Carpfishing is a very particular style of fishing in several ways, to begin with, it is a type of fishing that always takes care of the integrity of the animal with prepared baits and has the characteristic of photographing the fish before putting them back in the water. Learn more about how to catch a carp in this article.
Carpfishing is one of the different modalities of sport fishing and is, without a doubt, one of those that takes the greatest care of the species caught, since one of the main rules of this modality is to catch the fish and then return it to the water. The species targeted by this practice is the carp.
What is Carpfishing?
The origin of this modality took place in 1978 in England, when Kevin Maddocks and Lenny Middleton discovered a new baiting technique that allowed to leave the hook free and thus less harm to this particular species that, unlike others, does not bite the bait, but sucks it. Leaving the hook free avoids harming the animal since they do not swallow it. This type of bait set-up is called “hair”.
Continue reading to learn more about how to catch a carp.
How to Catch a Carp: Equipment
It is important to have the necessary elements to carry out this type of fishing. Mainly, in addition to the tackle for the catch, it is necessary to carry some disinfectant in case the fish has been injured.
Carpfishing rods must be resistant, since it is a fishing modality for large specimens, we will need the rod to withstand the strength and weight of the animal. To hold them vertically, you need a rod holder with a spike or spike to nail the rod to the ground and keep it upright.
The most commonly used carpfishing reels in an open area, such as a lake, are those that can hold between 208 and 270 yards of line, with 0.35 of thickness. A reel with these conditions would be perfectly suitable for catching specimens of up to 22 lb.
On the other hand, in areas of vegetation, rocks, and various obstacles, it is recommended to use a double brake reel. The first one is for the moment of the bite and the fish’s attack, and the second one is activated at the moment of the retrieve with the crank, to prevent the prey from escaping.
As for the bait, in this variant of the discipline, it is also something particular, since several can be used, but the most used is the boilie. This has a spherical shape and is prepared with flour and eggs, which are then boiled and left to rest for about 24 hours; this makes it a more solid element and, when used as bait, smaller fish cannot eat it. This guarantees the selection of the species at the time of fishing.
How to Catch a Carp: Fishing Tricks
To develop carp fishing requires patience and practice, as in all sports, but certain tricks make this learning easier.
If we are learning how to fish for carp, the first thing we have to know is that carp is a fish that must be baited before catching. Therefore, it is better to choose a good fishing area and cast the bait continuously in the same place, since the water will be impregnated little by little with the bait and we will attract the fish to the same place. If we cast to different areas the only thing we will achieve is to scatter the carp and not catch any.
The carp is a rather large animal in some of its specimens, so we advise you not to leave the reel locked when casting the line, on the contrary, we must allow the animal to take a little bit of line at the time of the bite. From this point on, the fisherman’s job comes into play, as he will try to fight against this species to get the catch.
A problem that we sometimes encounter is that the bait spoils between one fishing day and another. To prevent this from happening we must keep the boilie in good condition and stored in an airtight way.
Several methods are used to preserve the boilie, but the most effective and common is freezing the bait in our fridge at home, undoubtedly the best trick to make the boilie last longer.
