MJL

For most of my carping, I use hair rigs tied with hooks size 6-10 (6 for snaggy/weedy/heavy current waters and 8-10 for most of my general fishing). I use carp hooks made by Kamasan....Mostly a confidence thing for me. They're beefier than the Octopus style of hooks made by Gamakatsu or VMC and they're sticky sharp. Example of one of my rigs.

I was able to get this week off from work. The project I was working on ended last Friday and the big boss told us to take a break after the terrific job we did. With that said, during the weekend I prepped some bait (mostly particles), sorted out my tackle, tied up rigs and gathered up various bits and bobs of terminal tackle I had laying around in my bedroom. I had absolutely no plan of where I wanted to hit Monday. Sunday night at 11pm I decide to hit the Toronto islands in the morning. Monday I left the house at 6:10am - a little later than usual - my house keys were playing hide and seek with me. I managed to reach the docks just in time for the 8:15am ferry. While waiting for the ferry to disembark across the harbour, I catch glimpse of this below It was grazing on algae with reckless abandon. Perhaps this could be a sign for what the day will bring me. View from the ferry. I never tire of the Toronto skyline. I wandered aimlessly looking for cruising fish in some of the canals and bays. The canals and bays that were loaded with hundreds of fish 3 weeks ago were now almost completely devoid of all but a few stragglers. I stopped to fish the main channel that runs through the Islands. The dozen or so fish which I saw cruise by did so without regard for my bed of bait just below. The only thing that was feeding was this swan which continued to munch up my loose fed maize and seed mix. It hissed at me when I tried to scare it with the net. I spent 5 hours watching fish go up and down the channel. Occasionally one would stop for a quick mouthful of food before continuing on. At 2pm I had enough. I packed up and headed to another canal. Upon my arrival at the new spot, I accidentally spooked two carp which were indeed vacuuming up the bottom next to a weed-line. I baited up along the “carp highway” and kept a low profile on the bank. Tips pointed at the bait. Slack lines all the way! My first fish came at 3:15pm. It hit twin chick peas on a hair. 16lbs 8oz of sheer delight! There were several dozen fish in this canal. Like the fish in the main channel, these fish were more interested in cruising up and down atop the thick weeds and sunning themselves. At 7:45pm while I was packing up for home, the alarm shrieks and I’m finally into another one. This one fought like a demon possessed and gave me a proper battle. Left the islands for home at 8:15pm with a slightly lighter back pack and a carpy smelling net Tuesday I had access to the car and in the afternoon and I hit up a local swim which I haven’t fished for 6 years. The ministry totally drained the lake a while back and from what other anglers have told me, it’s slowly getting back to how it was before. I opted to leave the heavy carp gear at home and instead took with me my float rod, an assortment of small hooks and shot, waggler floats in various sizes and a can of Pescaviva sweet corn (Tutti Fruity). I haven’t float fished for carp the last 3-4 years and was hoping to try it again. Watching for dips and lifts on the float. First fish of the session Biggest fish of the session It was quite fun fishing for these tiddlers and will probably have another go at them in the future. Wednesday Didn’t have a car so I headed to another local swim to see what the action was like. Caught the 6:15am bus and took it to the subway, took the subway a few stops and hopped onto another bus. Got off the bus at 7:15am and walked a KM to the swim. Upon my arrival I see a mass orgy of carp splashing and chasing each other. Cr@p! I decided to try it out even with the prospect that I probably would have to sit and watch fish porn for most of the day. Some fish porn Spent a couple hours watching fish chase one another. At one point I had to return 2 carp back to the water which stranded themselves on shore. I had tons of liners but couldn’t see any fish actively feeding. I packed up and walked to another swim which wasn’t too far away. Watching for fish activity Unfortunately fish at this swim were also spawning and paid no attention to my baits. Spent 2hrs waiting and finally packed up and headed to a third swim. Fish were also spawning at this swim however there were 10-12 fish actively feeding in the margins very close to shore. Tails were up and they were clouding the water quite a bit. I tossed in a handful of maize 5ft out to see their reaction to the bait…There was none. They continued to feed tight to the shore ignoring the bed of bait behind them. I believe they were feeding on their own eggs which were laid on the rocks in the margins. I put my hookbait tight to the shore line in 1ft of water and waited to see if they’d notice it. I used a single grain of maize + 1 rubber corn for my own visibility. After watching a number of fish pass by and feed around it I got one fish to take at 12:30pm – About bloody time! Managed to land 1 more fish around 14lbs as I was packing up for home at 3pm. Had to leave for home earlier than I wanted to due to another commitment. Another tough and grueling day but hooking into the 2 fish made me forget about all the time I spent waiting. Friday At 7am my dad and I decided to hit either the Bay of Qunite or Niagara whirlpool. We ended up hitting the whirlpool – Sorry Jerry, totally forgot to message you in the mad scramble to pack the car. After having such a slow week I wasn’t expecting much. I love the whirlpool for its sheer beauty and of course its carp which usually put up a stellar fight. We arrived at the parking lot at 10:15am and walked down the path with 40lbs worth of water, food, bait and tackle. View of the path. Not looking forward to making the trip back up. I’ve fished the whirlpool four times before for carp and steelhead and I’m still at awe with the scenery. We set up our gear and patiently waited for a run 6000 Thunnus and her big sister 10 minutes of waiting my dad’s rod doubles over and he’s into a fish. Unfortunately he loses it but my rod goes off after a minute or two and I land it Another long and very slender torpedo which put up an amazing fight. We only fished for 4hrs. In total my dad and I landed around 25 fish – a couple of those being large channel cats like this one which fell to pineapple flavoured baits. This one is my dad's fish. I unhooked it and set it free. My dad and I had several double headers. The last 2 carp we caught was a double header and both fish proceeded to swim around one another till they tangled up. We ended up winching both in. Though most of the fish we landed were small (6-12lbs), we both got into a couple larger fish just over 15lbs. Fish came to maize, rubber corn, chick peas and jumbo corn. I even had several fish take the hook bait as soon as it hit bottom. It’s challenging fishing in the heavy current – especially in snaggy water – but it sure feels like bliss when you do hook into a fish. I’m dying to get back there again. My legs and back are aching – they were aching before I went down to the whirlpool. According to the scale, I lost 5lbs this week with all the exercise from hiking around. Despite the trials of having put a lot of time on the bank for so few fish, I can’t think of a better way to spend my vacation time. Resting up today...Who knows what this weekend will bring? Hope you enjoyed

In the States a lot of the lines are almost half (Some even less than half) the price of what we pay here in Canada. 300yards of 65lb PowerPro costs around $25 at Cabelas or BassPro (add $4 for 80-100lb). I always smuggle a few spools back with me when I travel over. Failing that, my friends bring stuff back for me for cheap when they travel to the US.

I'm not sure about shelf life but I still have PowerPro spooled on a few of my reels since 1999/2000. Still going strong.

Great report and pics. Awesome hauling! Congrats.

A properly tied hair rig IMO improves hookups. As Daniel has mentioned, when a carp sucks up your bait and tension is applied to the rig, the hook will flip (or turn over) in the carps mouth and grab onto any flesh available. This usually entails nailing the carp on its bottom lip (a spot in the mouth more conducive to higher landing percentages). Variations to the hair rig like the D-rig and blow-back rig involve making the hookpoint "heavy" as the carp tries to eject the bait. The bait itself adds "oomph" to the 'hook set'. Despite popular misconception, a baitrunner will NOT help you land or hook more fish. It also doesn't present the bait any more natural than a reel without one. In many instances, for example, when fishing close to snags, I have my baitrunner disengaged and my drag set ultra tight - Mind you I am very very close to my rod. Fishing in heavy current I have my baitrunner set on maximum tension (which is almost like setting your drag to mod tension). If I'm using a running rig, I simply throw additional slack into the line and have my baitrunner set moderately light to prevent an over run when the fish takes. I have yet to find a situation where I need to set a baitrunner ultra light. If you want to simulate the 'free-spool' nature of a baitrunner, you can simply loosen your drag on a standard reel. A baitrunner will however help prevent you losing a rod when you set it down and turn your back to do something.

A few pics from my travels in search of carp. Boilies Some boilie fun Spodding in some bait Rods on a pod Banksticks for easy traveling Getting to the swim with all the gear

Great report and good job to the both of you. My last trip there I managed to see an uber large bowfin, a dozen or so largemouth bass, carp and my first ever sight of a Toronto island smallie but no pike. Good to see they're around albeit in smaller numbers. Definitely looks like it was worth the effort. Top angling

My largest officially weighed fish was 36lb 8oz. Caught it in a small carp tournament in Toronto which helped me win a free carp rod and a few pounds worth of boilies. I have caught 3 other fish to that size (or even slightly bigger) but never weighed. DSN was with me when I landed this one at the islands. She was never weighed. She put up a great fight both in the water and on shore when we unhooked her. I keep in touch with a few guides on the St. Lawrence. Apparently a 62lb and 67lb fish were caught a couple years ago not far from Long Sault. I think the official provincial record is around 38lbs or so.

Great catch Rich! Keep trying for the biggy. You'll catch her sooner or later.

Gavin, she hit the scales at 27lb even...Which reminds me, I have a weigh sling I seriously need to wash. I'm dreading opening up my hiking pack.

AMAZING report Congrats on the anniversary. Scenery is simply stunning and the amount of wildlife there is unbelievable. Thanks for sharing.

Yes...At least my dad's Freestone jacket does

Totally awesome Vic! Congrats on Christening it. Take your girlfriend #1 along next time...You can have a three-some 2 rods each in Lake O for carp.LOL I know Wolfville is thinking about it already.

Who do you think took the pics for me Hey Splashhopper, homemade paste baits work well. I used to use them quite a lot as a kid - Still use them but less so nowadays. With boilies (which are basically an evolved form of the dough-ball/paste bait) , I'm more confident that my bait won't melt away in the current or get picked apart by nuisance fish. Post up a pic of your rig. Usually changing one thing can dramatically improve your hooking percentage. Thanks for your kind words.

Totally awesome hauling! Great report and pics to boot. Well done

Absolutely right about the worms. In the spring time they account for just under half of my catches. Unfortunately I was too lazy to pick them from the lawn the night before and all the tackle shops in the area were closed at 11pm. In my experience when they actually start spawning, you're probably better off fishing for something else if you're looking for action. During the pre-spawn it's almost impossible to keep them off the line. Thanks for your comments guys

Totally awesome catch! They're totally cool looking fish. WTG MTBF!

Great report Cliff. That muskie is a beauty. Looks like an amazing trip out. I've never eaten crappies either...Let me know how they taste

I haven’t been online very much the last few weeks - A mix of work + fishing every chance I get (which means weekends from now on). After a horrible blanking last weekend, I needed to get my carping fix. Without a car this weekend, I was limited to spots around Toronto (or places accessible by public transit). Decided late Friday night to hit the either the Islands or Harbourfront in the morning. Woke up at 4:20am to stuff 30lbs worth of bait, tackle, raingear, water and food into my hiking pack. Left the house at 5:50am. Got on the 6:15am bus and headed to the subway station. Took the Subway down to Union station and jumped on the street car to get to the ferry docks. Made it just in time for the 7:35 ferry. Throughout the entire trip I had a feeling they were going to be in the midst of spawning…They were. On my arrival to the islands, I scouted various bays and canals for fish. I managed to catch a glimpse of several cruising fish in one canal but they swam much faster than I could keep up with, trekking through the shrubs and tall grass on shore. Finally found a few carp in one swim that was a little easier to fish and shrub-free. A lot of the spots I normally fish were not accessible due to the dragon boat races, a volleyball tourney and loads of picnickers - This is actually the first time I fished the Islands on a weekend. I baited up my chosen spot with a small handful of maize, chick peas, maple peas and other small particles and I waited for my first run. My first fish hit at around 9-9:30am on a single grain of maize. Certainly a nice fish to start my day off with. 12pm I decided to scout a bay which I knew fish usually spawn in. I wasn’t getting any further action at my current location. I was hoping that there would be a few fish willing there to take my bait. View from the swim. Makes you appreciate the fishing opportunities close to home. The bay was indeed home to a few hundred fish, all of which were more content in lazily cruising around without stopping over my piles of bait. Some fish were quite beaten up – most likely the results of spawning. I saw one fish that was 35+lbs cruise within stick poking distance but it also ignored my bait. I spent two and a half hours watching fish cruise mere feet away from my rod tip before swimming off. I tried fishing at different ranges hoping to intercept at least one hungry fish – The thick weeds made it difficult. I also tried float fishing where the bait was presented 6” to 1’ below the surface but still couldn’t interest the fish. I had just about enough of the tease and I returned to the spot I fished earlier in the day. I saw several new fish in the swim and plunked my rig down into the water. Immediately had one fish take while I was putting the rod onto my banksticks. After a 2min battle, the hook pulled out and I lost it. I patiently waited another hour and got this one at around 3:30pm Other pics I managed to take This thing saw me eating almonds and started pecking me till I gave it one. Quite a lot of people were fascinated with the clothing optional beach sign. Imagine catching your PB in the nude. Overall the action was slow. I managed to land 2 out of 3 fish. I fished from 7:45am to 7:30pm. With that said, I still enjoyed the time spent on the bank and the exercise. It was also a warm sunny day which on the Islands means one thing...Mini-skirts and lots of them Can’t wait to hit the Islands again later this season when the action heats up again. Hope you enjoyed

Can't think of any with the same amount of stock or selection. There are a few in Canada that do mail order. One of those being http://www.rodbuildersupplies.com/

I've only ordered small items from Mudhole. Whatever I order usually fits in a small box. In my case shipping + customs + whatever brokerage/handling fees the courier billed me turned out to be anywhere from 25-40% of the price of the merchandise. I imagine when ordering over-sized items like rod blanks from the States, expect to have to pay for some form of over-sized handling fee from the courier. Last year I ordered my dream carp rod blank from another vendor in the States...Shipping turned out to be a lot more than I ever imagined. It's worth checking a few places in Canada to see if they have what you need before ordering from the States.

Recent University grad - Convocation was today Tutored Managerial Finance part time at my university (still do). Pay is decent for the amount of time spent doing it and helps finance my addiction to high end fishing tackle. Challenging but personally very rewarding. Currently helping to write DIY manuals on how to assemble and disassemble washing machines and dryers in a language that a grade 6 student would understand. Challenging and boring but the stories you hear about people doing stupid things with dryers keeps me motivated. Hopefully household accidents involving these large appliances will decrease globally because of me. Dream jobs - Catalog designer for Sage fly rods or St. Croix rods...Haven't decided yet. - Fishing rod designer for Harrison advanced rods, Sage or Lamiglas - Fishing consultant - A consultant to all things fishing - Jedi Master who uses his powers to abolish evil

I have purchased a number of things from Mudhole (epoxy, reel seats, guides, etc). I normally order from Mudhole when I can't find stuff locally. Service was good and they carry some stuff not found anywhere else. Sometimes they use FedEx and other times they use USPS for international orders in Canada - you'll see it on the online invoice. Wait times range from 3-5 days with FedEx and 3-5wks with USPS. I imagine if you call in, you can specify which option you want to choose. They're the only place in North America that regularly stocks size 40 Fuji SIC double footed guides which I use on my carp rods. Hope this helps

I've used my dad's 3 piece Frontier and like the action. I believe John Collina (of JC tackle) mentioned on another web-site that the 2pc was designed with more backbone than the 3pc. On most mid to high end rods sold today, I personally can't feel the difference between 2, 3 and 4 pc rods. I favour multi-piece rods because of all the traveling I do on the bus/subway and small car. IMO, ferrule technology has advanced to the point where I can pick up an entry level 4pc Sage fly rod, a 3pc Lamiglas float rod or a 3pc St. Croix travel spinning rod and not notice flat spots when I flex it or load it up during the cast. The only people I can imagine who might feel the difference are professional rod designers and tournament distance casters like Mark Hutchinson, Terry Edmonds, Steve Rajeff and Jerry Siem whom cast or fish their rods every single day 365 days a year. From my experiences, the 13' 3pc Frontier is a nice smooth rod. The only downside to a 3pc rod is it doesn't break down easily when it's rigged up. The guides on the 2pc and 3pc frontiers are also different. From my understanding the 3pc uses PacBay SIC's while the 2pc uses Aluminum oxide. If you use braid (which some people run on their pin or spinning reels), aluminum oxide does groove over time. Hope this helps