How To Catch A Jullien's Carp: The World's Hardest Carp Species | Ali Hamidi

Ask most carp anglers to name their holy grail and they'll say a big old English mirror, tucked away in some forgotten estate lake. Ali Hamidi disagrees. For him, there's a species that gazumps them all: the Jullien's golden carp, or "the Julie's" as he's come to call them.

"The mighty Jullien's Carp - they are truly stunning creatures"

Golden flanks, dark tiger stripes, red eyes, a bite that arrives like a cruise missile hitting your rod — and, in Ali's own words, the hardest carp species in the world to actually put in the net.

Below, Ali breaks down everything he's learned about targeting Jullien's at Gillham's Fishing Resort in Thailand — from why the fish you're not trying to catch matter just as much as the ones you are, right through to rigs, hookbaits, swim choice, and the strategy that finally produced his dream fish... take it away Hamidi...

"Watch the film this article is based on at OMC Fishing TV"

Why Jullien's Are So Hard To Catch

The first thing to understand about Jullien's golden carp (Probarbus jullieni) is that they're endangered in the wild. You're not going to stumble across one in the rivers of Thailand any more — venues like Gillham's, which have held Jullien's since their earliest days, are pretty much the only realistic place left to target them. That rarity is part of what makes them so special to me, but it also means I need a proper plan every time I head out after one.

The bigger problem is what else lives in the same lake. Venues that hold Jullien's also tend to hold giant Siamese carp, Mekong catfish, and apex predators like Chao Phraya catfish — species that can run past 100lb, 200lb, even 300lb+. Understanding how those fish behave is the key to understanding why Jullien's are so tricky.

"Siamese carp feed very differently to the Jullien's - way more aggressive"

Jullien's, on the other hand, feed far more like a traditional king carp: properly down on the deck. And they are shy. Painfully shy. Put a Jullien's in a swim full of thrashing Siamese, marauding Mekongs and lurking Chao Phraya, and it simply won't come in and feed with any confidence. If I'm feeding heavy and creating disturbance to draw in everything else, the Jullien's is going to be one of the last fish through the door.

My honest advice from years of experience: if Jullien's are genuinely your target, you have to accept some blank hours and dedicate a rod (or two) purely to them, rather than trying to catch everything in the lake on every rod.

Reading The Swim: Let Other Anglers Do You A Favour

One of my more counter-intuitive tips: if the angler next to you is piling bait in for Siamese, let them. They're doing you a favour. All that commotion draws the filter feeders and predators away from my own peaceful little zone, giving a nervous Jullien's the calm water it needs to move in and feed with confidence.

This is where my "trade-off" mentality comes in. Rather than compete for the big showy species everyone else is chasing, I'll bait a Jullien's spot away from the main baited area, feed it lightly, and let the noise elsewhere work in my favour.

Finding The Right Spot: Firm Sand Over Silt

Location matters hugely with Jullien's. I've found, time and again, that the best fish come off firm, clean, sandy or crisp clay-sand drops — not the softer, siltier areas where Siamese and other species tend to sit. Feeling the lead down and getting that sharp, definite thud rather than a dull, silty settle is a strong indicator I've found a Jullien's-friendly spot.

"I've found Jullien's feed best on firm spots, rather than silt"

Don't discount the margins either: some of my best Jullien's, including a fish caught in darkness on the Heist Travel Rod & Reel Combo at just 20 yards, have come from tight in against the bank on these close sandy lines.

I'm also watching for the give-away signs of feeding Jullien's: small, pinprick bubbles on the surface, similar to tench bubbling, rather than the big rolling bubbles I'd associate with larger, more aggressive feeders.

Rigs For Jullien's

My approach to rigs for this species has evolved over the years. I used to fish a total resistance-free presentation, but I've since learned that adding a small amount of controlled resistance — using the OMC Magic Wand or Magic Wand Inline — creates a head-shake effect that converts far more takes into hooked fish.

My current go-to setup:

• Hook: Cassien Hook, size 4
• Hooklink: Braided — either OMC Ammo 50lb or 25lb
• Dazzler: Bloodliner Aligner or Bloodliner Long Legs Aligner, improve hooking mechanics and turning
• Rig length: Between 8–12 inches or 10–14 inches
• Lead system: CoreFree Leader spliced to a Magic Wand Inline Solid Bag setup

"My go-to rig for the Jullien's Carp"

The extra length and the braided hooklink are a deliberate compromise on my part — long enough, and supple enough, to still give me a chance at a big Siamese if one turns up, without going so long that I'd lose a genuine Jullien's opportunity. I tie my hair using a granny knot on bare braid before adding the aligner, which leaves me full control over final rig length.

Hookbaits & Bait Strategy

No hookbait has produced more Jullien's for me than the OMC iScream Cork Dust Wafters — particularly the larger sizes, which combine the right buoyancy with a scent profile Jullien's clearly find irresistible. I also work OMC Nutty Sauce into the wafters for extra stickiness and aroma, because I know sweet, salty profiles (the iScream range carries a notably high level of Himalayan rock salt) are exactly what this species responds to.

"There's something in the iScream that Jullien's love!"

For added insurance on a size 4 hook that might also connect with a Siamese, I'll add a small iScream mini pop-up (10mm, in yellow or white) for extra buoyancy, alongside a bright red Bloodliner Aligner or Long Legs Aligner as a visual stimulant — bloodworm-red patterns that appeal to pretty much every species in the lake.

On the feed side, less is more:

• I use a small amount of bait via a bait boat or catapult — enough to create interest, not enough to trigger a feeding frenzy.
• A tight, PVA-style method ball wrapped around the lead (using OMC Jaw Paste, breadcrumb, scalded pellet and Nutty Sauce) concentrates attraction right around the hookbait rather than spreading it across the swim.
• I'll pre-bait a dedicated Jullien's spot over several days, well away from my main baited area, using house pellets, boilies, iScream and Paella Stick Mix.
• If I'm running multiple rods, I split my approach: one rod fished quietly for Jullien's, the others fished harder and noisier for Siamese or Mekong. Trying to target everything on every rod at once is when it comes down to pure luck.

Timing Your Trip

If Jullien's are my priority, I'll target them at the start of a session — get that fish banked while the swim is calm, then switch focus to noisier tactics for the bigger, showier species afterwards. Alternatively, I'll build the swim up over several days beforehand, then commit a quiet day purely to Jullien's tactics: light baiting, a single stringer or method ball, and patience. Once the rig's out, I stay quiet, relax, and let the swim do its work.

My PB: A 64lb Dream Fish

All of this came together for me on my 2026 trip to Gillham's, where — after nearly two decades pursuing this species — I landed a Jullien's of 64lb on the Magic Wand Inline Rig described above, fished on the brand new OMC FC Combo Carp Rod and Reel. It's a fish that took every element of this approach — swim choice, light baiting, the right hookbait, and the discipline to fish quietly rather than compete with the lake's bigger species — to finally come together.

Put these tips into practice, and whether you're after a 15lb Jullien's or chasing that elusive 100lb-plus specimen (they really do exist!), you'll give yourself the best possible chance of catching one of carp fishing's true bucket-list species. I promise you.

Article based on Ali Hamidi's One More Cast film, "How to MASTER the HARDEST CARP SPECIES in the WORLD to Catch," filmed at Gillham's Fishing Resort, Thailand.