I have no real means of keeping bait alive but dead bait i can do. I plan on trying to beat my PB carp (7lbs) by day then fishijg for cats at night. I have heard chances are best at night when the cats hunt actively and so on.
I dont wanna respool the reel so im keeping the braid on. I also got 2 more spinners for bass and bluegill if i want to try that
Also, I have caught plenty of Carp in my life, but never on dough-baits/boullies - every Carp I have caught was either on worms or corn. Try chumming the area you will be fishing for carp the night before w/ handfuls of corn - they will stay in a given area as long as there is food there. While you're catches on corn will be limited by species, using worms will certainly broaden your horizons as ANY fish that swims will eat worms at some point.
My suggestion is set out as many rods as you possibly can use and vary the baits, or even 2-3 different baits is good. We can use 3 rods per person, so often we will set up 6 rods w/ 6 DIFFERENT baits when we go, especially if multiple species are present. Just remember to set your drag light on any rods with less than 8-10lb line. You'd be surprised how many BIG fish I have landed on 4-6lb mono, you just have to use your drag, be smart and play them out. I have caught Carp well over 3 feet on 6lb mono. Push yourself and test your limits and you will become a better fisherman in the long run