The rivers are all low and clear now, which makes things a little tougher for a smallmouth angler, but a lot easier for a carp fisherman. They are easy to spot in shallow water and, yes, carp are gaining in popularity as worthy opponents.
Carp will not win any beauty contests and they will never be featured as an entree at a seafood restaurant. You’ve heard the one about how to prepare carp, haven’t you? Clean the carp, put it on a roof shingle with lemon and butter and bake it for two hours. Then throw away the carp and eat the shingle.
Carp taste as bad as they look, but they are powerful fish and can put up a whale of a fight.
Want to have some fun this summer? Try fishing for carp with lightweight tackle. Here’s how.
First, all of Virginia’s major lakes—Smith Mountain, Lake Anna, Buggs and Gaston—have large carp populations and they are fairly easy to catch. Understand though, carp have very sensitive mouths. They will often pick up a potential piece of food but if it doesn’t taste or feel right, they quickly spit it out. If a carp picks up a baited hook and feels the drag of a heavy sinker, it’s no deal. He won’t eat it.
But an angler with light line, maybe 6 pound test, won’t have to use a heavy sinker to throw a size 6 or 8 hook baited with a couple pieces of canned corn. Ideally, fish from a pier or a dock and first toss a handful of Niblets corn in maybe 4-6 feet of water—carp come shallow to feed in the early mornings and late afternoons. During the heat of the day, they hang out in deeper water and usually won’t bite. The very best time to fish for carp is late afternoons.
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