Hey everyone,

So I've been reading through this great forum, and would really like to thank a lot of you on here for posting such great information for newbies like me.

I have always fished for trout, and one day on a picnic trip to Kelley's Island on Lake Erie, I hooked up with my first ever carp and man I had an epic battle with that fish! I had a couple lines in the water and hooked up with this carp using a worm on a crappie rig (real lucky I guess). Since then, all I can think about is hooking up with more, and bigger ones too!

In fact, here's a couple pictures of my virgin experience with that carp!
[img=http://img155.imagevenue.com/loc748/th_40780_IMG_2769_122_748lo.JPG]

[img=http://img45.imagevenue.com/loc1134/th_40791_IMG_2770_122_1134lo.JPG]

That's me holding up the carp! Don't worry folks, I promptly released the fish after a couple pictures...

Anyhow, I've been to grapevine a few times already, and haven't had much luck.. only a small catfish or two...
I've tried some doughbait recipes, corn, etc., and haven't hooked up with a carp yet.

Well, if anyone is heading out to Grapevine/White Rock on the weekends or even some weekday evenings, I would really, really, really appreciate it if I could join you and learn a few things about carp fishing. I don't have all the fancy gear for now... but will probably need to upgrade my gear for these bigger fish... currently using medium-light rod with 8lb. line (drag set really low)..

I will keep an eye out for any posts here of people possibly heading out to Grapevine/White Rock, or send me a quick e-mail: dkinla_1999@yahoo.com

I would really appreciate the opportunity to learn how to carp fish from those more knowledgeable in this forum...

Thanks everyone!

welcome to the forum. congrats on getting your first carp. yea they can fught pretty hard. a few of us on here prefer to use light tackle just cause it a blast.

anytime your ready to hook into a carp, im sure someone on here is going to GV or whiterock, including me.

dkinla, you're taking the right step in getting connected with fellow DFW area carpers. There is a lot of nuance to the sport of fooling these fish to the hook. I fished for them for 6 or 8 sessions, on my own, before hooking any. I learned from my mistakes, and still am, and have caught 18 fish this year in about a dozen sessions. Although that is not 'hauling' as some say (and do!) but I'm still learning and still _mostly_ fishing on my own. I'll be attending the LSCB tourney in Austin in November and intend to pick up some more knowledge and fish.

The equipment can help, but the knowledge and experience really make the fisherman.
If you are ever in the Houston area, get in touch with me and we'll go carping.

Good luck!
Brian

Welcome to the club Dkinla! I'm fairly new myself (started in September) and I can testify that you won't find a better source of Carping info anywhere else. I've learned a ton of good information on these pages from recipes to good locations to try.

Here's a tip to get you started: Check out Big Carp Tackle . If you place an order they'll give you a free DVD on carp tackle, tips and tactics. You'll learn everything you need to know to get started.

Let me know if you have any questions.

PW

hehehe that dvd make you a tackle tart.....

You say that as if it were a bad thing!?!

no its a good thing. but the stuff i want is more that i wanna spend. would you spend 700 a reel? or 500 for a bivy?

no sir, I'm low-tech.....and budget.

same here....kinda....

Nice fish! Congrats on the first carp! There's an adrenaline rush from that screaming drag and that prolonged battle that's hard to beat with other fish.

No need to scale up your tackle unless you're planning to start fishing at 100+ yards hehe.

I still do most of my carp fishing with 6-7' rods and 6lb test, it's a blast.

congrats! you are in teh right place for carp knowelege. these guys (and gal) have taught me a lot and i have had 4 PB's this year because of them

Dkinla

There are other great carping sites as well. Try www.carpanglersgroup.com,
www.americancarpsociety.com,
www.uscarppro.com

Enjoy!

Hey thanks everyone for your replies and more information about carp fishing...

I'm gonna try to get out there on the weekends when I can... looking forward to meeting some of you out there sometime.

I looked at one of the websites suggested here.. and thought I'd try using sweet corn on Gamakatsu Octopus hook (size 6?) on a basic running rig.. any thoughts if this works out on Grapevine/White Rock? sounds simple enough... also, what are the best times to fish for carp? early morning and late evening/night???

Thanks for all your replies so far.
dkinla

At White Rock they have been catching during the day. On Fork and Hubbard I have only been able to catch at night so it will depend on the venue. Your rig will catch fish anywhere. Sweetcorn will almost always work. The only downside can be that your corn might get "robbed" and you wont know it. Hair rigged maize will be much more secure.