Basic Tackle For Carp Fishing
Many anglers, mostly those who hunt predators, often think catching a nice pike is the top experience for their hobby... but there is much, much more…
As I started carp fishing, a good friend of mine took me with him and said, lets catch a “real” fighter. Many of you will say, yeh blabla, and so did i. Arrived at the lake I was very confused about all the tackle and strange baits he had.
He showed me a simple rig, how to attach the bait and we threw the rod out. So good so boring… After a couple of minutes, I began to wonder... what’s next? Nearly finished my thoughts a fast and loud noise teared the air apart... my bite indicator sang his first song. The adrenaline went up, the heartrate got somewhere pretty unhealthy and I started my first drill with a carp...
The rod bend so hard, unbelievable it did not break, the reel screamed... I never felt so much power on the other end of my tackle. The carp tried to escape several times and after 10-15 min I had him in the landing net, my first carp ever.
14 kg of pure power and I just thought WOW.. ever since and then I’ve been infected with the carp virus and it will never let me go.
Many anglers, mostly those who hunt predators, often think catching a nice pike is the top experience for their hobby... but there is much, much more…
As I started carp fishing, a good friend of mine took me with him and said, lets catch a “real” fighter. Many of you will say, yeh blabla, and so did i. Arrived at the lake I was very confused about all the tackle and strange baits he had.
He showed me a simple rig, how to attach the bait and we threw the rod out. So good so boring… After a couple of minutes, I began to wonder... what’s next? Nearly finished my thoughts a fast and loud noise teared the air apart... my bite indicator sang his first song. The adrenaline went up, the heartrate got somewhere pretty unhealthy and I started my first drill with a carp...
The rod bend so hard, unbelievable it did not break, the reel screamed... I never felt so much power on the other end of my tackle. The carp tried to escape several times and after 10-15 min I had him in the landing net, my first carp ever.
14 kg of pure power and I just thought WOW.. ever since and then I’ve been infected with the carp virus and it will never let me go.
So, what would I recommend for a carp fishing beginner? Well, if you know someone who already is a decent carp angler, ask him to accompany him for a session. Try it first before you start to spend a lot of money for tackle.
Already infected? Perfect so lets start with the basics.
I`d say there are two different types of carp anglers, the normal day ticket angler and the hardcore “I need everything” angler. It is totally up to you (and of course your budget) what you will become. I will only describe the basics you will need to catch some good carps. There are thousands of different rods, tents, bait etc. all worth of discussion and different opinions but here, well basics!
Rods
In my area its common to fish with two or three rods per angler I always recommend to use rods that could handle the biggest fish in the lake. Personally I use 12ft 3.00 rods made of carbon. Somewhere around 90$ per piece, those rods saved me carps up to 32kg and catfish up to 90kg.
Reel
Big pit reels size 7000-8000 which can hold up to 500m of 0.35mm line or more are my weapons of choice.
Line
Thumb rule: use the thickest line that can be cast the distance you are fishing. Knot strength is more important than pound strength, 10 lb 0,20mm or 15lb 0,35 will work just fine
Rigs
There are plenty of manufactures that offer so called “ready made” rigs. I used a lot of them, no complaints! Just the hooks always deserve some extra love. They should be “pinpoint” sharp. A normal run-rig on the 90 g Lead will work!
Bait
Well, that’s the biggest secret for carp anglers. Try and error is a must. Strawberry, liver, milk, banana… there are thousands of different baits. In my area its common to use so-called boilies. Round, steamed baits with different flavours. I prefer to use sweet ones in winter and fishy ones in summer… experience may vary.
Unhooking
In the European carp community, catch and release normal. Handling your catch with absolute care, treating wounds, and finally releasing it back to his natural environment should be mandatory. To make sure the fish membranes don’t get hurt we use unhooking mats and lots of water. Lip grips etc. are a no-go here. Also a big landing net at least 90cm wide!
Extras
Tent, seat, rod pod, bite indicators. Millions of gimmicks and little helpers are available. Decide for yourself, what you need and what is needed. For me, a rod pod and some good bite indicators are a must, to make things easier. Bags to store the tackle, buckets for water, waders for cold water are nice little helpers as well
High-end
Well, once infected with carp virus, it might get a never-ending story. Handmade rods, high-tech reels, tents bigger than some houses... teach your kids how to fish, they won’t have enough money for drugs. My personal high-tech tackle is a good echosounder and a bait boat with autopilot. The echo helps me to find good spots and my bait boat brings my rig to them, even in the darkest nights. I often hear “that’s not fishing anymore” … well my answer is, if there are things that can make life easier, why should I not use them!
Summary
Do your own thing, go your own way. Watch videos, learn how to tie rigs, learn how to “read” the water. It’s still a hobby, a passion. Don’t get stressed out by guys showing one heavy carp after the other. EVERY catch counts and has to be treated like what it is... a wonderful creature. And maybe take my motto: take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.
