texasfishingforum.com logo
Main Menu
Advertisement
Affiliates
Advertisement
Newest Members
TraeMartin, Power-Pole CS, T-Rigger, JoeGoes, EcKo
119150 Registered Users
Top Posters(All Time)
hopalong 120,586
TexDawg 119,529
Bigbob_FTW 94,908
John175☮ 85,893
Pilothawk 83,264
Bob Davis 81,523
Mark Perry 72,297
Derek 🐝 68,312
JDavis7873 67,416
Forum Statistics
Forums59
Topics1,037,866
Posts13,935,802
Members144,150
Most Online39,925
Dec 30th, 2023
Print Thread
Page 3 of 4 1 2 3 4
Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: TXMulti-Species] #13447470 02/22/20 06:13 AM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 955
E
elbandito78 Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
E
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 955
Originally Posted by TXMulti-Species
Originally Posted by elbandito78
That's awesome! Are you at Sapphire Bay? I do a lot of crappie fishing out there in the spring and fall, if it's too windy to take the boat out. I've been wondering how often carp come in there and logistics of catching them in such a tight space. This was super informative. My slip is in shallower water (12ft) though, so that's the only bad part.


That's a phenomenal depth! If you want a tutorial on Carping I'd be happy to come out and show ya sometime


Yeah! That would be great. I’ve Carl fished plenty of times but normally on the Trinity in FW. And it’s been a while. Is that depth good year round or just certain times of the year? I’ve seen carp in there early spring for sure but it seems like everyone disappears in the summer and winter. Then again I don’t really fish for them at those times either.

Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: kaboboom] #13447472 02/22/20 06:20 AM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 955
E
elbandito78 Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
E
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 955
Originally Posted by kaboboom
Bandito...sorry...I just saw your post. Yes, my boat is in Sapphire Bay in about 25 ft of water. After fishing for a week with a carp guide from Canada who wanted to add buffs to his caught list, I've learned several new things that I wanted to post here about fishing "tight" vs open water like most bank carpers do. The first thing to note is that fishing "loose"...letting the fish run (with bait runner reels)...results in more snags, and it was clear that these snags are caused by the original trees that were there when Ray Hubbard was flooded. I don't fish loose, I fish "tight", meaning, my drag is set heavy and I react to bites...I don't let the fish peel off line. Very often, I'm fishing straight down. But also, my rigs are different. The weight is on the bottom, and I keep my hook links short...like 4 inches. I do this because a long hook link and/or a sliding sinker...the rigs used by bankers that fish loose...often hook buffs with the hooks outside their gills. Bringing in a buff that's hooked this way is a bit traumatic for me...you have to cut off the hook...but I also don't think the fish fight right, and I suspect it is more likely to damage the fish. Fishing "tight" may or may not make it harder to hook-up carp, but I'm pretty certain it helps hook the buffs in the mouth. Maybe we can talk or fish together in person sometime out at Sapphire Bay. If you pre-bait...and I used range cubes for the first time...I'm pretty sure 12 ft of water would not be a problem at all.


No worries. I’ve been super busy at work lately and haven’t been online much this week. Thanks for the tips. Especially on the buff hookups. I don’t eat buffalo and would hate to hook one like that. I wonder what the feasibility of getting a small auto feeder set up at the slip would be feasible. Hopefully we run into each other sometime. I’d love to take a look at your set up. Been a while since I fished for carp. And when I used to it was with canned corn. smile

My slip is at the end of the row on dock E so I could possibly also fish out a ways and not just straight down. Not sure if that would be better or not. Most of the carp are probably underneath for the shade huh?

Last edited by elbandito78; 02/22/20 06:23 AM.
Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: kaboboom] #13447491 02/22/20 09:37 AM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 305
K
kaboboom Offline OP
Angler
OP Offline
Angler
K
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 305
Bandito, I'll have a look at the end of E dock. Pretty sure the carp and buffs would be there if it was pre-baited, and with a little notice, I could do that for you a couple of days before you go to fish your slip. I can see it being a challenge to hook-up just 12 feet down on a 25 # buff or a carp in the teens, but a little grade school geometry would tell you to cast out 20 ft or so and it shouldn't be too hard to get chum that far out. CoC is posting good info on the best kinds of chum...rabbit pellets, etc., which I'm gonna try. The most important factor getting started is how you are going to fish...tight or loose. Tight means secure rods or the fish will take them...loose means special reels....maybe. The bank guys target carp in the shallows because the water is warmer...the cats and the crappie may like the shade, but I don't think the carp and buffs care...they want easy feeding.

Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: CoC Angler] #13447492 02/22/20 09:57 AM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 305
K
kaboboom Offline OP
Angler
OP Offline
Angler
K
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 305
CoC, thanks for your insights! If you're ever back in Dallas, you've got a place to fish. The Cattle Cubes I bought were huge...like broom stick thick...so I'll do the hot water soak until I use them up. I can just pour this mush out of a bucket on each side of the boat, or across in some empty slips I can easily cast to. But I'll try the rabbit pellets next. I have to say, though, I do like hair rigs mostly because the cats don't swallow the hooks, but I've got some sz 14 heavy wire hooks, so I'll also try some mini-hair rigs with just a small split shot just to see if they help with a light bite. You've given me stuff to try...thanks.

Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: kaboboom] #13447522 02/22/20 12:25 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 305
K
kaboboom Offline OP
Angler
OP Offline
Angler
K
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 305
Quick update: put those large cattle cubes in hot water, and in 30 minutes, it's mostly brown mush. I'll go scoop and fling it out around at my slip, then bait with sweet corn and peanuts and see how that works this morning.

Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: kaboboom] #13448502 02/23/20 03:05 PM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 17,610
G
Gitter Done Offline
TFF Guru
Offline
TFF Guru
G
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 17,610
Awesome thread!

Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: kaboboom] #13452562 02/26/20 08:31 PM
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 929
C
CoC Angler Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
C
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 929
Originally Posted by kaboboom
Quick update: put those large cattle cubes in hot water, and in 30 minutes, it's mostly brown mush. I'll go scoop and fling it out around at my slip, then bait with sweet corn and peanuts and see how that works this morning.

Any updates?


SirHerbertC
Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: CoC Angler] #13452670 02/26/20 10:04 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 305
K
kaboboom Offline OP
Angler
OP Offline
Angler
K
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 305
Went out for a few hours...scooped out the cattle cube mush...threw out a little sweet corn...and caught one nice carp, so it was slow. Trying the find the right pre-bait process. I didn't toss out boiled deer corn the night before, or use packbait while fishing, which is my usual. Was hoping the mushed cubes the same morning would do the trick, and it didn't. I'm planning the next little campaign...will mush cubes and toss corn maybe Thursday afternoon, and see how well that works the following morning. Not ready to give up on the cattle cubes just yet since they mush so easily.

Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: kaboboom] #13452707 02/26/20 10:51 PM
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 12,610
C
Curt0407 Online Content
TFF Guru
Online Content
TFF Guru
C
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 12,610
I am not a fan of the mushed cubes. I would think that the fine particles would wash away. I always use the cubes when I have them. They obviously take longer to break down and thus help hold the fish in the area. I know a carper that would use a small piece of a cube on a hair rig. He would pre-drill the pieces so that they could be threaded on the rig. I would add the rabbit pellets the day of fishing as they break down fairly fast, along with the corn.

Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: Curt0407] #13453078 02/27/20 10:53 AM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 305
K
kaboboom Offline OP
Angler
OP Offline
Angler
K
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 305
By nature, I'm a "match the hatch" guy, meaning, you pre-bait with what you hook bait, and for me so far, that's boiled corn. But I got a couple of bags of cattle cubes...really big ones...at Phil's request. I intend to work them off now without pre-dissolving, about 5 lbs at the end of a session. At 25 ft depth, the mushed one could easily just disperse without getting to the bottom, but it was worth a shot if it helped just before fishing. Not sure I'll venture again into using livestock feed...we'll see after I work off the last bag.

Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: elbandito78] #13453437 02/27/20 05:00 PM
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,478
T
TXMulti-Species Offline
Extreme Angler
Offline
Extreme Angler
T
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,478
Originally Posted by elbandito78
Yeah! That would be great. I’ve Carl fished plenty of times but normally on the Trinity in FW. And it’s been a while. Is that depth good year round or just certain times of the year? I’ve seen carp in there early spring for sure but it seems like everyone disappears in the summer and winter. Then again I don’t really fish for them at those times either.


10-15ft is a great depth year round!


Catch and release. The dream - to catch one of every species of Freshwater fish in our great state! If only I can resist Carp...
https://txmultispecies.imgur.com/
[Linked Image]
Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: kaboboom] #13453606 02/27/20 07:08 PM
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 352
F
Freshwater Phil Offline
Angler
Offline
Angler
F
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 352
Originally Posted by kaboboom
By nature, I'm a "match the hatch" guy, meaning, you pre-bait with what you hook bait, and for me so far, that's boiled corn. But I got a couple of bags of cattle cubes...really big ones...at Phil's request. I intend to work them off now without pre-dissolving, about 5 lbs at the end of a session. At 25 ft depth, the mushed one could easily just disperse without getting to the bottom, but it was worth a shot if it helped just before fishing. Not sure I'll venture again into using livestock feed...we'll see after I work off the last bag.


I wouldn't give up on the cubes just yet, using them dry will prolong the breakdown. I believe that the more variety you send down there, the more the carp will be open to taking easily when they are ready to feed. Just a matter of getting waiting them out until a feeding period when water is cold. I also think the buffs are best targeted on something other than the chum. The carp seem to be quicker to feed,and more numerous, which leads me to think that the buffs would be left with anything the carp aren't interested in. Hence, the success I had on peanuts down there, and also on boilies when the carp were off.

You've seen the range cubes I use, they do a heck of a job drawing in carp up here, and I mix in about 15% home made boilies to both get them onto those, as well as have something for them once the range cubes break down.

Fishing your spot should only get better as the water temp increases.


PB common = 41 lbs
PB mirror = 22.5 lbs
PB buff = 26 lbs



[Linked Image]
Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: Curt0407] #13453611 02/27/20 07:16 PM
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 352
F
Freshwater Phil Offline
Angler
Offline
Angler
F
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 352
Originally Posted by Curt0407
I am not a fan of the mushed cubes. I would think that the fine particles would wash away. I always use the cubes when I have them. They obviously take longer to break down and thus help hold the fish in the area. I know a carper that would use a small piece of a cube on a hair rig. He would pre-drill the pieces so that they could be threaded on the rig. I would add the rabbit pellets the day of fishing as they break down fairly fast, along with the corn.


I predrill cubes all the time. They are a staple on my pva stringers, along with boilies. I've used them as hookbait at times, but they break down quickly, and tend to get pecked off by nuisance fish like gobies and sunfish too often. When I do put them on a hair nowadays, I usually pair them with tiger nuts, corn, or boilies.

Last edited by Freshwater Phil; 02/27/20 07:16 PM.

PB common = 41 lbs
PB mirror = 22.5 lbs
PB buff = 26 lbs



[Linked Image]
Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: kaboboom] #13455642 02/29/20 04:31 PM
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 929
C
CoC Angler Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
C
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 929
Yes the range Cube on a hair rig is a definite Game Changer and can be great to use when other baits are not working or if you want to throw something different at them.


SirHerbertC
Re: Carping in a Marina [Re: kaboboom] #13455652 02/29/20 04:47 PM
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 929
C
CoC Angler Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
C
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 929
So now on to what I was saying about paste / dough baits. Everybody's got their own homemade versions and one that I'm sure we've all heard of is big red and Wheaties. Another one that I'm very familiar with is bread cottonseed meal and snow cone syrup. Now the important thing with paste / dough baits is that you want to make sure they are the proper consistency based on how you are fishing. I know a lot of people that make dough baits are concerned about them being tough enough to stay on the line and add ingredients to them to toughen them up. While there is some Merit to this if throwing out at distance or even fishing under a float, for a vertical presentation that is on the bottom or just off the bottom a softer dough bait can be beneficial. Now when I say soft, I'm not talking mush, but something along the consistency of cookie dough that is room temperature. Bananas can be a great base for a good dough bait. you can smash them up and mix them with bread to form a paste that will catch catfish carp and buffalo, and it will still readily fish on a single hook. Another option would be to mix bread molasses and instant potatoes with a small amount of water to form another great hook bait. As stated these are softer baits and I would not recommend trying to cast them out, but they will fish very well vertically. It is important to note that you want to use a piece of bait just large enough to cover your hook because if you make the bait too big and it is soft it will be easy for it to pull off the hook. You can place a very small split shot 6 to 10 in above the bait, but in my opinion if you use a size 6 or 8 hook, the bait should have enough weight to sink on its own without much assistance. I would fish this on 12 to 14 lb mono tied straight to the hook unless there is a large amount of snags near where the bait will be. You can use braid to fish this technique, but with the lack of stretch it has while it will offer greater bite detection, the softer bait will be much easier to come off. With this style of fishing I tend to either hold the rod or watch the tip very closely and set on the first significant movement.


SirHerbertC
Page 3 of 4 1 2 3 4
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread

© 1998-2022 OUTDOOR SITES NETWORK all rights reserved USA and Worldwide
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.3