# Good bait for carp?



## Slipper (Jun 3, 2010)

The ponds/lakes Ive been fishing have some big carp in them (guy caught one 45 lbs) normally could care less about a carp, but wouldn't mind seeing what a 40 lb carp fights like, any ideas on a good bait?


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## 24point (Jun 3, 2010)

Slipper said:


> The ponds/lakes Ive been fishing have some big carp in them (guy caught one 45 lbs) normally could care less about a carp, but wouldn't mind seeing what a 40 lb carp fights like, any ideas on a good bait?



x2, I also would like to know


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## Lawnmowerman (Jun 3, 2010)

Slipper said:


> any ideas on a good bait?



"Thought you'd never ask"

PM Ol Captain,,,,


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## Gordon (Jun 3, 2010)

Chum with sweetcorn 2 to 3 cans, 2 or 3 times a week.

Then fish Sweetcorn on the hook, where you have chummed.

Sweetcorn is the best/most instant carp bait.


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## Redneck Machismo (Jun 3, 2010)

Most of the time people say corn or worms.  I have only caught one in my life and it was on corn.  To me they are extremely hard to catch that way.  The sophisticated way of doing it would be here: www.royalcarp.com
I have been thinking myself about actually getting serious targeting these fish.


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## tyjohnston (Jun 3, 2010)

use crickets if they are grass carp. if they are common carp, use bloodbait.


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## Thurston (Jun 3, 2010)

Okay here is a tried and true method.  I know there is a ton of ways to do it and some great baits.  The great thing about carp fishing is there is so many methods.  Here is what we use.

A treble hook size 6 or 8 nothing else no weight nothing.  Roll the bait on the hook cover all points, I prefer a pear shaped ball the size of a large grape.  

Cast it out let it sink to bottom and reel up slack.  Leave about 3 feet of slack in the line though.  Limp line.  Carp will mouth a bait before they actually eat it.  It's just how they feed.  If during that process they feel your rod tip nine times out of ten they are going to spook and leave it alone.   So don't get going on a few small tugs just get ready.  When they take it the line will run steady like a plastic worm bite.  Just like the ole bass fishing thats when you spring into action.  Not before then or you will miss a bunch of fish.


Here is how to make bait.  Get corn meal.  Put half a bag of it in a pot with water and about 3/4 cup of molasses.  Mix real good and add a cup or so of sugar and a cap of vanilla extract.  Cook the water off slowly while stirring as this will thicken the dough.  Once it is too hard to stir and is good and thick spoon it out into a plastic tub or tupperware.  Let it cool.  It will thicken as it cools some too.  Check to make sure it is thick enough to hold the hook and if so go getum!  This stuff works!!!  



Easer way is to use sweet whole kernel corn threaded on a small long shank hook like a corn candy cane.  But the sweet smelling yummy dough bait sure draws them in though!  Here is proof, see the dough bait in tub to lower right.....!!!  Good stuff and great fun!


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## NCHillbilly (Jun 3, 2010)

I've caught thousands of them over the years on nightcrawlers or red worms, also slugs, corn, hotdogs, complicated dough baits, everything you can think of. Never saw anything really that worked better than plain ol' nightcrawlers or worms fished with the least amount of weight you can get by with. Carp are real good fighters, they'll jack your pole into the water on the first run if you don't watch it.


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## HawgCalla (Jun 3, 2010)

I love carp bait threads..

if your fishing for fun, catch & release, its hard to beat a fight of a carp.. especially in the swift river water..  

If they are managed lakes/ponds, the owners may have put in grass carp, so be sure to return them to the lake, as they can be quit expensive.    

bread balls & corn are the simpliest & easily ready baits, if you google carp bait, you should find several good recipes. 
I always keep a can of corn in my boat in case I see a few big carp.  

wheaties & grape cola mixes pretty well.
 I have even took a hand full of cheeto's dipped them in water & mashed into a ball to catch carp..    

 But the one I use most & is a simple one that has works very well for me, 

1 cup water, to a boil, 
1 teaspoon of vanilla, & sugar
add a big pack of regular strawberry jello, stir good.
slowly add  2 cups cornmeal 1 cup flour pre mixed. 
stir, once all has been added, cut off the heat & Kneed. 
I usually use aluminim foil to kneed it in, its hot & will stick to you..lol  
once well mixed put it in the fridge for 6-12 hours rolled into a ball wraped in foil, or put into lidded tubs .. 
it doesn't freeze well, but will keep for several days in the fridge.

may take a batch or two to get it down, but once you do, its pretty good stuff. 

I have used several kinds of jello & extracts for flavoring. but strawberry jello & vanilla or butternut extract has worked well for me.. 

I normally just use #6 or #4 eagle claw hook, but have used treble hooks in some situations. 
I fish it either no wieght or slip sinkers. 
I use okuma bait feeder reels & penn liveliners for my carp fishing. the okuma's are my favorite. the avenger series bait feeders are affordable & hold up well.  I fish them with little pressure on the spool. most will usually drop the bait if they feel to much pressure. expecially at pay lakes.. 
  if not using bait feeder reels, leave a few feet of slack in the line & watch closely. wait for the good run, not the pick up..  

maybe we can get a few others to post there secret bait recipes in here...  

oh.. NICE carp Thurston! he's a dandy.. 
will put that recipe in the book for sure..


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## nosfedgta (Jun 3, 2010)

you guys may laught at this, but it works! plain ole white bread.. Ill go to an area where they are and start throwing out little pieces of bread everywhere. Then I wait a few untill i start seeing them coming up and eating the bread. Then I toss out some more and then put a piece on my hook and throw it out weightless. It will float and just make sure you watch it. When it eats yours set the hook and hang on!! That first run is a good one. Then the fight is on.


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## Seanmay1 (Jun 3, 2010)

nosfedgta said:


> you guys may laught at this, but it works! plain ole white bread.. Ill go to an area where they are and start throwing out little pieces of bread everywhere. Then I wait a few untill i start seeing them coming up and eating the bread. Then I toss out some more and then put a piece on my hook and throw it out weightless. It will float and just make sure you watch it. When it eats yours set the hook and hang on!! That first run is a good one. Then the fight is on.



I will second this lol.  Probably ten years ago we were at oconee i think camping and fishing off the dock and ran out of any other bait but bread.  We got quite a few big carp, broke one of my rods lol.  Bread works


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## Cottontail (Jun 3, 2010)

You can use white bread with a little vanilla flavoring and sometimes i use whole corn and the night before soak it in vanilla flavoring.This does not include fishing at pay lakes its totally diffrent then.


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## Redneck Machismo (Jun 3, 2010)

So slightly different topic but where would guys say is the best place to target carp?  I mean body of water and location on the body of water?


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## Thurston (Jun 3, 2010)

HawgCalla, hey your stuff sounds good too!  I have tried adding different flavors of jello but always end up at the plain old molassas vanilla and sugar dough.  I like to use the sugar cane syrup too when I can get it.  Here are a few more.  I am not kidding about this either.  Once you get them going on this bait its fast and furious.  You will wear them out if there are numbers where you fish.....


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## Thurston (Jun 3, 2010)

The best place I have seen is Oconee or even Juliette.  I saw some absolute brutes in Juliette.  Good grief!!!!  Numbers wise you cannot beat Oconee.  They are everywhere!  Especially below the dam.


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## Thurston (Jun 3, 2010)

Those in the pics are below the dam at blackshear.  Problem there is it is pretty seasonal and bank access is tough depending on water levels.  Spring its good summer you could sit all day and maybe muster 2 fish.  They move down river pretty good once the heat is on.  But when they are up in the race for the spawn it is sure fun!


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## Tim L (Jun 3, 2010)

Just plain sweet corn from a can will work, as will potato bread (any kind of bread will work, but potato bread stays on the hook longer).


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## Nutty (Jun 3, 2010)

Thurston speaks the truth.  The bait is magic.  He's converted me and I've lost rods on the path to the golden ghost.


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## olcaptain (Jun 3, 2010)

Thurston's recipe has certainly gotten my interest!! Stay tuned


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## HALOJmpr (Jun 3, 2010)

I've always just used cheap biscuit dough and I have dabbled with vanilla on others' advice.  It stays on the hook well and as a kid we used to just tie off line to limbs creek side and check em later


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## Slipper (Jun 4, 2010)

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I'll let let you all know how it goes.


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## Jasper (Jun 4, 2010)

So what about grass carp? We've got a bunch of big ones in our lake, but only grass carp. I saw 6 or 8 of em in less than a foot of water the other day......looked like a mini scene from jaws with their fins sticking out of the water. 

How do you catch them and what do you use for bait?


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## centerpin fan (Jun 4, 2010)

Gordon said:


> Sweetcorn is the best/most instant carp bait.




Ditto.  That's all I use.


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## fi8shmasty (Jun 4, 2010)

gordon said:


> chum with sweetcorn 2 to 3 cans, 2 or 3 times a week.
> 
> Then fish sweetcorn on the hook, where you have chummed.
> 
> Sweetcorn is the best/most instant carp bait.



+1


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## Redneck Machismo (Jun 4, 2010)

Jasper said:


> So what about grass carp? We've got a bunch of big ones in our lake, but only grass carp. I saw 6 or 8 of em in less than a foot of water the other day......looked like a mini scene from jaws with their fins sticking out of the water.
> 
> How do you catch them and what do you use for bait?



I caught one that weighted 17 pounds on corn but it may have been sort of an accident I don't know.


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## dawg2 (Jun 4, 2010)

nosfedgta said:


> you guys may laught at this, but it works! plain ole white bread.. Ill go to an area where they are and start throwing out little pieces of bread everywhere. Then I wait a few untill i start seeing them coming up and eating the bread. Then I toss out some more and then put a piece on my hook and throw it out weightless. It will float and just make sure you watch it. When it eats yours set the hook and hang on!! That first run is a good one. Then the fight is on.



Yep, I use plain old white bread.  My 8YO was fishing on the dock last weekend and he tossed out a couple handfulls of plain old uncooked white rice (Carp love rice).  He then dropped an unbaited hook down in the pile of rice and caught a 12lb carp.   He even landed it all by himself.

But the bread works great.  Sometimes I float it unweighted like above, sometimes I use a bobber.  But NEVER set your pole down unless you want to lose it.  When they hit, they take off.


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## WOODSWIZE (Jun 4, 2010)

Grew up carp fishing -anybody out there old enough to remember my grandparents pay carp & catfishing lake in Cobb county? 
"Herrin's Lake" was the name -my granddad, Hoyt Herrin ran it from the 1950's until around 1976. I have old cigar box's full of pic's he took of the hundred's of carp that came out of that lake. Had toury's on Friday nights & all day on Sat. -" $1.00 to fish & $1.00 to get in for the Jackpot!" The Jackpot included a ham or turkey he always threw in.
Lake is still there, different owners now -no fishing allowed.
Good times.


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## HawgCalla (Jun 5, 2010)

yea bread works great, thats all I used for years breadballs & corn. as they are the quickest baits if your in a hurry. but I like making my bait now, just something about catching them on stuff you made.. guess it's like catching trout on your own tied fly..lol   

Man Thurston, 
them are some nice looking carp. 
I plan on going out tues or wed. I have been baiting me up a hole the last few days.. 
I will be making me up a batch of your stuff to try for sure..  

Redneck Machismo,  
 my favorite spot is the nottley river/lake in blairsville. I have a lot of fun targeting the ones in the swift moving rivers. 

On a clear water river like nottley, I just site fish them in the spring. after that I usually set up the rod near a incoming creek into the river.

When I am targeting them in a big lake, pre spawn I am in the feeder creeks/rivers. Post spawn I like to bait up a hole up for a few days before fishing.. 

I use a grinded mix of chicken feed,catfish feed, &  soaked rice or barley. really just whatever I find cheap or the feed store is throwing out due to bugs, torn bags etc.
Usually there is enough on the floor to do the trick, & most the time they are glad to let you sweep it up...lol 

grinded so not to fill them up, but keep them in there picking at the small stuff. 

I start out the first day spreading it real wide, & each day I narrow it up. Untill the night before I have a 15-20 sq. ft. area baited  Where I plan on fishing..  sometimes it can pay off big time..
 I caught one last year doing this that was right at 36lbs. but as I took it out of the scales, I butterfingered it back into the lake before getting it to a certified set.

If I am at a carp/cat paylake, a pack bait with corn pops in the center on your hook works almost the same way.. 
the pack will fall apart chuming them in & they will pick up the corn pop w/tha hook.. 
unless I notice everone there is doing it, than i just stick to my usual.


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## Cricket Chunker (Jun 5, 2010)

HawgCalla said:


> I use okuma bait feeder reels & penn liveliners for my carp fishing. the okuma's are my favorite. the avenger series bait feeders are affordable & hold up well.  I fish them with little pressure on the spool. most will usually drop the bait if they feel to much pressure. expecially at pay lakes..
> if not using bait feeder reels, leave a few feet of slack in the line & watch closely. wait for the good run, not the pick up..



Just a FYI if anybody is looking for baitfeeder reels.  The Cabela's Salt Striker Baitfeeder reels are reported to be just rebranded Okuma Epixor baitfeeder reels.  The Epixor is a step up from the Okuma Avenger model.

Here is the links to the reels I'm talking about (prices depend on spool and reel size):

Cabela's Salt Striker baitfeeder - $59 to $69 and 9 ball bearing

Okuma Epixor baitfeeder is $89 to $99 and 9 ball bearing

Okuma Avenger baitfeeder is $44 to $64 and 6 ball bearing

They have a good looking combo with their Salt Striker and King Cat rod combo. Price is only a few buck more to add the rod ($64 or $74 depending on reel size)

Cabela's Salt Striker baitfeeder & King Cat rod combo

I'm seriously thinking about picking up a few of the combo's for catfishing, striper fishing and whatever....


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## Thurston (Jun 8, 2010)

Grass carp will eat a green bean readily.  If you see them shallow and can flip one over rigged on a small hook you can catch them.


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## Gordon (Jun 8, 2010)

Redneck Machismo said:


> Most of the time people say corn or worms.  I have only caught one in my life and it was on corn.  To me they are extremely hard to catch that way.  The sophisticated way of doing it would be here: www.royalcarp.com
> I have been thinking myself about actually getting serious targeting these fish.



Carp fishing does not require sophisticated tackle.  Just use sweetcorn on a size 2 hook, 1 ft leader and a 3oz running lead.  I have caught thousands of carp in my life


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