Carp feeeeshing

[Dozer]

Hey,

 

I've started to fish for carp. Don't have much time to get out for up north trips so 2 - 4 hour sessions for carp around Toronto is enough to give me my fix.

 

I'm really new to carp fshing. Been out 3 times this year to the same spot and I will start venturing in new areas as I gain more confidence in what I'm doing.

 

I have a question regarding the way the fish moves. Last month was my first outing and the spot was LOADED with carp. Any time I'd look into the water I would see 5 - 15 fish. Last week I've been twice only to find a couple fish cruising around and landing a few small fish.

 

The area is a bay off Lake Ontario which I am only assuming is quite shallow. We were hitting fish around 6- 8 feet of water and I'm only guessing it is a shallow bay because I can see logs sticking out here and there.

 

My question is, where did all the big carp go? What should I be looking for?

 

I'm running an 18 inch mono leader wth a hook at the end of my line and weight near my swivel connecting the lines, fishing the bottom with corn or worms.

 

Thanks in advance.

[wolfville]

Normally, when you can see carp, you can't catch them. They are likely just sun bathing if they are near surface.

 

If you are stuck with that venue, the best advice is to throw in a can of sweet corn (or feed corn if you have it for the cost factor) the day before you fish it.

 

Your setup is fine. I'd use at least a 2oz lead and shorten the leader a little bit (I don't normally go over 6" of leader). Do some research on a hair rig, it does improve the hook up rate and not hard to make at all.

 

As to where the big carp are, that's the million dollar question. This time of the year carp fishing is harder due to the warm water temperature, they are either spawning or go to deeper water after spawn for cooler/more oxygenated water. You should have more luck fishing the early morning or in the evening for the same reason.

 

Good luck. I started carping thinking the same way you do, but after a while, I stop going north at all ;-)

[mike rousseau]

bay fishing for carp is my "specialty"

 

like wolfville said... BAIT ahead of time

 

when im in carp mode(the time of year when i only fish carp) i only fish 1-3 spots... this way you have bait going in at least once a week...

 

more often then not i fish 1 spot for a given stretch of time... and bait heavily... if you live close to the spot youve been fishing... i would put bait in every day or every second day... im talking lots... 3-5 gallons of corn(soak feed corn in water for 3 days)

 

bay carp come and go several times a day in most cases... they seldom sit in one area for very long so your giving them a reason to come back more often and sooner than normal... this means carp will see your bait more often as well...

 

i also like to set up a "road block" for them... what i mean is while your actualy fishing... make a bait bed that will cut off the carps path... this wont hold em for long but they will stop to mooch on a couple baits... as well... if your with other people... stager your rods to create a "wall of hooks"... space out where you casts... if you think the carp are 50-80yds out and you have 3 lines available... try to cast 55-65-75yds that way you can be certain they will see a bait...

 

 

i could go on and on here but this should get you goin... remember bait bait and more bait... these fish can eat...

[MJL]

Welcome to the hardest time of the year to fish for carp (aside from the middle of winter).

 

Early in the season, carp inhabit the shallow bays to A. warm up and B. to eventually spawn. This is the EASIEST time of the year to catch huge numbers of carp provided that the temps are right and they haven’t yet started to spawn. There is a fine line between catching 30-100+ carp per day and catching none. It’s all about the temps.

 

For the post-spawn period (which in many places I fish, is now), you often have to work for your fish. Going from pre-spawn to spawn to post spawn can all happen within the span of 1-3+ weeks depending on where you are.

 

The majority of carp that you saw in that bay are now cruising around Lake O in much smaller groups (as opposed to the hundreds or thousands of fish you saw stacked together). Lake O has way more everything that they need – A bigger food supply of natural items such as zebra mussels, crayfish, etc and cooler temps (with more oxygen). Because carp can withstand higher temps doesn’t mean they prefer it. With that said, there will usually be ‘resident’ carp in the area that stick around all-year but in much smaller numbers.

 

As for baiting up at this time of year, 1 mistake that a lot of anglers make is they bait up their swim as they would during the pre-spawn time. They’ll keep on chumming vast amounts of bait in the hopes of attracting MORE carp...Eventually, this mass baiting technique might work if you don’t mind waiting for the rest of the fish to arrive a few days later (if at all). It’s a waste of bait IMO to keep chumming tons if you’re not getting any action. With fewer fish around, and tons of bait in the water, you ruin the chance to get the carp competing with each other for food (and hopefully your hook-bait). What usually ends up happening is the fish tend to just hover around your pile of bait, slowly feeding and picking out what they like.

 

My carping philosophy is to fish where the fish are. If you fish where the fish are, you don’t need much bait at all to attract them...They’re already there. The only time you really need to use a lot of bait is to keep a good bite going.

 

At this time of the season, look for deep water or moving water as a general starting point (or areas in close proximity). Fish will still frequent the shallows if conditions are right (low barometric pressure, strong west winds that stir up the windward side of the lake/river). There are still some places around the GTA (especially along the harbourfront) that fish OK in summer.