Carp hunting-Everything you need to know!
Carp is the most widespread freshwater fish. The original habitats of carp are flat shallow lakes, with formed backwaters, whose water heats up quickly. In recent times, a significant number of carp can be found in waters that do not fully meet their needs. In such an environment, carp may not breed at all. Carp also tolerate warm, oxygen-poor water, as some species of carp are able to take oxygen through the skin (for example, "naked" carp). This is one of the favorite species that often adorns the net of fishermen and makes up a large part of the prey. He is constantly on the move, looking for deeper parts of the water in the fall, preparing the place where he will spend the winter, but he also feeds during this period. As the water warms up, this carp also becomes more active. With the warming of the water, the carp sets off in search of such a place where it will be protected, but where its environment is rich in food. That is why the reedbed on the coast suits it, or the part rich in vegetation. During the summer heat, when the oxygen level is low, the carp often comes to the surface of the water and takes the oxygen it lacks outside the water, but then it is the hardest to catch. There are several very clear signs by which a fisherman can safely conclude that he is in the company of carp. One of these signs is certainly the carp jumping out of the water, which is most often in the summer, but also the swaying of the reed when a larger carp swims through it.
Catch time: When it encounters a satisfactory amount of food, the carp can become distrustful, according to a suspicious swimmer / buoy - bait. It is possible to catch it throughout the year, even under a layer of ice, but for that, of course, it is necessary to precisely find its winter shelter. There is no major difference when it comes to fishing during different periods during the day, the chances of catching at night are the same as during the day. It can be said that the chances for the shade are higher in the evening, at night or in the early dawn, especially if it is about standing waters. Carp are quite sensitive to time. Before the appearance of the cold front, when the south wind appears and the air becomes hot and steamy, the carp's appetite decreases, and when the cold front prevails and brings fresher air, the north or northeast wind blows, the carp begins to eat. After the weather calms down, the carp eats less again. In anticipation of a warm front, and during its duration, these fish simply eat less.
Fishing methods: Classic equipment is floating equipment. Among this equipment, it is possible to use various types. We use traditional equipment with a split load on open waters, when we do not want the bait to reach the bottom. The setting of the load is done by placing more small lead on the rope, and in that way, when catching, the float is either submerged or rises above the water level, but this movement is almost imperceptible for carp. This is how we set the load with the lifting equipment system, but with this method we need an elongated float. The point of the lifting equipment is that the bait is at the bottom, together with the load on the bait, and when catching carp, it lifts the bait with the load, and the float floats above the water surface.
It is also worth fishing for carp with the deep fishing method, especially when they have settled a little further from the shore, and it is not possible to reach them with the previously described equipment. And there are several types of this method, for example when we put a load on the very end of the equipment. The shape of the lead can also differ: in running water, it is best to use flat water, and when it comes to standing water, round water is recommended. When we want to deliver some food to the water in addition to the bait, we use equipment that has a container that serves these purposes - a feeder. We can put food in this feeder that will start to dissolve only when it reaches the water, and in that way it will attract the attention of carp and other fish.
Equipment: As carp is a very careful fish, we can only use heavier equipment in justified cases, especially in cases when we expect larger specimens of this species. A rod of 3-3.9 meters, which can be slightly longer with the floating method. The weight of the throw in the first described method is 20-60g, and in the depth 60-150g. Nylon 0.35-0.40 is suitable for throwing mooring (I highly recommend using feeder rods when fishing for carp, with which I have great experience, but of course I also recommend 0.30 throwing mooring and 0.22 main nylon. Rope thickness can be be decisive, especially in the spring, when the catches are finer, lighter, and no thicker twine should be used than 0.25.Even in summer, when it is easiest to catch the capital, 0.35mm thick nylon is quite sufficient. is also useful, and should generally be a thinner mooring line than the main nylon (even when 0.35 mm thick main nylon is used, I do not recommend a stronger mooring line than a quality 25-inch, or a thinner twisted string diameter 0.10-0.15mm When the bait is of plant origin, it is better to use a large bow hook, while for live bait it is better to use a smaller bow hook. If there are possibilities for that, you should not save on the price of the hook, because one distorted or broken hook can cause a lot of nervousness and headaches. .
Bait: Carp will not care if you prepare a varied menu for it, so many variants come into consideration when it comes to bait. During the spring and autumn, the bait of animal origin passes better, and for example, worms, shrews, worms, of which larger specimens have already proved successful with larger fish. However, if we really don't want to use live bait, I advise using sweet corn during the spring. In winter, it is best to use diced canned meat as bait. The bait of plant origin is used in late spring and during the summer, and here I must mention corn as the most widespread, which can now be found in various forms and accompanied by various flavors. The already mentioned baits from the dough can also be successful, and the scale of taste is extremely wide, from honey to strawberries; we can add a variety of aromas to them (use them during the summer and at the beginning of autumn). Feeding is very important in carp fishing, because these fish usually remember where they got their food and return to those places. As he did not learn to find such tastes in water, carp need to get used to feeding.
Fatigue: Carp are very hardy fighters, and can keep the angler in suspense until the very end and prepare a surprise for him. When the carp starts to get tired, it slowly starts circling and then it should be lured to the surface to get air. After a while, he will roll over to the side, and indulge in dragging, but even that is not the final sign of his surrender because there is one more critical moment left and that is catching in the net. The moment he sees the net, the carp can jump once more, and because of that, you should never pull the net towards the fish, but vice versa - the fish towards the net and with one very decisive movement touch the net and lift it upwards.
Hunting season: April 1 - May 31
Minimum size: 30 cm