Carp fishing differs so much from general course angling that it is now considered a sport in its own right. The sport falls under two main headings, both of which take course fishing to an extreme; firstly specimen hunting and secondly carp match fishing or bagging.
Carp tackle is very different from general purpose coarse tackle; it is stronger, heavier rated, and often sharing characteristics with sea tackle. Carp tackle is seldom suitable for catching any other species of fish. Hook sizes will be far larger than those used by other freshwater fishermen; lines will be of a heavier breaking strain and rods, reels and nets will be much heavier duty.
The methods used to catch carp, either by the specimen hunter or the match fisherman are vastly different to those used in other types of course fishing. Baits are often designed solely to be palatable to carp; this reduces the probability of the angler catching any other species of fish. The way the tackle is set up; what fisherman call the "rig" is completely orientated to catching large, powerful fish. Again this will usually ensure that only carp are caught although other species that grow to a large size, such as tench and bream, will also take the bait from time to time. Often you will hear a carp fisherman complaining of a large specimen of another species that took their bait that most general course fisherman would be delighted to catch. Carp fisherman can be somewhat fanatical it has been noted.
Carp tackle is very different from general purpose coarse tackle; it is stronger, heavier rated, and often sharing characteristics with sea tackle. Carp tackle is seldom suitable for catching any other species of fish. Hook sizes will be far larger than those used by other freshwater fishermen; lines will be of a heavier breaking strain and rods, reels and nets will be much heavier duty.
The methods used to catch carp, either by the specimen hunter or the match fisherman are vastly different to those used in other types of course fishing. Baits are often designed solely to be palatable to carp; this reduces the probability of the angler catching any other species of fish. The way the tackle is set up; what fisherman call the "rig" is completely orientated to catching large, powerful fish. Again this will usually ensure that only carp are caught although other species that grow to a large size, such as tench and bream, will also take the bait from time to time. Often you will hear a carp fisherman complaining of a large specimen of another species that took their bait that most general course fisherman would be delighted to catch. Carp fisherman can be somewhat fanatical it has been noted.