Calling Catfish Samurais

[Stoneroller]

ooooo, big carp! you tie into one of those bad boys and they will break most stuff people use for catfishing. Love catching huge carp. They are a prized game fish in the rest of the world.

[mic]

ooooo, big carp! you tie into one of those bad boys and they will break most stuff people use for catfishing. Love catching huge carp. They are a prized game fish in the rest of the world.

I saw one jump there that looked like the lochness monster or something. I don't know how to guess weight on carp but is was at least three feet long and 15 inches from top to bottom.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I saw one jump there that looked like the lochness monster or something. I don't know how to guess weight on carp but is was at least three feet long and 15 inches from top to bottom.

Mic Google up the "Hair Rig", nothing can beat it for hooking carp. The old story about them pecking it and so forth isn't that at all. Underwater film shows that they are very wary and spit things out as soon as they pick them up most of the time. If all seems right they will come back for it. The hair rig snags them in the mouth them most of the time when they spit it out. Gami Drop Shot Hooks work well for the rig.

[mic]

Cool. Can you catch cats on the rig to if you are fishing for both.

Cool Video....

[Stoneroller]

note how the hook is snelled, which increases the hookup ratio too.

WOW that video is awesome. You can see how some of the carp either taste something 'wrong' or can feel or sense the hook and drop the bait. Personally I would not use a 3oz fixed weight like that in anything less than major river flowage. A slip weight of 1oz is more than sufficient in a lake or pond and would allow the angler to feel the pickup of the bait and probably produce more hookups.

Note how the mouth of the carp is open all the time when feeding. It doesn't close like a bass or catfish, so if you set the hook, you can easily pull the hook right out of the open mouth. That's why they use that 'hair' rig to suspend the corn away from the hook. some of those fish tried to spit the bait and hooked themselves in doing so.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Mic I have never tried it with cats, no reason, just haven't. I don't know that it would make much difference though because it underwater shots of cats fooling with bait they don't seem to take it in their mouth and spit it out. I would however think that a cat would get hooked the normal way. I've caught quite a few cats on my carp rigs using flavored corn.

Personally I would not use a 3oz fixed weight like that in anything less than major river flowage. A slip weight of 1oz is more than sufficient in a lake or pond and would allow the angler to feel the pickup of the bait and probably produce more hookups.

The rig is set up as a slip weight, but it doesn't slip until a swivel is pulled from a tube like piece. Hitting that weight sinks the hook before being released from the tube device. The reason for the big weight is twofold, one is to offer enough resistance to drive the hook home in a carps tough lip and second to cast a mile, well maybe a half mile. I've found that a 2oz is enough to sink the hook and cast far enough around here.

It's really not hard to have some really good days with a little planning. Bait ahead of time and fish with a rig that doesn't miss many fish is about all it takes.

I've had some make me really uncomfortable trying to thumb a baitcaster, they don't call them the Golden Bones for nothing.

[Stoneroller]

I've hooked into a 20lb+carp on my kayak and it had no problem pulling me to deeper water before coming unbuttoned. I'm hoping to replicate that sometime next week. video to follow.

[Haris122]

I tried my luck out recently at Bush CA Lake #3, and one of the Suson Lakes in South County and experienced some of the same, quick bite, let go, quick bite routine as mic has. If I take the rod out of the holder the first bite, is there a decent chance of setting the hook if I'm quick enough to react in the process of the next bite? Cause it doesn't seem like they're fully commiting to the stink bait, so waiting for one to give that good gradual pull, hasn't done anything. Btw, in my case I don't think any Carp were involved as Bush CA Lake #3 is not supposed to have any, and that Suson park lake I fished isn't either, on top of the bites starting up late in the evening even though I kept putting the bait out since 7 p.m. Bluegill nibbling on the stuff at the bottom of the lake when it's further from shore, isn't all that likely, and easily mistaken with a catfish bite, right?

[Stoneroller]

bluegill will move offshore into deeper water during warmer weather. redear inhabit deeper water all the time. so it's always possible to get nibblers. something I didn't think about before but it could also be crayfish feeding on the stink bait. Try suspending it about a foot or more off the bottom with a bobber and see what happens.

[Wayne SW/MO]

My first thought was crawdads in Mic's case, but they leave marks, turtles generally chomp down and mash the bait up before leaving the hook behind. Cats will bump bait and mess with it, but generally take it eventually, but it's hard to tell. I've seen them do it in clear water, but it's hard tell exactly what they're doing.