More and more often, experienced fishermen use a feeder or an English donka to catch carp. In this article you will learn about the features of catching carp on a feeder specifically on the Volga: you will get acquainted with the carp fishing technique, feeder equipment, and other features.
Necessary gear
After catfish, carp is second on the list of the most attractive fish for those who come to fish on the Volga. The process of catching fish will give you great pleasure, so the gear must be strong and reliable.
Ideally, carp rods are used to catch carp, as well as a reel and stand with an electric bite alarm.
Budget carp reel Daiwa Black Widow with increased strength
Best option:
- Feeder rod Team Salmo ENERGY Feeder, length 3.9, test 120-250 g
- Daiwa Black Widow carp reel from our rating of the best Daiwa spinning reels.
- Salmo monofilament line, Feeder series. Thickness 0.3-0.4 depending on the expected trophy.
- Carp hooks Owner.
A few details about the choice
Feeder rod. Many fishermen, and some of them are experienced ones, make the same mistake - they choose the same feeder rod for different fishing conditions. When choosing gear, you should take into account the natural conditions in which you will be fishing and the fish you want to catch.
If we talk about fishing for carp on the Volga in the lower and middle reaches, at medium and long distances, then the feeder rod should be of the medium, heavy or super-heavy power class and at least 3.9 meters long. Very rarely, in places with weak currents, at short distances a short rod (2.7 - 3.3 m) of a light power class will be more effective.
Coil. When choosing a reel, pay attention first of all to the spool diameter and gear ratio.
These indicators should be quite high. They will provide you with quick unwinding of the gear. In general, for fishing on such a fast river as the Volga, experienced fishermen use a free-running reel. The functions of the reel will allow you to rewind a little fishing line, which will go under the water, forming an arc, which will prevent the load from being torn off from the bottom by the force of the current. Fishing line. Here the opinion of fishermen is divided:
- Some people prefer wicker. It does not stretch, bites are very clearly visible. Prevents the fish from going into snags. But the disadvantage is that it rubs against stones and snags. Although we recommend fishing lines with a high-class hardening coating, for example Salmo Elite Braid 0.2-0.24 .
- Another part of the fishermen prefers high-quality monofilament fishing line - it stretches a little, which makes it possible to additionally dampen the jerks of strong carp. Less rubbing on stones. The disadvantage is that it is a little thicker and stiffer, which affects the casting distance. Also, it still stretches, which requires the fisherman to fish with constant retreat back along the shore in order to prevent the carp from going into the snags. We recommend Salmo Specialist Feeder 0.3-0.4 mm
.
You need to choose a fishing line based on the fishing conditions, your gear and fishing style.
Replaceable tip (quivertip). Here you also need to take into account the natural features of fishing. For fishing in strong currents, it is necessary to install rigid tips. However, there shouldn’t be any problems with this; any feeder or carp rod, even a budget class one, has interchangeable tips.
A shock leader is a piece of monofilament, 6-10 m long, tied to the main fishing line. It is used when they want to avoid shooting equipment when using heavy loads and feeders. The correct knot for a shock leader is described here.
Leadcore is another important component of carp equipment, especially important when fishing on stones or snags. Leadcore will prevent the fishing line from rubbing on the stones and will submerge the equipment so as not to arouse suspicion in the carp of the presence of foreign bodies in the form of a stretched fishing line.
Groundbait and feeder feeding techniques
Feeder bait is either made independently or purchased in stores.
We have already written a detailed guide about mixtures and techniques for feeding carp. We recommend combining homemade bait with store-bought bait for two reasons:
- Store-bought bait contains very active flavoring additives, which will attract carp downstream from distant sites. Also, many professional baits from the Trapper and Dunaev series contain bite activators, which help improve the digestion of wild carp.
- Homemade bait, in turn, is nutritious and rich in natural carbohydrates and proteins. Having tried this bait, the carp will not refuse the table and will continue to feed for a long time.
Be sure to add an animal component to the bait. In cold water it is 1/3 of the total bait, in warm water in the summer it is 1/10 or 1/15 of the total bait. If you try for a worm, then feed it with chopped worms. The vegetable component of the bait should also be in the bait - corn, green peas, pearl barley, boilies.
Add to the bait only those baits that you intend to fish with.
Optional Popular Supplements
In the southern regions of the Volga, carp are fed with the inclusion of shell meat in the bait. To do this, take out the pulp, chop it finely, and add shell shells.
You can make bait based on semolina. Take sunflower cake, mix with breadcrumbs, mixed feed, semolina and lightly steamed oatmeal.
When fishing in medium and fast currents, wheat bran is added to the bait (preferably unevenly ground). By dissolving in water, particles of such bait will create turbidity, which is attractive to carp. Wheat bran is steamed for a long time over low heat.
In bays and places with weak currents, bait is made in such a way that when dissolved in water, it forms a suspension that will spread far and wide an attractive smell for carp.
Feeder feeding technique
Open feeder
- Here is what the sequence of your actions should be:
- Leave only the open-type feeder on the rig; do not attach the leash with the hook yet.
- Fill the feeder with bait, compacting it a little on the sides, but not too much, so that when you reach the bottom and jerk with the rod, the bait can wash out to the bottom.
- Make a cast with 80-90% strength and based on a landmark on the opposite bank (a tree, a house, but not a cloud or a car, which can move over time).
- As soon as the feeder falls into the water, close the line handle and place the feeder rod on the stand. After this, the line will be stretched for some time, and the feeder will continue to fall to the bottom.
- Clip the line into the special clip on your spool. It usually has the shape of a regular triangle with soft edges. After this, when casting with 100% of your strength, you will always hit the same place along the length of the line. All that remains is to aim at the landmark on the opposite bank.
- After the feeder falls to the bottom, the line will sag and the tip will weaken. We wait 5-10 seconds and make a strong jerk so that the food is washed out of the feeder. Then we take the feeder out of the water and repeat the entire procedure 10-15 times.
Tips for feeding in strong currents:
- Be sure to use feeders from 120 g. This way you will ensure that the bottom reaches the bottom as quickly as possible in the place where you threw it.
- When feeding and when catching, use feeders of the same weight and aerodynamic shape. Otherwise, you will feed in one place and try to catch the carp in another.
- Cast a little higher upstream so that the feeder hits the bottom exactly perpendicular to the bank from you.
Catching carp in summer on the Volga
Fishing for carp in the summer on the Volga attracts anglers from all over the country. Many people specially plan their vacations for carp fishing in the Volga delta. And no wonder: this fish is swift, beautiful and strong. And specimens come across weighing more than eight to ten kilograms. That is, this is already a trophy fish - the dream of any fisherman.
The habitats of carp are deep pit dumps, edges, and the pits themselves can reach ten or more meters in depth. It is here that the largest fish are often caught. But simply coming to the Volga coast with tackle and bait and catching a large carp in the near future is unlikely to work. At best, small carp can become prey. To successfully catch trophy fish, it takes more than one day of hooking the fish. Moreover, this can take at least ten kilograms of bait per day. And if you take into account that the bait will be thrown for three to four days, then you will need about forty kilograms of bait. The fisherman must be prepared for such expenses, otherwise the result may not be what was expected.
If previously, to attract any carp, it was enough to dump a bag or two of feed into the water, but now spoiled modern fish are offered more sophisticated bait. Although it is based on the same well-boiled corn, various boilies are also added to it. In the summer, boilies most often consist of fruit components with the addition of fruit flavors - plums and other sweet ingredients. But towards the end of summer, any fish, sensing the approach of autumn, and then winter, begins to eat up and gain fat before the cold months of the winter period. So is the carp. At this time, it is better to change the composition of the boilies to a more high-calorie one, which contains fish meal, fish oil and other additives that can be called energy for fish.
Catching carp on the current in the summer dictates its own characteristics, where the method of feeding and hooking when fishing on donkeys is impossible without the participation of some small vessel or a simple rubber boat. If when fishing with a feeder, delivery of bait is possible with heavy feeders, then the English carp bottom is equipped only with a heavy sinker. Therefore, the bait is not thrown to the fishing point, but is brought in a boat and thrown to the bottom upstream about fifteen or even twenty meters, taking into account the pressure of the river streams. Then the bait will fall to the bottom like a stern trail, attracting fish and teaching it to stay in this place. Fishing spots are usually marked with some kind of buoy, often made from an empty plastic bottle anchored by a cobblestone or sandbag.
For fishing, powerful carp rods with the same reinforced carp reels are used. The gear must be designed to catch fish weighing up to twenty kilograms. To catch large carp, sinkers are used, which are called consumables, since they are initially designed to be released after the bite and the first strong jerks of a large fish. This is necessary so that when fishing, the sinker does not act as a kind of counterweight and does not interfere with bringing the fish to the shore. Therefore, the sinker is attached using a special clip-connector, which, under heavy load, unfastens and the sinker falls to the bottom. And the fisherman brings out the fish only on a fishing line, which greatly facilitates fishing and reduces the risk of losing prey.
For catching carp, a variety of equipment is used, which includes so-called oil cakes and boilie leashes. To attach cake slabs, amateur fishermen use tackle that is designed to catch fish as prey for gastronomic needs, that is, for the table. Therefore, the cake is pierced with several hooks, which makes the “catch and release” principle impossible. Athletes use the general principle of pressing, but the slab of cake is pierced in the center with a special boilie hook, then a leash is pulled through the cake and the tile is secured above the hook with the nozzle, resting on a bead stopper. Here the cake serves more as bait and bait, and the bite occurs on a hook with several grains of boiled corn attached to the hair. Boilies are used in the same way as in carp fishing. That is, they are pierced with the same awl with a notch at the end, then along the threaded leash they are secured to a carp hook.
Boilies that are used as bait are usually cut into halves so that they do not roll along the bottom in the current. They are kneaded on the shore along with corn, flavorings and river clay. The bait, transformed into large balls, as already mentioned, is scattered in places where it is fished from a boat.
Lures and lures for carp
Boyle on a hair rig
Boilies are an excellent bait for carp due to their size, choice of flavoring and aromatic properties and color.
Depending on the activity of the carp and the frequency of bites of small fish, it is customary to use the following attachments:
- In autumn, when fish activity is low, use one sinking boilie with a diameter of 18 mm on a hook.
- In summer - 1-2 boilies with a diameter of 24 mm.
- Fishmeal boilies work better in the summer, when the water begins to warm up and shellfish multiply.
- It happens that the carp experiences mood changes during the day. So, in the second half, with the onset of heat, experienced fishermen recommend replacing fruit boilies with fish ones.
- In strong currents, flavors are quickly washed out. Therefore, it is necessary to soak the nozzles in them for at least 2–3 hours.
Spring and autumn baits:
- bunch of worms
- barley shell meat
- bunch of maggots
Summer:
- peas
- dough with cotton wool
- corn
- potato
- crust of bread
Baits and lures
In the first autumn month, carp can be caught using almost any type of popular bait, both plant and animal. Then, as the water gets colder, the food focus will shift to the “meat” side.
In the first autumn month, carp can be offered the following attachments and baits:
- corn;
- peas;
- dough;
- bread;
- mastyrka;
- hominy;
- steamed wheat;
- barley;
- semolina;
- Hercules flakes;
- boilies;
- pellets;
- bunch of worms;
- several maggots;
- pearl barley meat.
Advice! Don’t forget to add the bait you use to the bait mixture!
Everything that carp loves.
Choosing a fishing spot
The carp loves quiet places, with holes at the bottom, with sinkholes near steep banks, near rubble of stones.
At night and at dawn you can find carp in river bays, at the edge of water thickets. In summer, carp can be seen at the edge of the reeds and in thickets of aquatic plants, where the depth is no more than 2–3 m.
But first of all, you need to explore deep-water areas with strong currents. This is important for two reasons:
- carp actually lives at depths of up to 15 meters, usually 7-10, and is in close contact with pike perch;
- in an open space, the current will easily carry particles of bait and call the carp to the feeding point;
Look for edges, holes, hills, and submerged tree trunks. The bottom is muddy and clay. The only place with a rocky bottom is the zebra mussel deposits, but the carp will only be there at night.
Clay banks at the bends of the river, where the bottom drops sharply into depth, are also suitable for you.
In remote places, where trees hang over the water, and the bank goes into the water with a cliff, you can also find carp.
Another way to spot this fish is the splashes of carp at dawn. If you find such a place, know that half the work is done.
Selecting a location
Carp and carp inhabit many different bodies of water: from small ponds, lakes and small rivers to huge reservoirs. Therefore, fishing for carp is available to most anglers, although, of course, fishing on the Volga, Don and other large rivers will be the best in terms of the size of the trophy.
For many anglers, the most desirable thing is to catch carp in Astrakhan, a place with a special nature, thanks to the delta of the great Russian river with its numerous tributaries, channels and eriks. If you don’t have the opportunity to be on the Volga in September, don’t despair, you can do some good fishing on an ordinary pond.
Typical Astrakhan erik.
As for the local location of fish in a reservoir, carp, like most bottom-dwelling fish, chooses places with pronounced anomalies. These can be both striking changes in the bottom relief and natural and man-made objects brought under water.
This applies equally to fishing in September on a pond, and to fishing for carp on the lower Volga or in another large body of water. Therefore, when choosing a point for casting equipment, take into account the following locations:
- coastal and riverine dumps;
- entrance and exit from the pit;
- places with reverse flow;
- parallel spits protruding into the reservoir;
- snags, flooded trees;
- stones;
- large construction waste;
- elements of hydraulic structures.
Fishing technique
We have already talked about bait - this is the first stage of fishing, which should be repeated after 2-3 hours, especially if the bite has stopped.
After feeding, attach a leash with a hook to a hair rig with a boilie. We described how to make a hair rig in the carp guide to bottom fishing.
Throw out the rig and wait for the bite. The frequency between re-casting the tackle during active biting should be no more than 10 minutes. In the fall, when the carp becomes passive, you can transfer it every 20 minutes, while, of course, filling the feeder with new food.
Start with classic baits, gradually moving to more conservative ones. For example, if you don’t bite fruit boilies, try boilies made from fishmeal. If you don’t bite on light-colored boilies, try replacing them with light ones. If you don’t bite on sinking boilies, try Pop-up boilies (floating boilies that will be 3-4 cm above the bottom).
In the end, you can try mixing animal ingredients into the bait. But you need to change the place only after 3-4 unsuccessful catches, not earlier.
Fishing. First, adjust the drag so that the line leaves the reel with maximum resistance. And in snagged places, the use of a friction clutch is generally fraught with the loss of fish and equipment. Your tackle should be as strong as possible and withstand the jerks of the carp. Secondly, you should not force events. Fish slowly, don’t let the carp go far, but don’t pull it with all your might. You'll tear your lip or rig. You should only bring it to the shore when the fish stops making sudden jerks.
Let's sum it up
- Use reliable gear, our recommendation:
- Feeder rod Team Salmo ENERGY Feeder, length 3.9, test 120-250 g
- Daiwa Black Widow carp reel from our rating of the best Daiwa spinning reels.
- Mono line from Salmo, Feeder series. Thickness 0.3-0.4 depending on the expected trophy.
- Carp hooks Owner.
- If possible, explore the carp's site in advance. If this is not possible, ask local fishermen. The appearance of splashes at dawn is a clear sign of the carp’s stop.
- In summer, to catch carp, use plant baits, and in spring – animals.
- When fishing in the current, feed the carp at regular intervals. In standing water, make one generous feeding.
- For beginners, we advise you to start with a paternoster feeder rig; for more advanced ones, an asymmetrical loop or helicopter and two knots are suitable for fishing with light baits.
- Fishing with a feeder is physically difficult work, since the rod is powerful and you have to cast far and often.
Please be patient and pay attention to each item on this page. Be sure to write about your experience here, it will be interesting to us and other anglers.
