Carping on Silver Lake

[Sttab]

A friend of mine put me on some nice browns on Whitewater last weekend, and it's my turn to figure out the next spot to fish. He had never targeted carp/suckers, so I was figuring maybe we could fish Silver Lake, and then right below the dam. Are there going to be fish there? And what's the best way to get carp on Silver Lake? I was just thinking throw a worm on the bottom and work our way shorefishing around the lake.

Would that work?

[crazyice]

That will definately get you some fish, but if you really want to catch carp, go with sweet corn threaded on a bare hook. I have caught a few that way as well.

[ikeslayer]

i know tyler has had some luck above the dam with sweet corn. i have gone snaggin below the dam cause they are always in about 6" of water and very easy to pick off. ike

[Tyler Holm]

The carp spawn is over now so they are back in their normal summer time haunts. If your looking for suckers, the old worm on a hook below the Silver Lake dam is an decent choice. You’ll likely get a mixed bag thou with gills, shinners, bass, bullheads, and maybe a few suckers.

If your strictly after carp you can’t go wrong with whole kernel sweet corn. I’d fish above the dam. Good luck.

[muskiehunter369]

if you want some topwater fun try throwing out some bread like your feeding the ducks. but try and keep the ducks off the chum. you can do one of to things ,one let your hooked bread just float with it. or wait until one comes and throw out. push the point of the hook up into the bread. once one gits it let it take it until you feel the wait of the fish then set it. try right were they feed the geese. and have fun . dose any one else do this or is just me. once you do this you wont bottum fish any more.

[Paul_Kramer]

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if you want some topwater fun try throwing out some bread like your feeding the ducks. but try and keep the ducks off the chum. you can do one of to things ,one let your hooked bread just float with it. or wait until one comes and throw out. push the point of the hook up into the bread. once one gits it let it take it until you feel the wait of the fish then set it. try right were they feed the geese. and have fun . dose any one else do this or is just me. once you do this you wont bottum fish any more.

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I do! I caught my biggest carp ever which was 10.5 lbs that way.

[crazyice]

I have never heard of fishing for them this way. I will have to give it a try sometime.

[Tyler Holm]

Humm... this topwater tactic seems like it would work in an area where the carp are use to feeding off the surface (such as Silver Lake where the ducks and geese are fed) I could see that being an effective tactic if the conditions are right and the carp are feeding on the surface. Might have to give that a try sometime too.

[muskiehunter369]

the biggest carp we ever got was a 38 incher. we lost 2 that were over 40.

[Tyler Holm]

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the biggest carp we ever got was a 38 incher. we lost 2 that were over 40.

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Huh... I've never seen one that big. It must have been over 40lbs and the 2 you lost are pushing the state record (42"). If that's the case, I've certainly got to give it a shot. Nice work.

[PISCATOR]

My best carp bait is a dough ball. Just take a chunk of white bread about 2 inches square and form it into a ball - a little saliva helps make it sticky. I have always fished it on the bottom but without weight it may float also . . .

In the big European carp fishing contests they always use corn, lots of chum also, so corn must be the way to go. Works for carp and trout . . .

[Paul_Kramer]

If you're using corn on the bottom, it helps a lot to mix it with some strawberry jello powder.