Carp Fishing Tips

A Handful Of Carp Fishing Tips

One problem in seeking carp fishing tips is that there seems to be as many tips as there are fishermen. The challenge is one of finding just a few that would seem to serve the intended purpose, and not have to memorize pages and pages of seemingly good tips and ideas.

Carp fishing tips can range from how to tie specially rigs, using special bait, to using dynamite (only in those areas where the carp has become a nuisance, fish, though it's still probably illegal to do so).

The best way to go about collecting a few useful carp fishing tips is to know something about the fish, its habits, what food it prefers, and of course it’s important to be able to read water, weather conditions, and know where the carp are apt to be at a given time. In some areas you have to go looking, in others they're all over the place.

The carp is a member of the minnow family, but some species, given the right environment, can grow to be 30 or 40 pounds or more. Some think of carp as being an ornamental fish, like the koi or the goldfish, and they are in fact very closely related. Carp can be used as ornamental fish, but over the centuries they have primarily been a food fish. Carp did not make an appearance in the United States until fairly late in the 19th century. They were regarded as a popular game fish and food fish at the time. Their popularity then dwindled, but has lately staged a comeback. To many, the carp is still considered a rough fish or a trash fish, but they can be a great deal of fun to catch, especially if you hook into a big one, and make delicious eating besides.

Here are a half-dozen carp fishing tips which should serve you well, especially if you haven't tried carp fishing before:

Use small, sharp hooks. Carp are notorious for sucking in bait and then spitting it out. Small, sharp hooks will help keep this from happening.

Entice the fish by scattering or throwing a few pieces of bait in the water when you first arrive at a likely location. This practice, called chumming, is legal in most places, and encourages the carp to sick around for more. If you fish the same spot day after day, chumming acts as a buffet table for the carp, who will soon figure out where the good food is.

If it (the bait) smells good, they will come. Carp like chick peas, beans, and concoctions of bird seed, or other seeds, held together by a fish-meal based binder.

For reasons known only to the carp, they are sometimes partial to spicy or salty foods. Chili pepper mixed in with the bait can be quite effective, as is salt. Some carp experts say the carp prefer rock salt to table salt, but here again, only the carp knows why, and isn't telling.

Use a float. You can then use a bit more weight on the line for a longer cast, and the use of a float makes it easier to spot and mark the location where carp are biting.

When fishing for the first time, or fishing in a new location or new body of water, bring several different baits along. If the carp don't like the smell or taste of the bait you're using they won't go near it again, and seemingly spread the word to fellow carp.

Spinning tackle works well, and if you're going after large carp, you'll probably want to use at least 20 pound-test line. Using that tackle together with above carp fishing tips should get you off to a good start.