Iatrogenics and Carp Fishing

Iatrogenic is a medical term meaning caused by the healer. With more and more carp fishing experience, I am learning that many of my fishing failures are self-induced.

For example, during the early 1970s, the government got a bright idea to help farmers struggling to earn a respectable living due to depressed corn prices. If you are a farmer and the price of a bushel of corn decreases by $1 because there is oversupply in the corn markets, and you have 1,000 acres producing 200 bushels an acre, your gross income reduces by $200,000.

So the administration in charge at the time developed a way to offset those losses using a subsidy payment - a corn bailout for corn farmers. It's had many unintended consequences for farming in general and the general public's health. The government subsidy increased production and high fructose corn syrup usage in drinks and food as new uses for corn was needed. 

Liquid fructose is cheaper than natural sugar, so there is a profit motive. Researchers confirmed that it is addictive like cocaine and shows up in surprising places (i.e., lists of seemingly unrelated foods), creating higher sales and profits for food processors.

Researchers have correlated that increase in consumption of corn by-products to increased occurrence of diabetes, which has drastic consequences for many. Too much sugar creates an imbalance, weight gain in most people, excessive snacking, binging or over-eating, and on and on.

Now the government has run up colossal deficit spending balances, and the political consequences of fixing the issues "correctly" are too significant to cut back on bailouts. 

Corn farmers have grown used to the corn pricing assistance, and, meanwhile, our health care costs have risen to the point of being unaffordable.

(And don't get me started on tax incentives for the wealthy who don't need them.)

While carp fishing, we create our own unintended (i.e., iatrogenic) consequences:

• We often fish in the exact location, so fish become timid to our baits.
• We use too many freebies, and the few fish around fill up on free stuff and leave the area before finding our hooks.
• We spend a lot of money on expensive and unnecessary equipment. 
• We blame our lack of catching on the fish, not biting when our skills are lacking.
• We tell everyone else (including bow fishers).
• We fish in bad weather (example: right after a cold front runs through).
• We use too much flavor for our ground bait.
• We use rigs too complicated to tie consistently to work correctly.
• Trying to save money, we use dull hooks instead of replacing them.
• We over sharpen hooks causing metal fatigue and bent or broken hooks.
• Rather than fishing another several hours, we get discouraged and give up.
• We fish close to home when a long drive to a better location has better potential.

 I think you get the idea.

 If you are going through a fishing dry spell and landing a fish has become difficult, try going back to basics. Simple is better sometimes.

Black and White Photos for Fishing

I enjoy black and white photos. They are especially interesting for architecture, documentary photography and street photography. In color photos, the errant glare, flare and overexposed elements of photos are distracting at times. 

It's sometimes said that "serious photographers" shoot photos in black and white. Black and white format is often used for fine art photography. A short walk through the photography section of almost any museum will reveal monochrome and other photos sans colors. 

A quick Google search will reveal some fantastic black and white photos for every genre. I could spend all afternoon going down the black and white photography rabbit hole. Leica even makes a camera that only captures digital photos in black and white format.

But does black and white format work for fishing photos? 

I took a quick attempt at converting a compressed photo I posted to Facebook a few weeks ago and converted it to black and white using the rudimentary tool provided in Windows. A serious attempt at doing this would require using Photoshop, Lightroom, or other similar software with the full size, non-compressed photograph in Jpeg or RAW. Using the Raw format would probably work best.

Anyway, here's my "fun" photo for today.

I can't say that I'm in love with it, but for an occasional carp fishing photo here and there, I think it's a nice change of pace. Punching up the contrast helps sharpen the photo and makes it more interesting for me than a straight Windows filter.

Exact Science or Trial and Error

The Internet and various social media platform posts would have us believe that x + y = z, and that by using this bait and that hook, fish will be caught. If only it worked that way...

In another example from a recent 60 Minutes episode about the newest technologies, someone will eventually figure out how to use "deep fakes" to produce photographs of fish without actually catching any.

Fishing, in its true sense, relies on randomness and trial and error for the most part.

Baking a delicious cake relies on a recipe with various items like:

• Flour
• Eggs
• Baking Powder
• Oil
• Vanilla

Recipes are developed over time by adding ingredients in various quantities and then tasting (i.e. testing) the results.

• Does it need more or less of various combinations of these items? 
• Is it missing something vital? 
• Should it cook more? 
• Cook less? 
• Higher temperature? 
• Lower temperature?

Fishing works similarly.

You can search Google for tips regarding best fishing hooks, best fishing line, best baits, best places to fish, or even best moon phases; but then you put those ingredients together to form a fishing strategy. 

A strategy that hasn't been implemented remains a dream. 

The experience of fishing actually hones skills and knowledge to a level that improves fishing results to the point of changing strategies based on season, water temperature, location, etc.

You may have a goal to catch fish, but at some point leaving the keyboard and comfort of the living room couch to actually "go fishing" is a precursor to actually catching them.

Sometimes the fish just aren't biting our baits. It could be the bait, it's presentation, or a host of other things. No matter if we use all the right ingredients, the fish must be in front of our rods to catch them. So, perhaps more important than science, trial, error, luck, equipment or anything else - finding the fish location in a particular body of water is step one.

People brand new to fishing, or new to carp fishing, are often frustrated that more experienced fishermen sometimes resist sharing their secret "spots". This reminds me of the rivalries that sometimes occur between wives and mother-in-laws over the "secret family recipe" for their specialty dishes (noodles, spaghetti, meatballs, etc. in my own family). And between husbands and father-in-laws for barbecue rib spice rubs, smoking woods, or bbq sauces (not a problem for me because my father-in-law doesn't like to cook).

Lots of trial and error, blood, sweat and tears go into finding a productive fishing location and the "recipe", so there is hesitation to "give it up for free". The solution is to share information and collaborate on your efforts so that when something is given there is also something gained.

Pier Fishing for Carp

I have spent a big part of my carp fishing season fishing on public piers. Piers provide access to water that is often restricted to shore fishermen due to industrial, residential, sports (i.e.golf course), development, or by government ordinance.

Success from pier fishing requires some prior planning. Most notably, a good net capable of supportive a 30# carp or 20# catfish is key, especially if you plan to catch fish weighing more than a pound or two. There is zero chance of lifting a 15 # (or more) fish 8 feet from water to pier decking by lifting the rod like you might for small shad, perch or walleye.

It's also key to bring along a chair, supplies, and some type of padding to lay the fish on for unhooking (i.e. an unhooking mat). A wagon is helpful because once you are out on the pier it's inconvenient to keep going back to your vehicle. When you're walking to the vehicle, you're not catching fish.

Bringing a friend along is preferable. Netting carp alone from 8 feet above the waterline is a challenge. You can share the netting duties to save your arms and back.

Public piers are very popular attractions. Locals and tourists are attracted to piers like a magnet to metal. They love sightseeing and walking along the water, seeing a sunrise, viewing a sunset, and talking to pier fishermen to ask a variation of these popular questions:

• Catching anything?
• What's running?
• Do you keep them?
• Do you eat them?

And, believe it or not, boaters also like to buzz the piers from time to time. They may even run over your lines or cause a breakoff.

So, when you fish from a pier, be prepared for all the scenarios, pack your patience, and have fun.

Back at the Detroit River

To cap off a weekend of good weather and good Michigan carp fishing, we headed back to the Detroit River this morning in search of El Diablo, Godzilla, and King Kong...carp. 

The foot traffic was very light. The wind was minimal. The classic rock on the USB kept us entertained. The tunes brought back some memories from 30 years ago when KFMZ was THE station in Columbia, MO (now defunct I think). And, the carp bite was steady at times but (as is normal at the river) cut off at noon.

I got my first fish before dawn and the last around 11:30 or so, ending with a smattering of fiesty youngsters determined to avoid the net.  

Here are some pictures. I wish I could fish at night someplace like this because the photos turn out pretty well under the lights.

If you like catching carp, but haven't tried carp fishing on the Detroit River, what's holding you back?

The next carp you catch could be the fish of a lifetime.

Big Carp Fishing on Detroit River

Today I spent my last day of Friday 2021 vacation time carp fishing on the Detroit River. From here on it's Saturday or nothing fishing-wise (fingers crossed its not raining).

The potential for catching big carp in the river requires carp fishing equipment that's up for the job. I used my 12' rods, reels with 25 pounds of drag pressure, carp fishing hooks, and 50 pound braided fishing line.

Despite being prepared to catch big river fish right out of the gate, I had a couple of mix-up's to early in the morning where I didn't perform well resulting hook-pulls. (For anyone new to catching carp, a hook-pull is just like it sounds - pulling the hook from the fish's mouth.) I was trying to steer the carp in snaggy shallow water, which wasn't the best choice. From that rough starting point, we changed fishing strategy and began walking the fish downstream a little ways to deeper water. It worked. We had no more hook pulls.

My third fish wasn't a carp, but rather a good-eating-sized catfish we didn't photograph. The remaining fish from today are in the photos below.

The first carp we landed was a hard fighting fish with a deformation that is stunting his growth quite a bit. The fish looks much bigger than it weighed on my scales (22#'s), but it's convinced me to replace my 7 year old Rapala scale from K-Mart.

The second fish weighed 21#'s. The third fish isn't looking like a carp (to me). I think it's a  hybrid goldfish variety.  The head is more buffalo than carp to my eye, but goldfish hybrids are becoming pretty common locally.

Given the free time, and good weather, I am sure there are much bigger carp to be caught from the river. Low to mid-30#'s would not surprise me at all, but the vastness of the river makes it a daunting task if shore fishing.

The weather is beautiful this week. I hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy it.

Detroit River Common Carp

The Detroit River provides numerous fishing opportunities to catch a variety of fish ranging from small to large and everything in-between.

Walleye, perch, white bass and small-mouth bass sure do get alot of focus locally, but there are many other fish available to sports fishermen who like catch photo and release fishing. Sturgeon, gar, muskie and pike are available as well, but a highly under-fished variety is the ciprinius carpio aka "The Common Carp".

It's the largest, most accessible, reasonably easy to catch fish available in the river. 

A medium action rod about 8' long, a 4000 or 5000 series reel spooled up with 25 # mono or 50 # braid will make it easier.

If fishing from an elevated position like a pier or dock, a net with an 8' handle and 30" or larger hoop will help a bunch as you lift the typical 10 to 15 # carp out of the water. I use a flat-bottomed Ranger tournament muskie net, which works well.

Detroit River Carp Fishing

I had the day off and took the opportunity to catch a few carp near snags and current breaks on the Detroit River. 

The river continues to surprise me. I've fished it before a few times each year, but after concentrating on the river a lot in 2021, it has demonstrated its' worth as a carp fishery. 

There are other places where the carp might congregate that increases a chance at bigger fish, but the numbers are definitely available and we've had two at 26 #'s, a 24 # last year and a few others over 20 #'s this year so the chances of bigger fish are there too.

I ended the day with 6 carp landed. The largest was almost 20 pounds (19 lbs. and 11 oz.) and the next largest was almost 19 pounds (18 lbs. and 10 oz.). 

The value of the 50 pound braided fishing line I use demonstrated itself today. This particular location is a popular public park. There are lots of snags consisting of orphaned perch, walleye, crappie rigs, and others. The 50 pound braid allows you to muscle the carp rig through the trash and break the lighter monofilament line. 

In the slack current spots where the carp like to hang out (and I like to fish) the river deposits tree branches, sticks, tires, etc. Those obstacles can lead to frustration for carp anglers, so when river fishing it pays to have a mindset going into it that you will lose some tackle.

My first two casts ended up in snags and line break offs. The novice me would have been so angry that I sulked and complained the entire day ruining the fishing experience for everyone present. The more experienced me simply moved those two rods further down the shoreline to different locations and snags were no longer a big issue.

There are carp fishermen who avoid snags like the plague. There are others who actively seek them out. I'm someplace in-between at this point.

It's difficult to lose $5 per cast to break offs, but I will trade 6 fish for $10 every time out. However, I really need to be on the lookout for some weights that are more environmentally friendly for fishing near snags.

Chucking lead into the river and breaking off is not too good for the environment on a long term basis. I know "everyone does it", but I'll do my part to help if I find suitable substitutes.

Vacation Day Carp Fishing on Detroit River

I caught this one early on my vacation day. The carp in this spot are slow to bite and seem to give up early with little activity after 9:30 a.m.

Fall fishing can be very good at times, especially in lakes. When water temperatures fall back into the 50's at night, it seems to spur a return of better than average carp fishing prospects.

NBY-S18 Speaker for Fishing

I recently purchased the NBY-S18 speaker for $27 on Amazon and a couple of 16gb USB drives from Walmart for $5 each. 

This combination will provide hours of bankside music at reasonable prices. I have used the speaker for several hours at this point and the results are very good.

I have lots of CD's and now I can easily take them along while I fish.

My Continuing Struggle With Rude Boaters

The trials and tribulations of a carp fisherman (continued)

I headed out fishing this morning at O' Dark Thirty to one of my favorite fall fishing spots. The park supposedly opens at dawn, but after a few phone calls to the city offices, police department, and (after pressing zero), the Oakland County Dispatchers office who actually logged a non-emergency call to the local police station, frustration ensued. After wasting 2 hours, we gave up and headed to a second location 20 minutes away. 

We set up to fish and kept noticing boats rolling into the parking lot. If you guessed that I had another run in with a group of boaters, you're right. I confronted one who ran over my line and beached his boat about 20 feet from my rods. I let him know that either I have the worst luck with boaters or boaters in general are out to get me. He didn't apologize or anything, which seems to be typical of the boaters I've run across. 

On the way out of the park I ran into the DNR Officer. I explained what happened and she promised to make a visit to them and talk about it. I explained to her that I expect careless behavior from young, inexperienced boaters, but these guys were retired folks, experienced boaters, and driving antique boats. Bottom line, they should have known better.

Yours truly on a happier day of fishing

I would like to see more respect from boaters towards shore fishermen. Sometimes I get the feeling that boaters look down upon and consider shore fishermen "lesser" somehow. I can only base this view on how I have been treated by boaters. I am sure not all boaters fall into this category.

I am continually surprised and confused by the actions of boaters on lakes that I fish. My impression of the reasons someone decides to buy a boat in the first place have been turned on their head recently. I have always thought that a boat is purchased to fish out in the water, away from shore, but time-and-time again I see boaters actually beaching their boats on the shoreline rather than piloting them out in the actual body of water that they are designed to navigate. 

My suggestions and observations for boaters from a non-boater point of viewpoint:

• If you launch your boat, then enjoy your boat out on the lake away from shore. 
• I see little need to launch a boat and then immediately land it on the shore. 
• When you are out boating, be on the look out for people fishing along the shoreline.
• There is zero need or reason for you to land your boat along the shoreline within 20 feet of shoreline fishermen, yet I continue to see it done over and over, time and time again.

For boaters that continue doing these things, I can only assume that you really do have some type of vendetta against shoreline fishermen.

• Do boaters automatically assume they are superior because they are driving a boat?
• Do boaters see themselves at a higher social level, or as members of some "wealthy" group?
• Do boaters assume that shoreline fishermen are somehow in a an inferior social class or of lower financial means because they choose to fish from shore?

If that is the case, I'd be willing to compare my savings and checking accounts, 401K balance, HSA balance, mortgage account balance, automotive loan balances, and annual income with any boater that does feel this way. I am sure you might be surprised.

In a nutshell...please DO BETTER.

Best Carp Fishing Hooks

Looking for the best carp hooks? 

I highly recommend these G-Carp hooks from Gamakatzu. I have bent several hooks, but never one from Gamakatzu. 

I tied up 10 hair rigs recently and at one point there was blood on my desk. It was from these hooks. 

They're sharp and they're just plain good. I think they are the best on market, but I've also used Nash carp hooks successfully as well.

The best fishing hooks are not cheap. But then, you wouldn't trust heart surgery to the low cost provider would you? 

I know it's a stretch comparison, but for those of who fish regularly, losing a potential new personal best because a cheap, inferior hook bends during the fight might cause a few heart problems. 

Detroit Downriver Carp Fishing

This Labor Day has been very, very good to me. We didn't catch Diablo today at the Detroit River, but...after discussing that catching a triple is unlikely from this spot, guess what happened...yep, a triple - 3 on the mat. 

One of these photos in the collage is of the same fish twice (unless I actually caught 9), but after landing 8 carp and 5 of very similar size and shape, they begin to look a like. 

The largest fish today weighed 13#, but it was a fun day and weekend of carp fishing. 

Zebco Dock Demon for Carp Fishing

In this age of bigger being better in carp fishing where 12' and even 13' rods are the norm, I have been interested in doing some testing and videos using smaller equipment. Inspired by a recent video by Catfish and Carp on YouTube, I am going to try to catch a carp using a Zebco Dock Demon (or similar) from Walmart. 

I would love to see others try it too and share the experience here in the comments below. The only rule I will follow - the rod and reel combo must cost less than $15.

Stay tuned.

Detroit River Carping

The Detroit River offers some great fishing opportunities at many public fishing venues. Public parks and piers provide access to the river where you can catch species from catfish to carp and bass to walleye; from musky to sturgeon and everything in-between. My favorite little known catch so far - a River Carp Sucker.

I spent some time this morning fishing a spot on the Detroit River that has seldom produced carp for us. But whether you call it luck, skill, or persistence the results improved today. 

There are other spots nearby that have also produced some catches, but based on my personal experience you may fish one day and catch; and fish another day and not. 

I think river fish tend to travel more and move around more than fish in a lake might have a tendency to do. And wind direction definitely plays a big part in the odds of catching carp from the Detroit River. 

My largest carp in the photos below weighed more than 21 pounds. 

If you decide to try fishing the river, aim for a day when the wind is low and slow. We ended up leaving around 11:15 a.m. along with most everyone else. 

This is a quick, hit it, get it and go spot apparently because no one was catching anything after 9 a.m.

Mid Teens Carp

Small, but scrappy

21 pounds

If you are looking for a camera, look around for a used Fujifilm 12 megapixel pocket sized point and shoot. It's better than many phone cameras and it saves your phone battery. You can buy them under $100 if you shop around.