[Redneckangler]

First, thanks Justin for all of the tips. Just going to throw the post from the other string in here. Was hoping to get a few fish (even a blind squirrel gets a nut now and then), but I got skunked. I did go all in, leaving my bass rods at home so I wouldn't be tempted to throw in the towel and switch. I made up my method balls which were a bit too wet as I ran short of oatmeal. Lesson #1, buy more and improve those! The location that I was fishing has been crawling with carp the last week or two, but they were spread way out today. There were carp in the area I was fishing, but most were out of range. I need to get a few of the basic tools for threading kernels or boilies on a hair rig. I came across http://www.harrissportsmail.com/. Are there any others? Does anyone sell decent bulk bait, or do you really need to be Betty Crocker to fish these things? I despise getting skunked, so now I really have to catch some of these things.

[JustinSolak]

Try http://www.bigcarptackle.com or http://www.carpkit.com
Those are the two sites that i use personally. Jim and the guys at BCT are usually really good about getting you things on time, roughly 4 days for us in CT.

As far as bulk bait, i mean they sell kilo bags of boilies, all sorts of method mixes, pack baits, ground baits, etc. And the choices are endless. But before you go crazy with all the flavors and baits, definitely take the time to learn the basics. You most certainly don't have to be Betty Crocker to make bait. We go to places like Tractor Supply Co, Agway, or any other Farm Supply Store. Buy a big bag of maize and you got bait for a while. Soak it for a day, boil it for an hour, and let it cool for a day in the water.

The good thing about the maize, or what they refer to as whole corn, is that not only is it cheap (12-15 bucks for a 50lb bag) but it almost doubles in size. Really plumps up. And when you pull it off the burner, or right before, you can add flavors into it. Liquid flavors, salt, sugar, kool aid, you name it. One thing I've done in the past was taken some good pieces or maize out of the finished batch (as a lot do split and are rendered useless on a hiar rig) and added oil and flavor to it. Into a small mason jar it goes and in a day or two, you have brightly colored corn with a strong flavor. When you're using maize to bait up too, flavored kernels will stand out a bit. To give you an idea, one 50lb bag of maize will give you two 5-gallon buckets worth. Four 5-gallon buckets worth after it's all prepped. So now the multiple 5-gallon buckets of bait doesn't seem so crazy does it?

If you have a canoe or kayak, it makes life so much easier to get bait out. Then you can use cracked corn, which is essentially maize run through a food processor. Same price as whole corn, but no need to soak and boil. Just boil water and dump into a bucket of cracked corn. Watch out, because it'll expand like crazy. And a few days in the bucket and it starts stinkin. May smell bad to you, but the carp love it. If there's carp in the area but not in the area you're fishing, a stonger smelling feed or heavier flavored feed may just draw them in. If a canoe or kayak is outta the question, look into a Spomb. It allows you to launch piles or corn, seeds, pellets, etc out a good ways. 50-60 yards easy. CT Outfitters in Wethersfield has all the basic stuff you'll need to really get started if you don't want to wait for an order to come in.
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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.

[Redneckangler]

Awesome. Need a break from the salt as my fish per gallon of fuel is killing me. Plan on doing some carp and smallmouth fishing the next week or two. Thanks again for all the advice.
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