Thanks to fishing in the autumn, the fish become noticeably more active, but with the gradual arrival of cold weather, the metabolism of calm fish slows down and even at this time predatory fish become the main part of the catch. October is the last period of time when fishing for wild carp can be carried out: while its activity is noted.
fishing for carp in October
Highlights of October carp fishing
From the beginning of October, and in the northern regions from the end of September, carp actively migrates from large fast-flowing rivers to quiet backwaters. He strives for wintering pits and dumps. Fish swim nearby and feed in the depths. It no longer goes into shallow water in October. You can find carp during this period in snags, in places where trees have been knocked down into the water. The main signs that this territory is carp land are the presence of a clay or sandy bottom and the presence of a large number of bivalve snails.
Catching carp in October becomes more difficult because the fish become more shy. The best position for an angler is at the top of the cliff. At the same time, the shadow of a person should not even fall on the water. Fishing from a boat is not the best option. Carp has excellent eyesight; he can see the cables and will probably prefer to move away. Naturally, it is more difficult to fish from the shore, but it is more reliable in October.
Choose a place to fish from a boat
If fishing occurs far from the banks of the river in the Volga delta:
- Carp always swims upstream, so you should make a fishing stop in this direction. It is better to choose a place where the current slows down, where the fish rest and feed.
- Calculate the route from the carp’s resting point to its feeding areas. These can be depressions between shallows, narrow clearings.
- The boundaries between shallows and deep water work well.
- The fish chooses places with zigzag irregular terrain.
- Early in the morning or late in the evening, especially when the weather changes, the carp jumps out of the water perpendicularly upward and rushes back. Such games are accompanied by sonorous blows on the river surface. These places are a permanent refuge for carp.
In order to make a mistake with the installation point of the boat, it is best to sound the bottom of the reservoir. It is best carried out with an echo sounder. This device will help you study the depth, bottom topography and fish concentration areas.
If you don’t have an echo sounder, you can measure the depth using a simple reel of fishing line to which a weight is attached. It is advisable to mark the selected location with buoys.
Where to look for carp?
Catching carp in October is very exciting, although not easy. So, you need to look for a place near the shore where there are snags and trees hanging over the water. In this case, you need to stop either above the river bed or on the edge. These places are good for carp because a huge amount of the bait mixture that was used the day before accumulates here. This is what attracts fish here. In any case, you need to understand that in its own territory, under familiar conditions, the carp will feel more relaxed and behave less suspiciously. His bites will be bolder.
Also, catching carp in October depends on the vagaries of nature. At the very beginning of the month, if the September weather continues to be warm, you can try to find fish on the shallows where carp were found in the summer. But already in the middle of the month it is useless to do this. The carp goes deeper and moves to wintering pits, where with the arrival of frost it will settle down and will no longer be active until spring.
But now they are looking for him along the steep banks. Pay attention to places where there are snags and tree branches sprinkled with leaves in the water. The carp comes here during the day to find food. It is also successfully caught along river beds, in pits, near dams, and also in dams. Every day the carp behaves more and more sluggishly. In cloudy weather, he may not take the baited hook at all, even if there is a whole bunch of large worms on it. He will not respond to bait with the most tempting flavors for him. This passive behavior can last for weeks. Therefore, fishing in October is unpredictable.
Groundbait and bait
The choice of bait mixture, as well as catchable bait, depends on several factors. First of all, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of local fish. On some reservoirs, carp feed on corn, peas and potatoes even in October. The fish were accustomed to this food by local anglers, so wild carp may not react to store-bought mixtures. In the southern regions, sunflower cake or shell meat is used as bait and bait. In this regard, carp can even completely ignore boilies. Some fishermen prepare fashionable boilies themselves. It’s enough just to make balls for bait and bait according to the following recipe.
- Semolina (corn) grits are combined in equal proportions with bird food after preliminary grinding in a coffee grinder. This mixture should make up from a third to a half of the total weight of the bait.
- 45% soy flour, 5% fish and bone meal, 5 teaspoons of garlic, cumin, cinnamon, 10 ml of sunflower oil and 10 chicken eggs are added to the dry composition.
- After obtaining a homogeneous dough, you can add any food coloring to it. Next, balls of different sizes are made.
- Future boilies are lowered into boiling water, and after surfacing they are removed and dried for several days.
In addition to boilies, in October you can catch carp using a bunch of worms, shell meat, cake, steamed peas and pearl barley, canned corn, and boiled potatoes.
Fishing methods for carp in October
Catching carp in September and October is possible both from the shore and from a boat. The determining factor here will be the fishing location. For example, fishing on the edges and riverbeds is only possible using a watercraft. Reed thickets are also fished from a boat. But, as mentioned above, at this time the carp is especially shy, so you need to move in the water very quietly. There should be no bursts of fun, conversations, or unnecessary shadows. Otherwise, the carp will leave.
This species can be caught using a float rod and feeder. The float is used in snags, where the tackle with the feeder will only get tangled and form a lot of hooks. The feeder is used in open areas with a clay or sandy bottom. In any case, the gear must be strong and camouflaged as much as possible. This primarily concerns the fishing line. In clear water, place a line of white (transparent) color. If the water is a little cloudy, then choose brown and green colors.
How to catch carp from the shore?
Catching carp is an active and exciting adventure. This is a very careful fish! In order for fishing to be successful, you need to feed the place for several days, or better yet, more than one. Explore “fish trails” and terrain features. At our recreation center “Azovskie Plavni”, we have already done all this, so you can both enjoy fishing in prepared places, using the advice of experienced rangers, and enjoy wild fishing, testing your luck and professionalism. Fishing for carp in summer and spring is especially good here due to the absence of midges and midges, which are characteristic of other areas where this fish is found. Remember that the carp is a cunning and very careful fish, so avoid sharp sounds and noise, otherwise you risk being left without bites. It is better to arrive at the fishing spot before sunrise, or even better earlier, still in the dark. If you are lucky, the carp will come to the shore and begin to “play”. This is already half the success! There are many opinions on how to catch carp . Using your accumulated experience, you can catch the biggest one. The record for our recreation center is 16.5 kg! Try to surpass.
Catching carp - gear
Carp are caught near the shore and in snags using a float rod. The rod must be durable, length - from 3.5 to 4 meters. This makes it easier to land fish, going around all the underwater snags, which is difficult to do with a short “stick”. The fishing line is set with a diameter of 0.28 mm. The color is selected based on the water in the river or lake. The reel is installed inertia-free or multiplier. Hooks must be strong and sharp. Their size should correspond to the weight of the fish being caught. Many fishermen advise installing hooks made of dark metal; they are less attractive. Leashes can be kept short. The float should camouflage itself as closely as possible into its natural environment. The color is not bright, brown or dark green, the size is small.
Feeder fishing for carp
Fishing for carp in September and early October is carried out in places where you need to make good casts with a feeder. This tackle also helps to bait the fish, thereby keeping it in the area where the hooks with bait are placed. For the feeder, take a rod 3.5 meters long and weighing up to 120 grams. The reel is selected to be a spinning reel with a rear clutch, with a spool size of 3000 or more. We use brown or green fishing line, diameter 0.28 - 0.30 mm. Weighty specimens can also be found at depth, so placing a thin line is risky. To prevent a heavy metal feeder with bait from shooting off during casting, a shock leader is used. You will need hooks No. 6-8, a leash - 20 cm. The feeder is made of metal, weighing from 30 to 70 g.
Bait preparation
Attracting carp to the fishing site is a long process, so a lot of bait will be required. It is often necessary to start feeding fish before the main fishing several days in advance, at least overnight. It is worth giving preference to coarse-grained feed: corn or peas; boiled potatoes and mixed feed can also be used. In cold water conditions, the plant base is supplemented with animal food: bloodworms, worms or maggots. You can choose boiled potatoes and a worm as bait for the hook.
bait for October carp
Flavors for carp
Autumn carp fishing is impossible without the use of complementary foods. During this period, the fish is voracious and a lot of it is needed. At the same time, it should have a pleasant aroma for the fish. For this purpose, special flavors are used. Most often they are bought ready-made in specialized stores. They look like liquid in a jar, which does not always smell pleasant. Although carp have their own tastes. In the fall, garlic, dill, and peanut drops are most often added to complementary foods. At the same time, you don’t need to buy any expensive flavors at all. A smell is a smell, regardless of the brand or manufacturer.
To improve the bite, many fishermen dip their hooks in fragrant drops, others moisten the bait with them. One thing is clear - flavors work and are beneficial, increasing catches. Catching carp on a lake or river in October without feeding is practically a waste of time.
