first time carp fishing

[Ken L]

It's a canal so personally, I wouldn't mess about with alarms, rod pods and fancy rigs. Call me old fashioned but I'd just use a float, that way there are no problems with silt and you have a minimum amount of tackle to carry.

For baits, keep it simple with bread, worms, luncheon meat, corn etc being a good place to start and cheap as chips.

If the venue is very local and you can walk around it every day, just drop half a dozen smallish (10 - 12mm) cubes of meat each day into 3 or 4 likely looking spots about 30 or 40m apart. Do this for a week or so and then go back with a rod at the same time of day as you've been feeding and see what comes out to play.

Carp do kick up quite a fuss so if you catch one, drop in a few more bits of meat and quietly head off to the next swim - you can always come back when things have settled down a bit.

[Anderoo]

I'm with Ken on this one. A simple running leger or a float will be as good as anything, there's really no need for complicated specialised rigs (which are easy to get wrong and/or fish badly). On canals, I'd say fishing at the right time of day/night is probably going to be the most important part of it. Most baits will work. I would start off fishing at dawn and dusk, and for bait wouldn't look any further than a big lump of bread flake or a lobworm.

 

As for where - if you're there at the right time of day, you'll probably see them!

[ben (o )(]

ok so if i just use a float, what am i doing? -----main line------shot--float--shot------------shot--------------shot------hook---hair rig??

[AddictedToScopex]

ok so if i just use a float, what am i doing? -----main line------shot--float--shot------------shot--------------shot------hook---hair rig??

Yes the basic outline you give is correct however there is not much need for a hair rig if you are fishing a float. A hair rig is simply an anti eject rig for ledger fishing in principle. If you are using a float you should be able to detect the bite by vision and therefore not need a hair rig. I personally would opt for fishing worm, spam or bread on the float with a large hook. I am afraid it is one of those scenarios where everyones opinion will differ in some way. You might want to consider having a lighter breaking strain hooklength coming from your mainline so that if you snap off with a fish on it is not left trailing everything around with it.

Edited April 15, 2011 by AddictedToScopex

[ben (o )(]

what is the lightest breaking strain i can get away with? i have some 1.5 lb line and some 3lb line which i was using last season for the really lil stuff (the odd roach or bream) but would a carp break that? what are maggots like for carp? i have always had this theory that where you see people fishing with very little experience (me included) they are always using maggots and throwing handfuls in every other second. i always get vissions of carp just sitting under their rig, eating all the maggots from the bottom when they sink down and therefore get used to feeding on maggots without getting hooked? what do you think?

in terms of the float rig for the carp, how far from the bottom do you think i should be fishing?

ben

[Steve Walker]

I remember when we were teenagers, a mate and I were fishing an undercut concrete canal bank right under our feet. We didn't have whips, so we were using the tip sections of our match rods with the line tied on the tip ring and catching little roach, perch and gudgeon on maggot. Suddenly, my mate thought he'd snagged a carrier bag or something, as he hauled a very stupid and surprised looking carp face up to the surface. It took one look at us and bolted, and that was the end of that!

 

So yes, carp will take maggots, the problem is that maggots are not selective. Sometimes, to catch big fish the important thing is not to catch little ones.

[Andy Macfarlane]

Maggots work for carp alright but I reckon they get ejected very quickly. Like you say, folk do pile them in and the carp soon know it and for that reason, I tend to use something they'll hang on to, like prawn or pellet.

[AddictedToScopex]

So yes, carp will take maggots, the problem is that maggots are not selective. Sometimes, to catch big fish the important thing is not to catch little ones.

Totally agree. Anything that swims in UK freshwater will eat a maggot but therein lies the problem. If you are looking to specifically target the carp a bigger bait is necessary. I have caught endless carp on luncheon meat/spam so can definetly recommend it plus bread and a bunch of lob worms is also a strong bet. You may even bag a very large perch on the lobs. Always the potential for a pike though so got to factor that into the equation. If I were you I would keep it simple and play to your strengths. Prebaiting a few swims is a good idea.

[davedave]

Baitwise i'm a big fan of sweetcorn. Cheap, simple, resilient, bright, sweet, different sizes etc. Perfect for carp in so many ways. I would fish a running ledger with a size 14 hook, put two grains on and maybe half a handful around your hookbait. Works every time