Fishing for carp and crucian carp begins in April and May, when the ice melts and the fish, awakened after winter, prowl in search of food in reservoirs that have not yet awakened. This period is very productive for lovers of fishing for carp and crucian carp. Gone are the days when people went fishing with just a fishing rod and worms. The number of fish in reservoirs has become smaller, but the number of applicants to get the drive from the fishing process has not decreased. A lot of cutting-edge gear, baits and factory-made lures are available to fishing enthusiasts.
If you have serious intentions to enjoy fishing and bring home trophies, then you need to treat the process itself responsibly. Before arriving at the reservoir, it is advisable to consult with local fishermen about what they use to catch fish, carp, crucian carp, bream, if, of course, they are found there.
Each region or locality has its own specific map of forage plants growing in the vicinity of the reservoir. And fish from local reservoirs naturally feed in accordance with the available plants. And fishermen who come for fishing contribute to the diet with groundbaits, lures, and bait.
Therefore, the information received will only help to produce results. Factory-made baits are created for some average reservoirs and do not take into account a lot of factors of the place where fishing is planned.
Let us dwell here on old, proven recipes for preparing mastyrka, various cereals and mixtures, consisting of inexpensive products and available in any grocery store at quite attractive prices.
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Bait and groundbait
How is bait different from groundbait? The bait even answers this question with its name. She must lure crucian carp or crucian carp to the fishing spot . And the sooner this happens, the better. The bait must be set in advance before fishing, so that the fish have time to detect it and arrive at the fishing site. And since the bait is a long-lasting product, its composition must have a certain resistance to erosion. The bait should irritate the fish, awaken its appetite and in no case serve as food. The food will be the bait on the hook.
Carp, crucian carp, bream - their preferences
- Carp fish has a sweetish taste and is also quite drawn to sweets. If your bait includes sweet corn, then your event is guaranteed to be a success. There is another type of carp preference; it loves food that has played along, which is on the verge of souring. Therefore, its menu must be prepared at least two days in advance and stored outside the refrigerator to complete the process.
- Crucian carp reacts to the smell from great distances. And if the bait smells of linseed, hemp or sunflower oil, and with the addition of drops of lavender or mint, then he will find the gear, as they say, with his eyes closed.
- Mastyrka is a favorite dish for bream, and if it is seasoned with honey, you can keep the fish tank ready. He will settle there soon.
Carp, carp
Carp is a schooling fish with an elongated body, with golden scales, the back is dark, the belly is light, the dorsal fin is gray, the tail is red, the rest are gray with a purple tint. The dorsal fin is wide and has a saw-like jagged bone in front; there is one under the tail. The carp lives in the basins of the Caspian, Black, and Aral seas, especially in the lower reaches of the rivers of these basins.
About carp
Carp is like a cultivated carp that was bred by humans in ponds, reservoirs and lakes.
Carp are bred in the central and southern regions of Russia as well as in the North Caucasus.
Carp were also able to acclimatize in the northern regions near St. Petersburg, as well as in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. It was not by chance that people decided to cultivate carp. Firstly, the fish grows quickly and in almost a year it reaches a length of 10 cm with a weight of 30 g, and in the second year it already weighs half a kilo, and in the third it reaches sexual maturity and the fish can already weigh 2 kg.
If anyone doesn’t know, carp can live up to 30 years and during this period of life it grows almost one and a half meters in length and weighs more than 25 kg. Carp is usually 50-70 cm long and weighs 4-6 kg. The carp is fertile and produces large offspring; the female lays one and a half million eggs during spawning.
And even though it is heat-loving, in all other respects it is similar to crucian carp, it is not afraid of polluted water with low oxygen and is not very picky about its diet. Carp fry feed on plankton. An adult carp eats young vegetation, worms, insects and their larvae, mollusks, crustaceans and even attacks fry.
Carp differs slightly from carp in body coloring and scales. Of course, in the process of “domestication”, many different breeds with different body shapes were bred in different countries. There are also ones with a long body and a round one like crucian carp and with a wide one, etc.
Carp shapes
In our reservoirs there are three forms of carp, mirror, common and framed, all of them have a slightly larger hump than carp, and common carp have larger scales and their color is a little lighter. When the common carp is small, it looks like crucian carp, but they can be distinguished by two characteristics. Carp are a little long and there are small antennae near the mouth, which crucian carp do not have. Well, you can’t confuse an adult carp with anyone else.
Also interesting: Wild carp on a float rod
Mirror carp can be distinguished immediately; it does not have scales, and if it does, in some places there are several of them.
There is also a frame carp whose scales are arranged in chains, from head to tail, on the side and at the bottom, as if reminiscent of a frame, which is why they called it that.
Carp fishing
Spawning of carp takes place in May-June with water warming of 16-19 degrees, the fish feed at a temperature of 14-15 degrees, in the spring before spawning there is a short-term glutton, but no one really notices this.
Fishing begins two weeks after spawning; a good time for fishing is on warm days when the water temperature warms up from 20-26 degrees. As the weather gets colder, the bite weakens and in September-October it disappears altogether.
Among this family, fishing for carp is probably the most exciting; the fisherman is required to know the habits of the fish, to know in which part of the reservoir it can stand and where it goes out to feed.
Where is the carp?
The carp does not live in large flocks and its camp site can be detected by its swaggering in the reeds or by its play. At night, the carp feeds in shallow places and enters backwaters and creeks with large vegetation.
Carp can stand on steep banks near the riverbed, and if the river is not large, then in the riverbed itself on a weak current where there is a muddy bottom. When choosing a fishing spot, preference should be given to a non-flat bottom where there are ledges and drops with a depth of three to six meters; you also need to take into account how you will pull it out if it sits.
You need to fish with bait, cake, mixed feed, shell meat is said to attract fish well, if the current is average then we put the bait in a bag, if it’s small you can just leave it out. When fishing, try not to make noise; if you startle the fish with an inappropriate sound, it may leave the area for a long time.
Also interesting: Carp for corn
Tackle for catching carp and carp
Carp are caught with a variety of gear, from a float rod to a donka or a hook, and are caught from the shore. If you fish with a float, then the fishing rod should be strong with a hard tip; fish from the bottom using a light float and a three or five line that matches the color of the bottom. The hooks are set to the best ones, preferably forged ones with a short shank; if the carp is medium, we set it to No. 7-10, and if, as they say, it’s good, then to No. 14, and also, you need to look at the hooks and sharpen them if they are dull.
On the shore, the fisherman must behave as quietly as possible if we want large fish to bite. The best time for fishing is in the morning, in the evening it doesn’t bite much, on cloudy days it can bite all day.
Fish pulling
For any fisherman, pulling out a carp is accompanied by acute emotions, the carp strongly resists, and there have been cases where the fish tore its lips and left. The first throw of a fish is especially dangerous when it is afraid of being hooked; in such an impulse it can not only break the tackle but also drag it into the water.
Anyone who catches carp constantly knows this throw, and therefore ties the fishing rod to a stake that is driven into the ground, but this does not guarantee that the tackle will be intact, here everything will fall on the reel, the main thing is that it works.
You can’t let the fish set its own pace, you need to “break it off” at the initial stage, otherwise the fish can set such a pace that some fishermen even get lost, not knowing what to do. Of course, it is useless to give advice on pulling it out; everyone must understand and experience this for themselves.
Only one thing can be said: the fish must be tired before dragging it to the shore; sometimes such a technique is not suitable, especially when it comes to large carp. It should be noted that the technique for catching carp is no different from carp, but carp is more cunning and does not fight for its life as much as carp.
Author: Bozhenov A V
Bait ingredients
- Cake is a universal filler that combines the functions of a complete feed and an excellent flavoring agent. There are always various types of hemp, flax and, of course, the most common sunflower on sale. If you have the seeds of these plants at home, then from them, by frying and crushing through a meat grinder, you can get a fresh and aromatic cake, without stale rancidity, to which carp, crucian carp and bream are partial.
- Bran is an ideal loosening agent that does not carry any nutritional value, but creates a mysterious, attractive haze around the bait that is so beloved by fish. Sand and even soda are also suitable as a ripper; when they get into the water, they will dissolve and the bait will expose its components.
- peas and any grain cereals
- Worms, bloodworms, daphnia and simply food for aquarium fish are an indispensable component of the bait. Their freshness and naturalness are important
- Flour of any kind, including pea flour, is the adhesive composition that keeps the bait from disintegrating upon impact during casting and from prematurely soaking in water.
- flavors in the form of various essential oils, essences added in moderation, this is a compass for fish to find your gear.
Types of feeders
Among the most popular and used types of feeders, which are used for catching crucian carp, carp, carp and bream, it is worth noting the spring nipple and the plug nipple.
- Spring nipple . This type of feeder is considered the most ancient, and also the most popular. It is built on the basis of a special metal spring, which can have any shape and size. The feeder was attached to the main line in a very simple way called a “blind rig.”
This method is considered the simplest. The main fishing line and metal leads must be tied to the coils of the metal spring. In order for the nipple to slide freely along the fishing line, fishermen attached a tube to the central axis (the rod of a regular roller pen can be used as it). The feeder was limited by rubber stoppers so that it did not move along the entire length of the fishing line and was constantly in the desired range. This type of feeder is sold in fishing stores, but it is not at all difficult to make it yourself at home. And besides, nowadays on the Internet you can find many different videos and articles with detailed instructions on how to create a feeder.
- Pacifier plug . The next, no less popular and effective type of feeder for catching crucian carp, bream, carp and carp is the plug nipple. It is made from a regular plastic bottle cap. The suitable shape and design makes a regular bottle cap an ideal place to store bait mixture. But in order to put the plug into action, it needs to be slightly reworked and make its own changes, and only after that it will become a full-fledged fishing feeder.
Preparing mastyrka for fishing, recipes
Mastyrka for crucian carp preparation
How to make a mastyrka? Yes, very simple! To prepare mastyrka for crucian carp you need to be patient, but the result is, one might say, stunning.
Soak the peas for at least four hours. Then cook the peas until they reach the consistency of puree. If the peas are still hard, you can try steaming them in the oven, or crush them with a potato masher to make mashed potatoes. It is important that the peas are crushed into dust. Then add one glass of semolina and 10 milliliters of sunflower oil, one chicken egg and a spoonful of honey. Mix everything thoroughly, avoiding lumps and leave to cool. Then, depending on the required consistency, add breadcrumbs or oatmeal. Add your choice of flavorings and the mastyrka for crucian carp is ready.
Another recipe for pea mastyrka . It will save significant time. For brewing, we take pea flour, purchased or prepared ourselves in a coffee grinder. And prepare the jelly mass, to which we gradually add semolina. When the density of the pea broth is such that it is difficult to stir with a spoon, remove it from the bowl and knead it with your hands, periodically adding crushed crackers. Hands need to be protected with something, rubber gloves or lubricated with oil. The longer the process, the harder and denser the mastyrka becomes. We roll it into balls and add various flavors to them for variety.
Working secret attachment for carp, carp and crucian carp
Today we will prepare a secret bait for catching carp, carp and crucian carp.
Why is it secret? Yes, because it uses a minimum of ingredients, and in terms of quality and catchability, it is not inferior to professional, multi-component bait.
Not many fishermen know this composition; they fish successfully with it, but remain silent. So you are lucky today, and the composition of the secret bait will be known to you too.
We will look at how to make two types of nozzles from one mixture
First, we will make a composition that will be used for plugs and springs, and then, from the same mixture composition, with minimal additives, we will make boilies.
I would like to say about the only drawback of the mixture for springs and plugs. In shallow water and during the day, when little things rule the pond, they quickly eat up our plasticine. But when fishing at night, there is no price for it.
So what we need:
- Plain flour;
- Corn flour;
- Sugar;
- Powdered vanilla sponge cake or cupcake.
Biscuits and cupcakes are sold freely in stores. They are powdered and used for home baking. The only thing you need to pay attention to is the composition. Sugar, vanilla, eggs and milk powder must be present.
Read: Catching catfish using a crawl
It is not necessary to adhere to the exact proportions of the mixture, everything is simple to the point of genius, there is no need to be clever. We will take measurements with a simple glass.
You need to take a suitable container and measure one glass of wheat flour and the same amount of corn flour into it. If you don’t have corn flour, you can grind corn grits in a coffee grinder.
Now, for this proportion, you need to add a teaspoon of sugar and about 30-40 grams of cake or biscuit.
The result is the main mixture, you need to mix it and put it in an airtight container, which we will take with us on fishing trips. On the shore, you just need to add water and bring it to the desired consistency. We hammer the resulting plasticine into springs or plugs.
Now we will make boilies from our composition
You just need to add a raw egg and a little water to the mixture. Knead until the mixture stops sticking to your hands.
Now we roll boilies of the required size, heat water in a saucepan and lower them into boiling water. We wait for the boilies to float, put them in a colander, and let them dry.
Read: Fishing with peas
To make the boilies sink, we dry them in the open air, and to make them float, they should be dried in the oven at a temperature of 160-180 degrees. You can also dry it in the microwave, but here the drying time must be selected depending on the power of your stove.
If you were unable to buy a powdered biscuit, then instead you need to add milk powder, egg powder, vanilla and sugar to the mixture. The dry mixture will be stored for a very long time, because the ingredients that it contains are not subject to spoilage.
Having prepared such a dry mixture in advance, before fishing, pour the required amount into a container and take it with us to the shore. That's the whole secret. There are only four components in the composition, and in terms of catchability it is not inferior to factory mixtures. Cheap and practical.
Good luck fishing.
Universal bait for catching carp, crucian carp, bream
The advantage of this recipe is that it can be prepared right on the river bank, having only pre-prepared ingredients available. Mix a kilogram of breadcrumbs with a quarter kilogram of any cake, and add a glass of sugar and a glass of flour. Mix the mixture thoroughly, avoiding lumps. Add chopped maggots, worms, bloodworms with a total weight of about 500 grams. The consistency is adjusted by adding water. We add flavorings depending on who the fishing is for. Let the product rest for about half an hour and go ahead to get the trophies.
It is impossible to cover in one article the number of recipes for baits and baits that exist in the world of fishing. Each fisherman has his own , unique and best recipe. Create your own bait, fortunately there is a basis of knowledge.
When is the best time to catch carp and carp?
Many carp fishermen will answer this question with a simple phrase – “all year round.” And this is the honest truth. With proper preparation, both carp and carp can be caught at any time of the year. However, in winter, fishing is complicated by the fact that the fish become passive and feed extremely rarely. You have to resort to various “tricks,” which we will discuss in another article.
Fishing is much more effective in spring and summer. Warm autumn is also a great time to catch good carp or carp. Why? The fact is that warm water has a positive effect on these fish. To be more precise, a comfortable environment for them is water, the temperature of which varies from 18°C to 28°C. As a rule, this temperature regime in reservoirs is observed from May to September. That's why these months become favorite months for anglers.
The best time for fishing for carp and carp is summer or warm weather
And yet, the ideal (so to speak) time for catching carp and carp is the beginning of summer. Firstly, the water warms up to the required temperature, promoting the locomotor and feeding activity of the fish. Secondly, the spawn ends, during which the bite always noticeably weakens. July and August are also relatively favorable months for fishing for carp and carp. Unless the heat and heat can make their own adjustments, forcing the fish to go to greater depths and stop feeding.
As for specific hours, most often carp and carp feed more actively in the morning and evening. On cold days, on the contrary, at lunchtime, when the water has time to warm up a little. Large individuals can go in search of food only at night. Naturally, the fisherman must take all this into account.
In addition, in order to achieve a good catch, you will have to pay attention to weather conditions. As we said above, the summer heat has a bad effect on the bite. After all, at high air temperatures in the water, the oxygen balance deteriorates. When it gets colder or changes in weather, carp and carp also feed inactively.
Depending on the season and weather, the best bite can be in the evening or at other times of the day
In summer, fishing is much more effective on cloudy and warm days with a slight breeze.
