CTFishTalk.com: CARP!!! - Connecticut River Fishing ( CT River Fishing ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

JustinSolak · Joined: 17 Jul 2011 Posts: 245 Location: East Hartford, CT

Today, it really set in that the fall carp season is just around the corner. With the cooler temps and the water temp dropping, the fish will go into heavy feeding in preparation for the winter "hibernation"

In the fall time, the carp are on average 20-25% heavier than they are in the summer time. They turn into day long feeding machines, and will readily take a hook bait. 20 pound class fish are not uncommon at this time of the year. The hits are hard and the runs are powerful.

For those of you who dabble in a bit of carp fishing, now is the time to start thinking about baiting your swim. We dumped in our first load today.

For those of you who don't do much carp fishing but would like to try, this is the time of season to give it a go. You can read through some previous threads on carp we had here, but here's an overview:

Target a slower moving area of the river. Inside bends are always a great spot, weed beds close to shore, or especially coves, like keeny or wethersfield. The "Pyramid Baiting System" is what we use. It involves baiting over 3 or 4 days, starting with a large batch and cutting the amount in half each time. The general newbie mix is oatmeal and corn. Sweet or creamed works well. If sweet corn is used, add some water to make balls worthy of launchin out by hand.

Use the same mix for method balls, the ball molded around the weight. This flakes apart and helps call in fish to your hook bait. Though it can be tough to cast it a great distance.

Wonder bread rolled into dough balls, sweet corn, or homemade paste bait "most popular used by the old timers consisting or strawberry soda and corn flakes) can be used. Flavored corn, chick peas, boilies, and numerous nuts prepared properly can all be used on a hair rig as shown below.

You can use boilie stops or a short stub of heavy mono to keep the bait on. A baiting needle is also needed.

Remember, always handle these fish with care. Due to size and body type, they can't be held by the gills. Always lay them down on the softest area possible if a landing mat isn't handy. And if you keep it out of the water for more than a few minute for photos, keep a bucket of water handy to keep them wet.

Fall season can bring some of the best carp fishing of the year. Fishing a properly baited swim with a well-presented bait can result in some very large fish.

Good luck to anyone willing to put in the time to fish for these magnificent fish. There will be a carp seminar held this month. You can call the guys at CT Outfitters to find out when it is, or PM me. This is a great way to learn first hand of how to go about doing things. And as always, you can always PM me with any questions you have or if you just need some reassurance that you're doing things the right way. I'd like to see some of you posting pictures this year of some fish like these!

Tight lines!!!
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...of all the liars among mankind, the fisherman is the most trustworthy.

Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught.