Carp Fishing need all the help i can get

[fishy1]

Hi everyone, yeah newby to the forum...anyway i want help, i have recently started fishing with my husband after many years of watching from the banks, but now, i want to learn all there is to know, i ask my hubby what carp bites on and what is best bla bla bla....he replies by telling me what bait to use that he is using yet when i try it i dont catch fish. so i have now gone on my own escapade to learn teach myself and practice...(hopefully to catch more fish than him) i dont do boily fishing that seems to be the new craze, i fish with floats, dips and balm bait...worms etc.... my problem is i only end up cathing barble or verry little below 1kg carp. im sure there must be a standard way to catch carp in any water in the world, also if any south African readers are out there...please help me to get the catching recipie for bloemhoff carp fishing...going there this coming weekend want to put the boys to shame with carp and not barble

[Banana Steve]

Hi, early in the year Shaube, ask the same question about carp in south africa, i replied with the following answer, i hope this helps.

Regards, Steve

If you are feeder fishing for carp there are several ways to catch well. The first is the most simplest and that is the method.
1. buy a coiled method feeder
2. run the main line through the feeder and attach a small rubber bead which the line runs through then attach a number 12 swivel
3. This gives the feeder movement up and down the line.
4. Attach to the swivel a short hook length of 3-5lb line or braid the hook length should be between 4” – 8”
5. Then attach the hook – from 20 – 8 I tend to use the small hooks in the colder months.
6. Remember that in the winter the fish don’t feed as much so don’t introduce to much feed, it worth getting the small coil feeder for the winter and use maggot as a bait, I tend to use corn in the warmer months of the year
7. Use a ground bait that binds well, for the warmer months its worth using any method mix, but in the colder months it is better using match ground baits mixed with fine brown crumb as they have less free offerings in. The ground bait should be moulded around the feeder so you have a ball off ground bait around the feeder.
8. When casting make certain that the feeder is not too heavy that when you cast it breaks the line or worse case the rod. Try and keep the feeder in the same spot each time you cast as accuracy will pay off, if you cast all over the place the fish will find it hard to find your bait, but if it is the same spot each time the fish will feed better as they have less ground to search.



The second way is the normal feeder.
1. As with the method you use a feeder but with a number 12 snap swivel attached to the feeder witch the main line passes through the eye of the swivel.
2. You need to stop the feeder travelling to far so the simplest way is to use a ledger stop.
3. Attach a hook length it is better to use a line that is lighter than the main line this should be a round 12-18” long the hook should be between 10 – 20 the colder it gets the smaller the hook should be.
4. Try and keep every thing in line and avoid using swivels


There some really good articles on this on the net if you PM me I can send you diagrams on different ways of fishing the feeder, cant do to much whilst I am at work but when I get home I can if you want.
__________________
"The muscles of 20 men, and the brains of 20 mussels",

[fishy1]

Ta the 1st method mentioned makes more sence, will try and see

[baitmaster]

i,m assuming when you say recipes for the bloemhoff carp you are on about bloemoff dam on the vaal river ? (some very big carp there indeed )

you have mentioned you aren,t into the boilie bait fishing are you also again using hair rigs ect ect ??

what you might want to consider is using maize as a hook bait as i know this has done well there in the past and also during the prepping process you can add flavours of your choice to hopefully draw more fish in the flowing water to you hook bait .

also another very good option on bait which again i would be inclined to look into is fishing a paste bait which could be fun making up with all sorts of ingredients and different flavour combinations i,m again assuming you have super market type shop which are a larder of good carp baits .

and if you can get cous cous this takes on flavours and colours brilliant and will work very well as a pack bait around your lead (or method )

good luck in your adventure there be good to hear how you get on

tightlines
kevin

[fishy1]

Thanks Kevin the cous cous is definitly something to try, reffering to bloemhof dam and the vaal river, in 2006 winter i fished in bloemhoff (river)and i dont know if it was just my luck but i was catching carp back then way over 2kg on TCP floaties thats it, its was great fishing, we had 6 rods all together in the water and at one stage every rod had a run min from each other, but since then, thats i have been back over and over and all i get is barbel and a few tiny carp, my next trip will be to bloemhoff dam will keep you posted on how it turned out.

as i am still learning about fishing i just want to find out if the fish in winter are bigger than in summer, i was told that in the summer the big fish stay deeper in the water and the little ones closer to the surface and vice versa in winter is this true? another thing im short so i dont get to cast all that far, at the moment i have a normal 10 foot rod, will a graphite rod same size (10 foot) make any difference in my casting distance, not being able to cast far is gr8 when the fish are closer to the bank, but majority of the times its seems like the fish are beyond my casting distance, how can i improve my casting distance?

Thanks

Eunice