Hi i'm new and i have some questions =)

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Carpboy88

New member
Hey everyone =)

i am so glad i found this site because i have some questions that i can't get answers to or i keep getting the same answers that are not working.

Do carp love the smell/taste of garlic?

What lbs test line do you use for carp? because i have lost a lot of carp do to line breaking.

Are there any good rod holders? i have lost 3 fishing rods in 2008 because not paying attention and carp have took the whole thing in the water and it's gone.

The 2 rivers i fish at ..when the carp bites on the bait they RUN... it's not like a small pull then nibble ..once they grab the bait they just take off and if your not looking your whole rod is gone.. i have even had them break the stick the rod was on and these sticks are about 4 inches thick.

the largest carp i have caught so far was in 2008 it was 26 inches long =)
 
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AndriesH

Sealiner
Wellcome Carpboy88

Some feedback for you:
The thinner your line, the longer the contest - not the quicker the line breaks. (10lbs is more than sufficient, most serious guys around here probably 4 to 6lbs)

It seems to me you are wrestling with the fish.
Your drag is tight and you do not allow for any pull from the fishes side.

Try this: Loosen your drag. Then loosen it some more.
Loosen it so much that if the fish pulls the line, the line peels off the reel. Once you see this happening, you can pick up the rod, hold the spool with your finger and strike lightly. (Also consider a bite alarm that would trigger if the line tightens up as an indicator to you)
Then you can tighten your drag, to LESS drag than the strength of your line.

If the fish pulls too hard, give him line, fine he'll tire and you will eventually pull him all the way to the bank.

Tight lines.
 
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Wikkelspies

New member
I'm not a pro at all, and the qeustions you ask here would be better answered on the freshwater General forum, but seeing that I know a little about "pap gooing" I'll help where I can, out of my experience I use garlic only to atract the carp, if you use to much you'll scare them away, so use garlic on your first 2 casts MAX, then switch over to something softer like pineapple(tjop-tjop) or bananna(Banjo) etc. When it comes to line it really depends, are you seriouly going out there to catch the BIG ones 30lb + or are you just there to enjoy yourself? The problem might me that you're not using decent line and maybe you're playing the fish wrong, loosen the drag on your reel a bit while the fish is hooked , so if it wants to turn and swim in the opposite direction of you, it will be able to take a bit of line of your reel, and this will not result in your line breaking, and take your time with playing the fish, it will eventually tire, so don't try and get it out ASAP, as for the line I use Sufix between 4kg and 5.5kg(Might be a bit light according to the specimen guys, but I'm getting there) Again if you loosen the drag on your reel completely while on the rod holders after you've casted your bait it, it will not result in you losing your rod, because the fish will just freely run line of your reel until you strike (No more swimming after your rods:))   Hope this helps a bit, if there's more qeustions, feel free to ask
 
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J

Senior Member
Carp do like garlic flavor.
I use 20-25lb braided line, I notice you are fishing in a river, I would think you should use at least 10-15lb line depending on how much structure there is at the bottom of the river, if there are alot of snags then you dont want the fish swimming all over the place, vica versa if it is a wide sandy bottom river then you could go with a light line as there is no risk of getting snagged and you can play the fish for longer.
It sounds like you are using bank sticks? They should be fine as long as you keep the drag very loose when waiting for the fish to bite. (also, google search "rod pod").


What bait and rig are you using?
 
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Spod

Senior Member
Carpboy, definitely your reels are set too tight.
Ok, lets see what I remembered from PG style, When you cast, tighten the drag up completely. once cast, loosen the drag fully so line comes off as you walk back to your bank sticks. now put the rod on the banksticks and tighten the drag so that you can get the slack out of your line. Then, put your policeman on, or turn your alarm on, then as said, loosen the drag system sothat you can pull the line off the reel from your rod tip,(not too loose, as this will cause an overrun on the biterun on the reel and you will have a birdnest) when the fish bites and runs you should hear the FAMOUS reel run,(and alarm if fitted) then, as you strike,hold the spool,to stop the drag override and start reeling and playing the fish to the bank, you need to learn the setting from the moment he's on, too much and he/you can snap the line, too little (spool runs a lot)and he swims off with your line and you wont land him.(even though you cranking away on the handle) also when netting dont use a lot of drag, or, a snappage will occur when he spooks.(its all reel control, and you may find yourself adjusting all the time, dont think if you have set it up once, its gonna work for every fish)
As for baits... Wikkelspies is the guy who can help you there.
Hope we helped you.
 
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MadCarper

Sealiner
Welcome Carpboy,

Yes, carp love garlic, and spicy things as well.

It all depends on why you lost the carp. Was is because it swam around a sharp rock/snags etc? Or did the line snap when you pulled the carp directly ? In my opinion a good abrasion resistant line of at least 10lb breaking strain, looking at the way you are carp fishing.

You wont lose your rods when a carp picks it up if you set the drag of the reel... so that when a carp takes the bait, it can take line off the reel with a little resistance. When you then pick up the rod, you can tighten the drag abit more so that you can reel the fish in. But I never tighten my drag fully... it needs to be loose enough so that when the carp bolts off when its close to you, that it can take line. Otherwise the hook WILL pull.

Hope that helps.
 
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Wikkelspies

New member
Hehe Spod you're making me sound like a GROOT WILD PAP GOOIER:), I hardly papgooi anymore, caught enough small fish in my life, focusing 100% on the specimen side, so I'm going to be posting alot of qeustions in the coming future for you pro's to help me with, in return I'll share some pap gooi secrets with you, HAHAHAHAHA as if, just kidding::respekt:
 
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Spod

Senior Member
Hey wikkelspies lol, a bit off the thread here, lol, but Im no pro man, just learning like everyone else.

Carpboy, hope our input helped you, let us know what happened...in the USA?
 
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Carpboy88

New member
Thanks everyone for your help/tips i will surely look into them =)

I never thought about loosing the line so that the rod wont go in when the carp bites.... i guess i am so focus on getting the big one it doesn't  even cross my mind
i will do that for now on.

i am always looking for the big carp the bigger the better.... the river i fish at if you don't pay attention to what your doing you will get snag that's why when i do get a carp on i try not to let it swim every where because i have lost some carp do to them going under logs and things.

The bait i normally use to catch my carp is can corn soaked in vanilla and they seem to love it... but this year i wanted to try adding a tiny bit of garlic to it.... not much that it will over power everything else but just enough that the carp will notice it?

i have never tried dough baits or any other carp baits because the fishing stores here for some reason don't sell carp baits.... i have tried making my own dough but it ended up being a big mess.

There are some giant carp in the river where i fish i have seen them and i have had a few hooked on but again line breaking but i know now what to do about that. =)
 
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Carpboy88

New member
Thanks  :)

i will surely let everyone know how my first fishing day of the year goes and post pics of my first catch of the year and so forth.
 
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Wikkelspies

New member
Only noticed  you're from the USA now, so i'll refrain from using the word "papgooi":), hehe, enjoy and remember to post some pics
 
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