Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

Hello,

I am interested in trying to fish for carp, but I have been unsuccessful in the past. I fish from shore and usually ponds and rivers. I have tried using an egg sinker rig with corn. Tried circle hooks from size 6 up to size 1. Not sure what size would be best. I only have bass gear and not sure which would be best to use, should I actually hook into a carp...

Fenwick hmg 6'9 ml-f with a Pflueger President XT 30 spooled with 10 lb braid.
St Croix Mojo Bass 6'8 m-xf with a Pflueger President XT 30 spooled with 10 lb braid.
St Croix Avid X 6'6 Mh-f casting rod with a Daiwa Tatula 100 spooled with 50 lb braid.
Shimano 6'10" Mh-xf casting rod, no reel.

Will this work or do I need carp specific gear? Hook size?

Thanks for your time and help.

Any of those combos will work just fine, the only carp fishing I’ve done has been with light spinning gear. The way a carp can pull and run is a lot of fun with lighter gear. I used to fish for them in the backwaters of Lake Natoma, simple Carolina rig, usually 12lb leader. We used cheap white bread and rolled it up into half inch diameter balls and pushed a hook into it. I would use any size bait or treble hook that you might use for cat fishing. Maybe a 1/0 bait hook or a size 1 or 2 treble hook. I’m sure a little cent could hurt either. Hope this helps.