Dedicated Carp fishermen?

[PineyCreek22]

I know this is a catfishing forum but I don't know where else to go.  Are there any part time or full time carp fishermen out there?  I believe carp are the most under appreciated and under used fresh water resource in north America.   Here in northwest Missouri carp fishing can be serious business.
Regards, Piney Creek

[BUGEYE]

carp are about the most discerning fish alive.   it's easy to fool a trout or bass but you better bring your "A" game for carp.
plus they are good to eat fried or smoked.  just cut out the dark meat along the lateral line.

and if you tied a 5lb bass and a 5lb carp tail to tail, the carp would rip the gills off that bass.

oh, did I say that I love to fish for carp??

[hillbill]

ive caught tons of carp but never on purpose.would have to say they are the hardest fighting freshwater fish in NA.if you want a fish that is hard to git and fights like a tail hooked grizzly, then go after carp.

[lakota]

I fish for carp on purpose. I love to catch those brutes. I used to just thread sweet corn on to a hook but lately I have been fishing for them with a hair rig that was invented over in Europe where carp fishing is big time stuff. I have been getting bigger fish on the hair rigs. I also like to bow fish them in the spring.

[Ranger99]

i'm glad somebody finally said "bow fish"
if you go on other sites and write that,
you'll get deleted and booted.


of course, i should have realized that
with the "trotlining" heading. this is
the only place i've ever seen that.


pass the corn! ! 

[BUGEYE]

I fish for carp on purpose. I love to catch those brutes. I used to just thread sweet corn on to a hook but lately I have been fishing for them with a hair rig that was invented over in Europe where carp fishing is big time stuff. I have been getting bigger fish on the hair rigs. I also like to bow fish them in the spring.

I have a book outlining that system.  it doesn't look like it could work, but apparently it does.
if I get to go fishing next summer, I'm gonna try it.  the Europeans are serious about their carp.

when I was a teenager, I caught one that weighed 30lb at horseshoe lake in Ill, and caught it on a crappie jig and 4lb test line.  it must have been sick or something because it didn't put up that wild fight they are known for.

[lakota]

If you use that system keep a close eye on your rods. I find the hook ups are more sudden and violent than they way carp play with your bait when you are using more conventional rigging. I have come close to losing a few rods the past 2 summers.  I tie my own hairs with the instructions here: http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?p=417366#post417366  click on view posts with pictures. This is the most simple method for tying these I have found. I use a bolt rig with the hair. I thread a bell sinker on my main line and pinch a small split shot a few feet above it. When the carp picks the bait up and runs with it there will be no resistance felt until the split shot hits the bell sinker and then the fish has pretty much hooked itself.
 
Ranger 99- I dont understand why some folks get so bent out of shape over bow fishing! Carp are not native to our waters. I dont want to see them completely removed (they are too much fun to catch) but it is good for the body of water to control their numbers a bit.

[BUGEYE]

If everyone in the country went bowfishing they probably wouldn't make a dent in the population.
they have a wild breeding orgy and make lots of little carp.

my carp rod is a 12ft crappie rod that I put a heavy-duty reelseat on. I use a large-spool spinning reel with 10lb test power-pro line which is as fine as 2lb mono.
bait is koolaid flavored dough balls on a small treble.  I can cast that without a sinker but am limited to ponds and lakes.  I have caught some eating size cats that way.

[Ranger99]

here it's much like writing about shooting
a younger tender meat deer. some of these
other sites get plumb outraged that someone
would eat a bass or take a deer that was less
than a "book" deer. i've had posts deleted asking
about bowfishing on other sites. i've been ridiculed
years back using handi's and a marlin 30/30
to take deer . it's the 21st century hunting/fishing
video mentality that is ingrained this day and age.

[hillbill]

here it's much like writing about shooting
a younger tender meat deer. some of these
other sites get plumb outraged that someone
would eat a bass or take a deer that was less
than a "book" deer. i've had posts deleted asking
about bowfishing on other sites. i've been ridiculed
years back using handi's and a marlin 30/30
to take deer . it's the 21st century hunting/fishing
video mentality that is ingrained this day and age.

well your home now!  with the rest of us hillbillys!

[lakota]

I am an old fashioned hillbilly. I deer hunt with a recurve bow and I shoot carp with that same bow, and I hunt with a flintlock during the general shotgun deer season...but if they would allow it here I would hunt deer with my grandpa's old Model 94 .30/30 but they only allow shotguns and muzzleloaders here. L want to get a flintlock smoothbore to hunt turkeys with. I like the old stuff. They can keep their whiz bang latest and greatest technology and elitist sportsmen mentalities.

[PineyCreek22]

I love reading this stuff.  Although I have used hair rigs and bolt rigs they are not expensive and take a little time and patience to tie up,  still you don't need a  $35,000 P.U. to pull a $25,000 boat and gas to fuel them.  Just a bucket to sit on and a piece of water to fish in.  I am a firm believer in the KISS principle.
Oh, does anyone have a favorite recipe for cooking carp?
Regards,  Piney Creek
 
 
 

[Bigeasy]

When I was a boy, growing up in the early 70's, there was an elderly Russian gentleman living by the local lake.  He had fled Russia after the 1917 revolution, and was a former "White Russian Officer".  He used to love to catch carp, and it was his favorite fish to eat.  Us kids always tried for the bass, and catfish at night, but he loved his carp.  He would keep the air bladders out of them, blow them up, let them dry.  Then he and his wife would paint and decorate them, and use them as Christmas Tree decorations.
 
Larry

[Ranger99]

now that is a dedicated recycler. . . .

[cjclemens]

I've never gone outta my way to catch carp, but I've sure caught a lot of em while runnin bank poles or trot lines. They're pretty fun to take on rod and reel, too, but I usually just toss em back in the water. I never took the time to learn how to prepare them properly, so I just stick to my catfish fillets.

[BUGEYE]

I have such a bad tremor that I may have to stick with conventional rigs.   sometime it takes a few tries to get a hook tied securely.

[52bagman]

I work on a tug boat on the Ohio River. I fish for them regular when I see them around.
I do the hair thing but tie mine straight to the bite on the hook. Then us a wire from a bread tie bent like a cotter pin and thread the corn on. The last kernel gets two passes through.
I use ultra lite gear and ten pound Fireline, Fireline helps me get a good hook set considering the flimsy rod.
Best fish so far 20lbr.
While I'm on the boat I watch for them and when they come around give them a little chum corn and then place my bait in the middle. Being able to see them is nice because you can steer the bait toward the bigger fish in the bunch.
After watching them take the bait I noticed when they picked the corn up on the hook it would be spit out. When picked up on the thread the corn would be in the back of their throat and the hook would follow, pretty much hook themselves.

[BAGTIC]

I used to sportfish for them in California. Never could find a carp recipe that I wanted to try twice. Was with my grandfather when he caught a 35 pounder. The look on his face was pure disappointment. He thought he had finally caught a big striped bass. They do put up a good fight though.
I used to freeze them whole for crab bait when I went to the ocean. Granddad chunked his big one and used it to fertilize his tomatoes. When I lived in Oregon (Columbia River) I  harvested my crab bait with a crossbow.

[BAGTIC]

I  once saw a man catch a 10+ lb carp on a black bass jig while bass fishing, a black thing with lots of rubber band legs sticking out to the sides so they will take artificials. I recall reading many years ago about some fishermen on the great lakes who fished for them with wet flies. They had to be better anglers than me to land a decent size carp on a fly rod without busting something.