Carp bait

[gfisher2003]

Although I’m sure that by looking through archived posts I can get the answers I’m looking for I’ll post this anyways

I was recently trying to see if their were any bass in the ponds on a golf course and a I saw a lot of what I think we’re carp or koi, they were each probably a little less than a foot long but seemed to girthy around the middle unlike other carp/koi that I have seen they had a pretty uniform dark brown coloring from what I could past the murkiness of the water. I think that a few were either jumping or splashing the water pretty loud just coming up to suck at the surface. Their wasn’t a lot of plant life in the pond except for a few grasses sticking out of the water where the main group of them were located but I also saw them cruising around open areas. I was wondering if these sound like they are carp or koi or whatever, and also what good bait is to catch them that I could easily find/make at home.

One last thing they were really really skittish, does anyone have any tips for not spooning them when I approach and drop things into the water or if they will bite while swimming away.

Thanks guys!

 

[jacknrubin]

Whole nightcrawlers, sweet corn, or wonder bread balled up

 

[Gulfstream]

corn

 

[gfisher2003]

thanks guys!

follow up question is it worth casting to fish that are not actively feeding?

 

[igquick]

Pm me

 

[CARPCOMMANDER]

Take penko bread crumbs, strawberry jello mix, and whole cernal sweet corn and a strawbeery crush soda.. put the penko and jello powder inna bag/bowl, drain 95% of the corn juice out, poor the corn in the bowl. Mix and mead until you have a packable dough.. if to dry, add small splashes of crush soda. Let sit for atleast 2 hours if not over night. If its to soft to cast, make small dough ball on hook, take 1 slice of cheap white/weat bread, pull the crust off and rip it in half. Put the dough ball in the center of the half slice of bread and mead the bread all the way around it (sometimes i leave a small hole in the bread so they can get right to the strawberry filling.. literally looks like a strawberry doughnut hole..) have caught over 100 carp on this bait combo from gold fish size to 15lbs+ 3 foot long hogs..

 

[Aervax]

@CARPCOMMANDER
Nice detail on that bait recipe. How big is the bait ball when done with bread and filling, and do you think the size of the bait ball makes a difference?

 

[CARPCOMMANDER]

Any where from a the size of a quarter to the size of a golf ball allthough a smaller presentation will often get picked up with out as much pecking. On a golf ball sized bait ive had it pushed around the bottom in diffrent intervals for 45 minutes to an hour before catching the fish

 

[Aervax]

Thank you for sharing your experience and expertise. I will put that info to use on the Columbia sloughs.

 

[Aervax]

I keep reading strawberry soda is a key ingredient in homemade baits. You mentioned it again here. I am going to have to give it a try then.

 

[CARPCOMMANDER]

i usually fish with a 15lbs main line with a 1oz trolling sinker swivel and a 14" 12lbs leader, with a size 6 black steelhead barbed hook.. and if more weight is needed stack 1/4 oz split shots on my main line just above the swivel until it holds. I also forgot to mention buy rubber fake corn and put it on the hook in the middle of the dough ball. I find this helps so if they smash apart the dough ball it looks like corn in the pile.

 

[Aervax]

Thank you Soo much!!!

 

[CARPCOMMANDER]

All 4 of the fish in the pictures were caught in the last 3 weeks along with about 5 not pictured all between 3 and 16lbs out of diffrent spots on fern ridge/coyote creek in veneta. Lower long tom also produces well. a lot of 7-10lb fish in there along with some tanks.. glad i could help. usually get laughed at.. haha

 

[CARPCOMMANDER]

Lemme know how the columbia slough does? Always wanted to go there and the multinoma channel? I hear theres some fat gold fish lurkin up there

 

[Aervax]

I am open to taking you around to some new water if you don't mind the drive. It's a long drive from Eugene to the gorge. Most of the carp spots I have flagged were discovered while fishing the spring spawn for smallmouth bass. There is a bunch of them. Some are nearly untouched. Send me a PM when you are up for a carp road trip. I might alternate from using my fly rod back to a bait rod depending on how it's going. I am always up for company on the water.