InFisherman Master Angler 2015

Fellow anglers, it’s not to late to earn your Master Angler patch from InFisherman.  Master Angler is an annual big fish contest by InFisherman Magazine and its easy to participate.  You have to be a subscriber to the magazine (why wouldn’t you — its a fantastic publication) and you have to catch a trophy fish from any of 27 species.  Species and size requirements are set by Region, and there are some additional rules so read the details carefully. Contest ends December 31st so get out there and wet a line.

The Master Angler program promotes selective harvest which protects our fisheries.  The idea is that you harvest fish to eat but do so wisely. Large specimen should be released to sustain good fishing. Only plentiful and small fish should be kept.  I’ve always said, “You can’t catch her again if she’s on your dinner table.”

 

WARNING: P-line CXX not very abrasion resistant

Warning to my friends and fellow anglers regarding P-lines CXX X-Strong line. CXX is a co-polymer line that is more dense than water and sinks — the main reason I purchased it.  I spooled up a new reel with 15lb P-line CXX and fished it over a few sessions.  I noticed a few weeks after re-spooling that the line had  a small frayed spot about 36-inches up from the hook link.  I could see the fibers rolling back and away from the main line.  I cut this piece out and inspected the line another few feet. I chalked it up to normal wear and tear for someone who fishes as much as I do.  I had no trouble the remainder of the session.

Last weekend I was fishing a new lake rumored to hold some lumps.  I had a screaming run and loaded the rod to what felt like a new Personal Best. It’s hard to tell and I never got a look at it, but it felt good.  I could feel this beast had its head down and it was turning slowly.  About halfway in, without warning, SNAP!  the line literally shot back over my shoulder. It snapped somewhere above the swivel and lead.  After a very unflattering temper tantrum I composed myself and reflected.

I felt nothing, no vibration,  on the line as though I had been drug over some submerged timber or rocks.  I’m very conscious of the drag and fish it light — a necessity for carp angling.  To be fair, I suppose it’s possible I hit something that cut the line immediately, or I missed a spot of wear on the line and it just gave up, but I haven’t had this problem with other lines.

After reflecting and going over the brief fight in my head, the line simply gave up on me and I lost a good fish.  When I got home I stripped the line off the spool and slam dunked it in the trash can.

Morale of the Story – use a quality line like 20lb Korda Subline.  Lines like P-line and Berkley Big Game are prone to breaking and should be avoided.

 

 

 

New Personal Best – 40lb Grass Carp

Photo Credit: Kevin Olivier – Summit Design

It’s funny how an innocent social fishing event can turn into an epic moment in time.  That’s exactly what happened last weekend at Lake Austin.  I was attending a Carp Angler’s Group (CAG) social fishing event in Austin, TX with a bunch of my fishing buddies when my hookbait intersected with destiny.  It had been a rough start getting to the park late, squeezing in to a tight fishing spot and trying to establish my swim.  My goal was to catch Common Carp, but I couldn’t be happier with my results.

After 23 hours of fishing and probably less than 2 hours of sleep (I fished through the night because, hey, its Austin) I finally hit the hulking fish lottery with this 40lb chunk.  I had just landed a 25lb grass carp whilst nearly breaking my toe on a large rock under the water.  I was limping back to my pod after casting out and was setting the rod down in the alarm when my reel started peeling line like I had snagged a jet ski.  I stood there confused for a split second before my instincts kicked in and I loaded the rod.  To be perfectly honest, it didn’t feel like much of a fish.  Even when I could see it down in the water, it looked small, but water depth and clarity can be deceiving.  When the net man raised this beast up it quadrupled in size.

It was freaking huge and angry.  This big boy beat me up on the mat splashing water in my face and covering me in a coat of slime. I knew getting him to sit still for a Kodak moment was going to be a bear.

Photographer extraordinaire, Kevin Olivier, managed a fantastic shot despite my quaking arms and rowdy fish. After the fish was safely back in the water I took a victory lap around the park just soaking it in.

My hats off to Chad Woolard, Texas State Chair of CAG and member of the Austin Carp Anglers (ACA), who made this event possible.  I had a awesome time and made a memory.

If you’re interested in carp fishing, or catching a fish of a lifetime (and who isn’t) then I would encourage you to check out CAG and the ACA (See links at right).  Even though carp have gotten a bad rap, they truly are a great sport fish. They get bigger and pull harder than anything else in fresh water — guaranteed.

North American Carp Angler Magazine – Spring 2015

Now available, the 2015 spring edition of the North American Carp Angler Magazine

click here to read it FREE:  http://issuu.com/northamericancarpangler/docs/naca_2015_spring_edition

NACA is published by the Carp Angler’s Group (CAG) – a group of anglers dedicated to catch-and-release carp fishing.

Session Lesson :: Do Boilies Produce Bigger Fish Than Maize?

As I was banking it this weekend I had my feet up on the cooler, sipping a diet coke and wondering if one type of bait produces larger fish than another, namely Maize or Boilies.   I’m mostly confident with maize.  I believe maize holds a scent better than boilies and I like how it blends in with my packbait.   Anglers will have two trains of thought here. Some, like me, would like to mask their hookbait so it looks like the surrounding food items to trick a wary carp into taking it.  Others would argue that your hookbait should stand out so the carp can more easily zero in on it and be intrigued enough to pick it up.  I’ve seen enough underwater carp videos to make me believe masking your hookbait is the better choice.  Ive seen the carp stare down a bright pop-up and steadily eat everything else.  I encourage you to experiment and see what works best for you, but I digress…

We’ve all heard the fisherman’s strategy of sizing your baits to your fish.  If you want to catch a big bass, throw a big lure. Want to catch a big blue cat, present a big hunk of fresh cut shad on a wide gape hook (8/0).  Shouldn’t the same hold true for carp and buffalo fishing?   It would seem the answer would be yes, but lets remember that a carp and buffalo have a sucker type mouth and doesn’t hinge open to accept large baits so they may be the exception to the rule.

Remember this guy…54lbs of majestic buffalo caught on two kernels of fruity flavored maize.

To answer the question of which produces bigger fish, maize or boilies, I decided to fish one rod maize and one rod boilies for the remainder of the session.  Rod 1 had three kernels of tutti frutti maize, Rod 2 had one 16mm tutti frutti boilie.  I have smaller 10mm and 12mm boilies, but for the sake of the experiment I wanted to use a bigger bait to see if it snagged a bigger fish.

I caught 5 fish (I don’t count non-target species) during the session ranging from 6lbs to 20lbs.  Below are the results:

ROD 1

• 6lbs Common Carp
• 8lbs Common Carp
• 11lbs Common Carp

ROD 2

• 18lbs Common Carp
• 20lbs Common Carp (Pictured above)
• 3 lbs Bullhead Catfish

This is hardly enough data to make any significant claims, but the session did open my eyes a bit.  My two biggest fish both came on the boilie, while the smaller fish came on the maize.  Was it luck?  Did the maize just happen to get picked up by the smaller fish first?  Did the bigger fish muscle in and take the choicest, biggest baits?   It certainly bares more investigation which is the fun part!

I’d love to hear your thoughts.  What’s your experience?  What’s your confidence bait?

Session Lesson :: What To Do When the Fish Aren’t Biting

Each time I go out to fish I try to take something away from the experience.  Usually that’s the joy of landing some fat fish, but unfortunately not every time out on the bank results in fish.  When I’m facing down a blank (no fish caught) I drop back into a retrospective mode and determine what I could have done differently.  What rig should I have used, what bait, or was the spot I selected right for the conditions. Usually I can come away from the experience with something I’d like to try next time out, whether it’s a new technique, bait or a new approach.  I call this my “Session Lesson.”

Lessons learned are important if you want to continue to grow in life.  This is true in fishing, family, business and the list goes on.  Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different results.”  Only through change can you truly progress.

So last Saturday I went fishing (See picture above).  Yeah, there was snow, ice and freezing rain; and the high didn’t get above 31 degrees.  The look my wife gave me as I walked out the door dressed for winter war was priceless.  The wind was down which I was thankful for not suffering a wind chill, but a light wind is never good for fishing.  Undaunted, I setup and waited for the bite…..that never came.

So what did I do?  Well, I waited.  I checked my lines about once an hour and waited some more.  I’d reel one in, re-bait it and chunk it out again to wait some more.  At the time it seemed like I was doing everything I could do to catch, but the fish simply weren’t there.

A light bulb should have went off in your head just then.  It did in mine as I was reflecting on what I did wrong.   What did I do wrong?  I waited.

What To Do When the Fish Aren’t Biting

There’s a simple answer here, “MOVE!”   Now I don’t necessarily mean to pack up all your gear and move to the other side of the lake.  What I mean is move your baits.  This could be punching them further out or dropping them in a bit.  Try this first.  If that doesn’t produce a bite, try moving a bait over 30 to 50 yards down the bank.  I’ve seen it many times in Carp Tournaments where one angler is sitting on his hands, while the guy next to him is hauling.  They’re using similar baits and similar techniques so the difference between the two is that there is a feature just 30 yards over that is holding fish.

If you’ve moved your baits up or down the bank and you’re still not getting a bite, its time to walk a rod to the next shore feature; like a point, some standing timber, or some other structural feature.  Don’t just sit and wait for the fish to come to you.

How long do I wait before moving?

That’s a good question and it’s going to depend on the circumstances, but a good rule of thumb would be to give it about 30 minutes to an hour.  In my experience it takes fish about an hour to sense and track down your bait if they’re not already in the immediate area.  If you aren’t seeing a wiggling rod tip in an hour’s time, the fish aren’t there.  Move your bait.

I sure wish I had thought of this Saturday night, but I learned my lesson.  Hopefully, by sharing this session lesson with you, you can avoid repeating my mistake.  Give it an hour, then move if your net isn’t wet.

Soybean Meal Packbait for Carp Fishing

One of the most effective methods of fishing for carp and buffalo is using “Pack Baits”.   Pack baits are used as a confidence builder for feeding carp as opposed to just fishing a hook bait.  The strategy behind this method is to provide a tight bed of free, or hook-less, bait that carp can feed on confidently until they discover and eat your hook bait, then… FISH ON!

Soybean Meal Pack is an effective and affordable option at roughly $12 for 50lbs.  Similar to grits It has an up and down action as it breaks down sending small food particles up into the water column to drift back down. Suspended carp will have a better chance of finding your bait when using Soybean Meal.

Soybean Meal is workable so it if gets too dry you can add some more cream corn or lake water to moisten it.  If the pack is too wet you can add corn flour to stiffen it up.

Below are some of the common variations on the simple recipe that will absolutely work to put fish on the bank.  Feel free to experiment with your own additives and if you strike gold, please share.  Soybean Meal can be found at feed stores and should be stored in plastic, sealable containers else you’ll draw pests.

You can also buy method mix (aka groundbait) from carp bait vendors.  “Erni’s Method Mix” from World Classic Baits has proven to be massively successful in the United States and has been the winner’s groundbait in many carp tournaments.

Reader Question: Is a Hair Rig better than a Treble Hook?

Mr. Dough Ball Near Dallas,

Thanks for reaching out and for asking that question.   Most anglers here in Texas (and all over the US) use dough bait and a  treble hook when targeting carp and buffalo.  They do this because dough bait is a relatively cheap and accessible bait.  When using dough bait, It’s almost a necessity to use a treble hook so that it stays on the hook.  A single hook presentation causes the bait to fly off the hook on a stiff cast.  The problem with this approach is treble hooks are bad for carp and buffalo.   Most US anglers simply aren’t aware of their bait options when targeting carp. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been approached by bystanders who recommended Wheaties and Big Red — a dough bait and American staple for carp fishing.  I always take this opportunity to introduce them to fantastically effective baits such as flavored maize, boilies and tigernuts.

So why is a treble hook bad?  I know I’m stating the obvious but, Carp and Buffalo have a sucker style mouth rather than a hinged mouth like a Bass.  It is possible to double and triple hook a carp such that it can no longer open its mouth. The three hook points can effectively hold the carp’s mouth closed.  If you break off the carp will be unable to feed and eventually starve to death.   This of course is the worst case scenario and probably doesn’t happen too often, but it’s the potential that this could happen that leads most serious carp anglers to the hair rig.

Carp Anglers don’t hold the opinion that carp and buffalo are “trash fish”.  We understand that these local lake monsters are ferocious fighters and require a certain amount of fisherman’s finesse to hook and land one.  It’s this challenge and the fact they get so huge that defines their sport value.  Bass fisherman can fish their entire lives and never break 10lbs.  Carp anglers can bust 10lbs on a weekend.

So is the Hair Rig more effective than a Treble Hook?   In a word, yes.   The primary reason is that the hair rig presents bait to the fish off a fully exposed hook.  Carp are extremely adept at ejecting non-food items. It’s what they do all day, every day.   In fact, your treble hook rig probably gets picked up and spit out 100 times without any indication on your line.  The dough ball molded around a treble hook increases the chances that the carp will eject the bait.   The beauty of the hair rig is that the carp doesn’t get a second chance.  Once he makes that mistake and sucks the bait in, the hook follows the hair.   The carp realizes there is something not right in his mouth and tries to spit it out.  Too late, the hook finds a hold and FISH ON!!

A wise angler once told me It’s all about increasing your chances of a hook up.   Covering the hook, decreases your chances.   Fishing a Hair Rig, increases your chances and there are a multitude of rig and bait tweaks that increase your chances even further.

thanks for your question and let me know if I can help in any other way.

Clayton

Fishing New Water

Chubby 9-pounder from new water

I am fortunate enough to live snugly nestled between some great North Texas lakes, and while I would rather be fishing than doing most other things, fishing the same spots week over week can get a bit too familiar.  There is a lot of confidence built into a honey hole and it can be a distasteful thought to put yourself into a position to blank on an untested water, or new spot on a known water.  Recaptures are cool, but if the fish you’re catching are like your second family it may be time to move on.

For 2015 I am starting a series of sessions I’m calling, “Expedition Carp”.  I will be fishing a new location each time I go out. No retreading the same ground.  The objective of doing this is 1.) to experience some other venues and 2.) see what class of fish they hold.  I think through this process I’ll become a more well rounded and ultimately better angler.

I hit a small lake north of Denton today just to get me going on my resolution (it’s February now after all) and the excitement I felt was palpable. It was so much fun looking out over this virgin water and wondering what lurked beneath its waves.  Checking the topographic map using Navionics, coupled with a googlemaps scan for bank access I found a cherry of a spot and headed out.

When I arrived, I’ll be honest, I was disappointed.  This lake was little more than a pond full of stumps with the water so low.  Undaunted, I setup in my per-selected swim and said a little prayer that I wouldn’t lose every fish to a snag.  There was a lot of standing timber between me and any fish.

It took about 2 hours, but finally my alarms started chirping. I got a serious drop back bite so I reeled down the slack and loaded the rod. Fish on!.  5 lbs channel.  Not my target species but it was a healthy kitty.  A good sign.  I got the bait back in the water and tightened down.

30 minutes later, a respectable run resulting in another eating size kitty.  I wasn’t keeping so I slipped him back into the stained water and told him go tell the carp there was a buffet laid out.

About another hour later I finally got what could only be a mad dashing carp run.  A line peeling, alarm screaming run had me on my feet and running to the rod.  After a few dicey moments with a snag, I pulled in my first carp from this venue.  At 7-pounds, it was a start.  The lake held carp, and they where biting.

I went on to catch two more carp with the largest being the tubby fella pictured above at 9-lbs on the nose. It was a good day, with excellent weather and hungry fish.

The moral of the story here is to try new things, new places, new techniques.  It revitalizes the routine by flavoring with something new and the feeling of Christmas morning on the bank, where you don’t know what you’re going to get is well worth it.

God Bless Texas

Passing On The Joy of Carp Fishing

In Texas, February is normally marked with overcast skies, bone-chilling cold, and a stray ice storm or two; but today the sun was shining and the thermometer was reading a lovely 79 degrees. The solunar calendar was showing a daunting 15% success rate, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to get outdoors while the weather was so nice.

Every chance I get I try to indoctrinate my 7-year old in to fishing. If he’s going to be my fishing buddy in the future I need to start the brainwashing now. I can’t adequately describe the joy I get from watching him crank in a fish.  The excitement on his face and the way he marches around afterward so proud of himself is priceless to me.  Every fish he puts in the net is one more deposit into the “Love for Fishing” bank account.  The fact that he’ll set aside his Nintendo 3DS for a fishing trip with daddy is proof positive I’m making progress.

We caught 4 commons, with the above 10-pounder being our largest.  Relatively small fish when considering carp, but look at my son’s face. You’d link he just captured a lion on safari.

It’s a bit cliche’ to say, but the children are our future.  The classification of carp as “Trash Fish” is only an opinion passed on to others through ignorance and accepting the popular viewpoint as truth. We can reverse the label from “Trash” to “Sport” by sharing carp fishing with our kids, and with others.  Education begets tolerance.  Tolerance leads to acceptance.

Change the label, share the sport.