Bruno Garcia from the Charente-Maritime fishing federation answers questions from listeners-fishermen from France Bleu la Rochelle: A question that follows last Saturday’s column on carp. Brigitte de Rochefort is wondering about one of your tips and in particular about finding this fish using carrots. You will have to justify yourself and perhaps tell us how you prepare it.
Bruno Garcia:
I will try to do it and convince people of the interest of using carrots for fishing. I trace in a very synthetic way this chapter – there of the chronicle of last Saturday. I was saying that the boilie was today the bait most used to find carp and that it inevitably associated boilie with hook bites. This has the effect of making her suspicious of this presentation. I therefore advised to return to old techniques such as potatoes, peas, beans, corn and carrots, forgotten hookbaits.
Not stupid the carp! Scalded cat fears cold water !
What you need to know is that even if, like the majority of our white fish, carp is an omnivorous fish, it will have a preference for a vegetable diet, particularly in this season.
Can carp also be carnivorous?
It is also a formidable predator in spawning grounds on eggs and fry. When farmed on bodies of water, it is recommended to exclude carp if you want to optimize the production of roach, for example.
The preparation of this carrot to seduce the carp
Before preparation what are the advantages of using this type of bait? Already the color but also as for the boilie allow to dissuade the small white fish from attacking it. Like corn and broad beans, this carrot will be lightly cooked for a few minutes so that it releases flavors that are a little more pronounced than a raw ingredient. What we are looking for in particular is the attraction of sugar. A few minutes in boiling water will suffice. You can even add a little powdered sugar to the cooking water.
Isn’t this preparation going to be a little firm?
Don’t worry about that aspect! The carp has pharyngeal teeth. As the name suggests, teeth positioned at the level of the pharynx that are capable of grinding amazing things.
I assume that the carrot is not used in its entirety on the hook? just a small piece?
A small cube, a small sphere depending on your inspiration and your skill in handling the knife. The shape given to the piece of carrot is not the priority. As far as I am concerned and in terms of size, it can be compared to a hazelnut.
But the hook should not fit easily into this piece of vegetable?
We do not prick the end of the carrot on the hook. We use what is called a hair. A small piece of nylon or braid in the extension and immediately below the hook on which we will thread the bait. This has the advantage of having a completely bare and even more effective hook.
Some work?
From April 25 to May 6, on the Charente river, restoration work on the path on the left bank downstream of the Saint Savinien dam. So access that will be prohibited. And, on the Charras canal, maintenance work on the levees on the right bank which began on April 12 and should also be completed on May 6. For your safety, respect the signage in place.