How to Fish for Bighead and Silver Carp? A Full Breakdown of Practical Angling Techniques

In spring and autumn, bighead and silver carp are most active, so many anglers choose this period to fish, but catching bighead and silver carp requires technique, so how do you fish for bighead and silver carp?

1. Time

Low temperatures are not suitable for catching bighead and silver carp; the best temperature is above 10 degrees, but at this time bighead carp are few. Bighead carp generally only appear frequently when the water temperature reaches 20 degrees. So once the late-spring cold snap passes, you can get going.

2. Tackle

Too soft is no good, but remember it must not be too stiff. 28 and 37 are good. Remember the rod should also be light, because silver carp and bighead carp are both large fish, and if it is too heavy it is inconvenient to lift the rod. A rod length of 5.4 m is best; when the temperature is at its hottest you can also use 4.5 m. A long rod is not necessarily the best to use, but if you can handle a long rod, then of course that works too.

3. Fishing Spot

For silver carp and bighead carp, generally choose a spot with deep water and a relatively calm surface. In early spring when temperatures are low, choose a sun-facing side, because that way there is plenty of sunlight. After the Start of Summer, when the weather warms up again, a shade-facing side is also fine. After the Start of Summer, choosing a shade-facing side can also catch silver carp. If it is windy, remember not to face the wind.

4. Bait

Bait for silver carp should highlight the characteristics of sourness and stinkiness. Use fermented sour bait for silver carp as the main ingredient, paired with various stinky additive ingredients, and you can make many kinds of bait for silver carp.

Bait preparation for silver carp

(1) Convenient silver carp bait: 30% chick feed, 40% commercial silver carp and bighead carp bait, 20% snowflake powder, 10% sticky powder. Mix the above ingredients evenly and take them to the fishing spot. When using, add water at a ratio of 1:0.7, stir evenly, and it is ready for fishing. This bait is simple to make, easy to carry, and clearly effective.

(2) Fermented silver carp bait: 40% chick feed, 20% wheat bran, 30% cornmeal, 10% soybean powder. Add water to the above ingredients and adjust to a moist state, seal and ferment for more than a week before use. This bait has a magical effect on silver carp.

5. Float Tuning Techniques

When putting on bait, some friends are not very good at judging how much to put on; sometimes it is too much and sometimes too little, but if there is only an error of about one float segment, there is actually no need to change the bait, because the effect is not significant. Because this way fishing is clearer and easier to judge, we do not need to mind it. Of course, many anglers are also used to adjusting to a high number of segments with an empty hook, then setting it 1 segment above the jujube-shaped float; this tuning method is of course also fine, and the specific situation actually also needs to be decided according to your specific situation when fishing.

6. Fishing Method

If the float often sways left and right briskly, do not strike the rod first; it is 100 percent a snagged fish. At this time, the fish are moving above the hook, or water flow fluctuations are affecting our observation. Once you have confirmed the fish layer exists, remember to pull the float down a dozen or so cm before fishing again. If you see the float pause for a while and then suddenly start bobbing up and down, then that is the time for you to strike the rod hard.

Overall, bighead and silver carp are easy to catch; as long as you choose good tackle, prepare the bait, find a good fishing spot, and then wait patiently for the fish to bite, that is all you need.