Hooks for dough bait

[Uncle Grump]

Hi all

I'm a newbie to fishing for carp on purpose vs catching them accidently - so please excuse this post if its been covered in the past....

There is a small, slow moving stream near my house which is holding some nice carp, so I bought a package of Berkley Power Bait for carp.

I tryed molding it on a hook, but it came right off. I couldn't keep it on the hook long enough to even make a gentle cast. I also find the Power Bait to be very sticky - is this normal?

I had some treble hooks years ago that had some sort of spring on them, it would help to hold dough, but I can't find them, and they wouldn't be legal here in MN anyway.

Suggestions?

Thanks

UG

[Guest]

Hi ug
don't bother - apparently the stuff isn't much good even if you can somehow keep it on the hook from what I know of other US carper's experiences with it. I think its probably over flavoured, having seen the Uk version, which is apparently more rubbery than Berkley's US version of it - Berkley say its due to US carpers preferring it that way (??????)
If you still want to give it a go, the best way would be to use a hair rig, crimp a split shot ( about a quarter oz. weight )on the hair and mould it around that.
Please, please pretty please don't use treble hooks for carp - they will cause alot of damage since carp have softer, more delicate mouths than most gamefish - lets keep fish looking lovely
Cheers
steve

[This message has been edited by englishsteve (edited 08-19-2003).]

[catfish1]

uncle grump; I have not fished for carp for some years now. But when I did I catch them to smoking, frying, baking and I did use a trible hook because it hooked them good and it held my dough bait on good. and as long as you put a piece of yarn or a small spinner on the hook that makes it a lure and can be used. Anyway try this dough bait recipe it worked for me.

1 cup all purpose floor
1 cup cornmeal
karo syrup
mix enough syrup in the flour and cornmeal to make it like a cake mix before baking. take a rag of about 1 foot by 1 foot put the mixer on the rag and pull two opposite corners togather and lap over each other and thing tie the other two conners togather. Keep the ball kind of tight. Put in boiling water for about 20 minutes. when done put pan in sink and run cold water on it. Unwrap as soon as you can. and add little flour to it as you work the dough into a non sticky dough. pinch off a piece about the size of a 1 oz slip sinker and work it in your figures for a minute and thing squeez it onto a hook. If you are not comforable using a trible hook then put a spring out of a ink pin on a small straight hook and smash the ends so it well not come off. keep the dough bait rapped up and out of the sun. It will dry out. Also try using nighcrawlers, whole kerel sweet corn or even small marshmellows. Good luck hope you can land some big ones.

Catfish1
Keep setting that hook

[Uncle Grump]

English Steve

Thanks for the hair rig idea - had never seen/heard of one of those before - I had to go look those up. The split shot tip should make that work for the dough. I assume that the hook on a hair rig should be positioned so that the when the fish grabs the dough ball, it also grabs the hook - vs leaving the hook up a little higher?

Catfish1

I should have thought of the yarn/spinner idea - I do that for pike. Obviously I'm starting to have "senoir moments".

Also the pen spring idea is a goodie - I had some treble hooks years ago that had springs - but I was a thinking I couldn't use a treble.....

Thanks for the recipe as well.

Maybe this weekend I'll have a chance to get out on the water....

UG

[Uncle Grump]

Catfish

Was planning to CPR any carp I would catch. Tryed eating one years ago (caught out of the Mississippi N of the Cities in the spring) - fryed it like you would a sunfish or crappie - it was edible - just edible - but you had to be hungry.

Will keep your recipies in mind.

THanks

UG

[catfish1]

Uncle Grump; You did not say that you was going to eat some of the carp you catch. But if you do and maybe you have your own why of fixing them. But what I do is fillet the fish and then cut all dark meat off the fillet. soak it in salt water over night then freeze or cook. You might want to try some of my catfish recipes. They will work on any fish ( expage.com/catfishrecipes ) Hope you enjoy

catfish1

Keep setting that hook

[catfish1]

U.G. There is a catfish gathering at Carver on the 13 of Sept. Not to far from you. It is are second one and would be nice if you could make it for a little while. Just to do some BSing. Info on the catfish form under sept gathering or Carver gathering. Hope you can make it bring the family. The wife and I are going to be there.

Catfish1

Keep setting that hook

[Uncle Grump]

Catfish

I'd like to attend, but we (SWMBO aka GOPAD & I) have a wedding to attend on Saturday, and she wants to do some traveling to see her relatives on Sunday.

Maybe next year, or if there is a winter gathering on the ice somewhere....

UG

[Guest]

Grump
nearly right - the basic principal of the hair is that carp, as bottom feeders, will suck in a bait and eject it if they don't like it. The ideal way the rig works is carp sucks in bait, goes 'yike - somthig wromg' and blows it out, but the hook being only loosely attached to the bait has more chance of snagging on the mouth/lips of the fish as it tries to eject it. If the bait were attached in the traditional way to the bait it would simply fly out with it, this way the hook has more of a chance of piercing into the mouth.
You won't need a split shot for something heavy like a dough bait, only for bouyant baits. In fact you're probably better off using doughbaits in the traditionall way. Hair rigs work best for solid baits such as corn, maize and boilies.
Cheers
steve

[This message has been edited by englishsteve (edited 08-28-2003).]

[Guest]

Carp eat oatmeal doughballs. Make some really, really thick oatmeal, add some corn syrup or sugar and a spoonful of flour and mix. Put this extra thick oatmeal in the fridge overnight. Roll the dough into marble size pieces with your hands and bury a walleye size hook into it. The dough ball will hold the hook and sink to the bottom. This rig is relatively snag proof and it cathes the heck out of the carp. Set the hook hard upon feeling anything that's not quite right. I recommend watching the line for twitches to ID a bite.

[This message has been edited by wgmsa (edited 09-01-2003).]

[LuckyFish]

Hey UG, how's it going? Sounds like your starting to get out fishing again! Looking forward to a couple of ice fishing trips this year, eh. Hope you can make it to next years cat gathering in Kato, that is if they have one here next year. Good luck carping.
Lucky