Independence Day Carp Fishing Session

The weather this morning at 5:30 a.m. was perfect for carp fishing, the Detroit River was mirror smooth, and the carp were biting. It had all the desired elements for a nice morning of fishing on the river.

Boat traffic picks up on the river around 9 a.m., which provides some uninterrupted bottom fishing time. With the bait situated at the bottom of the river, chances of catching improve, but it's not a fool proof method (just the best method I'vetried so far). 

The boats seem to churn up weeds, because shortly after boat traffic increases I start to notice many more floating weeds coming by. The weeds get caught on the fishing lines and pull out line from the reel or shift our bottom baits as the current pushes the weeds along. But it's still possible to catch carp.

At one point I recasted my middle rod and within 30 seconds I had a screaming run.. Yes - 30 seconds! Maybe it was even less.

I love days like this.

I posted a couple of days ago about my lack of mirror carp catches, but this morning the mirror carp decided to play. I caught one of the elusive and rare Detroit River mirror carp. Out of the 100 or so carp I've caught on the river in the last 8 years, it's the lone mirror to enter my landing net.

I ended with 7 in total today.

And, now an encouraging word for aspiring river carp fishermen:

People sometimes ask me why I fish the Detroit River so much even though Michigan has hundreds of other lakes. Besides the points that 1) very few of the noted "carp lakes" are near my home, and 2) that many lakes I'd like to fish have almost zero public fishing access availability; the river is a challenging place to consistently catch carp.

* Even small river carp are strong swimmers and can be challenging to reel in. 

The first time I fished the river I caught a single fish. The next several times, I spent all day long fishing only to blank. 

So, it became a challenge to figure it out.

Now when I go fishing I sometimes catch 10, 15, 20...and up to my personal record - 34 !

Downsides:

• I have lost lots of tackle.
• The current is pretty strong out more than a foot or two from shore.
• You need a partner to help land the fish or you will struggle more than necessary.
• You need a substantial landing net to hoist the fish up to 8 feet from the water over the railing where you are fishing.
• You have to be patient with larger boats generating waves in your swim.
• On average, the fish are smallish compared to lakes.

But the state record for a Detroit River carp is in the 36 pound range, so there's always a chance for a true river monster sized fish. 

And that keeps me going back to the Detroit River in search of my new person's best carp. Given enough time, I think it's a possibility.