Maybe It's Time to Find a New Fishing Spot

My reward for trying something different

Two weeks ago I plotted out a plan for four fishing sessions on successive weekends. My primary goal with the sessions was to establish a new personal best carp weight before the winter weather arrives.

For me, finding above average sized carp is not a simple thing. I've learned that you can't keep doing the same things over and over, hope for the best and  expect different results. If you want different results, you have to do new things; or do old things in a better way.

I have a favorite venue for carp fishing that is a 25 miles from my home. I've fished that spot roughly 20 times this past spring, summer and fall. My biggest carp from my normal spot weighed 23 lbs. My wife's biggest fish from that same spot weighed 24 lbs. Logic dictates that if I want to catch a common carp bigger than the biggest I've ever caught before, I needed to change spots, change bait, or attract bigger fish. I made the simple and easy-to-execute choice and went back to a spot that I fished earlier in the spring that yielded my current personal best of a few ounces shy of 25 pounds.

It was on the same lagoon near Lake Erie. I used the same baits, flavors, tackle, etc., but changed the location within that lagoon. And as you may have guessed by now....it worked!

My normal spot was beginning to see quite a bit of carp fishing pressure and in my opinion that fishing pressure slowed the bite a little bit. If four or five anglers are fishing the same spot over and over using the same baits and flavors, the fish might wise up a little and start to avoid the bait presentation. I have no idea of knowing for sure, but my theory makes logical sense to me. Someone else may shoot a hole in my theory, but it's a good a hypothesis as any other I've had lately.

I fished the opposite side of the lagoon in two spots that aren't as easy to fish because they require a 5 minute walk from the parking lot, there is no rest room and the mowing/tree trimming is not maintained as regularly. It's inconvenient, but I know from the past that the fish seem to run a little bigger on that side of the lagoon.

Overall average size from those spots for the past 4 sessions was close to the average size in my normal spot, but there were some big fish sprinkled in; two I couldn't land and one that I did. The one fish I landed weighed in at 26 pounds and 6 ounces besting my prior personal best weight by almost 1 1/2 pounds.

So the next time fishing slows down in your normal spot(s), it might be time to find a new one. It worked for me this month. Maybe it will work for you too.