off topic: anybody fish for Delta carp?

[MikeD]

wondering if anybody chases the gold slime rockets in the delta, thinking they'd be fun to go after but know nothing about fishing for them - fly, spin?

I'm not much for flyfishing but most of the stuff Ive attempted in the past has been the ultra small finesse stuff for rainbows. maybe a 9wt and big carp flies would be fun. have put worms and cranks and spinners in front of the carp when I saw them in the shallows in the spring but they were not interested. people who target them seem to say they are great fighters like bonefish or tarpon

[jack morris]

If you want to catch carp, look on line for dough ball baits. Yes they are strong fighters and a lot of fun. Jack

[jimmy87]

I have fished for them everywhere except the delta.
in all the resivours you will catch them for certain if you use corn.
size 6 hook on a slider rig and load it up with kerrnals.

tye your rod down or anchor it one way or another.
they dont really nipple. they pick up the bait and RUN.
Thier mouths are extremley soft. set your drag accordingly and play them out a long time. if not the hook will tear right out of thier mouth



I lost a few rods before I got smart

I been meaning to try for them in the delta but have not gotten to it just yet.
I would try areas with little to no current
they seem to like small pieces of bait.
I have caught a few on small crappie jigs over the years. thats it for lures.
I do not think there is a lure used to target carp. unless maybe its a fly?
I once made a corn meal / flour dough ball bait that I read about in a book years ago.
it worked as well.
whole kerrnal corn is the way to go if you ask me.

[BassManDan]

Mike,
I remember last summer, I launched up at Verona (Feather R./Sacto R. Confluence). there was a slough off the Sacto just up from the confluence...I didn't catch any bass, but I saw a mess of carp jumping and one that had to go 25 or 30, HUGE fish, so I could only imagine what brutes lurk in the delta proper.

You might check out some European websites for a little insight, since carp is the fish of choice outside the US, some really interesting techniques.....

BassManDan

[brambo0311]

I take the kids out for them sometimes. Disco bay bring a bag of dry dog food in the spring. Just put some dog food out in the middle and wait, hundreds will show up. They are very line sensitive, use a high capacity reel and 6 pound line. I just corn or some of that carp bait in a bucket. Kids have a blast, and I hate to admit it, but a big old gold fish on 6# line is allot of fun.

Carp shooting is also fun, but I wouldnt do that in disco. People would freak out slinging arrows along side there scaarab boats. Plus I think some are pets.

[MikeD]

thanks all, think I'm going to invest in an inexpensive 2 piece 9wt rod with a large spool reel and some pretied flies

the schools of carp this last spring in mildred, tailing up in the flats near brannen island, or spawning in franks were amazing to me, huge fish in large schools

[bunktheclown]

There are TONS of carp here in the rivers of Oregon and I have hooked them on both fly and chucking bait. When fly fishing for them remember they are VERY spooky, so use long leaders and learn how to lay that fly line down with no splash. I use to get lots of them on gold hare's ear nymphs and weighted wooly buggers.
Catching them on bait is a blast and fun for the kids. Some of the best baits I have used are ..... (All rigged on a slider rig with a trebel hook)

1. Bread balls (no crust)
2. Mix of corn meal and peanut butter
3. Corn flakes and strawberry pop
3. Strawberry jello corn meal and marshmellow's
4. Dog food (super glue it to your hooks)


-jb

[Mark Pollard]

I hook one in Mildred about 4 years ago on a 10inch Junebug Power Worm. I got it in the mouth to. Don't know how but I did.
I had braid on and that fish kick my @#. I battled that fish for 10 min. Finally she came up to the boat and she was a 3-4 ft carp, as thick round as a mans thigh and had to weigh 30+ pounds. My friend could'nt net it plus he was scared because of the size of it.
it took one last serge and pop my line. Good fun and what a battle.

[MikeD]

Mark - ya, those huge fish were like the ones I saw in the spring cruising the shallows on the inner west side of Mildred as well, sounds like the kind of awesome fight I'm seeking. also sounds like you need a new net boy too <heh>

bunktheclown - first off, outstanding screen name. thanks for the recipe tips, in my head I'm thinking that something more sporting then soaking a ball of bait would be fun, but maybe getting one or 2 fish on the line first would be a good thing as well. thanks for the info

[miklanderson]

My dad caught a 30+ pound carp on a speed trap when we were trolling for striper in the middle of winter. It was hooked in the mouth too.

[Gimpy]

If you want to catch carp in the Delta, just go to Discovery Bay and fish for stripers... I generally catch one or two a year with a spoon of all things.