Secrets of catching carp in early summer

Carp: description and behavioral characteristics

Carp, or it would be more correct to call it river (wild) carp, is particularly beautiful. It is covered with very large dark yellow scales with a golden tint, which gradually lighten from the back to the belly. At first glance, it looks a lot like a crucian carp, but it is lower in the back, longer, thicker, and has a pair of short thick antennae on yellow, fleshy lips.

The fin on the back is dark gray, wide, occupying almost the entire back half of the back. The lower fins are gray-violet in color, the tail is red-brown. The eyes are golden. The pharynx has 2 rows of teeth used for grinding solid food, 5 on each side.

The name “carp,” previously applied in central Russia to fish living in ponds and lakes, came to us from the Greek language and denotes the increased fertility of this fish. And in the Urals, Volga and south-eastern Russia this fish was always called by the Kyrgyz name “carp”.

Carp are sociable fish and live in schools, with the exception of large-sized individuals. Males have a thinner and elongated body. This fish loves warmth and never begins spawning before the water reaches 18°C. It spawns in floods, spawning in a strict order of priority: small, medium and only then large, and the spawning of each group lasts up to 10 days. There are several culprits in the death of fry: cold, heat, young pike and perch.

This fish is shade-loving and does not often appear on the surface of the water on sunny days, preferring to sit out in reed thickets at a depth of 2-3 meters. The best sign of a carp in an area is when it jumps out of the water. In the morning and evening, it jumps out of the water to its full height, and sometimes to a height of up to 1.5 m, and makes a sound similar to a frog croaking, and when falling, it hits the water with its tail.

The carp is omnivorous and voracious: young reeds, larvae of aquatic insects, fry and eggs of other fish, worms, mollusks - everything grows. Real carp can reach enormous sizes and live to a ripe old age.

Habitats

The range of the carp is very extensive. It is found in almost all large and medium-sized rivers of Russia, except for rivers flowing into the seas of the Arctic Ocean. Rare luck to meet him in the Baltic basin, the Baltic states.

In central Russia it is sometimes found at the source of the Volga, but further south it is found more and more often. In the lower reaches and mouths of the Volga, Ural, as well as rivers flowing into the Black, Azov and Aral Seas, carp live in huge numbers. Found in the Amur and parts of the lakes of Central and Western Siberia.

Carp is a sedentary fish species. When choosing a place of residence, he prefers deep and quiet places covered with soft clay, snags, and holes near steep cliffs. It loves sudden changes in depth and goes out into shallow water to reed thickets only at night or early in the morning to have breakfast.

Catching carp at night. Choosing a place and preparing for fishing

Night fishing is fraught with positive feelings, starting with the preparation for it, during the process of fishing itself and ending with a joyful return with an abundant catch. Most fish bite well before nightfall, in the dark (but at different hours) or before dawn. And any angler will be glad if he has a trophy carp on his hook at night, and for this to happen for sure, you need to prepare for night fishing for wild carp (as carp are sometimes called).

With the onset of summer heat, carp become active at night and begin to catch well. The fish readily lives in small and medium-sized rivers or lakes, in oxbow lakes densely overgrown with aquatic and coastal vegetation. Before fishing, in advance, before the daylight is over, a place for night fishing is selected. The best areas on lakes may be where streams, rivers or springs flow into them. And if in such areas there are depths bordering on shallow water, then the chances of meeting carp there increase. The optimal depth for night fishing is from half a meter to two meters. On quiet, warm nights, the fish likes to feed near the shore and often approaches shallow waters close to land and for prey. She is attracted here by the abundant food supply, namely flying insects, worms, mollusks and all kinds of aquatic plants.

Read: Catching carp in winter

Preparation of the selected fishing area begins before dark, and first the objects that interfere with the fishing are removed, scattered on the shore. These can be branches, snags, all kinds of sticks and other obstacles that you can trip over in the dark. Then the reeds or reeds are cut down, which can also interfere with fishing for carp, when casting gear and landing fish. Therefore, there must be free space both in front and behind the angler.

You should not light a fire near a pond at night, as the reflections of the light will scare the fish away from the shore. In order not to freeze, you need to take warm clothes when fishing. And in order to see where to throw the tackle, at a distance of 4-3 meters from the fishing point, we set a landmark in the form of a white foam buoy. Such a landmark is attached to a cord with a weight and lowered to the designated place in the water. A luminous antenna should be installed on the bite alarm float using two nipple rubber bands. The lights are mounted on the handle of a landing net lowered into the water and on a special head holder (or cap) of the fisherman. It is better not to direct them towards the reservoir unnecessarily at night.

Read: Catching carp, tackle and bait

These events are one of the most important in preparing for night fishing for carp. And if you decide to go hunting for wild carp in the dark, then we can wish you good luck and big trophies in the cage.

Peculiarities of biting by season

Carp spawning

Fishing for carp begins in the spring , when it emerges from winter torpor and, as the water warms up, moves to spawning grounds, eating both animal and plant food along the way.

At the end of spawning, the carp disperses along a river or other body of water, and can only be caught after a long period of feeding.

As autumn , it fattens up again before falling asleep in wintering pits.

In the south of Russia, the bite begins in early April and ends in early October.

The intensity of the carp's bite also depends on weather conditions: the bite stops before a sudden change in weather, in hot weather or cold weather. But the surest sign is their play in the mornings and evenings.

It is best to catch carp in the early morning or even at dawn. The evening bite is inconsistent and always worse than the morning bite.

Finding a fishing spot

You should look for carp in lakes and reservoirs near deep holes, flooded riverbeds, and depth changes. Nearby (300-400 m) there should be areas overgrown with algae. This is where the fish come out to feed. He likes to hide in the rubble of snags, bushes, and in the remaining stumps from the former forest. But the depth in such places must be at least 3 m.

In rivers, carp must be caught in quiet, deep pools with a slow or reverse current. Nearby there should be grassy sections of a river or oxbow where fish feed.

Basic fishing methods

Professional fishermen and amateurs use several methods of catching carp, which vary depending on the conditions of the upcoming fishing. But whatever method is chosen, the gear must be especially strong, since a strong and agile fish can leave any fisherman without a catch.

Just a few words about sports fishing methods:

• Float rod - a 4-5 m long rod, equipped with an inertia-free reel and fishing line with a float, used when fishing from a boat in lakes or from the banks of a deep river with a weak current;
• Feeder - one of the most common methods of sport fishing for carp. It is a tackle with a feeder, designed for long-distance casting and targeted feeding of fish;

  
  Float rod

  
  Feeder equipment

  
  Method feeders in carp fishing

  
  Spinning rod equipment diagram

• Carp fishing is an English method of fishing for carp and carp using a method feeder and is part of the culture of catching these fish;
• Spinning is a method of catching fish with bait moving in the water using a durable rod for long-distance casting of bait and an inertia-free reel;
• Jig fishing is a type of spinning fishing at great depths, in which the bait is pulled in steps. To catch carp, an exotic method of jig fishing is used - with edible rubber.

There are several other methods of fishing that are non-sporting and involve accidentally catching a fish on a hook:

• Donka is a bottom fishing rod made from a spinning rod, designed for catching bottom fish;
• Makushatnik – for attachment to bottom tackle, flax cake is cut into large pieces, into the corners of which hook tips are inserted. Sucking on a piece of topsoil, the carp spits out hooks through the gills, thus becoming hooked;

  
  Pacifier (plug)

  
  Makushatnik

  
  Spring

• A nipple is usually a homemade feeder, tightly filled with bait with hooks hidden inside. The carp sucks up the food, and with it the hooks, which it clings to when trying to escape;
• Spring is a spring feeder, it is tightly compacted with complementary food, and additional bait is attached to the hooks.

In any of these methods, you need reel-type gear with a rigid and durable rod and a reel of the largest possible diameter. The fishing line should also be strong, of medium rigidity, with a size that varies depending on the weight of the expected prey from 0.3 to 0.6 mm.

The main condition is the brown or deep yellow color of the fishing line.

The leash should be long and match the thickness of the fishing line. To catch large specimens using plant bait, the hook must be short, thick, with a forged bend that can withstand a weight of up to 20 kg. When fishing with animal bait, use a less thin, but also strong hook. The float and sinkers are sliding, and the color of the float is disguised as a reed or twig.

Baits and lures

As noted above, carp is omnivorous and voracious, and this contributes to the variety of baits. Even more than 100 years ago it was known that plant-based baits are more convenient than animal ones. The reason is the approach of predatory fish species, upon noticing which the carp moves away from the feeding area, despite the fact that in ordinary life it feeds on various living creatures.

The most popular baits of animal origin are:

• A crawling worm is an ordinary earthworm, very well planted in the middle in a bunch of 6-7 pieces;
• The white worm is the larva of the May or dung beetle, lives in oily soil, it is advisable to clean them before fishing by keeping them in sawdust for several days;
• Toothless – a bivalve mollusk that lives on sandy soil in rivers; its fleshy body is dried in the sun, and then, cut into pieces, used as bait.

  
  crawling worm

  
  May beetle larvae

  
  Toothless

Let's move on to plant attachments:

• First of all, this is corn - 1-2 canned or steamed grains are put on the hook, leaving the sting open;
• Next, peas - peas pre-soaked in water are boiled in a water bath for 1-2 hours;
• Corn
  Next comes beans and soybeans - medium and smaller beans are soaked in water for 8 hours, and then boiled until fully cooked or overcooked;
• Potatoes – it is recommended to use undercooked potatoes, pouring them with flavored sunflower oil;
• Makukha - freshly squeezed flax cake is cut into cubes with 2-centimeter edges, tied with a dark thread and placed on a hook, hooking onto the thread;
• Dumplings - after kneading the dough, make a dumpling, putting a hook with a leash in it, and cook it; when fishing, a leash is tied to a fishing line and a carp is caught;
• Dough - matchboxes are filled with dough mixed with a few drops of anise, tied with thread and boiled for about 20 minutes; Then, while fishing, the cooked dough is cut into cubes and placed on a hook.

The development of fishing has led to the use of artificial baits - boilies - in the fight for carp. Flavored boilies with the smells of caramel and tutti-frutti are bought in fishing stores. Unlike other attachments, they are attached to special hair accessories.

What is the best way to catch carp in summer?

Not all anglers know what carp bite best in summer. In warm water, this representative of the ichthyofauna responds well to plant baits:

• Corn (fresh, canned, boiled);
• Boiled pearl barley;
• Pelets;
• Boyles;
• Semolina dough;
• Makha (sunflower, hemp, flaxseed);
• Bread crumb.

Vegetable baits will work better if they are flavored with a sweet flavor. After heavy summer rains, which lower the water temperature, carp begin to bite well on worms and maggots.

What bait should you choose for catching carp?

Throwing bait

In order for the upcoming fishing to be successful, professionals advise baiting the fish in the place chosen for fishing for several days, using the rule: it is better to underfeed the fish than to overfeed it. You can use both store-bought bait and homemade bait.

• Privada is made from chopped worms or shellfish , adding steamed grains of wheat, corn, peas and chickpeas .
• Then all this is mixed with river clay and water and rolled into balls, which are thrown in the evenings 5-6 m from the intended fishing spot upstream.
• At dawn, just before fishing , a couple of balls are also thrown in so as not to overfeed the fish and force it to stay in place while waiting for food.

The above-mentioned chopped boilies and pellets are used as store-bought bait

It is not recommended to use dry packaged mixtures so as not to attract large numbers of small fish.

Fishing techniques and tactics: tips and tricks

A few tips at the end of the article that may help you catch the fish of your dreams:

• Carefully examine the place chosen for fishing, find out its depth, bottom, location of snags and various bottom irregularities. If your tackle is without a reel, then at a depth around the float nothing should interfere with fishing. If there is a coil, this distance increases to 20 m;
• Remember that fishing with the sun in your eyes is very inconvenient , which means that when fishing in the morning, the fishing spot should not look to the east, and when fishing in the evening - to the west;
• Disguise yourself from big-eyed and wary fish by sticking willow branches into the bank , or by building a low fence that can be used as a stand for a fishing rod;
• Do not forget that the same breed of fish living in different bodies of water is accustomed to its food - therefore it will need to be accustomed to unfamiliar bait and bait;
• Fish with one or two fishing rods, casting them at different depths with different baits;
• When you get to the river for the first time, do not hesitate to ask local fishermen about the habitats of carp - if you are sincere, they will probably share their experience;
• Look for a place to catch carp according to the rule - the place should be convenient for the fish, not for you
• If your tackle goes into snags, place the rod on the stand and wait until the fish comes out of this place;
• Please note that a caught carp does not surrender to the mercy of the winner , but resists to the last, and can be saved at the last push;
• Respect your opponent - weigh him, take a photo, and release the carp into its native water element.

Happy carp fishing!

September is the best time to catch carp

Of course, carp, like other fish of the carp family, is caught throughout the warm season. It is impossible to catch it only in cold weather, since it overwinters in deep holes and does not bite during wintering.

Experienced fishermen believe that in September the chance of a good catch of carp is much higher.

There are several reasons:

• Firstly, September is the last relatively warm month; before wintering, the fish actively feed, accumulating fat.
• Secondly, in the summer, the mobile and active carp moves a lot, so it is not easy to find its feeding places, and they often change.
• Thirdly, in summer the carp prefers places with fast currents and dense vegetation, so it is difficult to catch it, but leaving a hook and line in snags and thickets of aquatic plants is easy. And in September the fish are calmer and move to feed closer to the wintering holes.

Habits of carp in September:

• Carp does not like too warm weather. In the heat he is lazy and most often stands in dense thickets. But in September, when it is relatively cool, but not yet cold, carp crawls out of shallow water and out of thickets into deep water, and you can expect an active bite.
• There is one more feature of September fishing for this fish. In summer, carp are predominantly vegetarian. It feeds on aquatic vegetation, cattail stems, and plant seeds that fall into the water. And in the fall, carp prefers animal food - larvae, worms, caddis flies, etc.
• It should be remembered, however, that if September turns out to be cold, then you cannot expect a good bite. At temperatures below 14 degrees, this fish becomes inactive and stops taking bait.
• Carp sees well and in search of food - it is guided by sight no less than by taste. Therefore, the bite is usually worse in muddy water.
• Actively moving, carp sometimes jumps out of the water and is even able to see a fisherman on a boat. Therefore, when fishing, do not forget about camouflage.
• This fish has excellent hearing, and loud sounds scare it away, especially if they are heard in the water, for example, the sound of rowlocks. Therefore, the fisherman must be very careful.
• Carp is a sensitive and cautious fish; it first tastes the bait, and at the slightest noise or danger, it spits it out and leaves. But in September, fattening up for winter, he is more decisive and less cautious.