Most Popular Gamefish in the World | Carpe Carpio

[Johnny wilkins]

If you would like to tangle with one of the craftiest, sensitive-feeding golden beasties, this is the place for you. Not many know but the common or Chinese/German carp (stocked in the 1880's - 1890's as a sport and food fish is now the most popular gamefish in the world.

[Johnny wilkins]

This discussion will serve to get rid of some stereotypes and misconceptions regarding the carp. There is a lot of information out regarding this fish - most of it false and a lot of it racist. Post in here some positive facts regarding the carp. If you do post something as a question - we can examine it, but do know that there is a lot of incorrect information regarding the carp.

If you don't wish to learn please skip posting here.

If you want to learn post here.

There is beauty and skill in trying to lure a carp in, hook up and then landing these beasts. The discussion isn't about Silver or Bighead carp - their common name is "Asian Carp" and these can't be taken with bait on hook & line. Much like bluegills, the carp of North America are not appreciated as much as they should be.

If you have something you want to learn about post it as a question:

" Is it true that carp eat garbage?" - rather than "Carp eat garbage, they are worthless". By asking and then peeling back layer of this fish, we can get a good appreciation for this fish that is much larger and much more powerful than largemouth bass.

Post a question and we can all learn together from members with experience catching this fish (and those who have broken off while playing a big carp).

[Jim Gronaw]

Good call, Johnny Wilkins! I have been a carp 'fan' all my life. My son and I got into the Euro style carp gig in 2011-2012 and always enjoy the capture of a big fish. We were well trained by the Carp Whisperer...Mr Bob, at PA's Lake Marburg. Here are a few of our first year efforts...

Let's hear it for bite alarms, pack bait and hair rigs...and boilies!

[Johnny wilkins]

OH YA!!

You know the tearing off of peeling line as it exits the reel in 100 yard bursts!!

Much like the Bluegills being NorthAmerica's most favorite (not best-kept secret) the king of all fish, the biggest fish in that water is many times the Golden Bass. Nice pictures!

Fish certified to wear you out - I'm IN!

[Jim Gronaw]

Johnny...do you ever use the synthetic corn on a hair rig? Some guys at the lake utilize it on a hook alone.

Whatcha' think?

[Johnny wilkins]

I think that is good to present the bait above the "scruff" at the bottom and pop it up above weeds - yes!

I would put some bait on there like corn or meat. A few lakes by us have big carp but they are surrounded by so many gills, we can't put bait out for them. If you put anything out there - the gills attack it like escort planes trying to get a bomber through flack!  

The pop-ups and hair rig are good. Because I fish a float and I have seen them both side-by side, I don't always go for mega-carp but any carps. The best example I can give is when we had a match (league fishing on the bank) - one guy landed 126 lb. of fish - some 42 fish in 4 hours. His neighbor landed one single 17.5 lb. carp in that same time period.

It depends on which you think would be cooler - and that is fishing taste. Some people would like to wait all day and all night for that monster fish - others would like to "bag up" and catch more. The 17.5 lb. was caught on a hair rig and pop-up (jaw-breaker-sized ball) and the 126 lb. was caught on a small float and single grain of corn.

To each his own - but both awesome fishing days.

[Jim Gronaw]

The synthetic kernels were designed to keep nuisance critters like smaller sunfish and crayfish from stealing the bait. I have had great success with dried pineapple chunks fish directly on a #6 hook with a baitball in-line on the cylindrical cage.

The majority of our fish run 10 to 14 pounds. The first year we fished we got 8 over twenty, with a 25 as the biggest. Big fish are exciting...I guess that's why the Euros go bonkers over it!

[Tony Livingston]

What about grass carp.....I've taken some bigguns on....broccoli florets.

[Jim Gronaw]

Never caught a grass carp, but I have a couple options close to home that have them. A lake 4 miles from me produced a 73 pounder.

Broccoli florets, huh!?!?

[Johnny wilkins]

I have never caught a grass carp either - I need to hair rig some broccoli eh?

Now I was under the impression they didn't have all the power of the other carp- is this true?

Do they tire out faster than common carp?

[Tony Livingston]

Yep, broccoli. Very smart fish, if you spook one, or worse yet hook one and it gets off, you may never get another chance....certainly not for awhile.

The biggest one I ever caught was by accident, while BG fishing. Took a beemoth. The fight was impressive on 4 lb test mono. I've never caught a common carp, so I can't compare their power?

[Jim Gronaw]

Several summers ago I had a 20-pound class grass carp (white amur) swing at a tiny green jig, miss it, then get snagged in the tail. After a 45 minute battle on 4 pound test, the small wire hook finally 'opened up' and I lost the fish. Would have liked to have gotten that one, just for a photo op!

[Jim Gronaw]

My buddy and carp mentor Mr Bob has been catching some 14 to 20 pounders lately on milder days from several different baited areas at his favorite lake. Today, 12-26-14, he put me on this fine fish, She took a pineapple chunk & pop-up tutti-frutti kernel combo for our only fish of the day.