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.