Sterling

Bigger carp will eat minnows. Years ago, I used to catch big carp at night on minnows.

ghostman said:

Yep. Caught a bunch on crankbaits, too.

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The distinction I was trying to make is that, with lures, it may be a reaction strike. With the real things, it's probably more deliberate. One night in the late 90s, I was fishing the inlet at Sutherland in Nebraska. I was throwing larger sized minnows into the current on a hook and sinker. At the time, local shops in Nebraska were selling larger minnows than the standard fatheads. I was probably using 8-10 lbs line and a medium power rod. I hooked into a couple of beasts that broke me off. I could hardly move those things. In fact, they didn't even care about me unless I pulled as hard as I could on the line. Then they would strip line. Big fish just don't give a chit about you. I thought I had ran into a school of monster sized stripers. I switched to a heavier rod and line and managed to pull a couple to shore. They were just big carp, over the 20 lbs mark.