First Fish Caught in 2015 (and 4 more)

Yesterday was the first very nice day we've had in 2015 on a weekend and I waited all week to get out and enjoy it. I was hoping the warmer weather would help with the chances of landing my first carp in 2015. With water temperatures hovering near 48 degrees, my hopes were high.

I landed the first fish shortly after 8 a.m. and another after 9 a.m.

The third was landed in the early afternoon and then two more between 4:30 and 5:00. It was a nice day on the bank and the sunshine certainly helped a lot.

Started the day with this little guy

Landed this 20 pounder about an hour later

Waited several hours for the third fish

This one sounded the middle alarms about 4:30

This one made the left rod scream just before 5 p.m.

It was a wet swim, but pretty productive after all. The muck boots were a must have for this spot.

It was must first time using butternut flavoring and it did not disappoint. Overall the flavor was very productive with bites throughout the day, 6 fish hooked and 5 landed.

World Classic Baits Order Arrived Today

My order arrived today via USPS. Some don't use dip, but I am a believer in it. Even if it only improves catch rates by 10%, I think it's worth it. If you catch 100 fish; 10 percent is an extra 10 fish. Using that analogy, my 140 fish last year would have been 126 fish without using the dips. That may or may not be true, but I'm not willing to take the risk!

World Classic Baits Order

I have been holding off on placing an order for carp bait supplies while checking out different options. I could not resist any longer and placed an order with World Classic Baits for supplies for upcoming sessions.

I have been using pineapple and 4 season flavors successfully for a couple of years. This year I am going to add peach to the mix and try the new 3D selects as well.

I'll report back on how it turns out after a few sessions.

A Favorite Picture from Last Fall

I put a 16 pound brisket on the smoker this morning a little after 6 a.m. I had hoped to do some fishing today, but changed plans to make some of my favorite barbecue based on a lack of readily accessible open water. With the warmer temperatures last week and this one; next weekend is looking pretty good to do some carp fishing. I plan to scout some areas tomorrow. For anyone who wants to fish with me next weekend, drop me a line and let me know and we'll see what we can work out.

While we're waiting for next weekend, here's a picture of a nice fish I caught last fall near Lake Erie.

This one was very close to 20 pounds

 

Firing up my faithful insulated upright water smoker
for a brisket cook today

WKORN and the Carp Hound Videos

Ruler of the Ramp 2015




Inaugural voyage of the Carp Shark 2015.



Cool dad and the 31 pound grass carp

How to Tie Carp Rigs

 

The video from Fox might give you some ideas for tying up some carp rigs while we wait for the ice to melt.

Looking for New Carp Fishing Rods?

Hurricanes from ResistanceTackle.com
 

If you are thinking about purchasing new carp rods, but don't want to break into your savings account to do it check out the prices Resistance Tackle has this weekend on their Willow, Hurricane and Lightning carp rods.

The Willow is on sale for $78.75

The Hurricane is on sale for $83.99

The Lightening is on sale for $65.99

I have owned 4 of the Hurricane 3.0 test curve since late spring 2014 and have fished them steadily. I really like them.

From the Resistance website:

They are slim, light, responsive and have Fuji fittings throughout. They are an absolute pleasure to play fish on and that’s a fact! Their unique power progressive curve loads seamlessly along the rod length when casting and delivers a crisp tip recovery. This adds yards onto the casting abilities of the average angler.

I agree that purchasing these rods helped with my casting immediately. I was using entry level rods in 2.5 and 2.75 test curve. The 3.0's gave me more confidence and improved my casting from the first time I used them. I typically fish with 2 oz. leads with pack and estimate that I can consistently cast 75 to 100 yards. I don't have the technique needed to cast much farther than that, but for the venues I fish I don't really need to anyway.

If I were buying new rods today, I'd buy the Hurricanes again.

Carp Fishing Weather

It's beginning to look like carp fishing weather, finally. Yee haw!

Forecast from Weather.com

It might be one more week before I can get out to find some access to open water, but it's definitely getting closer.

Nash Zip Sack for Keeping Carp



I placed an order for some supplies from Big Carp Tackle tonight. I got some saucer back leads for a couple of venues I like to fish that have some boat traffic from time-to-time, some hangers for my alarms, and a keep sack for those times when I manage to catch a big fish and need to hold it temporarily until I can find someone to take a photo of it.

I decided to get the keep sack in case I manage to catch a 30# someday when I'm fishing alone.

Photo courtesy of Nash Tackle
 http://www.nashtackle.co.uk

2016 Austin Team Championship for Carp

http://www.austincarpangler.com

The 2015 Austin Team Championship concluded yesterday, so now is the perfect time to beginning planning to attend next year's event. Linda and I flew to Dallas a couple of weeks ago and the round trip tickets cost $900 for the two of us. I think driving would be more affordable, but I'm sure it's at least 4 days round trip to drive vs. 1 day for a flight. Maybe the best strategy is for a couple of teams (4 people) to car pool there and share transportation expenses.

I've not attempted to mail fishing equipment for a tournament before, but I am guessing it's not cheap. I'm guessing $75 to get it to Texas and $75 to get it back to Michigan. I'm not sure what insurance for the shipping costs either, but if it's another $25 then just getting the equipment there adds $200 to the plane tickets and we haven't added lodging expenses yet. I am guessing hotel costs would add another $600 or so to the total tally. We're now approaching $2,000 a trip to the 2016 ATC from my house in Michigan.

I priced out the same trip renting a car and driving instead and my guesstimate is $1,000. Now that' getting a lot better.

If anyone reading this has made the trip to the ATC and cares to share the costs involved (I'm sure I've left some out), please do share your thoughts.

Relating Carp Fishing to Scientific Complexity Theory

I have been reading the novel Shantaram since early 2014. It's an interesting novel based on an Australian's travels and experiences in India. In a recent chapter the author went to great lengths to equate lives becoming more complex to good and suspension of complexity to evil. I barely understand the philosophy behind it, but a few Google searches later and the fog is beginning to clear.

This theory equates to carp fishing, just hang in there with me a while longer.

Science has proven that as cells evolve they absorb more energy to sustain life. Wall Street has proven that in order for corporate stock values to continue increasing over a number of years, companies have to continue to grow; and growing often means merging with other companies, adding innovative new products, etc., which adds complexity to operations. Having children adds complexity to a household. Entertaining visitors for a few days in your home adds unforeseen complications in day-to-day household activities including meal planning and entertainment.

When I started carp fishing, I used one fishing pole, one net, and one basic bait. Then I added other rods, reels, nets, equipment, and other nice-to-have, but not absolutely necessary equipment like bank sticks, alarms, etc. Adding all this extra complexity to carp fishing, adds cost to the hobby.

In my quest to find the perfect rod, reel, bait, etc. I have spent significant amounts of money on items that I rarely if ever need; and rarely if ever actually use while fishing.

I have 8 rods, 6 reels, 3 nets, 7 alarms...you get the idea. I have spent about $2,000 on carp fishing supplies, equipment and trips in two years.

A popular bait company I purchase items from periodically used to have only a handful of products, but they continue to add new items annually. Their product line of ground baits, flavored corn, additives, dips, boilies, etc. has expanded significantly in the last 2 seasons and numbers more than 100 individual items at this point.

Another carp fishing equipment provider I shop with occasionally has 15 or 16 kinds of nets, 20 kinds of alarms, 5 kinds of bank sticks, and on and on...

All these newly developed choices each year might help us all catch more carp, but do we really know for sure? Or are these new products and choices just confusing us and enticing us to spend more money on a relatively simple endeavor - catching carp?

This is an oversimplification to be sure, but there are guys and gals across the country catching plenty of carp on a consistent basis using basic rods, reels, and cheap corn from Wal-Mart for way less than the $2,000 I have spent. They don't use $300 rods, $200 reels, remote alarms, $150 nets, $100 carp cradles, etc.; but they still hook and land carp.

Purchasing the latest-and-greatest is the American way of doing things and it's the epitome of capitalism, but other than stimulating the economy and pocket books of various bait companies and equipment retailers; what does it really accomplish?

• Make us feel more confident when we fish?
• If I outspend my bank mate, am I guaranteed to catch more carp? 
• Make us look better on the bank when our friends see all the new stuff we bought?
• Impress new comers to the sport?
• Or does it overcomplicate the issue at hand?

Here's an example of what I'm referring to:

A popular carp equipment retailer in the U.S. is currently selling a carp rod for more than $700. That is ten times the cost of an entry level carp rod from another popular carp tackle retailer.

• Is the premium rod going to catch 10 times the number of carp? I am confident the answer is no. (
• Are there people who will buy that rod to have the latest and greatest rod on the market? I am sure there are a few that will.
• Can you imagine the mark up on that premium rod compared to the entry level rod? I think I can.

Buying the entry level rods leaves plenty of money to buy everything else you need to go carp fishing. The counter argument is that if you spend $2,100 on three rods they might be the last carp rods you ever purchase. But I might be able to fish the rest of my life with entry level carp rods and never spend $2,100 on them. I can probably buy new rods every 2 years and still keep it under the $2,100.

Complexity theory might make sense for science, stock investing, brain surgery and the like; but the theory doesn't hold water for me with regards to carp fishing. I am going to keep it simple and keep it affordable.

As I plan purchases for the upcoming fishing season, shunning complexity theory will probably save me $100's of dollars this year and several $1,000's in future years.

Michigan Master Angler Award Program

The Michigan DNR has a neat program to spark interest in fishing throughout the state called the "Master Angler Program". Here is some specific information from the website:

2015 marks the 42nd 'birthday' of Michigan's highly successful Master Angler Program. Launched in 1973 to better recognize anglers who catch unusually large fish, the Master Angler Program began with just 19 species of fish eligible to win distinctive Master Angler shoulder patches. In 1992, the catch and release category was established. Today, more than a quarter-century later, the Program has expanded to include 50 various species for which anglers may compete for honors. The list of catches eligible for recognition ranges from such seldom-caught species as the northern hogsucker to the commonly sought yellow perch and walleye. At the end of each calendar year, recognition certificates are awarded to anglers entering the top five fish in each category

One of my goals for 2015 is to catch a 30 pound carp and submit it for consideration in the "Michigan Master Angler Program". Judging from some of the past award winners, a 30 pounder with 35 - 36 inches of length would probably qualify for an award.

Here is a link to the 2015 application: Master Angler Program

The waiting game

Making Better Photos of Your Big Carp

I took a lot of grief for this picture. Linda caught the fish, but she isn't comfortable posing them for the camera. I held the fish so she could get a picture of her 24 pound personal best catch, but I didn't do the fish justice.

Opportunity

 

 

A few people on one of the fishing forums actually questioned whether we were fudging on the weight a little bit. Of course not, but after studying the picture a little bit I do understand why someone might wonder.

 

I had my fingers too far forward and they distracted from the size of the fish. Some find the background a little distracting as well. A nice background draws the eyes to the fish and not the peripheral items in the picture like the van and pick-up truck. The lighting is also a little off. A quarter turn toward the sunlight would have put more light on the front 1/3 of the fish which is where most of the mass and size comes from. It's not something I paid much attention to until that day. Most of the time catching the fish was satisfaction enough, but I need to improve.

 

For the remaining part of the fishing season I tried to pay more attention to a proper pose and I did get better at it.

 

Better

The fish in the second picture is much smaller, but my fingers are farther back and it allows the eyes to focus more on the fish and not my fat fingers. One thing though about this picture that would have improved it much more - some water to rinse off the fish and to clean up the blood around the lips.

The background is better than in the top picture, but there is still room for improvement.

I started keeping a small amount of water near the unhooking mat. It helps clean up the fish and aids recovery time for the fish too. It's very important on hot summer days as well to wet the mat a little before laying a fish down on it.



Almost there

Although not perfect yet, this picture is better in my opinion. The background and lighting are much better; and I am almost happy with the position of my hands and fingers. But I still need to work on how to position my hand near the rear of the fish.

My biggest fish in 2 seasons of fishing for carp weighed 26 pounds, but I'm hopeful to hook a 30 pounder this season. When I do I hope I don't ruin the picture by an improper pose that fails to do the fish justice when photographed. A proper fish deserves a proper photo to memorialize the moment.

I am not saying my way is the only way and it's definitely not the best way, but hopefully it will help you consider ways to improve your own fishing photos this season.

Fishing Hat Recommendation

Since I am follicle-challenged aka "bald" with little hair, it's important that I wear a hat while fishing. I have been wearing a Barmah Canvas Drover hat since 2007 and 2015 might be the year to replace it with a new one. The hat has held up well. I will likely purchase the exact same hat again (the one in the Amazon link below).

 

 

I wear sunscreen and try to hang out in the shade while fishing if possible. Spending all day outside with no protection is a bad idea. Sunburn is not a good thing. And it's not good for your long term health.

 

 

This hat has brought me a lot of fishing luck too. I was wearing it when I
caught this carp - my first in 2013.



How to Generate Money from Carp Fishing

12 pounder caught in the fall

I went to high school near the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Bass fishing is very popular in that area. I recall sitting in history class one day and the teacher asked each student to explain their plans after high school. Most responded with college plans, some responded with plans to work in local businesses and one responded with, "I'm going to go on the professional bass fishing tour."

Intrigued by that response I later learned that his father had been a guide on the lake for 25 years and earned his living mainly by hunting, fishing and teaching others to do it too. A few months after graduation, that same student was in the local newspaper for winning an event on the Redman fishing series.

We can't all be professional fishermen and we certainly all can't count on earning enough money consistently from carp fishing competitions here in the U.S. to earn a realistic and consistent living from doing it. But I think there are options for supplementing our incomes and earning some part time money following our carp fishing passion.

It's a long shot to gain full-time or even part-time employment with a tackle or bait company; and even more remote that one of them would contact you at random and offer to sponsor your carp fishing efforts. I guess it can happen, but the odds of it happening are very long (maybe even 1 in a million).

Starting a bait company or tackle company catering to carp fishing is another possibility, but that requires a fairly high up front investment and ongoing working capital to sustain it for the long term.

That leaves eBay, Craigslist, garage sales, flea markets and trade shows buying and selling used fishing equipment. I have a very good friend and fishing partner who has taken this approach and does earn money doing it. Being successful requires some special knowledge about the more valuable antique tackle to make it lucrative. That is simply knowledge that most people don't possess and don't have time to learn.

That leaves us with creating our own website...

Besides this carp fishing blog I have others and some of them are monetized with advertising and affiliate links to Amazon. In my opinion, it's more realistic to earn some money from carp fishing efforts with a website. Here are some ideas for potential methods:

1. Affiliate programs like Click Bank
2. Adsense ads and other ads and banner programs
3. Building a list
4. Amazon.com products
5. Relevant fishing advertisers
6. Create your own fishing product
7. Teach fishing lessons
8. YouTube.com
9. Write a book about carp fishing
10. Do all of the above

I have been earning money from simple websites since 2001 using a mix of the items on the list above. If that sounds like something you would like to learn more about, let me know and I'll be happy to help if I can. Or you can read some of the free step-by-step training materials from this affiliate training website.

Potential Carp Fishing Headquarters

I love Class A RV's. I have been day dreaming about owning one for more than 15 years. New ones are way out of my price range and many of the used ones have seen better days. Lately, I have noticed a trend in the used diesel RV's - pricing on nice used units have decreased the past couple of years and are quite reasonable these days (in my opinion).

 

 

This very nicely maintained 1999 Allegro Bus 34 ft. diesel pusher with 300 hp Cummins would make a very nice traveling headquarters for an avid carp fisherman. The wood floors are perfect for a fisherman's RV because they are super easy to clean compared to carpet.

 

I am not ready to pull the trigger on this particular RV, but I would really love to purchase one like this one at some point in the future. As of 2/8/15 the Allegro Bus is still available for sale for $29,995. It is located in Greenville SC.

Here's another excellent motor coach listed on eBay. This one was relisted on 2/8/15. It will likely sell for somewhere in the mid-$40's range.

Wounded Warrior Project

Last year I pledged the proceeds from the Amazon.com affiliate links on this page to the Lupus Foundation. For 2015 I am pledging the Amazon.com proceeds from this page to the Wounded Warrior Project.

The Wounded Warrior Project has a tri-fold mission:

To raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members.

To help injured service members aid and assist each other.

To provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.

I hope I can generate some funds for this great non-profit service provider. The work they do is helpful to so many soldiers in need.

To donate to the Wounded Warrior Project directly, click here

Pier Fishing Michigan Website

I found a tool today that helps anglers find pier and shoreline access sites. Here's a video regarding an access site in Monroe. I'll definitely be checking this out. It's been my experience that where there are catfish, there are often carp as well.

The site in the video is a "no fee site" with plenty of parking, restrooms, paved walkways with shore and pier fishing access.

 

I can't believe it's taken me two years to find this site. It definitely looks promising.

 

Anyone else use this site/tool to find shore access fishing spots in Michigan?

Carp Juice Flavors

My order of R & W Carp Juice arrived today. Here's a few pictures of the flavors I'll be using and testing in 2015:

19 bottles of assorted carp attractants

Pineapple Extreme

Peach Plus

Banana Nut Extreme

I have traditionally used pineapple as my primary "go to" flavor for a couple of years. This season I decided to try some others. If you don't try something different from time to time, you might not realize what you're missing out on...right?

Prepping Hair Rigs Today

I spent the day prepping some rigs and equipment. Here are a couple of rigs I tied:

Size 6 hooks

These are the typical hooks I have been using for carp fishing - size 6 from Resistance Tackle. The hook length on these is exactly 5 inches with the hair a little less than an inch.

Scouting Fishing Spots Near Monroe

I developed a small case of "cabin fever" this afternoon and decided to get out and scout some potential fishing spots.

I found this one in downtown Monroe:

Veteran's Park

I had high hopes for finding an access point to the River Raisin from the shoreline, but not being familiar with the area I did not achieve that goal today.

There is a campground directly on the river off of Front Street, but it was closed today so we couldn't get close enough to tell whether it would fit the bill or not.

There is also a pier near the Edison Plant but it is closed from November through March apparently.

Misconceptions About Carp



A beautiful common caught on Memorial Day in 2014

Most people in the U.S. think of carp as a nuisance or even an invasive species, but in other countries throughout Europe and many other areas of the world; carp are THE fish to go fishing for. Known widely to anglers in Europe, they were brought here purposefully in the mid-1800’s following a rise in European immigration to North America.

They might be a nuisance if you want to catch a mess of catfish for a summer fish fry, but I personally wouldn’t call them invasive.

• A starling in most of the U.S.? Yes.
• A Burmese Python in South Florida? Definitely.
• A bighead or Asian carp in Illinois? Absolutely. 

I am specifically referring to common carp or German carp aka Cyprinus carpio; not to be confused with bighead carp aka Fypophthalmichthys nobilis or Aristichthys nobilis; and silver carp (the jumping variety) aka Hypophthalmichthys molitrix. The bighead and silver carp were not purposefully introduced to the main American waterways, but are believed to have “escaped” from southern catfish farms following a flood in the 1970’s.

Short Session vs. Long Session

Big Carp News has an interesting article about the pro's and con's of long vs. short fishing sessions. Most of the time I can only allocate a certain number of hours to fish on any given weekend. I try to arrive early before sunrise and start fishing. Then I try to stay for as long as I can; usually around 4 p.m.

In Southeast Michigan I am not aware of more than one place that allows overnight camping. I know of another place that does allow overnight fishing, but it has the potential to be a little "sketchy" late at night. It's in a somewhat industrial area. Still, I might try it sometime if I can find a couple of other guys who want to fish an all day and overnight session at that venue.

I am sure longer sessions are better than short sessions and I have seen fishing be slow all day long and then pick up unexpectedly in late afternoon. Leaving even 30 minutes earlier can sometimes mean the difference from catching a couple of fish vs. catching 5 or 6 fish.

Southeast Michigan Carp Fishing League

I'm going to move this post up a little higher in the list of articles. It's a new year and this activity provides something to look forward to when the weather turns later this spring.

Inspired by the recent video posted by John Finney at Carp Quest on YouTube, I am currently brainstorming some ideas for a little friendly competition among friends next year.

 

I would like to drum up some interest in a Honor System Carp League in 2015.

  

It would work something like this:

• Sign up to participate in the league.
• No cost to sign up.
• The participants would establish a list of venues by popular vote.
• The frequency could be once a month or twice a month; again established by popular vote.
• League participants would fish specific venues on specific weekends.
• Fish could be caught on either Saturday or Sunday of the specific weekend.
• Fishing could occur anytime after midnight on Friday and before 8 p.m. on Sunday.
• We would make a post on the CAG Facebook page for Southeast Michigan Carp League Results on Sunday evening and then post our single big fish picture and weight in a comment under that post.
• The pictures would have to be posted by 8 p.m. on Sunday night of that weekend.
• No posts would be accepted with a timestamp after 8 p.m. Sunday.
• The closing post on that weeks main post would be the tally of the final results.
• I'd keep a running total of the results on this page as well, so it would be easier to read without scrolling through a bunch of Facebook posts.
• The league could run for a specific number of weeks: 4, 6 or 8 as a example and then crown a champion.
• There are a couple of ideas for scoring (revised today based on a suggestion in the comments below): 1) best 3 carp caught, 2) 10 pts. for biggest carp each weekend, 3) 1 pt. for every pound of carp netted, photographed and posted during the weekend time frame.

I'd be open to other ideas for improvements on the above guidelines and feedback on whether anyone might be interested in participating with me.

 

If having a league with running totals is too much of a commitment, we could just do one off weekends and have individual weekly winners. Or we could do some other variation of the above that I haven't thought of yet.

 

Here's a list of possible venues I am thinking of that have plenty of access as an example:

• Ford Lake
• Belleville Lake
• Mill Pond Park in Saline
• Huron River in Flat Rock
• Sterling State Park

Again, I am open to other locations. The qualifier is that they would need to have plenty of shoreline access so we'd be assured of fishing access no matter when we went to fish. This would also be an attempt to level the field and make it fair for all as much as possible so you can still catch fish if the "honey hole" area isn't available.

Another alternative is to make all the locations eligible every single weekend. That way if one location is not available, you could move to another one. That would also allow for fishing more than one venue during the weekend as long as only 3 fish are scored.

Here is a summary of my initial thoughts on how the score keeping would work:

Motivational Quote

Believe where others doubt. Work where others refuse. Save where others waste. Stay where others quit. And you will win where others lose.

Author Unknown

Fishing Poetry

I found this poem today while looking through a file cabinet in search of another file I misplaced. This was written in 1990 during my senior year of college for my Contemporary Poetry class.

Me and My Fishing Pole

 

Back to nature at Little Dixie,

It's just me and my fishing pole.

Nothing disturbs me here. There are

No cars to honk their horns. There are

No ringing phones or doorbells.

 

All that remains in my earshot is

the fait whispering of water rushing to the shore.

I hear the splash of geese skimming across the water.

I hear the nesting bluebirds feeding young ones in a tree.

I see the squirrels, and rabbits, and fish swimming near and far.

 

I long for days like these with nothing much to do.

No papers or homework, no bills or yelling roommates.

I wish I had more time, away from life's subtle pressures.

I'd spend time alone enjoying the simply soothing times

escaping hustle and bustle if it's only for a day.

 

Brian Pearcy

March 20, 1990

1st Draft

Poem #8

TUF Line XP Braid for Carp Fishing

TUF Line XP

 

I have been in the market for some braided fishing line and purchased some tonight on Amazon. I have been using Power Pro for about 18 months. After a brief flirtation with Big Game monofilament, and disappointing results, I am returning to braided line.

The picture shows the Tuf Line XP 1200 Yard Braided Fishing Line in yellow, but I prefer the olive green variety. I got 1,200 yards for $104 and free shipping. Locally I have been buying Power Pro for about $28 per 300 yards, so 1,200 yards would be $120; plus I have to drive to the store and pick it up.

Carp Juice

Now is the perfect time to accumulate supplies that have to be ordered and shipped vs. picked up locally.

Here is an order I am preparing for some R & W Carp Juice:

Any body got any other suggestions for flavors to try I might have missed?

Linda was just looking over my shoulder and suggested more Grape Ape. She used it last year a few times and caught well with it. Now it's her favorite flavor. I guess I need to update my order before I press "submit"

More Pictures from the Auto Show

If you are looking for some new transportation to your favorite carp fishing spot, some of the pictures in the video below may help you choose your new ride.

My personal favorite is the Raptor 4 x 4.

Downtown Detroit River and Auto Show

We were in downtown Detroit today for the auto show and checked out the river. It's still ice covered so it looks like any ideas for fishing the Detroit River anytime soon will need to be placed on hold unless it's near a warm water discharge.

Detroit River and a view of Windsor Ontario Canada from COBO in downtown

 I am posting a few auto show pictures below. They aren't pictures of new personal best common carp, mirrors, koi or wild goldfish but I hope you still like them.

BMW i8



BMW i8 rear deck

BMW i8 front view

BMW i8 right front

BMW 650i convertible side profile

BMW 650i convertible right front

BMW 650i convertible rear quarter

BMW 650i convertible left front

Dodge Viper

Jeep Renegade

Ford GT

Ford Mustang profile

Ford Mustang front grille

Buick Avenir right front profile



Buick Avenir right rear profile

It was a nice day at the auto show, but I can't wait to get back to carp fishing this spring. It's time for those temperatures to start warming up.

Michigan Carp Fishing Pictures

It's warmer today, but with snow on the ground and ice over the lakes I can't fish. So I did the next best thing and looked at fishing pictures. Here's a compilation of some from 2014.

 

 

 

I have a Sony video camera that I plan to put into use for 2015. Hopefully we can capture some good footage of some runs, fights and landings. Hopefully we'll get video of a new personal best along the way.

Carp Fishing Tactics Observations

When I first started fishing for carp in early summer 2013 I used 3 pieces of corn on a hair rig and a mixture of oatmeal, cream corn and pineapple flavoring for my pack bait molded around an inline lead. I tended to recast with another round of pack bait about every 45 minutes. My catch rate was sporadic and inconsistent.

In 2014 I switched to panko bread crumbs instead of oatmeal, but stuck with the cream corn and pineapple flavoring. In the beginning of the year I experimented with waiting for longer periods of time between recasting with new pack bait. I extended the time to 90 minutes and even 120 minutes in some cases. Sometimes I would catch carp within 10 or 15 minutes of casting and other times it would be closer to 90 minutes before hooking up.



22 pounder caught in October

Toward the end of the 2014 I started noticing the hook ups were coming sooner and sooner. In fact most of the time, if I caught carp it was within the first 20 to 25 minutes of the cast. So I gravitated back to recasting every 60 minutes or so.

I actually think the time between recasts has a direct impact for me on the catch rate. It seems that recasting time after time to the same spots also helps draw in more fish to the area as the bait builds up in the water. Also, it seems like the time between recasts makes some difference in catch rate.

You might want to pay more attention to whether or not this impacts your carp fishing and make adjustments if you think it will help. I know I will.

Maybe this will work for you; maybe it won't, but it may be worth experimenting.

2015 Carp Fishing Goals

Last year I made out a list of 2014 goals for my carp fishing exploits. I've been thinking through my 2015 goals today and have included the list below. Most people probably don't care about them like I do, but posting them here will keep me accountable for doing my best to achieve them.

• I would like to help two or three new folks learn how to carp fish. I'd like to continue paying it forward. 
• I hope to catch 175 or more carp in 2015. (I need to average 5 fish per session to do it, which is a significant increase in last year's catch rate. Otherwise I need to fish a few more times.)
• I hope to catch multiple fish weighing more than 30 pounds, which would give me a new personal best.
• I'd like to catch a small mouth buffalo.
• I'd like to catch a koi or goldfish.
• I'd like to catch a fish from the Raisin River in Dundee and spend a few sessions fishing the river in Monroe.
• I'd like to catch multiple carp from Belleville Lake. I live with 2 miles of the lake, but can't seem to catch a carp from there to save my life. :-)
• I would like to fish at least 4 times per month starting in March and ending in November. That's 36 chances at a 30+ pound fish.
• I hope to continue developing the blog. I wrote 153 posts so far. I'd like to add another 150 posts this season with lots and lots of pictures with a few videos sprinkled in to make things a little more interesting and to add variety.
• I really hope people enjoy reading what I write, looking at the pictures I post and just hanging out reading about carp fishing. I do it to share what I've learned because someone was kind enough to share it with me about 18 months ago and I now love carp fishing. I am hopelessly addicted in fact!

What goals do you have for 2015? I'd love to read a few of them. Feel free to post them in the comments below.

Prepping for the Upcoming Year of Carp Fishing

A nice 17 pounder from the fall

I like this time of year. It's still much too cold to fish here locally with temperatures at 2 degrees this morning. But this is the perfect time of the year to begin preparing for what's to come. I love the anticipation and expectations for bigger and better fish when spring finally arrives.

I use this time to scout new spots via Google Maps/Earth and talk to friends about potential new fishing spots. I found a spot on the River Raisin today using that technique.

I also use this time to tie up a bunch of hair rigs. With 14 weeks until warm weather here, if I tie 5 or 6 hair rigs each weekend, I'll have more than 70 pre-tied rigs ready to go. That will keep me fishing for quite a while once the weather breaks. Preparing hair rigs bankside is a highly inefficient use of valuable and what's becoming scare fishing time for me. I prefer to keep 15 to 20 in my Korda rig box safe ready-to-go.

I plan to hit it hard in the spring because starting in mid-summer my time will need to be focused more on my day job responsibilities for several weeks (and possibly months). My time will be limited to weekends and holidays exclusively for a while, but hopefully things will free up toward fall when the bigger fish return.

For anyone trying to build up their supplies for the season, it's a great time to take advantage of a fantastic sale going on at ResistanceTackle.com. I ordered leads, hooks and baiting needles there myself last weekend. When the season gets a little closer I'll pick up some flavored maize, dips and a few dumbbell pop up boilies to round out my carp fishing supplies.

Crosswinds Marsh Preserve

My primary spring venue for carp fishing is going to be Crosswinds Marsh near New Boston. I discovered this hidden gem in July 2014, but by that time the lily pads had taken over much of the area. I am hopeful that I can catch a few carp here in March and April before the lily pads take hold when the weather warms up.