Carp tips?

[Locnar]

I've spent about 2-3 hours in the evening for the past few days, and have seen plenty around. Tails breaking the surface, large bubbles, jumping... I've been using a boilie on bottom with a hair rig, chumming the area when I get there, about an hour in and like a half hour before I leave. No bites. Is there anything I could do to increase my chances?

[Gnote]

Try corn, when they are jumping a lot i find they are hard to catch. It seems before and after spawning is great but during its hard to trick them.

I will throw two cans of corn in before my first cast and i will throw a small amount on top of every subsequent cast. I ve also chummed with dog food cheese bread boilies you name it but i like corn the best.

 

When i hit a dry spell i changed line, used smaller hooks or weights, different baits anything to get a fish. Lastly are your hooks coming back skunked or still intact? The bullhead seem to be able to chew baits right off some days.

Edited June 5, 2015 by Gallie

[Freshtrax]

When they are spawning, I have also had a hard time getting them to bite. And no pink shirts, that's what the guys from northeastern Ontario tell me.

[PUMP KNOWS]

If you know the carp are in the area, I only chum a hand full of corn in one spot. I like using about 5 kernels on a hair rig and just wait. I only chum a lot when I need to bring the carp in.

 

Yesterday I went 2 for 5 using a centerpin and floatrod

 

https://www.facebook.com/PUMPKNOWS?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Edited June 5, 2015 by PUMP KNOWS

[mike rousseau]

Try no bait....

 

If you bait regularily they'll be looking already... Just cast a single bait out on your rig ang give it after....

 

When it comes to boilie fishing carp 2-3 hours isn't a log if time so baiting strategy is key

[Locnar]

Right on, thanks guys. I'll give straight corn a try. Making it my mission to land a fat old carp before Bass opener.

 

Pump Knows, those are some beauty carps. Whereabouts are you located?

[Fisherpete]

I also find that some days they just don't want the boilies... like Gallie mentioned, just try some corn. I put 4 to 5 kernels on the hook (or hair rig). And as Mike mentioned, less chumming or light chumming can help too. If you are seeing bubbles, cast near there - that is usually a sign of active feeding.

[MJL]

Hands down, corn is the most instant bait out there for carp. Unless you're fishing extremely pressured waters for carp - where they've been caught over and over on corn - pretty much every carp on the planet will eat corn. Bread, maize (cow corn), tiger nuts (aka chufa nuts) and worms (especially at this time of year) are other fairly instant baits you can try. Boilies, in my experience can be very effective at times but they aren't as instant as the baits I previously mentioned - it usually takes some time to get the fish to feed on them. They are great at sorting out the bigger fish though and if small nuissance fish are a problem (like gobies), they hold up great. There is a huge difference in the store-bought 'preserved' boilies vs freshly made ones or freezer-boilies IMO, with freshly made/freezer baits being the best.

 

Chumming little and often is usually the best tactic. The idea is to get fish rooting around bottom but not overfeeding to the point that your hook-bait gets lost in the mix. You also want fish competing amongst themselves for the free offerings. If you're in an area with a lot of fish close by, it doesn't take a lot of chum to get them going and to keep them going for hours. Of course 'little and often' is relative depending on the number, size and activity level of the fish in a given location.

 

Keep in mind that fishing for carp while they're actively spawning is often an exercise in futility. They're generally too preoccupied doing their thing and have little interest in feeding. They can be caught but you're better off looking for fish that aren't in the midst of spawning.

[Locnar]

I figured the bubbles were feeding fish, especially when their tail broke the surface right next to the bubbles. Less chum and change up bait might help then?

 

Spawning fish are the ones that are flopping and jumping?