i've been a bass guy all my life, and only caught a few carp when i was a teenager fishing in small, local lakes.

i've spent a lot of time on Fork, and over the years i've hit the carp spawn just right, and it's amazing to see how many big carp there are in Fork and how muddy they can make the shallow water.

my question is: if the bass are slow, and i want to try to catch a few carp to get some action, where do i start? i know where the bass hang out, but where do the carp hang out in Fork?

thanks for any help on this...

In the past, I had luck fishing for carp around the docs of all the places on the lake like Minnow Bucket, etc. You can also target carp at boat docs along the lake. If they have a feeder, you're in the money.

If you fish the lake often, you can bait up your own area over time. We did this in my buddies cove so the kids could catch carp and catfish all year.

Best bet is to bait an area. I like to use range cubes. You may have to work your way through the catfish to get to the carp. I have not carp fished Fork, but have had success on a couple of other Wood county lakes.

so every time i go, i should take range cubes and put some in a particular area, and the carp (and catfish) will come.

range cubes - do i get them at like a feed store?

what depth would be best? in a flat area or in/near a creek channel?

i'm a real rookie at this; but i've seen some huge carp spawning in Fork, so thought they'd be really fun to tangle with.

If they are spawning, I have had a hard time catching. They have other things on their mind.

Range cubes are cheap and every feed store should have them. I try to get the ones with a higher cotton seed content. They last longer under water.

Unless you can get out to your spot for a couple of days in a row you may have a hard time pulling in the fish. I try to fish water at least 8 to 10 feet deep. I am limited to bank fishing so I usually need to make long casts.

You may catch some huge buffalo while working the carp. Fork has some giants.

I sent you a PM.

Not a carp guy either, but would love to catch something this big. If you use range cubes for chum, what do you use for bait and terminal tackle?

Bait, PM sent.