Carp fishing in the US

[ThePBM]

I've been doing a lot of reading on carp fishing, and I keep on reading left and right that people make their own bollies. I get the feeling that people are pushing this a whole lot because everyone wants to share "their" ingenious blend, at the same time I wonder if carp are all that picky.

I've decided that my method will be to bait and fish with floating pellets of some sort, like a floating trout pellet. But I can't seem to find any websites that have information/sales on trout pellets that are not for the UK. I'm in the US.

If anyone in the US has recommendations on what buyable bollie/pellet preferably that floats that our carp go for, do let me know. Also, tips such as whether i need a hair rig for floating bait or if floating bait is a bad idea, etc would be much appreciated.
The overload of information on the net only has the effect of forming contradictions and dilutes credibility of any single source.

 

[JD7.62]

Since carp dont receive as much fishing pressure in the U.S. as they do in europe, they are not overly picky. The common carp can easily be taken on corn, dough balls, night crawlers, and commercial carp bait. The best thing to do is buy a can of corn and a day or two before you fish throw out the corn in the area you will be fishing. This will draw in the carp as well as get them use to the corn so they will readily bite it.

Grass carp are a whole different story! The only way Ive caught grass carp was when the grass was cut around the neighbor hood pond and they come up to eat the clippings. Problem is, the grass needs to float so you can use a weight. Also if you use a bobber for weight it spooks the carp. What I did was find a stick that was about 5-7" long and pretty thick so I could cast it. I used tiny eyebolts to attach it to my line. Grass carp blow common carp out of the water when it comes to the fight. They jump, tail walk, and make huge runs. Not to mention most grass carp are larger then the common carp!

 

[Zorro]

A carp took my whole set up a few days ago. Took it for a ride. Now theres a carp with a 120 dollar lip ring.

 

[stotty]

I've been doing a lot of reading on carp fishing, and I keep on reading left and right that people make their own bollies. I get the feeling that people are pushing this a whole lot because everyone wants to share "their" ingenious blend, at the same time I wonder if carp are all that picky.

I've decided that my method will be to bait and fish with floating pellets of some sort, like a floating trout pellet. But I can't seem to find any websites that have information/sales on trout pellets that are not for the UK. I'm in the US.

If anyone in the US has recommendations on what buyable bollie/pellet preferably that floats that our carp go for, do let me know. Also, tips such as whether i need a hair rig for floating bait or if floating bait is a bad idea, etc would be much appreciated.
The overload of information on the net only has the effect of forming contradictions and dilutes credibility of any single source.

Hi there catching a carp of the top as we call it can be done in several ways, and with several baits.


the most popular being Chum Mixer(dog biscuits) specially made cake with ingredients that include colouring, flavours and appetite stimulators; floating carp pellets as you suggested and some seeds, such as sunflower(3 on a hair and a small hook)




The beach caster rig is good but is banned on a lot of fisheries in the U.K. it is good as no line is touching the water against the controller which has all the line touching and has to be treated to stay afloat.

see pic

 

[ewurm]

Since carp dont receive as much fishing pressure in the U.S. as they do in europe, they are not overly picky. The common carp can easily be taken on corn, dough balls, night crawlers, and commercial carp bait. The best thing to do is buy a can of corn and a day or two before you fish throw out the corn in the area you will be fishing. This will draw in the carp as well as get them use to the corn so they will readily bite it.

Grass carp are a whole different story! The only way Ive caught grass carp was when the grass was cut around the neighbor hood pond and they come up to eat the clippings. Problem is, the grass needs to float so you can use a weight. Also if you use a bobber for weight it spooks the carp. What I did was find a stick that was about 5-7" long and pretty thick so I could cast it. I used tiny eyebolts to attach it to my line. Grass carp blow common carp out of the water when it comes to the fight. They jump, tail walk, and make huge runs. Not to mention most grass carp are larger then the common carp!

I want to fish for grass carp the next time I come south!

 

[stotty]

Grass carp blow common carp out of the water when it comes to the fight. They jump, tail walk, and make huge runs. Not to mention most grass carp are larger then the common carp!

Grass Carp are very timid and fight like demons when hooked and will give everything to evade capture. Special care must be taken when banking them and the fish must be fully recovered before being released.(i have seen so many dead through bad handling) Sometimes the recovery can take several minutes and for large specimens it may be necessary for the captor to get into the water to force fresh oxygenated water through its mouth and out through its gills to aid recovery.

They are also known as White Amur, and was originally introduced into the UK from China for the purpose of controlling aquatic plants(hens they like grass cutting) of which it can consume in large quantities.

pic below is the U.K reccord fish comming in at 39lb 2oz (17.747kg)

 

[ewurm]

I need to go carp fishing again.

 

[ThePBM]

Do carp ever jump out of the water as if to eat something on the surface of the water? Where I fish, I can regularly see fish jumping about 3/4th of the way out of the water. I usually see a yellowish underside, so that makes me believe it's carp. But I was also told there was supposed to be bass and bluegill there too. So, if carp don't jump like that, then I will start fishing for another species.

 

[sportsfan214]

carp will eat seeds that fall from trees as well as nymph's and other flys on the surface. so yes carp will surface and jump out of the water for food
they will also forage on the bottom for crayfish and pretty much anything else thats edible

 

[JD7.62]

The jumping is not feeding behavior. I dont know why they do it but we call it mudding. They get in shallow water...sometimes so shallow their backs stick out of the water and "muddy" it up as well as unexpectingly leap out of the water.