Carp Fishing Tips

Carp have been considered in China as a cherished fish for many years. One colorful member of the carp family is the Koi, sought after for their strength and beautiful color. Carp seem like gentle fish, but when caught on a rod and reel they will give you the fight of your life.

You can see carp rolling around the edges of streams, ponds, and lakes in the spring. They will be spawning and not interested in anything else. Seeing a 20 pound plus carp along the bank spawning and rolling is not unusual. These are the big ones you want to go for. They are giants that will fight like no other fish. They will go to the bottom and fight to stay there. Even 10 pound plus carp are common and can be a real challenge to land.

Use a heavy rod and reel when fishing for these giants with a 15 pound test line. Also a heavy action pole as the lighter outfits will get broken time and time again. You need a heavier action pole that can take a lot of action. These are the largest freshwater fish found in North America and well worth the trouble to catch.

There are a lot of different baits to use to catch these big ones. With night crawlers you can't go wrong. You can also use dough balls and catch a lot of carp, although the ones caught with the dough balls tend to be somewhat smaller in size than the ones caught with night crawlers. So the worms should be your primary bait. Use a sliding rig for best results, a sliding sinker above the bait with an o-ring connector between the bait and the sinker. Use this particular rig to fish the bottom where carp are most likely to be.

Fish the mouth of streams, spillways, and rivers and also pools in streams are good spots for these fish. If you want to strike it rich with the big ones, then fish the deep structures such as rocks, trees, plants, points, sand bars, etc. In the summer a good spot for catching the large carp is an underwater sand bar of approximately 15 to 20 feet down. It is easy to hook into a 20 to 30 pound fish, which will keep you busy for a long time.

I wouldn't recommend that you eat these big ones, just catch and release. They have a strong flavor and are very tough at this size. You can always come back to fight another day and as they have been around a long time, they will be there when you come back.

If you do want a meal, just keep the 10 pound and under fish as they will taste better, are easier to clean, and much safer to eat.

If you want a fun and exciting fishing day, go carp fishing! Once you do, you will be hooked forever on carp fishing.