River vs lake/pond

[JT Donovan]

Do tactics differ much between the two or is it pretty much the same way of fishing?

[Dunkel]

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking about, but the only difference I make is to use a lighter weight/lead. If you don't need to cast a long distance you don't necessarily need a heavy weight/lead as there is little to no current in most lakes/ponds. Hope this helps.

[streeker02]

i think tactics differ greatly between the two, depending on the flow rate in the river. The most obvious difference being that your chum does not necessarily end up where you put it when baiting up.  Watercraft skills are more important when river fishing IMO, especially if the venue is new to you.  

[Fontona19]

I think chum is the biggest difference as well. Anything light is going to get blown out quickly on a river if anywhere near current. I always use heavy leads so that doesn't matter. I also use shorter hooklinks in heavy current. Less chance of getting dragged into snags. 

[MeshuggahCarp]

Rivers and lakes/ponds are two entirely different scenarios. Rivers I feel are a bit more forgiving as you have fish constantly moving (generally) and a current to carry the scent of your bait. Lakes can be quite intimidating as you generally have to spend some time there and identify the Carps' patterns as well as the spots they tend to frequent. When fishing rivers, creeks or canals, look for features that would appeal to the Carp. Areas that transition quickly from shallow to deep, flats, weeds and reeds, overhanging cover, snags, holes, etc. It may seem daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it it'll become second nature. You'll literally have to stop yourself from analyzing a body of water when you aren't Carp fishing. I catch myself doing it all the time!

[KingKool]

River fish fight MUCH harder!

[Travis Carr]

My favorite river tactic is to find a bridge when the water is clear and then look down.  Not trying to be smart here but it helps things tremendously.

After you feed the swim you can get back on the bridge and watch the action to see how the carp respond to your ground bait.

I once saw a carp wriggle across a narrow shallow sand bar, fully exposing itself, to get to my ground bait.  Admittedly this was after a couple of days of pre-baiting. 

It does help that the local bike path in Columbus runs along the river so there are multitude of bridges along its course.

 

[RedRiverJay]

I live one block from the Red River of the North (the border between ND and MN), so I only know river fishing.  The Red, when it is in its banks, is not a fast-moving river, just slow and steady.

A lot of books extol the carp as being smart, spooky, wiley, etc., but I find them remarkably easy to catch.  I just look for some fallen trees, etc., in the river, go upstream, maybe 10-20 yards, and cast maybe 10' from shore with enough weight to take the bait to the bottom and settle someplace.  The night before I go fishing, I usually put corn on a hook, put the hook and corn in a little cup (1 ounce), and add some puree'd corn, maybe a teaspoon, and freeze.  When I cast my "corn-cicle" into the water, it goes to the bottom, the corn puree melts, and goes down stream, and I usually have a carp within 10 minutes.  It works great for channel cats, too, except that I put beef liver on the hook, and freeze puree'd chicken liver around it.

I would have no idea how to catch a carp in a lake.