How exactly does one go about catching a grass carp? Other than “grass” what would you use for bait. I have foul hooked and lost them on rattle traps, and I caught a small one (2 lbs.) on a small nyph pattern while chasing gills. I ask because I have access to two ponds that have a number of huge (30-40 lb.) fish in them and have always wanted to do battle with these giants of the farm pond.

Posted by Colt on April 18

Woops, awsome fish, and congrats on the record Logan! After seeing your picture I started daydreaming a little bit. What kind of record is it? Biggest fish? Line record? Both?

Posted by Colt on April 18

I caught one once on a wax worm while bluegill fishing with ultra light tackle. talk about a ride.

Posted by TC-D2 on April 18

wow!! So close to were I live too.  I bowfish for carp and what a fight with the 200# line on my AMS reel.  Do you know what pound test he was using?problly something silly like 8lb, lol.  Colt-  Sweet corn is pretty good for them too. Straight from the can or they have minxtures in a dip bait-like form.  I’ve tried to catch them with rod and reel and not had luck.  They seem to bite better on a fiberglass arrow.  They are delicious smoked too.

Posted by bowfisher1 on April 18

They’ll hit crickets too.  Caught about a 10 lber once on ultralight with 4# line.  It was a handful…

Congrats to Logan on his record!

Posted by RiverRat on April 18

Congrats on the monster Logan!!!
——
Hey guys, I stink at fishing but I know where two monster grass carps lurk. These two carps are really big and I mean big! I’ve tried to catch them going on four years now with no luck. I’ll try the cherry tomatoes, unless someone can give me an idea of better bait. One other thing; can you eat these? If so, how good are they?
—
Oh yeah, I almost forgot; can you bow shoot these legally here in IL?
Thanks!

Posted by Marc Anthony on April 18

Nice catch Logan!  Josh, I’ve also had great luck w dark green lettuce, glad i’m not the only one who’s tried it.  Colt, get alfalfa cubes that is used to feed horses, Thread it on the line w a needle and tie a tiny hook on the end. It works great!

Posted by justin on April 18

I caught about a ten-pounder once on a floating Rapala.
Yes, actually caught in the mouth. In fact the thing really smashed it! I thought that I had a record bass on.
Shortly after that, I read a blurb somewhere that stated Grass Carp will become more and more omnivorous (eating “meat” and vegetation,)as they get bigger.
In other words, small ones will eat only vegetation, but as they grow they will begin to eat other things.

Posted by Raptor on April 18

I have used corn to catch carp before. I think they were common carp not grass carp. Don’t know if it will work for them. Throw out a handfull or two of corn then put a couple kernels on a small heavy hook. Once they start feeding on the “chum” throw your line out. Great fun.

Posted by illin on April 20

try these for carp. Take strips of medical gause.  Make a paste of tropical fish food and gelatine mix.  Compress in to the strips of gause and refrigerate to harden.  Make the cut strips abot 2” widex 6” long.  Make the mix a Little wet so after you compress in you can lay them out on wax paper to stiffen.  Carp aren’t stupid.  Every other bait is usually balled and they learn to stay away….usually.
try purchasing floating Koi sticks and tieing them to the hook with multiple wraps of very lite line in different colors.  Algae wafers hot glued to hooks works sometimes also.
Superworms (several) on a hook   It’s best to throw out one or two lines with appropriate weight…and then wait(no pun intended).
It’s also best to sneak up on areas of small creeks/rivers.  Remember big carp are old and they have memories.  They eat anything and almost everything….unless they see/hear you and then it’s game on.
I even know one guy who saves cottonwood and dandelion seed and makes a gelatine paste with that.  That is most of the composittion of the scum seen floating that they are sucking up in May/June. 
Unlike predator fish they feed constantly…a little at a time. Predators feed aggressively until full and then rest a few hours or a couple days depending on temps.
They say most fish stop eating at 50 degree water temp.  But I had a 30” deep Koi pond that all the koi grew and gained weight over winter feeding on algae.
Theres another idea…take string algae out of a creek/river and make a gelatine/alge paste for the gause.
I like 10# PowerPro line….you can cut wood with it when not fishing….or tow your car out of the woods if it gets stuck.

Posted by BassBuster on April 20

Hey guys this is Logan Thomas. Jacob Millichamp is my best friend, Him and I were fishing at our lake one day when HE caught the monster carp. Me and my cousin Jonn must have had a miscommunication and he thought that I caught the record. At the time we thought that it was a WORLD Record!! But it just turned out to be a NORTH AMERICAN record :( , unfortunate but still really cool!!
  Anyway I am considered the “Co-Angler” and will not be in the record book, but if anyone ever meets Jake or I we will both agree that neither of us could have caught this epic fish without each other, and it was a great experience that we will never forget!
    Good fishing!!

Posted by Logan The Co-Angler on May 30