Affordable Carp Gear?

I had a case of the "I need to get out of the house blues" today, so I made a trip to the local big box store near my house to find out whether they had any affordable fishing gear suitable for carp fishing.

Rods

I found a whole bunch of options for fishing rods. They had about 10 different Ugly Stik models.

They had a 7' GX2 spinning rod for about $50. I'd prefer an 8' if it were available.

I tested the NGT Carpstalker rods a few weeks ago and the GX2's are more substantial rods.

Reels

I didn't find any baitrunner reels, or any reels that I would personally spend money on for carp fishing.

I was looking for some Quantum reels, which they do sometimes keep in stock. The Optix model is adequate for carp fishing in the 40 to 60 size. Amazon has them for $28 right now. If using a shorter rod, lean towards to "40" and if using a longer rod, consider the "60".

Or, if you have a Cabelas nearby, Okuma ABF-55 baitrunner reels will do well right off the shelf.

Fishing Line

I found some 20# PowerPro line, but I'd feel more comfortable with >= 30#. (I use 50# PowerPro.) 

They didn't have any, but Berkley Big Game monofilament is another option. I've caught carp with 20# Berkley monofilament in the past.

Hooks

The local big retailers stock Mustad hooks. A size 4 or 6 Mustad would be suitable.

If they have a suitable Gamakatzu hook, I'd lean in that direction a little more.

Leads

I'd still opt for some inline leads that are commonly used for carp fishing. Some 2 oz or 3 oz inline leads from CarpKit.com or BigCarpTackle.com would be my personal choice.

Conclusion:

It might be possible to find suitable gear for carp fishing locally, but buying from a retailer who specializes in carp gear would be preferable. 

An alternative "starter option" is to get the Ugly Stik Catfish Combo rod and reel if its available. This would allow new anglers to see if they enjoy carp fishing before investing heavily in equipment and gear. I do question though how many carp the reel will endure before the handle breaks. 

Ideally, reel handles should be metal because they take alot of stress when landing carp. I've broken 3 reel handles that are plastic, so I will stick to metal handles from now on.

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.

The Lone Carp

I caught this little guy this morning. Every year I notice that the carp bite slows down once the fireworks start. This year is no exception it appears. I had two others who sheared off on a submerged picnic table snag in this swim.

After reflection, some of the slow-bite could be impacted by the plethora of fish flies that are currently available in the river. When food is plentiful, I think fish prefer the natural / normal sources most of the time. 

Submerged Picnic Tables

I'm not sure when it became fashionable for ice fishermen to move the park picnic tables out onto the ice when the lake / river is frozen over but two different paces I fish that are about 50 miles apart in different counties have this issue. 

If you are an ice fisherman and you see someone doing this, consider suggesting they don't. If you are not comfortable speaking to them about it, report it to the parks and recreation department or DNR as appropriate. 

I'm guessing there are submerged picnic tables in other bodies of water as well.

It's really getting ridiculous at this point (and frustrating).

Black and White Fish Photos

 

Black and white photos put more emphasis on the fish, carp in my case, and less on the post-processing skills and apps to adjust the colors, exposure, sharpness, etc. to get perfect results in color photos.

Most fish photos result from the personal preferences of the person doing the processing. 

Some like deep rich colors, sharp edges, and higher contrast while others focus on filters to simplify the process deferring the results to the various algorithms used to let the software do the heavy lifting and "settle" for someone else's version of photography. This is known as "computational photography". It's built in on most Smartphone cameras and apps now.

Black and white format adds some simplicity back to fishing photos. It's not a contest to see who has the better phone app, mirrorless camera, or DSLR. 

It shouldn't take a week to process fishing photos and post them on the internet. I enjoy sharing my photos, but if I can't make the photo presentable in two minutes or less, I probably won't post it at all, or I'll convert it black and white.

Simple just works sometimes.

The trend among many photographers is to "push" or "under expose" photos to darken them. This technique suppresses details in the photo. 

I prefer the opposite in my photos. An appropriate exposure or even slight "under exposure" brings out more details in black and white photo formats.

Detroit River Carp Fishing

I've been writing this carp fishing blog for almost 8 years. It's never had a big following or large numbers of readers. But I am grateful to the small number of regular readers and casual carp fishing enthusiasts who do stop by from time to time.

I enjoy fishing. I live in Michigan and fish from shore, so carp are a natural choice. There aren't many freshwater fish in Michigan that grow larger with the exception of sturgeon and muskie/ pike.

Some may say that catfish belongs on the list too, but I place catfish in the 3rd tier by size along with common carp. Across the board, the carp I catch are bigger but I agree that catfish in certain locations grow pretty big and their weight can rival carp (or possibly even surpass carp).

Here are a few photos from today's efforts on the Detroit River. I caught 8 carp today including a 23 pounder.

I'm often asked about places to fish on the Detroit River. Luckily, carp are readily available throughout the river.

Find a place along the river that provides public access along the shoreline. Public parks are a great place to fish for carp in the Detroit River.

There is no need to cast out into the main river. The current is so strong that your bait would drift unless you use a very heavy lead (like 8 oz. and greater). 

Identify a current break. Cast your bait into water that is 5 to 10 feet deep, which is only a couple feet from shore in many locations. I literally fish 1' from shore in a few locations when pier fishing along the river.

You don't need alarms, pods, or anything unusual. If there's a railing, lean your rod against it and loosen the drag. 

Do bring a heavy duty net built strong enough to lift a 20 pound fish from the water and over a tall railing. A traditional carp net isn't designed for this, so consider this before heading out. If you're fishing along the shore where there is no railing a light duty Euro-carp-style net is fine.

Start Fly-fishing for < $100

Many people consider fly-fishing but get discouraged while shopping for equipment. My local outfitter showed me an "entry level" rod priced at nearly $300 a couple years ago. 

But the video below demonstrates that fly fishing doesn't always need to be cost prohibitive. 

My local Walmart doesn't have fly fishing equipment, but these items could be ordered online easily.

For carp fly-fishing, I've been told that an 8 wt rod is recommended. Carp require something stronger than the trout in the video. 

I've been meaning to do a similar exercise with affordable spinning rods for carp fishing using readily available Walmart, Dick's or Cabelas rods for carp. 

Michigan Out of Doors Carp Fishing

Michigan Out of Doors with some video footage from the Reel Fish Reel Fun kids carp fishing event in Ann Arbor at Gallup Park.

It was my 3rd time assisting with the event and my spot on the river produced a lot of fish (and zero catfish).

A big percentage of the fish footage in the video are from my location.

Pack Bait and Ground Bait

Common carp swimming away after landing and safe return to the water

Before I started carp fishing I had no idea what the term ground bait or pack bait meant and why it’s important.

Ground bait can be made from various types of organic materials including bird seed, bread, Panko, oatmeal, corn, corn meal, cream corn, grits, hemp seed, molasses, Jell-O, and vanilla (and on and on). There are also many versions and varieties of pre-made commercial ground bait mixes that can be purchased and mixed with water for convenience.

A common mixture (and one I use) includes oatmeal, cream corn, and some type of flavoring (some use vanilla). For flavoring I’ve used R & W Carp Juice available online and in stores and Booster from World Classic Baits, which I purchase online.

Instead of oatmeal, bread crumbs are also popular choices. I switched to bread crumbs last year.

I add a cap full of flavoring/scent mix into a can of cream corn and stir it up well. Then I add two cups of dry oatmeal or bread crumbs to a large plastic container and add the can of cream corn.

I mix the oatmeal and corn very well and then add more oatmeal to dry it out a little. 

This took some trial and error to learn correctly. If it’s too wet, it won’t cast well; and if it’s too dry, it won’t pack correctly and stay on your method lead, method spring, or other type of cage you may be using to deliver the bait to your favorite carp fishing spot. 

Not knowing how to fish with ground bait, I went online and watched videos that discussed it, demonstrated it, and theorized about doing it correctly. I asked questions on fishing forums, read online magazines and talked to so guys I know who have been avid carp fishermen for several years. 

The main strategy goes like this…you attract carp into the area with the scent and flavoring and that gives you a chance to entice the carp to consume the bait and get hooked by consuming the hookbait.

I have learned that this style of fishing takes patience. It can take a while for carp to arrive into the area you are fishing. I wait 60 minutes and then repeat the process again. 

Caution is warranted using this strategy because if you over feed the area, the carp may be content to eat your ground bait and avoid your bait and hook. 

Likewise when using too little ground bait it can take a long time to attract carp into the area. 

Pack bait is just ground bait molded around a lead before casting.

It does require some trial and error experimentation to develop a method that works for the particular fishing spot and personal tastes for how you want to approach the task.

I've made an improvement in my pack bait strategy over the years that I think is effective. I add boiled field corn to my mix. A couple of handfuls worth is sufficient. Maybe it's because I don't prebait in advance, but I seem to get more bites with the field corn added.

NGT Carpstalker Rods and Okuma Carbonite Reels

I fished 8 hours on Ann Arbor's section of the Huron River on Saturday using the NGT Carp Stalker rods and Okuma Carbonite baitrunner reels helping kids ranging from 4 to 15 years old catch carp. 

Some kids caught their first fish ever and for others it was the biggest fish of their lives so far. Some caught small carp in the single digits range and a 7-year old young lady landed the biggest of the day - a mid-teens carp.

I haven't priced them specifically for purchase but after a couple of Google searches it appears you can get the NGT Carpstalker and Okuma Carbonite combo brand new for $60-$65 not including shipping costs. 

The 8' rod's 2.0 test curve is fine casting 3 oz. leads and small amounts of packbait up to 40 yds. The reels were spooled with 30# braid and were able to do the job okay-ish. The reels are rated at 12#s of drag pressure I believe, which might be enough in clear, weedless, and snagless lakes and small rivers/creeks. The reels show their weaknesses quickly with heavy weed and/snags such as submerged tree branches. I had to apply manual drag with my hand to help compensate while fighting several fish today. 

I am accustomed to fishing with a light drag, but the Carbonite reels need to be tightened down much more. I noticed they tended to back-off a little after a couple minutes when fighting some of the most aggressive carp.

The Carpstalker and Carbonite combo is a perfect option for small children to use for occasional carp fishing activities in my opinion, but more experienced carp anglers may be looking for better equipment in short order. They are still a nice, budget conscience option for carp anglers, at any experience level, for lake and small river fishing.

Here's another photo showing the Carpstalker/ Carbonite combo in action.

Tiger Nuts for Carp Fishing

I used the Reel Carp Reel Fun event at Gallup Park to test some prepared tiger nuts as carp bait. 

I've always been a skeptic concerning tiger nuts. I used them a few times early in my carp fishing pursuit, didn't catch, and set them aside.

On Saturday, my first, second and third carp fell to tiger nuts. Surprise!

My original goal for the event was to fish strictly with tiger nuts and nothing else - no corn, no boilies.

Needing the bites to come faster, I switched to corn but my confidence in tiger nuts is improved from the experience.

The fish seemed to respond better to corn on my hair rigs, but it wasn't really an ideal test because I didn't have tiger nuts included in my packbait. That would be a better test, but an even better test would be to fish two rods - one with corn and one with tiger nuts and include tiger nuts and corn in equal amounts within the packbait. 

Doing that for 3 days straight would be a more ideal test and better indicator. But extending the test for a week would be even better.

Kids Carp Fishing at Gallup Park in Ann Arbor

A few more photos from the kids carp fishing event at Ann Arbor's Gallup Park today. My area of the Huron River yielded 13 or 14 carp. 

The bites were so frequent early on that I didn't get pictures of all the fish kids reeled in on my rods and bait. 

It was my third time helping out and my first time being interviewed for a television program. Whether it actually makes it into the final cut remains to be seen, but it was neat seeing the efforts to capture event footage via drones, GoPros and a 47 megapixel LUMIX digital camera and Leica lens combo that was probably pushing $6,000+. My cell phone camera is now jealous - big time. 

If any of my footage is used it will be on Michigan Out of Doors this Thursday on local PBS programming.

This annual event is held near the Rotary playground area in the back of the park.

More Detroit River Carp

The day started off a little chilly at the Detroit River with the temperature at 47 degrees. I grabbed the pants from my rain gear and pulled them on over my shorts to warm up a little. 

After setting up at 5:45 a.m. we had to wait for the first bite at 9:30ish, but it was worth the wait with my largest fish of the year hitting the net.

I got a second very respectable fish a few runs later and ended with 6 fish total. 

If the temps had been 20 degrees warmer I'm pretty sure we'd have landed 3 or 4 more fish today.

Detroit River Carp Fishing

Memorial Day carp fishing results:

I caught 10 or 11 carp (I lost count). It was pandemonium at one point with a triple. One, two, three. 

The third fish had been on for awhile because when I picked it up, finally, the line was all over the swim. 

He'd been swimming around wrapping all the other lines he could find. :-) 

He wrapped up about 5 different silver bass fishermen with the wire rigs. It was a mess. 

I was hand lining the fish in successfully when it got off. The fish was hooked too long. 

The good news was that it was the biggest fish of the session. I'd have loved to get a weight on it. It definitely looked 20+. 

Here's some photos (not all).

Carp Fishing the Huron River in Michigan

These pictures are dedicated to the carp fishing enthusiasts getting up off the couch into the great outdoors this weekend to cast a line (or 3) and attempting to catch a few fish. 

You can't catch fish from the couch and you sometimes fish all day without success but the side-effects aren't that bad. 

Fresh air. Views of nature. Exercise. Quiet contemplation. Calm. Time away from the daily hustle.

I hope you enjoy it every chance you get.