catching carp

Question
QUESTION: Where I fish for pike and bass in a old gravel pit,Ive noticed a bunch of big carp,I always see them every time I go out,also Ive seen them jump out of the water alot,my question is what are some good baits and diffrent rigs for these big fish?

ANSWER: Gravel pits can be a great source of many hours of CARP fishing,,,,,,,,\Carp are usually bottom feeders, best results you can attain is withsome corn kernals, on a rig that is called a "HAIR RIG" avid carp anglers discourage the use of trebbles please go here to see how to tie the knotless knot, and how to put bait on the hair rig( copy and pste into your browser)
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fishforcarp.com/img/knotless5.

Carp are, pound for pound one of the best fighting fish around,,,,,what part of the country are you in???? I might be able to hook you up a( no pun intended) with a Carp angler)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the information this has been very helpful! My follow up question is due to carp being bottom feeders,do I use weight to get the rig down to the bottom? Also where do I get a baiting needle,what size of hook should I use? Also Ive heard of people chumming carp in with corn,should I try this? Once again I really do appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions thank you!

Answer
"Chumming" is usually done with Cattle cubes or cooked "DEER CORN"  the corn is prepared the same way as you would prepare it for a hook bait, ( boil for about an hour and a half) Cattle cubes or range cubes are available at a tractor supply store, usually about a 20  protein in the summer and higher in the winter,,,hook size should be a 4 or a 6,,,nothing tremendous,,,...many people "FREE LINE" for carp, I however prefer using a 1/2 ounce sliding sinker, with a bead below the sinker to protect the line and the swivel,,,,
Happy Hunting,,,,,,,,Please practice C.P.R.  ( Catch, Photo, and Release) let someone else have the same thrill you experience when you hook a large one !!!Bsaiting needles can be had at
www.bigcarptackle.com
they are the larges supplier of Carping fishing materials in the U.S.   another source would be
www.royalcarp.com
tell both vendors that you have been referred by Dr. Stern...enjouy