How can I avoid catching carp?

[lutra]

Anyone ever tried Algae Wafers for grass carp?

[Dales]

Anyone ever tried Algae Wafers for grass carp?

 

Never tried them to target grass carp, but have tried them on a hook before doing some general coarse fishing. No bites on them.

 

I went through a phase a few years ago of trying all sorts of fish food that I feed my tropicals on as bait. Can't say I found any super bait in amongst my pet fish foods or at least none that justified the expense of using pet fish food as bait.

[Vagabond]

Can't say I found any super bait in amongst my pet fish foods or at least none that justified the expense of using pet fish food as bait.

That's just what I would expect.

 

About thirty/forty years ago I used to keep and breed a large number of different species of tropical and coldwater fish.

 

I always found that for successful breeding you had to provide fresh, live food. Daphnia, bloodworm, microworm, Grindal worm, chopped earthworm etc etc. Commercial fish foods were just not good enough to bring fish into breeding condition. Of course the quality of commercial foods MAY have improved since then, but I think fish in tanks eat commercial food because they are provided with nothing else. They would prefer live food. Likewise wild fish refusing "Piscidelight Fish Flakes". You might be interested in the reaction of your tropicals to a load of daphnia compared with fish flakes.

 

One of the reasons I gave up breeding fish was the sheer time, labour and risk involved in collecting live food. Collecting bloodworms, in a pair of chest waters, water level nearly up to armpits and kneedeep in the bottom silt is not for the fainthearted. Plus the hassle of cleaning everything up afterwards.

 

No wonder bloodworms are expensive!

[Huegh Angler]

This is not meant to be funny, although there is an unavoidable irony in the situation.

 

Nor is it meant to be a pop at carpfishers, although some do seem to make very hard work of catching run-of-the-mill medium-sized carp.

 

Let me explain. My species hunt has left me with a very few UK freshwater fish still to catch.

 

One of them is the grass carp.

 

I only know of one water in which there are grassies but (AFAIK) no carp. Unfortunately it is a long way away, and I am attempting to get a grassie this summer/autumn from my local waters. In almost all of them, carp outnumber grassies by about 40 to 1.

 

Went out this morning, to a commercial that advertises carp and grass carp in its so-called "specimen" lake.

 

I was the first one there, at the head of the queue when they opened the gate, so could make what I thought was the optimum swim choice.

 

I chose a bay fringed with big Norfolk reeds into which the wind was blowing. Was that my first mistake ? Just because that would be a good choice if carp were the target, would it also be good for grass carp ?

 

Anyway, what little I know about grass carp (from observing them at the water referred to above) is that they are

 

1/ Extremely wary

2/ Keep very close to dense reed/weed cover

3/ Seem prepared to feed in mid-water

 

Those are characteristics I have actually SEEN. So what about bait ? Received wisdom says bread is good. Therefore I elected to use pieces of crust, popped up two feet from the bottom (in about four foot of water) cast within inches of the Norfolk reeds fringing the bay.

 

Cast No1 rod, set about tackling up No 2. First rod went roaring off, and I was into a fish. By now several other anglers were setting up, and they came running to see the action. That should have told me something - like, bites are rare here!

 

Anyway, out came this carp, quite longish, and obviously doing its best to look like a grassie, but not the real McCoy.

 

 

Two more similar followed, at half-hour intervals, then everything went dead as the sun blazed down and the wind dropped. (won't bore you with repetitive shots)

 

While I was there, no other carp were caught, and I was approached by a brave soul who wanted to know what "gear" I was using. After an initial misunderstanding (he meant bait, whereas I thought he meant tackle) He was gobsmacked that I was using Noddie Crust. "Don't you use boilies then?"

 

Couldn't resist saying "What's a boilie ?" but that was sheer naughtiness.

 

But there it was, Heath Robinson crust in mid-water = 3 carp

Four conventional carpers = Nil

 

Now, the point is, is there a method I should be using that will target grass carp and AVOID CARP?

 

Or do I have to soldier on, accepting carp after carp with resigned shrugs, until the glorious day a grassie finds my bait first?

 

Has anyone out there actually targetted grassies in the presence of carp ?

 

Who has actually caught grassies? - was it a fluke? - what bait/rig/ location tactics were used ?

 

What do I need to know about grassie location/feeding patterns etc ?

 

Answers on several sides of A4 please.

 

 

Can't help you with grass carp I am afraid, but if you don't want to catch carp, come carp fishing with me!