Tried carpin a new lake yesterday with nary a nibble. Made me realize I don’t really know much about how to find them. Been lucky in the past I guess that I was able to catch them just wherever I wanted to sit.

So, what are you looking for scouting a new lake? Depth? Shade or sunny area? Wind into the bank or away? Cove, point, or along a straight bank?

Most of my success in the past was <6’ and in a small cove. Winds variable.

Using a homemade method feeding system. I can reach depths in this lake bank fishing up to the deepest at around 20’.

New lakes are fun and can be productive with a little study. The first thing is to confirm there are carp in the lake. You can get this information by taking to anglers, looking at lake records, and fishing. Carp may use different areas of a lake depending on season, temperature, spawning, and other factors. I try to invest 3 days when I fish a new waterbody. I start by talking to anglers then I pick 2 or 3 areas I think might be good. Areas where ducks are feeding are high on the list. In the winter I fish deeper and shallower in the summer. I fish the first afternoon, then at the end of the day I chum with range cubes. I fish the next day then chum again. If I do not catch fish on the third day the carp are not in that location of the lake in numbers. It has worked great when volunteering for CAST for kids.

Would they be in 18-20 foot of water?

I went again today and fished a different area with no luck. This time I was down by the overflow tower.

I did throw the rest of my bait in the water. I’ll have to try the three day chum method.

I looked at TPWD website and see the lake record was caught just a few years ago so they have to be in there somewhere!

18-20 feet should be a good depth. You can also try shallower. I catch them in 8 to 15 feet in every month but February. Is it a large reservoir or a community size pond?

Honestly I have never really caught common carp in deep water. Most of the time it is 8' or less. Take the advice from Osbornfishing. He is a wealth of knowledge and always willing to share.

Best advice is if it is an area you can get to on a normal basis, get out there with some range cubes and throw them out to chum the area 24-48 hours prior to fishing. Don't be stingy with the chum either. If the carp aren't there, the catfish will.

If you are in the Denison area, the Denison dam is my kids favorite place to catch carp and buffs. We haven't caught anything really "big" but we can catch a lot with corn. We will normally go chum a bank area, walk back up to the car and get our gear. We will normally start getting slammed within an hour.

I always get some good information for other anglers who fish the water body. I also look for top water activity, such has wakes, jumps, and bubbles. I am not a carp angler by any means and when I do target them, I use the very basic gear and bait. (Just rig a pole with a small hook, sinker set about 12" over the hook. I use yellow Hominy from the can as bait on the hook, and chum with regular can corn. The Hominy is bigger and stays on the hook better. If I know there are carp in the water body it's patients that works the best. I catch most of my carp in 8 to 15 feet of water. For me the best months have been late summer through early March. As for times it usually has been from 9am till 1pm, however I have caught carp and buffalo during the afternoon hours as well. There is also a big difference the way I fish for them in the different types of water bodies. I do the best in small to medium ponds and creeks.

This is at Waterloo Lake in Denison. Community lake around 50 acres.

I’m using a mixture of oats, corn, strawberry Jell-O and strawberry soda pack bait with a hair rig. Funny thing is I’m not even getting any catfish bites either. That stuff usually will snag a couple small channels.

All good info. Thanks guys.

That looks like a fun lake. I would try range cubes as bait.

Went fishing again with no luck but threw some bait balls out when I was done.

Went the next day and pulled a 12.5 pounder. Threw out some more bait.

Next day pulled an 11.5 and a 10.25.

Each day fishing only 2-3 hours.

Chumming definitely works.

everyone...Always enjoy reading all of your posts...

Chumming is like a dinner bell going off! Nice fish.

I like your fishing wagon. I have something similar.