Pack Bait

Comment

Comment by Jim Gronaw on May 26, 2011 at 11:29am

Yeah, I'm just getting into this stillwater, Euro-carp gig and it's a lot of fun! Your right about the moving water being a tough go for the pack bait method. But it sure does work in lakes and ponds. The real secret is to prebait an area to attract the carp and then they are literally there waiting for you. Again, might have to change gears for rivers. We have giants in the Potomac, Susquehanna  and the Monocacy close to home.

 

I'll try to put a blog up about it soon with a little more detail on these tactics.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on May 25, 2011 at 5:58pm

Carpzilla's, eh Kelly? I've heard rumors of some in the Savannah down near the Lock and Dam.

Im not sure if method feeding will work well in the river, though. Its something normally practiced in still waters. Its kinda like chumming... a big ball of moist bait mix packed into a holder like damp clay. The method feeder itself is something like a flat sinker with a cage around it, holding the feed mixture. Once in the water, on the bottom, this feed spreads out into the water. The carp are drawn to this "cloud" of bait, where they stumble upon your dough bait (boilie) with its embedded hook, down the line from the feeder. In Britain they refer to this as method angling.

 

The feeding gets them sloughing around on the bottom and they suck up your bait in the frenzy. Its definitely different that soaking crickets for bruiser shell crackers! It takes some unique gear, too.

Carp are a lot like cattle, grazing around on the bottom. Im thinking that you'll have to find a calm eddy, hole or pocket where they regularly feed, or else the bait will just wash away in the current. But them big carp are worth it - they're a tussle and a half.

Comment by Kelly Nobles on May 25, 2011 at 4:38pm

what in the world!?  i need to figure this out cause there are some carpzillas swimming here and i need to catch them!