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Carp fishing is a very technical sport these days, and while everyone can fish for them, if you want to be as successful as possible, the devil is in the detail.
Whether you are a beginner or a pro carp angler, there is always more to learn, and the best way is through reading the best books on carp fishing. However, finding the right read to match your level isn’t always easy, which is why I have done the hard work for you.
Join me as I run through a range of excellent carp fishing books for everyone, so you can find the perfect one to take your carp angling skills to the next level.
If you are looking for other categories of fishing books, check out the links below for the type of fishing book you are interested in.
Our selection of Fly Fishing Books
Our selection of Coarse Fishing Books
Our selection of Saltwater Fishing Books
Our selection of Bass Fishing Books
Our Best Carp Fishing Books
- Carp Fishing Manual: The step-by-step guide to becoming a better carp angler
- Carp Fishing Knots and Rigs
- A Complete Guide to Carp Fishing for Beginners
- Fox Guide to Modern Carp Fishing
- Carp Fishing Science: A Guide to Watercraft for the Carp Angler
Carp Fishing Manual: The step-by-step guide to becoming a better carp angler
If you know that you like carp fishing and want to get better at it, then the “Carp Fishing Manual: The step-by-step guide to becoming a better carp angler” is an excellent place to start.
Carp fishing might seem simple to some people. Still, it is a very broad and complicated practice, especially if you want to catch the larger, more intelligent specimens that swim in the waters of your local lakes and rivers.
This book covers a comprehensive wide range of subjects related to carp fishing and how to become an excellent carp angler. It doesn’t overload you with information but instead breaks it down into bite-size chunks with clear pictures and diagrams.
This makes it very easy to absorb valuable information and incorporate it into your carp fishing practices. The book will help you understand carp behaviour, different gear, approaches, baits, rigs, and more so you can become a more well-rounded carp angler.
It is the perfect book for both beginner and intermediate carp anglers who want to improve their skills, but some professional carp anglers may already find they know a lot of the content.
Pros
- Very interesting and well written
- Covers everything you need to know about carp fishing
- Excellent photos and diagrams make learning easy
- It helps you understand carp behaviour
- Discusses baits, techniques, and gear
- It helps you think better as a carp angler
- Great for beginners and intermediate carp anglers
Cons
- It might not have much new information for the pros
Specs
Author: Kevin Green
Pages: 192
Type: Hardcover
Kindle Availability: No
Carp Fishing Knots and Rigs
“Carp Fishing Knots and Rigs” is a book every carp angler should own when they first start their carp fishing careers or want to improve on it.
Knots hold your entire fishing setup together, from the line attached to your reel’s spool all the way to the final knot that holds your hook, and hopefully, help you land a big carp too.
If you use the wrong knots or tie the right knots incorrectly, your life is going to be filled with lost fish, something no angler ever wants – as the saying goes, tackle failure is not an option.
The knots covered throughout the chapters include every knot you could ever need for carp fishing and most other forms of fishing too. Whether you tie knots manually or prefer to use a knot-tying tool, this knot book is a great resource. They are all well illustrated in clear diagrams with clear instructions that make them very easy to learn and practise.
The book also contains all the carp rigs you might want to employ and describes when and why to use them. Everything from a helicopter rig to a hair rig and D rig is featured, and the way it is laid out makes them very easy to learn to tie.
Overall, this book will do it if you want to improve your current carp knots and rigs or learn a few new ones!
Pros
- Full of all the knots you need to know
- Well written with clear pictures and diagrams
- Easy to learn knots from
- Includes a lot of carp fishing rigs and how to tie them
- Discusses when to use which rigs and why
- Great for beginners and intermediates carp anglers
Cons
- Some less common rigs are missing
Specs
Author: Andy Steer
Pages: 60
Type: Paperback
Kindle Availability: Yes
A Complete Guide to Carp Fishing for Beginners
If you are a true beginner and have seldom fished for carp before, then “A Complete Guide to Carp Fishing for Beginners” is an excellent book to start your carp fishing career.
The book covers everything a beginner needs to know, from buying the right tackle to selecting good carp waters to learn to fish on. It builds your skills slowly as you learn, adding chapters about tackle, carp baits, techniques, and more so you can quickly be a successful carp angler.
No stone is left unturned either, as the chapters discuss still-water carp fishing, river carp fishing, night fishing, winter fishing, stalking and even margin carp fishing. It truly is a complete guide to everything about carp fishing on a basic level that gives new carp anglers an excellent foundation on which they can hone their skills.
This is not a book for more experienced carp anglers, as you will probably already know much about what it covers.
Pros
- Perfectly designed for complete beginners to carp fishing
- Very progressive in how it is laid out
- Steps up on skills well through the chapters
- Excellently written and easy to understand
- It covers all the basics, from where to fish, gear, baits and tactics
- Includes still water and river carp fishing
- It helps you progress to stalking, night fishing, and long sessions
Cons
- Too basic for experienced carp anglers
Specs
Author: Paul Duffield
Pages: 78
Type: Paperback
Kindle Availability: Yes
Fox Guide to Modern Carp Fishing
The “Fox Guide to Modern Carp Fishing” is a book designed for carp anglers that want to take their carp fishing to the next level, maybe even the highest level, dare I say.
This book doesn’t cover the basics much but talks in detail about more advanced rigs, tackle, bait, knots, and more, which will help you catch the most intelligent carp in heavily fished waters.
This makes it a hard book for beginners to grasp, but intermediate carp anglers will learn much from it, building on their previous knowledge very well. All the tactics and diagrams are built very clearly and are easy to follow, plus they also discuss when and why they are best used.
The book covers many topics, including using braid, knots, crimping, spodding, and lots more. This truly is the book to take your carp fishing to a very high level, but it is not suited to beginners.
Pros
- Talks about modern techniques most don’t know
- Excellent for experienced anglers who want to go to the next level
- Well laid out with photos and diagrams to learn from
- Discusses rigs, tackle, and tactics in detail
- Looks are modern approaches like using braid
- Knots and crimping, and spodding are also included
- Great for catching specimen fish
Cons
- Some product advertising
- A bit too advanced for beginners
- Misses out on the basics a little
Specs
Author: Andy Little, Ian “Chilly” Chillcott, et al.
Pages:
Type: Paperback
Kindle Availability: Yes
Carp Fishing Science: A Guide to Watercraft for the Carp Angler
“Carp Fishing Science: A Guide to Watercraft for the Carp Angler” is a bit of a different publication compared to the others featured in this article.
This book is all about understanding types of carp as much as possible so that, as an angler, you can understand and even predict their behaviour. Once you know how a fish thinks, you can use this knowledge to determine which tactics will work best and why.
You will learn all about carp biology, physiology, feeding habits, and how weather conditions and seasons affect a carp’s behaviour. With this knowledge in hand, you can tailor your techniques for maximum success.
All the information in this book is cited from scientific studies and is therefore deadly accurate, but it does make for some heavy reading. If you have a deep interest in carp, it shouldn’t be too hard to wade through, but some might find it quite tough to get into.
The information in this book is invaluable for a carp angler, and both beginners and more experienced carp anglers should pick this up and read it.
Pros
- Provides a deep understanding of carp
- It looks at fishing from the eyes of the fish, not the angler
- Covers carp physiology, carp biology, and feeding habits
- All sourced from scientific papers
- Includes information about carp behaviour
- Discusses behaviour changes based on weather & seasons
- Allows the angler to predict carp behaviour
- Great for beginners and pros alike
Cons
- Quite technical and heavy reading
Specs
Author: Jon woods
Pages:
Type: Paperback
Kindle Availability: No
Closing Up
Thank you very much for reading my article. I hope you enjoyed it and managed to find one of the best carp fishing books for your needs. It is all about picking a book that adds to your current carp fishing knowledge, whether you are a beginner or a pro.
You can read more on different types of fishing books. Check out the below links for the top reads in fishing books.
Our selection of Fly Fishing Books
Our selection of Coarse Fishing Books
Our selection of Saltwater Fishing Books
Our selection of Bass Fishing Books
Steve holds a special place in his heart for the mighty Carp and the elusive Tench
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