Carp Fishing Tactics Observations

When I first started fishing for carp in early summer 2013 I used 3 pieces of corn on a hair rig and a mixture of oatmeal, cream corn and pineapple flavoring for my pack bait molded around an inline lead. I tended to recast with another round of pack bait about every 45 minutes. My catch rate was sporadic and inconsistent.

In 2014 I switched to panko bread crumbs instead of oatmeal, but stuck with the cream corn and pineapple flavoring. In the beginning of the year I experimented with waiting for longer periods of time between recasting with new pack bait. I extended the time to 90 minutes and even 120 minutes in some cases. Sometimes I would catch carp within 10 or 15 minutes of casting and other times it would be closer to 90 minutes before hooking up.



22 pounder caught in October

Toward the end of the 2014 I started noticing the hook ups were coming sooner and sooner. In fact most of the time, if I caught carp it was within the first 20 to 25 minutes of the cast. So I gravitated back to recasting every 60 minutes or so.

I actually think the time between recasts has a direct impact for me on the catch rate. It seems that recasting time after time to the same spots also helps draw in more fish to the area as the bait builds up in the water. Also, it seems like the time between recasts makes some difference in catch rate.

You might want to pay more attention to whether or not this impacts your carp fishing and make adjustments if you think it will help. I know I will.

Maybe this will work for you; maybe it won't, but it may be worth experimenting.