# Columbus Area Spring Carp



## Isaac_02 (Feb 21, 2016)

Hey everybody, my 12 year old little brother always talks about wanting to catch carp, but I’m honestly clueless about carp- I know they like corn and that’s about it. Can we catch carp this time of year, and if so where do we look? Looking for info on probably quantity rather than size, any info is very appreciated! Thanks in advance for any tips and help.


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## Fishballz (Aug 15, 2015)

I always liked "chumming" them with bread on the surface. Once mr lips comes up to start sucking down the chum, toss a line near with a piece of bread and get ready. I could not tell what lakes to fish by you but pretty much every lake has them it seems. I doubt it will work if they are spawning though

Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk


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## Workingman (Jan 21, 2016)

Buckeye lake is loaded with carp. That's where I'd take him!


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## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

Growing up we always carp fished in the olentangy at north or park , just south of the park of roses..... made dough ball , or up at twin lakes , Jeffrey formans lodge


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## Isaac_02 (Feb 21, 2016)

Thanks guys. If I take him to buckeye lake should we just fish from shore or take out the kayaks? My other question is how long should we wait with our bait in one area before we try a new one? Or are we better to sit in one spot for two hours due to the way they’re always moving around?


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## Tree_Beard (Jan 13, 2021)

Corn works good, I use dough balls a lot. Get a box of Raisin Bran and a can of sweet corn. Crunch up the bran into little pieces, then dump the liquid from the corn onto it and mix it up. You want it feeling a little dry at first, don’t overdo the liquid. You can carry a bunch of the dough in a bag or bucket and pull off chunks as you go. Mix some of the corn into it, or thread some of the corn onto the hook with the dough. Use smaller sized hooks with a wider gap; carp have small mouths. The bite can be subtle sometimes. A lunker might sit on the bait and mouth it and you think it’s just a little nibble until you set the hook. 
in lakes, go to wide flat muddy shallows and right up by shorelines. Lots of time you can find them visually. I’d give a spot 20 minutes or so and if you don’t have any action, move on.
youtube channel Catfish and Carp has a ton of good info, although I pack my baits about the size of a ping pong ball or smaller, that guy wads a softball size chunk on and bombs it out.


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## FishOhioQuest (Jul 10, 2020)

Tree_Beard said:


> Corn works good, I use dough balls a lot. Get a box of Raisin Bran and a can of sweet corn. Crunch up the bran into little pieces, then dump the liquid from the corn onto it and mix it up. You want it feeling a little dry at first, don’t overdo the liquid. You can carry a bunch of the dough in a bag or bucket and pull off chunks as you go. Mix some of the corn into it, or thread some of the corn onto the hook with the dough. Use smaller sized hooks with a wider gap; carp have small mouths. The bite can be subtle sometimes. A lunker might sit on the bait and mouth it and you think it’s just a little nibble until you set the hook.
> in lakes, go to wide flat muddy shallows and right up by shorelines. Lots of time you can find them visually. I’d give a spot 20 minutes or so and if you don’t have any action, move on.
> youtube channel Catfish and Carp has a ton of good info, although I pack my baits about the size of a ping pong ball or smaller, that guy wads a softball size chunk on and bombs it out.


Yes check out catfish and carp YouTube channel. Will definitely point you in the right direction.


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## dbortolani (Jun 1, 2016)

If you want to have some fun try fly fishing for them (better in the summer). Hard for a 12 yr old though. The Olentangy right south or north a bit of 270 has nice ones. They call them the freshwater bonefish because it is a sight fishing. First one I hooked remended me of why you have backing n a fly reel!


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## Isaac_02 (Feb 21, 2016)

Thanks all. Helpful and thoughtful info from everybody. Going to see what we can do here in the coming days with the nice weather. Hopefully I can get us both on some fish!


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## FishOhioQuest (Jul 10, 2020)

Isaac_02 said:


> Thanks all. Helpful and thoughtful info from everybody. Going to see what we can do here in the coming days with the nice weather. Hopefully I can get us both on some fish!


You might try chumming a couple spots for a few days before you fish. I did that last fall with great success. Especially if you aren't sure if fish are in the area.


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## meisjedog (Oct 4, 2010)

Isaac_02 said:


> Hey everybody, my 12 year old little brother always talks about wanting to catch carp, but I’m honestly clueless about carp- I know they like corn and that’s about it. Can we catch carp this time of year, and if so where do we look? Looking for info on probably quantity rather than size, any info is very appreciated! Thanks in advance for any tips and help.


Sent you a map, lived on this river for years. Water is crystal clear right now(the 100-year crystal) and they come out around noon when there is sun and are everywhere at night. Too many bugs at night though. I have seen some rolling around each other under a cut bank, but others are just lounging on the bank, half out of water smacking their fin. Some are spooky, others you can walk up to and net. Some huge 2'+ Quillback as well - jeez I bet they stink. Watch for the Geese - they are pissy! The carp have likely have dropped back until tomorrow(Monday) until the warmer temps. When it warms, you can practically feed it to them - stay loose on the drag at first though!

I am a bit confused as they usually run upriver, through shallow water - body half exposed before they spawn. Maybe what I saw was just foreplay.


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## BetterMetalFish (Aug 8, 2012)

I fish for carp a lot, there tons of fun to catch. There's a lot of good info here, and most lakes and rivers in central Ohio have good numbers of them. Definitely look up a hair rig, I started catching a lot more carp when I switched to that.

That being said I personally have never done that well for them this time of year, and I rarely target them nowadays until after they spawn.

Corn on a hair rig is my go to bait for carp in the late spring early/summer time. Any can of corn will work, I use Kroger brand, I mostly look for big sturdy kernals. I use a size 4 hook but a size 6 will also work. Make sure you're using a slip sink rig or something along that line, because carp have very sensitive mouths, if they feel the weight of the sinker they'll spit the bait out. As people have mentioned chumming is a very effective tactic. If you can get out a 2-3 days in advance and chum the area each day until you fish you'll increase your chance of catching fish. Even if you can't do this, throwing out a handful or 2 of bait every 30 minutes or so while you're out fishing doesn't hurt. Lastly, keep in mind they are spooky fish. Try not to make too many loud noises, talking in a normal voice is fine, and when casting make sure you cast past where you want to go and reel back into where you want to be.

I'm by no means an expert but you can feel free to ask me any other questions you have. Good luck out there.


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## Shaun69007 (Sep 2, 2009)

Workingman said:


> Buckeye lake is loaded with carp. That's where I'd take him!


If you go to buckeye go fish inside the docks at papa boos. Everybody throws their food over the side to watch the carp eat it. Good spot for cats too.


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## Isaac_02 (Feb 21, 2016)

Shaun and workingman, that info is also very helpful. Hopefully this week he and I can get out and catch some!


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