Fall Carp Fishing in Michigan

I fished for 7 1/2 hours today, but could have probably still been catching as I write this if I wasn't fishing alone.

This spot has a huge weed bed that runs from about 20 feet to 150 feet off shore. You have to cast out past the weeds and then fight the fish through the very thick weeds. It's a good workout. Of course you end up losing about 30% of the fish.

In the past I've pulled 25# and 31# carp from this spot including another 7 or 8 #'s of weeds.

I managed to land 10 fish (the most ever from here) ranging from about 3 pounds up to 20 pounds (18 pounds was the next largest). But perhaps best of all I landed a nice little mirror. It's my first mirror from here.

The bigger fish seem to head elsewhere in the afternoons, so it pays to be on your game from the jump. There is heavy, heavy boat traffic here in the traditional boating months. It's a spot I only fish a couple times a year if it's raining or too cold for comfortable boating.

It's also a good spot for blanking.

This session is a great example of the need to be prepared when you go carp fishing. You really need to be on your game to consistently land carp. It can make the difference between a great, enjoyable day and a day filled with frustration.

Recasting quickly can increase your catch rate dramatically. At one point the action was so fast that I literally couldn't keep rods in the water.  Fish move in shoals, so if you catch one there are likely others nearby.

You need a process for landing the fish, capturing the photo, releasing the fish and recasting without wasting time or energy. Doing this when fishing solo takes some pre-planning and preparation. Taking the time to do it can help you catch many more carp throughout the year. If you catch 200 carp and being organized helps improve your results by a 10% rate, that's 20 more chances to land your new personal best.