# where are the nice carp in northeast Ohio??



## carpslayer (Mar 25, 2012)

Looking to do some battle with some big carp any info would be appreciated!!..
Thanks:B


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## Rick216 (Dec 22, 2010)

Carpslayer,
I have found many rivers that hold big carp. One of my favorites is the downriver side of Lake Ladue, Thats Rt 422 east of the lake.Caught a 40+ in. off of Rapids rd.
Cuyahoga River down by RT 82 can hold bigguns also. If your near the Rocky River you'll find some good carp waters by the boat launch but you'll have to fight the steelhead fisherman for a spot.

Good luck and tight lines


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

Pymatuming! There are some absolute pigs in there. I have snagged a 30 pounder while trolling for muskies.


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## dan1985 (Sep 29, 2011)

Mahoning river in leavittsburg, at the falls with bread! Many battles won and lost when i was younger...my grandpa did give me a good carp recipe...get a nice wooden cutting board, cut the carp open and stuff it full of garlic and onions and butter, bake it on the cutting board in the oven, when its done, throw the fish out and eat the board!


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## carpslayer (Mar 25, 2012)

haha nice!! pure a sport fish to me!! they fight like crazy and contend with anything out there in terms of fight.. thanks for the tip i will look that up.. i use oats on a treble hook


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## JSykes3 (Oct 14, 2010)

Yeah, carp fight very good. 
My friends say I like carp fishing more then bass fishing but I fish for bass more. When it's too hot for bass I usually go for carp.


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## tippy (Mar 7, 2012)

Guilford Lake in columbiana county has some nice carp. When their spawing you can take a landing net and dip them out on shore. That takes place some time in may. My brother and I caught 35 in 4 hours, while were waiting for a bit. Their right up along the shore when spawing.


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## Bass-Chad (Mar 9, 2012)

I've got into some decent carp at Old Portage Lakes State park in the 20-30lb range. I was spot fishing minnow schools up on top the water when I seen a school of fins about 40 yards west of them so I hurried up tossed on a fly and put it right on top of their heads until they nailed it out of agitation. They aren't a bass but, the fight is fun none the less.


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## Steelhead Fever (Dec 31, 2009)

Pymatuning, thats the only thing that that crappy lake has.....and a lot of them


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## Bluegill_Guru (Mar 10, 2012)

Excluding panfish naturally, the carp is probably the strongest fighting fish in its weight range. I know there will be detractors to this statement, but the only freshwater fish I can see possibly being a stronger fighter per pound would be large trout and salmon. I have never fished for either of the two so I cannot comment on there power. 

Smallmouth and largies may fight like hell and leave the water several times during a fight, which is both amazing and fantastic, but this behavior seems to tire the fish out and bring the battle to an end. My largest LB caught just made it to the ten pound mark, and the battle lasted maybe 2 minutes long, and mostly because I was being so ginger with her, not wanting to lose her; but a ten pound carp on the same rod/reel/line setup could take you much longer to bring in. A carp seems to fight very similar to hybrid striped bass in my experience, with long, powerful runs. The only difference between the carp and the hybrids seems to be that the hybrids tire out much sooner. It is so much fun fighting a big carp, as it seems so many times just when you think the fish is beat and you almost have it to shore --- it makes yet another powerful run stripping 20 or 30 more yards from your reel.

No one mentioned Mosquito here? I have caught some big carp up to 15 pounds in Walnut Run, and seen big schools of much bigger carp there, in the 20-30 pound range.


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## Evinrude58 (Apr 13, 2011)

My son and his family catch some nice ones in the tusc. and I have seen some nice ones pulled out of Sippo lake. If you let us know where you are live it would be easier to help you out.


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

Bluegill_Guru said:


> Excluding panfish naturally, the carp is probably the strongest fighting fish in its weight range. I know there will be detractors to this statement, but the only freshwater fish I can see possibly being a stronger fighter per pound would be large trout and salmon. I have never fished for either of the two so I cannot comment on there power.
> 
> Smallmouth and largies may fight like hell and leave the water several times during a fight, which is both amazing and fantastic, but this behavior seems to tire the fish out and bring the battle to an end. My largest LB caught just made it to the ten pound mark, and the battle lasted maybe 2 minutes long, and mostly because I was being so ginger with her, not wanting to lose her; but a ten pound carp on the same rod/reel/line setup could take you much longer to bring in. A carp seems to fight very similar to hybrid striped bass in my experience, with long, powerful runs. The only difference between the carp and the hybrids seems to be that the hybrids tire out much sooner. It is so much fun fighting a big carp, as it seems so many times just when you think the fish is beat and you almost have it to shore --- it makes yet another powerful run stripping 20 or 30 more yards from your reel.
> 
> No one mentioned Mosquito here? I have caught some big carp up to 15 pounds in Walnut Run, and seen big schools of much bigger carp there, in the 20-30 pound range.


Well spoken. I too agree that carp are by far one of the hardest fighting fish. I've had some pretty epic fights with 8-14 pound carp, some lasting well over the 5 minute mark. One thing that makes the fight difficult is that you don't want to put too much pressure on them, because hooks tend to rip out of their soft mouths. I have lost many fish as they surface with mouth pointed in my direction.....the hook tends to fly right out.


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## joebertin (Mar 26, 2010)

Carpslayer, you'd be hard pressed to find a lake around here
with no carp. They are everywhere, and great fighters.


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Thought I would share my dough ball recipe with you carp guys. 
I grew up fishing for carp and have tried about every method known to man. There are a million different baits and variations out there i.e. Wheaties, sweet anise, etc. but nothing we found works as well as this.
Mix 3 parts yellow corn meal with one part flour.
Slowly add water until it forms a consistency similar to play-dough but a bit more firm. 
Roll into a ball and boil for 10 minutes.
Once cool, bust it all apart with a fork and add clear Karo syrup. We found that a baseball sized ball takes about a tablespoon of syrup-(maybe a hair more).
Add a teaspoon of vanilla flavoring and mix together well.
If the consistency is right, you can completely hide your hook in a teardrop shape of dough and it won't come off even with an aggressive cast. It doesn't disolve nearly as fast as other recipies I've tried and smells so good you'll want to eat it yourself. The scent really draws them in. They like to suck on it and spit it back out forever sometimes before they take it. Most times your line will go slack and stay that way for a minute or two. Then they take off! I can't tell you how many rods we lost over the years.
Everyone whos ever fished for carp has their own formula and recipie for dough ball, but this is easy to make and hands down the best one I've ever used.


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## Bluegill_Guru (Mar 10, 2012)

Thanks for the recipe All Eyes. I have never used any dough bait for carp before, perhaps just out of laziness. Corn and Nightcrawlers have worked pretty well for me, with corn being my personal favorite as for the most part nothing but carp will hit the corn, except for that pesky 'Gill *shakes fists* hahaha


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## lakota (Oct 28, 2009)

I got my first carp of the year at Ladue last week...with a 45# recurve bow and a muzzy fish arrow. I think I'm gonna like bowfishing.

I'm still going to fish for them with a rod and reel though.


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## buckzye11 (Jul 16, 2009)

If anyone has been to Clinton, in the SW corner of Summit County, there is a public fishing pond right next to the fire station and the O&E Canal bike path. The difference with this pond is it gets the flood waters from the Tusc and gets alot of stranded Carp and Bowfin in there, most are average fish but there are a few biguns in there. But if you got corn, theres always some drag singin.


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

I know that little pond well as I grew up next door in Canal Fulton. My daughter and I let 2 ducks go at that park that she raised to adulthood in a big pen that I built in the yard. Man they seemed happy and took off mingling with the other ducks. The one we called Lefty had a bad leg from birth and it was shorter than the other leg. It would walk fine but with a considerable limp. That duck stayed at that pond forever and we could always spot it from the car if it was walking. 
I also used to fish the Tusc river in that area around Warwick. It used to be carp/catfish/turtle central back then but I haven't carp fished in 20 years or more.


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## homerun (Nov 22, 2009)

I noticed that you're from Cleveland. I believe that the best carp/catfish spot nearby is the SR 82 dam on the Cuyahoga. There are some huge carp with an occasional bonus catfish.


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## mattrugby (May 31, 2012)

Rick
Which side of dam on 82 would you recomend fishing ofr carp...how far up?
cheers from old limey looking to catch first carp in 30 years.


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## BassMeister (May 31, 2012)

If you go to the falls in down town chagrin falls, and go to the park there where you have access to the river, you can catch carp and catfish all day.

Years ago while I was a teen I used to go there and pitch corn filled dough balls and would catch 25"+ carp all the time and catfish as well.

Great fight, and plenty to be had.


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## mattrugby (May 31, 2012)

Thanks. I will try it. I'm in Sagamore Hills too. Anywhere around here you recommend?
Thx.


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## BassMeister (May 31, 2012)

I live in Greenwood Village there is a pond there that they stock with trout every year, but after they have a little tourney they are either all caught or they wash up dead. 

I have been learning that little pond and finally figured out what they like.

There is also the Hoga by Rt 82 if you don't mind river fishing, I have only explored two little parts of it and have only got 1 SM there, which was pretty dinky, however there are spots around Snowville road that you can get out and walk to the river from.

I usually go to Medina Lake and fish the shore there, until I can afford a 'Yak I am land locked.


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