# Carp- How do i catch em.



## marn1186 (Dec 27, 2009)

What is the best way to catch carp right now 5/20/2010. While fishing for bass and pike in my lake ive seen monster carp lurking around. Usually it seems like they are very shallow but they are easily spooked if I cast by them.

What set up will work to catch these beasts?


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## Edler (Apr 2, 2010)

I cant post the URL, board rule.
there is a michigan carp group
do a search


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## Duck-Hunter (Mar 31, 2005)

Easiest and very productive way is simply a can or two of sweet corn, a hook and split shot. Go to the shallows or where u have been seeing them. Toss out half-3/4 of the can of corn as far as u can throw. Jam corn on the hook and put the weight about a foot or above the hook. throw the hook into your chum and wait till it starts peelin drag. We use to leave the bail open and wait toll the line would start running but the fish would ways swallow the hook so we started leaving the bail closed and keep the drag a little loose. 

Check out the Michigan carp guys they are all very helpful
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BirdieShooter (Feb 7, 2010)

Ditto on what marn1186 asked. I don't really want to join another forum though. I am already in more then I can keep track of. I have a place on a 50 acre spring fed lake that is lousy with carp. I go out on my electric pontoon and try shooting them with a bow but I can never get close enough. I have tried fishing for them but never with any success. Now I suppose its my fault for being lazy but I just wasn't very excited about making boilies. I don't mind tieing up the hair rigs or simple things like that but everything I read about the boilies sounded like an entire project in its own. Now of course I did the good old standby corn thing that everyone swears by and never even got a nibble. Anybody have anything simple I can try that really works well?


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## hunter143 (Jan 21, 2005)

marn1186 said:


> What is the best way to catch carp right now 5/20/2010. While fishing for bass and pike in my lake ive seen monster carp lurking around. Usually it seems like they are very shallow but they are easily spooked if I cast by them.
> 
> What set up will work to catch these beasts?


Carpman from the site has all kinds of how to videos on youtube.Im sure if you pmed him hed get you the info your looking for..Hope it helped...


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## Dave Ash (May 3, 2006)

What kinda size do you have in that lake? Any monsters?


If you want a shake down on carp fishing, I am always intrested in showing someone the ropes.

Let me know

Dave


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## Jim..47 (May 5, 2009)

I remember catching them on the Tobaco river when I was a kid while fishing for other game fish, we used soft sheel crabs for bait and pealed off the shell from the tail. They sucked them in like Godiva chocolates


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## Carpman (Mar 30, 2007)

Dave ash you looking for new waters to Blank on..lol.

Ill tell you an easy way to catch them (there are better ways but this one is easy)

You will need a flat sinker, if you can find one with some holes in even better.

Take one tub of quick oats (cheap K-mart stuff) 2.2lb i think they come in, add this in a bucket with one can of cream of corn... mix it all up (if you want to get all flash add some sea salt and cinnamon), leave the mix for 10 mins with a lid on.

Now grab some of the mix and put it around your lead, For hook bait use corn (boiled field corn is better, but sweet corn will work too.

Cast this in gently!, you want to keep the chum on your lead!.... leave and wait.

(oh you may want to let that drag off)

Heres alink to a TV show with some good looking chap fishing for carp (me)

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an4k4OWwlos&feature=related"]YouTube- PBS Michigan out of doors carp TV show[/nomedia]

Hope it helps


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## Chad Smith (Dec 13, 2008)

When I was about 12-16 years old all I did was carp fish for the most part because the river was right next to my house. I always used bread, ball it up tight and put it on the hook, real easy, cast out and wait til the rod bends!


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## Carpman (Mar 30, 2007)

ill tell you what ill do, Im fishing this Sat (in the rain) ill make you a quick and easy video "The easy way (not the best way) to catch carp" using bait found a K-mart and ill even fish with it and see if i can get me a fish and put it up on youtube and share the video on here.


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## 2SloSHO (Jan 23, 2008)

Carpman said:


> ill tell you what ill do, Im fishing this Sat (in the rain) ill make you a quick and easy video "The easy way (not the best way) to catch carp" using bait found a K-mart and ill even fish with it and see if i can get me a fish and put it up on youtube and share the video on here.


I still wanna meet up with you guys in search of some monsters!

I havent been doing to bad using bread crust either, it seemed to be working better than anything the other day.


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## Carpman (Mar 30, 2007)

I'm going to be fishing the Detroit river at the black lagoon in Trenton, looking to get there at 7am, anyone wants to join me you are more then welcome.


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## TrekJeff (Sep 7, 2007)

As a kid fishing mott lake we would take a hand full of "Life Cereal" soak it in water and squish it around the hook. It seemed to work better than bread balls and other cereals...it was almost sticky. The hogs in Mott Lake loved it.


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## BirdieShooter (Feb 7, 2010)

I tied up some nice little hair rigs and put some corn on them. I went out to an area in our lake that always has carp swimming around and sure enough there they were. I let the boat drift up close as quiet as possible and as usual they moved off a few yards. As I drifted over the center of main activity I dumped a gallon of corn and three rigs. I let the line play out free as I drifted away until I was maybe a little more then 100' away where I slowly dropped anchor. As I was drifting away I could already see carp swimming back in behind me. I put the Tigers game on nice and low and kicked back in a lounger and watched the rod tips through the entire 9 innings. NOTHING. I pulled up anchor and moved as slow as possible back toward the corn. Carp still swimming around but no noticeable interest in the corn. Pulled the rigs up and nothing had touched them. Went in and got something to eat. Raided the cupboards for cereal, beans, cheese, lunch meat, bacon, anything I could find that I have EVER heard of carp eating. On the way out to the boat I grabbed some worms. I tried everything I could think of until midnight. Carp swimming all around me. Laughing at me. Telling me how STUPID I am . *** do I have to do to catch a carp?


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## Chad Smith (Dec 13, 2008)

BirdieShooter said:


> I tied up some nice little hair rigs and put some corn on them. I went out to an area in our lake that always has carp swimming around and sure enough there they were. I let the boat drift up close as quiet as possible and as usual they moved off a few yards. As I drifted over the center of main activity I dumped a gallon of corn and three rigs. I let the line play out free as I drifted away until I was maybe a little more then 100' away where I slowly dropped anchor. As I was drifting away I could already see carp swimming back in behind me. I put the Tigers game on nice and low and kicked back in a lounger and watched the rod tips through the entire 9 innings. NOTHING. I pulled up anchor and moved as slow as possible back toward the corn. Carp still swimming around but no noticeable interest in the corn. Pulled the rigs up and nothing had touched them. Went in and got something to eat. Raided the cupboards for cereal, beans, cheese, lunch meat, bacon, anything I could find that I have EVER heard of carp eating. On the way out to the boat I grabbed some worms. I tried everything I could think of until midnight. Carp swimming all around me. Laughing at me. Telling me how STUPID I am . *** do I have to do to catch a carp?


Hey Shooter, "shoot" me a pm on your work schedule, I just happen to be off this week and live in that area. I can show you a spot that has landed me some good size carp. The first thing that comes to mind is you were trying to hard.:lol:


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## Greekrukus (Oct 20, 2008)

try the cheapest hotdogs you can find! not the fancy stuff like ballpark. I mean the party store kind that are made of stuff you wouldnt even feed your dog. I do great on them in a little lake by my house. I actually catch some big uns on the hotdogs!


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## ChessieMike (Jul 31, 2003)

We use to use a small treble hook and a slip sinker so when the carp picked up the bait they wouldn't feel the weight and drop it. We fished the Huron River using sweet corn, raisin bran, & stink bait.


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## fishwhore (Oct 22, 2002)

Here's my technique: Get on my pontoon boat on Belleville Lake. Anchor at the sandbar in front of the beach at Van Buren Park. Both my rods have circle hooks on them that help them "self-set" when a carp picks them up. I use enough weight about 2 feet above the hooks to keep it pegged to the bottom. I throw a few handfuls of corn in the water, thread 6 corn kernels onto the circle hooks, cast out the two lines and put them in the rod holders off the back. Then I kick up the music and crack a brew and check out the hotties with my buddies. 
Keep the drag a little loose. You won't miss it when one of those beasties grabs on. We make it really fun by grabbing the rod and jumping in the waist deep water to fight them like we are battling bonefish on the flats of the Keys. It's a riot. I wish they were good eating!
I just have to be aware of boat traffic coming and going to avoid a mess when someone runs over my braided line and gets a tangle in the prop! Learned that the hard way Saturday.


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## BirdieShooter (Feb 7, 2010)

fishwhore said:


> Here's my technique: Get on my pontoon boat on Belleville Lake. Anchor at the sandbar in front of the beach at Van Buren Park. Both my rods have circle hooks on them that help them "self-set" when a carp picks them up. I use enough weight about 2 feet above the hooks to keep it pegged to the bottom. I throw a few handfuls of corn in the water, thread 6 corn kernels onto the circle hooks, cast out the two lines and put them in the rod holders off the back. Then I kick up the music and crack a brew and check out the hotties with my buddies.
> Keep the drag a little loose. You won't miss it when one of those beasties grabs on. We make it really fun by grabbing the rod and jumping in the waist deep water to fight them like we are battling bonefish on the flats of the Keys. It's a riot. I wish they were good eating!
> I just have to be aware of boat traffic coming and going to avoid a mess when someone runs over my braided line and gets a tangle in the prop! Learned that the hard way Saturday.


How big of a hook do you use? How much action do you get? Is it a wait forever deal or do you typically get something fairly quick?


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## fishwhore (Oct 22, 2002)

I am not sure of the exact size but the whole profile of the hook is about the size of a nickel. It takes 7 pieces of corn to cover the hook from eye to barb. I really like the circle hooks because it seems that I always get a good hook up in the mouth. I think they suck up the corn and then try to spit it right back out and the hooks turns for a lip hook up. I never have them swallow it.
We were out last night anchored up on the sandbar for about 30 minutes before I had my first taker. He was 13 pounds. We got another one about 15 minutes later and the third fish came about half hour after that. In the time it took two guys to drink 4 beers each (about 90 minutes) we had three carp released. This time I only had one rod in the water due to a slight accident putting a full gas can in the back of my truck..... whoops. Broke a nice graphite rod. :yikes:
You can sit at the sandbar and throw food in the water and the carp start appearing quickly. Kids on other boats often do that for the entertainment value of seeing those big U-boats swimming all over the place. On calm days when the water is clear you can see them combing the bottom for food and they will often swim right next to people walking around in the knee-deep water. Can you say "fish in a barrel"?


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## Frogfish101 (Apr 5, 2007)

If you ever make it towards Ann Arbor, let me know. I'll gladly show you the ropes to carp fishing!


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