(TN) Cannonball

Looked at Ye Olde atlas to pinpoint where you live. Fly fishing guru, Dave Whitlock, used to take a couple of weeks each summer and fish for carp in the Unknown Great Lake, Lake St. Clair. He would sight fish like one would fish for bonefish on the tropical flats. So... give the lake a try. Should be others in your area that fish for carp. BTW, welcome!

Or let them reel one in when the rod tip dances or the alarm screams.

I think that you will find that very, very few people deliberately fish for carp. In the past, the only carp caught was by people fishing for something else, mainly catfish. If there are catfish and bluegill, you should find carp. We find this at my local venue all the time. Put out some bait, if legal, and fish. Start a trend and catch carp!

Tennessee River. Just look for open bank space. Check local regulations as to overnight fishing, etc. Good luck.

Can't answer all your questions but fly fishing guru, Dave Whitlock, used to spend a couple of weeks each summer on Lake St. Clair. He would sight fish carp like fishing for bonefish on the flats. That shows there are carp there as a start. Good luck.

What is the pack bait recipe, for starters?

Hope this is the right place. This is my first official carp. Thanks to Willem for the invitation and answering many questions. 1. Android phone. 2. 10/11/2012 3. Kingston, Tennessee, Clinch River. 4. John L. Torchick

Call the fish & game agency?

I have molds for no-roll sinkers, 1, 2, 3 oz., from Barlow's Tackle. I pick up lead bullets at my gun club. Wheel weights are good but take a bit of cleaning and fluxing. https://barlowstackle.com/do-it-molds-and-lead-molding-supplies/do-it-sinker-molds/?sort=featured&page=2

I have a Canon SX530 HD that I use for submitting photos to publications. Doesn't have raw but publications I work with will accept jpeg or RAW. A friend who is a photographer and editor say editors will tweak the photos to their liking. He said not to bother with PS. He recommended an upgrade that has two lenses that give more flexibility, especially with telephoto shots at 300 mm. Can't remember the model. I bought a book at Books-A-Million, Digital Photography for Dummies. I have read it twice and still review parts on depth of field, etc. Highly recommend it!

Regrettably, Tennessee recognizes records for rod & reel and other methods as BFing, net, gigging, etc. They are two separate categories. Go to www.tnwildlife.org then to fishing for the complete fishing records which are at the back of the regulations.

Tyler0420, thanks. State record on rod & reel is 62-7; sadly the bowfishing "record" is 68-8.😒 I was a surprise when I netted it. My venue has a decent population of carp and buffs. Even managed to land two mirrors!

There it is- 26 lb. 9 oz. Caught lots more since then but nowhere near that size.

Are the fish hitting light? I'm thinking it might be buffs mouthing the bait and dropping it. FB members, let's help solve this dilemma.

Here's my take on this- drag too tight, trying to "horse" fish to the bank, lightly hooked in lips. What rig are you using? Hair rig? Bait in hook? Others more experienced will contribute here. Losing fish does allow for one to expand on the bankside vocabulary. 🤬