What is the Best Carp Bait For Summer? Here are 6 Baits to Try

Determining the best carp bait for summer can be a new challenge every year.

Carp fishing in general can be a challenge if we are newer anglers or if are still learning the ropes.

But this is not all – I will go though all baits and give you some examples of baits which has been working for me in many years.

TOP 6 Best Carp Bait For The Summer Months

Boilies in the summer months I recommend using oils on the boilies for the extra punch we need to land more carp. Any boilie will suffice.

Tiger Nuts: tiger nuts can be a secret wildcard weapon for summer carp fishing. Add hemp to kickstart the buffet and feeding frenzy.

Corn or Sweet Corn: this one seems evident because everyone has heard of using corn for carp bait. Why do I never see anyone doing it? It’s incredibly easy to bait to use, and I don’t get why more anglers don’t use it as a go-to bait. I use it in all seasons for carp fishing including summer.

Bread: another classic bait for catching carp any season of the year. Here’s what I love about fishing with bread.

The vibrant off-white color that bread will have under the water is going to get the attention of the carp and get the job done. Be sure to check the bait often and to have a fast sinking set up in place.

Bread is not a bait you need dropping to the bottom of the lake at snail speeds. Or you can go back to a previous tip and use bread to mid-level or surface fish for carp.

Luncheon Meat: luncheon meat is a never-fail bait for me and many other carp anglers. Add a bit of spice and coloring to make it stand out from the rest of the underwater options carp have at there vacuum lip disposal during the summertime. Try bright colors and strong scents to get the juices flowing.

The New and Improved PVA BAGS: PVA bags if you have not used them are just an absolute incredible bait system for catching carp.This holds true whether it’s summertime or the 20-degree day in winter. It’s tough to get the bait into any weeded areas or what I refer to as fishing the snags for carp.

If you pack the PVA tightly, you can get an extremely accurate cast into some tight areas. Use another bait inside for your hook bait such as the boilie and be patient and wait for the next bite which is undoubtedly to come.

Best Carp Rigs For Summertime

If you ask me, I Think the zig rig is an incredible set up for catching carp.

It didn’t use to be so popular. The easiest way to explain a zig rig would be a suspended floating device under water.

The significant upside for zig rigs is being able to pick your depth each time you set it up. If you fish with multiple rods on each trip, you can try and have 2 different depths to increase your odds or diversify your efforts some.

Allowing yourself the ability to change depth using zig rigs enables you to do a few things. Most importantly, as you sharpen your fishing skills and learn how carp interact through the seasons, you can correctly choose your depths.

This allows you to keep your bait in front of the carp all year round. It’s just a matter of learning the depths of where your fishing and what the habits of the carp in your favorite fishing area tend to be.

For summertime carp fishing it may take a little more practice, but I found that it’s still a viable setup. In the warmer summer months, zig rigs are pretty unstoppable.

Carp tend to be mid-water or near the surface in during these times which allows the zig rig to do precisely what it’s designed to do.

Practice Makes Perfect

Continue to practice using zig rigs. It’s not exact science during the summer or any months for that matter.

Practice casting and getting into a groove. Casting may be a bit of a challenge at first when you are new to zig rigs.

Practice learning the depths where you find luck.

I highly recommend using multiple rods when carp fishing with zig rigs. It’s going to give that extra opportunity just to have 2 depths running at the same time.

Take 1 zig rig and go a bit deeper than your second rod. Continue to move up in depth toward the surface with each rig at each re-baiting session until you hit your sweet spot.

Carp Are Hungry in The Summer

The kids are out for school. Maybe you’re using some vacation time from work, and you’re ready to grab your rod and reel and hit the waters.

The carp are hungry, and you’re ready to fish.

What’s the best carp bait for summertime? What could increase the odds of you catching more carp this year?

I would argue Boilies and corn still take home the crown in the summertime as the best carp bait, but most of you want more of an explanation than that.

Nailing down the bait you use is a tremendous start to your summer fishing season getting off on the right foot.

May-August or the summer months are known to be enormous months for carp anglers and this year is no different.

Just be sure to avoid the prime spawning times for additional success. You need to find the best bait for carp for this summer and you need to find it quickly.

The good news for you is that I’m here to break it down for you and make it easy. Many people try many different carp baits each and every summer. No homemade carp bait is created equally.

Some work with great success and some become complete duds.

Been there time after time.

I don’t think anyone truly knows what the best carp bait for summer is but we can surely try and do our best. The top-secret carp baits…. that’s a thing of the 1990s.

Larry down the road doesn’t have a bait that’s magical or that has secret powers to bring the carp straight into his lap.

Does the best carp attractant really exist?

Good attractants surely exist for carp but I believe so many factors go into carp fishing, it’s hard to pin-point a best attractant for carp. Can we just spray our boilies with so much vanilla extract that no carp can refuse our hook and bait?

Well no. But we can start with some of the basics and what I believe to be the best carp bait for summer time. Let’s dive into some of the fundamentals and explain the way carp operate or “get down” so to speak.

Metabolism

Let’s first start off by realizing that summertime carp fishing is so good because it’s the prime time that carp are hungry, active and ready to go.

This makes just going after them with many forms of bait a little bit easier.

I don’t just want easier when I set out to catch carp. I want the golden ticket of carp bait, and I want to reel those slimy carp in non-stop or at least land one trophy size carp on my fishing trip.

How about you? What are you looking for on each carp fishing trip? Let’s also keep that mind that carp have a solid sense of smell and good eyesight.

We also need to stop trying to always re-invent the wheel or do something extravagant to catch more carp.

We don’t need to manipulate a system that already works and works great if you just use a little skill and preparation to get the job done ahead of time or before your trip out onto the lake.

Take what the Carp God’s are providing!

In the summer, your bait selection for carp is going to much more relaxed.

It’s hot, and the sun is pounding the water surface which is likely to have the carp near the surface.

That doesn’t mean to ignore the mid-water fishing or bottom carp fishing either.

Don’t overthink it and do a bit of scouting to locate your carp nest heaven.

Lake Fishing

If your preferred spot to fish in the summer for carp includes lakes, most of the principals we have discussed still apply.

As far as carp fishing baits or setups go, I may lean heavier toward the PVC bags for lake fishing for carp.

Using this method will allow you to target the snags or heavy vegetation areas of the lake with a little more ease.

Ponds

If ponds are more your style for carp fishing in the summer, you may want to change your approach some (and read my article on how to catch carp in a pond).

You won’t necessarily need to be using zig rigs or PVC bags for success. You can use your traditional hemp, boilies or the luncheon meat and my favorite summer carp baits, corn.

I’d stick near the edges of the pond and go mid afternoon during the summer. The carp should be active and biting from about 3 PM through the rest of the evening.

The later you go the better. You can always try and add some of the other best carp attractants that we discussed previously in the post.

Things such as vanilla extracts or another version of something spicy that gives off heavy scents.

Here are a few additional fun tips and recaps for summer carp fishing and summer carp baits.

Become A Perimeter Fisher

Stay on the outer parts of the body of water you are fishing. I call this sniping the outside.

Regardless of which bait we discussed, often during the summer, you find carp not nearly as deep and near vegetation closer to shore.

Always be Scouting for Carp

Location, Location Location. The more you scout, the more you catch.

Be out and about actively looking for carp activity. This can help you gauge where to fish and which summertime carp bait will be best suited for your angling needs.

Target the Vegetation and Snags

This can apply year-Round. Not just in the summertime when carp fishing.

Try the PVA bags or other bait methods to be able to cast with more ease.

If you are anything like me, you might waste some money trying tons of bait before finding the perfect solution.

Continue to try new baits and explore what works for you in your given area, and that matches what skill level you are currently at with carp fishing.

Want to learn how to bowfish for carp? Read this article.