Lets Go Carp Fishing!

If you would like to begin carp fishing the first thing you should be sure to have is a pickup truck or a small trailer. Most bass fishing rods will break down into two to three foot sections, but carp fishing rods tend to break down into six foot sections. This can be much harder to transport in a small car. Many carp fishermen have broken rods by trying to get them to fit into a small. Having a pickup truck also allows you to carry more chum. Chum ferments and releases gas that can build up in a closed trunk can cause serious odors, and worse, an explosion.

When you start buying fishing tackle you should just bite the bullet and buy as much as you can afford, even if you are not sure what everything does. You will find that, over time, you need to keep buying more and more tackle for different situations. It is better to buy it all at once and save on shipping than it is to make many orders. Most anglers who enjoy carp fishing agree that even if you do not know what all of the tackle does, you will end up needing and using all of it.

You should also invest in a hair rig if you wish to compete with the modern carp fishermen. A hair rig is a hook with extra line on a shank and a loop. Pre-made hair rigs will help you when you are still learning how to tie a no-knot knot. You will also need some sinkers. If you have not decided whether you are going to fish for carp close to the bank, or far from the bank, you should buy floaters or all types. Sinkers have many aerodynamic advantages, but as a beginner you will probably not be able to take advantage of them, so you can just buy sinkers from an assorted bin and not worry about their condition.

Carp are very hard on fishing line, so you should either use high quality big game fishing line, or start out with lower quality fishing line while you are starting out and be willing to lose some of the line to the carp. You should get a baitrunner reel for carp fishing since they have a level that allows the carp to pull out some line when they go on a fast run. This helps save you from dropping your reel into the water when a big carp goes on a run. You can then take the lever off when the carp tires out and reel him in. You should get a twelve foot rod for around a hundred dollars. Do not buy something too cheap or too small. If you use chum you can catch carp closer to shore, but longer casting can be more fun.