Michigan Carp

I got out today to do some carp fishing here in Michigan at a spot my friend Bill found earlier in the week. We made a new friend in the process, so it was already shaping up to be a good day. And now when we do catch the dreaded catfish going forward, we can help someone out who will really appreciate it.

Catching 7 carp and 3 catfish made it even better.

Here are some pictures:

Detroit River Carp

I got out yesterday for some carp fishing on the Detroit River. The river holds many carp and I'm sure some trophy size fish reside there.

I have caught about 12 fish from the river in my 5 sessions there so far. Here are some pictures from yesterday.

An unexpected small mouth bass

A mid-teens carp

A picture taken while
returning the carp to
the river

Summer Carp

Sometimes summertime is pretty tough for fishing but I managed this nice fish.

Small River Carping

I had a great session last weekend at a local venue. I prebaited the prior afternoon and was hopeful it would help. Boy did it ever!

I had my first carp within 2 minutes of the first cast. The bite was so fast and furious that I had to call my wife to come help net the fish. It was wearing me out. But she declined and I was wiped out at day's end. It's a good problem to have.

I ended up with 35+ fish landed.

Local Carp Venues Hidden Possibilities

There is a lake venue 5 minutes from my home that I seldom fish. It has a reputation as a lake with smaller carp that range below 12 pounds. As a result of that reputation, it doesn't get a lot of love from carp fishermen. In the interest of full disclosure I do know someone who caught a 20 pound carp a while back, but that is very rare in this lake.

Earlier this week I prebaited a spot that we fished and it produced results. We ended up with 8 or 9 carp today. The picture below represents the typical size fish you can expect at this venue.

This fish was caught in 15 feet of water

Want to cast farther? Get new reels.

I blanked today but I did learn / confirm something.

I used Sonik 6000 reels for 4 years on 12 ft Hurricane rods. I switched to Sonik 8000 reels when they were on clearance and use the same rods.

I can easily cast 30 to 40 yards farther with the bigger reels.

Dancing Carp

Getting the right pose for a picture takes a few "tries" if you want to make a good picture of the fish.

Here's a funny animation of the process.

River Carping

I really enjoy catching carp from rivers. Lakes are fine too, but there is something about the carp in rivers that make it more rewarding.

It could be the expanse of the river making it all the more challenging, but likely it's the current in rivers that make the carp stronger pound for pound and very unpredictable.

I didn't have any luck today, but I did take this interesting picture of my spot.

This river runs into Lake Erie. The spawn is at its peak this weekend so fishing is pretty tough going right now.

This picture is from a few years ago, but it's still one of my all-time favorites.

Carp Videos From Saginaw

33# common carp from Saginaw.

19# common carp

My New Sonik Quickdrag Reels

I used my new Sonik Tournos 8000 QD reels last weekend for the first time and caught my first carp on the new reels.

I still need to get used to them, but I like them so far.

Wooden Shoe Carp Classic 2018 - Day 2

After alot of catfish on Day 1, I finally got into some carp on Day 2 and ended with 6 carp and 10 catfish. My largest was 21 pounds with a 19 and 17 as honorable mentions.

Here are some pictures.

I love these animations

I would like to thank the event organizer, Dave Ash, Wacker Baits for Zu Method Mix, World Classic Baits Method Mix, and Blood Run Tacke Company for the 16 lb monofilament.

Dave Ash organized a great raffle for the event as well.

Wooden Shoe Carp Classic 2018 - Day 1

Day one started slow and did not improve. I caught 8 catfish and zero carp.

Wooden Shoe Carp Classic Holland Michigan

Here some pictures from Friday's prefishing activities.

 Pere Marquette

I did a lot of baiting
but no catching.

Why You Should Learn to Use Photo Filters

Here's a before and after photo filter example:

28# fish straight from my phone camera.

28# fish using a filter correcting exposure / focus

We work very hard to catch high quality carp and it makes sense to show them the respect they deserve by doing what we can to show them in the best light possible.

I'm Humbled

My first PB aka "personal best" from 5 years ago.
I was able to break that PB two more times that day.

I started this blog about 5 years ago with big ambitions. I had just discovered carp fishing and that the real possibility existed to catch 15-20 pound fish on a consistent basis from my local waters with no boat required.

As a kid who grew up on a farm catching bluegill, bass and crappie with a float bobber, I was sure that sharing my discovery with the world would result in more than a few admirers.

It hasn't turned out that way, but I have continued to update this carp fishing blog for my own enjoyment and with the hope that seeing my pictures and stories will inspire others (maybe even you) to try catching a few carp. It's a great stress relief after a week of work, it's a good way to spend some time outside and it's a nice way to get some exercise.

Visitors to this blog broken down by country

The graphic above is provided by Google as an insight for bloggers so they can see the types of visitors viewing these web pages. By no means is this considered "great" or even "good", but for a farm kid from Missouri who grew up digging red wigglers and fishing in a 1/2 acre "cow pond" for whatever would bite the hook, knowing that people from around the U.S. and around the world have taken some interest, albeit a very small interest, in my fishing exploits helps make it just a little more worthwhile and provides the motivation to continue doing it. Thank you all.