How does bait for river carp differ from that used for carp in ponds and lakes?

Carp are reputed to be the most difficult fish to catch amongst all species targeted by anglers, due to their intelligence and cunning. Furthermore, their ‘picky’ eating habits mean that preparing bait for carp fishing is a time-consuming process that requires considerable effort.

This article will share with you the secrets to making effective, simple and successful carp bait, ensuring a catch every time you take up your rod.

How to make bait for river carp

You should choose spots with still water and a gentle current, where the fish can rest and take the bait more easily.

• Roast the fishmeal until charred, then mix it with thin mud and clay to give the river the scent of used bait.
• Soaked rice
• Maize flour
• Mix the ingredients thoroughly and place everything into a bag. Note: to allow the scent to waft out and attract the fish, you should pierce small holes with the tip of a chopstick.

However, Making bait for river carp usually takes quite a long time, around 48 hours. Such a long period is needed for the fish to feel safe in the bait area before taking the bait; you should not rush to set the hook too early, as this may startle the fish and cause them to swim away.

Making river carp bait can sometimes be more effective when using a single hook, as this avoids startling the fish and, once they feel safe, makes them more likely to take the bait.

How to make bait for carp in ponds and lakes

For this type of bait, anglers should use ingredients such as soya beans, roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, broad beans and rice bran. Then, lightly roast all these ingredients until slightly charred to release their aroma. Next, crush the snail shells into small pieces and mix them thoroughly with the other ingredients. Scatter the bait in the area where you wish to fish. After a few minutes, once the carp have been attracted, to improve your chances of a catch, position the hook about 30 cm away from the bait pile, as carp tend to feed near the edges.

And that’s it – a very simple yet highly effective method for making carp bait for both rivers and lakes.

You’re probably wondering how river carp bait differs from lake carp bait, aren’t you?

To understand the difference between river carp bait and lake carp bait, it is crucial to know when the fish are feeding. If you can pinpoint the exact feeding times, your chances of catching fish will be very high. Even just a wiggling bait is enough to bring in a fish. River carp and lake carp also have different feeding times.

Behaviour of river carp

When fishing for river carp, dusk and when the water rises are probably the best times to fish. These are also the times favoured by many anglers, as they coincide with their free time and cooler weather. However, according to professional anglers, the best times to catch carp are between 17:00 and 21:00 in summer and between 16:00 and 22:00 in winter, as this is when the fish are most active and feeding.

The behaviour of carp in ponds and lakes

In lakes, there are various factors at play, and conditions vary. The fish in lakes are mainly farmed. Consequently, the feeding times set by fish farmers become the carp’s feeding habits through ‘conditioned reflexes’. If you are fishing for carp in a lake, it is best to fish shortly after they have been released, as their natural feeding reflexes will still be intact. For lakes in Hanoi, Hai Duong is the main supplier of carp. Consequently, their feeding times are from 6 am to 8 am in the morning and from 4 pm to 7 pm in the afternoon.

Furthermore, lake carp are typically reared in more mature ponds, so they differ in several ways from river-reared carp. Consequently, the bait used for lake carp differs slightly from that used for river carp. Lake carp are accustomed to eating commercial fishmeal, so using fishmeal to catch lake carp is the most effective method.