how to begin fishing for carp

[rcoull]

hi all,

ive recently joined this website and i'm after a few helpful hints on how to fish for carp, and also, if anyone from the northwest area could perhaps advise me on wheres good to go?

ive fished for a few years, but mainly just canal and the odd pond, but i never really seem to go with many ideas or tactics.

what im after is, what tackle to use, setups and any good baits? ive got the rod sorted, but its more about baits and how to set up for these fish and generally any good ideas or helpful tips?

thanks,

Rob

[Maddison_Twatter]

Hi, what kind of waters do you intend to fish and what size of fish are you after.
Its hard to give general answers without knowing a little bit more information.
As for set up there are many rigs,methods, setups ect but as for essential kit here is a list below

*Forceps
*Strong handled landing net between 36inch and 42inch (obviously smaller if you after the little uns)
*Unhooking mat
*Minimum 12lb-15lb line for bigger carp 6lb-8lb for the smaller ones
bait runner style reel is desirable but not essential
*good set of bank sticks/rests

As for baits use you imagination as carp will eat almost anything organic and sometimes even plastic but here are a few ideas.

Boilies
pellets
sweetcorn
luncheon meat
prawns
mussels
paste
worms
maggots
bread
dog biscuits
the list goes on....

Im sure someone else on here will be able to give you more detailed info

[garyfalkirk]

I'm also new to the site could you let me know how the hook should be put in baits like sweetcorn and luncheon meat?
Should the hook be showing?

[peakoverload]

Fishing for Carp these days is totally different to how it was 20 years ago. Back then Carp where surrounded in mystery and Carp anglers where a different breed of fisherman who used fancy and complex rigs and baits and would camp for days on end just to catch one fish. This was largely down to the fact that most lakes only had a handful of Carp in them and of those only a few were of any size (obviously there were exceptions to this rule).

These days many lakes across the country are so jammed pack full of Carp that you can practically walk on their backs across the water without getting your feet wet. With that many fish in the water competition for food is fierce and so the Carp's natural caution goes out the window and they are soooo easy to catch. In fact I would go as far as to say that on many waters it is now easier to catch a Carp then it is to catch a Roach.

What does this mean to you? Well, that you can catch a Carp on just about any rod and reel and using any of the popular baits.

What is still true is that the really big Carp are still very weary and very clever and typically don't fall for anything other than the best presented baits, after all they got big by being wary.

If you 'just' want to catch Carp of any size from say 3lb to 12lb you can easily do this just using a modern 13ft waggler or pellet waggler rod with a reel loaded with 6-8lb line and just float fish.

If you really want to aim for the specimen's i.e. a minimum of 15lb then a dedicated Carp rod(s) with baitrunner/free spool reels and bite alarms (or other bite indicator) is going to be very helpful. As for rigs, this is a massive, massive, massive subject and not one that can be covered in a single post. Your best bet would be to either buy one of the many books on Carp fishing and rigs, look out for the free DVD's given away by tackle stores and read the angling press as these are covered in lots of detail and the best way to learn.

As for bait presentation with regards to hook points showing. There isn't a hard and fast rule. Generally when Carp fishing you'll use a hair rig in which case the entire hook is showing. Other times you may use something like paste which goes on the hook, sometimes you may want to bury the hook entirely but other times if you are using a semi fixed rig to give a bolt rig effect you might want the point to show slightly so that it pricks the fishes mouth, causes them to bolt and the weight is what sets the hook. Part of fishing is learning when to use certain rigs and certain baits but this can and does vary from water to water and season to season so it really is a case of getting experience and learning from it.

[garyfalkirk]

Thanks for the quick reply!
I went fishing at the weekend on a mission to catch a big carp but unfortunately i did not succeed. I was fishing on a pole with a size 12 hook. I caught a few Roach and Perch but could not hook a carp.

The bait i was using was 3mm Swim Stem Pellets and Luncheon meat and occasionally Maggots. There were definately decent size carp in the pond as i saw a 10 pound and a 7.5 pound landed when i was there but throughout the day i didnt get many bites and the ones i did get i caught!

I think im going to buy a Carp Rod and Reel as i think fishing on pole limits me to much to the ways i can fish and where i can fish on the pond/lake.

Is paste easy to mix and use?

Thanks

[pukkapei]

hi mate where in leicester are you fishing, as i maybe able to help you with a venue :)

[mac1]

you could buy a couple of cheap rod and reel set ups off ebay or a local tackle shop and fish one on a ledger [weight] at distance and one on a float in the margins........i was taught by an old man never to discount the margins.....in fact the 21 pound carp in my siggy came from 4 foot away fom me , in the margin to my right

[Pellethead]

hiya guys first post.
i sportfish in cheshire for carp with avon rods and pin reels
i cant sit behind battle rods and buzzers/no patience lol
rather watch a float with a carp float rod and a little shimano under that little bush by the bank.
keep it simple.

[Ripple]

Originally Posted by Pellethead

hiya guys first post.
i sportfish in cheshire for carp with avon rods and pin reels
i cant sit behind battle rods and buzzers/no patience lol
rather watch a float with a carp float rod and a little shimano under that little bush by the bank.
keep it simple.

A man after my own heart ! Left the buzzer/multi rod thing years ago.

Two grains of maize or a cube of bacon grill fished on a bed of hemp with a small quill in the margins is all I need nowadays.
Take 'em up to 22lb in my local lake. Not big but it makes me happy !

Ripple.

[matti d]

I would start float fishing in a small pond. go into your local tackle shop and ask for help of where to fish and what to buy. there normally really helpful. if you want to get more advanced than float fishing start using method feeders and cage feeders there a great way to get started. and dont buy anything off amazon and ebay because ive tried it and some of the stuff dosent last two minutes.

good luck. matt