At times carp are finicky. A few carp fishing tips will help you get better results. A small change does have an impact. Changing bait, rig, or other items in your fishing helps with success.
People stay with the same baits and rigs too often. If you are not catching fish, something needs to change. This can be location, baits, or rigging techniques. When not getting bites you need to try something.
Location Carp Fishing Tips
It would be best if you fished where the carp are located. Fish go where the structure, cover, and food are in the waterway. In many waterways, about 10-20 percent hold fish. The rest of the body of water has few or no fish.
Learn about carp habitat. Carp prefer weedy areas with a soft bottom. These places have cover with weeds. The plants also hold food. Carp eat small insects and plant matter. They feed longer to get enough to meet their needs.
The water temperature is a factor also. Water too cool makes the fish inactive. In water that is too warm, the fish moves to the surface to gulp air. Warmer water has less oxygen. Find the best place for the fish to find what they need.
Bait Carp Fishing Tips
People have success with a certain bait. As a result, they use it all the time. Carp remember being caught. The fish associate food with being caught. You need to switch bait in these cases.
Dough balls and pack baits are common in carp fishing. The baits are effective. Yet at times the fish avoid these baits. The fish may be at the surface or wary of the bait. This is when insects work better.
Insects vary in size from maggots to nightcrawlers. A nightcrawler is simple to thread onto the hook. Plus offer the fish a larger snack. If fishing near the surface maggots tends to work better. These small insects will not pull the floats down.
Different Rigging
Some people use a dough ball on a hook. Some place packbait on a method feeder and use a hair rig. These are good for fishing at the bottom. Using insects uses the same methods but maggots use a different feeder.
A hair rig keeps bait hanging near the hook. A carp sucks up the bait and the hook together. You can rig corn, maggots, or boilies on a hair rig. There are artificial maggots and corn for hair rigs. You need live maggots and packbait to go with the rigs.
The hair needs a few tools to use. A set with small scissors, baiting needles, and a drill is all you need. The rig uses a stop also. These are small plastic bits to prevent the bait from sliding off the rig.
The feeders put more food into the area you are fishing. Check the laws about the use of feeders. Some places do not allow feeders. The feeder basically is chumming to draw in fish. You will have the fish stay around your hook and bait longer.
Float Rigs
Carp feed near the surface sometimes. You need to use a float. These floats are thin and pull under easily. You keep the bait at the depth the fish are swimming. This can be a few inches to feet.
Using bobber stops is the best way to rig a float. It allows adjusting the depth. The floats with springs work also. Using an adjustable float rig eliminates the need to make a new rig for different depths.
Bait for float fishing is small insects, bread, or small dough balls. Use a bait a carp sucks in easily. Plus using a small hook limits the bait size. A size 8-10 hook is all you need for carp up to 20 pounds.
Conclusions
When you are not catching fish, try something different. Change to a better location for carp fishing. Use a different bait. Carp get wary or tired of the same bait. Use a different rig to place the bait at the depth the carp are located. Sometimes the fish are higher in the water.