Favorite Bait And Time of Year

[Huntin&Fishin]

What is your favorite bait and time of year for carp?, plain worm and a sinker works the best for me, and july.

[Ralph Wiggum]

An arrow in May

Truly, though, I would like to learn more about catching them on a rod. I've had very limited success catching them when trying. Most of the ones are catch are accidental when sucker fishing.

[HossFisher]

April and a fly rod is my favorite combo

[Scott K]

A crawler, and right after the spring high water current settles down, I will be out in the back waters chasing the carp, its almost time!!

[Carp-fisher]

Summer is usually the best for me. Oddly enough, I had my best carp fishing for size last year in the first two weeks after ice out. The big prespawn females migrated to a shallow bay on Lake Minnetonka and bit pretty regularly. I've experimented with all sorts of the baits over the years: dough balls, store bought carp bait, worms, berries, jello in spawn sacks...the best bait for me has been plain old canned corn. Sometimes it works better under a slip bobber, but mostly right on the bottom.

[Huntin&Fishin]

Thanks for all your info.

[big musk411]

Bassboy, can you offer any tips on April flyfishing? I have a new 8wt I have been itching to try out.

Thanks!

[sparcebag]

Not many flies in April,But try a nymph,I had left overs from years ago in Colo. sizes 18-20 & 22 tiny was trin for crappie and got carp WOW cant stop em! Later in the year when cottonwood seed #16 Miller in White seems smaller the better,I also use a leader in the heaviest weight that fits the eyelet.

[dogs]

Corn early summer.Once guided a fellow from England muskie fishing and he talked of carp fishing. He sent me some magazines and in the center as a fold out was the Heroe; a fellow who caught 3 30 lbers in a week. Folks would put bait out during the week along their leased shoreline stretches and fish the weekends. Carp are good fun.

[HossFisher]

Big musk411, I normally fish streams, so these are the techniques i use for them. When i look for a good spot, i look for anything the carp might come attatched to on there way up the river to spaw. Log jams and dams are great places to start. I like fishing size 8-14 wet flies, like pheasant tails, baetis nymphs clinger nymphs and and sometimes beadhead hares ears. Carp are bottom feeders so make sure your fly is weighted or has a weight and let is slowly drift with the current down the bottom. When fishing is tough i like to put something colorful, it doesn't seem to matter what and sometime the carp seem to just need color I cant weight for the water temp to get up so the carp make there run. I got the motherload of a spot !

[big musk411]

Sweet! I have all those flies you mentioned in my trout box! I'll have to try some of the dams on the mississippi tributaries around here. My biggest flyrod fish is a 4lb walleye, can't wait to see what a 10lb carp will feel like . My dad built me a costom 8wt for christmas so I can't wait to break it in on some big ol carp! Thanks again for the tips, Bassboy and Sparcebag!

[HossFisher]

All i got to say is if you hook into one, HOLD ON these things are a blast on the fly rod. Dont worry about using light tippet, me and my buddy use 12lb flurocarbon and still break many lines. On word of advised is try not to let them get down stream/river once they do this fishing them back up against the current is real tough.

SET THE HOOK AND HOLD ON!

[Randyjr.]

I've never had luck with store bought. Has anybody?