Make snap on Cupid. White carp - the choice of equipment for fishing. Equipment feeder for catching cupids

Catching grass carp on a spring is considered the most popular and effective method of catching this strong and large fish. Many fans of float fishing will say that this is not so, but this has long been proven by experience. In the article we will try to reveal all the subtleties of fishing with bottom gear.

It's no secret that Cupid is quite hard to catch, as he is quite smart and very strong. Yes, small carp can be caught on a worm with the help of an ordinary float, but for a large carp, a completely different approach and a lot of effort are needed.

As mentioned above, the fish is quite smart and cunning, very often even experienced fishermen are left empty-handed. But if you choose the right place for catching grass carp on a spring, choose the right gear and suitable baits, then there is a high probability of going home with a normal catch.

The most important thing is to choose the right place, because only those who stand where they need to catch a fish have all the chances. Amur is inhabited in all ponds artificially, since it breeds only in the river of the same name, from where it does not migrate further. White carp needs warm water in order to leave offspring, and there are very few warm water bodies in central Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Yes, that is why in the middle lane the cupid is populated only artificially.

This gives the owners of ponds for paid fishing privileges, since it is often possible to find cupid only there. In small reservoirs, the need to choose a place for catching grass carp on the donka sharply disappears, since it is almost everywhere there. But with large reservoirs, certain problems are obtained, here it is already necessary to look for promising places, because the cupid is unevenly distributed over the reservoir.

In one place, cupid can only be delayed by food, if it is not there, then it will move around the entire reservoir in search of food. This leads to the fact that who feeds him and catches. We strongly recommend to feed well the place for catching cupid.

Since grass carp is characterized by a very cautious fish, the closer the bait is to the shore, the less often and more carefully it bites. If there is such an opportunity, then it is better to throw the bait far away, there the cupid is not particularly picky about gear, but the bait must definitely please him, otherwise he will not be caught.

The closer to the shore, the smaller the size of the fish caught, this must be understood and come to terms with. Therefore, in order to catch a large carp, you need to cast far. Of course, the size of the fish caught also largely depends on the bait, but more on that later. Large individuals were often seen near the shore, presumably cupid comes there to eat reeds, but at the sight of people it immediately goes into the depths. Well, the younger the fish, the “sillier” and less careful it is.

You have a great chance of catching large carp when fishing in narrow water bodies. If you manage to throw a rig under the opposite bank, throw it, the probability of catching a large carp there is very high. But such a piece can only pass if the opposite bank is free of fishermen. It is worth giving preference to places with abundant vegetation, near the reeds and bushes, the probability of catching a large grass carp is very high.

Make a cloudy cloud of bait at the bottom - this will surely lure the fish to the place of fishing. And you will only need to give him an attractive attachment with a sharp hook.

To summarize: the choice of a place for catching grass carp on the bottom largely depends on the reservoir and the skills of the fisherman, the most promising places can be: opposite the coast and near reeds and bushes.

Bait for grass carp makes a stir among the fishermen, and this rustle is quite justified. The choice of bait is an eternal topic for disputes between fishermen, experienced and not very experienced. And the main reason for these disputes is the individual preferences of grass carp. The choice of bait largely depends on the characteristics of the reservoir. And precisely because in one reservoir the grass carp will never pass by one bait, and in another it will not pay attention to this bait at all and a huge number of disputes arise. For example, my father considers cucumber to be the best bait for catching cupid, and my uncle, who constantly fishes in other water bodies, claims that he never takes a cucumber. And such disagreements arise only because they fish in different water bodies.

Even if there is no approximate idea of ​​​​the preferences of cupid in the chosen reservoir, then only experiments can help here. Sometimes baits can surprise fishermen, and sometimes they can be quite familiar. Tell me, please, have many of you ever fished for a cucumber? I think that not very much, but in many reservoirs the cupid prefers only it.

Here is a list of baits for catching grass carp on the bottom:

• cucumber;
• reeds;
• seaweed;
• boilies;
• corn;
• muckworm;
• creep out;
• maggot;
• cabbage.

And this list is not exhaustive, there are only the most effective baits, tested on personal experience. They are all effective, but only on certain water bodies, they may not be suitable for your water area at all, so you always need to select the bait empirically. It is quite simple and many cope with the task on the first fishing trip. All you need to catch grass carp is to be patient, choose the right time to catch grass carp, a place and pick up the bait.

The grass carp loves heat very much and the activity of its feeding completely depends on the temperature of the water - the higher it is, the more active the fish. There is one thing, but, just in time for the peaks of fish activity, often this summer, the natural forage base of the cupid is full. And getting him to eat your bait will be a little tricky. So the best time for catching grass carp on a spring, this is the time when there is already or is still little natural vegetation, but the water is already warm enough. Amur begins to activate when the water temperature reaches 16 °C.

And catching cupid begins in May, and ends around October. This time is considered optimal for catching carp, but many fishermen are known to catch carp in winter. But sometimes cupid does not even pay much attention to the temperature of the water and is looking for something to eat even in cold water, due to the lack of natural food, and this happens in two cases, when it has not yet grown after the winter and when it is no longer suitable for consumption, before winter.

Well, the best time of day for catching grass carp, however, like many other fish, is considered morning. Just in the morning, the main share of the caught large fish falls out and in the morning the bite of the cupid is the most stable. In the morning, the activity is the most stable, but at night the cupid is also caught and quite successfully. Sometimes at night the cupid does not bite at all, but if it does bite, it bites confidently, the fishermen believe that its uncertainty and caution are dulled in the dark. But still, it is more difficult to stay without a bite in the morning than at night.

Cupid can also be caught during the day and in the evening, but it is a little more difficult. The main thing is to have the right bait and the weather will help you.

For catching grass carp on the donk, it is best to use a strong and proven rod, a carp rod is perfect, but something else is possible, the main thing is that you are confident in its strength. If you are catching other fish, then sometimes cupid also slips, but usually very small, but when directional fishing for this large fish, you should be fully prepared to catch a large specimen.

Anyone who considers branded, expensive rods to be the best in the world is mistaken. You can catch big fish with a cheap stick. I have dozens of fishing experience big fish, including grass carp, caught on a cheap and well-known "Crocodile".

But there are many disadvantages in cheap gear, and the main one is the casting distance of the equipment, because a high-quality stick allows you to cast the bait many times further and much more accurately. A short fishing distance can lead to a decrease in the number of bites.

Well, less noticeable, but still a minus is the hauling of a large carp. There were no particular problems with carp spinning, but it was quite difficult to pull a 3-kilogram fish onto a Crocodile. Here, the depreciation of a cheap spinning rod did not help in any way, and it seemed to me that a diver tied to a tree was sitting at the other end of the fishing line. But on the one hand, this is cool, because the sensations are completely different, and even with relatively small fish you can compete perfectly.

I had to catch cupid on a bottom with a feeder more than once, and I noticed that he pecks at it much less often than at a hair rig. It's probably all about the feeder, so here's a tip for you: feed your fishing spot abundantly and remove the feeders from the gear so that they do not scare the fish.

We tried to make long leashes and leave the feeder, and so it works. Only now it is worth using gear with one hook, if two hooks are placed on half-meter leashes, then they will at least get tangled and interfere with the fish playing.

Yes, there are two, very often one hook is confused, and this leads to a “dead” expectation of the fish. To avoid this, it is best to lightly stick the hook to the feeder during casting. After getting into the water, the bait dissolves and the hook will fall off on its own.

The optimal equipment for catching grass carp on the bottom:

• rod - 3.6 meters (optimal);
• coil - 3000-3500;
• fishing line with a diameter of at least 0.25-0.3 mm, with the probability of cupid biting over 4-5 kg, fishing line up to 0.6 mm. the cord can be set thinner than the fishing line, but about the same breaking load;
• the hook can be used carp No. 5-8.5 according to the domestic classification (No. 10-3 according to the international)

White carp is a bright representative of the carp family, which can reach up to 30 kg of live weight. Catching it is considered a great success among fishermen, because it is quite cunning, but at the same time fearful fish. This article will describe in detail the methods of catching such a specimen, its habitat, the best time to catch it, and much more.

Where and when is the best time to catch grass carp

Since it is a herbivorous fish, it is necessary to look for it first of all in ponds with large vegetation (algae, reeds, etc.).

In addition, cupid is most often found in such areas:

1. Reservoirs.
2. Overgrown with grass, ponds with a quiet current.
3. Areas around flooded bushes or trees.
4. Ponds that are specially stocked with fish (for breeding fish).
5. Zones in lakes or ponds that are abundantly overgrown with various aquatic plants.
6. Shallow zones of reservoirs, which often fall under the rays of the sun and warm up.

There are also some rules that will help to correctly determine the location of grass carp in a pond:

1. This fish most often swims at the very surface of the water, so it will not be difficult to notice it from a short distance, since its fins, which clearly look out, will rush into the eyes first of all.
2. You can determine the habitat of grass carp by its characteristic excrement, which is very similar to duck.
3. You can also understand where cupid is found by strong splashes of water and air bubbles above the surface of the water.
4. Experienced fishermen often use a depth gauge rod to search for the habitat of grass carp.

The best time of day to catch grass carp is late evening and night. Since this fish is very cautious and shy, it is at night, when everything around is quiet, that it ceases to be on the alert all the time and swims closer to the bait. Therefore, catching carp at night using long-range casting will never fail, which is confirmed by many years of experience of fishermen.

Necessary features of weather conditions under which grass carp will peck best:

1. The air temperature is at least 15 degrees Celsius.
2. Windless, calm weather on a sunny day.
3. The heat must be at least five days in order for the water to warm up sufficiently in the reservoirs.

The best seasons for catching grass carp are considered the period from mid-May to October. In the spring, grass carp most willingly takes the bait, as it is pretty hungry during the long winter period, when there was practically no algae. In addition, since grass carp is a heat-loving fish, when the temperature rises, it begins to lead a more mobile life.

In the summer season especially from the middle of July, the cupid begins a new wave of active biting, and here the fishermen should only properly present the bait to it in order to attract the fish.

In autumn Grass carp can be caught only on warm and sunny days. After spawning, the cupid begins autumn zhor, as it prepares for winter. On such days, fishermen are advised to stock up on considerable portions of bait and strong tackle.

Concerning winter season, then grass carp is not caught at all during this period, since at the first frost and the onset of subsequent cold weather, it goes into winter stagnation.

Tackle for catching cupid

For a targeted catch of grass carp, fishermen are advised to purchase a carp plug. It is designed for catching especially large specimens and therefore its weight is quite large, and the structure is strong and uncomplicated. The price for such a fishing rod can reach $500-700.

Many fishermen are afraid that such a fishing rod has an impressive weight and length, but after all, most of the time it will stand on a stand, so heavy weight is not a problem, besides, its length is up to thirteen meters, so it will allow you to fish at the maximum far distances.

In general, with the choice of a fishing rod for catching grass carp there should not be any difficulties. All rods are suitable for this, except for ultralight ones. Using a match rod is convenient if the fisherman wants to catch grass carp weighing up to 2 kilograms.

Tool selection

Grass carp, as practice shows, is caught with the same force on both bottom and float equipment. And although the choice of modern equipment is quite large, first of all, you should decide on the place of catch and weather conditions.

As is known, this species fish bite better in warm weather, so it is necessary to use equipment in action only when the temperature of the air is at least 15 degrees.
As for the place of catch, reservoirs with a muddy bottom will require a lot more vigilance of the fisherman for their gear, because, as a rule, it is in such areas that gear is most often lost.

Exist classic examples necessary float equipment for catching grass carp:

1. It is better to use reels with, which can provide easy passage of the fishing line.
2. If a conventional reel is used, then it is necessary to loosen the friction clutch a little so that a strong fish does not break when tensioned.
3. All equipment must be from trusted manufacturers who can guarantee the reliability of their products.
4. The coil size should be 300-370.
5. It is better to use a feeder rod up to four meters.
6. The thickness of the fishing line should be 0.25-0.3 mm.
7. Instead of fishing line, it is allowed to use high-quality braided line.
8. The line should be elastic and well buoyant.
9. The leash must not be shorter than 35 cm.
10. The leash should be selected depending on the depth of the reservoir.
11. The presence of a swivel is a must.
12. For ponds with a muddy bottom, weights in the form of a long arrow are suitable, and for sandy ones, in the form of an oval or circle.
13. Hooks will fit with numbers 6 or 8.
14. Hooks should be as sharp and of high quality as possible.

Bottom gear and equipment:

1. A fishing rod with a test above 200 g and a length of 2.7-3 m.
2. Spinning reel (preferably with a baitrunner) with a spool size of 2800-4000.
3. The length of the line must be at least 100 m.
4. The diameter of the fishing line should be 0.28-0.35 mm.
5. The feeder, which acts as a sinker, must be strong and withstand the bait even in strong currents. It is desirable that it be triangular or square in shape.
6. The hook for bottom fishing should not only be suitable for the bait used, but also for the intended size of the fish. The classic option for catching grass carp is the hook No. 6-8 with the longest shank.
7. An electronic device is perfect as a bite signaling device, but if such a device is not affordable for a fisherman, then cheaper analogues can be purchased.
8. For fishing with a bottom rod, you need to purchase special holders for a fishing rod. The most convenient are the butt stands for fishing rods.
9. Tube anti-twist.

For 7 years of active passion for fishing, I have found dozens of ways to improve the bite. Here are the most effective ones:

1. Biting activator. This pheromone additive lures fish the most in cold and warm water. Discussion of the Hungry Fish bite activator.
2. Raise gear sensitivity. Read the appropriate manuals for the particular type of tackle.
3. Lures based pheromones.

Bait for grass carp can be used both homemade and purchased in a special store. The bait mixture should be enough to get enough large quantities(near a bucket), because grass carp is very voracious, and eats every day how much food, how much he weighs.

Therefore, in order to attract grass carp and keep it in the right place for as long as possible, fishermen need to stock up on at least a few kilograms of such a mixture.

The following ingredients are best used as bait:

1. The ideal bait for grass carp is two to three kilograms of boiled corn.
2. A good result is shown by a sweet purchased fraction with a sufficiently high content of flavorings.
3. You can use a special spray with the aroma of freshly cut grass, and sprinkle peas or porridge with it.
4. Young cucumbers.
5. Algae from the pond in which to catch.
6. Pearl barley.
7. Mulberry.
8. Bloodworm.
9. Peas.

The best do-it-yourself bait recipes:

Each fisherman, in the course of gaining his own experience, determines for himself the most effective blends bait. But there are also classic recipes bait:

1. Boil 3-4 kilograms of peas, 1 kilogram of potatoes and 3 kilograms of corn. After cooling, mix all the ingredients into a homogeneous mass and add a few drops of flavoring with the smell of fresh herbs.
2. Boil 4 kilograms of barley and add white soaked bread there. Mix and add flavoring with a sweet smell to the resulting porridge. Such baits will not leave grass carp indifferent if they are used in 2-3 servings per catch.

Basic feeding requirements:

1. It should be free-flowing, not granular.
2. For white carp, you do not need to spare complementary foods, but its daily weight should not be more than 7 kg, otherwise there will be no necessary effect.
3. White carp responds well to.
4. Proper bait, when it enters a pond, should create a cloud of turbidity that attracts grass carp.
5. The composition of the bait should include either a flavoring agent or a flavoring additive;
6. Feed should be as nutritious as possible.

The feeding process is as follows:

1. The day before the upcoming catch, the fisherman should decide on the most convenient place and scatter the bait in the district zones around this area.
2. Groundbait can also be made during the very process of catching, since this squelching sound attracts cupid, and besides, the bait itself will be fresher.
3. If the catch will take place early in the morning, but it is better to make bait the night before.
4. Bait should not be cast earlier than two days before the catch, because grass carp will not stay in one place for so long.

Lures for cupid

As a rule, grass carp are caught on such baits:

1. Green dandelion leaves and stems.
2. Leaves of cabbage, corn.
3. Green pods of peas and beans.
4. Maggot.
5. Bloodworm.
6. Worm.
7. Mulberry.
8. Peas.

The best baits for grass carp:

1. Boiled corn.
2. Pearl barley.
3. Boiled peas.
4. Seaweed.

Lures should be used like this:

1. Put the bait on the most sharp hook and throw it into the area of ​​​​the reservoir zone baited in advance.
2. If there is no bite within thirty minutes, you should pull out the bait and check if it has dissolved or fallen off. If something happened to her, then the bait should be changed. If everything is in order, but the bite still does not occur, then this is a sure signal to replace the bait itself with some other one.
3. The bait needs to be changed periodically to renew its fish-attracting aroma.

In order to choose the right bait, you must consider the following rules:

1. For catching in the spring season, it is better to use various greens as bait, since it is during this period that grass carp bites well on it.
2. For catching in the summer, corn and peas are suitable as bait.
3. For catching in the fall, the ideal option would be to use barley, wheat or corn (since grass carp eats a lot at this time, it is better to present it with nutritious baits).
4. It is better to cast the bait in well-heated areas of the reservoir, preferably in shallow water.
5. The bait can be thrown into the area where the reeds grow - grass carp is often observed there.

Features of catching white carp

Features of catching grass carp:

1. Since grass carp is considered a very cautious fish, when catching it, the fisherman must be completely silent so as not to frighten the fish, because otherwise the carp will swim as far as possible from the bait, and fishing can be considered unsuccessful.
2. Also, the fisherman is recommended to wear special discreet clothes that will be invisible against the background of greenery and nature in general, so that the cupid could not notice him and get scared;
3. The best depth for catching grass carp is a distance of 1 to 5 meters.
4. The bite of this fish is always distinguished by its speed and sharpness.
5. The autumn catch of grass carp is very similar to the catch of carp.
6. It is best to catch grass carp with a powerful spinning rod with a reliable reel.
7. At the moment when the fisherman determines that the cupid has taken the bait, it is necessary to immediately cut, because he can simply snatch the bait and swim away without becoming prey.
8. Cupid hooking must be done quickly, but not too briskly, so as not to inadvertently break through the lip of the fish and prevent it from falling off.
9. When hooking, the fisherman should always be on the alert, because the grass carp has great strength, and when approaching the shore, he can make quite strong persistence and jerks, which can easily cut off the gear.
10. Before hooking, experienced fishermen recommend to exhaust the fish a little so that its strength decreases and it does not resist so much, but at the same time it is necessary to keep the line taut enough so that the fish cannot free itself.
11. It is always necessary to use hooking, since such a large fish as grass carp is almost impossible to pull out of the water without breaking the line.
12. It is advisable to twitch the end of the fishing rod while retrieving the bait - this method gives more liveliness to the bait and the cupid seems more attractive.

1. The warmer the water in the reservoir, the more active the grass carp pecks.
2. You should not constantly use the same bait, because in one pond the grass carp may peck at it, and in another it will not even pay attention to it.
3. It is more effective to use natural bait of plant origin.
4. Before buying gear, it is advisable to make sure that they are produced a quality firm and won't break on the first use.
5. When catching grass carp, fishermen should keep quiet so that the fish can feel completely calm and swim closer to the shore.

Catching a particular type of fish in most cases does not begin with throwing equipment into the water, but with a preliminary study of its habits, diet, determining methods and methods of fishing, etc. In this case, there is every reason to count on success. However, this does not always happen. Sometimes at first you manage to catch a fish that you didn’t tune in to, and only then start studying its “pedigree”, with the goal of catching it consciously in the future. It was according to this scheme that my acquaintance with the fish, bearing the primordially divine name - cupid, developed.

First meeting

(photo 1) I remember that first "amorous" fishing almost ten years ago as the last one. She left such a bright mark in her life. Moreover, the conclusions made after it remained unshakable over time, because they completely fit into the generally recognized concept of catching this strong and beautiful fish. Of course, thanks to practice, in the future, the number of inferences increased significantly, but that was later. And then I just came in mid-May to fish on a large lake, which was dominated by carp, crucian carp and roach. From nozzles and bait he took with him corn, pearl barley, worm, bloodworm and maggot.

The overgrowth of the water area of ​​the lake was weak. Only the coastal edge was disheveled with reeds and other green vegetation. Somewhere she went deep into the reservoir twenty meters, and somewhere just a meter. Having fed a small creek edged with a potion, almost from the first casts on a sandwich, maggot-bloodworm began to catch roach. True, at the same time I was somewhat upset by the fact that the sandwich bait very quickly lost its original appearance, as it was enveloped in green filamentous algae. It seemed to me that they would deprive the bait of its attractiveness, so before each casting of the equipment, I invariably tried to clean it as much as possible from the green web. But it was still unrealistic to fully cope with this task, the vegetation was so openwork. Excessive efforts could lead to damage to the larvae. Therefore, in fact, I served a fish maggot-bloodworm-algae sandwich on the table. In the end, it turned out that my fears were unfounded. The roach did not reduce activity, every now and then forcing the float to dive. But there were no bites on the corn used as a bait on the rig of the second rod. This continued until a bite of a different format followed. The float crouched slightly and moved swiftly on its way. As soon as I cut, I felt a strong resistance. The fish rushed in the direction of clear water, but there was little joy from this, because despite the seemingly well-adjusted friction clutch, the 0.16 mm thick leader line could not stand it. The fish is gone. Taking all the blame for what happened at my own expense, I tied up the leash, using a fishing line with a section of 0.18 mm, weakened the friction even more. I had to wait half an hour for the next bite. This time the float literally rushed right off the bat, not letting me come to my senses. In an instant, the fish covered a distance of seven meters and disappeared into the thickets of grass. Getting her out of there was impossible. As a result, a broken leash again.

Assuming that this is another trick of the carp, I realized that if I want to put the fish in the tank, I must change the equipment. I bandaged the leaders of both rods, using a vein with a section of 0.2 mm, put more powerful hooks, rechecked the friction. Since both single bites followed on a maggot with a bloodworm, I decided to use only this "animal".

The day was drawing to a close when the float set sail for the third time. A short hard hook and again a pleasant heaviness at the other end of the line, which this time did not disappoint. However, another problem immediately arose. A few meters from the shore, the fish nevertheless wedged itself into the thickets of grass and became rooted to the spot. The plan of further actions in my head ripened somehow by itself, and almost at lightning speed. Having pulled the string-line to the limit, I applied the tactics of catfish fishermen. With one hand he held the rod, and with the fingers of the other he clicked on the fishing line, creating an acoustic background unpleasant for the fish, which was instantly transmitted to my “burrowed” opponent. The calculation was justified. A minute later, the fish tried to rush out of the shelter in the opposite direction, but I was on the alert and extinguished its impulse on the vine by turning the landing net to the visor. It was then that I saw that the fighter was by no means a carp, but a two-kilogram grass carp, which I met for the first time (photo 2). And in the morning next day my catch was replenished with five more of his relatives weighing from one to one and a half kilograms. And the bites were implemented absolutely everything. And even despite the presence of several weighty carps in the cage, it was the cupids that gave the greatest pleasure.

Follow-up observations

After that fishing, cupid, like a coveted trophy, firmly settled in my fishing mind. As a result, despite the increased love for other fish, every year I make several trips to the reservoirs in which this arrow fish of the carp family lives. At the same time, I preach both float fishing and bottom fishing. But first things first. First, I would like to note that grass carp is a fish that appeared everywhere in our reservoirs only half a century ago. His homeland is East Asia. Amur was acclimatized in Europe by no means for gastronomic purposes, but for cleaning water bodies, primarily ponds, reservoirs, irrigation canals, cooling ponds of power plants, from aquatic vegetation. She is like a cow - a herbivore. More than once I have seen the bare shores of water bodies, from which the cupid managed to eat all the representatives of the flora, actually crawling out of the water. But in addition to "salads", cupid also favors "meat" in the form of bloodworms, crustaceans, worms, etc. The proverb "not a horse's food" can be fully attributed to cupid, because in a day he is able to gobble up as much grass as he weighs (photo 3).

As for the time of year, I happened to catch grass carp in the interval May-October, but I know that my friends successfully fished in November as well. True, in warm waters channel of one of the hydroelectric power stations. And yet, spring is the best time for catching cupid, since vegetation has not yet swollen in the reservoirs, which means that cupid is more eager for other food offered to it. Plus, the risk of fishing in areas of water bodies traditionally heavily overgrown in summer is significantly reduced. Plants are just growing.

As for the time of day, I wouldn't make much of a difference. Cupid is perfectly caught both day and night. More importantly - warm weather, which is an indispensable condition for increasing the activity of fish. When the cold comes, you should not plan amorous adventures. At the same time, one should always remember that cupid remains an extremely cautious inhabitant of the depths. For those who are used to fishing “on the ball”, as well as for loud-voiced fishermen, success is unlikely to come.

Despite the fact that the favorite haven of fish are green aquatic plants, it can often be found on clean stretches, sometimes even shallow ones. True, reeds must grow nearby, where the fish can hide if something alerts them. In general, I love such areas, using bottom rigs. They are good because it is easier to compete with notched cupid. There is an opportunity to calmly release the fish for a subsequent revenge. The risk of breaking the rig or entanglement with water obstacles is reduced significantly (photo 4).

Well, it is impossible not to note, so to speak, the outstanding physical condition of Cupid. In this connection good example is an incident that happened to one of my friends. Together with a friend, he flashed a pike, being in one double rubber boat, and accidentally hooked a four-kilogram grass carp on the tail fin with a tee. As a result, the fish dragged an “inflatable” with two healthy men on board about several hundred meters along the lake until it got tired and stopped. Since she did not manage to get to the thickets of reeds, the fishermen managed to get closer and pick her up with a landing net.

Nozzles and baits

Perhaps the issue of using baits and baits is the most important for effective targeted catching of grass carp, because other components of success are largely related to approaches in catching other strong fish.

I remember that in the literature of past years there is information that the ovary of cucumbers, young pea leaves, corn stalks, clover, and other “greens” can serve as baits for grass carp. I have no doubt that these "ancient" attachments will still work today, but from my point of view, this is still yesterday, and here's why. Firstly, few will decide to use such advice because of their complexity. practical application. Secondly, cupid is not a roach and it is simply stupid to wait for a machine-gun bite of countless flocks, therefore, having planted a green leaf, you can sit for a day and leave with nothing. Thirdly, there are other "delicacies" that cupid favors with his attention no less than those listed above. Fourthly, it is not reasonable to use baits that other fish living next to grass carp, and, above all, its "relative" carp will ignore. Therefore, in fact, it is possible to successfully catch several "hares" at the same time, but keeping cupid under constant sight.

Again, this is purely my personal opinion, but it is based on practice, and quite successful. Therefore, I proceed from these root causes and apply the following two main nozzles. The first is canned corn. In carp-amour reservoirs, these two fish show increased interest in it. I hook several grains of corn on a hook, hiding the sting in one of them. The second is dumplings made from bread crumb, previously mashed with steamed cake and banana. At the expense of cake, I think everyone understands everything, but I’ll explain about the banana. I don’t know who this angler was, who was the first to add a banana to both the nozzle and the bait mixture, but he hit the nail on the head. It was this fruit that made it possible to draw the attention of the cupid to baits previously intended primarily for carp and crucian carp.

As for bait, I use again a couple of them - maggot and worm. The latter can be both red and rainy. A very good effect is given by a "mixed" sandwich - maggot corn or worm corn. And one more addition. Considering cupid's predilection for aquatic vegetation, and remembering the very first successful fishing, I never take clinging off the hook during the period rapid flowering green algae and all kinds of blades of grass. Their presence next to baits and baits definitely does not harm the bite. Moreover, I have repeatedly managed to catch on such a sandwich not only cupid, but also carp, crucian carp and roach.

However, this list of baits and baits would not be complete without mentioning one more "combined" bait, which brought success several times. This is a worm sandwich and granulated feed (photo 5). As for the worm, everything is clear, but I will explain regarding the compound feed. It is attached to the hook with silicone rings, which are easy to stretch with a special factory fixture, which is widely sold in fishing stores. Silicone rings are again commercially available, although you can always find a replacement for them on occasion (photo 6). On such a bait, the feed granule works as a nozzle for the time being, and after a long stay in the water, it breaks up and acts as a bait (photo 7). The worm remains on the hook anyway, so you don't have to worry. Nevertheless, individual captures of grass carp, crucian carp and some other species of fish with such bait do not yet allow me to conclude that it can be widely used with high efficiency. This issue is yet to be explored in practice.

Well, in conclusion of the subsection, I’ll say that if you have to catch on a site with a heavily overgrown bottom, when using bottom equipment, I will certainly put a foam ball on the hook, which raises the bait, sending it into the zone heightened attention cupid - tops of vegetation. Usually the nozzle scheme looks like this: corn - polystyrene - corn or corn - polystyrene - worm - maggot. The main thing is that the buoyancy of the foam is enough to lift the "edible". This must be taken into account and checked before casting.

rigging

Now it would be logical to state the principle of baiting, but I will move on to the issue of equipping rods, and why, it will become clear later.

I use two types of rods - float and bottom. In this sequence, I will decompose them into “bones”.

Obviously, for catching cupid, a strong fishing rod is required, which, moreover, will allow you to make long casts. Hence the conclusion - the rod can be either narrow-profile carp or match. In an extreme case - a solid universal analogue of a lap dog.

It is preferable to install the reel with a baitrunner, which provides free running of the fishing line. If we fasten the usual one, then we should remember about the weakening of the friction clutch, otherwise - write cupid is gone. I use fishing line from trusted manufacturers with a thickness of 0.25-0.27 mm, elastic and always sinking. I switched to it after, on one of the fishing trips, cupid still managed to split the braided line with a cross section of 0.13 mm and I was forced to resort to fishing line. Since then, I have not changed it. Force of habit.

I practically don’t knit a leader line thinner than 0.2 mm for “amorous rendezvous”. I invariably choose the length of the leash on the pond, but it does not happen shorter than 30 cm. The presence of a swivel is mandatory, it will "take care" of the integrity of the equipment when playing. I have been using hooks for many years with a carp profile in the range of numbers 6-8, and if when catching other fish the range of brands I have is quite large, then with an eye on grass carp and carp I use only Cobra. I'm not afraid to say that these are some of the best, if not the best hooks for these fish (photo 8).

If I knit others, which happens more often in the order of experiments, then invariably from strong thick wire and always with a ring on the head, and not with a spatula. I think it's more reliable that way. I most often place the sinkers on the fishing line as when catching roach - with a chain. The first from the float is about half the weight of the entire "necklace" of three or four "beads" - pellets.

The float in most cases is sliding, because casting is often required to be performed over a considerable distance to the points of interest. Only in the event that I settle in a place limited by reeds or other vegetation at a close distance from the coast, as well as for fishing at night, I use a float fixed at two points. The configuration of the float is not decisive, but it is better if it is "squat" teardrop-shaped. Carrying capacity is from 4 to 10 g. Amur is a strong man and if he bites, there will be hardly noticeable deviations of the float from the "norm". He will instantly take the bait and drag it to the side.

Now about donks.

They are especially good for fishing at a considerable distance from the shore, where there are also many potentially amur places of deployment. Plus, with them it is effective to catch in the daytime during the hot summer months, when the fish keep to the depths and it is almost impossible to get it from the shore with a fishing rod.

I do not use carp rods, because I am not an ardent supporter of this caste of fishermen. I use two types of rods. The first is a classic feeder. I equip it with an invariably cylindrical plastic feeder weighing 20-30 g, the main advantage of which I see is that when reeling out the fishing line, it comes to the surface much faster, minimizing the number of possible hooks-delays for benthic vegetation. I use all other elements of the equipment by analogy with floats.

It makes sense to change the feeder for a sinker only if the casting should be a short distance from the shore and feeding is carried out manually. But as for me, it’s better in such a situation to switch to a float rod. With it, fishing is more variable and, if you like, aesthetic.

The second type of bottom rods I use is a solid budget spinning rod up to 3 m long. I throw them a spring with porridge, popularly called “Japanese” (photos 9 and 10). This option is interesting in that it is a different way of fishing, which, so to speak, is not sporty, but effective. The principle of operation of the spring, I think, does not need to be explained in detail. Five or six hooks of the size indicated above on short nylon leashes are masked in porridge. Cupid sucked in a brew with a hook and, consider, hit. When there are no bites for a long time, it is useful to leave the hook of one leash free by planting several corn on it (photo 11). In this case, the snap comes out as a kind of "two in one". Both the spring and the leash taken away from it work.

Feeding and more

Considering that cupid loves to eat, a lot of bait is required. For two with a friend, we mix a couple of kilograms of ready-made store-bought universal or carp-crucian bait with a kilogram of millet porridge, a brick of soaked black bread. Then add a glass of steamed cake or sunflower meal, as well as a couple of bananas. Mix everything thoroughly and add canned corn to the finished mixture. If the catch coincides with the ripening period in the fields of corn on the cob, then it’s a good idea to separate a couple and add raw grains. It remains only to mold the balls and scatter them in the fishing area, not forgetting about the subsequent supplementary feeding.

Such a bait recipe is suitable not only for successful float fishing, but also for stuffing a feeder into the feeder, but with regard to food under the spring, I act differently. The fact is that the consistency of this porridge should be different - more viscous, so that the stuck ball does not fall apart for a long time. Otherwise, the hooks will be bare and it is useless to wait for a bite. But at the same time, the porridge should remain soft so that the cupid can easily suck it up. For these purposes, at home, I usually boil a kilogram of millet and several potatoes in uniforms until I can eat them myself. Upon arrival at the pond, I mix millet with grated potatoes, a crumb of a loaf of bread and, again, a couple of bananas, steamed cake and corn. I don't soak bread. The density of the bait is achieved precisely due to the bread crumb and the binding properties of the potato. For better bonding of the mass, I add a little semolina.

On the pond

Any trip is usually preceded by a study of the characteristics of the reservoir. If the choice is made in favor of the lake, where the cupid was introduced relatively recently and therefore slightly reduced the amount of vegetation, I usually rely on a bait. I settle, as a rule, at points overgrown with the same reeds or other greenery, but only not in narrow gaps, so as not to endure the ordeals, periodically tying up the living barriers tangled with grass carp or carp and subsequently broken hooks and leashes. The fishing area should be sufficient to be able to compete with the fish without pulling it on the black rap (photo 12). I noticed that sometimes the cupid itself suggests the places of its deployment, as evidenced by the shaking stems of green spaces. However, in such cases, the supply of bait "for good luck" at one of these points never brought me success. Remembering the proverb “you can’t even pull a fish out of a pond without difficulty,” you had to thoroughly feed the place, throwing from half to two-thirds of the bait mixture.

Equipment is methodically sent to this place. I start my working rig descent from the bottom, gradually raising it higher if the fish does not react. Often the cupid "pecked" in half a meter or a meter from the bottom. As indicated earlier, the bite of the cupid is specific, therefore it is not difficult to distinguish it from the bites of other fish, which also favor the offered treat with their attention. Of the more desirable by-catch, these are carp and crucian carp, and of the less desirable by-catch, roach, rudd, perch, gudgeon. In my practice, there was a case when this row was supplemented by a small trout, eagerly grabbing a sandwich of three corn and two maggots. To minimize the catching of such a trifle allows you to increase the size of the bait on the hook. If after that confident bites continue, then you can count on the capture of sufficiently large individuals, which will bring some pleasure. The main thing at the same time is to be patient and not be held captive by delusions that cupid will bypass the place with attention.

When the long-awaited bite “led”, or rather even “dragged” occurred, after a soft hook, I try to instantly determine what size fish I am dealing with. If I feel that the opponent is not one of the “heavyweights”, I force the fight as much as possible. I noticed that in such situations, cupid often comes forward, headlong rushing to the shore. But this should not be misleading about the fish giving up without a fight. On the contrary, she is preparing to put up a worthy resistance, using a kind of tactical move. In order to prevent its subsequent turn, which sometimes occurs under the very feet, and then a jerk in the opposite direction, it is necessary to wind out the line as quickly as possible without weakening control over the situation (photo 13). One of my friends turned out to be so unprepared for such behavior of the fish that on the first "amour" fishing he realized no more than a tenth of all bites, which caused him extreme indignation and unwillingness to deal with this fish in the future. True, in the aftermath he nevertheless adapted himself and now finds weighty counterarguments.

In general, I want to say that the trajectory of the spotted grass carp is extremely unpredictable and you can not get used to it right away. And he is much stronger than that or carp. Therefore, to make life easier for yourself, you should initially not use more than two rods for fishing at the same time, and if more than one equipment is abandoned, then ask friends or unfamiliar fishermen fishing nearby to assist in promptly removing the “sticks” that interfere with pacifying the fish after the cupid was able to detect .

And even when fighting, it is imperative to take the cupid as far as possible from the vegetation in which he continually strives to hide. For these purposes, it is very good to use bridges for catching, especially those that go far into the reservoir. It is convenient not only to play cupid and other large strong fish from them, but also to make casts in general, significantly expanding the range of fishing. When in these conditions, I most often direct the bait along a line of reeds, reeds, or a carpet of vegetation, against which the fish is constantly pressed. In this case, not only the probability of a bite increases, but also the risk of hooks decreases.

However, even if the whole process was successful, and the cupid managed to be curbed, I never pull it out of the water with a drag, no matter how big the fish is. Only with the help of a landing net. Other experiments will sooner or later lead to no good.

As for catching cupid with a donkey, it does not have any fundamental features from a fishing rod. Unless the reservoir should allow you to make long casts without fear of breaking the equipment. Usually, reservoirs are suitable for this, in which cupid is aboriginal. In them, he cleanly eats out aquatic plants on large areas, leaving only narrow strips along the coasts and islands. There are practically no obstacles for fishing with a “spring”, and even more so for using a classic feeder feeder. True, in this case it is worth looking for a place with the maximum proximity of green spaces. Here, cupid can be lured faster, while not forgetting that five or six hooks are not one. Fighting errors increase the risk of parting with tackle at times. A couple of years ago, I happened to help one fisherman, whose “spring” was pulled by the cupid into an oasis of reeds, located 50 meters from the shore, and entangling it by the stems became rooted to the spot. I was fishing for pike from a boat and saw a guy asking for help. Coming closer on the oars, he intercepted the fishing line of his rod with his hand and soon released it from the captivity of hard stems. With smooth pulls, he stirred cupid, forcing him to go out into clean water. The fish was really small. No less than five kilograms. But unfortunately I didn't manage to get her into the boat. There was no landing net with me, and it didn’t work out to make a fish rushing from side to side, which was spotted with just one hook. The remaining hooks of the spring did not "grab" it, as it sometimes happens. As a result, having made a jerk, cupid got off the hook, dousing me with a rain of spray goodbye.

Unlike the feeder, you don’t need to look after the “spring” rod. When biting a cupid or a carp, it often flies off the horn, so I make sure that in case of weakening of attention it does not float on the water. To do this, I securely fix the butt of the rod with improvised items and hang a bell on the flyer stand. Well, in order not to sit next to him in vain, I uncover the fishing rod and catch it nearby. In fact, fishing is a kind of combined. When I use a “clean” feeder, I put the tip on the toughest one and catch on classical pattern without leaving the workplace.

Night fishing

Amur is active not only during the day, but also at night, as a result, the pleasure of fishing stretches for a whole day. There are no fundamental features in his catching under the vaults of the starry sky. Unless you should be careful and not leave the rod unattended - at best, it will mix up the equipment, at worst, it will drag it along. In addition, due to the reduction of extraneous noise, you should behave even quieter. Cupid likes to move to the shore for feeding, while behaving much more boldly than during the day. At night, you can witness how this fish comes close to the coastline and rustles in the coastal grass. True, she is not so stupid as to make exits to the very feet of people. Closer than a dozen meters from me, I have never seen such night sorties.

Catalytic nozzles, popularly referred to as "fireflies", are suitable as illumination for both the float and the tips of bottom rods. When fishing with Japanese springs, some fishermen do not attach them to the tip of the rod, but place them in a specialized signaling device that is hung on a fishing line. I tried this option, but in the end I chose a different one - I just turn on a powerful flashlight, which I hang on a regular factory flyer. At the same time, I direct the beam of light not at the water, but along the coast. Simple, convenient, practical.

For those who are not in captivity of stereotypes that you can’t catch fish in a pond a certain kind, or ready to escape from the captivity of such delusions, I recommend paying attention to such fish as grass carp. With appropriate preparation, a meeting with him will certainly take place and bring a lot of pleasure (photo 14).

In the literature devoted to the techniques and methods of fishing, until recently, fishing for silver carp and grass carp was attributed to the sports section. This is explained by the fact that its reproduction under natural conditions in our latitudes is impossible, especially in water bodies where this fish was launched for reclamation purposes. The population of grass carp was not so large, moreover, it naturally decreased due to the hunting of predatory fish on it.

But in last years more of these fish. Nevertheless, grass carp are still much smaller in ponds compared to silver carp, and here's why.

When stocking reservoirs, they adhere to a certain ratio in the number of launched fish. So, taking into account the different growth rates, the optimal ratio of grass carp, white and bighead carp in ponds should be 1:3:2. The ratio is due to the fact that such conditions contribute to the fullest possible use of the food resources of pond farms. And the best (that is, maximum) use of food resources also contributes to better reclamation of water bodies.

Be that as it may, but the ratio of fry of these fish species in broodstock shows that in the sum of silver carps in a reservoir, on average, there are on average 5 times more than white carps.

Several conclusions follow from what has been said. Firstly, grass carp is a rarer and smaller fish. Secondly, active fishing for this fish began relatively recently, and therefore, anglers simply did not have time to develop effective and at the same time universal fishing methods and unambiguously catchy gear installations.

They catch grass carp on bottom gear (feeder), on a float rod, and also on spinning.

The float should probably be more effective during the summer months, when the bottom is already too thick, and so you need to raise the hook quite high - not just above the bottom surface, but also above the abundant bottom vegetation.

Bottom gear should work better in the spring, while the underwater flora has not yet grown, and the coastal water has not risen, that is, the bottom is relatively clean.

Here we should mention the Zig Rig carp rig, which, although it is a bottom rig, allows you to fish in the water column, that is, raise the hook with a nozzle to any distance from the bottom. This type of rigging has been discussed in detail in the chapter on carp fishing.

To catch this fish, strong and reliable elements of carp gear are used, the features of which have already been described in previous chapters. Nevertheless, it is worth dwelling on the features of each of existing methods catching white carp more.

Bottom tackle on grass carp

The load is not used with this equipment. For casting, the weight of the feeder is quite enough - the spring into which the bait is hammered.

Despite the fact that earlier it was said about the expediency of using carp elements when mounting gear for catching grass carp, carp hooks may not be the best solution.

First, carp hooks, while strong, are heavy on their own. Therefore, in order to lift them above the surface of the bottom and silt with a nozzle, more than one foam ball may be required. A bulky construction of several corn grains and foam balls may not attract, but only frighten the already very cautious and timid representative of cyprinids.

You can get out of the situation by using a floating bait instead of a heavy and therefore sinking natural bait - for example, artificial floating corn, which looks and smells like natural, but does not require frequent replacement.

But if you are a fan of purely natural baits, then get ready for the fact that before each cast you will need to check the buoyancy of the equipment, varying the number of grains of corn (or peas, or corn with peas) on the hook and the number of foam balls. In addition, it is known that the nozzle when catching grass carp should hide the sting of the hook: in an attempt to try the bait, he can prick himself, spit out the hook, get scared and hide. And this is not at all included in the plans of the fisherman.

For this reason, it is better to use hooks made of thin hardened wire for boilie equipment for bottom mounting. They are lighter than regular cyprinids. In the case of using canned corn, two or three grains and two or three foam balls can be put on such a hook. It is clear that in the case of using an artificial floating nozzle (artificial grains), it will be possible to do without foam.

The described type of bottom mounting involves lifting the hook with a nozzle above the bottom surface, but not by much. But the Zig Rig equipment is more versatile in this regard.

The obvious advantage of mounting a Zig Rig for carp fishing is due to the habits of this fish, which, as you know, likes to be at different depths and in different layers of water.

You can adapt this type of rigging to catching grass carp by replacing the standard carp hook, which is rough for this fish, with a more elegant one made of thin hardened wire.

Float tackle for catching grass carp

In the summer months, the upper layers of water warm up better, while the bottom layers can be colder not only due to the depth, but also to the springs and springs that feed the reservoir. Amur is a heat-loving fish, therefore it keeps at medium depths and in upper layers water, that is, where it is warmer.

This is probably why those who catch this fish in the summer months note that float tackle is more effective.

For float fishing for grass carp, a match rod, plug rod and spinning are used. It is not advisable to catch cupid with a fly rod, because due to the lack of shock-absorbing elements (not counting the tip), breaks can occur.

The action of fly rods can withstand the playing of not too large fish, which sometimes come across during fishing not specifically for cupid, but for any other fish. But we are not talking about such cases.

For targeted fishing of these representatives of the carp family, when the calculation is to catch large specimens, only powerful rods are suitable, the same as those used in carp fishing. There is no fundamental difference in what type of rod you choose. The only selection criterion is the action of the rod. Jerks of even medium-sized carp are very powerful and confident, so good shock-absorbing properties of the rod, especially when using an inextensible line, are simply necessary.

In float fishing for grass carp, the most important thing is the presentation of a hook with a nozzle. Therefore, the creation of a truly promising montage should be taken seriously.

The expected performance of the tackle is always based on the knowledge of the character of the fish. The distinctive features of the nature of the white carp are, on the one hand, caution and shyness, and on the other hand, the readiness to absorb everything that grows at the depth of the reservoir and along the shore. Therefore, a hook with a nozzle should imitate as best as possible something edible that has fallen into the water and is slowly sinking, for example, a leaf of reed torn off by the wind.

Thus, it can be expected that most grass carp bites will occur on slowly falling bait.

What is important to pay attention to in this installation? Firstly, the leader should be long enough to allow the baited hook to sink slowly and naturally into the water column. Secondly, in order for the hook to sink as slowly as possible, it makes sense, if necessary, to lighten it by planting a foam ball, or use a floating artificial nozzle or a floating boilie. You can use the traditional peel white bread- the hook will be completely hidden in it, and it will sink very naturally due to the slow soaking of the bread.

By the way, some anglers express doubts about the mandatory masking of the hook with a nozzle. And their arguments make you think about how important this really is.

Nevertheless, such a point of view exists. And if you take it into account, you can try to connect the installation using a carp hook with a hair rig and stick corn and foam balls and their combinations not on the hook itself, but on the hair. In addition, the use of a hair hook rig provides an opportunity to dream up with baits, especially since when angling carp on ordinary carp rigs, grass carp is sometimes spotted. You can try this yourself by equipping the hair of the hook with a small floating boilie, and test the assumptions in practice.

But back to the description. basic installation for float fishing for grass carp.

The next (third) feature of this mount is the divided load. The main sinker in this installation is a small olive weighing about 1 g. The shepherd not only allows you to quickly straighten the fishing line in the water, while simultaneously allowing the lightweight hook with the nozzle to slowly sink. It also plays another very important role.

When the fish takes the bait, thanks to the pellet, the shepherd does not immediately notice that she has caught the hook, and fearlessly swallows it deeper. Spitting out the hook, feeling its sharp sting, is much more difficult for her. Without a shed, immediately when swallowing the hook, she would feel the weight of the main sinker pulling the line, and, frightened, she tried to spit out the baited hook as quickly as possible.

Thus, the described installation of a float rod allows not only to simulate the free settling of food that accidentally ended up in the water, but also makes the fish not immediately feel that it has already become prey, and therefore more confidently hooked.

By the way, sometimes cupid is hunted with float gear without any load at all. This achieves approximately the same effect as already described for assembly with divided weight.

It is possible to improve the proposed model by using not one, but several smaller pellets at once. This will even more disperse the load on the main line and make the notch even less noticeable for the fish.

You can also install a pop-up nozzle on the hook, which will allow the hook not only to sink more slowly after the weights, but also at a certain moment to “hang in a predatory position”, that is, with the sting down. The described montage can theoretically become even more effective, since in this case not only the aforementioned character traits of Cupid, but also the structure of his mouth will be taken into account.

In this installation option, the distance between the main weight-olive and the last pellet can be up to 40 cm, and from it to the hook - 20-30 cm (depending on the height of the bottom grass cover)1.

When starting installation, you should take into account the time of year when you will catch cupid. So, unlike the spring bottom tackle, when all the hooks lie on the bottom, any summer tackle should be made so that the hook with the nozzle floats 3-5 cm above the tops of the grass. This applies to both feeder equipment with a spring and float.

Catching grass carp on spinning

They catch grass carp and spinning. Any strong rod equipped with a solid reel will do.

Fishing line in this case, as with other fishing methods, they are chosen depending on the size of the potential prey, but in any case, it is strong enough. The tackle does not require a float or a sinker - they will only be a hindrance. As a bite signaling device, especially when fishing from a boat, it is convenient to use a signaling ring. This simple adaptation is very sensitive to everything that happens under water.

The signaling ring is tied to the first access ring from the "tulip" with a piece of fishing line 4-6 cm longer than the end of the spinning rod. When casting is performed, the ring is on the rod and does not interfere with casting. When it is done, you just need to slightly tilt the end of the rod and lightly shake it onto the fishing line. The ring will fix the tension of the fishing line. Thanks to him, even a weak bite, characteristic of a cautious cupid, becomes noticeable. When hooking, the ring will fly off on the rod, without interfering with playing the fish.

Signaling rings are produced for fishing in the dark, which is also very convenient when hunting this type of fish. They also have another quality that is quite important when fishing for carp - noiselessness.

Fishing with a stationary floating lure

A very interesting method of catching grass carp is fishing with a floating lure. Suggested by Bruno

Brennsteiner is a famous Spanish sports angler with 25 years of experience in carp fishing.

In this method of fishing, he proceeded from observations of fish. According to his observations, bread floating on the surface of the water attracted large fish. At first Bruno tried to catch them on floating bread with a free release of fishing line. However, when a light breeze began to blow, the bait quickly drifted out of the field of view of grass carp, so he decided to feed the bait stationary.

Bruno put a sinker weighing from 80 g with a large eye on the main line and stopped it with a plastic bead. At the lower end of the main line, he made a loop to which he attached a leash. Against the background of fish weighing up to 30 kg, the leash with a diameter of 0.22 mm looked like nothing more than a cobweb.

As bait, he preferred pieces of stale baguette, because dry bread has better buoyancy than fresh bread, and after a few minutes in the water it still gets completely wet. Cupid himself tastes both stale and fresh bread.

The size of the lure plays an important role. Pieces of bread must be at least matchbox so that the ubiquitous carp and bream are not ahead of the white carp.

He also paid attention to the choice of hook. Special attention, guided by the fact that when hooking, the hook should quickly come out of a piece of bread and stick into the lip of the fish. Therefore, he preferred thin zander hooks to heavy hooks made of thick wire.

He fastened a rather large piece of bread crust to the hook with the help of a nozzle needle so that the hook completely passed through the bread. When the crust is at the base of the shank of the hook, the sting should be immersed in the flesh of the bread. In this case, except for a piece of bread, the fish will not see anything.

Bruno also suggested using coils with large diameter spools. The fishing line lies on them in large rings, which come off the spool more easily when the bread begins to float. After casting, the rod can be placed on a single stand at an angle of approximately 45° to the surface of the water.

The line between the tip of the rod and the sinker must be taut. In early summer and autumn, when there is a lot of debris floating on the surface, it can be difficult to follow the bread bait from a long distance. Therefore, in order not to constantly look at the water, Bruno suggested hanging a signaling ring between the lower throughput rings.

He also noted: if, when biting, the signaling ring jumped up sharply, it means that an ordinary carp took the bait. If the ring moved up and down, then almost always the bait had grass carp. Because, unlike carp, he first chewed bread before swallowing the bait.

Bruno Brennsteiner used the above method in not too deep places, but, as he himself notes, this is not important. His method with the supply of a stationary floating bait is also suitable for deeper waters. It successfully catches quarry lakes up to 15 m deep with it.

He also notes that on unfavorable days, when white cupids only circle around bread or lightly pinch it, a little trick helps not to be left without a catch. Bread should not be served at the very surface, but somewhat lower. So that it is exactly at the height of the fish's mouth and it is easier to grab this nozzle by analogy with her usual herbal food.

Reasoning about lines

In order for the choice of fishing line to be truly conscious, it is enough to say that grass carp is caught in the places of its feeding, that is, near thickets of aquatic vegetation, not to mention the fact that this is generally a very strong fish, which, with an effective bite and subsequent fighting, resists for a long time and sharply.

Imagine that during the cast towards the reeds you accidentally caught on the grass. If your rig is made on a monofilament, even if it is strong, in order to free the equipment without loss, you may need to be directly next to the hook. That is, to get to it by swimming or by boat. But not everyone has a boat, and there may be no desire to go into the water at all. And to scare the fish with your invasion of its element is also not very correct.

When using braid, it will be enough just to make a jerk towards you - a braided cord of the same diameter as the monofilament is stronger, it will not break, but rather tear out a piece of grass, after which it will be possible to recast.

On the other hand, an argument in favor of using monofilaments can be their lesser visibility, which is important when catching shy fish. But here it's up to you. However, do not forget that fishing luck can often outweigh all arguments in favor of stealth gear.

Probably, every fisherman dreams of catching such a fish, which he will tell his family and friends about as the biggest and most important trophy. For many fishermen, grass carp is such a desirable trophy.

This cautious fish is not easy to catch, however, knowing some of the behavior of grass carp and the secrets of catching it, it is still quite possible to do this. It is important to take into account the season, time of day, weather in order to choose the right bait.

General information about cupid

Despite external differences from carp and carp, grass carp belongs to the carp family. This fish has an impressive size, and its weight can reach 30 kg.

Cupid is native to East Asia. The presence of this fish in Russian lakes is a sign of its artificial breeding. Naturally bred fish is found only in such rivers as the Don, Yenisei, Volga and Amur. This fish is herbivorous: by absorbing a huge amount of algae, it cleans ponds with stagnant water.

Cupid is demanding on the purity of the reservoir, as well as on the concentration of oxygen in the water. In this regard, quite often you can find this fish in paid reservoirs.

As a rule, cupids keep in a flock and are characterized by good survival. AT winter time they go into hibernation. Spawning occurs in June - July and only in running waters.

Catching grass carp is the dream of any angler. However, having decided to "hunt" this fish, it is worth knowing a number of secrets and features of fishing. So, spring and especially sunny and calm days are considered an excellent time for catching cupid.

Where to look?

Cupid is a large fish, but it lives in small reservoirs. Catching grass carp, for example, in the Volga is a great success. Things are easier with small reservoirs: here this fish can be observed in large numbers.

When “hunting” for cupid, it is worth observing maximum silence, since this fish is very shy. Swimming at a depth of only about 1-2 meters, grass carp is very sensitive to the appearance of fishermen and, at the sight of danger, can almost immediately swim into the water thickets. It is extremely difficult to catch fish from such a “safe place”.

If the cupid nevertheless "hid", fishing enthusiasts will have to find a gap in the aquatic vegetation and feed the fish for a long time.

"Treats"

Catching cupid is carried out on almost anything. Young corn, cucumbers, bean pods, young stems and leaves of dandelions, barley and cane pulp are also used. Some experienced anglers manage to “hunt” for grass carp using cherries, cherries and plums.

Cupid grown in artificial conditions has its own preferences. It is easier to catch it on peas, wheat, maggot, worms, bloodworms.

If a feeder is used when fishing, then, as a rule, it is stuffed with hominy. As a bait, compound feed, bread and all kinds of cereals in loose form will be an excellent option.

When catching cupid, special attention is also paid to gear: great options are carp rods and rods for feeder fishing.

Features of spring fishing

Catching grass carp in the spring is an extremely exciting and fruitful activity. It is in the spring that favorable conditions come for “hunting” for this fish. So, the water warms up to 13-15 degrees in spring, while the aquatic vegetation is still insignificant. After the long winter months, Cupid is hungry, so it easily bites on various bait (whether it be corn, pearl barley or young cabbage leaves).

Catching cupid in the spring should take place in calm sunny weather. This fish does not tolerate noise either, so fishing should be carried out in silence (otherwise the cupid will get scared and swim away into the thickets).

Catching grass carp in the spring is carried out on a variety of bait. However, there are some of the more popular types. Such treats seem to be specially created for the "cupid fishing" category. This bait is as follows:

Corn (by the way, the favorite delicacy of grass carp);

Stems of young reeds;

Leaves of young cabbage;

Pea leaves;

Pearl barley.

It is necessary to throw the bait into the water not at the intended location of the fish, but slightly to the side. It is worth knowing that cupid captures the bait instantly, so the cutting should be fast and long.

Having understood that the prey is on the hook, it must be smoothly led to the shore, avoiding sharp throws and turns. If the cupid manages to go into the water thickets, it will not work to pull him out of there. Since grass carp is a very strong fish, the process of transporting it to the shore, as a rule, is long and laborious.

Catching cupid in the summer will be much more difficult due to the fact that he has plenty of food during this period, so he will be less willing to respond to the bait.

May - the beginning of the grass carp season

The most successful fishing will be in May. This month, cupid fishing can be carried out both during the day and at night. It is worth knowing that with the onset of darkness, the cupid pecks just as well as in the morning hours, but loses its vigilance a little (in the daytime, the white carp is much more careful than at night).

On hot and sunny days, large representatives of this fish are often caught in the morning and evening. But small fish (weighing up to 1 kg) are perfectly caught throughout daylight hours. In cloudy weather, even large individuals of grass carp fall for the bait throughout the daylight hours. Best choice for fishing

Catching cupid in May is also easier because it is during this period that the willow begins to bloom. As you know, it is willow inflorescences that are the favorite delicacy of grass carp.

However, the nuance is that willows are moisture-loving trees and they grow at the very edge of water bodies. The inflorescences of this plant, similar to small cones, after flowering immediately fall into the reservoir and become easy prey for cupid. Therefore, it is necessary to catch at a time when the willow inflorescence is just being formed and the fish cannot get it on their own.

When catching cupid in May, you can still stay in the same thickets of willow. If you throw the above-described inflorescences into the water, cupid will not keep you waiting long and will immediately rush to swallow the cone. After that, you can safely plant the inflorescences on the hook and run them into the water.

Summer is the height of fishing

Warm (but not hot), calm weather is perfect for fishing in the summer. In this case, ideally, the water temperature should be no more than 18 degrees. For this reason, the peak of catching grass carp falls on the beginning of summer.

In the summer, you can find cupid in thickets located near coastline. This is where the fish look for their food. Cupid can also be located in shallow reaches, since the water there warms up quite well.

Cupid is a picky fish, so in the summer it is necessary to use certain types of bait. The fish bites well on reeds and young cucumbers. Perfectly proved itself and catching cupid on corn.

It should be noted that in the summer, due to the abundance of food, this fish is reluctant to respond to standard bait. Therefore, experienced fishermen use the so-called cucumber and early corn sandwich.

The resulting "delicacy" is put on a hook mixed with round logs of the most ordinary foam. The styrofoam raises the bait slightly above the bottom, making it more visible.

Reeds as bait

Being a herbivorous fish, grass carp rarely swims past the bait in the form of reeds.

Catching cupid on reeds is almost always a success. You must use this bait correctly:

First you need to cut off a reed shoot at least 50 cm long. In this case, the bottom of the plant should be cleared of leaves.

Fasten the reeds on the hook, and carefully hide the hook under the leaves.

Wrap the trunk of the plant with fishing line.

You need to throw the bait into the water in such a way that it is next to the growing reeds, creating the appearance of just a broken plant.

The grass carp almost always reacts to the specified bait, and the angler needs to be very careful not to miss the moment when the fish starts eating the reeds.

The main feature of using this plant as bait is that only the lower part of it is in the water. The reed itself must be on the surface of the water.

It is sometimes difficult to do this, since when fishing in this way, the float and sinker are not used (for this reason, difficulties arise when casting the bait into the pond).

How to catch fish on the feeder?

Catching cupid on a feeder is quite difficult in terms of baiting a fishing spot. What is it connected with? The fact is that catching grass carp on a feeder takes place from an impressive distance from the shore.

For the best bait of the place, a special volumetric feeder with dough is used, it can be thrown over a long distance.

After hooking, you can start playing the cupid. It is worth carrying out this procedure very carefully and carefully, since the fish can swim away into aquatic vegetation, from where it is unlikely to get it. When fishing in this way, the feeder rod should be as reliable and strong as possible, so that at the right time the fisherman can actively start playing the cupid. The fishing line should be used braided with a leash. The application makes it possible to make the tackle more sensitive, which is of great importance during fishing.

When fishing for cupid on a feeder, special attention should be paid to the feeder equipment. Paternoster is ideal. It is knitted on the main line, which minimizes the chance of breaks. The peculiarity lies in the fact that a piece of foam is inserted into the feeder, coinciding with the shape of the feeder itself (for example, in the form of a square or a washer). Such a feeder will float out of the water, and, accordingly, the food will be washed out over the entire surface of the reservoir. The grass carp reacts to such a trick in almost all cases.

Catching grass carp on a feeder can also occur using conventional feeders, without foam. However, you should still keep in mind the fallback.

When using a feeder, it is worth using a landing net with a long handle and a large head. The leash must be chosen with a length of 20 to 80 cm. A similar spread is obtained due to the use of foam, since if a foam ball is put on the hook, it will raise the bait a distance similar to the length of the leash.

Cooking boilies for fish

Boyle is a bait based on protein balls. Outwardly, it can have absolutely any shape: spherical, pyramidal or oblong, similar to a capsule.

A similar bait is put on a hook in an unusual way: the boilie is located, as it were, behind the hook and is not put on its shank. Such an arrangement of the bait does not allow the prey to swallow the boilie whole. At the same time, such bait will not scare the fish. At the moment when the cupid swallows the bait, the hook clings to his lip.

It is important to know that hair is the mount for such bait. The basis of the hair accessories includes:

Leash.

The hook on which the above bait is held is securely attached to the sinker. When the grass carp reacts to the bait and swallows it all (together with the hook), the sinker contributes to self-setting. This is due to the fact that the fishing line is in constant tension, and the sting with the forearm of the hook is bare. For this reason, it is quite difficult for the fish to spit out the captured bait and hook.

There are many recipes for making boilies. However, there is a special one for catching grass carp. So, to make a boilie for the specified fish, you will need:

Soy and corn flour - 200 g each;

Eggs - 10 pcs. (per kilogram of dry weight);

Sugar - 50 g;

Powdered milk - 150 g;

Semolina - 400 g;

Sunflower oil - 3 tbsp. spoons.

All of the above ingredients are mixed, tinted to the desired color and flavored. The resulting dough is rolled into many small balls (3-5 cm in diameter). After that, the balls are boiled for 3-4 minutes and dried.

An important stage in the preparation of boilies is their aromatization. For catching grass carp as natural flavors, you can use:

Mint or black currant leaves;

Cocoa or crushed coffee beans;

Various culinary spices: basil, cinnamon, cumin and others.

Most often, boilies are made by experienced fishermen on their own. However, in the absence of time and desire to cook boilies yourself, you can purchase them at any specialized store.

Boilies themselves can be of two types: floating and sinking. The way they are made is different: for example, a sinking boilie will turn out if the dough ball is first boiled and then frozen. Floating boilies are cooked in the microwave, but are less reliable during the fishing process. It does not last long on the surface of the water, crumbles and loses its shape.

According to most experienced fishermen, catching cupid on boilies is more successful when using a floating type of bait.

Instead of concluding...

Thus, catching grass carp is not an easy task. Being a cautious and attentive fish, cupid will not react to an unfamiliar bait left in an unusual place. To "hunt" for this fish, you should always prepare thoroughly: bait, tackle, bait - everything should be done in the best possible way.

Only thorough preparation and study of the behavior of grass carp at a particular time of the year will make it possible to pull a worthy trophy ashore in the form of a large individual. Happy fishing!