How to Catch Carp with Corn? Cheap Bait for Carp Fishing!

In this article we are going to focus on the frequently asked questions about "How to Catch Carp with Corn"? Is it good, llegal or illigal and much more!

When catching carp, anglers can choose among various and very versatile baits.

The most popular ones, especially today, are carp boilies which have numerous applications depending of a season and location.

Some anglers use bread, especially for surface fishing. It is easy to overlook some other great bait options, such as corn.

Corn is easy to use, it can be “upgraded” to intensify the smell, and most importantly, it is cheap and easily accessible. You may get it in a local supermarket.

This bait is also suitable for beginners, and it works very well in most situations. Another useful feature is that corn can also be combined with other popular baits, to increase the chances for successful fishing. So, ...

Here we are going to focus on the frequently asked questions about catching a carp with corn:

Keep on reading to find out how to use corn during your next carp fishing adventure!

Is Corn a Good Carp Bait?

Corn is an excellent carp bait.

Sweet corn in particular, as the carp love the taste of it, especially in colder months of the year.

It is compatible with boilies and a lot of anglers use this bait combination too.

But before presenting corn as bait, it is important to attract the fish. Corn can be used for prebaiting too. Especially if you prepare the corn in the right way, to increase its effectiveness.

This bait is very versatile and it can be used on lakes, rivers, ponds, and any water surface you are fishing on.

However, there is one downside, and that is the size of a corn.

If fishing in areas with thick underwater vegetation, it can sink on the bottom and become invisible to carp.

Corn is also highly visible, which is another advantage. We all know that fishing with bright coloured boilies, especially in murky waters, can be very successful.

Corn is naturally bright and its effectiveness, when it comes to colour, is similar to that of a yellow or white boilie.

Besides that, corn can be purchased anywhere, and you can choose between canned corn or the one you cook yourself, where mixing in certain additives can help. We will mention this later on.

You may even try artificial corn. If that does not satisfy your needs, there is a frozen option. Possibilities are endless.

If you are looking for the best possible option without too much hassle, fishing stores offer a variety of already prepared corn.

So, when considering all of those advantages, we can conclude that corn is one of the best baits used for carp fishing ...

Is it legal or illegal to Fish Carp with Corn?

The answer to this question is not very simple. It depends on a location/state/country. For example, in the USA, fishing with corn is perfectly legal almost anywhere. However, using corn for prebaiting is not always allowed.

Every state has certain rules and regulations that may differ. The same goes for privately owned waters. Sometimes they have the same rules, but sometimes they are even more strict.

In some states in the USA, corn is not mentioned as a legal, or illegal bait or prebait. In that case, most of the anglers assume it is legal. If you have any doubts, ask before you buy a fishing licence.

There are two main reasons why corn is sometimes avoided.

One of those reasons is that some people believe that corn is harmful to fish and that it has a bad effect on their digestion. However, there is no relevant scientific research that supports that claim. The only true fact about this is that corn has almost no nutritional value for the fish.

Another reason is that the corn is bad for the water environment. This claim is not wrong. It takes much longer for corn to disintegrate than baits like bread. Also, dispersing large quantities of corn, especially in flowing waters, may cause the corn to spread out and other species may feed on it, and that could potentially be harmful for them.

When prebaiting, make sure that it is allowed in a certain location.

In Europe, corn is mostly allowed, but keep in mind that every country has different rules and regulations. When it comes to prebaiting, there are locations where you may not use it, or there is a limit of how much you may use per rod. Also, rules about allowed baits are not the same on every water surface in the same country.

In Canada, corn is mostly allowed. Usually it is forbidden in places where any kind of bait is forbidden.

Before going fishing, or prebaiting with corn, do your research first. You must obtain the relevant and up-to-date information for a certain location and always fish in accordance with the rules and regulations provided by the authorities.

READ MORE: How to Catch Carp in a River? Best Beginner Tips!

What Kind of Corn is Used for Carp Fishing?

When choosing a corn for carp fishing, you may choose among different options. They all have advantages and disadvantages. To know which one works the best in certain situations, try a few options and base your decision on experience. Here are the most popular options:

Dry feed corn

This option is the cheapest one, but it offers a lot of possibilities for the angler. This kind of corn has to be cooked. When preparing it, anglers may add colouring or additional flavours (like honey, garlic, etc.) so the corn becomes more attractive to the fish. Preparation may take time but it is defiantly worth it.

Beginners should try canned or some other option first, to gain some experience before preparing the best mixture by themselves. Using it is a bit more demanding as cooking and cooling may cause breakage of the corn membrane.

Canned (sweet) corn

Canned corn may be purchased in any supermarket. This option is more expensive but it has mor flavour and it can attract carp with no additional preparation. Using canned corn is also time-saving. Cooking is not necessary. You can use it as a single bait type or combined with boilies or similar.

Dyed and cured corn

This corn is already prepared, and it contains additives such as colouring and flavour, to maximize your carp fishing success. You may add flavours which are better for certain season and colours in accordance with the water clearness. Except buying the already prepared one in the fishing store, you may prepare it yourself.

Frozen corn

This option is similar to using canned corn. It is slightly less effective because it lacks the sweet fluid, like in a can. It can last a long time in the freezer. Frozen corn is also suitable for longer fishing trips if you have a freezer near-by. It is a lot easier than carrying cans.

Imitation corn

This is not actually a corn, as the name suggests, but it is worth mentioning. There are certain advantages of this artificial bait. Anglers can choose the size, the colour and the weight of a bait. Same as real corn, it works well when combined with other baits.

How do You Prepare Corn for Carp Fishing?

Preparing your own corn is the best option, if you know what you are doing.

Majority of anglers go with this option after gaining some experience by using already prepared corn.

Buying dry corn is possible in any feed store. And to add certain colours or flavours, it is better to buy those ingredients in fishing stores.

Some anglers like using natural ingredients and use additional flavours like honey and human food colouring. That is better than nothing of course, but additives you buy in a specialized store are more effective.

After you bought the corn, take the amount you are going to use in the next 5-7 days, and store the rest. If you store the cooked corn for longer than a week it may spoil and all of your efforts will go to waste.

The easiest way to prepare it is to follow the next steps:

• The amount needed for preparation has to be washed first. It is done to remove any kind of residue that can be on it.

• The next step is soaking it. You may do this overnight, as it needs at leas 8 hours.

• Take the corn and boil it for about 45 minutes. It is important not to overcook it as it may fall apart. Some anglers add sugar or honey to increase sweetness at this point.

• When cooked, remove it from the water and add the additives you bought at the fishing store. And read the labels, there are some differences, in certain brands, when it comes to quantity and when to add it exactly. Flavours are various, and similar to the ones used in boilies.

• If you are going to use it immediately, you are ready to go. If not, let it cool down to the room temperature, put it in a plastic container with a lid, and keep it in cool and dry place, up to 7 days.

Try different alternatives and play with it. Soon you will have a recipe that works better than any of the other corn options.

If you are preparing the mixture for prebaiting, you can try adding breadcrumbs or molasses. The crumbs will spread widely and slowly sink, so they are great for attracting the fish. Molasses has a very strong smell and taste.

And here is one interesting video, where you can see how to make strawberry corn liquid bait attractant. Check it ...

How do You Catch a Carp with Corn?

Before catching carp, same as any other fish species, we must locate it.

Carp likes to hide near different underwater obstacles, possibly in shade. If you are fishing on familiar waters, you probably know where to search for it.

After you found a location, there is one more step that will highly increase your chances, and that is prebaiting. Before doing it, make sure it is allowed on a location where you are fishing.

If necessary, you may combine corn with other baits, such as boilies or bread, especially for prebaiting. When feeding the carp prior to presenting the bait, you give him confidence to bite your bait later on, as the fish thinks it is safe to do so.

Presenting your bait correctly is also important, but that is going to be mentioned in the following chapter.

It is important to use adequate amount of corn for prebaiting. You want to attract the fish, not to feed it completely. Firstly, the amount depends of a year time. In winter carp will be less active and feed less, so do not use as much as in summer.

In warmer months, one can per rod is enough. You may disperse it into the water right in front of you if you know where the carp is. If fishing further away, or you are not certain about the location, you will have to use some kind of catapult or similar fishing tool to cover greater distances.

Another thing you need to consider is the number of carp and underwater vegetation. If the vegetation is thick, use more corn. The same goes if there is a lot of fish.

Remember, perfection comes with practice.

How do You Hook a Corn for a Carp?

As already mentioned, corn can be used as a single bait type or combined with others. If using only corn, you may use one corn kernel, which is not a frequent option, or using few kernels to increase the visibility and attract the carp better.

There are three main rigging methods when using corn as bait.

On the hook

This will work fine. It may even attract some other fish species. If you are complete beginner or just new to carp angling, you may use this method, but it is not as effective as the other ones. This method works better with bread than with corn.

Hair rig

This is similar to using boilies. You string a corn onto a separate small line called the hair, positioned behind a hook. You may string a few kernels. Doing it this way increases the chance of successful hooking of a carp, as the free hook is more likely to catch its lip. Make sure you have a small baiting needle to puncture the corn.

Combined

You can pair it with a boilie on the hair. Using pop-up boilies is very effective in this case. You can make a “snowman” by positioning a corn over a boilie. Or a few corn kernels over a boilie. Pop-ups are great as they float above the bottom and make your corn more visible.

If possible, anglers should avoid the first method. Learn how to make a hair rig and your chances for catching carp will rise. Experienced anglers like to combine baits to get all of the advantages of a certain bait type at once. This is especially useful if fishing in areas with a lot of underwater vegetation. Pop-up boilies will make your life easier.

Conclusion

Corn is highly effective bait for carp fishing. As you have seen, it may be used in a variety of ways and “upgraded” by adding numerous additives.

Low cost and numerous applications make it indispensable for carp anglers.

Even if you are not one of those anglers who have the time and will to perfection their secret recipes, corn is still an option for you.

And last but not the least – make a can opener a standard part of your fishing equipment. It would be very unpleasant if you had everything ready but unable to open the can!