31-inch carp takes Strike King in South Branch
 

Caught a 31-inch carp that took a Senko-style (Strike King), not only hooked in the mouth; it was a deliberate take on the drift, deep. Also a few smallmouths and a largemouth, missed a couple, and saw lots of little bass. Water nice and clear.

Re: 31-inch carp takes Strike King in South Branch
 

Carp take many types of lures.. Not all the time, but they will.. Over the years I have caught them on several types of jigs, inline spinners, and even a few on Rapala type plugs.. Caught suckers and bullheads on lures as well..

Carp go crazy for crayfish, and Hellgramites if you can get them, so they are used to eating moving living things... bob

Re: 31-inch carp takes Strike King in South Branch
 

Are you back in nj for good? If so we gotta get some fishing in.

Re: 31-inch carp takes Strike King in South Branch
 

Years ago, I waded the Delaware in November, with a brand-new, homemade 6 1/2-foot fast action, perfect for jigging, and I targeted walleye. Don't remember the manufacturer of the blank, but I believe one of the first graphites. I was 17 or 18. Whichever, it's in my fishing log. Don't remember if hair jig or plastic tip, but definitely not live bait, and I got a tap, reared back, and believed I had a nice walleye. Five-pound carp. Not a catch to denigrate. I've fished a lot of waters with carp in them, but these two just happen to be the only ones I've caught on lures. I caught a 12-incher on a live worm, besides. I've never gone for carp much at all, but I feel a lot of respect, especially for the fish I caught yesterday.

Re: 31-inch carp takes Strike King in South Branch
 

I used to target carp with a 1 inch black twister tail on a 1/32nd jig head. Would toss it where carp were rooting around the bottom and retrieve super slow
Would do well

Re: 31-inch carp takes Strike King in South Branch
 

Nice catch! I bet it fought like hell. I caught a carp on the SB the exact same size last year on a 3" black curly tail grub. I guess it looked like one of the little benthic critters they root around for.

Re: 31-inch carp takes Strike King in South Branch
 

Few more weeks when the mullberries begin to fall just drift a berry downstream under a mullberry tree and its game on.

Re: 31-inch carp takes Strike King in South Branch
 

I have some "mulberry" carp bait by Eagle Claw leftover from when my son & I tried for carp in Stony Brook five years ago. Stuff floats like Power Bait, so I placed split shot pretty close to the hooks.

I spoke to guys from Shannon's recently about a coming Lamington River restoration and fly fishing participation from Fiddler's Elbow Country Club members, and heard, "Hang one of those carp, and you have a battle in hand." Fly fishing seems fitting for carp.

Re: 31-inch carp takes Strike King in South Branch
 

I make my homemade corn meal bait with organic black mulberry juice from Turkey. Caught 363 carp with it this year.

Re: 31-inch carp takes Strike King in South Branch
 

That is really cool, down to earth, at home, and exotic all at once.