Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations catching grass carp

Any suggestions on how to reduce the GC in my 2 acre pond? I caught 3 in one cast with a cast net as they were eating the pellets at my feeder, but I want to catch some more.

I found that mine really love(d) balls of gummy white bread -- like Wonder Bread. I'd form a ball around a #1 hook -- no bobber, no sinker, nothing but the breadball and hook. I'd throw it out into the middle of the pellets, and a grass carp would soon be pulling on the other end.

No experience in angling for grass carp other than snagging them by accident while fishing for bass. I re-call a story I read in a magazine that they like cherry tomatoes. Should be easy to rig one on a hook and give it a try.

You might try ambushing them by hand feeding near a shooting location on a dock. That ought to be good for one more (or, rather, less) at least.

I would shoot them with my bow. It's easy, especially around a feeder or a small pond.

Bread works great as bait. I catch them when I am fishing for bream.

I catch carp on feed corn with on a hook on the bottom. Although, with corn prices, bread balls may be cheaper.

Last night I used Bill Cody's pellet technique to soften some pellets by putting a little water in a jar with some pellets. When I got home from work tonight, I threw in a piece of stale bread before I changed my clothes and started my chores.

By the time it was time to feed the fish, I had some very moist pellets and some very moist bread. I mixed my concoction with a small putty knife. It was the consistency of gritty modeling clay.

When I went down to feed, I took a rig that had a #2 hook and 4# test line. I covered the hook. As soon as the hook hit the water a 15-16 inch catfish grabbed it. Second cast and a very fat little 12-13 inch LMB grabbed it. Third cast and my grass carp friend "688" (named after the 688 class submarines) unfortunately grabbed it. He (she? alternate? -- how do we classify triploids??) is now well over 40 inches. I got 688 to the bank and tried to unhook the hook but my long nose pliers unfortunately hit the line, so off went my buddy with a hook in his lip. I tied on one more hook and quickly caught a 10-inch female bluegill.

That was enough excitement for the evening.

Anyway, a little bread, mixed with a some softened pellets, sure seems to tempt most anything in my pond.

Good fishn'
Ken

Ken,
That is one part I left out of my PBoss article about softening high protein pellets. If one softens 32% protein pellets the dough will not stay on the hook very long. The softened dough-like mixture of high protein pellets will hold its form well when molded on a hook and it can make good bait for pellet feeding fish. The main disadvantage to this is it teaches pellet feeding fish to be hesitant when feeding on pellets thus I rarely use the technique. Getting hooked and being jerked around by the jaw is pretty strong negative reinforcement.

Bill...

It would be an acceptable technique if you keep what you catch wouldn't it?