Tutorial on Euro Style Fishing Gear

[MoCarp]

Euro-Carping has grown considerable since I started fishing this way in the early 2000s--Examples?  in Austin, Texas they have a trophy Common Carp fishery where you are limited to only one fish over 33" and they encourage catch and release of the big fish, Guides have paying clients from all over the USA and Europe that pay to  fish for commons and buffalo...lady bird, lake Austin and Famous Lake Fork

Quick fact: Common carp were stocked on purpose begin when Ulysses S Grant was president, common carp were imported from Germany to raise by the federal fisheries agencies and distributed to states in the late 1870s. 

An overview of what is used to catch carp by euro anglers, it should be noted that  these methods and tackle work on many species not just Carp


This is a rod pod where rods rest, with the line running through a Bite alarm that beeps when the line moves out or toward you.

[MoCarp]

Alarms are adjustable for sensitivity, beep tone, and loudness so you can tell which rod has a bite plus

a light that comes on when takes are detected--the little light features are very handy at night 
 

[MoCarp]

These reels employ a bait runner feature--basically a second drag, that allows line come off the reel under tension with the bail closed--baitrunner tension is adjustable, handy to compensate for current & windy conditions, it is engaged by a lever on the back, this disengages as you start reeling. Many Brands with this feature are available in the USA 

[MoCarp]

Rods are usually long from 9-13 feet

powerful butt sections with soft tips to cast distance for playing big powerful fish without hooks pulling out.

Euro Rods once hard to find in the USA can be had at online vendors that even a budget angler can afford

[MoCarp]

Carp can get very wary and hard to fool, rigging called a hair rig/bolt rig allows fish to test the bait without feeling the hook

[MoCarp]

This is how hair rigs are tied, & how to bait the rig

[MoCarp]

"Why can't I just toss a dough ball?"  You can, even catch a few, but the big boys didn't get big by being dumb, this is a proven way to catch bigger fish. Fish can take the bait without feeling the hook---it also is less likely for the fish to be gut hooked with this set up. 

They do not detect the hook until the bait part is taken all in.... then as they feel the hook, the fish try’s to expel it and is stung by the hook--one of the reasons the hair is tied the way it is--to have the hook turn in as it is expelled, kinda like a true turn action... then the fish “bolts off” and hits the fixed lead, driving the hook home!!! It helps to use a weight of at least 3oz in this system.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz fish on!!!!!!!

Usually, 10 pound plus commons can strip off big runs of 10-30+ yards. Reels need line capacity, 125 yards won't cut it

sooner than later you will get spooled, and cheaper reels get shelled out.

[MoCarp]

One of the best tricks is to use PVA ( poly vinyl alcohol)--they make webbing  just for fishing-- -which harmlessly dissolves in water— 

Chum is put in pva and it is tossed out with your hook-bait to draw fish in and keep them feeding.
 

[MoCarp]

Sometimes Chum is squeezed around a special sinker called a method feeder, Method tactics work well in our area

[MoCarp]

With fish that can be 40" plus... a big net is a must..... light weight, these Euro nets can be used with 1 hand while playing your Personal Best on the line...--the net itself has no crossbar.... just two arms that are usually at least 40" long, fish slide over the bar-less lip of the net & then lifted vertically.

as the net was not designed to lift fish horizontal like traditional nets, mesh is soft and knotless to protect fish that are released