First Carp Session of 2016 - Two Carp and a Catfish

I have been looking forward to getting out on the bank in search of some gold for the past couple of weeks. The weather here is Michigan has been teasing us with some above normal temperatures and until this weekend I have been stuck indoors. Yesterday was a beautiful day with a high temperature near 60 degrees with sunshine and a very light breeze. Unfortunately I was not able to fish yesterday though and my only available time was today. The forecast when I went to bed was for rain in the afternoon, so I slept well with a plan to get out early after taking my wife to the airport at 4 a.m. for a flight to Nashville.

I dropped her off and returned home. After pulling up the radar on my laptop I confirmed my suspicion. The weatherman is terrible at forecasting the exact timing of when rain will arrive. He is are usually early with the forecast, but today he was late. The rain arrived at 6:30 a.m. It was a light rain so I decided to chance it with the hope and a prayer that it would be a light drizzle and I could still fish.

I drove 35 minutes to my fishing spot and started pulling out my gear. When I started making the pack bait, I searched around in a panic for a can opener. It was starting to rain a little harder at that point and I wanted to hustle up and get lines in the water. But without a can opener it would be a major bummer because I had no other way to open the cream corn and no other options for ground bait this morning.

A guy out for an early morning walk stopped by and offered his Leatherman tool. I gave up on that after about 10 seconds and besides that the rain was really starting to come down. I decided to throw in the towel return home. It was still dark so I figured with rain that hard so early it might not get any lighter for a while.

Instead of going straight home I headed to Mejier and purchased a can opener. Of course the cheapest can opener I could find was $11.99. Ouch.

I got home and flipped on the Sunday morning talk shows. It didn't take long before I was so disgusted with listening to who's accusing who of what and when, where and how, that I turned off the TV. I looked outside and noticed the rain had let up a lot. So I decided to head back out to the fishing spot. At that point I had a can opener.

I drove the 35 minutes back to the fishing spot. When I opened the rear hatch of my Ford Explorer there was the can opener staring me right in the face. I have no idea how I missed it earlier, but I'll chalk it up to early year rustiness. It was my first carp fishing trip of the year.

I got my Panko mixed and lines in the water. It was still a very light drizzle at that point and 48 degrees with almost no wind. Things were looking up.

The rain gradually picked up. And picked up some more. And picked up some more.

And the winds came. And it got a lot colder. And before long it got even colder with more wind.

But then I got a run, so all that discomfort went away at the first sound of the alarm screaming.

Then after a few turns of the reel handle I knew it wasn't a carp. I landed a small 3 pound channel catfish a couple minutes later.

By this time I was rather damp.

But I decided a rainy, windy, cloudy day fishing was much better than listening to the Sunday morning talk shows and it was light years ahead of going to work, so I continued fishing.

About an hour later I landed a small carp. But my hands were almost numb before I got him back in the water.

First carp in 2016

I just love catching a nice, clean golden bones

2nd carp caught in 2016

And my favorite part -  Returning the fish to be caught another day by another carp angler

And after a recast and a lot more rain, wind and cold. I even caught another one.

 These were the worst conditions I have ever fished in. That automatically makes these the most challenging two fish I have ever caught.

And after a rocky start earlier in the day, my first session of 2016 was salvaged. My confidence is sufficiently boosted now after a long, cold, snowy winter of no carp fishing.

Now I can't wait until next weekend to do it all again.

Homemade Habanero Boilies

I spent this afternoon mixing up some ingredients for homemade habanero boilies while watching the NASCAR race.

On the drying rack

50 Pound Braided Fishing Line from Western Filament

TUF Line XP is on sale right at Amazon. You can get 1,200 yds. of braided line for $87.00 plus $4.99 for shipping. I've used the TUF Line XP for a while now and recommend it.

TUF Line XP

It's Not a Carp, But It's Big

I have a Jack Dempsey in my home aquarium, but he has a few years to go before he will be big like fish in the video.

Something to do While Waiting for Carp Season to Start

One of the popular carp fishing forums has had a long running discussion going about what carp fishermen do when they can't go carp fishing. I have lots of other hobbies like keeping South American cichlids in my aquariums, reading, writing and making homemade beer.

Disclaimer: Making homemade beer is governed by law in your state of residence. Please research all applicable regulations before emulating my techniques and processes for beer making. This video is not meant to promote underage drinking or to promote alcohol consumption in any way.

Here's a video of a recent session:

Budget Carp Alarms

When I started carp fishing I didn't want to spend a lot of money on carp bite indicating alarms. I fished without alarms for most of my 1st year of exclusively fishing for carp. And now after 3 years of carp fishing and catching 100's of fish I still don't want to spend a lot of money on bite alarms. I just don't think it's necessary. Instead of $300 on alarms, I'd rather spend $300 on other things - like funding my retirement account!

Photo courtesy NGTdirect.co.uk

I purchased some inexpensive NGT and BFS alarms from Resistance Tackle and Bank Fishing Systems a couple years ago and I am still using them. They work fine and get the job done. I bought them for under $20 each and have been quite satisfied with the results.

But when I do replace them, options have slimmed down quite a bit. Resistance Tackle and Bank Fishing Systems are no longer in business and the majority of alarms available through the remaining U.S. carp gear vendors are not designed for the extremely budget conscious angler. However, I did run across a new NGT design available through Big Carp Tackle that is still on the affordable side of things.

Posting Carp Pictures - Big or Small

I saw some comments recently on a social media carp fishing page making reference to posting pictures of small fish vs. large fish. Reading between the lines the poster was insinuating that pictures of small carp are somehow "unworthy" of posting to social media. I disagree with that sentiment.

Catching carp is not a simple process. Preparing for a session usually entails several hours of packing, traveling, unpacking, setting up, casting out; waiting, waiting, and waiting for a bite; and then hopefully - it all pays off with a fish on the bank.

And then when everything goes as planned - you might get lucky enough to catch a nice 20+ pound fish. If you are living right and are blessed enough by the fish giving gods - you might catch a carp weighing 30+ pounds.

To me, its' immaterial whether the fish weighs 30 pounds, 20 pounds, 15 pounds, or 3 pounds (yep I've caught one of those). I'm going to take a picture to document the moment - every single time!

What is your opinion?

Here's a picture of my 3 pound carp. Believe me, the fish was smaller than it looks in the picture!

Promoting Carp Fishing

I am writing this post as a "report card" or "editorial" or "opinion piece". Some who read it might not agree. Some might not like the post at all. I am taking that risk with the hope that my words might help change attitudes and help the growth of the sport.

I have been writing this blog, sharing pictures, tips, information about equipment, etc. for more than 2 years. I don't have a lot of regular readers yet, but that is also not surprising because compared to other types of fishing; carp fishing in the U.S. is still in it's infancy. I am fairly sure that a blog about Michigan bass fishing would have more readers. But I believe in carp fishing and I keep writing, keep teaching and keep sharing.



A picture of scales weighing a small mouth buffalo

I have been thinking a lot about how to promote carp fishing to more people, get more people out on the banks fishing for them, and remove some of the stigma that exists with guys and gals that have fished primarily for bass, bluegill, walleye, and catfish.

A lot of people who fish for carp talk about growing the sport, teaching more people how to catch carp, and promoting carp as a sport fish. In my 3 years of focus on species angling for common carp I have heard it 100's if not 1,000's of times, which I applaud, but I haven't seen a lot of people follow through by taking action on those desires.

I think there is a tendency to say we want growth of the sport; we want respect for carp; we want them regarded as a worthwhile sport fish on the level of bass or walleye; but what have we done to actually help that happen.

Sometimes rather than share the sport with others who mention an interest in carp fishing things are kept close to the vest. The specific techniques, equipment, baits, lakes, rivers and streams are a closely guarded secret. That is something I haven't seen as much with bass fishing. Bass fishermen I have known and do know are fairly open about the lakes they fish and the baits they use. There are probably close to 25 or 30 weekly television programs about bass fishing on at least 10 or 15 different cable TV channels. This free sharing of information has promoted bass fishing and allowed it to grow and prosper.

If we want carp fishing to prosper at that level, then we need to open up the doors and bring carp fishing out into the open with more vigor.

To demonstrate what I am referring to, I am reminded of an example from last year when I posted some pictures taken during a recent fishing trip on a "secret" closed Facebook page focused singularly on carp fishing. Within two or three minutes I received a private message asking me to remove the pictures from Facebook because the particular spot was a place where other carp fisherman have also caught fish. I was asked to "safeguard" the location of this public park as a "secret" because other carp fishermen have at some point fished in the same park at some time in the past.

I was pretty upset by the request. I was asked to keep carp fishing "quiet" at that location because someone else might go to that public park and catch a carp. This park has yielded some 30 pound carp in prior years, so I was being asked to keep the secret presumably so someone else might not go there and catch a big carp.



A day on the banks of the Rouge River last spring

So please, if you are serious about promoting carp fishing to the masses, share your information (and yes, some of your fishing tips and secrets), so that others may also begin enjoying the sport.

The counter argument of course is that bow fisherman may go to that public park and shoot a trophy sized carp. True. That is a risk, but bow fisherman already know where the trophy carp are. That sport is promoted. Secrets are shared. Big money corporate sponsors host large events with large prize money for bow fishing. So if we want carp fishing as a sport to grow and reach those levels, we need more people fishing for them to create a bigger voice to curtail or place some limits on the bow fishing and unlimited killing of trophy carp.

Keeping carp fishing a secret is actually counterproductive in that regard. Bass fishing has a large voice because they have large membership organizations that mobilize and influence regulations, corporate sponsors, advertisers, and televisions producers by providing eyeballs who watch programs. They didn't grow those bass fishing organizations by keeping bass fishing a secret.

But if the real goal is keeping the trophy carp to yourselves. Keep the sport in the shadows and limited to a small fraternity of people, then by all means; continue to keep it secret.

A Better Bucket for Carp Fishermen

I have been using a 2 gallon food grade bucket purchased at Gordon Food Service (GFS) to mix my

 

ground baits and method mix for 3 years. The GFS bucket works fine, but the mix dries out quickly on a hot, mid-summer day. To solve that problem I purchased a 2 gallon food grade bucket from Amazon.com that uses a gamma lid. It's a lid that screws onto the bucket to create a much better seal that will help prevent my ground mix from drying out so quickly.

They have bucket and lids sizes ranging from 2 gallons to 7 gallons. These buckets are also well suited for long term storage of good items like dried beans, grains, etc. as part of an emergency food storage plan. They also come with a humidity indicator strip to help you monitor the contents without breaking the seal on the lid.

If you would like to purchase a bucket with gamma lid, here's the link:

 



A Break From Our Regular Carp Programming

It's too cold to fish here in Michigan right now and the lakes are frozen over, so all my favorite spots are inaccessible. So I use the 3-months away from carp fishing to catch up on some of my other hobbies. I work for an auto manufacturer. I enjoy car shows. I like taking pictures. Sometimes I try to combine them into one activity. Each January I attend the Detroit Auto Show aka North American International Auto Show. Here are some pictures from my recent visit. I hope you enjoy them.

F-150

Lincoln Continental

Indy Car

Viper

Ferrari

In Fisherman Video About Carp Fishing

Carp getting some love from In Fisherman Magazine TV

 

 

North American Carp Angler Magazine

Yesterday the post man delivered a new North American Carp Angler Magazine - one of the benefits I receive from my membership in the Carp Anglers Group.

The magazine has a lot of wonderful carp fishing pictures and stories about carp fishing trips from 2015.

2016 Special Print Edition of the North American Carp Angler Magazine

The magazine and organization focuses primarily on catch and release carp fishing. I also enjoy catching small mouth buffalo, which are actually in the sucker family of fish. Interestingly enough, the common carp is in the minnow family. The average American fisherman may not realize that (I know I didn't until I started researching carp fishing in greater detail.)

If you are interested in a membership, simply click the banner link at the top of this website page and it will take you to their website so you can check it out. If you decide to become a member, please tell them your were referred by Brian Pearcy.

They also have electronic editions of the magazine available at the website as well.

If you have questions about membership benefits, please let me know.

Health Benefits of Carp Fishing Through Meditation

I have previously shared my thoughts regarding the health benefits of carp fishing in a post I published a few weeks ago. Here is a video that offers some more information regarding the positives of spending quite time to ourselves on a regular basis.

I am not referring to clicking symbols, burning incense or aroma therapy types of meditation. I am referring to meditation in its simplest form; and it's something you likely find yourself doing naturally from time to time anyway.

 

 

If you would like to read more about meditation and how we can simply do this activity while we are sitting bankside waiting for the carp to bite I have included a video below from ABC News Anchor, Dan Harris, from Good Morning America.

 

Meditation can be done in 3 simple steps: 

 

1. Sit upright

2. Feel your breath

3. If your mind wonders, simple return focus again on the breath

 

 



 

 

Here is another way to mindfulness meditation is described courtesy of Wikipedia:

"going into the forest and sitting beneath a tree and then to simply watch the breath. If the breath is long, to notice that the breath is long, if the breath is short, to notice that the breath is short.^[34][35]
By observing the breath one becomes aware of the perpetual changes involved in breathing, and the arising and passing away of mindfulness. One can also be aware of and gain insight into impermanence through the observation of bodily sensations and their nature of arising and passing away.^"[36]

Dedicated specimen carp anglers have likely been meditating for years without even realizing it.

If you decide to purposefully try these exercise while carp fishing, I'd be interesting in hearing your thoughts about the results.

Making Homemade Carp Boilies

Update:

I wrote the original version of this post last spring to document my first experimental attempts to make homemade boilies. Following several days of traveling during the holiday season I plan to start making boilies for the upcoming spring carp fishing season.

I will use the recipe below in addition to some new ideas that I have come up with, but hot peppers are going to play a big role in my ongoing boilie making and carp fishing efforts. I am going to continue with the sesame oil and also incorporate peanut powder and some other items I've been reading about during the off season.

Original post:

I have read through the articles Mario Kok writes for the Carp Angler's Group and will use his basic recipe suggestions for my own attempt at carp boilie making.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup corn meal

1 1/4 cup wheat flour

6 jalapenos

3 habaneros

2 TBSP cayenne powder

1 TBSP white pepper powder

2 whole eggs

2 TBSP sesame oil

2 TBSP Southern Comfort

1. I sliced up jalapenos and habaneros, added the sesame oil to a sauce pan and then fried the peppers for about 10 minutes on medium heat taking care to stir occasionally to prevent burning. The strategy for frying is to release some of the oils and juices in the peppers. I used plastic gloves for this process.

2. I added just enough water to cover the sliced peppers and brought the mixture to a boil. Once boiling I reduced the heat to simmer and cooked the peppers for 20 minutes to soften them up. I left the mixture on the stove top to steep for a couple of hours without heat. Then I brought the mixture to a boil again and simmered for nearly an hour to make a soup.

3. I allowed the peppers to cool for about 30 minutes and used a small hand blender to a make a "habanero and jalapeno" mushy paste.

4. I mixed up the dry ingredients and ran them through a flour sifter.

5. I added the eggs to my pepper mush mixture and thoroughly combined them before starting to add the dry ingredients.

6. I added a little of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mixed them up; and then added a little more; repeating the process until I achieved a consistency that would form a dough ball.

7. I rolled the boilies in sizes from 12 mm to 22 mm; ending up with 125 boilies total. I used plastic gloves to prevent problems with the habaneros burning my skin.

8. I brought a pot of water to a rolling boil and then added the dough balls in groups of 10 allowing them to boil for 90 seconds before removing and placing them on cooling racks used for cookies.

9. I allowed the boilies to cool for several hours before placing in plastic bags for storage. I took great care to make sure they were completely cool so that there was no condensation in the plastic bag during storage.

This is my first attempt making my own boilies. It wasn't too hard to do. When I make them again I will boil the pepper soup a lot less. The peppers were plenty soft after about 30 minutes. I am afraid the extra cooking loses some of the potency of the peppers.

Don't ask me why I decided to try the Southern Comfort. I was trying to think of something sweet to add a little extra to the boilies.

Here is a post I made using these boilies to catch smallmouth buffalo.

Preparing Fish at a Detroit Area Restaurant

Buffalo fish cooking at a Detroit restaurant (Photo courtesy of Detroit Free Press and Salwan Georges, photographer)

Last June while fishing near our home in western Wayne County Michigan, Linda and I met some young twenty-something year olds fishing near us at a local lake.

They caught a few fish, but were very interested in convincing us to give them the fish we were catching to add to their cache. I shared a few fish with them that day after getting to know them a little bit. They described a process for preparing and cooking the fish that sounds very familiar to the picture above published in the Detroit Free Press article on 12/20/15.