Hello everyone,
I'm new to carp fishing and wanted to ask a few things. OK first off the river I fish is basically covered in rocks on the bottom so I wanted to see if anyone knows of any rigs that can be used in this situation to catch carp. Another question is what size hooks do you usually use to catch carp? To tell you the truth the carp in my avatar was a total mistake, I was fishing with a slider jigging it up and down and by accidently foul hooked the carp but he gave me an awesome fight so I want to try targeting them ( he was released and swam away with no problem).Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Hi Jerseydude, Fishing the Snake River I know all too well the difficulty of fishing on a rocky bottom. I would suggest scouting spots on the river and look for eddys and current changes. Also look for sandy or muddy bottom areas that are a main highway these fish use to move up and down the river. Usually located at the dropoff between shallow water and main channel.
Dragging a 1oz sinker across the bottom of river will quickly tell ya what kind of bottom there is. This well allow you to eliminate the more snaggy areas.
There are rigs best utilized for these rocky,snaggy areas,but I would suggest using a bolt rig or sliding sinker setup, if you can find a more friendly fishin' hole.
If not a 3 way swivel with the sinker tied to the bottom most eyelet,using a light test mono,will work good. When the rig becomes hung up, the sinker is usually to blame. Which is why the light mono, the sinker will easily break free and allow the rest of your rig to be retrieved.
As far as hook size, I like to use size 2 for BFC's For smaller fish,size 6-8 should be good. Just use the best quality you can. A monster carp will find the weak _link_ in your rig very fast! I like Gamakatsu or Daiichi.
Perhaps NJCarpFisherman could shed some light on this?

The area I've seen them in they're pretty much stuck there. Its right below an old lock and from about 20-30 feet the water is deep enough for them but then it shallows out. I'm sure if they wanted to leave the area they could but I'm not positive about that. I know of another area way down river where carp also hang out and there's not as many rocks but there are some structures on the bottom. Thanks for all the info carphunter!

Rest assured, if they are near the lock,they are all up and down the river. Structure is a key element, find it and you will probably find the fish. My favorite spot on the Snake River(which is mostly all rock) is a shelf off the main channel,which I believe is a highway these fish use to travel.It transitions into a sandy bottom and is a goldmine for carp as well as sturgeon. Look for these spots and you will be succesfull.

I actually know a place further down ther river where I think it's sandy but not sure haven't been to that area in a while. at the very least its an area of pebbles. Another thing is this area is kind of on the shallow, I havent been there in a while but I think its like 2-4 feet I'll have to go check it out. Do carp like to hang out under bridges? because I've seen a few carp just outside of the bridge and I believe the bottom is mud or sand there not sure.

The shallow waters you refer to, would probably be better fishing at dawn or dusk. I believe carp will move to deeper waters to feed during the heat of the day.
Yes, bridge pilings, dams, submerged structures, etc. are a magnet for fish and would be a great place to start prospect fishing.
Just remember, BFC'S are usually very spooky, so try to be as stealth as possible when approaching or fishing a hole. Sound travels 5 times faster/farther under water than in air, so what may not sound like alot of noise to you on the bank, may be deafening to a carp underwater.

What's a BFC? Thanks for the tips on being stealthy and such I'll make sure I am next time I go.

BFC= Big F***ing Carp

lol I like it

Hi Jerseydude,
Just to add on from what carphunter420 was saying - I totally agree Carp move up and down the river and they seek deeper water (if available) during the day. I have found fishing under or near bridges excellent. You can read on this website some of my articles regarding this, search 1st street bridge and mopac bridge to find the articles.

Will do admin thanks!