Hey guys,
Was out fishing yesterday some pretty nice weed beds couldn't find any fish to bite tons of them coming up to the surface eating off the surface i believe majority of then were carp!! Lol any idea how to catch them I think I may go back and have some fun.
What to use? What to do?
Bay of Quinte carp??
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riverdog
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Re: Bay of Quinte carp??
Not sure what depth your talking about but in the shallows I've got a pile on corn. Some folks perfer boiles which I perfer in deeper water. I've been using some jumbo corn this year that's soaked in a pineapple juice. Carp are a ton of fun & usually easy to catch.
Fishing the St.Lawrence 12 months a year!
Re: Bay of Quinte carp??
If there are no other nuisance fish in the area (sunfish, rockbass, etc...) I find worms work the best. Corn eliminates most of the nuisance fish expect bullhead and channel cats.
In they end they bite anything with a scent; they get caught on anything from chewed bubblegum to cigarette buts.
A simple setup is a corn threaded on a hook (think 3-6 pieces) achored by 1-3 oz lead. I prefer no-roll weights but anything works. I also like catching them on a free line.
Use small hooks (think #4 to #8) even if the fish are large. Circle hooks are my favorite but most hooks are good. The trick is to hide the hook but keep the point exposed. They will detect and spit out the hook very quickly.
To draw them in, it helps to spread kenneled corn in the area you are fishing. The farther out you bait the more that will come in (which is why carp fishing man use sling shots to spread out the corn).
Once on, let them peel drag, have it set so it gives enough to tire out the fish. Too loose and they'll go for ever. To tight and they pull the hook. Because of the fleshy nature of carp lips they hook well but can get pulled out if the fish is horsed or winched. Don't try to lift them out of a water like a bass. Use a net.
Let them run but know that they are notorious for running for cover. From my experience you do not want to let them go were they want to go. If they are running in a given direction they are likely heading for thick weeds, rocks or submerged trees/bush. Use the rod to get them to change direction without horsing them.
When you finally bring them in avoid trying to get them into the net immediately. 90% of the time they will panic on seeing the net and start another run. Many fish are lost at this point. I bring them in and "show" them the net and plan to let them run one more time before netting them.
Un-pressured carp are not line or tackle shy so no need to overly finesse. You will read a lot of finesse tactics on line from Europe but those fish are heavily pressured and many have been fished for years in fishing ponds and require patience and ultra finesse presentations. Canadian fish are wild and few have come into contact with an angler especially those in open water. you can use bollies if you want.
Here is a link to a bolt rig if you feel creative. It separates the bait from the hook significantly reducing the detection of the hook on taking of the bait. It also increases the chance of a hooking on ejection of the bait if the hook is detected.
http://www.oodmag.com/fishing/carp/carp ... dger-rigs/
In they end they bite anything with a scent; they get caught on anything from chewed bubblegum to cigarette buts.
A simple setup is a corn threaded on a hook (think 3-6 pieces) achored by 1-3 oz lead. I prefer no-roll weights but anything works. I also like catching them on a free line.
Use small hooks (think #4 to #8) even if the fish are large. Circle hooks are my favorite but most hooks are good. The trick is to hide the hook but keep the point exposed. They will detect and spit out the hook very quickly.
To draw them in, it helps to spread kenneled corn in the area you are fishing. The farther out you bait the more that will come in (which is why carp fishing man use sling shots to spread out the corn).
Once on, let them peel drag, have it set so it gives enough to tire out the fish. Too loose and they'll go for ever. To tight and they pull the hook. Because of the fleshy nature of carp lips they hook well but can get pulled out if the fish is horsed or winched. Don't try to lift them out of a water like a bass. Use a net.
Let them run but know that they are notorious for running for cover. From my experience you do not want to let them go were they want to go. If they are running in a given direction they are likely heading for thick weeds, rocks or submerged trees/bush. Use the rod to get them to change direction without horsing them.
When you finally bring them in avoid trying to get them into the net immediately. 90% of the time they will panic on seeing the net and start another run. Many fish are lost at this point. I bring them in and "show" them the net and plan to let them run one more time before netting them.
Un-pressured carp are not line or tackle shy so no need to overly finesse. You will read a lot of finesse tactics on line from Europe but those fish are heavily pressured and many have been fished for years in fishing ponds and require patience and ultra finesse presentations. Canadian fish are wild and few have come into contact with an angler especially those in open water. you can use bollies if you want.
Here is a link to a bolt rig if you feel creative. It separates the bait from the hook significantly reducing the detection of the hook on taking of the bait. It also increases the chance of a hooking on ejection of the bait if the hook is detected.
http://www.oodmag.com/fishing/carp/carp ... dger-rigs/
Re: Bay of Quinte carp??
I love Carp fishing and zippyfx has summarized the local strategies better than I have ever seen. Two items I would add: 1) No sudden movement. For a fish with such beady eyes they seem to have spectacular vision. Sudden movements or even shadows and you spook the fish. Full sun seems to help reduce your visibility unless you cast a shadow on them.... guess they don't have sunglasses 2) Fluoro Leader if you use braid. CONFIRMED. I drop a hook with a braid (light or dark) and the carp will avoid it. Drop the braid with a swivel attached to a 2-3 foot Fluoro leader and bingo... fish on (could work with mono I assume). Tested same spot with sight fishing of the carp (corn bait with small circle hooks) and fish darted with braid and "fish on" with fluoro leader. Repeated this test several times.
BTW I know a few people love to fly fish for Carp but that is way out of my expertise.
Rod
BTW I know a few people love to fly fish for Carp but that is way out of my expertise.
Rod
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riverdog
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Re: Bay of Quinte carp??
Zippy by far goes into great detail! I fish carp like I would mudpout just using heavier equipment. I use a basic 8' Heavy fast action rod rigged with the hook at the end vs the sinker. I use a 4000 symetre reel with the drag on the back which I set loose and wait to hear that sweet peeling sound think of it as a cheap effective beeper. I don't really care about the type of the sinker unless I fishing in current. Then I won't use a bell or cylinder style sinker. I use a corn sling shot to get the corn out further. I agree with Peron on shadows but disagree on the need for floro. I've always ran straight power pro with no issues & have caught a pile of them on the banks of the Larry. I recently seen a fellow keep a couple 15lb+ for the table which was a first for me to witness but I guess with the price of meat people are looking for alternatives...yuck but they may be delicious!
Fishing the St.Lawrence 12 months a year!
Re: Bay of Quinte carp??
Hmmmm .... I fish for carp in mostly stained water... I'll give fluro a try at my clear water spots. Thanks for the tip!Peron wrote:
[snip]
2) Fluoro Leader if you use braid. CONFIRMED. I drop a hook with a braid (light or dark) and the carp will avoid it. Drop the braid with a swivel attached to a 2-3 foot Fluoro leader and bingo... fish on (could work with mono I assume). Tested same spot with sight fishing of the carp (corn bait with small circle hooks) and fish darted with braid and "fish on" with fluoro leader. Repeated this test several times.
[snip]
Rod
Re: Bay of Quinte carp??
I use a couple of bait runners I have bought on the cheap but I like the suggestion of a rear drag. Thanks!riverdog wrote:
[snip]
I use a 4000 symetre reel with the drag on the back which I set loose and wait to hear that sweet peeling sound think of it as a cheap effective beeper.
Plenty good for eating all around the world! I can't convince my wife to let one into the house to be cleaned and cooked. Them and channel cats.... Sigh...riverdog wrote: I recently seen a fellow keep a couple 15lb+ for the table which was a first for me to witness but I guess with the price of meat people are looking for alternatives...yuck but they may be delicious!
Re: Bay of Quinte carp??
I cleaned a carp that did not look like it was going to fare well if I released it when I was a lot younger. I was really stupid and decided to scale it first before I did the filets... habit I suppose. Between the slime and the huge scales it looked like I was wearing some weird suit of armour when I was done.zippyfx wrote:
[snip]
Plenty good for eating all around the world! I can't convince my wife to let one into the house to be cleaned and cooked. Them and channel cats.... Sigh...
I cannot remember what it tasted like....
Rod
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horsehunter
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Re: Bay of Quinte carp??
Carp were first brought to North America as a food fish to be raised in ponds. The flooding of a river over these ponds was the cause of the spread of these fish to watersheds across the country. Growing up in the 60's I remember going into Loblaws and Dominion stores in certain areas of Toronto and seeing huge tanks of live carp that people could select and buy.
I love golf it keeps thousands of unworthy off the water
Re: Bay of Quinte carp??
Fishing was not good today in the heat for me so I walked to my favourite carp spot. It is really challenging because you have to haul the carp through some Rapids to land them. They angle themselves against the current and basically you cannot make them budge. Tossed some canned corn, and let my fluoro leader drift free in the current.
Anyways, I had three on my line in a row (including one gigantor) and each time I pulled the hook after a number of minutes. Thought back to this thread and zippyfx's comments and realized I was hauling back on the rod like I had a tuna on the line. Fourth fish I used the drag, the reel and soft rod movements and I landed a nice 25lb fish.
Called it a day! Thanks Zippyfx
Rod
Anyways, I had three on my line in a row (including one gigantor) and each time I pulled the hook after a number of minutes. Thought back to this thread and zippyfx's comments and realized I was hauling back on the rod like I had a tuna on the line. Fourth fish I used the drag, the reel and soft rod movements and I landed a nice 25lb fish.
Called it a day! Thanks Zippyfx
Rod
Re: Bay of Quinte carp??
25lbs! Now I am green with envy, that beats my PB.
Congrats, I have heard that fighting them in current is an exhilarating experience (I tend to catch mind in slower current).
Way to go!
Congrats, I have heard that fighting them in current is an exhilarating experience (I tend to catch mind in slower current).
Way to go!
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MUSKY HUNTER
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Re: Bay of Quinte carp??
Thanks for the replies and tips guys they were in a weed bed about a km from shore... I think they are mostly spawning at this stage and would not bite.... I have yet to be back but will try some corn and some fluoro..