I fished for Carp through my entire childhood in North Jersey and I have not fished for them in years now. I always remember how strong they were and I would target them just because they were the biggest strongest fish in the river near our home.
I take part in a couple of international fishing web sites and I was really shocked to see how much the Europeans love there Carp fishing and the size of some of the carp they catch. It makes me want to give it a try again.
I take part in a couple of international fishing web sites and I was really shocked to see how much the Europeans love there Carp fishing and the size of some of the carp they catch. It makes me want to give it a try again.
Yes sir. That is one of the reasons i have taken up carp fishing this year. My goal is to catch a 20# fish this year and the only way i am going to be able to do it in freshwater, is by going after those carps. I have my boilies, my pop ups, pellets and i just ordered some Korda Goo Pineapple flavor. But to be honest corn has worked the best, if you want to go half on a big carp bait order from the UK let me know shipping is a killer lol.
I have been bass fishing for over 40 years.... caught tons of bass up to 6+ pounds.... they put up an incredible fight and are ONE OF the best fighting fish out there.... ( so are pickerel, especially ones over 3 pounds)... BUT--- in my opinion, there is no fish that gives a STONGER fight than a carp.... no... they rarely make jumps out of the water ( and most bass don't either) but the fight they put up is incredible... they make monster runs that you just can't stop...when you hook a "big one" you just can't beleive the strength and speed these fish have, it take skill to land one of these monsters, especially the over 10 pound ones. The strength of these fish is hard to explain, kinda like the fight of a SW bluefish from my experience.... any angler will not be dissapointed in the battle this fish gives you... it should be considered a game fish like they are in Europe. The sport of carp fishing is growing leaps and bounds as more anglers get over the stigma and misconception of this being a trash fish and realizing the great sport involved in the battle they but up when hooked.....
I hear you Mab , but to me its js like u said 10lbs and up .. Based on size alone , I am sticking with Smallies .. I've caught an 8 lb Mirror Carp n thought it ws a Monster bass , but I feel like I can hook a 2 lb smallie that'll make u think ur hooked into a 10 pounder , they are a fun fish to catch don't get me wrong but , the biggest Smallmouth I've ever caught ws 5 and change n that ws a battle I will never forget .. That's not even considering River Smallmouth which are much more powerful n aggressive .. I actually had to catch this guys Carp he had tethered to a small sapling that came off it right in front of me , I had a 5'6" Berkley Lightning rod , super light rod , I threw out far as I cud get n let it sink , 10lb line . Each fish ws approx 10 lbs each , it ws js like dead weight tho they hardly shook or ran at all , n after a couple minutes I got em in ,bit that ws cs I didn't wana break the only rod I brought with me n I had js got there .. So we can agree that they are Heavy pullers ,but Fight wise not even close to Smallmouth , to me at least .. Those were my only experiences catching Carp so maybe I haven't had enough of them to see what u guys do ..Either way I know a small pond / creek that has massive Carp so maybe one day I'll try my luck n hopefully see what u guys see till then , Happy Catching while the water is flowing n not iced up yet ..
I am surprised the carp you caught didn't run... shocked to be honest... I have only fished for carp for a couple of years now... I mostly bass fish... but what attracted me to the carp fishing scene was the fight.... and their run is outstanding... I haven't caught tons of carp since I dont fish for them as much as I want ( cause I usually decide to go for bass) but the ones I have caught - from 6 to 17.5 pound gave me an amazing fight... running like a tuna... stripping line off the reel - especially when first hooked... that first run is incredible... and as I fought them in they just kept taking off with strong powerful runs... I do beleive if you experienced this you would want to fish for them sometimes.... what I don't enjoy about carping is sitting there waiting for the bite... I would rather move around in my boat and cast lures for bass or pickerel,,, but saying that... the fight that I have experienced always draws me back-- .give it a shot sometimes.... I cant even imagine why the carp you have caught fought like you said... tight lines my friend.
I am surprised the carp you caught didn't run... shocked to be honest... I have only fished for carp for a couple of years now... I mostly bass fish... but what attracted me to the carp fishing scene was the fight.... and their run is outstanding... I haven't caught tons of carp since I dont fish for them as much as I want ( cause I usually decide to go for bass) but the ones I have caught - from 6 to 17.5 pound gave me an amazing fight... running like a tuna... stripping line off the reel - especially when first hooked... that first run is incredible... and as I fought them in they just kept taking off with strong powerful runs... I do beleive if you experienced this you would want to fish for them sometimes.... what I don't enjoy about carping is sitting there waiting for the bite... I would rather move around in my boat and cast lures for bass or pickerel,,, but saying that... the fight that I have experienced always draws me back-- .give it a shot sometimes.... I cant even imagine why the carp you have caught fought like you said... tight lines my friend.
I gotta agree. Carp fishing totally sucks until that bite. It's just creating a good spread on the bottom to bring them in and throw a ridiculously complicated rig with the smallest damn hook. That bite comes and its on. They are no joke. One morning I set up on a spread I created the night before. I casted out one rig and instead of a rod holder I leaned the rod on a fence at obtuse enough angle that it was handle heavy with some tip to help the hook set. I hadn't even clipped the line bell alarm on yet. Anyway, I sit down and start tying up another rod. Next thing I know that rod flipped over the fence and was quickly making its way out to the water. I stomped on the handle and the line broke. In order to generate enough force to make that rod toss over the fence at the extreme angles was tremendous. That's an example of how they tear off. All carp I csught and landed have not made it easy on me.
Like Mab, I spend most free time looking for bass mainly because of the time commitment and dead time involved with carp fishing. But if u set up and started getting bites in 30 mins that'd be awesome. But frankly, I've found them to be a very allusive fish.
A 10 lb carp is gonna give you a good one. No question.
ssheldon1 You said it perfectly !! the dead time blows... but all worth it when you are really into them.... the fight is unmatched... one time I fished for 3 hours without a single nibble... then for the next hour I caught 8 carp between 8 pounds and 13 pounds... it was the most awesome freshwater hour of my life... at one time I had two on at a time -- netted one... then fought the other in with the first one still in the net.... outstanding!! But they are very tough fish to catch.... takes a lot of know how unless you get lucky....
I gota say all this Carp talk is starting make me curious about trying it out , I know of a tiny lil pond js over the border of Nyack , NY right near Palisade Mall .. Its chocked full of Massive Carp like 10lbs and Up .. I've heard thru the years , that Carp are actually one of the most intelligent fish to target .. They are illusive and very picky as well .. Opposed to Bass the will Bite a Soda Can if presented in the right manner .. All the same I js love catching Smallmouth , the Fights , compared to Saltwater wud be like a Tuna cs they are non stop pullers bulldogging you any chance they get .. On the other hand I saw my body catch a 12 lb Carp in a tiny stream off a reservoir near by , I ws amazed it bit his lil white grub , and the ws a cool fight js to watch .. Even seeing 30 more in the same area neither of us got bit after that .. My experience with Hybrids are few and far between also , One night after the sunset I casted out far as I could ( which is most of the time I get my bites ) js after the lure hit the water , it ws js like someone grabbed the line n yanked , cs the rod damn near flew out of my hands .. I tried setting the hook , thought I did considering the force this thing took off with it n all I hear is the buzzing of the Drag ( Best sound Ever) mind you it ws set pretty high . I only realized that afterward cs the fish came off n I thought the drag ws set too loose so I checked it n cud barely pull any line off . From past stories that's how Hybrids hit , like a train Hit then Run .. It ws a bigger hook so I didn't think of it being a Carp , plus the speed and violence of this thing running n buzzing drag js didn't scream Carp to me .. But who knows , it could have been a Smallmouth also , I've gotten strikes like that from them to a degree also .. I'm def gona keep an open mind about carp now tho n prolly have a few smaller rigs in my arsenal this year , does anyone know when they spawn or when there are carp yearlings running around ??
I hope you do try for carp.... like I stated before... I bass fished for over 40 years... and just started carping in the last two years... i got hooked BUT - you hit the nail on the head with several of your comments... they are a very SMART fish... a huge challenge... dont get discouraged bro- I went out 6 times getting skunked before I caught my first carp... that day I caught 5 between 6 and 10 pounds and have been "hooked" ever siince... the fight... the challenge... is incredible....to be successful there is a lot to learn... I suggest you check out BRIAN WINGARD on You Tube to get some pointers... To increase your chances you have to bait the area you fish.. also.. there are thousands of baits and reciepes that guys swear by... my favorite is simple... I use sweet corn on my #4 wide gap hook and bait the area with a spomb with oatmeat mixed wiith cream corn.... if you can bait the area you are fishing the night before WOW!! that really helps.... I know once you land a nice size carp 10 pounds and more you will be hooked... not to mention the possibility of landing one over 20, 30, or 40 pounds - THEY ARE OUT THERE!! QUICK STORY ( your story above reminded me) years ago I was fishing the Susquehanna Flats in a Bass Tourny... I was using a lizard... cast it under some branches... BANG - thought I had the lunker of the tourny ( it was a bass boat) long story short.. after a 5+ min fight... I landed a carp about 12 pounds... it sucked in the lizard and I hooked it in its mouth... can't tell you how dissapointed I was it wasnt a bass..lol If you ever have any questions please feel free to ask... like I said - there is a lot to learn but once you get it down.... wow... the fight is unforgettable....