Cruising Carp

[JohnF]

So if the carp are cruising the surface in the afternoon, can you use a surface bait on them? If so, what?

 

I went down to the park today and saw loads of average sized carp cruising. Those of you familiar with Stratford will know what I mean when I say by Shakespeare gardens and downstream about 100 yds past the next bridge. There are also some little catfish along the bottom, the little yellowy green guys. Also a herd of itty bitty rock bass if you want some fun for the kids.

 

JF

[richyb]

Bow and arrow

[JohnF]

Bow and arrow

 

Too much danger to my foot.

 

JF

[rbaquial]

Interesting question - I've never CARP fished before... but wouldn't mind getting into it also....

What DO you use when they're surfacing? or IS THERE something that can be used?

[Marko]

when i see them surfacing like that i try baiting my hook with just corn and let it float around them. More often then not they will just kinda look at it and be like do you really think we are that dumb lol.

Few times there were days when they would actually hit it.

[MJL]

If they're floating around on top, one popular bait to use is dog kibble. You can try soaking it in a flavouring for a bit for some added attraction and then stick one or two pieces onto the hook. Bread (left fluffy not mashed up) also works too (unfortunately, ducks and seagulls like bread too.LOL). When I see carp cruising by, I also toss out a worm + single split shot in front of them and many times they take - I've even had carp do a 180 and take the worm as it's falling down to the bottom.

[Beans]

You could try sticking a hook in a stale piece of bread and cast it out to them...

[shane]

I've heard of flyfishers using 'dry flies' that look like kernels of corn. Would probably be fun.

[wolfville]

You could try dog biscuit or corn pop, free lined sweet corn, worm, or anything else that doesn't sink too fast. But from my experience, if they swim in groups near the surface in the cruising mode, chances of catching them is very slim, especially if they can also see you. They tend to ignore everything other than the three letter words staring with a "S". (sun, or sex)

[CLofchik]

The toughest carp to catch are when they are cruising around in schools just under the surface between feeding holes. "Neutral" doesn't do their attitude any justice, indifferent would be more like it. They will ignore just about everything, especially the big ones.

I only have one surefire, never fail, always works solution when you find a herd of sunning, cruising carp. It's not subtle, zero finesse, and it only works in areas close to where people feed ducks & geese, and in clear water.

 

Alot of supermarkets will give you discounts on leftover stale bread, $5 will get you the better part of a garbage bag full (GARBAGE BAG!!!!....I can hear the English-style carpers already......). Show up at the swim and start throwing a few pieces of crust out to get some ducks attention......then start winging A LOT more chunks out, the shi......errr herring gulls will start showing up.........now go for armfuls of the bread chunks, you got the geese and swans now going medieval on the gulls & ducks, if you do it right they'll be about 50 birds going ballistic 10' infront of you in a bread feeding pandemonium. But look close, deep in the water. Birds are really messy eaters, and while the bar room brawl in the Bread Octagon is going on upstairs that herd of carp has stopped and is now sucking up all the bread bits falling to the bottom. They're not neutral no more, they're FEEDING.

 

Now pick up your rod, armed with a hook and a big arse doughball and fire it at the carp. No subtle flip, you need to overhand slam it at the water to keep it away from the birds and get it sinking. Bouncing it off a goose's head gets extra style points. Now watch the ball, it will get slammed by the closest carp, if you do it right you can gently slip it out of it's mouth until a really really big one comes by and sucks it in. Give it 5' of slack, let her turn and run, then give'er in the mother of all hooksets. 20lb+ of carp takes off in shallow water 15' away from you, your braid starts bouncing off birds, ducks and geese take off in a squawking flock.......great stuff.

 

 

I still do that acouple of times a year, beats watching a pod go beep-beep

[MillerPhoto]

The toughest carp to catch are when they are cruising around in schools just under the surface between feeding holes. "Neutral" doesn't do their attitude any justice, indifferent would be more like it. They will ignore just about everything, especially the big ones.

I only have one surefire, never fail, always works solution when you find a herd of sunning, cruising carp. It's not subtle, zero finesse, and it only works in areas close to where people feed ducks & geese, and in clear water.

 

Alot of supermarkets will give you discounts on leftover stale bread, $5 will get you the better part of a garbage bag full (GARBAGE BAG!!!!....I can hear the English-style carpers already......). Show up at the swim and start throwing a few pieces of crust out to get some ducks attention......then start winging A LOT more chunks out, the shi......errr herring gulls will start showing up.........now go for armfuls of the bread chunks, you got the geese and swans now going medieval on the gulls & ducks, if you do it right they'll be about 50 birds going ballistic 10' infront of you in a bread feeding pandemonium. But look close, deep in the water. Birds are really messy eaters, and while the bar room brawl in the Bread Octagon is going on upstairs that herd of carp has stopped and is now sucking up all the bread bits falling to the bottom. They're not neutral no more, they're FEEDING.

 

Now pick up your rod, armed with a hook and a big arse doughball and fire it at the carp. No subtle flip, you need to overhand slam it at the water to keep it away from the birds and get it sinking. Bouncing it off a goose's head gets extra style points. Now watch the ball, it will get slammed by the closest carp, if you do it right you can gently slip it out of it's mouth until a really really big one comes by and sucks it in. Give it 5' of slack, let her turn and run, then give'er in the mother of all hooksets. 20lb+ of carp takes off in shallow water 15' away from you, your braid starts bouncing off birds, ducks and geese take off in a squawking flock.......great stuff.

 

 

I still do that acouple of times a year, beats watching a pod go beep-beep

 

 

Hahaha love it!

 

Myself.. I used to flyfish for Carp in the summer. I used large streamer flys "bright red", nothing like fighting a carp on a flyrod!!

[JohnF]

The toughest carp to catch are when they are cruising around in schools just under the surface between feeding holes. "Neutral" doesn't do their attitude any justice, indifferent would be more like it. They will ignore just about everything, especially the big ones.

I only have one surefire, never fail, always works solution when you find a herd of sunning, cruising carp. It's not subtle, zero finesse, and it only works in areas close to where people feed ducks & geese, and in clear water.

 

Alot of supermarkets will give you discounts on leftover stale bread, $5 will get you the better part of a garbage bag full (GARBAGE BAG!!!!....I can hear the English-style carpers already......). Show up at the swim and start throwing a few pieces of crust out to get some ducks attention......then start winging A LOT more chunks out, the shi......errr herring gulls will start showing up.........now go for armfuls of the bread chunks, you got the geese and swans now going medieval on the gulls & ducks, if you do it right they'll be about 50 birds going ballistic 10' infront of you in a bread feeding pandemonium. But look close, deep in the water. Birds are really messy eaters, and while the bar room brawl in the Bread Octagon is going on upstairs that herd of carp has stopped and is now sucking up all the bread bits falling to the bottom. They're not neutral no more, they're FEEDING.

 

Now pick up your rod, armed with a hook and a big arse doughball and fire it at the carp. No subtle flip, you need to overhand slam it at the water to keep it away from the birds and get it sinking. Bouncing it off a goose's head gets extra style points. Now watch the ball, it will get slammed by the closest carp, if you do it right you can gently slip it out of it's mouth until a really really big one comes by and sucks it in. Give it 5' of slack, let her turn and run, then give'er in the mother of all hooksets. 20lb+ of carp takes off in shallow water 15' away from you, your braid starts bouncing off birds, ducks and geese take off in a squawking flock.......great stuff.

 

 

I still do that acouple of times a year, beats watching a pod go beep-beep

 

Do ya get penalized for dropping a windknot around a craphawk's neck?

 

I don't want all the notoriety that Winfield got for dropping that gull in the baseball game. I thought it was a helluva throw. He shoulda got some kind of award, from the league for throwing control and the world for ridding it of one more useless poop producer.

 

JF

[solopaddler]

Any fish that requires dog kibble or dough balls to catch you can have 'em.

[rbaquial]

Question for your CARPERS out there.... Is the "Hair Rig" designed for bottom? What other CARP rigs are used?

 

Is there a specific time of year they are generally most active? Are they mostly available on sandy bottoms?

[CLofchik]

Any fish that requires dog kibble or dough balls to catch you can have 'em.

 

The dexterity needed to form Wonderbread into the perfect doughball is an art form that is out of reach of most pinheads......what with their knuckles being busted into horrible misshapen claws and the nerve endings in the fingertips that have long succumbed to the many days of picking ice out of rod guides in February.

 

 

Hey if you think that's good you should see my favourite way to hit the rivers out East for steel.......let's just say it involves brushpiles, a flippin' stick, 20lb braid and lot's of dirty looks walking by the pinheads with their 1 1/2lb./test tippets.

[solopaddler]

The dexterity needed to form Wonderbread into the perfect doughball is an art form that is out of reach of most pinheads......what with their knuckles being busted into horrible misshapen claws and the nerve endings in the fingertips that have long succumbed to the many days of picking ice out of rod guides in February.

 

 

Hey if you think that's good you should see my favourite way to hit the rivers out East for steel.......let's just say it involves brushpiles, a flippin' stick, 20lb braid and lot's of dirty looks walking by the pinheads with their 1 1/2lb./test tippets.

 

I havn't met you but I like you already.

[splashhopper]

<< still can't tie a "carp rig"

 

watched videos...

 

tried tieing em just like the video too

 

can I buy the damn things somewhere ?

 

thanks

[Victor]

<< still can't tie a "carp rig"

 

watched videos...

 

tried tieing em just like the video too

 

can I buy the damn things somewhere ?

 

thanks

 

it's really really really easy to tie, not worth spending like 5 bucks to get 3 rigs.

 

If u can, try to meet up with someone who knows how and get them to show you.

[[email protected]]

So if the carp are cruising the surface in the afternoon, can you use a surface bait on them? If so, what?

 

I went down to the park today and saw loads of average sized carp cruising. Those of you familiar with Stratford will know what I mean when I say by Shakespeare gardens and downstream about 100 yds past the next bridge. There are also some little catfish along the bottom, the little yellowy green guys. Also a herd of itty bitty rock bass if you want some fun for the kids.

 

JF

 

 

I've tried stale timbits and they float pretty well for a good while...have had two carp on them but had to wait for a looooooooooooooong while.....I've heard that marshmallows float and are pretty decent too....

[krawler]

I have a cottage on GBay. its near open water not ideal habitats for carp but at this time of year there are continuous schools of carp just under the surface in 20 fow, you can see them because of the waves they make on a calm day. Some of these schools have upwards of 100 carp, quite the site to see. I see them every year at this time, never try and catch them. they are always just cruising never stay in one spot.

[John]

You could try sticking a hook in a stale piece of bread and cast it out to them...

 

I'm with Norm. I used to catch "cruisers" on a piece of bread flake and a hook. With

practice you can drop it almost on top of their noses.

[Beans]

<< still can't tie a "carp rig"

 

watched videos...

 

tried tieing em just like the video too

 

can I buy the damn things somewhere ?

 

thanks

 

D.A.M. sells a 2 hair rig pkg for $1.99...

 

Crappieperchhunter and I figured out it is cheaper to buy these than tie my own what with the cost of flurocarbon leader material, a good carp hook. and a good swivel...my only complaint is the way they package them...you gotta be real careful separating the two pieces or end up with a knot...

[Marko]

D.A.M. sells a 2 hair rig pkg for $1.99...

 

Is there a website for D.A.M.

Tried searching for it and since i am not sure what i am looking for i am striking out

[ChrisK]

Hopefully Crazyhook will chime in on this thread..He's got a hole bag of tricks for fishing carp....Give him a PM ??

[JohnF]

Is there a website for D.A.M.

Tried searching for it and since i am not sure what i am looking for i am striking out

 

Tie them. Even I figgered 'em out from the internet and now I know they work, at least on suckers. I'll give you some we meet up next and you'll see how easy they are.

 

JF