Carp are becoming a popular choice for American anglers. Carp have been long ignored by anglers here, who still prefer pike, bass, crappie and pike to these gentle giants. However, they are slowly becoming recognized as a sporting species.
They are often large and wary and can prove difficult to catch. Without the right bait, it’s unlikely that you will hook a carp.
Today we will discuss the best carp baits and give you the lowdown on the best carp baits.
Best Carp Bait
If you can fish legally, you should try freshwater clams or nightcrawlers as a source of protein. These can be very effective and help explain why the protein-rich boilingie works so well.
Canned corn
It’s not as crazy as it sounds. A few kernels of sweetcorn on a hook can do wonders for carp on a hair or KD-rig.
Carp love the sweet corn smell and the delicious taste. They are often more interested in Delmonte’s flavor than the annoying hook, but it is too late!
There are artificial corn baits available as well, such as the ones from Fishcm and Xhope. These artificial rubber corn lures are durable and very affordable. However, they do not taste or smell as good as the real thing.
These are great if you combine sweet or creamed corn with them.
Bread
Simple, cheap white bread can be mashed into a ball, then twisted onto a hair rig to catch carp. This has been doing the trick since before your grandfather was even born.
Cornmeal and other grains can be added to the bread while you mash it. You can also pre-grind the bread to get a smoother consistency. You’ll be fine as long as the bread is sufficiently compressed to keep it from deteriorating in the water.
You can even mash the bread on your hook without needing a complicated rig.
Boilies
Boilies are a mixture of protein sources such as fishmeal, milk solids and grains. Boilie can be made into small balls by pressing them in a bowl. Once cooked, they retain their flavor and aroma for a long time without becoming mushy.
There are many options for Boilies. These boilies can be purchased in large quantities of 30, in your choice green apple, orange sweet potatoes, red strawberry or yellow-sweet corn. They are very durable on a rig.
Boilies can also be made at home and are extremely easy to customize your scents and flavors.
There are three main ingredients: egg, gluten-rich flour, and some kind of grain. There are many other options, such as fruit jello powder and milk solids or fish meal. These can attract carp.
This video is a great, simple tutorial for cooking your own soups at home.
Pellets
Despite being highly effective, commercial carp pellets are yet to be introduced to the US.
These carp-specific pellets are easily available in bulk throughout the pond. They have a pleasant smell and taste. They are slightly mushy and are pressed into a cage-style feeder. A short length of line is then attached to a baited hook.
Bulk wholesalers can offer bulk quantities of 25 kilograms (55 pound). Bags of carp pellets will give you an idea of the popularity of this bait choice!
Carp pellets are hard to find in the United States. However, you can still get koi food such as TetreaPond. NGT Round Metal Cage Feeders can also be found in America and work well with pellets.
Pre-weighted cage feeders allow for long castings, which is a hallmark of carp fishing.
This video will show you how to fish using a cage feeder.
Carp Biology and Diet
When choosing a carp bait, it is important to realize that these fish are not purely herbivorous as is commonly believed. Although most of the carp’s diet is aquatic vegetation, they are true omnivores and eat protein-rich animals as well as invertebrates.
Every species of carp has what is called pharyngeal tooth, which are located in the back of their throats. They can grind tough shells from snails, mollusks and crawfish with this rudimentary dental dentition.
Carp have teeth because they know how to chew aquatic plants.
Wildlife biologists believe that carp can eat these protein sources, along with some insects and aquatic worms, regularly.
This is why it matters when choosing the best carp baits.
Although carp are not strictly herbivorous they can be caught with vegetable matter such as corn, grains and bread.
It’s a mistake to not consider other protein-rich options such as nightcrawlers and bits of snail or Mollusk (where allowed), or slices of a hotdog.
This is where smell, taste and movement are key: Carp aren’t active hunters and won’t chase or strike bass, crappie pike, trout, or other fish.
Make no mistake, standard lures such as in-line spinners and soft plastics won’t get you anywhere fast.
A lure can be used to hook a carp, much like winning the lottery. You can’t count on it, but it does happen.
Last Thoughts
We hope you see that you don’t have to have a huge tackle box full of lures in order to attract carp. You will be able to get in on the action with a simple rig and some well-selected bait options.
The chances of catching a trophy carp are high, especially since the US has very little fishing pressure.
We hope this article helped you choose the right carp bait for you next adventure. If not, we would love to hear about it!
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