Monday, April 30, 2018

My New 2018 Personal Best at 37 Pounds and 7 Ounces

The local Michigan guys know that I've been hoping to catch a 30# fish for quite some time.

I think I might be one of the last of the local carp angling club crew who hadn't caught a fish of 30 pounds or greater. The absence of the magic 30# carp has much to do with the waters I fish as anything else. The convenient water near me just doesn't seem to produce many big fish at this point.

Four years ago I had one in sight but the net person zigged instead of zagged; and it literally became "the one that got away". I've had a 29# fish once since then. I was fortunate enough to improve upon that fish and increased my personal best by 8 pounds and change to a whopping 37 pounds and 7 ounces.

I could tell the fish was special when it was still 50 feet from the bank and knowing that; I got really nervous as it approached the net.

This water has produced some 30# fish in the past, but none in recent years. This fish was completely unexpected and much bigger than any fish I know of caught on this water in at least 2 years.

37 pounds and 7 ounces; my new personal best

Look at that tail. For reference the mat is 36 inches long.
I didn't have a tape measure, but I am guessing almost 40 inches.

What a tail span



This fish was very long and very dense



When I have more time, I may be able to adjust some of the over exposure in these photos to bring out more of the details in the fish. The trouble with fishing in bright sunlight is the difficulty taking pictures in bright sunlight. It's kind of a bummer when you catch the biggest fish of your life.

Posing a fish like this is also not easy. It was heavy to hold it up properly and kept wanting to lean backwards. I did manage a few shots to give the fish the justice it deserves.

Here's an example of how posing affects the pictures of the fish we capture. The fish is heavy and I'm having trouble keeping it perpendicular to the ground. It's tilting backwards about 60 degrees and compared to the picture above you can see how different the outcome is.


Sunday, April 15, 2018

Homemade Carp Bait Boilies and Chops

With the ice storm we've been experiencing today accompanied by rain and temperatures in the 30's, I decided to make some baits so they are ready when spring finally arrives in Southeast Michigan. It's a late spring this year and it's really eating into my carp fishing exploits. Hopefully the preparations I have been making while waiting for better weather will pay off.

I made some for hook baits and some for pre-baiting

Can you imagine a bed of those on the lake bed?
Those hungry carp won't be able to resist them.
Basic Recipe for Boilies

  • Semolina
  • Soya
  • Protein meal
  • Wheat germ
  • Bird seed
  • Whey
  • Cayenne
  • Garlic powder
  • 6 eggs
I used equal parts Semolina and Soya with 1 1/2 parts protein meal added. Example: 200 grams Semolina, 200 grams Soya and 300 grams Protein meal.

You can experiment with different amounts, but I've had success with equal parts Semolina and Soya. In my experience the bolies form up better that way.

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Sonik Tournos 8000 reels

I purchased some new Sonik Tournos 8000 reels for this coming season. These reels are "quick drag" style versus the bait runners I've been using. Hopefully it won't be too much of an adjustment.

I found myself fishing with a very loose drag and then adjusting tighter when fighting the fish. That's exactly how a "quick drag" reels works, so I bought some.

Sonik Tournos 8000 reels
A guy on one of the fishing discussion groups was razzing me about buying a "knock off" reel. I did a little research and it does appear that the Sonik Tournos 8000 is a "private label" version of the Akios SCORA 80. I'm not quite sure what he was hoping to do by pointing that out. Perhaps he wanted to tarnish my purchase in some way, but "private label" manufacturing is quite common. I haven't confirmed it one way or another, but if it's true it doesn't bother me at all. Also, I paid much, much less than the $189 retail price via Carolina Cast Pro. One could make a good argument that buying a "private label" is a shrewd way to get quality for a lower price.

Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac; Ford, Mercury, Lincoln; Toyota, Lexus; Nissan, Infiniti are examples of "private labels" and there are many, many more I could name (motor oil, gasoline, food products, etc.). Private labeling and leveraging brands in that way is very common and a way for small companies (and big companies by the way) to compete in the market place.