Hey everyone,
I’ve been carp fishing for a couple of years now and really got into it — invested in proper gear and have been learning a lot along the way. My PB so far is 18 lbs from my local river.
Recently I switched over to fishing a secluded reservoir after hearing that someone caught the state record (50 lbs) there back in 1995 when they weren’t even targeting it. I’m not expecting a record breaker, but I’d love to push into the 20+ range if possible as I take that as a sign there could be more big carp there.
For the last month and a half I’ve been hitting a bay with lots of vegetation all the way at the end (marked in green) at the crack of dawn 1–2 times each weekend, fishing for around 6 hours each trip. The results have been super consistent — every time I catch 1–3 carp between 8–12 lbs, but nothing bigger or smaller. I fish outside of the weeds. I also tried an open-water spot right off shore that’s very deep (marked in red on the map) for the first time today seeking bigger fish, but got no bites. There’s also another bay I’ve noticed that’s around 10 ft deep right off shore, but I haven’t tried that yet. (Marked in blue on the map) The entire left side is pretty much off limits as people own property except for one part near the bottom where that bottom 10 foot marker is. (Marked yellow) I know the spots I’ve tried look close together but it’s not this water is huge.
My question is:
* Do bigger carp ever cycle back into the spot I’ve been fishing, or is it more of a area for mid-sized ones?
* Based on the map, would you recommend any spots that may look good?
* Do I keep grinding the bay that produces 8–12s hoping on a big one, or focus more on deeper/open water features or that other smaller bay?
I know it’s hard to give exact advice without being there in person, but I’d really appreciate any tips or perspectives on how to approach a big-water reservoir like this from experts.
Thanks!
Posted by NearStingray