Looking For a New Personal Best Today

It's late October, the autumn leaves are falling, and the morning temperatures are lower and lower each week. That means two things: 1) winter's on the way, 2) chances of catching a bigger than average sized carp are improved.

The view from my fishing spot today

I took this picture shortly after getting everything set up today

A view to the right of my fishing position today

A view toward the left of my position

I had the day off from work and had three things on my mind as I headed out to my favorite fishing hole near Lake Erie: 1) spending the day relaxing by the lake recharging my batteries and enjoying the day outside, 2) catching a new personal best common carp (25 pounds or greater for me), and 3) catching a buffalo carp (I've never caught one).

I chose a new spot (for me) that has yielded some nice numbers of carp with good size in recent weeks. I normally fish a different spot near the parking lot, but today I fished the opposite side.

Sunrise is around 7:30 a.m. this week; shortly after I arrived. I walked to the spot in the dark and starting sitting up with the goal to have bait hitting the water shortly after sunrise. I got the nets set up, landing mat situated, sling positioned, and 3 rods in the water by 8:03. 

The first fish was landed before 9:00 tipping the scales at more than 15 pounds on the middle rod.

15 pounds

My second fish today hit the landing mat before 9:30 weighing more than 22 pounds on the right rod.

22 pounds

I was on cloud nine at that point because the average size was looking pretty good.

I caught a few more fish between 9:45 and noon with the alarms chirping regularly about every 35 - 40 minutes.

Most of the action was coming from my left and center rods at that point.

At noon I re-baited all three rods and then had a snack for lunch. The weather was sunny and warming up. Experience tells me that the chances for catching carp improve with those conditions. I was hopeful and confident something big was just around the corner.

I was right!

The alarm on my right rod went off just after noon. I picked up and immediately knew it was a special fish. That rod was spooled with mono and as I started the retrieve I could feel the stretch in the line. I kept the rod tip up and tried to remain calm. I didn't want to lose the fish by trying too hard.The fight progressed and I gained a little ground.

Most of the fish today would immediately take off and try to get away darting right or left immediately. This fish did not take that approach. It felt like I'd hooked a snag in the water at that point. In fact, I thought I lost the fish but slow and sure the fish made it's way toward me little by little.

Calmly and slowly the fish yielded and approached closer and closer. About 50 feet from shore it found some energy and decided to try a little harder. With strong winds causing a left to right current on the lake most of the fish today darted right, but not this guy....he headed left into the current.

Another indication that I did not want to lose this fish.

It swam against the current with ease indicating it was bigger and heavier than the others I caught so far. I passed the rod under the middle rod to prevent a tangle and then under the left rod as the fish headed for shallow water on the left side.

I grabbed the net and tried to position it so the fish would swim into it. No luck, because when the fish saw the net he swam in the opposite direction back to the right and took out some more line. I could see the fish at this point and all the indications were correct - it was by far the biggest fish I have ever hooked and it would definitely shatter my 24 pound 10 ounce personal best caught 200 yards down the bank earlier this spring.

The fish was in pretty close and shallow at this point, which is always dangerous and high risk of a hook pull. I maneuvered the net again so that fish would swim into it. The fish was 4 feet from home at that point and my heart was really pumping; hopeful to get the fish in the sling, on the mat, and hooked up to the scales.

And then, everything went wrong....the 15 pound test Big Game monofilament broke off. It was a clean break-off. No hook pull, no line cut...a true break off. And just like that it was over. No fish, no new personal best, nadda; just a story to tell about experience and knowledge that the big fish have decided to come out to play this fall.

I fished 2 more hours and hooked a few more common carp; unfortunately none were even half the size of the one I lost.

Here are a few pictures of those I did capture:

Sorry none of the fish today were properly posed, but my regular photographer had to work today.

I also got to try out my new fishing net today. This Ranger Big Game rubberized net did the job today.

Ranger Big Game landing net

All of the fish today were caught on corn tipped with a piece of fake corn.

Ranger Landing Nets

I have been very disappointed in the quality of carp landing nets that I have purchased so far. I have looked around at various options and determined that I need to buy something that is not a typical Euro-style carp net. There are a few options for heavy duty nets that are reasonably priced. I have decided to go with a Ranger net.

I found a Ranger Tournament Series Big Game flat bottom rubberized knotless net locally this morning. I wanted my wife to test it out to make sure it's not too heavy because she does most of the netting for me.

The Ranger net is stronger built than any carp net I've ever seen, it's made in the USA and it's a Detroit company. I wanted to look at their catalog before buying, so I just checked it out online and I'm going back later to get it.

Originally I thought I wanted a bigger one, but any bigger would be too heavy I think. The model 9855TFB has a 54" handle extendable to 84", a 34" head and a 24" deep sack. My current net is similar in size, but it's beginning to show some wear tear to go along with landing 104 carp this year.

Photo courtesy RangerNets.com

Things to Do When You Can't Fish for Carp

It's overcast, temps are in the low 40's (upper 30's with the wind chill factored in) and the autumn leaves are falling. Let's face it, unless you like to freeze your you-know-what off, it's going to be tough sledding for carp fishing pretty soon here in Michigan. So, what to do when you can't fish? Here are some of my ideas:

Read books about fishing

• Watch TV shows about fishing
• Look at online fishing equipment catalogs
• Watch YouTube videos about carp fishing
• Think about fishing incessantly

You get the picture....

Here are some of my favorites of all the above:

TV Shows and YouTube

 

 

 

 Online Fishing Catalogs

Resistance Tackle

 

Big Carp Tackle

 

Ranger Nets

Books

Feel free to share your favorites in the comments. Maybe we can build a library of "things to do when you can't carp fish" that will serve as a resources for other carp fishing addicts this winter.



Fall Carp Fishing

This time of year offers possibilities for larger than average size fish, so I headed out to my favorite fall fishing spot this morning. With temperatures in the mid-40's and a good breeze blowing, I had to dress warm today.

Here are some pictures from today's session:

7 pounds

16 1/2 pounds

 

6 pounds

 

12 pounds

 

I had high hopes for some larger fish, but my last couple of sessions in this location have yielded some smaller sized fish than I have grown accustomed to from this body of water.

I'm going to try some different locations on this water and hopefully find some of the bigger fish that I know are coming in to feed this time of  year.

BFS GSP Alarm

I purchased 3 more bite alarms from BankFishingSystems.com this week. I've tried several different budget alarms from various sources in the past several months. I started with a budget alarm from Resistance Tackle. I then purchased 3 budget alarms from NGT. Then I bought one from BFS. The BFS alarm impressed me. It's loud, uses a nine volt battery and is simple to turn on/off/adjust volume.



Photo courtesy www.bankfishingsystems.com

Based on my own personal experience, I recommend this BFS alarm for the budget conscious and those just getting started in carp fishing.

2014 Carp Fishing Season is Winding Down

It's been a good year of carp fishing for me. I started targeting carp last year and caught a few. This year I fine tuned my approach and caught 100. As I reflect back on what might have made the year even better, I hope to improve my skills next year and catch a few more.

By any measure catching 100 anything is pretty good, but I could have caught many, many more. I didn't count the ones that got away, but if I had landed all the fish I lost due to hook pulls I'd have easily caught 50 more fish this year (maybe 75 or 80 more).

I like using braided line. It gives me a lot of confidence. But I wonder if the things that make braid a good option for carp fishing, also contributes to the hook pulls? Compared to monofilament line, braid has little to no "give". I suspect that creates a tendency toward pulling the hook. I have consciously tried to focus on being gentle when fighting the fish, but I get excited. I always start with the drag very loose and then tighten it gradually as I fight the fish.

There are still some good weeks left for carp fishing in October, but this winter I need to do some studying to help refine my technique and increase my landing percentage.

My fishing line of choice

Even better though, I can work on loosing fewer fish in the weeks that remain. You never now...the next fish I lose may be a new personal best. It could be the elusive small mouth buffalo that I can't seem to catch, another mirror, or a coveted 30 pounder!

100th Carp of the Year

Today I headed out to my favorite carp spot. Temperatures fell 20 degrees overnight and it was cloudy most of the day, but the rain held off until late in the day. The session started slowly, but did build some momentum later on.

When I started fishing in March I set a goal to catch 50 carp before the end of the year. I topped that goal and then some. Today I caught my 100th carp of the year!

Rod pod at sunrise

The first fish today was a good sized catfish.

Catfish weighing in at approximately 3 - 4 pounds

First carp of the day

I didn't weigh this one, but I'd estimate the weight at 10 pounds or so.

This nice carp fell for a pink pop up dumbbell

I hooked another carp shortly after this one and fought it for a while. The fish took out a massive amount of line, so taming the run took some work. As a result I ended up losing the fish to a hook pull before I could get it in the net.

It was quiet for several hours after that and I packed up everything but the nets, landing mat, sling and the rods and pod. I was stalling, trying to delay the inevitable, hoping to catch another fish before leaving. I was putting the cooler back in the Explorer when I got a screaming run on my left rod.

This carp had some spots. I can only assume it was some kind of growth or disease.

I didn't pose this carp because of the spots, but it was in the range of 5 pounds or so.

Never being one to throw in the towel easily, I fished another hour hoping to catch "just one more", but luck wasn't on my side this afternoon. The clouds moved in and the sun was no where to be found. As I was packing up for good it started sprinkling, but overall it was a good day on the bank.

How to Tie a Uni Knot - Big Game to Power Pro

9/29/14 Update: Well, the uni knot test ended poorly yesterday. The knot failed and I lost my hook, inline lead, hair rig, etc. I was not casting anything heavier than normal. The knot held up for 10 or so casts, but eventually failed. :-(

9/27/14 Update: I tested my strategy of fusing the 15 pound test Trilene Big Game to 30 yards of 50 pound test Power Pro yesterday. It casted pretty well and I landed a nice 9 pounder on it. As I need to replace the Power Pro on my other reels, I'm going to use this strategy. Instead of 4 new spools annually and occasional replacement spools of Power Pro throughout the year, using the Big Game in conjunction with the Power Pro should save me $150 - $200 a year.

 

 

I just finished spooling up a test reel with 225 yards of 15 pound test Trilene Big Game monofilament fused with a uni knot to 30 yards of Power Pro braided line. I think I may have put on too much monofilament and not left enough room for the Power Pro. If the first try doesn't work, I'll just make adjustments and try again.

Vomit Corn for Carp Fishing

9/29/14 Update: I tested the "vomit" corn on one rod. I put it straight on the hair rig and used the same Panko and cream corn pack bait that I always use. I didn't get any activity on that rod at all, until I switched it back to my normal flavored pineapple flavored corn I always use.

I boiled up some corn several months ago with intentions to use it in my Panko ground bait this summer. I failed to realize how far a 5 gallon bucket will go for carp bait. I still have 2 1/2 gallons of the boiled corn. It's starting to stink something fierce.

I've been reading online about using "vomit" corn for carp fishing. The boiled corn I made is starting to stink so badly it does in fact smell like vomit at this point. So it ought to be very productive as carp bait at this point, if that is a legitimate qualifier. We'll find out tomorrow.

I have another day off from work and will spend it at a local lake enjoying this early fall weather. I plan to use the corn on a hair rig exclusively on 1 rod. If that rod catches carp, then I'll consider the experiment a success. If I catch carp on the other rods, but not on the "vomit" corn, I'll consider the experiment inconclusive pending further testing.

Wish me luck.

September Sunshine Carp Session

Today is my last day for carp fishing this September. October is just around the corner and last year the cooler temperatures yielded 2 new personal bests. But first things first...Here are a few pictures of some carp we caught today at a local lake.

It was a great day to be outside today

First fish today

Second fish today

Close up of the second fish

Biggest fish caught today

I loved the colors on this fish

Close up of the release

Back in the water, ready to add a few pounds before we catch him again some day

It's back to work tomorrow, but we have plans to fish a new spot on Saturday that holds some large carp from time to time. It's in the Ann Arbor area and relatively close by, but I've never had a chance to fish there before. I'm really looking forward to it.

Fish Weights

I posted a picture to a Facebook carp fishing group recently of a fish my wife caught. It was a very nice fish. A fish I would have been very proud to catch myself. The fish weighed 24 pounds and 2 ounces.

Someone posted a comment on the picture insinuating that the fish did not weigh that much. I didn't really think much of it at the time, but the more I think about it I'm bothered by his comment. The comment has since been removed by the fellow who made it, but that doesn't mean he didn't really mean it.

I do use a hand held digital scale, but I regularly ensure it's accuracy by weighing a 15 pound kettle bell that I have on hand. The kettle bell weighs in at 1 ounce below 15 pounds on my digital scale.

If anything, I under weigh the fish I post to the web. My Resistance Tackle sling weighs 1 pound and 10 ounces when it's completely dry. So when I weigh a fish I subtract 2 pounds when the sling is dry. If the sling is wet, I weigh the fish first and then re-weigh the sling after returning the fish to the water and subtract the difference. The sling is heavy from the water absorbed when returning the fish to the water. Most of the time I just round the weights down to the nearest pound for the sake of simplicity unless it's close to a new personal best.

For the fish in question yesterday, I am guessing the photograph caused the commenter to question the fish's weight. But what the commenter didn't realize is the fish would not hold still long enough to snap a high quality picture with our cell phone. The fish had one thing in mind - returning to the water as quickly as possible. If the fish is wiggling when the picture is snapped, the tail generally bends forward or backward, which distorts the true size and length of the fish.

Some fish cooperate and we get quality pictures. Some fish don't cooperate as much. They are only fish after all and we catch them because it's fun; it's exciting and we enjoy showing them to friends and family.

I post pictures of the big fish and the small fish a like. Whether I catch a 9 pound fish, or a 24 pound fish; I enjoy it the same. I am not a sponsored angler. I don't have a professional photographer follow me around to take pictures of my catches. Those that know me understand that I do not have a big ego; so I have no reason to say a fish weighs more than it really does.

I hope this clears up any doubts any past or future readers have about pictures of fish I post and how much they weigh.

Here's a blooper picture of a 9 pound fish I caught yesterday. I don't remember what I was looking at, but it must have been interesting.

First fish caught using Trilene Big Game fused to Power Pro with a uni knot

We do our best to get high quality pictures, but sometimes lighting and background plays a big part I the picture quality. It's generally a bad idea to take pictures with a water background like in the picture above. In the interest of time, we still do it sometimes - especially for average size fish.

New Personal Best for Linda - 24 lbs 2 oz

It was a wonderful fall day in Michigan and we headed out to our favorite big carp fishing hole today near Lake Erie. I arrived at 7 a.m., got things set-up and had 3 rods in by 8 a.m. Linda joined me about 9 a.m. Her rod went in shortly after arriving rigged up with her favorite bait -- a pineapple flavored pink pop-up dumbbell.

Up to then I had 2 hook-ups, but landed neither.

We were down to 3 alarms, so Linda's rod rested on an inexpensive rod holder from Wal-Mart. Those rod holders work well (I used them all last year exclusively), but the downside is a need to keep a close eye on things to make sure you don't miss any carp runs.

It didn't take long for Linda to get a run. It started innocently enough. Linda was gaining ground quickly. Then the fish moved a little to right. It looked like it would tangle with my left rod, but then the fish turned back to the left. Linda kept reeling. The fish turned right again and did in fact tangle with the line on my left rod.

At that point I grabbed the net and put it in the water. The fish was nearing the net, but decided to make a hard right turn again and actually tangled with the line on my middle rod. Not content to make a mess with two of my lines, he made a hard left and then swam straight toward the bank looking like he aimed to "beach" himself.

He flopped a few times doing his best to escape the hook, but by that time I had the net in position and secured him. It was a very nice fish and I knew right away that Linda had just caught her new personal best common carp on her pink dumbbell pop-up bait.

Linda can't pose the fish very well, so I am posing this one for her - 24 pounds 2 ounces.

Here's a picture of the release for the big boy.

I caught a small 9 pound common carp a little later I the day.

My little 9 pound fish was tiny compared to Linda's catch

 

This sling from Resistance Tackle has been one of my favorite purchases and work very well

 

A here's a shot Linda took while I returned the 9 pounder to the water

Catch More Fish With Sharper Hooks

When I started carp fishing I lost a lot of hooks and line to snags. Based on my inexperience I made a lot of beginner mistakes that caused many of the snags. After awhile I became sensitive to the money being spent on hooks and braided line.

Hooks for bigger carp cost more and likewise the braided line is about 3 or 4 times the cost of monofilament line. So I starting cutting corners to save money. Instead of using new hooks I re-used old ones. You don't have to use new hooks every time you fish, but the chances of catching fish increase when the hooks are sharp.

I was given a hook sharpener by a friend. At first I didn't use it. I figured sharp is sharp, right? Wrong. Real sharp is real sharp.

I run my hooks over the sharpening stone about every 3rd or 4th cast now; and I am catching more fish. It could be coincidental, but probably not.

Courtesy Rapala.com

The hook sharpener in the picture sells for $7.99. If you don't misplace or lose it, the sharpener will last for years and years. And if it improves your catch rate by 10%, that's a significant number of fish per year.

For example, I am approaching 100 carp for the year. A 10% increase accounts for 10 fish and over 5 years that's a potential 50 additional fish than I may have caught without the hook sharpener.

Fantastic Day at Ford Lake

I had today off from work and spent it at a local lake with a large population of common carp. This was my 3rd day of fishing out of the last 4 days. Here in Michigan it's going to get cold soon, so I want to spent as much time as possible fishing while the weather is still cooperating.

I caught so many fish I lost count. I didn't get pictures of all of them, because the action was fast and furious for 90 minutes or so. I would land one and immediately get another run. I had three doubles today and couldn't keep up with all the fish. I lost 2 fish in the process of landing those doubles. But one of the doubles stands out above any of the doubles I've landed. Check out the pictures below and see if you can tell which fish I'm talking about.

17 pounds

Release

Close-up Swim Away

One of many I took after my photographer had to leave

In the net

Another after my photographer left

Another net shot

15 pounds

My first mirror carp, 14 pounds

 I have seen people catch mirrors at Ford Lake, but after catching 60 - 70 common carp from the lake this is my first mirror carp. This was the first fish caught during a double run. I wish I'd had more time to enjoy my catch, but the alarms were screaming.

If it hadn't been for another fisherman who snapped this picture for me, I might not have been able to land this nice specimen. I was trying to land 2 fish at once. Luckily, this one didn't get away.

Another net shot landed shortly after the mirror above. This was the smallest fish caught today.

The day ended with another double run and I landed them both.

 As I started to pack up supplies to leave I caught these two commons during a double run. The larger fish tipped the scales at 15 pounds.

12 pounds

That last picture was taken earlier in the day and was the 2nd fish I caught today. I really like the scale pattern on this fish.

Overall today will go down as one of the best days of carp fishing I've ever had. I've caught more numbers before, but all but two of these fish were caught after my helper/photographer left for the day.

It was good to meet one of my readers who happened to be fishing nearby today. He landed some doubles today as well. Between the two of us I think we caught 20 - 25 carp today.