I’m concerned about certain indisputable facts. If German automobiles, cameras and all manner of industrial equipment are prized all over the world, why isn’t another German import that can be found pretty much throughout the United States? It is the common carp that came to this country from the land of Lederhosen and Schnitzel in the late 1800s?
The carp — really nothing but a minnow that appears to be on steroids — can grow to more than 70 pounds, although 10- to 20-pounders are more easily found, is the fish world’s Rodney Dangerfield. Among the 60-odd million American anglers, it simply doesn’t get any respect.
Yes, there are several international carp fishing organizations — many of its members speak with a decided British accent — but the vast majority of American lure and bait slingers show nothing but disdain for the bugle-mouthed brute. I’ve known bass fishermen who, when accidentally hooking a carp, would kill the fish and throw it into a trash barrel at the end of the day because bass hounds are forever leery of the German import they believe destroys bass nesting sites, especially bass eggs.
If that is true, our government fisheries biologists don’t seem to think so, which makes me wonder if it’s yet another fable.
What isn’t a fable is the fact that when hooked the common carp can make a run-of-the-mill bass and many other fish species look like limp-finned sissies.
I’ve caught carp on artificial lures, such as plastic grubs, that were intended for largemouth or smallmouth bass, and in every instance believed that I had a state record bass on the end of the line. Strange, but I’ve never had that feeling when I actually latched onto good-sized bass. Go figure.
Since the large-scaled, red/orange or yellow-bodied carp can be found in every local impoundment, lake and river, have you given even a thought to catching one of these tackle busters? You can use spinning or baitcasting reels and rods, but be certain they’re of a variety that can handle a powerful fish. Although most carp specialists make do with as light a line as 8- and 10-pound monofilament, with today’s super braids and fused fishing lines, I feel better using a very thin, but strong 14- or 20-pound-test FireLine, Stealth line or the new Stren Fusion. Proper reel drag adjustment is crucial; don’t over-tighten the drag mechanism lest you want to lose your catch.
The best hooks are sizes 4 to 8 that can securely hold a small bread or oatmeal ball. You start with bread or cereal and mix vanilla or some kind of berry extract into it; boil it until fairly solid. Let it cool, then pinch off a fingertip-sized piece, roll into a ball, attach to the hook and cast it into the water. To hold the bait on the bottom, feed a small bullet sinker (bass fishermen’s slip sinkers work well) onto the line, then add a 2-way swivel to keep the slip sinker from falling off. Take a snelled hook and feed its loop into the other end of the swivel; or use a 3-way swivel rig with a small bank sinker. Some carp specialists use a short piece of 4-pound mono line to tie the sinker to the 3-way swivel. If there’s a bottom snag and you need to pull it free, you’ll lose only the sinker, not the whole rig.
Other baits that will draw carp include soaked, softened kernels of corn, pieces of nightcrawler worms, even small crawfish if you can find them. Carp love crawfish, also small minnows. If you use bread or corn, scatter some of it around to create a chum area that attracts carp because the pucker-lipped battlers have acute olfactory senses. They also have good hearing, so try to be as quiet as possible if you’re in an aluminum boat.
• Look for Gene Mueller’s Outdoors column Sunday and Wednesday and his Fishing Report on Thursday in The Washington Times. E-mail: gmueller@washingtontimes.com
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