Grass carp is the dream of every angler. The desire of this peace-loving giant causes incomparable excitement and a lot of emotions. Knowing some of the nuances of catching captured fish, not only experienced but also beginner fishermen can count on a good catch.

Fish habitat

Grass carp is the largest representative of the carp family. Freshwater reservoirs of East Asia are considered its homeland, but due to acclimatization and artificial breeding, fish is found in many rivers and lakes of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and many other countries. Amur is notable for great endurance and adapts quite well to conditions in which other representatives of the cyprinid family do not take root.

These features include:

1. The temperature regime of the reservoir. It feels excellent both in cold water (0 ... + 5 ° C) and tolerates the hot season when the water warms up to + 25 ° C.
2. The ability to live in the freshand in salty waters.
3. Prefers places teeming with vegetation.
4. Tolerates well low oxygen reservoirs.

Fish lives in packs and prefers a daily way of life. Cupid is a very voracious fish and feeds exclusively on plant foods. Artificial breeding of this species contributes to the increasing population of water bodies.

Did you know? The world record for catching grass carp was set by Jason Richards, who caught a trophy weighing 38 kg. This is the absolute record that was set in France on Lake Valley.

This type of fish can be found in:

• lakes;
• rivers
• irrigation canals;
• artificial lakes;
• power plant cooling ponds.

The most successful places for catching Cupid are:

• coastal line with dense thickets of plants;
• sunny, well-heated shallow water;
• clean stretches;
• areas with a small current;
• uninhabited and quiet places;
• spacious areas with dense grass and a depth of not more than 3 m.

The choice of gear and equipment for fishing

Rods should be chosen the same as for carp, that is, for strong, heavy members of the family. It is better to take the most durable spinning rods with powerful reels or float rods.

There are a number of requirements that should be considered when snap-in:

1. The diameter of the fishing line should be from 0.25 to 0.3 mm.
2. A leash must be required. Recommended diameter is from 0.2 to 0.25 mm.
3. Hooks are taken for a large trophy under the numbers 8-12.

The most popular gear are:

• plug;
• match fishing rod;
• feeder;
• bottom tackle;
• "The killer of grass carp."

Video: catching tackle on grass carp

Plug

For fishing on the stream or in the pond, it is better to choose the plug type of the rod. The gear has a hard blank and a good length. For fishing representatives of the carp family, the plug is an indispensable type of fishing rod.

• The main advantages of a plug fishing rod are:
• makes fishing in hard-to-reach places possible;
• has a high sensitivity to bite;
• works well in strong currents;
• there is the possibility of feeding selected territory;
• Able to cope with heavy trophy hunting.

• Despite the positive aspects of gear, there are some disadvantages that should not be ignored:
• relatively high cost of the plug;
• large dimensions bring discomfort when moving;
• heavy fishing rod weight.

Match fishing rod

Fishing for this representative of cyprinids can be carried out both in shallow places and in depth. For longer and more accurate casting, match rods are best. This type of gear can easily cope with a trophy of considerable weight. Equipping the tackle with a match reel, you will be capable of the power and pressure of a handsome white man. A match fishing rod is good for fishing in still waters and in weak currents.

• This type of fishing rod has the following advantages:
• high casting range;
• ability to withstand heavy weight;
• low cost of gear;
• a light weight.

An indispensable element of equipment is a running float, very sensitive to bite and convenient for long casts. For a leash, you should take a strong fishing line of 0.45 mm.

Feeder

Given that this representative of cyprinids in weight sometimes exceeds 20 kg, the use of delicate and delicate gear is not appropriate here. The feeder is most often used in spring, when the bottom of the reservoir is not yet very full of vegetation. For amur fishing, a feeder rod with a slow formation should be used.

Important! When preparing the feeder and bottom rods, it is necessary to achieve buoyancy of the bait above the bottom and prevent its drawing. Optimal is to raise the nozzle 20 cm above the bottom surface.

The tackle is coarse but powerful. The length of the rod is usually a little over 3 m, and the test is from 40 to 80 g. The coil should be powerful, and the volume of the spool should range from 5000 to 7000.

• The advantages of a feeder rod are:
• the ability to make long and accurate casts;
• combination of top dressing and casting;
• high sensitivity gear;
• the ability to pluck trophies with heavy weight;
• power and reliability.

Bottom tackle

Many anglers prefer fishing for cupid on the donka. In such cases, you should take a powerful carp rod, equipped with a capacious reel. Even a simple spinning with a test index of 40 to 100 g is good, choosing the length of the rod, you should pay attention to gear no longer than 2.7 m.

Important! Despite its impressive size, grass carp has a rather cowardly character. For successful capture of captured fish, the main condition is silence and caution.

Most often, 100 m of fishing line is enough, so anglers stop at 2500 spool. In order to cope with a large trophy, a braided cord is used instead of fishing line, which is able to withstand high breaking load. The diameter of the cord varies from 0.1 to 0.12 mm. The selection of hooks is carried out depending on the weight of the intended catch, as well as on the thickness of the fishing line or cord. For fishing for cupid, hooks No. 8–12 are recommended.

• The main advantages of bottom gear are:
• simplicity of gear;
• the possibility of distant casting;
• use of signaling devices of any type.

• The disadvantages include:
• low efficiency of classic baits (only technoplankton providing the effect of a “geyser” should be used as bait);
• grass carp is not very willing to take bait from the bottom due to the structure of the mouth (feeding at the surface of the water and in its middle layers is more comfortable for representatives of the cyprinidae family).

“Cupid Killer”

One of the most effective is considered a tackle called "Cupid Killer". It can be used for angling any representatives of the cyprinid family in the water column.

Its main components are:

• large float;
• fishing line covered in some areas with a rubber cord;
• feeding trough;
• hooks tied next to the feeder.

If desired, the tackle can be made independently from improvised materials.

It’s easy to build a “killer” in a few simple steps:

1. Making a feeder. To do this, you need to take any stainless steel wire and wrap it on a cylindrical object. Form a feeder from the turns and fix it with a pair of pliers. It can be given the desired shape by increasing the diameter of the central turns and reducing the latter.
2. Tube mountholding a fishing line. It can be metal or plastic. The ends of the tube should be pressed tightly with the extreme turns of wire.
3. Carbine mountingwhich will be attached to the sinker loop. Before starting the main work, you should tie small pieces of fishing line to the carabiner. Through the tubes of the feeders, it is necessary to thread the main fishing line and fix them with stop beads.
4. Equip leashes with hooks and fasten them with loops.

In order to give the hooks buoyancy, to facilitate self-notching when sucking fish nozzles, a foam ball is attached to the tackle. It also plays the role of an irritant, provoking a bite.

• This type of equipment has a lot of advantages:
• does not require the selection of special rods and reels;
• several hooks and feeders increase the chance of biting;
• the self-smashing effect is very useful in bad weather conditions or at night;
• with its help it is possible to catch not only grass carp, but also crucian carp, roach, tench and rudd.

• Like any other tackle, this one also has its drawbacks:
• Complete lack of sensitivity. Any changes become visible only after the trophy has hooked up, which greatly reduces the interest of sports fishing enthusiasts.
• The presence of a large number of leashes and hooks leads to frequent tangling.
• Not suitable for sport fishing due to the presence of several hooks.
• Low survival rate when swallowing bait.
• The factory models of "Cupid's killer" can not quickly replace the sinker. This is often a necessity when changing the distance and depth of fishing in the absence of bite at the original fishing location.

The best catching bait and bait

In order for the bait to work at any time of the year, it must meet two very important criteria:

• create a lot of turbidity;
• have the ability to hold potential catch in one place.

As a bait, commercial mixtures are widely used. Grass carp is a fairly gluttonous fish, which is impossible to overfeed. This is why feeding should be very plentiful. Cupid has a good sense of smell and reacts with lightning speed to friable and granular baits.

A good bait can be not only purchased, but also independently made, but in both cases it should form a stable cloud of turbidity with inclusions of large nutritious flakes.

The best ingredients for complementary foods are:

• dry corn;
• cereals;
• crackers;
• grated cookies;
• all kinds of cereals;
• cake;
• honey;
• condensed milk.

Bait is considered effective, the composition of which includes soybean, corn or semolina, chopped peppermint, basil and sunflower seeds.

Vegetable

Amur prefers baits of plant origin.

The most effective include:

• cabbage (young, not very stiff leaves);
• beetroot leaf;
• salad;
• dandelion leaves;
• mint;
• fresh greens of dill and parsley;
• spinach;
• ovary of cucumber;
• boiled corn and peas;
• fresh corn;
• boiled potatoes;
• boiled barley and wheat;
• bread crumb;
• dough;
• mastic;
• seaweed;
• a stalk of reeds;
• leaf of alder and willow.

Animals

Under certain weather or seasonal conditions, grass carp may prefer bait of animal origin.

Among them:

• locust;
• grasshopper;
• creep out;
• muckworm;
• bloodworm;
• maggot;
• earthworm;
• chicken liver.

Artificial

In addition to baits of plant and animal origin, 3 types of artificial bait are quite widely used:

1. Boyles. They are small balls, which include the favorite food of grass carp. Boilies flavored with anise or sunflower oil are very good at work. The most effective are baits that can hang at a certain water level. In addition to the described boilies, quite often anglers use floating baits, which are easy to hold on the surface of the reservoir.
2. Granules. They are a compressed dry food, consisting of many various ingredients. This type of bait is very convenient, it can also be used as a hook attachment. For good feeding, do not save on pellets. To keep the grass carp in one place, you will need a considerable amount of bait, since the captured fish is very voracious.
3. Foam balls.Based on the basis of small balls of foam, imitating corn grain, which are applied natural flavors. For cupid, the smell of cucumber or freshly cut grass is most preferred. Using balls, you should take care of a good natural bait and add to it the same flavor as on the bait.

Amur bait recipes

When capturing trophy fish, more than half the success depends on the right bait. Knowledgeable anglers prefer compositions prepared independently at home. The following recipes are considered the most effective.

Did you know? In order for the weight of grass carp to increase by 1 kg, fish need to eat from 3 to 4 tens of kilograms of plant foods.

Corn based

To prepare the bait you will need:

• 3 kg of corn;
• 4 tbsp. l honey;
• 10 drops of anise oil;
• 2 hours hemp oil.

The cooking method takes place in several stages:

1. Pour the corn into the pan, pour cold water and leave to soak for 48 hours.
2. After the time has passed, squeeze out the excess liquid, pour boiling water and cook until the grains soften. It is important not to digest the corn, each grain must remain intact.
3. Add honey and butter to the finished corn.
4. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, put in a container and refrigerate. Such a bait can be stored for no more than 48 hours.

From pearl barley and peas

Essential Ingredients:

• 2 kg of pearl barley;
• 2 kg of peas;
• Banana flavor
• 0.5 kg of seed cake;
• 200 g of maggots.

The process of preparing the bait:

1. Pour peas with cold water and leave to swell for a day.
2. Place the barley in a thermos, fill the vessel with boiling water and let it brew for 2-3 hours.
3. Pour the prepared barley into a container, add to it the pressed seeds and honey.
4. Mix the peas and pearl barley well, and then add the maggots.
5. Add flavoring to carefully combined ingredients.

Ready-made bait is used on the day of preparation. At home, you can easily cook boilies that are as effective as the purchased bait.

In order to make balls, the following components will be required:

• 200 g of soy flour;
• 400 g of cornmeal;
• 200 g semolina;
• 50 g of fried sunflower seeds;
• 50 g of hemp seeds;
• 100 g protein mixture;
• 20 g of salt;
• 8 chicken eggs;
• 15 ml betaine;
• fresh dill;
• several mint leaves;
• ground cinnamon;
• caraway;
• basil;
• 10 drops of anise oil;
• Vanilla flavor
• dye green or pink.

Cooking method:

1. Grind loose ingredients with a blender or coffee grinder.
2. Drive eggs into a bowl and mix with a whisk.
3. Gradually introduce flour into the egg mass.
4. Knead your hands with a tight, elastic dough.
5. Form small sausages with a diameter of not more than 2 cm.
6. Cut sausages into equal pieces and make balls of them.
7. In boiling water, lower the boilies. If the bait will sink, then it should be kept in boiling water for 3 minutes, and then put on a paper towel. If the boilies dissolve in boiling water, then such balls are ready, they just need to be dried.
8. Dilute the dye in water, lower the bait for staining into the composition.
9. Dry the formed balls on paper napkins.

Video: Cupid bait

Features of fishing at different times of the year

Fishing for grass carp always depends on weather conditions.

Fish reacts very sharply to precipitation, wind and air temperature, so fishing in different seasons has significant differences:

1. Catching in the spring. The first active bites can be expected no earlier than the end of April.At this time, fish can be found in shallow coastal waters, where the temperature of the reservoir rises much faster than at depth. In spring, you can save on baits well, cupid is very active and has a good appetite. Any fresh plants are used for bait. The most effective attachments for catching trophy fish in spring can be considered corn, barley, cabbage leaf, reed stalks.
2. Fishing in the summer. The period is characterized by active biting, thanks to well-warmed water. Summer fishing is considered the most active. At this time of the year, fish should be well fed with mixtures containing corn and pearl barley. The most effective nozzles are pieces of cucumber, corn, seaweed and peas. Good bite can also be achieved using cherries, apricots or cherry plum.
3. Autumn fishing. Fishing in autumn is possible only in calm and warm weather. Despite this, nibble is very active. The fish prepares for wintering and has a good appetite. In autumn, fish can peck at bloodworms, worms, locusts and maggots.
4. Winter lull of grass carp. Since this representative of cyprinids belongs to heat-loving fish, one can not expect particularly memorable hard bites in winter. For baits are often used bait of animal origin.

How to catch grass carp on reeds

One of the most non-standard ways of catching grass carp is fishing on the reeds.

There are 2 ways to catch fish using this simple plant:

1. For fishing you need to choose a strong fishing rod. As a tool you will need a good-quality reel with fishing line with a thickness of 0.3 to 0.6 mm and a hook under No. 10. The role of the bait is performed by the reed stalk from 50 cm long. To prepare the tackle, you should wrap the stalk with a fishing line in a spiral, and the hook should be masked in the leaves of the upper part of the reed. By lowering the structure into the water, the reed assumes its characteristic position. The top with a hook should slightly touch the water surface.
2. For the second method you need to take a young sheet of reeds, fold it in half and string on a hook. The bait is cast from a long distance, aiming to get as close to the reed thickets as possible. The method imitates a leaf floating on the surface of the water, by which the fish definitely will not pass.

Despite all the difficulties associated with catching grass carp, this task is quite feasible for every angler. It is enough to know the nature of the captured fish, its habits and taste preferences. Properly selected gear, a place of fishing, bait and bait, on which the fish are successfully caught, will not make you wait long for an excellent result.