Fishing for Grass Carp be
a fun experience, especially if you
have never caught one before or a fish of this size. Grass Carp can obtain
weights of 80lbs or more. Many different types of bait can be used but what
I will be talking about is Bread.
So what do you need to catch these big fish? Depending
on what kind of fishermen you are will dictate what your setup is. I’m a
light tackle guy so my choice is anywhere from 2lb test to 8lb test
outfitted with an Ultra-Light rod.
My current setup:
Reel: Shimano Sahara 750FB
Rod: Falcon Original Ultra Light
Line: Berkley Trilene 4lb Test
Bait: Bread
Location: When you first come up to a
known Grass Carp lake, what you need to do is look for signs such as large
boils in the water, a large high dorsal fin protruding from the water,
vegetation with Grass Carp feeding off it and lazy Carp sunning themselves.
What may look like a log in the water is actually a Grass Carp. You can tell
how long he has been sunning by the look of his back which is usually a dry
looking.
Precautions: Grass Carp are very
sensitive fish meaning the can feel your vibrations when walking and have
very good eye sight. My suggestion is
to lay low, get within casting distance, not right on top.
Bait Setup: Remove the crust, fold the
bread in half and then in half again and pinch one end and leave the other
end fluffy so it floats longer. When casting, do just wing as hard as you
can, use the weight of the bread to get you out there. If the wind is
blowing from you to the fish, use the wind to your advantage.
Presentation: This works either way.
You can either cast directly to the Carp or near it. If they want it, they
will take it, simply put. Grass Carp seem to travel the lake where I’m at
meaning the make rounds around the lake either in a school or alone. During
this time you have to be patient. They will be back. I can’t tell you how
many times I have been impatient, reeled my bread in, moved it to another
spot only to have a Grass Carp come in right behind me and suck the bread
down.
Hook Set: There really isn’t a hook
set to be done here. These guys hook themselves with the way the eat the
bread and their weight. And also during the fight the hook will be embedded
deeper as well. So no need for a head jerking hook set.
The Fight: Usually the smaller the
Grass Carp, the longer and harder the fight and the larger the Grass Carp,
the shorter the fight. I once fought a Grass Carp for over 2 hours on 4lb
test that was only 28lbs. Last year I caught a 43lb Grass Carp on 2lb test
that I landed in 42 minutes. So be ready to put some time into the fight.
The Landing: Landing a huge Grassy can
be difficult. Many times have I not had a net and had to literally drag the
fish to the bank. But I now have a net which makes it 100 times easier.
Lactic Acid: The general rule of
thumb, the longer you fight a fish the more lactic acid that builds up. This
can kill fish within minutes. So what you need to do here is land the fish,
take photo, weigh and revive for as long as possible till the fish is strong
enough to swim away. When he is ready you will notice him trying to get
away. Hold on for a few more minutes ensuring he is ready to go, not just
ready to go because he is not in his environment. Hold him at the base of
his tail moving is back and forth gently, make sure you don’t run his face
into the mud. You need to keep the water flowing thru his gills.
Weighing: I weigh all of my fish on an
IGFA Certified digital scale. Hook placement for weighing these heavy fish
is important. Not placing the hook in the correct location will more than
likely result in you ripping his mouth all the way thru his lips, especially
if you have a feisty one. Try holding up a 40lb Grass Carp and weighing him
at the same time and you will see what I mean. I always place the hook in
the corner of their mouths. This is the toughest spot which is perfect for
weighing. Or you can weigh them in the net if you have one. All you need to
do later is subtract the weight of the net from the total weight to get the
weight of the fish.
The Light Line Debate: I’ve been in a
few debates over light line fishing during the years and each time it seems
to be getting worse. And 9 times out of 10, the person debating the issue,
doesn’t even have a clue as to what they are talking about because they
never done it so they “assume” it's not good for the fish. Here’s my story on
this issue. I’ve caught a lot of Grass Carp over the years using light line,
here recently it dropped to 2lb test which is a blast. To date and to my
knowledge, I have never lost a Grass Carp due to light line fishing. If you
really and actually think about it, even if you fight the fish for prolonged
periods of times, using light line doesn’t put that much stress on them at
all. Think about it; a fish that has been caught on 20lb test; with each and
every pull of the drag as weight of the rod, that’s taking a toll on
him. Imagine fighting him for 30 minutes, he is going to be wore out and
probably about this time, he is floating upside down which isn’t good. I
have seen and done this first hand which is why I use light line. Now a
fish that has been caught on 2lb test; what does 2lb test feel like to
break? It’s nothing really, nothing at all like 20lb test or 8lb test for
that matter. The Carp is going to pull the line and drag with ease and with
little or no effort. It’s just like his basic daily routine of swimming
hours and hours on end in the lake but only with a hook in his mouth. All
you are going to do with this 2lb test is barely pull him back when he is
not swimming. Then all he is going to do is go right back out and then the
battle continues for a while. Not once have I caught aGrassy on light line that he turned upside down or had any issue with
his health whatsoever. These fish will give you a bath each and every time
you try to land them with your hand and even while
usingnet.Using heavier line can at times land the fish faster but not every
Grass Carp you catch will be “landable” within minutes of your catch. If you haven’t experienced this for yourself, you have no
idea what you are talking about.
Well this is how it’s done and if anyone has any
questions you can contact me via the Contact Page
My Grass Carp Stats:
Largest Grass Carp: 47lbs on 6lb Test
Pending IGFA World Line Class Record for a 35lb Grass caught on 8lb
Test ANDE
Largest Grass Carp on lb Test is 43lbs on 2lb Test
