Spring is the best season to catch large carp, but what should you use to catch them? Most carp anglers like the spring season because it is easier to catch large specimens because they are searching for food to eat.
After winter, carp fish is not cautious in regards to the kind of food to eat because the fish need to eat frequently. That being said, they can be tricky to land if you are not using a bait they are interested in consuming.
Species of Carp
It is vital to recognize that there is not just one type of carp out there. Depending the species you are going after will dictate what type of bait you will use.
- Common carp. They are the native of the Eastern part of Europe and Asia, but they are found all around the world. This is the type of carp that many of us catch when we go out to our local river or pond. They prefer to live in large bodies of standing and freshwater.
- Grass carp. This species is native to eastern Asia, but they are also found in the United States and Europe. They were introduced in other countries to help with controlling aquatic weeds. These fish are very large because they eat a lot of aquatic plants. They are all vegetarian which can make it difficult to catch them.
- Silver carp. This species of carp also is native to Asia, but they are found in many countries around the world. They are very difficult to catch because they are filter feeders. In the US it is popular to bow fish this species as well as to use other non-traditional fishing methods.
- Crucian carp. This carp is a smaller species compared to the other ones on the list. They are found in Europe as well as Russia. They live in ponds and in rivers that move slowly.
Many of the bait ideas below apply to the common carp since that is the most popular species out of the list above.
What Bait to Use for Carp Fishing
Springtime is the best rewarding season of the year because it is when you can catch large carps. This article will give a detailed list of the best eight baits to use to catch large carps.
Different anglers have debated on the best baits to use to catch large carp because failure to do they will end up failing miserably. Particles are the best baits to use in summer while boilies work best in springtime.
During winter, carp are very weak, therefore, they need to build up enough strength by searching for any nutritious food. This is important to consider when choosing bait to use in the spring and summer when fishing for carp.
1. Boilies
Most carp anglers around the world prefer to use carp boilies. These boilies have attractants that draw the carp into your swim hence easily hooked. There are two types of boilies namely shelf-life boilies, and freezer boilies.
- Freezer boilies. Serious carp anglers prefer freezer boilies because they have fresh ingredients that make them look attractive in the water. Freezer boilies were common to traditional carp anglers. The major disadvantage of freezer boilies is that for them to maintain their freshness, they need to be frozen. Despite this drawback, freezer boilies were the preferred choice of carp bait among the traditional carp fishing community.
- Shelf-life boilies. They have the same features as the freezer boilies with only one slight feature that has been added to it. They are self-preserving meaning that they do not necessarily need to be stored in your freezer before you use it. Through the advancement of technology, shelf-life boilies can offer the same potency features like the one offered by the freezer boilies.
Boilies are used as freebie baits. This means that the carp is drawn into your swim and they start eating food from the bed of your venue. You can also use hook baits themselves.
Boilies are of different sizes depending on the size of carp you want to catch.Boilies are of different flavors depending on the season. For instance, during warmer months, anglers prefer to use boilies that are more pungent.
2. Vitalin
This is dog food and it is made using the following ingredients: bone meal, maize meals, and meat. The following are the steps you can use to prepare a Vitalin:
- Put at least ten kg of original vitalin into a decent blender. The blender will take thirty minutes to render down the stuff to small particles of corn and wheat.
- Add six (6) kg of fishmeal to the fine dust.
- Add another four (4) kg of crushed hemp seed. Use a dry dustbin to mix all the substances. The resulting mixtures can now be used to make ground bait balls.
Vitalin is different from other baits because it is not hooked bait.
3. Natural Baits / Food Baits for Carp
- Meat. Meat can be used effectively as carp bait. The meat should be flavored to make it attractive. It should be fried to make it not to fly off on the cast.
- Corn. Majority of anglers like to use corn as a carp trait. The commonly used corn is sweet corn. Canned corn has the best performance compared to the corn pulled from the cob. This is due to the salt and other additives canned corn has.
- Mollusks. There are different varieties of mollusks that can be used as a carp bait. They include mussels, slugs, and snails. Mollusks make excellent carp baits because they are easily available. Carp anglers prefer to use this method in areas where reeds and aquatic vegetation are available.
- Worms. Invertebrates and good ole earthworms are some the best prey for hungry carp. You can use worms by placing them on a hook with a bobber so they do not sink to the bottom in the mud. You can also use scents to attract the carp to your worm.
4. Fluoro Pop-Ups
Fluoro pop-ups can be used to catch carp. All you need to do is to load flour hook baits with flavors. You need to use them as a single hook because of carp like to home around them. Carp also like homing in them because of the smell they produce within the water and because they can be seen well in water.
Therefore, it is advisable to use fluoros as single hook bait in the water. For instance, if your carp decides to go for three freebies surrounded by the sample with your hook in it, then your chance of getting a pick-up is one-in-four.
However, if the carp sights a single hook, it will not any other way than taking it into its own mouth. If you do not have enough money then I think this might be the best tactic for you.Using the fluoro pop-ups tactic will help you to catch in many situations. You can order one such as Crafty Catcher Neon from Amazons. You can get the best from as little as $5.99.
5. Hemp
Hemp is another bait you can use as a scatter bait to attract carp. Even if you decide to place a small handful of hemp in the lakebed, it can attract many carp into the lakebed. This will make the carp to keep digging on the lakebed for a long period searching for food.
Hemp produces a nice smell and an oil that is tasty into the water which is very attractive to the carp. It is also important to note that most carp like to eat small aquatic invertebrates like snails, and the size and texture of the hemp almost resembles these aquatic snails.
6. Pellets
They are very small when compared to boilies. It is advisable to use small pellets for small carp because they will not feed on a large mass of food.
You should the pellets into the sizeable amount depending on the size of the carp you have put your focus on. Small pellets easily spread into the water by spreading a strong scent that will attract the carp towards your hook bait.
Some pellets are very big making it difficult to be used as hook bait for a better carp. The alternative to this is to connect it to your hook by using band bait. You can also use super glue to connect them to your hook.
For heavy carp, you are supposed to use halibut pellets.
You should be keen on the percentage of oil used in halibut pellets. Usually, this kind of pellets has a high content of oil.
The oil can congeal especially at the beginning of spring fishing season when the water does not have much heat. Therefore, much of the oil scent is not being released into the water. An oil hemp pellets with a lower content of oil is may be considered effective especially on cooler conditions.
7. Tiger Nuts
Many carp like the pleasant smell tiger nuts give. You need to follow the following steps in the preparation for fishing:
- Soak the tiger nuts for them to get back to their original level of humidity. This will soften their hard peel. You have to cover them with a large amount of water. You need to soak them for 36 hours.
- Pour it all to the cooking pot and add water to it. You can boost the flavor of the tiger nuts by add sugar to it while cooking. The addition of sugar will also aid in the fermentation. Allow it to cook for a maximum of 45 minutes.
- Allow the tiger nuts to cool down. They should cool down in the water that they have been cooked on because it contains a high level of glucose.
- Introduce tiger nuts to hermetic receptacle after reaching room temperature. They will settle here for about 5 days and the liquid will turn into a viscous gel which most carp like.
- Tiger nuts are very brilliant bait. You can buy them from Amazon from as low as $10.99.
8. Pastes
Carp anglers also commonly use pastes to attract carp. These baits are made by forming smalls balls then wrapped around the hook.
They are convenient compared to other homemade carp baits because they typically keep for a longer period. Paste has a soft texture and it is very attractive in nature that makes it the best summer bait.
You can make your own paste at home. It is good to make your own paste because you can alter it so that it can suit your own needs. It is fun to experiment to see what works.
In Conclusion
The carp species may not be the most sought-after game fish, but they can be a blast to catch. This is especially true when taking kids out to fish. Try some of the ideas above the next time you go out carp fishing to land that big one!