Screeming Reels

What are Carp Fish?

Carp fish are currently that most popular target species of bank anglers all over South Africa.  They are found in dams and river throughout Southern Africa.  The 3 most familiar species of carp found in SA are the Common Carp, the Mirror Carp and the Grass Carp.  The common and mirror carp look identical with the exception of their scale arrangement.  The Mirror carp only has scales along the outside edge of the body, and along the centre of its body it has a few extra large scales.  The common carp and the grass carp on the other hand have scales all over their bodies. The grass carp look very different from the other two, they have long bodies with slightly flattened heads.  The common and mirror carp, can grow to up to 50kgs and in fact in South Africa the current record is a 28.68 kg carp which was caught in 2005 by carp angler Martin Louw.

Where can we find Carp?

Carp are found all over Southern Africa, they were introduced to South African Waters over 100 years ago, to control the growth of invasive species of water plants and algae.  They flourished, but then also started to breed regularly.  This is why we say that carp is an invasive species.  They are actually an alien species in our waters because they were brought in from Europe and Asia.  Carp grow well in South Africa, and are regularly caught by either recreational fishermen, competition anglers or anglers involved in a new craze called Specimen Carp Fishing.  Carp can be found in all the different dams around South Africa.  Some hotspots for good Carp angling near and around Gauteng are Bloemhof dam, Vaal Dam, Haartebeespoort dam.  Some of our favourite spots for all three species of carp are along the Vaal Dam just after the Deneysville turnoff.  All along this road you can get fishing spots that produce carp.

What type of fishing tackle is required for Carp?

The lighter the tackle the better.  Today there are so many different types of carp tackle out there, so you have to be careful of what you go out and buy. 

What is the best method of catching a carp fish?

The most common method is to create a feeding spot for the carp by using a feed like Mielie Bom.  It is basically a variety of seed, grain and powder mixed together to create a high protein mix that forms a cloud of food in the water when it settles to the bottom after a good cast.  You need to cast further a deeper to catch the bigger fish. So the best method would be to have a strong line, good hooks and a mielie bom trace, then get the bait as far into the water as you can and sit back, relax and wait.

Lets talk about bait?

There is a variety of baits on the market.  These are basically prepared for two kinds of carp fishing:

The first is the normal carp fishing that requires the use of a Milie Bom trace, with mielie feed attached to the bom, floaties, bread, deeg (dough), mielie pips, are then placed on the hooks on the trace.

The second method is for Big Carp or Specimen Fishing.  For this type of fishing one requires various kinds of high protein bait.  These include Boilies, Big Mielies, and Tiger nuts.