Catching Big Carp

Ok so all the advise we hear is to keep fishing line in your survival gear. But what do you do with it?

There are obviously lots of different kinds of fish out there but on this thread I want to talk about the pros and cons of catching big carp and the basics of how to do it.

Firstly, if there are not carp (Asian Carp) living in your area don't bother with these techniques and switch to what will work for other fish (though catfish can be caught this way too. Cats like to eat at night but they are a lot smaller). Carp are an invasive species and they have spread to many parts of the United States, the UK and Asia. Since they are an invasive species and sport fishermen don't like to catch them in the US that means that the dept of agriculture has tracked their progress and made a map of where they live.

When I checked this site the map was not working but I have seen it work before. No doubt there are other maps.
http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/AquaticNuisance/AsianCarp.aspx

Because sportfishermen don't like them it also means that there are a lot of them in the areas where they live because they are not overfished. Of course it helps that they eat and breed like crazy. And if you are hungry that makes them the perfect fish. In Asia they are a preferred fish. Here in the states people complain that they taste like mud. I have never eaten one but the last time I was fishing some people asked if they could have my catch to take home to eat - apparently they liked them.

I find carp to be one of the easiest fish to catch if you do a few simple things. They also tend to be big which means they will provide a lot of meat for a little effort. They can easily be 8 pounds and it is not unusual for them to be 30 pounds.

The first thing you need is fishing line. If you are looking for big fish then you should get heavy line. 12lb line is good. Though my three year old daughter and my son have caught 3-8 pound carp on 3 pound line. You just need to be more careful about not breaking the line.

A pole really helps. The type and quality are not that important. Again, my daughter has caught sizeable carp using her tigger the tiger fishing pole that was only about two feet long. I like my 'ugley stick."

I made a pole once out of a green stick. I attempted to make what is called a trigger line. I am still perfecting the technique and have not caught anything yet so it does show that practice is important.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/mcdougall108.html

The next thing to do is to have a hook. There are instructions on how to make them but really they are cheap and small. You should use a size 6 to 8 for carp. If you are good and want a really really big carp then you would use a number 2. the hook should also be very sharp. If it is dull and the fish tries to spit it out the fish might succeed. A sharp hook is harder to spit out.

When you tie your hook to your line use what is called an improved clinch knot. If you tie a bad knot the line will break every time you catch a fish and put stress on the line. Don't foget to spit on the knot before pulling it tight.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPage?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&appID=84&template=knot2.cfm

Attach a weight about a foot above the hook on the line. The weight holds the bait near the bottom of the water and allows you to cast it out farther. Crimp the weight very lightly on the line or when you hook a big one the line will break where the weight is crimped.

The easiest and effective bait is canned corn. This is where you will get to test your faith and "cast your bread upon the water." Bring a whole 15 oz can of corn with you. Put about four or five kernels on your hook. Throw a small handful out into the water where you plan to fish. Then cast your line your hook lands near where you "chummed" the water. The chum attracts the fish to the area so they will find your hook. Chumming is important. If you do not chum enough the fish will go elsewhere. If you chum too much they will be busy eating the chum and not your bait. Carp are voracous eaters and really hoover up a lot of food so this is not too much of  a worry. Every 15 or 20 minutes throw out a bit more chum.

Depending on how many carp are in your water you might catch a big one in as little as 15 minutes or maybe 45 minutes or if for some reason they are not biting then maybe they will start biting in an hour or two. Ten pounds of meat is still a good return on an investment of a can of corn and some time.

When you catch the fish it will take off for the deep water very fast. most people set down their poles when fishing for carp and if you are not careful it can pull your pole right into the water. Now you will be hungry. If you used a rod holder of some sort then you were relaxing or setting up other rods while waiting. Yes, there is no reason that you can not have as many poles in the water at one time as you want. At my lake with four poles in the water I catch a carp about every 15 minutes sometimes more than one at a time. I bet the amount of time between catches would be smaller but when you catch one it struggles and scares away the others.

Now you have to play with the fish. If you just try to reel it in fast your line will break. Pull in when the fish is fighting less and let it out when the fish is fighting more. You will lower your pole while cranking the reel then raise your pole gently while not cranking.

When the fish gets near the shore you will not be able to lift it out with your line and pole or your line will break. Leave it in the water and bring it right up next to shore or boat. Then get a net under it to pull it out. If you don;t have a net you can buy or make a gaff which is just a spear.

Practice. Practice makes perfect and you will be really glad you tried things out when it was convenient rather than when you were desperate. Because carp is considered and invasive species in some areas they will want you to not return you catch to the water. If you decide you like carping you can learn about boilies (another bait), hair lines, and using a bow to fish.