# Tallowa Carp Tactics



## premium (Nov 23, 2011)

Happy Festive Season AKFF'ers...
am planning my first trip up to Tallowa dam on the weekend (shouldn't be the first, given how close i live to it!)...
will be having a look for bass, but also trying to expand my species list with a carp.

The bass luring shouldn't be too much of a problem, but i've never targetted carp before, so if anyone's been up there and has any tips i'm all ears!

Mostly looking along the lines of:
1: where to fish -are there any areas which might provide an advantage when looking for carp, or is it a matter of berley up and wait?
2: bait/rigs - thinking of just taking some bread and corn for bait, is it best to try unweighted or use a sinker to get it down on the bottom?
and 3: what the hell do you do with them once you catch/kill them?

any advice would be much appreciated!
Rohan


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

The carp will take whatever you throw for bass. They hit lures at almost the same rate as bass do, especially on the troll. They looooove harbodies.

Cast/troll near weedbeds and you'll get one for sure.

As for question 3. Chuck them up the bank and the lace monitors rip them to shreds right before your eyes.

edit:I should point out that Tallowa carp aren't typical for carp. Most carp don't hit lures like these ones do.


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## camel (Oct 4, 2005)

Hi Rohan

I just spent a night there back in November. I think the carp are an easy target around the existing camp sites. I guess they are keyed in to where they can get a free feed. They come around mooching for food scraps under the cover of darkness. I fish for them like I would bait fish for bream. A light 4-6lb leader and unweighted baits.

Here's a photo of the biggest from our trip in November. Got it on a scrap of Pork Belly from my dinner plate. 









Hope this helps

Ant


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## premium (Nov 23, 2011)

Cheers Guys,
Very helpful...
was a bit worried about googling the "ism", but this thread - http://akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=52278 came up in the results so all was well.

Hopefully the bass and Carp are in a lure-hungry mood on the weekend!


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## Clarkos (Oct 11, 2006)

Last time we went, we just used bread at the campsite. Mush it up and throw small bits out as berley. Definately un-weighted. The weight of the bait will make it sink, and any lead will leave you more prone to getting snagged. Tinned corn will also work well.

Only got a couple take lures, but then again we only had a couple of bass take lures as well.


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Rowan, pretty much what Koich said - bass hardbodies like Jackall deep chubbies are the business for Tallowa carp, especially trolled in 3-4m. I've also caught a few on plastics, and even cast to a few fish that I've spotted cruising, that have swum over and eaten the lure without hesitation. Very cool and unique to the fish at Tallowa. You'll catch plenty on bait as well.


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## andyfellow (Feb 17, 2012)

Back in my old country ( UK ) 35 years ago, carp were revered as being a very hard fighting fish and once caught and released on one type of bait, were very difficult to entice with the same method unless tactics or presentation were changed.
Among the most successful baits, at that time, were tinned sweet corn, devon ( polony ), bread crust ( floating ), bread paste and anything else from slugs, worms, freshwater mussels, broadbeans and specially brewed conconcoctions that may have included budgie tonic ( PYM ) through to eggs and bran soaked in molasses.
One of my favourite methods was what we called margin fishing. This entailed being absolutely silent and motionless when dusk fell and suspending a fat bread crust or roll just over the bank - hence margin fishing - with the rod being held motionless in rod holders with the bail arm open.
As the darkness descended, clooping noises could be sometimes heard as a carp worked their way along the bank sucking up any tempting tucker close to the edge as
even a tasty bread roll could, 
and often did, bring about their capture. A little hoop of al-foil formed over the line would give you an audible and visual indication that the bait had been taken and with a flick over of the bail-arm, the line would tighten and all hell would break loose. Boy O Boy, can they go - a ten kilo fish needs respect on 6lb line and the power from that tail is no guarantee that the fight will be successful. Whats more, the expectant anticipation of the hunt almost made breathing difficult with shallow breathes and shaking hands a witness to the excitement.
For those amongst the fishing fraternity that swear that carp are a feral pest, I've never heard the same comment about brown or rainbow trout.
Carp do not destroy river systems - they are just adept at living in low oxygenated water where most other fish will die and have evolved as a survivor in water that was not theirs to pollute with little oxygen, no flow and no encouragement.
In short, carp are a sensational fish to catch, will take most baits ( although never on a lure, in my experience, but to be fair about this, I've never tried to catch one with this method ) but are the great unsung heroes of many a small lad catching his first sizable fish creating a life long passion that will always try to recapture the sheer thrill of catching a freshwater whopper.


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

andyfellow said:


> Carp do not destroy river systems - they are just adept at living in low oxygenated water where most other fish will die and have evolved as a survivor in water that was not theirs to pollute with little oxygen, no flow and no encouragement.


That's pretty contentious. Just by what you wrote, they are usually heartier than native species in marginal conditions, allowing them to breed in all conditions, thus forcing out native species just in sheer numbers. I would bet those places you fished 35years ago are now devoid of anything but carp.
Plus they're slimy and smell.

I'll agree that my first forays into "big" fish were carp fishing as a kid. Digging my heels into the bank so I didn't get dragged in, but I never met a carp I didn't want to kill. I wish we had monitors.


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## premium (Nov 23, 2011)

Cheers guys, had a very very good session this morning - shall save the details for trip report, suffice to say the tinned corn is still unopened!

Andyfellow, I reckon that's the first time I've ever heard anyone claim that carp in Australia aren't a pest species, can't imagine how hard a 10 kilo model would go on the light gear...


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## bunsen (Jan 2, 2009)

Jackalls are a fave of Tallowa carp.


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

premium said:


> Cheers guys, had a very very good session this morning - shall save the details for trip report, suffice to say the tinned corn is still unopened!


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## andyfellow (Feb 17, 2012)

OK Guys, 
I do realise that this is a contentious issue and am sorry if I've caused one or two people to get on their high horse but understand where I'm coming from. I now live in an area of the wheatbelt of WA.
My area of worthwhile and catchable fish, more than a two and a bit hours drive from the ocean, is almost zilch, as is the opportunity for any young angler with latent potential.
There are a few Cockies puddles stocked with Redfin ( European Perch, another introduced species ) , Yabbies and minnows around here but the choice is limited. The local dams get little rain and can be almost completely dried out during bad summer seasons.
My theory is that nothing else will survive except the carp and so it's demonised because it can.
The guys like Zed, who has such conviction, may kick up a stink but I've fished many weeks around the Shoalhaven area and have seen no evidence of inundation of carp in that area. So why the hysteria?
Why would you?
Spoilt for choice perhaps. (Although I did bump into a couple of guys with their eel traps out, deep in the Shoalhaven and, believe me, you wouldn't have have stepped out of line without a decent line of conversation or agreeing with their line of thinking.)
I digress however. My point is is that carp are referred to in the same way that some people think of boat people, damned and send 'em back to where they came from, but it doesn't have to be a done deal - why not say that the carp is a great survivor, grows to largish sizes, gives a good feed when prepared ( the monks of europe used to have what they called stew ponds, dams stocked with my old mate and kept the righteous old b's going with tuckerfor centuries), and is a very worthwhile contributor to our fishing communitee.
I will, however, say that if anything is too much and if the situation dictates that culling should be undertaken, then so be it. I sometimes feel pangs of remorse when the Roo shooters come back with 15 - 20 animals on the back of their ute but, hey, they're a native and a surviving pest and sometimes thinning out has to be done. How can we argue with that?
My same point is made with carp, yes, they can be a pest but let's try to keep things in balance without an immediate kill order being issued.
Pete Tourle
I expect no further conversations on this topic because it may be too hard or beyond comment for some people but debate is most welcome.


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

Are you seriously trying to compare carp to refugees?

Wow.

Carp are a pest. It's not even debatable. They are.


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## Deefer (May 12, 2012)

all i have to say is wow...


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## andyfellow (Feb 17, 2012)

Well BigGee,
Thanks for your input and thanks also for the link to "feral.org" which I have read and appreciated.
I notice that you like to use the shit word aplenty but did not imagine that a genuine shit gourmet would be bothered to weigh into this with his informed comments. Especially since I hate Vietnamese food but have not actually ever tasted it, a useful comparison I'd say.
The common carp harvested for centuries as a food source is the very same fish that we have here - not the king carp that grow to spectacular dimensions in Europe - and I believe that in parts of Germany this fish is seen as a trophy feed when presented at Christmas dinners but, BigGee, they are not substantially different, they are in fact the same bony pieces of shit that you've never eaten.
Your venom only reinforces my belief that hysteria and common rhetoric seem to be the driving force on this subject.
My contention is that, yes indeed, this fish is causing harm to certain waterways but that doesn't call for a total eradication program. Around the Riverina, I know the problem well and the Murray Darling system is polluted with carp in ( especially ) the upper reaches. This I freely acknowlege and eradication programs should be enacted in this type of overbalance. However, I believe the anger about the evils of the carp could be more usefully employed by remonstratiing with state and federal government as to why this waterflow problem is there in the first place.
It's a disgrace that a few ( now ) foreign owned rice farms in Queensland have been allowed to destroy the NSW, VIC AND SA waterways.
I'm digressing though because my feeling is that carp are a splendid sports fish, can survive in iffy water and would be a Godsent if they were here in WA, Which they are not. And I wish they were.
Cheers, Pete Tourle


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## premium (Nov 23, 2011)

All good Gee, 
I just can't believe anyone would fess up to actually wanting to introduce carp into a carp-free waterway.
Mind Boggling.


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## Berger (Aug 13, 2012)

BigGee said:


> My use of the term "Shit" was used in an attempt at jest, trying to alleviate the thought of your silly "hysteria" comments, but its meaning does indeed remain extant. Vietnamese food is excellent and healthy sustinence, carp is not, its a useless comparison especially seeing you havent tried the food you decry.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Gee, in two consecutive sentences you've contradicted yourself and undermined your own argument.

I'm continually amazed how in Australia, carp seem to get scapegoated for everything from climate change to the neighbor's barking dog.


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## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

When the child bride and were younger (oh, so much younger) we owned a little farm near Crookwell in NSW which had a lovely little trout stream running through the back. This creek/river was a beautiful, crystal clear stream where I could go any afternoon and catch a nice plate sized rainbow for dinner. Towards the end of our time there some carp got into this creek coming up from the Laughlin River and in a matter of months the water was dirty, the trout were a thing of the past and the prettiest part of the farm was ruined. I stopped going fishing and spent afternoons down at the creek with a 22, sitting high above the water and shooting carp in the head when they came to the surface sucking in air after they had wrecked the quality of the water.

While I don't intend to get into a slanging match, I also don't need anyone telling me that carp don't damage the waterways.

John


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## fishmica (Sep 15, 2008)

Squidder said:


> I've also caught a few on plastics, and even cast to a few fish that I've spotted cruising, that have swum over and eaten the lure without hesitation. Very cool and unique to the fish at Tallowa. .


Hey Squidder, not just unique to Tallowa, we catch them at Lake Eildon and Lake Nillacootie here in Vic the same way -I suspect you could catch them like this most places when they're cruising around on the surface but I don't think many people try it. Shallow running minnows and lightly weighted plastics are the go, twitch them into the carps view and when you know the fish has seen it pause and they'll swim right up and suck it in - twitching in their face tends to spook them.

A lot of people I know around here bitch about carp but I don't see any of them out there targetting them (lure or bait) and trying to get rid of a few - as far as a light tackle sight fishing target goes they're pretty good fun, and when your catch is dipatched you can feel that at least you achieved something positive from the days fishing


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Gday Rick - I agree that carp are an underappreciated sportfish. Also agree that you can target them on lures pretty much anywhere - here are some of my efforts on plastics from Lake Burley Griffin here in Canberra:









The difference with the Tallowa fish is that they seem to smash almost anything you put in front of them - it has been my experience chasing carp on lures in other places that you have to present the lure to lots of fish before you find one that wants to eat it.

It would be great to hear more about your carping adventures at Eildon and Nillacootie


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## premium (Nov 23, 2011)

Haha that bust off vid is great Squidder, I'd have had the exact same reaction!


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## fishmica (Sep 15, 2008)

Squidder said:


> Gday Rick - I agree that carp are an underappreciated sportfish. Also agree that you can target them on lures pretty much anywhere - here are some of my efforts on plastics from Lake Burley Griffin here in Canberra:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


gday Squidder,
I see why you prefer plastics - I wouldn't risk my hardbody minnows in that sort of country - looks like a whole lot of fun!
Down here they cruise around on the surface in any depth of water from the bank out to seriously deep so when they're up you can usually find one in snag free water - hook em and let em run till they get tired. I don't know whether only some fish want to eat the lure - I was thinking it was more a case of getting the presentation right, they are pretty flighty.

Tallowa sounds good - once or twice a year I'm either haunting the estuaries around my mates place at Narooma or around my Mum's place in Sydney's south, sometimes driving between the two - will have to do a side trip up there one of these days.

I don't really set out to target them down here but they're a good diversion on the days when the trout/reddies/cod/yellas won't play - donut avoiders :lol:


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## Ado (Mar 31, 2008)

john316 said:


> When the child bride and were younger (oh, so much younger) we owned a little farm near Crookwell in NSW which had a lovely little trout stream running through the back. This creek/river was a beautiful, crystal clear stream where I could go any afternoon and catch a nice plate sized rainbow for dinner. Towards the end of our time there some carp got into this creek coming up from the Laughlin River and in a matter of months the water was dirty, the trout were a thing of the past and the prettiest part of the farm was ruined. I stopped going fishing and spent afternoons down at the creek with a 22, sitting high above the water and shooting carp in the head when they came to the surface sucking in air after they had wrecked the quality of the water.
> 
> While I don't intend to get into a slanging match, I also don't need anyone telling me that carp don't damage the waterways.
> 
> John


I'm with you John. My beloved Goodradigbee was destroyed by carp in a few short years. Clear trout water turned to barren turbid mud wallow. It was a terrible shock to return to it.


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

I vaguely remember gents mentioned before.
Are gents waxworms or mealworms or some other larva?


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

other: Maggots.


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

Oh that's better.

We used to grow them for assay in the lab. Even a sterile culture of maggots gives off a terrible ammonia smell. Not bad tasting, really, though. Almost a bit nutty.


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

They'd probably clean you're teeth quite well to be honest.


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## ronston (Oct 21, 2008)

Andyfellow, on a recent trip to the Barwon/Darling rivers we caught one native to 100+ carp.
The damage they do to our western drainage rivers needs to be seen to be believed, I can rememeber a time when
you would catch 100 natives to one carp & that was only a few years ago. You cant get a bait/lure past them they are that thick.
A good carp is a dead one!!!!!!!!


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

I was eshopping Cabela's today and ran across Gulp Maggots.









In a handy jar.


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## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

way to go squidder... love the B.Hill bit, you don't mind going bush chasing those things do you :lol: :lol:

cheers


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