New to carp fishing.

tunameltdown · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 12:22 pm Post subject: New to carp fishing.

I found this site while doing internet research and trying to learn about carp fishing. I live in Northbridge MA not to far from the Blackstone and work in Brighton right next to the Charles river. I have seen carp in both and want to start fishing for them. I plan on using corn and bread as I have read and have been told that those two baits are the easiest for beginners to use. I have a couple spots in mind to try this Friday and Saturday. Should I and how important is it to bait (chum) a spot beforehand? I come from a pretty extensive background in shark and tuna fishing and I know ho chumming works for them. Should I try to go out the night before and scatter a can of corn at the spot I plan to fish the next morning? I plan on using a slip weight rig (basically a Carolina rig). How long should my leader be? I also plan on using and tying my own hair rigs or just a plain hook in a bread dough ball. Thanks for any help guys.

riverrat82 · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 12:59 pm Post subject: Re: New to carp fishing.

skoda · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 3:44 pm Post subject:

duuude i want a tuna like that r u serious hahaha
what do you do with a fish that size ?

carp is pretty easy to learn all u need is a soft pillow and u need to love watching the paint dry - but when they hook up its a blast - kinda outdoes bass fishing for me because of the fights

tunameltdown · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 3:56 pm Post subject:

blackstonecarp · Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 9:41 am Post subject:

Yeah what your talking about will work fine. Carp fishing is fun because it is as simple or complex as you want to make it really. Anyone with a rod and a can of corn can catch carp if they put in the time.

As you really get into the sport though , as with any end of fishing, there are all sorts of tricks and techniques to learn and master, and bigger fish to be caught.

All I ask of anyone coming in to carp fishing is to please refrain from using treble hooks for catch and release, use a proper net instead of draggin them over the ground, and over all try to respect the fish and the banks.

As you described a carolina style rig is simplest and best to start with. Chumming the area is important, specially in bigger sections of the river, like Fisherville dam, Quinsig, Ripple, etc. However, if you know they frequent an area already, then tossing out some chum when you get there in the morning should be enough to get some interest. Make sure ya check a few of the other posts as well for some bait and rig ideas. Also use a baitrunner reel , or keep your drag loose..when they grab the hook they wll scream off. Obviously they aren't Tuna lol but they are decently strong fish with a few big bullish runs.

and of course if ya have any questions I'm always down to help out..or maybe even get out on the banks sometime with ya as your fairly close to me. I live in Upton now.

tunameltdown · Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 9:52 am Post subject:

Thanks! I will not be using trebles. Never have when bait fishing and never will. My plan is to tie up some hair rigs tonight on small size 4 and 6 octopus style hooks. Here is a question. Can I tie my hair rigs using power pro or am I better off using mono? The rods I plan on using are very light striper rods. Both reels are shimano baitrunners. One is loaded with 8 pound mono and the other 35 pound power pro. Both rods are 7' M ugly sticks. I got a few different nets that I plan on bringing and plan on 100% catch, photo, and release.

blackstonecarp · Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:23 am Post subject:

Your probably better off using the braid for the hair rigs. Mono is good however stiff and depending on the eye of the hook it will not sit right. Using the flexible braid you'll have no worries with that.

I would caution against the 8 lb line. While doable, it can be tough and carp love weeds/snags, rocky bottoms etc. Chances are, the smallest fish you will get into will be in the 5-8 pound range with an average of 8-12 pound in many places. In my experience I tend to find 12 pound test being my minimum line strength. I tend to use 15 for most of my fishing, that gives me the confidence that 8 pound just doesn't. There is a lot of pressure from carp, specifically at the netting stage that I am not sure 8 pound would withstand on the larger average fish. Just my thoughts, take it for what it is I guess heh.

I figured you were going catch and release..not too many people keep carp now a days. I may sound gruff when I say "don't use blah blah" but I fish a few places that people try for carp at and show no respect for them. I've caught fish with multiple trebles in their mouths/stomachs, fish with severe infections, rot and damage most likely due to anglers having caught them before. As it is a species I really enjoy chasing I get passionate about it Smile

.

weldinghank · Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:23 pm Post subject:

I used to use lighter tackle for carp, but lost a whole bunch of them. As soon as you hook up with one, it will head for ANYTHING it can see, just as eric has said. I now use 15Lb big-game for carp.

Another thing eric said, is after a while carp fishing the "simple way" (just a stick and a loose drag) you will probably want more, I certianly do. I started with rod-props and loose drags but already have plans for a rod-pod and alarms for next season!

And I used to tie mono hair-rigs, but my take to hook-up ratio increased dramatically when I started using braid.

tunameltdown · Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 2:28 pm Post subject:

Sorry for the late reply, it's been a busy week. We fished 3 spots on the Blackstone River last Friday, or attempted too. The first stop was a spot the water was raging. The location is just bellow a pond and there is a dam and a small bridge. The current was just to fast. However there is a canal that runs alongside the river and we saw some giant goldfish and a few carp in there. We spent about 2 hours trying to get them to bite with 0 results so we left. We then traveled 15 minutes to Grafton and fished Fisherville pond. Here the wind was an issue. It looked like a good spot and we saw a couple carp roll on the surface but again could not get any bites. The last spot we tried was down by the Riverdale wire and mesh company. There is a pond, which was down about 6 feet, just above a dam. This area looked the most promising and had multiple carp rolling in the faster moving water. I just did not have enough weight to hold bottom. That and there were to many leaves in the water that would get hung up on your line and drag your bait down river. So I was skunked in my first outing but I plan to try again soon. Thanks for all your help.

markb · Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 9:15 pm Post subject:

Don't be afraid to use plenty of weight on your sinkers. I happen to have some 3 oz. bank sinkers, so I've used them in the Charles river. All I know is they hold the bottom and I have no problem catching fish with them.

weldinghank · Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 2:06 pm Post subject:

huge +1 to that.

The heaviest I used to use was 1/2oz, then started fishing heavier currents. Now I don't use anything less than 1oz, and you can more often than not find 2oz on my line. Look on ebay for no-roll sinkers, I got them super cheap and they work great.

blackstonecarp · Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 4:23 pm Post subject:

Yeah the river is pumping in many places because the dam at Riverdale is wide open. They are doing some work on a bridge up river and needed the river lowered...Bad for the mill because they use the river for electricity.

Also bad for the fishing because, as you noticed, the current in many of the "good" spots has increased a lot. Add to that, that it is getting harder and harder to actually get a fish right now because the water temps are dropping and carp are a warm water fish...

Speaking of which I need to start feeding up my winter spots so the fish get active!

billj · Baitfish Rank Joined: 05 Dec 2011 Posts: 3 Total Points: 3

i have sent many private messages but not received many replies, maybe on the forum i will have better response.

i am new to carp fishing but not new to fishing.

what are the most effective chums for carp on rivers in the northeast usa?

any suggestions for pre-baitiing an area?

i have read much online and at the library and see everything from corn to dog food to boiled corn and jello and anise flavored bird seed.

has anyone found an effective pre-bait and chum for the new england region that works every time?

i have caught carp on flies and jigs but can not cast much at this time, i must rely on bait until my shoulder is healed.
thank you to any and all responses.
Bill

trainwatcher41747 · Baitfish Rank Joined: 30 Dec 2011 Posts: 2 Total Points: 3

hope you get this,were did you catch that nice Cap?

muskiebigfish

WE fish the North End of the Lake form the first week of May untill second week of June. By then we've all had enough. Make sure you have plenty off Tylenol and creamy corn. We use atleast 8-10 cans of Creamy and Whole Kerrnel. The Carp will let you know when they are in the area. They breach the water, completely out, all 3 1/2 freet of them!!!