My Lessons in Carp Fishing Supplies

I'm sure many who are just starting to learn about carp fishing make many of the same repeatable mistakes I did in the beginning. Having some experience fishing for bluegill, bass and catfish in farm ponds as a teenager, I had no idea what type of equipment that I would need to consistently land 10 - 20 pound carp in a hassle free manner that wasn't too hard on the fish.

An average sized carp in Michigan

My first mistake was making the assumption that I could use bass tackle to catch carp. I headed out the local big box store and purchased a 6 ft. light action rod and inexpensive spin casting reel.

I tied on a method feeder, hair rig and mixed up some oats. And I went fishing. Luckily I didn't catch anything because it would have most assuredly broke off and left me in a lurch.

Next I bought a medium/heavy action 10 ft. rod and a bait feeding reel. This was definitely a step in the right direction, but still a little off the mark. I actually caught 10-12 carp on this set-up, but lost twice that many to hook pulls. The rod was fine for casting out 3 or 4 oz. leads and method balls, but the stiff action was a little too aggressive for the tender mouthed and lipped carp.

Next I purchased an inexpensive net advertised as a carp net. The very first carp landed with the net broke the net in half.

I purchased a bunch of boilies as bait. A bag of boilies will last a long time for a beginning carp fisherman.

I didn't start out with bite alarms. They are not needed and I consider them more of a nice to have item.

At that point I had spent more than $100 on my initial carp fishing items.

I now know that I'd my first purchase should have been a high quality net. I also now know that you can't get good one for less than about $70 -$90. The better ones are in the $150 - $200 range.

Next I should have prioritized the purchase of a rod capable of casting 3 or 4 oz. lead and method balls; but with enough play to gently fight the fish without yanking and jerking the hook right out of the carps mouth within seconds of the initial run. Several acceptable rods are available for between $40 and $60.

Thirdly I should have purchased a bait feeding reel. A basic reel to do the job costs in the $50 range.

Fourth and fifth, I should have purchased a carry sling and landing mat. This helps ensure the fish is not dropped or mistreated during weighing and picture taking process and that the fish is safely returned to the water to live another day to be caught by another carp angler. These can be had for about $25 each.

For bait, I should have stuck to plain old panko and cream corn for the method ball; and then an inexpensive flavored maize for the hair rig. I have caught 140 carp this past year on flavored corn and about 6 on a boilie. I do spend more on panko and cream corn that I'd like, but you can't catch the fish if they are not attracted to your hook.

Adding all those figures up for three rods and reels, bank sticks, fishing line, bite alarms, etc. uses every bit of $600 if you buy everything new. (Acceptable bite alarms can be purchased for less than $20 each.) Buying used equipment puts the bill down in the $300 range to start out. At this point, after 2 years of carp fishing I've spent about $1,000 on equipment and supplies.

Can you spend less and still catch fish? Yes.
Can you spent much more than that? Very easily.

For me it's money well spent because I love getting outside and catching big fish from bank without a boat. I'd much rather catch a 20 pound fish than a 2 pound fish any day of the week.