp). but that being said take into consideration that some people going to enjoy a overly expensive burger might not enjoy what you are doing. The biggest carp i have seen in the lake also dont even relate to those areas anyways too!

[mrklean]

I target them with archery equipment

[PurpleFloyd]

I know it isn't Minnesota but if you get the itch to drive to Wisconsin The Chippewa Flowage has some absolute monsters that hang around the shallows by the bogs.

[Stick500]

I target them with archery equipment

about 1/3 of the time I catch 'em on hook and line, another 1/3 I'm bowfishing, and the last 1/3 I'm snorkeling/spearfishing

I love chasing carp!!!

really don't like killin' them though, and wish I could somehow C&R while bowfishing and spearfishing, but that ain't what I signed up for....

[CarpO0101]

folks.. looking for some help with carp .. I did quite last year and cannot break 20pound mark ..most of my fishing was in coon rapid ..

I do CNR carp fishing and looking for venue with bigger fish .. so far this month i checked out - Starring Lake - Calhoun - Nokomis -Medicine .. no result and no sighiting.. reading here it seems you all had good results .. If anyone would want to share me the loc pls pm me .. be very thankfull...

Thanks

[Stick500]

I don't think they feed too aggressively this early in the season but it should start picking up as soon as we have a couple weeks of warm weather. I saw some basking in the shallows in the little no-name lake just north of Staring in Eden Prairie.

BTW they did a big netting and removal of carp in Staring a year or two ago- I wasn't too happy about hearing that!

there was a kid on this forum (carpman Jake) who seemed to be able to catch them real early in his territory (on tiny jigs with little red plastics he called Atomic or something). He said he was catching them wherever there was an inflow of water on the lake. I think he lived somewhere in the center of the state.

[Rick G]

CarpmanJake still visits the forums, though not near as much as he used to. The guy is a wealth of information when it comes th rough fish, or for that matter fishing in general.

Early early in the year grubs like waxworms on small jigs drifted and moved ever so slightly.

[half-dutch]

Jake isn't the only one to take early carp on little plastics. This year 1.5 inch white twisters have worked well for us. Also instant oatmeal dough balls, both on 1/32 or 1/16 crappie jigs fished real slow on the bottom. We haven't take a 20# but we have pushed 15# real hard a couple of times this year already. No bolt strikes yet this year either, bite has been crappie soft to this point.

For lakes: 1-2-3 would be Harriet Calhoun and Nokomis (not counting the restaurant house pets on Minnetonka of course). The Mississippi is also dependable for fish generally up to well over 10 pounds on most outings.

The docks are in place on Calhoun. There and on Harriet and Nokomis there are good spots to scout the outside weedline to check for cruising carp.