Carp Fishing Baits?

[Tiercel 6,986]

I have fished for carp only a few times, the best bait was, I was told, KitiKat fish recipe and flaked maize with flour to make it hold together, this was around 1973 ish. I did catch a few carp with it, nothing bigger than 3 or 4 Lbs. That is the extent of my carp fishing knowledge.

 

Now I cannot believe that the carp wait for donations from anglers to feed, so in the absence of boilies etc; they must feed naturally, take nymphs, fresh water shrimps etc; yet you never hear of people fishing for them with natural baits.

 

Why is that?

 

TC

[Flacko 1,746]

Slugs worms they take natural mate just don't believe they are all artificial eaters try & work out what's at waters edge they can be greedy feckers but they can be fussy feckers as well

[Flipper_Al 1,012]

People used to, but there a pain to harvest,

One water i fished we used to pull the cray traps, when we left, and liquidize them, and use that in our boilie mix

Particle baits can be bought by the 25kg sack

 

These days i would say more carp get caught on plastic baits..... at the end of the day carp are just underwater pigs

[neil cooney 10,416]

Don't ask silly questions TC. How on earth could you get a load of natural baits to stay in a bait boat ?

Half of them would be out of your spod by the time you cast it out and Nymphs must be impossible to get on a hair rig.

Seriously though, you could be on to something on hard fished waters but isn't there a lake in France (Cassien rings a bell) that holds giant carp that are near impossible to hook because they prefere the abundant crayfish in the water.

So that tells me that on this side of Europe Carp prefere the baits that Carp anglers pour into the water instead of the smaller natural diet.

[Nicepix 5,650]

I live in the south-west of France and fish the public lakes and rivers for carp. These aren't the force fed pot-bellied pigs that you see being caught in the private carp brothels, but truly wild fish, many of which have never been fished for. I rarely use boilies or large pellets. Maize is the number one bait for me with Frolicks dog biscuits as a back up. I've seen carp beach themselves to get at maize spilled from a duck feeder and even fish that have never seen an angler's bait will pick up a Frolick biscuit. Luncheon meat is another bait that will take fish on virgin waters.

 

Neil; you aren't allowed to use crayfish as bait in France. They cannot be returned to the water dead or alive. Even just using the tails would be an offence.

[Tiercel 6,986]

I was thinking about carp and other course fish feeding and remembered catching Rudd one evening with the fly rod that were feeding on emerging buzzers and just wondered why people do not fish for them more often with the fly or natural baits. Luncheon meat as far as I am aware does not grow on trees, yet people use it to good effect to catch chub and Barbel from what I have read. On the other hand I have read that one of the best ways of catching chub is with the worm or better still a slug. I just wondered why carp fishermen do not do the same?

 

TC

[devon flighter 421]

they call it progress ! i used to carp fish in the late 70's early 80's yes kitykat trout pellets and curry powder,just the start of hp baits ,used to fish pea nut ,corm and home made boilies but now it seems standard just to buy baits ,is it just lazyness or wanting instant results with little personal input ?

one for flako (or anyone else for that matter); is pool hall still a carp water ?

[Flacko 1,746]

Bit of a mixed bag mate a been there for years I check for you atb

[Flacko 1,746]

You ever get these ways nowadays devon

[devon flighter 421]

no other than funerals "aint many of them to go now either " just been googling old house and rocket pool "nostalgia "

[tomburras 2,730]

Boilies are the way to go now I think, convenient and easy to use. 15mm pineapple flavoured boilies have been great for me. using 1/3rd pop up and 2/3rd bottom bait so it sinks really slow.

 

prawns have been great too over a bed of micro pellets and corn on a light float rig in the margin.

[neil r 1,859]

Corn , maize , tigers or brazils over hemp will catch plenty of carp . Dynamite are doing hemp and snails in tins aswell and if you get the specimen one you can use the snail as an hookbait

[Michael J B Lancaster 69]

Cubed luncheon meat covered in curry powder and a tiny bit of chili powder. Worked wonders for me. Corn is overused.

 

I reckon they'd go for things like pond skaters but I've no idea how you're gunna feed those in hah

[gazjon5 814]

I think a big part in bait choice is the hair rig. Before it was developed carp were seen as practically mythical and almost uncatchable. Using the hair rig turned carp fishing on its head, and using baits suited to it made perfect sense.

[Waz 4,262]

Corn , maize , tigers or brazils over hemp will catch plenty of carp . Dynamite are doing hemp and snails in tins aswell and if you get the specimen one you can use the snail as an hookbait

Maize is a staple, id use tigers more if I could get them reasonable local as ive done well in the past on it. For baiting up used pigeon conditioner, but the chub and bream probably eat most of it.

Ive got a load of tree chippings slowly composting, full of rose chaffers, gonna give them a whirl I think. Theirs enough of them to add to pre-baiting too.

Hook full of maggots for cruising fish, anyone use maggots hooks?