I know they aren't the most prized fish but does anybody know where there are carp to be caught from shore? I live on cape cod and there are none down here.
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Carp anybody??
- Thread starter Cape Cod Center Mass
- Start date
bsimardjr
NES Member
Almost anywhere in the Merrimack River. Many places around Lowell. Have caught them from the Groveland bridge with my father & son, some into the 30's. Not sure if you can still fish from the bridge. My son used to be heavy into carp fishing, he even made trips to the Hudson River in New York for them.
Bob
Bob
spy pond arlington i have seen some huge carp there they dont seem to hit on anything though i have been thinking of bringing a bow down their and bowfishing for them but i dont think that would go over well and was kinda questioning how legal it was i think from a boat i would be ok i dont know about shore.
Not for a couple years likely, theyre finally working on the replacement for the groveland bridge so theres nowhere to cast without hitting a barge or crane.
Never caught a carp in the river, just striper and catfish. Maybe thats what broke my line down towards amesbury, that or a sturgeon..
cockpitbob
NES Member
A friend who did 3 tours in 'Nam didn't like the carp there, but found 1 recepie he could tolerate (barely). Pack in mud, wrap in foil and burry in coals. Come back 2 hours later, remove foil, chip away the mud, throw the fish away and eat the mud.
Remember: if you bow fish for carp, you need a freshwater fishing license. They aren't so easy to shoot with a bow either: light refracts in water and you have to aim a lot lower depending on the angle. Carp spook real easy so you have to be stealthy and sneak up to the banks for a shot. From a boat is even harder to remain quiet IMHO.
I've shot carp in the Newton Lower Falls area, but haven't done it in over 15 yrs, LOL. Wear waders, polarized sunglasses w/ lanyard are a MUST (I prefer brown/amber lenses over grays), and bring spare arrow or two and extra tips. Lots of debris in the water so you want to be careful you don't get impaled by something in the muck! Sort of scary when something bumps into you when you are wading!
Look out for logs and other things that can knock you over. A wading belt is a MUST! I used simple fiberglass arrow w/ 80 lb dacron and a hand wind reel. There are fancier set ups now, but they are $ and not always made for lefties.
We use to catch BIG carp in Charles River in Boston and the Merrimac River in Dracut as a kid. Canned corn or moosh white bread on to hook. Bottom fished worked best and WATCH your rod or it will get pulled in if you don't open the bail or have reel in free spool.
Good luck
I've shot carp in the Newton Lower Falls area, but haven't done it in over 15 yrs, LOL. Wear waders, polarized sunglasses w/ lanyard are a MUST (I prefer brown/amber lenses over grays), and bring spare arrow or two and extra tips. Lots of debris in the water so you want to be careful you don't get impaled by something in the muck! Sort of scary when something bumps into you when you are wading!
Look out for logs and other things that can knock you over. A wading belt is a MUST! I used simple fiberglass arrow w/ 80 lb dacron and a hand wind reel. There are fancier set ups now, but they are $ and not always made for lefties. We use to catch BIG carp in Charles River in Boston and the Merrimac River in Dracut as a kid. Canned corn or moosh white bread on to hook. Bottom fished worked best and WATCH your rod or it will get pulled in if you don't open the bail or have reel in free spool.
Good luck
Mass-diver
NES Member
Bow fishing sounds like a ton of fun
Used to see guys doing it on the sacramento delta with boats that had tuna towers on them. Always looked fun.
Thanks for the advice all. Fishing on the cape simply can't be beat,,,unless you want a carp. Looks like I am an hour away from the nearest oppurtunity. Good luck with the bowfishing,I tried it and it is tough,fun but tough.
anywhere on the blackstone river, anytime of the year. wonder bread is the trick. i've cought thousands of carp, the average on my part of the river is 7-10lbs. can go catch6 of them now in an hour. my persnal biggest was 14.5, but my freand pulled a 20lb out late one night.
my back yard, the pond is frozen over now but in the spring we fish with bread balls and catch carp all the time. Biggest one was 26 lbs and took 19 mins of fighting with 8 lb test line. If you would like to wait till sprig I have an appartment open for $675 a month. (see NES classifides)
I grew up in Middlesex County. The Concord, Assebet, Sudbury rivers have Carp. I remember seeing them often in the springtime in the shallows when the rivers were swollen. Ive also seen seen them jumpin out of the water in the fall. ? Never fished for them though. Good luck.
