Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]I have had several requests to do one of my "Infamous One" pictorials on preparing carp for bait. Of course, you can hack up a carp any old way and attach pieces of the shredded critter to a hook just about any way you wanna. However, for maximum yield and better baits, it helps if you do it cleanly and systematically.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]1. First, scale the beast. Carp scales are large and tough. No way you can get a hook point through them when using them for bait. Scrape from tail to head, using a commercial scaling tool (as in pic), a sturdy knife, a spatula or garden trowel. Clean up the scales as you go or your kitchen will look like there was a carp scale snowfall.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]2. After scaling both sides, fillet the carp just as you would any other fish. Start by cutting behind the head, down to the spine.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]3. Using an electric knife (or a large bladed butcher knife) cut down toward the tail, slabbing off the fillets. Do not skin the fillets as you would any fish you were going to eat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]4. Lay the fillets skin side down. DO NOT RINSE THE FILLETS. Keep as much blood and "flavor" in the bait as possible. Kitties respond better to "natural" stuff.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]5. Using a sharp knife, slice out the rib bones. They are shallow and removing them will give the bait strips more flutter, as well as more "munchability" to the munchors.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]6. If you are going to use the bait right away, and are not going to freeze it, go ahead and precut it into strips of the desired sizes. It is best to lay the fillets flesh side down and to cut from the skin side, using a sharp knife. Half inch wide strips are good, but you can cut 1 inch chunks or whatever other size or shape you wish. Cutting the strips into little triangles, with a wide end and a pointed end, will allow the narrow end to flutter a bit when hooked in the wide end and dragged, retrieved or hung below a bobber.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]7. Using a sharp-pointed knife, punch a small slit into the end of the bait into which you intend to put the hook. Carp skin is TOUGH, and trying to work even a sharp hook into that skin can be frustrating and messy. If you use circle hooks, you will really appreciate having your bait strips pre-perforated when you hit the water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]8. Any fillets that are not going to be used within a day or so should be frozen. Vacuum sealers are great for this, but if you have a lot of carp meat and don't want to use expensive vacuum bags, then you can freeze them in just enough water to allow you to squeeze out all the air from the bag before tieing it off. Air bubbles allow the bait to get freezer burn spots and the thawed bait will not work as well as bait that has been kept as "fresh" as possible.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Frozen packages should be taken out of the freezer a day before your planned trip and allowed to thaw in the refrigerator. Once they are mostly thawed, you can cut them into strips and cut the hook holes. You can also add some salt and some fish attractant, like shad oil or crawdad oil if you wanna give them more toughness and flavor.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you are going to be out fishing for more than a couple of hours, especially in warm weather, you might want to keep the bait strips in an insulated container with some ice. Catfish will eat "soured" carp meat, but they seem to like fresher better. You will also like yourself better if you do not get "annointed" with excessively dead carp meat. I use a 1 pint Thermos bottle, with a few ice cubes wrapped in a sealed plastic bag, to keep my fresh bait fresh while out in a float tube. Works good for minnows and crawlers too.[/#0000ff]
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Thanks for the tips, I haven't precut the holes for the hook before but thats a great idea.
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Hey TubeDude,

Where did you get that good looking minnow ?

One thing worth mentioning, is the location of the conversion from fish to bait. If one does it in the house, one's house will smell like the bait or water from which the bait was taken. In this case, I did mine outdoors because I did not want my house smelling like the muck we waded in to get the carp(particularly important for me, because of my hounds - I don't want them climbing on my kitchen counter to find that wonderful smell that the hounds naturally want to roll in).

Thanx TD - it was fun wading in the swamp hunting for catfood with you - even though it was one of those acquired olefactory delights and a lot of slogging in the muck and mire - maybe next time, I can bring a little more modern technology to the expedition and contribute a lttle more to the bait wrangling effort.

BTW - my minnow weighed in at just one once shy of 5 lbs. Most of which was not converted to bait - unfortunately. But, I did get quite a bit and hopefully it will be enough to convert again into catfish fillets on one of my next outings.

P.S. Nice pictorial !
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Looks great. last night, I scouted out a place, where I can catch some carp from The Mighty Jordan River (very near my house) that SawDustBob told me about. I will get down there soon (hopefully even tonight for my upcoming catfish trip) and catch me some bait.
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[cool][#0000ff]Let me know if you need any "immoral support". We have been planning to search out some viable venues along that river as well. It runs by our place only a mile or so away.[/#0000ff]
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I will be fishing in Davis County, and if you want to join me (tentative trip will probably only be for an hour or so this evening) give me a shout.
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[cool][#0000ff]Some other time. I don't have a lot of confidence in the weather to risk an hour of severe pleasure in the pursuit of carpkind.[/#0000ff]
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Decker lake just off I-215 is where I go for carp. The south west end is very shallow.
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[cool][#0000ff]Been there, done that. I live close by, as you know. They don't allow bows there, and the fish are either in or they ain't. Some bigguns in there though.[/#0000ff]
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As always a good and informative read! I'm pretty sure that if I even brought one of those nasty critters into the house my wife would string me up! I think I'll just scale them outside for kitty bait (both kinds)[]
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[#505000]Being a hardcore circle hook addict who uses carp meat, I think the pre-cut holes is a great idea I am going to have to try it. I have never scaled my carp to maintain the "natural" effect. Does it make much of a difference??[/#505000]
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[#505000]Also that smoked catfish you dropped by my place of employment was might tasty!! Fishluvr, me, and several others extend their thanks!! [] Fishluvr steered me to an inexpensive bow so next time you are exacting some punishment in my neck of the woods give me a hollar!! [/#505000]
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That's some good info. Thanks a lot! It'll be really usefull tomorrow. I'm planning a trip down to a little spot on the Jordan where the suckers and carp have both been spawning. I figure 5 of each species will be good for the summer(if I can get that many). I had my dad take some of my fillet knives to work with him today(he works at a saw shop. Very, very, very useful to have him work there, I'll tell ya what,) So I'll make easy work of them nasty critters. I'm gonna have to try that little trick of putting a hole in the bait for the hook. That's a dang good idea. I've always struggled breaking through that danged skin.
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oh how i do love the carp spawn on the ole jordan. bait a plenty for everyone my honey hole is at 900s and 1100w theres a huge flat on a bend that seems to attract all the biguns it's also where the first utah state record goldfish will come from[] now i just have to prove that i caught it and not just from the fish tank[pirate]
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[cool][#0000ff]I made reference to the circle hooks with you in mind, sir. Hope you appreciate my thoughtfulness. I know how difficult it is to stick a super sharp regular baithook through the skin. I can only imagine the extra difficulty with the different bend in the circle hooks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glad you and the lads enjoyed the smoked kitty. Maybe that will give you some incentive to "roll your own". Can you say BIG Zig Zags.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My carp punishing trips are usually spur of the moment, when I can get away and the weather is cooperative. Got a tentative trip in mind for Saturday morning. How is your schedule?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have always scaled any fish I plan to use for bait. It accomplishes two things...maybe three. First, it DOES make it easier to put the hook through it. Second, it allows more of the natural scent of the bait to spread in the water. Third...maybe...it makes a softer and more natural mouthful for the quarry species. Soft bait, with no bones or scales, is more likely to be held in the mouth longer or actually swallowed if it does not need to be chomped and tenderized. Catfish do pick up and consume loose carp scales, but I suspect that they do so only when they are really desperate. Treat 'em nice with a nice slice of tender carp cutlets.[/#0000ff]
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if anyone is interested another good spot in SLC to catch carp is 3500 S. 1000 W. there is a small pond there with alot of carp in it
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