Catching carp and carp with potatoes

Why potatoes?

Carp is a lover of starch - it is often added as a binding component to various baits, and potatoes contain a huge amount of starch. In addition, potatoes have high nutritional value, and their smell is very attractive to carp.

In addition to the fact that the root vegetable is of interest to carp, it is ideal from the angler’s point of view - there is no need to talk about its availability, as for the technical part - from boiled tubers you can cut bait of various sizes to catch carp or carp of different sizes. Also, this bait holds perfectly on the hook, withstanding even long casts.

How to choose a place to catch carp using potatoes

In fact, choosing the “right” place for catching carp with potatoes is no different from choosing a place for any other type of vegetable bait. The main thing is to follow the basic rules of “intelligence.” For example, when fishing for carp in the coastal zone, try to find places where there will be fewer “competitors” (that is, fishermen) or noisy / vacationing companies.

And even better, absolutely not “comfortable” sites for placing a person, according to the old fishing principle: the worse it is for the fisherman, the better for the fish (and your chances will increase sharply). Look for fallen trees, snags, water lilies, and accumulations of aquatic vegetation. Don't stand against the sky for too long. Choose clothes strictly to match the color of the landscape (the best option is special camouflage).

What kind of potatoes should I use?

is of great importance - the number of bites and, as a consequence, the result of fishing directly depends on this.

Under no circumstances should you take tubers that are moldy, rotten, green in the sunlight or have withstood freezing. The fruit must be firm and juicy and not have an unpleasant odor. It can vary in size, but it is most convenient to cut the bait from tubers approximately the size of a tennis ball.

In the summer, many fishermen have a completely logical question - which potatoes will be more effective - the old or new harvest. If the root crop is well preserved, has not withered or been frozen, then it is better to use the old tuber, as it contains more starch and nutrients, which plays a decisive role in its attractiveness to carp . In addition, young potatoes are less dense and will stay on the hook much worse.

Preparing potato bait

First you need to choose your potatoes. These should be small tubers, no larger than the size of a golf ball. Last year's potatoes are best. It should contain a lot of starch.

Potatoes need to be washed and boiled in their skins, whole or cut in half. The main thing is not to overcook so that the bait stays on the hook.

Small cherry-sized tubers can simply be peeled and planted as a boilie. Many large ones are cut into cubes and placed on a hook.

There is another option - peel large potatoes, cut them into 1 cm thick plates and form them into a nozzle using a special tool. For the latter, a medical syringe with a cut off lower part is suitable, which is convenient for squeezing out cylinders with a diameter of 1 cm.

You can also make potato chips. The chub loves them very much. However, for this you will need a home fryer. The chips need to be prepared in such a way that the hook easily passes through the potato, but does not yet break the slice in half. This bait exudes an attractive aroma for fish and, due to the absorbed fat, adheres well to the water.

For bottom fish, bream or carp, you can prepare mashed potatoes. It is prepared like a regular puree, but at the final stage clay and river soil are added to it, after which boilies are formed from this mass. It is worth making bait from potato leftovers. In addition to potatoes, it contains soil and bran.

How to cook potatoes for carp and carp

Although boiling potatoes is a very simple process, it is important to know and follow some nuances when preparing them. The recipe for cooking potatoes for carp fishing is as follows:

1. Select large, smooth tubers and wash them along with the peel. You should not peel the potatoes, as the water will make them loose.
2. Throw the potatoes into boiling water and cook until almost done . The toothpick should enter the tuber with some effort. It is better to undercook a tuber than to overcook it.
3. Drain the water and cool the tubers.
4. Peel the potatoes and cut into pieces.
5. Fry the nozzle in unrefined sunflower oil until light golden brown. Frying is not a necessary process, but this way the bait will be better held on the hook, and the smell of sunflower oil will increase its attractiveness to fish.

Important! When frying potatoes, you should never allow them to burn, as this smell will repel the carp and significantly reduce the number of bites.
Some fishermen use natural flavors by adding garlic or dill to the water when cooking. You can also use concentrated aromatic additives - anise, strawberry, chocolate and others, selecting them to suit the taste preferences of the carp at certain times in different bodies of water.

Sometimes potatoes are tinted in different colors, in the belief that such a move will increase their attractiveness to carp, but many carp fishermen have noted that the color of potatoes plays a role only in some individual reservoirs . There is also a risk that the smell of the dye will be unpleasant for the carp.

Attention! It is not recommended to use potato dyes in spring and autumn.

How to choose and cook potatoes for carp

Potatoes are one of the simplest, most inexpensive and accessible baits that carp regularly bite on. Only in some reservoirs can fish refuse such food. This happens quite rarely and, as a rule, in water areas where carp are constantly fed with various boilies. However, even in such ponds with a good food supply, fish are sometimes tempted by bait in the form of potatoes. You just need to present it correctly or use a high-quality attractant.

Therefore, you can always successfully fish with such bait. The most important thing is to cook the potatoes correctly. Let's say right away that every little detail is important here. So we recommend sticking to the following “recipe”:

1. We take only fresh root vegetables. Not frozen, not rotten, not green! And ripe and ripe, with a pleasant smell. It is best to even choose a smooth and large root vegetable. In addition, it is advisable not to use new potatoes. Carp prefers already mature tubers with a high starch content.
2. Then you need to wash the potatoes well. You can use a special brush. No need to clean.

   
   Fishing for potatoes will be effective if a fresh product is used

3. Pour water into the pan, bring it to a boil and only then add the potato root vegetable. If you put it directly into the water, the bait will become more “watery” and will stay on the hook worse. For scent, you can put a few cloves of garlic or a bunch of dill in a pan of water.
4. Then cook over moderate heat. That is, it turns out to be potatoes in their “jacket”. You can't boil it! The potatoes should still have a more or less tough center. You can check readiness with a toothpick. That is, it should go in with little effort.
5. The next step is to take the potatoes out of the pan. Let cool. Now you need to cut it into small cubes. The approximate size of each side is from 10 to 30 mm. It's not worth grinding. Otherwise, the carp will not be tempted by such a bait or simply will not notice it. Whether or not to peel the potatoes is up to you. Karp likes both options.
6. All the resulting potato cubes now need to be fried in a frying pan until golden brown. There is no need to create a strong fire. It is also advisable to use unrefined sunflower oil with a strong but pleasant smell. Why do you need to fry potatoes? Firstly, this removes excess moisture, and the bait sits better on the hook. Secondly, its smell and appearance become more attractive to fish.

   
   It is also important to ensure that the potatoes are not overcooked.

7. After that, the fried potatoes need to be placed in a special airtight container so that they do not dry out and lose their flavor.

We recommend preparing potatoes for carp fishing the day before fishing. At least no later than 12 hours.

Gear for fishing with potatoes

Since fairly large carp are well caught using potatoes, you will need a rod with enough dough to make a long cast, because trophy specimens rarely come close to the shore . The length of the rod, as a rule, should be from 2.2 m.

It is better to take leashes with a thickness of about 0.15 mm, preferably from nylon thread, since it is softer and the carp will not be alarmed by the resistance of the tackle when biting. The length of the main line should be sufficient not only to make a long cast, but also to release the carp a little in order to tire the hooked fish - you need to remember that carp and carp are very strong fish that offer powerful resistance when fishing.

Carp hooks should be used with a short shank. The size depends on the expected size of the fish, but most often they take No. 3 according to the European classification or No. 10-12 according to Russian . Some fishermen use a tee for a more reliable hook.

How to choose gear for carp

Potato topping recipes

The easiest way is to boil the tubers, peel and cut into cubes of suitable size. It is important not to overcook, otherwise the potato bait will lose its attractiveness for fish, and it is not easy to attach a crumbling lump to the hook. Therefore, it is better to cook in the peel, and check the readiness with a match - it should not enter the pulp easily, but with some effort.

You can select and boil unpeeled small potatoes for 15-20 minutes, then use them whole. Even very cautious fish will bite on a natural look.

Carp loves potatoes with bread: to a kilogram of boiled potatoes add 300 grams of bread crumb, 2-3 tablespoons of lard or soft cheese, and a pinch of sugar. The result should be a stiff dough.

You can prepare potato boilies: add 1 cup of flour to finely grated raw potatoes (1 kg), roll into balls and boil in salted water for 15 minutes.

Boil (from the English boiled - boiled) is a fishing bait that is used for catching carp species of fish.

Another option for boilies: grate 1 kilogram of boiled potatoes on a fine grater or mash well, mix with 0.5 cups of flour and 0.5 cups of semolina, and throw the formed balls into steep, salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes.

According to experienced fishermen, carp and carp can be caught even with fried potatoes and home-cooked potato chips. So there is a lot of choice. You just need to orient yourself correctly. The result depends not only on a successful and tempting bait for the fish, but also on the reservoir, weather, appropriate gear and fishing skill.

How to put potatoes on a hook

Usually the potato bait is attached directly to the hook. In this case, the hook tip should pass diagonally across the cube. When using a tee, it is completely hidden in the nozzle. The tip of the hook should protrude slightly from the bait for better carp detection.

When catching trophy carp or carp, you should remember that it can be scared away by a bait with hooks hidden in it, so in this case, a hair rig will be the best. The potatoes stick well to the hair and are easy to change if necessary.

Fishing with potatoes

To begin with, be sure to feed the fishing area with bait. The composition should include soil elements from the fishing site, mashed potatoes and bran. The best equipment for potatoes is a standard boilie. A whole potato is a weighty bait, which certainly contributes to long-distance casting, even without lead weighting of the tackle. However, although it is now possible to fish in still water without an additional sinker, keep in mind that it can also sink in light bottom mud. If the bottom of your pond is exactly like this, don’t worry. Using a metal tube, select a hole in the side of the potato and insert a couple of foam balls there - and that’s it. The bait will already float up.

Take plenty of potatoes with you when you go fishing. Part of it will certainly fly off when casting. It is better to store this attachment during the day in a tightly closed jar of water. Otherwise the potatoes will darken. Is that bad. A light bait on a dark bottom is more visible. Many anglers who have already thoroughly studied potato fishing claim that large carp very quickly get used to it and after just a few fishing trips they recognize the catch in it. The solution was found very simply. On each new fishing trip, paint your bait a different color using food coloring. Red, white, orange, green, yellow... Not a single carp would ever think of that.

Fishing gear

Since trophy specimens are often caught using potatoes, you should have the following gear at your disposal:

• Fishing rod with a strong rod length from 3.60 to 3.90 m.
• Coil. If your target is a large carp, then it is better if the reel is equipped with a baitrunner.
• Main forest. It should stretch (but not very much) and its thickness should not exceed 0.3 mm.
• Steel leash. Soft nylon of a dark shade is also suitable, the main thing is that it is thicker and stronger than the fishing line.
• Sharp hooks. The size of the hook will depend on whether you want to catch a large or medium fish. Therefore, the choice will be from size No. 4 to No. 8.5.
• Sinker. If you are not using a feeder, sinkers weighing 50-80 g each are suitable; if you are using them, then 30-50 g each. Carps are especially careful, so the details of your tackle should, if possible, be inconspicuous in color and shape.

Mounting methods

Methods of planting potatoes
Potatoes are planted on a hook using a special technology. For young tubers, a leash is used, removed from the fishing line, which must be threaded through the center of the bait, and then the hook itself follows until it bends.

The leash is tied to the fishing line. You can also pierce the potato closer to the edge, lower the hook and turn it 180 degrees so that the tip and hook are completely recessed into the nozzle.

To prevent the hook from jumping out of the nozzle, a small hole is made in the potato on the side where the hook is located, which is closed with a piece of lard identical in size. Lard used in this way will prevent the bait from cutting through.

Fishing with mashed potatoes

Catching carp with potatoes is possible not only with cubes, but also with mashed potatoes made from tubers. It is prepared according to this recipe:

1. A few unpeeled tubers are boiled for 15 minutes until tender, depending on their size.
2. When the potatoes are ready, peel them and grate them on a fine grater.
3. Add a little butter, one tablespoon of honey and less than a teaspoon of salt to the grated potatoes. Everything is mixed until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
4. With continuous stirring, flour is poured until a thick mass is obtained, reminiscent of dense dough.
5. The mass is formed into pellets of the required size, which are thrown into boiling water and cooked for about 20 minutes.

Attention ! Potato baits for catching carp must be freshly prepared. It is recommended to prepare them no earlier than the day before the start of fishing. Long-term storage can reduce the number of bites.

Preparing potatoes for carp fishing

The most important thing is to choose a fresh root vegetable. Under no circumstances should you use rotten, moldy or frozen potatoes. It should be a root vegetable with a pleasant smell.

Potatoes are boiled in their skins, without peeling. Depending on the size of the potatoes, the cooking time is determined. It should be borne in mind that it should be a little damp. You can check readiness with a knife or toothpick. If the object enters the potato with little effort, it means it is ready. Once ready, drain the water and allow it to cool. As soon as the potatoes have cooled, they are peeled and then cut into cubes with sizes ranging from 1 to 3 cm. Cutting smaller is not recommended, since bites from smaller individuals are possible, and this is not so interesting.

Finally, the cubes are fried on all sides in unrefined sunflower oil until golden brown. This process not only enhances the flavor of the bait, but also makes it denser, allowing it to stay on the hook for a long time. At the same time, you should control the frying process, otherwise the cubes may burn.

To prevent the bait from losing its properties, it is placed in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. As a rule, the bait is prepared one day before going fishing.

How to properly cook potatoes for fishing.

Bait when fishing for carp using potatoes

When catching carp with potatoes, you need to pay attention to the following nuance - the bait of the fish should be less attractive than the bait, so it is better not to use boilies or pellets for feeding, the aroma of which is much stronger than that of potatoes.

The following ingredients are suitable for preparing the bait mixture :

• Sunflower seed cake.
• Canned corn.
• Bran.
• Various cereals.

You need to add some mashed potatoes to the bait. In this case, the bait on the hook will look more natural and beneficial for the carp, which came to the smell of the bait mixture.

Potato is a budget-friendly and effective bait for catching carp and carp, successfully competing among amateur fishermen with expensive baits - it is simple and quick to prepare without unnecessary time and material costs.

Storing potato bait

Experienced fishermen know that peeled raw potatoes keep well in water. Unpeeled tubers should be protected from water, otherwise they will become soft. When fishing, it is convenient to keep boiled and peeled root vegetables in a plastic bag and cut them into cubes just before attaching them to the hook. You can store pre-prepared bait cubes in a closed box.

When transporting potatoes to their destination, as well as subsequent storage, it is better to use a jar or other rigid container. All this is done in order not to crush the root vegetables ahead of time.

Cooking potatoes in their jackets

For catching carp and carp, it is better to use older potatoes, preferably old, but not limp ones. We select high-quality tubers and place them in a saucepan with water. It is better to use medium-density potatoes of the following varieties:

It is better to use white potatoes, which would stand out on the bottom, attracting fish. Cook the tubers for about 40 minutes over medium heat. If we are fishing in a still body of water, we can cook the potatoes for fishing until they are ready enough to be cut into cubes. Slice the potatoes after they have cooled and become cold. If we fish in the current, we undercook the potatoes a little so that they sit perfectly on the hook.

Such an important question is how to cut potatoes correctly? Let's just say that if you cut it into cubes and cut off the corners, making such balls, you will get a more universal attachment. This is not to say that fish will not bite on the cubes, this is not true. But there should be more bites if you fish with such potato balls.