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View Full Version : 411 on the Real DEAL???



Liteliner
02-23-2009, 09:18 PM
So my dads buddy tells him at a family function this weekend that Irvine Lake has the best tasting carp. Well he has been bugging me the last two days to catch him one. Ive never seen or even heard of carps at Irvine Lake though. Anybody nice enough to fill me in on the carp fishing there??? Yes I said carp.... Not trout.... but carp...... :LOL: Any info would be great....

Daryl
02-23-2009, 09:44 PM
You want carp, or Irvine Lake carp?

Troutman65
02-23-2009, 11:57 PM
Irvine Lake has Carp. Not many people target them. There is no limit on the Carp at Irvine lake. The 2 fishing rod rule apply's . Good luck on your Carp adventure at Irvine Lake . They are in there !!

AnglerBob
02-24-2009, 12:09 AM
Yes, the lake does have carp. Several years ago, I watched two Japanese guys on Trout Island rig up these surf-sized poles. One went to cast, but not with his rod. The rod was placed in the holder with the bail open. Off to the side, he held sinker the size of a cannonball in one of those things that looks like a Jai-Alai thrower, for those of you who have been to Tijuana (and hey, what fisherman hasn't, for some nefarious purpose). Anyhoo, the guy took aim and threw the cannonball as hard as he could. Line peeled from the reel, and the sinker landed in the middle of the lake with a splash like a depth charge. I could hardly contain my laughter, which my fishing buddy pointed out wasn't too polite. But the last laugh was on me: they ended up with two GIANT carp.

Not sure what they were using for bait. Corn or doughballs, perhaps.

troutdog
02-24-2009, 12:48 AM
Send Bullets a Pm if he does not see this thread, he knows how to get them to bite.:LOL:

I've seen them in the shallows to the right of the boat docks....they are in there for sure.


TD

Steve Carson
02-24-2009, 09:22 AM
There are plenty of "common carp" in Irvine Lake, some in excess of 30 pounds.
We don't have any of the more exotic varieties like grass carp or mirror carp that they have in other parts of the country.
Despite naysayers in the USA, carp are by far the world's most popular game fish, there really is nothing close to its popularity, especially in England, the rest of Europe, and Asia.
In some parts of Europe, families gather around the "Christmas carp" instead of a turkey.
Like most fish, the local favorite eating fish is an acquired thing, and with carp in particular the flavor is strongly affected by their local diet.
All of that said, we have a few carp specialists who visit the lake each month, who mostly appear to be from eastern Europe.
They apply a variety of specialty techniques using homemade baits and make some impressive catches, and their tackle is out of this world.
Carp are very well known to get hook-shy in a hurry, so I'm not sure how long the great catches would continue if a whole bunch of people started doing it, but it would be nice if people enjoyed this untapped resource more often.
Don't dismiss carp, Berkley sells tonnage of "Carp formula" Power Bait in Europe, and there is even an organization called "CarpMasters'!!!!.

Liteliner
02-24-2009, 11:07 AM
Thanks for the info guys. I might be out there this saturday if I dont go south for some crappie action. I might just bait a rod down with carp bait and jig for trout with the other rod. Havent heard much reports about the steelhead in the lake either. I thought they put a pretty heavy plant in there of the steelies. Maybe i should try some tactics I learned from lake superior.:Secret:

MAVERICK27
02-24-2009, 03:27 PM
I saw one HUGE carp brought in from the dam with mackeral. That was several months back.

As far as steelhead, I have cught several and they eat a wide variety. So, no real special baits needed. A lot of the normal baits for trout trigger them. I had good luck on nightcrawlers.

I do know that the carp fight visciously! I would love to catch a few there too.

Marley
02-25-2009, 09:35 PM
I don't target them, but I have caught them and can say that there are definitely big carp in Irvine Lake. Freshwater yellowtail, they fight so hard! I don't like their smell (heck, they probably don't like mine, either!) so I don't even try to catch them, but occasionally find one's big lips wrapped around a wad of salmon eggs, Velveeta and anything "else" fished on the bottom... Fun stuff on 2-lb. trout tackle.

Liteliner
02-26-2009, 04:53 PM
Thanks for the added info guys. I think im gonna wait til trout season gets closer to the end so I dont have to fight the crowds. Im thinking they will be spawn by that time which can lead to some awesome sight fishing for carp...

Troutman65
02-26-2009, 06:21 PM
Thanks for the added info guys. I think im gonna wait til trout season gets closer to the end so I dont have to fight the crowds. Im thinking they will be spawn by that time which can lead to some awesome sight fishing for carp...


Its a trip to see all the Carp spwning at the lake. The Carp are right at the waters edge and rolling around. They are only interested in the spawn not your bait at that time. Good luck Liteliner:Wink::Cool:

Liteliner
02-26-2009, 06:54 PM
Its a trip to see all the Carp spwning at the lake. The Carp are right at the waters edge and rolling around. They are only interested in the spawn not your bait at that time. Good luck Liteliner:Wink::Cool:

Yeah that is an awesome sight. Im gonna have to show you that they are interested. You just have to chose the ones that are under the one that are flopping and slip them a garden worm on 2 lb test and hold on for dear life... :Wink: See ya there man.

Troutman65
02-26-2009, 07:13 PM
Yeah that is an awesome sight. Im gonna have to show you that they are interested. You just have to chose the ones that are under the one that are flopping and slip them a garden worm on 2 lb test and hold on for dear life... :Wink: See ya there man.



:Cool: Always nice to see you at the lake my friend.:Big Grin:

Sparky70
02-27-2009, 06:23 PM
While fishing at lake Diaz we caught several Carp, we didn't know what to do with them so just threw them on the bank. Shortly afterwards the Raccoons new what to do with em, they all dissappeared real fast.:Angry: :Angry: :Angry:

LBSea
03-07-2009, 06:08 PM
Well that’s what we called it.

Two Cups of Water
Packet of BERRY (ANY BERRY) Jell-O
Sugar 1/4 cup
Cup of Flower
One to Two Cups of Corn Meal
(This is by memory and all quantities are approx but you get the idea)

Bring water to a boil and pour in the berry Jell-O and sugar and stir till dissolved. Next add the flower & corn meal and stir until the mix becomes a doe similar to play doe. Add corn meal as needed to thicken till just right. You can wrap your doe in foil or whatever and refrigerate till used. Crap LOVE the sweet berry flavor and we used this stuff all the time to clear the carp out of a local pond. I got this recipe from OLD sports fishing how to book that described the popularity of this fish everywhere including on the EAST coast.

I will vouch that they STINK when caught. They also croak like a croaker. We would toss them out of our bass pond and you would hear and smell them for hours! Use only the strongest gear as big ones will absolutely destroy lighter gear. I would use a Shimano Bait Runner with 20lb. test with the bail open and when the fish started to run the game was on. I had one snap a SABRE rod in half, and this was a Salt Water Sabre Stroker NOT cheap Sabre PENN they sell at Big-5.


Go get them!!!

Mondo21
03-07-2009, 10:27 PM
Thanks LBSea for the Carp recipe. What kind of hook do you use? And how do you keep it on? Cindy

LBSea
03-08-2009, 08:16 PM
Use a medium sized treble hook and enough dope to make a quarter size ball. The Carp Dope is pretty sticky and should ball up well. Usually good for a couple of casts.

Doug

pasadenafishin
03-08-2009, 08:38 PM
Use a medium sized treble hook and enough dope to make a quarter size ball. The Carp Dope is pretty sticky and should ball up well. Usually good for a couple of casts.

Doug

Since O_L isnt here anymore ill say it for him, please do not use treble hooks while fishing for carp because if your line snaps it will pin the fishes mouth closes and stop it from eating (bass eggs) LOL

calico killer kevin
03-08-2009, 10:41 PM
Since O_L isnt here anymore ill say it for him, please do not use treble hooks while fishing for carp because if your line snaps it will pin the fishes mouth closes and stop it from eating (bass eggs) LOL
Damn...miss that mofo...