michaelpthompson

Just wondering if anyone uses braided line for carp fishing. Any pros or cons or other advice?

Keep on Carpin' brother!

I saw several that size jumping clear out of the water. Prettty cool.

Actually, it was my first carp ever, but that counts, right? This is a pleasant little pond in an Arvada Colorado City Park, and the weather was outstanding today. I waited til it warmed up in the afternoon. I discovered my pack bait had a bit of mold in it, and wondered if that would affect my results. Then I wondered if I had set the bit alarm correctly. Apparently I had. Just as I reached up to check it, it went off. I was surprised, thinking it couldn't be that sensitive. And it wasn't. there was a fish on. And the carp didn't seem to mind the mold one bit. Reeled him in to the bank and kicked myself for forgetting the net. Fortunately, as I slacked off on the rod tension, the carp managed to throw the hook. I kind of nudged him into deeper water and he swam away vigorously. Since I didn't get him completely onto the bank, I was forced to (over) estimate size and weight, but this was one gorgeous golden colored mirror carp. I think it was probably ten pounds and twenty inches, based on what I've seen in videos. Cast both rods back out for a while, but I decided to pack it in, when a flock of Canada geese came in low for a landing, and one of them snagged my line. Nearly dragged the rod off into the lake, but I managed to grab it and reel in, minus my pack bait setup. I wonder if there's a goose somewhere with a lead weight hooked to its foot.

What are you doing October 12? Here's a really experienced carp angler who is going to be fishing the tidal basin then and invited people to come along.

I use canned corn in my pack bait, but plastic on the hair. Never had a problem. I tie a fairly short hair.

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but based on the experiences shared here, has anybody used hominy (posole)? It's treated corn after all, and appears stronger than canned sweet corn. And for those of you who use fake corn, do you use a flavoring on it?

Looks like your situation is similar to what we have here in Colorado. Chumming (pre-baiting) is illegal. "It is illegal to introduce anything into waters of the state for the purpose of attempting to attract fish (e.g. chumming, artificial light, acoustic equipment, etc.) that is not attached or applied to a lure as defined" "A lure is defined as any man-made object comprised of metal, plastic, wood and/or other nonedible materials made or used to catch fish." So, if you use a method lead, or popup boilie rig, etc., you are fine as long as the bait it attached to the lure. Some here in Colorado question the use of pack baits and there seems to be some discretion among wildlife officers whether that is considered chumming. I do not consider it to be so, since I embed the hook in the packbait, and it remains attached by a hook link the entire time I am fishing. The packbait does tend to dissolve a bit and float around, but it was attached when I cast it out. An officer may disagree. I don't know, I haven't spoken with one. North Dakota regulations define bait in three categories: 1. Live bait and baitfish, 2. Terrestrial bait (such as nightcrawlers, and waxworms), and 3. Manufactured bait. "Products manufactured as edible fishing bait and other inert biodegradable substances are legal bait." Corn is not specifically manufactured to catch fish, but would certainly seem to fit within those definitions. It is certainly not prohibited. Same with bread, oats, bread crumbs, or other substances often used in carp fishing. Not specifically allowed, but it's hard to see a wildlife officer complaining about corn when nightcrawlers and salamanders are expressly allowed. As always, your mileage may vary. Game officers are very individual and may have their own definitions, especially for a species unfamiliar to them, such as carp. Another thing to keep in mind though is that the North Dakota regulations define common carp and silver carp as None-game Class III Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS), which "can be kept for consumption if legally harvested." but "cannot be released alive back into a waterbody after they have been harvested." So apparently, catch and release carp fishing is illegal in North Dakota.

Best wishes Philip. I hear they do carp fishing in Blighty too. :-)

That's the way it goes in Colorado Steve. Spring was last week. But you'll be plenty nostalgic for this cold wet weather when we hit the tenth day in a row over 90°F.

They have it on Walmart.com. I think you can order it and have it delivered to your local store; perhaps even your home.

Thanks for the info John. Actually, I did recently obtain some Mega Tutti Frutti glug from Ken Hutchinson and started using it on my pack bait. Only one trip with it so far, but I'll keep trying.

Here's an excellent video tutorial. It's not mine, but this is the way I do it.

Makes sense. One of the guys I follow on YouTube is in Virginia. I'm often jealous when he spends five days prebaiting a spot, puts out 6 or eight rods, etc. In Colorado, I can have one rod, except if I buy a second rod stamp, I can have two. And chumming or baiting is strictly illegal. It's nice to know we are such a widespread, even international community.

Well written article John, thanks.