5 Tips to Catch More Carp

Do you want to catch more carp? Join the club. But seriously, I will share 5 definitive tips below that will help beginners (and pro's) catch more common carp and buffalo.

1. Find the snags (or vegetation), and you'll find the carp

If you have ever watched popular Saturday morning bass fishing programs with Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston, Hank Parker, you have heard them preach about bass liking to hang out near cover to ambush their food sources. 

Carp also hang out near the snags like fallen trees and other submerged items. The obstacles provide them cover and, in rivers especially, relief from swimming against the current. The traps offer a "catch-all" for foods that carp like to eat (mussels, organic matter, algae, etc.).

2. Attract the carp with the right baits

Carp prefers organic bait like corn or a boilie (a hard, rolled bread ball). 

Many people fish with artificial lures, and others use plain old red wiggler worms. Carp sometimes bite those items, but less frequently. You don't have to leave it to chance and luck. 

Carp are attracted to organic baits like sweet corn, maize, cooked field corn, etc., and seem to get especially hungry when you offer those baits. Flavored items such as pineapple, butternut, vanilla, blueberry, strawberry, plums, banana, etc., and even whisky or bourbon work well.

3. Don't overfeed the carp

Try not to over bait. One of the quickest ways to struggle, or stop them biting once they start, is to overfeed them. 

Using pack baits for carp fishing uses only enough to cover the lead. If you leave a lot of extra bait in the water, the carp will happily eat the "freebies" and avoid your hook baits. Make sense? 

The more carp in the swim, the more bait you can use; but you can only reel in one fish at a time. (LOL). You never know when carp will begin to leave the swim due to feeling threatened, excessive sunlight, lack of the sun, temperature changes, perceived threats (jet skis, boats, etc.), and a myriad of other possible reasons. To improve your chances with the carp who remain or enter the swim, try not to overfeed with "free" food/bait later on.

4. Be ready when they bite

The worst thing to happen when you get a carp to bite your hook is being unprepared. 

Have your net set up, the drag on the reel set correctly (not too tight, not too loose). Use sharp hooks, select a good line (25# monofilament or 50# braid are good starting points), and the correct rod type (with a light action tip). Use a hair rig, aka "knotless knot," to present your hook bait. Try not try to muscle the carp to shore. Any one of these areas being below par reduces the chances for a successful capture.

5. Fight the carp with a lighter drag

You will get the hang of the proper amount of pressure to apply to the fish with experience, but less drag is better than too much drag. Too much drag can cause a hook-pull and a lost opportunity to land a carp. 

Imagine having a 30# (or bigger) carp on the line and losing the potential fish of a lifetime due to faulty technique. Make sure you understand how the drag functions on your particular reel. I like to start with a loose drag and then tighten it periodically as I reel in. I can sense the strength/energy of the fish as I reel in and tighten or loosen the drag as needed.