Canned Corn / Carp

[Guest]

Can you use canned corn to fish for Carp on the St. Croix? MY dad says NO but there is no info on it on the DNR site?

[2dalake]

I don't know why not, but softened field corn is better.

[Dean Schellinger]

I do every now and then, works just fine.

[Guest]

Where can I get softened field corn?

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I don't know why not, but softened field corn is better.

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[Guest]

I just recently started carp fishing because someone stole my motor so I can only shore fish now.

Talked with my dad and he said that you can't use corn. But then I guess perhaps the laws changed since he fished

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I do every now and then, works just fine.

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[Ralph Wiggum]

There's no laws against using corn that I've ever heard of. I've used fresh and canned since I can remember.

[frabillfisher]

Yea i've heard that law to that you cant use corn for fishing think i saw it in the reg book,look into it some more and get back to you if someone else doesn't first

[Dean Schellinger]

What could be the harm in using corn, seriously.

[Guest]

I don't know.. But that would be weird if we can't use canned corn for fishing..

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What could be the harm in using corn, seriously.

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[Guest]

Received confirmation. It is legal.

From: *****.*****@dnr.state.mn.us]

Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 9:15 AM

To: Teng.Xiong@*******.com

Subject: Re: Canned Corn / Carp Bait

Yes it is, corn is legal bait for fishing. Good Luck and enjoy. Kevin

[Deitz Dittrich]

I believe that canned corn is illegal in many trout lakes and streams. I have been told that for some reason trout do not digest corn well and it can harm them.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Sounds like an urban legend to me

[Guest]

Thats correct.. hehe.. but not for Carp though

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I believe that canned corn is illegal in many trout lakes and streams. I have been told that for some reason trout do not digest corn well and it can harm them.

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[Deitz Dittrich]

Ralph I did a little searching on the net.. this is what I came up with...

Commission fisheries biologist Tom Bender at our Benner Spring Fish Research Station conducted a study in 1992 that examined the impact of corn on trout. For the study, two groups of hatchery rainbow trout were held in separate tanks and tested for 54 days. In one tank, 20 rainbow trout (average size 8.3 inches) were fed a diet of whole kernel corn. In the second tank, 20 rainbow trout of the same size were fed a standard trout pellet diet.

During the 54 day study period, no mortalities occurred from trout of either study group. However, study results did show that the trout fed with a corn diet did not digest the corn particularly well. The growth observed by the corn-fed trout during the study period was only about half of that observed from the trout that were fed the standard trout pellet diet.

The conclusion from this study was that there appears to be little reason for concern about the short term health hazards for rainbow trout when whole kernel corn is used for bait. Although there are better diets for trout than whole kernel corn, this study confirms that mortality does not occur when trout ingest whole kernel corn.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Ah ha! Thanks for doing the dirty work, Dietz.

[Lunker]

I use canned when carp fishing. Works very well. Don't try frozen though, cause when hard it breaks, when thawed it turns to mush.

[frabillfisher]

WEll, that settles that just thought i heard it somewhere

[2dalake]

Webwarrior,

You can't buy softened field corn, but I buy a 50# bag at Fleet Farm ($5) and then prepare it at about 2 gallons per batch. Just put two one-gallon ice cream pails of dry corn in a big stock pot and let it soak in water overnight. Boil it the next day for about 20-30 minutes. I do this outside on the grill burner because my wife doesn't like the smell.

As a final touch I like to let it set out in the sun for at least one day. You freeze the extra, it yields twice as much volume as when you started, so about four gallons. Bait with a hair rig. Last weekend I was catching them at a rate of about 6 or 7 per hour with three over 24 pounds.

[Guest]

Sounds good! But whats a hair rig?

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Webwarrior,

You can't buy softened field corn, but I buy a 50# bag at Fleet Farm ($5) and then prepare it at about 2 gallons per batch. Just put two one-gallon ice cream pails of dry corn in a big stock pot and let it soak in water overnight. Boil it the next day for about 20-30 minutes. I do this outside on the grill burner because my wife doesn't like the smell.

As a final touch I like to let it set out in the sun for at least one day. You freeze the extra, it yields twice as much volume as when you started, so about four gallons. Bait with a hair rig. Last weekend I was catching them at a rate of about 6 or 7 per hour with three over 24 pounds.

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[2dalake]

I've also heard it called a hook link. I use a #1 octopus hook and tie a length of line to the shaft so that it hangs free. Tie an overhand knot at the end of the line so that the end of the loop hangs about 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the bend of the hook. That's where you put your bait. Thread three kernels of your softened corn onto a needle with a notch cut out of the eye, then hook the eye of the needle on the loop at the end of your hook link. Slide the corn off the needle and onto the line. Tie a tough blade of grass through the loop in a simple knot, just to keep the corn from sliding off. Slide the corn down to the knot so your bait is hanging just below the bend of the hook. They suck up all kinds of junk off the bottom and spit anything they can't eat, so when they spit your hook it goes in the mouth anyway, since it's tied to the thread you baited. The whole thing is called a hair rig.

There are some very good websites with diagrams that show you how to tie these things, but this forum doesn't like posting web links. I found sites from England to be the most helpful.

I spool with 30# spectra braid so I can get more line on the spool (8lb mono diameter). You need to set the drag for the soft tissue around the mouth, or your hooks will tear free. That is the weak link, not the line.

Good luck!