Carp On Artlure – A Wary Customer! – 3

Part 1 - Part 2 Carp is certainly one of the more challenging species to catch on artlure. This is definitely true for every newcomer to the artlure sport. Carp is a very wary customer because it is not a natural predatory species. In this final of a three-part series Protea Artlure angler Bernard Venter divulges the intricacies of catching carp on artlure. Conclusion- Angling methods In the previous issue I reflected on the artlure fishing tackle needed to catch carp. In this final instalment I discuss the angling methods employed to catch this wary customer! Three angling methods are used to catch carp on artlure, namely dipping, casting and fly-casting. Dipping Dipping is probably the easiest method to catch a carp on artificial lure. It is executed by using a dipping rod. First you need to locate feeding carp, preferably in shallow water. This must be done very carefully so as not to chase a wary carp before you can catch it! It is like stalking a hunted animal. You can do this by wading in the shallow water or using your trolling motor to patrol the banks of the dam. Locating tailing carp feeding on the bottom in shallow water is key to catching carp with this method. Very often the feeding carp will release small bubbles, indicating that they are feeding. Also look for dust clouds, another sign of feeding carp. Dip the leadhead jig in front of the feeding carp. It is very important that the jig does not make any splashing noise when entering the surface of the water. It must be dipped to the bottom as this is where the carp will pick it up. The jig must be lifted an inch off the bottom and then dropped again to alert the carp to its presence. The carp will pick up the jig and swim away with it. When this happens, do not strike; just lift your rod to set the hook, and the fight is on! The dipping line should rather be longer than too short. I usually use a dipping length from the tip of my rod to my reel of about 3,5 meters. If your dipping line is too short you will often not have enough reach to get the lure to the mouth of the feeding carp. The dipping rod is normally used to dip in shallower water of less than one meter where one can see the feeding carp. Sometimes you will use this rod in deeper water, dipping on the bubbles of a feeding carp from your boat. This is usually not deeper than 3m because the lead jig takes too much time to reach a carp feeding in deeper water. In deeper water it might be necessary to use a slightly heavier jig to get to the bottom quicker. Always keep contact with the lure. Beware of too much slack line, especially line that may touch the feeding carp. Jaco Grimbeek caught this carp on a leadhead with a Sada Curly tail using the dipping method Sometimes the carp will feed above or among plant material such as hyacinth or water grass. It is impossible to cast for carp under these circumstances; the best option is to use your dipping rod. If the carp is not feeding on the bottom a lighter jig or even a fly with a splitshot above it is the best option for catching a suspended feeding carp. When carp are feeding on the surface among plant material, the sucking noises made by the fish are audible. The dipping rod is the best choice: dip on the mouth of the feeding carp. It is very difficult to be on target without spooking the carp feeding on the surface or hooking the plant material the carp is feeding on. Casting Casting is a very effective way to catch carp on artlure. This method entails casting towards a feeding carp with a leadhead jig. It is very important not to cast on the feeding carp as the noise of the lure hitting the water will definitely spook it. The secret is to cast a few metres past the feeding fish and retrieve the jig quickly on the surface to the spot where the carp is feeding where it is allowed to drop vertically. The carp will take the jig and swim away. Just lift the rod to set the hook and the fight can begin! The casting method has the benefit that you can cast over a distance to where the carp is feeding, giving you a larger range than with a dipping rod. You can use the casting method in shallow and deeper water. This method is very effective when casting at bubbles of a feeding carp. Don’t cast on feeding carp in water deeper than 3,5m. The maximum distance at which to target carp with the casting method, is 15m. The shorter the casting distance, the better your chance is to catch the carp. The benefit of casting for a feeding carp is the time factor. You can reach the feeding carp faster by casting for it than when you have to get close enough with a dipping rod. Usually the feeding carp tends to be more aggressive towards a jig cast to it than a jig dipped in front of it. This is because the carp quickly becomes aware of your presence with a dipping rod, while with a casting rod there is much more distance between you and the feeding carp. However, your presentation of the jig is much better with a dipping rod than with a casting rod. I have caught many a carp with a Sada Curlytail or Lumé tadpole on a splitshot using the casting method. This rig is especially effective when the carp are feeding on soft bottoms where a jig will sink into the mud, not visible for the carp. The same rig is also effective in shallow waters where the lure is presented as a suspended lure. Fly-casting Fly-fishing can be very rewarding under the right circumstances. It can be used the same way as the casting or dipping method with sinking flies such as for example a Black Zulu. However, fishing a dry fly for carp feeding on the scum line is a very special way to catch these fish. Because the carp is feeding on the surface it is very wary and you need to make a fast, accurate cast to catch it before it sees you. Be assured of a super battle on the open dam before you will have the fish safely in your net. CONCLUSION The carp is definitely one of the most exciting fish to target on artlure. It is one of the most abundant fish species and you can catch it throughout South Africa. Carp is for sure one of my favourite fish species to catch on artlure.