Northwest Fishing Reports

The dirty C word,...c,c,c,carp
Its probably not that cool but I'm a dork.
Bradley Lake,here in Puyallup has some big carp. I've never caught one and never targeted them.
Anyone know what to use?and method?
I'm not starting a new recreation but thought I'd try to do something a little differant

Carp are a awesome fighting fish. Everyone I've caught or have seen caught
fight like a rabid dog to the end. Unfortunatley what I use to catch them on
probaly wont do you any good here in Washington. When I fished lake mead
in NV, I used anchovies for stripper and channel cats and would occasionally
hook the heavy fighting carp. I've also ofcourse caught them on worms. At the docks
there were hundreds of them (protected ofcourse) and the marina would sale you bags
of popcorn to feed them. There was a ole' lady I knew there that targeted carp and
she used cornmeal dough balls that worked really well. I dont know if she floated them
on the surface or sunk them. At mead the carp seemed to try anything once. If you hook
one over 5#'s I guarntee you your arms are gonna be sore. Good luck.

Great info,thank you. I too have heard their a good fighting fish

crappie007 wrote:Carp are a awesome fighting fish. Everyone I've caught or have seen caught
fight like a rabid dog to the end. Unfortunatley what I use to catch them on
probaly wont do you any good here in Washington. When I fished lake mead
in NV, I used anchovies for stripper and channel cats and would occasionally
hook the heavy fighting carp. I've also ofcourse caught them on worms. At the docks
there were hundreds of them (protected ofcourse) and the marina would sale you bags
of popcorn to feed them. There was a ole' lady I knew there that targeted carp and
she used cornmeal dough balls that worked really well. I dont know if she floated them
on the surface or sunk them. At mead the carp seemed to try anything once. If you hook
one over 5#'s I guarntee you your arms are gonna be sore. Good luck.

I too have fished lake mead for carp and i've used the big hominy type corn i'm not sure if its hominy its looks like over sized kernel corn, but its usually by the canned corn. also dough balls and/or velvetta cheese. and of course worms right on the bottom. good luck and have fun with those bulldogs

I hooked one at sprague lake last year early summer on a worm while cat fishing. It was about fifteen pounds, using a heavy rod looking for big cats it peeled line off my reel like crazy. It circled the boat befor I got it close enough to see what it was.

Maggots, Corn and dough balls are what I've heard work. But I'm told you can't have ANY movement on the line because they're really skittish. They're really fun to catch in my opinion because they fight like hell. They don't flip and jump like the cooler bass but it is a lot of fun with light line and pole. I saw a kid fishing for them with pieces of hot dog. So just relax and be reallly patient.

If you do an internet search for carp fishing, you'll find dozens of different bait suggestions and recipes. Most of them are pretty interesting and many are directed towards a "sweeth tooth" (e.g., dough balls with syrup, cereal, etc.).

That being said, the one and only carp I've ever caught was on a lure (a 3-inch texas rigged grub) rather than bait, while smallie fishing on lake Samm. The thing was gi-normous (over 20+ lbs).

Great replies,I just got back from Bradley(no luck but I was using bread and lacked patience) I'm already thinking that 8lb test line might not do it. I'm not very good at guessing weight but I saw a few carp in the shallows.All I can say is "BIG" I think I might give it a shot tomorrow. Thanks for the info,I'm eager to catch one now.

Hey I caught a nice sized fish and it was with 6lbs line so I wouldn't worry about 8lbs. Just let it run a lot is what I did.

I think I'll give it a shot tomorrow,thanks to you guys,I now have some more tips. I see these guys at Tapps and they have occasionally chased my muskie lures.I don't think they'll bite it but they seem curious.

Yeah if the lure moves they usually wont attack it just look at it. They're really skittish, probably one reason they're so abundant.

I love catching carp, would rather fight them than stocker trout anyday! You can mash plain ol cheap white bread on a hook and just sit & wait (the waiting part is hard for me). Worms and and corn work too, in fact some people will chum with a can of corn though I have never tried it. And like fishnislife said - light line and as little weight as possible. Just loosen your drag and have fun!

My friends and I had a baseball tournament in Moses Lake and we were trying to target some bass from our hotel's dock. We were using a small jig meant for crappie but ended up catching a HUGE carp. Got it all the way in to the dock and the knot gave out!

All on 6lb. test...it was easily over 20 pounds

Well I tried to hit Bradley today but it must have been '80's day or "Turn back the clock"
Pulled up to a crowded parking lot and blarring sounds of White Snake. And the topper,MULLETS.Must have been 6 that walked in front of the truck.I was scared.
So I went to Tapps using bread(just pressed it around the hook) I got tons of nibbles but could'nt connect. I can't even say for sure they were carp but they were fish. Smart 'lil buggers. Everytime that hook came back with no bait. I'll try Bradley again in a few days.

Great topic!
I agree what many others have said, Carp are by far the most skittish, spookiest fish. I think when people say that most don't take it seriously because they are considered a scrap fish. But if you want them to bite, you won't be catching any that are spooked.
They will generally not bite if they can see you. If you are fishing clear water and the fish are near top I would use a bobber and either Crickets or Corn. I use a Crystal clear bobber (crucial in clear water!) and I use 4# test. Yes I lose some but its alot of fun and you will get way more bites with light line. Maybe some flourocarbon will work if you are not comfortable going that low.
If the water is colored a little the fish will be way more aggresive. Try Corn, Worms or Dough baits on the bottom and you can beef up your test.

kevinb wrote:The dirty C word,...c,c,c,carp

Anyone know what to use?and method?

Two words: "Green Giant" That's right, Green Giant Corn Kernels. The carp are big with the name brand corn, none of the generiic for them.

Here is the word on some Tapps carp. The Allan Yorke boat launch is so packed with carp in the wee hours of the morning. The north of the launch holds so many carp that you may be able to pull of a Jesus impersonation and walk on water. I have seen them there only in the morning before the launch opens at 5am. You should stop by there and fish before heading to the county launch and jumping on a boat.

P.S.- I night fished from the launch for an hour and landed two smallies that put my last couple weeks worth of fish to shame. It's nice too, because there is a great big light and the cops stop by and BS with the fishermen in the FD sweatshirts! I call that protection!

2000subaru wrote:

kevinb wrote:The dirty C word,...c,c,c,carp

Anyone know what to use?and method?

Two words: "Green Giant" That's right, Green Giant Corn Kernels. The carp are big with the name brand corn, none of the generiic for them.

Here is the word on some Tapps carp. The Allan Yorke boat launch is so packed with carp in the wee hours of the morning. The north of the launch holds so many carp that you may be able to pull of a Jesus impersonation and walk on water. I have seen them there only in the morning before the launch opens at 5am. You should stop by there and fish before heading to the county launch and jumping on a boat.

P.S.- I night fished from the launch for an hour and landed two smallies that put my last couple weeks worth of fish to shame. It's nice too, because there is a great big light and the cops stop by and BS with the fishermen in the FD sweatshirts! I call that protection!

The Devil's Punch Bowl? Allan Yorke?
Thanks for the tips...
Hey,you think Bonney Lake PD would let us fire their guns?,...like in Superbad:pirat:

Why not, they are people too.

I used to do a lot of carp fishing when I lived back east. Just from the size of carp I've seen in Chambers, there are some brutes out here - over 20 pounds easily.

My favorite method of carping is to take a can of creamed corn and a box of generic shredded wheat cereal. Soak the wheat in the creamed corn and let it soak up all the juice, then mash it into balls and sit them out to dry a little. Toss them in a tupperware container and hit the lake - they're about the same consistency as doughballs and hold on a hook pretty well as long as you're not flinging it like surf casting. Just toss it out, fish on bottom with a light egg-weight about 18" above the hook, and hang out - you'll be slaying them in no time.

I might have to take the tube out to Chambers sometime and catch some carp, see how far up the lake they can pull me.

But you'll definitely want heavy line - I'd say something in the 40# range easily. Reeling in a big carp is like hooking a Volkswagen - it'll wear you out. Gotta be able to keep it out of the weeds so you can release it properly after the fight.