The carp is often regarded as nuisance species because it is a vociferous eater that consumes plant vegetation at an alarming rate. But if you are a fishing enthusiast, you might be wondering how to catch a carp in a pond. This is because catching carps present a challenge, and even the most experienced anglers sometimes face trouble catching these eating machines.
Carps are healthy, robust fishes that do not go down without a battle, so before undertaking a venture to catch the fish, you should know about the basics of catching carp. This includes scouting for the carp, select your bait, and presenting it. Here, we shall cover all that and more.
How to Catch a Carp in a Pond
Scouting for Carp
If you ask any expert how to catch carp in a pond, they will most likely tell you that you need to do some scouting first. So head out there and survey the local water bodies for carp. Good scouting is essential for catching carp, and by doing this, you might catch more fish than expected. It is best to do your scouting a day beforehand, going out on a walk during early morning or late afternoon. You should be discreet and tread lightly as you look for signs of carp in the water.
One of the tell-tale signs of the presence of carp in the water is the stirred mud around the vegetation plus the bans of the pond. You should also keep an eye on the surface of the water for displacement. Carp can be spotted around thick weeds, brushes, snags, downed trees, and margins. Carp may also surface near the sheltered and calm areas of the water body, so you should check those out as well.
If you manage to see some activity in the water, or if your sixth sense is telling you that there might be some carp in the water, you should throw in some chum. After that, you should wait a while to see if the fish responds to the chum. After you’ve located the spot, it should be easy for you to return with your fishing rod and go about catching carps. But before discussing how you should catch carp in a pond in terms of fishing technique, we need to talk about the baits you’re going to use.
Baits to use for Catching Carp
The best thing about catching carp is that they would eat almost anything. You may notice some hype surrounding a particular product that claims to be the best carp bait, but you should pay no heed. Knowing the whole process includes selecting your bait, and for this purpose, you don’t have to go for anything special or fancy. For carp fishing, the cheapest baits are usually the most effective ones.
Corn
First of all, you should know how to catch carp with corn, because it is the cheapest and most straightforward way you could go about carp fishing. Corn covers the hook pretty well and stays on it without slipping. Hence, it offers a hassle-free way to fish, where you just need to buy a tin of sweet corn from your local shop as bait. Carps find the sweet taste of corn irresistible, and with this bait, you can catch carps of all sizes in any pond you wish.
Bread
If you don’t have any corn with you, then you can always go for bread, which is a cheap bait for catching grass carp for ponds. If you are fishing in shallow waters, it is ideal to use stale bread, since it floats for some time. The sugar and salt added to the bread will attract carps in no time, allowing you to reel it in. But it might take some practice to catch carp with bread because it often slips off the hook, and the carp can steal it, so you need to master the art of striking at the right moment.
Sausage
You can also create a simple recipe for carp bait by mixing a smoked and salted sausage with some flour and cheese. For this, you need to remove the hot dog skin and grind the meat, then mix it with melted cheese and flour. The end product should be a solid paste that you can make a ball our of. You can experiment with different portions until you achieve the right consistency.
Some fishing experts might tell you that boilies are the best carp bait for summer, but corn and bread can be acquired much more straightforward, at a lesser price. Once you have selected the bait, it is time to get down to fishing.
The Fishing Technique
Even for people who know how to catch carp in a pond, it takes a considerable amount of strength and skill to reel in a big fish. Anglers have found success with the float fishing technique, which is exceptionally effective in ponds full of weed and downed branches, where carps prefer to swim around. Float fishing requires you to be patient and methodical, and extremely alert, at the same time, because you might have to take action in the blink of an eye.
Depending on how you want to present the bait to the carp, you can spread it out evenly over a small area, or use a split shot rig, if you wish to target the fish deeper beneath the surface. The simplest way to go about it is to use a light float, but this will limit your casting distance, and you want to target the fish long and deep, you need a more complicated setup. A light float should work fine for a pond, however.
When you see the float sink under the surface, it might mean that the carp have taken the bait, and you should be alert at that point because you should pull at the right moment to make sure the fish is not able to escape. This is one of the most straightforward techniques expert anglers will teach you when you ask them their secret.
Final Words
Catching carp fish can be an exciting and fulfilling activity, and you can also make delicious cuisine out of this fish. However, it presents quite a challenge, and you should take the necessary precautions and make preparations before going about it.
