#12. Catch a bunch of Carp!

Carp fishing is a bucket of fun for folks of all ages. They are big, fight hard, can be caught from shore and are found in most every body of water in the Texas Hill Country. And they can be caught 24/7. And due to their great numbers, carp fishing does not require at great deal of patience or fishing skill. Sure, most of us are grossed out by the thought of eating carp, but they are still fun to catch and release (or properly discard of). But the fact is that carp are considered a desirable “eating” fish in many other countries.

Carp are typically bottom feeders. Chumming a fishing area is a good way to increase the chances of catching lots of them. You can chum with canned corn, or with “deer” corn, maize, or range cubes purchased at a feed store. Better yet, several days prior to your carp fishing trip, “sour” some grain for use in chumming. To do this, first find a bucket or can that has an airtight lid. Fill a bucket or can halfway with corn or maize, add a package of yeast or a beer to the grain, then add water until the container is about ¾ filled. Set in the sun for a few days to hasten the “souring” process. Then take the lid off after a few days and if the mixture stinks, you are ready to chum!

Carp find food by smell and taste, not by sight. Bait a hook with a piece of canned corn or bait a small treble hook with “dough” bait. You can easily make your own dough bait with the recipe provided below. Allow your hook to sit on the bottom without a cork or bobber. A bottom covered in sand, mud or gravel and without moss is a good place to fish. Medium weight to heavy weight rods and lines are great for catching carp. Most carp you catch will be in the range of 1 to 2 feet in length.

You can catch carp from most any body of water, day or night, any day of the year. Some of my favorite Hill Country public locations include: Blanco State Park, the Pedernales River lake at Johnson City (below the 281 bridge), the Llano River lake at Llano, the Pedernales River at LBJ State Park, the city park in Utopia, the various LCRA parks along the Colorado River (including the Highland Lakes), Inks Lake State Park, public access points on the Guadalupe, San Marcos, Llano, Pedernales, Frio, Medina, and Sabinal Rivers.

Carp “Dough Bait” Recipe:
1 cup of ground up Wheaties cereal (dry grind in a blender or crush finely by hand), 1.25 cups of “red” soda, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix it up and use with a small treble hook. My personal preference is to use the “springed-type” of treble hooks to better hold the dough to the hook. Use Wheaties, no "off-brand".

Please post a comment to suggest your favorite “public” carp fishing location and tips, and post your carp photos here.

Happy carp fishing!

-Don Gray