Never really done much carp fishing, but I am taking my son and a couple of his friends camping in two weeks, on an area lake. I am wondering if dough balls and/or sweet corn work from the bank this time of year, just as well as any other time of year.

Any thoughts or tips are appreciated.

Thanks!

I don't hunt carp, but do catch ALOT of them by accident. I would go out and chum up the spot you're going to fish tonight, tomorrow and just prior to fishing, so the fish gravitate around an area. An easy chum is a cattle feed called range cubes, get atleast 15-20% protein content so they sink. Just throw out 8-10 handfulls into an area. It doesn't stink and isn't messy at all. I use CJ's punch bait on treble hooks - Catches catfish and carp.

Good Luck!
-Poo

You can DEFINITELY catch carp in the winter. I actually much prefer winter to summer carping here in Texas.

A plus is that the fish you catch from cold water tend to be bigger than summer carp and buffalo.

I too would recommend throwing out chum. If you cant do it ahead of time, do it when you first get there. I'd recommend staying away from treble hooks as the fish can die if you break off and it tears them up pretty bad.

I just caught 2 yesterday. Wasn't exactly wintery out there, but technically speaking....

Good to know, guys. Thanks!

I assume since you guys are saying they will bite in the winter, they will come up into the shallows? I imagine they are like any other fish, looking for the warmest water, so if we are lucky, and the sun is shining, it might improve our chances?

Best thing to do would be to put the bait out about as far as you could throw it by hand and then fish over top of it. One thing to consider is that you may attract more fish bynthrowing in a lot of bait early but it will take them longer to find your bait. Also, if you leave your rod, make sure it is secure or your drag is very loose

Well, I would say that you can catch them, but I have yet to prove it this year!


All kidding aside, chumming/baiting an area is the best way to catch fish. It is not a prerequisite, but it really helps most of the time.

Like anything though, weather plays a role. High pressure bluebird days are tough on me

Here's the simplest answer I can give you.Caught this one and 4 others last weekend.

21.4 lbs

Yep.

Tip: Don't leave a wet net on the ground at night in winter. (You'll likely have to wait until 4PM to use it again the next day). Never happened to me, I swear.

One thing about winter is to not chum as much as you would when it's warmer