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I learned carp fishing mostly by reading In-Fisherman magazine back in the 80's and 90's.
They still occasionally have decent articles about carp fishing:
http://www.in-fisherman.com/carp/
I grew up near the Passaic River in Union County back when carp and yellow bullheads were the only thing that could survive in its foul, noxious, polluted waters. There were plenty of carp, but they spooked easily in the shallow water. You learned to sneak around the river bank like you were hunting deer.
If you were really stealthy, you could throw a bait right in front of a grazing carp. But most of the time, you followed these steps:
1) Prop your rod up in a forked stick.
2) Throw a handful of sweet corn out as chum.
3) Bait your hook with a few kernals and cast into into the area you chummed.
4) Sit down, open a beer, and watch your line for movement.
Over the years I made a lot of refinements to that strategy, but basically that's it.
I'm not as patient as I used to be. Now I don't fish for carp unless I actually see a shoal of carp drawn to a particular area.
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