Master of Bait

Hey BF, it was a real surprise for me. One long cast would've landed my lure on shore for sure. That was why this was so shocking for me. I didn't have a lot of line out so I'm guessing my lure was 2/3 down over 12 feet. I know Lake O water is colder than in smaller lakes but a salmon right next to shore on June 20???? I've pulled up browns in this area on several occasions but always in the spring and fall, never in the summer. I didn't weigh the fish but it was small, by salmon standards - cute one for sure - HA! I did take 2 pics in the bottom of the boat (fishing solo) but I need to develop them and they're on a brand new roll - might be a couple of weeks. Just goes to show you never know what you'll lay into on the great lakes.

Clamp, I tie them on occasion but I find most of the time I go with the simplest knot possible. The palomar is my go to as I feel it provides the best knot strength - to - simplicity of tying value/ratio. As for linking lines, I use the uni-to-uni 100% of the time when I tie a fluoro leader to my main line, which is either braid or fireline depending on the reel.

I've seen shad do that on Lake O before, usually getting hammered by a variety of sport fish - talk about putting a damper on a luv session. To be honest I'm not sure if it was just a school of fish hunting shads down by trapping them on the surface or if there was some mating going on. Bring on the pics!

Great stuff guys, thanks for the rigging tips. The benefit of my boat-bound carp missions is that I can use my rod holder. The rod actually sits vertically with a long cast of line out. When the fish hits, the rod buckles like crazy and drag starts to peel off my reel (Pflueger President, love it) but the butt end of my rod is deep enough in the holder that there is no risk of the rod popping out. The only real issue I have found is that it's been tough to get a great hook set as there is a ton of pressure on the rod when I pick it up. I will definitely check the new rigging set ups you guys suggest. DanielM - the bolt rig looks like a serious apparatus. Can you get away with a 1 oz. weight? Chucking 2 ounces would be tough on my 7'M spinning rod. Thanks again gents! Cheers, MOB

Nice ski dude. Good lookin' fish.

Those northern skis are gorgeous. Nice fish. Must've been a battle from shore like that.

Beauty fish, thanks for sharing. That reef sounds like a true honey hole. Hopefully there aren't too many other guys that are hammering it.

Ryan, there's a trailer park/campground with a decent launch there (last time I checked) on the only main lake road. Can't miss it. Think it's called Lawrence park.

Too lazy to tie snells. Just buy 'em!

Hey folks, It's been a great stretch for me as I've been able to get out 4 times in the last 2 weeks for short fishin' missions. So today I was out for a few hours in the afternoon. Tried for carp a little while but gave up in search of other things with fins as they were clearly not active. So anyway, I pulled some suckers off the bottom of Lake O on worms. Just killing time... Then started chucking tiny cranks for white bass. It was really cool as I got onto a school of them and they were chasing the hooked fish back to the boat. Looked like a cloud of fins down there. Nailed a few, missed a few (none too huge) and then, unfortunatey, spooked them as my boat drifted overhead and they were gonzo. Gotta get my trolling motor fixed. Anyway, started flat line trolling with a shad rap in a dozen or so feet. Coupla' minutes in I get a huge hit and my rod actually bounced outa my hands for a sec. About one second after hook up this thing starts thrashing at the surface, sorta jumping. I'm thinking OOS-SMB for sure (have only incidentalled one up this year, thankfully). Anyway, the fish is clearly not as big as I thought it was when it hit like a freight train but puts up a decent scrap. I get it close and see that it's a salmonid. Brown? Rainbow? Net it up and I realize that I've hooked my first SALMON??? He was just a little guy that I would very generously peg around two pounds, likely a little less. I had been feeling the water and it really did feel cold for June. This confirmed it. Any thoughts on why that is? Wind direction bring up cooler water sometimes or something? This guy was a juvie and I think they are less sensitive to water temps? Regardless, a salmon in 12 feet a couple good stones throws from shore was a real surprise. Not sure on the species, I'll have to check the pics as to whether is a coho or chinook. Gotta say I love fishing the great lakes. It's kind of like the ocean in that you see more big fish than on your average smaller lake and you never know what you might lay into. That said, the scenery certainly doesn't compare to the beautiful places up north, which are known to cough up a good rate of lunkers as well. Sorry for no pics but I'll be sure to post again when the next roll from the disposable is developed. I've got white bass and a salmon on the latest roll so far.... Cheers, MOB

Thanks for the kind words carp community. Hoping to latch into more of those cows soon.

I'm a professional recipient of funds from my sugar mama right now. Actually I'm a student - again! Did a BSc in Bio but then went to work in the auto industry for 6 years, first in operations, then sales and marketing. After two years of very intense work travel, I realized I'd never be able to fish nearly enough if I was on the road this much. And so back to business school I went, with my wife looking after our expenses this year. Gotta get my act together now though and find a job as I will be done in August. Great thread - such a diverse background for everyone with lots of interesting experiences. Fishing truly brings people together!

Nice fish. Gotta love that we can access these great fish so close to home. I think you need to tussle with a good one or two to really appreciate how fun it can be. Great pics.

Here's my hog - though I know you guys just saw it in another post. Nice lookin' fish there boys. And some nice gear too! One of these days I'll have to gear up properly.

Awesome carpers - thanks a lot for the tips. I'll be checking out those websites DanielM. As for the hair rigs, do you think it'll improve my hook ups even if I'm not using carp-specific gear (eg: no bait runner)?

Great pics. Good to see you folks bringing families up there. Good times no doubt.

Hey JWL, Great job. I think that's the best way to get the kids into fishing a bit - we probably all got started that way as well. Just let 'em go and have fun chasing little guys all day - keeps the younguns' interested. The fact that your 13 year old supports the younger one is just a great bonus too. Aren't 13 year olds supposed to be too cool for everything? Nice to see. Nice Pike BTW!

Hey guys, Thanks! Victor, your wealth of knowledge is really helpful - much appreciated. 'Nother quick related question.... As for hair rigs, do you think I still benefit from the rig if I don't have a baitrunner reel? The reason I ask is that, based on my current setup, the carp definitely know they're hooked soon after they take the bait. Although I use a sliding sinker, my line is pretty taught and so the fish only have my bait in their mouth for a few secs before my rod arches and I reef on it to set the hook. With a hair rig, can I set the hook this quickly or do I need to let it run with it a bit. Thanks again. Cheers, MOB

All you carpers out there, Just a quick question. Where would you recommend I could go to get some carp bait - "special corn", boilies, etc.? I saw Big Bob's online products. Anyone retail this stuff in the GTA? Also, do the specialized carp baits work that much better than normal stuff? I've looked at tons of "how-to" stuff online but I don't think I'll go there. First, because I'm kind of lazy and have little time. Second, I don't get out enough and a lot of this stuff is "don't freeze it, keeps two weeks". Anyway, if anyone can recommend any products that are preserved that I can store for some time and that you think would produce a little better than standard sweet corn can you please shoot me a reply? Thanks, MOB

Hey Fireball, yeah, the pic is lowsy. I think the fish has his mouth closed or something. I guess with the dark, disposable cam and a rush to get him back in the pic didn't turn out as I would have liked - never fails when it's a monster like that.

Hey guys, Just a follow up to my last report (5 mins ago). Got some carpin' pics developed on the same roll but I thought I'd post a separate report. Living in T.O. and having a busy schedule has led me to finally start targetting some of the beasts I've seen cruising around Lake O. It's just ideal for me as I can usually only get out for a couple hours and the odds of tangling with a bruiser are quite high. Nice way to sneak out for a quick fish. Anyway, I got sick of watching these things jump and splash all over and not ever even having a shot at a tussle as I'm always chucking cranks or jigs.... Enter Mr. Goudas sweet corn. I've got no real carp gear and I always thought a Boilie was a growth on your foot or something. Not being a connoisseur, I decided to keep it simple with a heavy sliding sinker, swivel, mono leader, hook and corn rig - very basic. Below is a collection of pics from three separate outings. First carping trip. Only fished for about an hour as I head to rush back home but I did manage to land a lake O 15 lb-er. Second carping trip. I was able to dedicate a few hours this time and they were ON! Only problem was I went 2/7. Had three break offs over rocks and two spit the hook as I was probably horsing them a bit too much. I was also fishing solo from an anchored boat, which complicated things a bit. Two in the boat though on a beautiful day: First one was a 17 lb-er: Self photo: Bottom of the boat shot: Next fish was 19 lbs. Not a great shot but, hey, I'm on my own here... Okay, now for the third carping trip. My buddy and I went out and went one for three. Lost two that spat the hook. But the one I landed was HUGE!!!!! I couldn't get it completely off the ground as I lifted it inside my net with the scale hooked to my net so as not to harm the fish. The scale was at 32.5 lbs with the carp still touching the floor just a little and the scale just exploded! It was an old non-digital one so who knows how accurate it was. Suffice it to say it was a biggun'. My buddy and I figured anywhere between 30-35 lbs is probably accurate enough. Here are two shots for you: Now I know why you carp guys are so into this stuff. Cheers, MOB

Fishin' guys and gals, Here's a late report for you from a trip I took in May with my buddy. It was about a week after the opener and, sadly, it's the only time I've been able to get out this year for these two species. My reports are always really late as I can't bring my digital on the boat and am relegated to using disposables - gotta fill 'em up, then get 'em developed, takes some time, y'know? Anyway, we had a great day on our favorite lake. Caught about 50 fish between the two species trolling cranks (mostly shad raps) in 15 feet, my favorite way to fish. Nothing of any size but still lots of action. Here's some pice for ya... First fish of the day, chunky little walleye Second fish of the day, my buddy Steve gets a chunkiER little walleye Also, here are a couple of average sized pike for that lake. Bonus white bass shot from lake O for ya. Good times. Cheers, MOB

Nice fish. I got crunched about a year ago for an OOS fish photo. I understand the rules, but I also get both sides of the debate, hopefully the thread doesn't go nutso over it as it's over n' done. Just glad you did what we would all do - release it so that I can go catch it in the summer! Good job on the surface laker too. Now's the time. Cheers.

Awesome fish. Great report.

Great report.