>>114482LAfag here. I use corn or breadballs usually. Carp can be pretty deft at spitting the bait, especially if they're heavily fished.
You're set up so the line moves freely through the sinker, right? You don't want them feeling the weight until it's too late.
You might try a "hair rig" (pic related) where the bait isn't threaded directly onto the hook. The British swear by it, apparently, and their carp are practically PhDs. I've used it, but I didn't notice a difference, so I went back to a standard rig and just searched for more naive fish.
