carp!

[burce]

So I have seen some MONSTER carp swimming in the pond on my university campus, and me and my friends are trying to catch these guys. We have caught a few, but all no more than 6ish lbs, and no where NEAR as big as the ones we have seen swimming the shallows.

Question is, what do yall use for carp bait? We have been using white bread, which seems to work okay but not great. I'm thinking I'll float some bread on top of the water tonight since one tried to eat my bobber last night . We usually just put bread balls on a hook and let them sit on the bottom. We also dropshot, and sometimes use bobbers since they like to stay near the surface

So what do yall like to use for carp and how do you rig it? if it helps, there are also catfish and bluegill in the pond and I think some bass as well.

[Avalonjohn44]

[Marty]

I've always used corn, but have fished with a number of guys who use cereal, such as Wheaties or Bran Flakes. They grab a handful, immerse, then squeeze out water until it's the consistency they want.

I use spinning gear with 8# line and #4 or #6 baitholder hooks. I put a slip sinker or egg sinker about 12-18" up the line and crimp on a BB shot below it to keep it from sliding down to the hook. I fish with the bail open so the carp can pick up and run with the bait without feeling resistance. When you see the line moving off, often just closing the bail will set the hook, although I give the rod a pull as well.

Good luck. Carp don't have a lot of prestige attached to them but are sure fun when they're on the end of your line making your reel sing.

[Scorcher214]

Ya there are a lot of 20lb carp in my canal. I've never gone after them, but i hear corn works great and so do bits of hot dogs. I had a 25lb carp hit on a spinnerbait for who knows what on some 12lb line and it was a great fight!

[MMan16]

Me and my friends use wheaties soaked in strawberry soda and make bread balls out of it. I recently bought some carp bait that came in a tub and it smelled very similar to our wheatie strawberry soda mixture. We use treble hooks and have had better luck than single hooks.

[SirSnookalot]

Molasses or syrup on your bread balls.

[bilgerat]

It's important to keep the hook covered with the bait as much as possible because once they sense the metal they will reject the bait. I learned this from an old timer when I was a kid.

My father used to make up some concoction in a frying pan that had, among other things, oatmeal, syrup and cornmeal. Whatever it was it worked.