I have been emailed this question many times. In the US it has to be by far corn (maize). In other countries it could be many many things.

A 22lb Carp caught on corn

Hi everybody! First off, this is a very nice site, and I'm happy to see all the positive results for carp fishing in the U.S., hugely in part of the many great sites and people as we have right here! With that being said...back to the post...No question maize, or my favorite, raw sweet corn cut off the cob, is a must have for any carp anglers bait selection. Another excellent bait is a simple doughbait made from blueberry muffin mix(jiffy or equiv.), 1 egg, add just enough boiling water to the mixture to make it doughy (little wetter) and add dry pancake batter mix(blueberry would be better but not nec.) slowly while kneading dough, to reach desired texture. should hold shape well and not easily torn. Will have to fine tune to your preference. This bait has been tested from Ca. Id, to Ok. to Il. Good luck and I Hope this helps.

Hey guys I'm new to this site and have been looking for a good one to talk Carp fishing. I live in jersey and have seen some big ones start coming out. I had one last night in the Millstone River damn near take my rod in the water and fought him for close to an hour. The hook pulled but I did see some big swirls. Probably 40-50lb range easy. But in my opinion Corn right out of the can is the best and always will be the best bait for them.

I have fished for carp for a number of years, but got away from fishing for awhile due to health problems. I'm going back at it this season. We always used canned whole kernel corn or doughballs make from shredded wheat, just about any flavored jello and water. Over the years my friends and me concluded that doughballs caught more fish but corn caught the bigger fish. My biggest carp ever was 23lb 9 oz (I know that's a minnow compared to some I've seen pictures of)was taken on canned corn. We fished from sunset to about Midnight and only 2 fish were caught that night a 10 pounder on doughball and the aforementioned 23lb 9 ouncer on corn. Some nights we would catch 10 in a few hours using doughball, but never anything above 15lbs. Please keep in mind this is just an opinion. LOL

While I am far from an expert, I have seen bread balls packed really tight to be effective for carp.

Be sure not to use the crust of the bread, only the white part. Also, make sure the bread is fresh.

I bet if you dipped it into some vanilla or similar attractant it could be even better.

Fishing Blog

In my opinion a boilie is the best carp bait. In 95% I use boilies in my pool. But I only use selfmades. I trust in boilies who are made with low temperature hering fishmeal.
If I would use ready mades I would choose boilies from
www.blacklabelbaits.de
When I use pop ups, I use the range from Dynamite Baits. The fluoro pop ups are more than good. I used the "squid and octopus"....

Mfg, Michael

In 2010 I had a very good year. I used doughballs all year. I tried homemade boilies and K1 Juicy Tutti Frutti and Strawberry Ice Cream boilies and hardly got a nibble. One of my favorites were made of Quaker Old Fashion Oats, a little water and a few drops of Lorann's flavor oil. I made them as needed. A small handful of oats, a splash of water, squeeze until the water mostly leaks out and you have a nice consistency for your doughball. Add 3-7 drops of Lorann's flavor oil and mix it in a little and mold it around the hook. My favorite Lorann's flavors are Orange Cream, Peanut Butter, and Tropical Punch/Tutti Frutti combo.

I also made up a doughball recipe that works very well. I had alot of luck with it in 2010. The recipe is...

1 cup Quaker Old Fashion Oats
3 TBSP. Peanut Butter
2 TBSP. + 1 tsp. Spring Water
1 TBSP. Packed Brown Sugar

Mix Oats, Peanut Butter, and Brown Sugar together. Add the mixture to a ziplock bag and add the water. Mix it together in the bag until it is the proper consistency.

Try 'em you'll like 'em!