The 'art' of carp fishing with live bait
Many carp fishing
enthusiasts know that live bait is one of the keys to success. These
warm water "junk" fish are bottom feeders, like catfish. Carp fishing
originated in Asia and Europe (the species is not indigenous to the
United States), but has since become a mainstay of daily anglers in
America. We now have a proliferation of the carp, which are caught
with anything from artificial fishing lures to live bait, and even some truly
unique homemade concoctions.
Carp fishing can
be difficult to catch because the species can be relatively finicky
eaters. Unlike catfish, which eat pretty much everything, carp must be
enticed to take a bite, even if you are using live bait. Sometimes no
matter how good your lure and presentation are, the fish will ignore
it.
Carp fishing -
some live bait tips
One of the big
questions in warm water carp fishing is whether or not to use live
bait. The fish has been known to bite at minnows and night crawlers.
Even frogs with the hook stuck through their lips can get some
attention from carp. If you can obtain these creatures to entice your
fish, you should let the rig sink until your line is slack, since carp are
often
bottom feeders. Then slowly retrieve and try to keep the lure on or
near the bottom.
Carp fishing with
live bait is best done with a larger hook. This species has a very
large mouth, and hooks are easily swallowed. Texas rigging isn't
necessary, by the way. Carp will hit anything remotely resembling food,
if they're in the mood, so disguise isn't a priority.
A favorite style
I like to employ when carp fishing is to bunch up an entire worm and
hook through it several times. It should resemble a wad, but the key is to
make sure it's still alive. Live bait that is bleeding and wriggling
is a one-two punch that can land you many of these fish.
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