Photoz

Beansie . .. . I was thinking the exact same thing when I netted that fish .. . . same spot as Greg got his . . . . although I think Greg's might have been a shade bigger. This one DID put up a helluva scrap, took about 15 minutes to get him in to shore, another 5 to corral 'im in the net! The crafty bugger 'played' around for a good 10 minutes, constantly setting my buzzer off while pushing my wire feeder all over bottom, trying to get EVERY morsel out of it. After fighting for nearly 20 minutes I didn't have time to set my tripod up to get me in the shot (if you thought that fish was ugly . . . . ?) so I just snapped a couple quick shots & put him back, so as not to do it any harm. As for 'Photoshopping' out the background, if you haven't been there, it looks like the shore of ANY lake or river . . . . plus, most of the carp outfitters have it PLAINLY marked on the maps they supply for their Brit tourists . . . . but, up there there are DOZENS of similar spots . . . . most produce lotsa carp! I WAS gonna rest up today, but I figure I'll squeeze ONE MORE day up there . .. . gas prices are a killer on going up there EVERY day . . . . but I'll just cut out eating? I've gotta get some shots today of an amazing 'tree duck,' anybody ever heard of a mallard nesting 40' up, in the broken-off hollow stub of a tree? I'll post a shot of this duck in her 'tree fortress' when I get back, it's a lo o o o o n g drop for the l'il ducklings when they hatch!

Didn't do too well up in the Kawarthas yesterday . . one just under 20 . . . missed several on a barbless hook . . . using a non-baitrunner style-type reel (Stradic 6000) leaving almost NO tension can be tricky getting a good hookset as a carp is screaming out line, an inch of slack, a good head-shake . . . . GONE!! My fishin' pal, Rodpody landed 9 though . . mostly in the 12 - 15 pound range, with one close to 20. This is the 20 pounder givin' Rodpody a tussle . . . . Finally the 20 pounder patiently lays on the beach, waiting for the hook to be pulled . . and he'll live to fight another day! BUT . . . . . THIS is what made my day today . . . I picked up a good carp rod at half price last summer, and just lately found a 2 year old (never been used) Stradic 6000 to slap on it. I'd tried it several times, but missed every fish I was shooting for . . . . until this morning when I nailed this 18 pound mirror carp. Only the 4th one I've caught . . . nice way to 'christen' new gear! Carp are being very finicky though, a lotta line bumps, and hit & runs . . . then sometimes perfectly quiet for several hours. Water's still a bit cold up there for the spawn, but sure is a great week to take holidays.

That WAS maddening Saturday . . . . seeing all those groups of as many as 6 or 7 big carp at a time, in so shallow their backs were outta the water. It's amazing just how fast that end of the bay warmed up . . . they usually spawn a couple weeks later? The water in the Ottonabee is still quite cool, and they haven't hit the 'spawn' mode yet! How does one get on your gal-friend's birthday list . . . I could use some new toys . . . . and that pod?? Never saw a set-up like that before . . . . is it a converted camera tripod? I've seen a few real neat home-made pods, that started out as camera tripods . . . . that one looks real good. As for a new rod . . . didja check with Mike at Fishing World . . . . he might still have some of the 1/2 price discontinued Technium & Nexave 12 footers . . . real bargoons . . . . if you're interested. I'm on holidays this week, and I'm gettin' as much fishin' time in as I can . . . . got some medical procedures comin' up which will likely cut my fishin' off for the rest of the summer . . . . but I just MIGHT be able to squeeze in another week, 2 weeks down the road . . . . when the carp start hitting again in the bay! Good luck. Too bad there wasn't another spot over on the rockpile Saturday . . . . I'da liked to chew the fat a bit, but even with the loud buzzer & baitrunner style reel, I never go far from it . . . . not keen on swimming the Hamilton Harbour trying to find it if sometning goes wrong!

You're VERY lucky to get your rod back . . . TWICE? Sounds like you have a decent spot . . . no problem here with you concealing it, carp ARE becoming QUITE popular . . . . judging by how many reports we are seeing these days! When fishing message boards first came into being, you could literally give out coordinates, nobody bothered . . . . but . . . today, post a few shots of even some decent rock bass & sunfish you caught, I guarantee if the spot is identified, it'll be fished out in very short order! Hell, today even identifiable spots where you catch carp will draw crowds! And it's not so much the spot being crowded, it's just as much the noise & the garbage many people leave behind . . . which gets to locals teed off, they get up a petition to their local council .. . WHAM!! There are 'NO PARKING,' & even 'NO FISHING' signs go up . . . another spot gone! Areas adjacent to Lake Simcoe are a good example . . . . you can count ALL the decent shore spots, still accessable, on your fingers, and still have a couple left! The spot I'm presently fishing has a garbage can, and the few people who know, and fish the spot regularly use it ... . but that small group of 'weekend wonders' who show up Saturday & Sunday and leave their crap behind . . . by Sunday night the place resembles a garbage dump! A local resident's dog found a piece of fishing line in the grass Monday . . . WITH A HOOK ATTACHED . . . . . just laying in the shore grass . . . needless to say . . . she wasn't too impressed!

Great fish . . . it's gotta be REALLY difficult to land 'em in the dark . . . half the strategy of bringin' 'em in is seeing where they're heading . . . . they're very adept at dragging your line along rocks, or winging you around logs, stumps (shopping carts?) and other debris! are there still any trout guys hangin' around there, or have they all retired their rods till fall?

I caught my first carp of 2005 in the first week of April . . . 11 weeks later (mid-June) I got my next one, and then had a great season. But I did at least 30 carpless excursions, not landing one. Broke about 10 off, missed another dozen . . . even got desperate enough to consider a cross-bow, a spear or my bare hands. But . . . 8 outings this year I suppose is pretty mild, considering . . . . I'm glad you posted this thread, now I know I'm not the only one who runs into a dry spell . . . . I wonder how many others have walked in the same shoes?

Well, after yet ANNUDER supreme skunking yesterday, I was a bit apprehensive about getting outta bed at 03:00 and driving well over an hour to just get skunked again!! 'ell, I could stay at home and get skunked fishing my bathtub . . . without paying $30.00+ for gas! But bein' a real masochist & hawg for punishment, (aren't ALL anglers?) I dragged my poor tired old butt down to my van just before 05:00, and arrived at Lake 'X' about 06:30 . . . saw about 4 carp jump as I was setting up. Tossed in about 06:45, walked up to my van, only to hear BEEEEEEEEEEEEP!! I made a run for the rod, fish gone. Not a wiggle for about a half hour . . . strange? I haul in . . . corn pulled off hair rig . . bait up again . . this time within 5 minutes, had one on . . got 'im stopped . . . a few head shakes, he throws the barbless hook! This goes on till 09:30, when I landed my biggest one of the day . . a scrawney looking 30" that only weighed about 15 pounds. Got another 2, slightly smaller a few minutes later, then back to numerous line bumps until about noon. I moved down the shore about 100', not a sniff for over 3 hours, then between 3:00 & 4:00, missed 2, landed 4 more. Well worth the drive, 7 fish, but average size was only about 13 pounds . . . but they did fight well. Matter of fact, I enjoyed myself so much, I'm going back tomorrow. This is the scrawney 30 incher I got first, and they got smaller. Geeze . . .. doesn't anybody feed these poor creatures? I gave 'em at least 10 pounds of corn & groundbait today to fatten 'em up!!

Ah h h h h . . . . . so nice to see . . . . . carping reports EVERY day . . . . even if I'm not catchin', it's nice to know SOMEBODY is!! You've certainly adopted yourself to the carp very quickly AND done VERY well! Although the recipe you have has all the good ingredients, buying in small amounts at Bulk Barn (under 100 pounds is small) must be VERY expensive!! I MIGHT hit Bowmanville or Port Hope this week . . . so depending on where you live & your hours, maybe we could share some trade secrets?

I had the pleasure of meeting him at Port Hope just after he retired (or just before?) as he was gung ho for the salmon tourney start. He spoke briefly about the new digs he was buyin,' and how much more fishin' he'd be able to do! He was on top of the world . . . . life can be so unfair . . . . I can only imagine what the loss of a close relative / best friend can be . . . . . my most sincere condolences to you, and your family.

AH H H H A H!! I RECOGNIZE those trees . . . and blades of grass!! Just to think, I had to decide between Hamilton & Peterpatch Saturday . . . I chose Hamilton!! I'll likely be going up to where you were in the morning, and MAY Y Y B E Port Hope Tuesday, but I'm gonna be gettin' some fishin' lessons on Wednesday down Hamilton way. As always your pictures & reports were spectacular, since the storm toppled those trees, it's made the fishin' there kinda interesting . . . more of a challenge? Especially off that l'il beach with the remnants of the tree! I managed to find a Stradic 6000 for my 2 1/2 pound Technium that I'm dyin' to try on a carp . . . tomorrow MIGHT be THEEEE day, eh?Anyhoooo . . . after another disastrous day on the water today, (don't ask!) I need some easy pickins!

Well, the weather conditions aren't too bad, slight mist out there, barometer low, and dropping, wee breeze from the east . . . .and being ALMOST right in the lake, the water is still kinda cold for spawning (very noticeably cooler than Hamilton Harbour) as these fish come in from the lake to the creek, they are still feeding . . . . so you have a good chance of nailing one. The hard corn (maize) is about the only way to go here . . . canned corn or even a worm will catch carp . . . . but the gobies are real fast, they'll strip a hook so quick the carp won't even get to sniff the bait! Now . . . I go in search of the 40" carp 'for theeee TEAM' . . . . good luck to anybody else going out today!

Great shots . . . . I'm surprised that carp disappointed you . . . . he should have given you the ride of your life on light gear? With Rice being very shallow, it warms fast . . . you musta just picked a lazy one? I'm surprised there were so many panfish in close . . . . sounds like an ideal place to entertain kids.

Well, I hit beautiful Hamilton Harbour just around daylight, and was instantly greeted by the squawks of about a million birds, about half of them cormorants! 'Uncle Buck' arrived a bit later, and set up not far away. Things were pretty dull till the very lovely wee cheerleading captain of Team 5 arrived . . . . but even her presence didn't get the carp biting. We watched groups of 6 or 7 of them, chasing each other all over the harbour for several hours, and it didn't look like they were feeding! If I had on MY mind, what THEY had on THEIR mind, I wouldn't have been interested in food either! By 11:00 not one line bump between about 8 people, so I packed up and headed east, but no before doing this cute l'il pic of Mom keeping the brood warm! I arrived at Etobicoke Creek about 12:30, and immediately started getting line bumps, and within a half hour, had my first carp of 2007 . . . just under 25 pounds, and a fat 33"! Feels great to unload that ol' skunk, I even got another 29", but only about 17 pounds, not quite so fat! Tomorrow, around daylight, I'm back at it again! Anybody wanna drop over?

Musta been one tough pig to take EIGHT hits from a 50 calibre handgun . . . . musta been one tough kid to fire it NINE times!!

After reading about YOUR adventures (MISadventures?) with the new boat, it's sure made me happy I can't afford one!! What happens if some poor sap like me, with no 'fixing' skills, and no place to 'fix' it anyway, gets what you got? I can see this craft being ready just in time for Thanksgiving if I got it! I'm sure you'll be very apprehensive, even after you get everything ship-shape .. . . . just wondering what else could go wrong? I sure hope ya get SOME enjoyment out of it before the end of the boating season!

Best one I've heard in ages, the sad part is . . . . there are likely plenty of people out there that would fall for this!! I can't believe he (the DJ) passed up on selling her a few cubic feet of 'tire air' though!

Ah h h h h . . . . the feel of a big fish with plenty of power, on the receiving end of your line!! I certainly takes a lotta skill to keep a big one on light gear like that for 40 minutes, even if ya can't land 'im!! I've had 'em hit & take off on 'free spool' for at least 50' BEFORE I even got the rod off the pod, then peel 200+' of line out before I could get 'em stopped, with the massive carp rod & reel I use! The pulling power these guys have is awesome! I wonder just how many 'carp converts' there are on this board now . . . . . a lot more than about 4 years ago I'll bet! Long live the 'lowly' carp!! Just headed for beautiful Hammie Harbour this mornin,' to try to get rid of the skunk smell!

The only place I've found up your way is in the Holland, where you can get access to the water or the Beaver. I fished out at the mouth of the Beaver, TWICE, all day, a couple years ago, saw lotsa carp in the river, laid out POUNDS of corn . . .. they wouldn't touch it!! They tend to be very suspicious of anything they've never been introduced to . . . . if a person had the time, and was close enough to a spot like that, and 'chummed' the area heavily for a few days, they'd get fish. I did this in one of the eastern tribs 3 years ago . . . always saw LOTSA carp . . . couldn't induce 'em to hit ANYTHING, on the advice of an English pal, I 'chummed' the area heavily for about 10 days . . . . my next trip produced 7 fish, ALL over 20 pounds, with the best being over 30! I KNOW Simcoe is LOADED with carp, it's the UNavailability of legal parking, and shore access that keeps me away. Then, by mid June, it's weeded in so thick you need a winch to get your hook and line back in! But . . . . ANY hints (P M) at fishable shore spots is highly appreciated!

Carp USUALLY don't spawn till the water temps hit the mid 60's . . . . what you are mostly seeing right now is just 'porpoising,' or playing around & feeding. The more jumping activity you see, the less hitting they do. I find (when possible) if you pepper the area you're gonna fish, the evening before, with 5 to 10 pounds of maise, then a bit more in the morning before you start fishing, you'd have a hungry crowd attracted in! You DO require a good sling-shot for this! Here is a great site for you to choose from . . . http://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/catalog/pro...products_id=191, although SOME tackle shops here have one or 2, they tend to be cheaper models, but quite over-priced! To check out other ones, just punch in 'particle pults' to 'GOOGLE,' you'll see dozens! The British are the only ones who make REALLY good ones!

Well, I KNOW where I'm goin' Saturday mornin'! That's one beauty fish . . . . is the water warm enough where you were for them to put up a good scrap yet? I've seen about a dozen caught in the last month . . . . most gave one good run, and came in . . . . . they're a bit lethargic in the cold water!

Yeah h h h h . . . . . the more fished a spot is, the craftier the carp get . . . . . they're still there, but are much more careful what they slurp up! Even my fave hole up in Peterpatch isn't producing much! Next week I'm off so I'll hit ALL the spots that aren't seeing much action.

I generally boil about 4 liters of maize for about 15 minutes, with 2 packets of strawberry Koolaid & a 100 ml. bottle of anise extract. Then I pour the whole mess into a 20 liter bucket, add about another 6 liters of boiling water (it soaks up a lotta water) and leave it sit and soak a day or 2. I then pour off the 'juice' and fill a couple containers with the slightly softened maize. I then mix (dry) in a seperate bucket, (5 gallon) equal amounts of 'chicken scratch,' coarse birdseed, pig chop, dry molasses, linseed oil meal, and calf starter. Transfer back & forth between 2 buckets to make sure it's well mixed. When you get to your fishing hole, transfer enough to ALMOST fill a smaller container, (5 liter about perfect) then start adding just enough breadcrumbs & 'corn juice,' as you mix thoroughly by hand to make it 'bind' together. When you can pack a ball of this groundbait that will stay on a feeder, toss on in the water where you can see it, it SHOULD 'melt' into a little mound in about 3 - 5 minutes. If it doesn't, add a bit more dry molasses. It should stay put on a feeder when it hits the water, and sinks to bottom, THEN 'melt' off into a l'il mound of 'carp yummies,' which Mr. Carp will suck up with your hair rig & maize!! This is ONLY a start, there are literally dozens of different variations of 'secret' ingredients, which most will work at one time or another. The hard corn (maize) is best because even the gobies won't touch it, but will quickly strip your hook of soft baits in seconds! Plus . . . it costs under $10.00 at most farm animal feed co-ops . . . . for 40 kilos! For this you do require a 'bait needle' & a 'hair rig.' Here is an excellent Canadian carping site . . . http://www.geocities.com/carpsava/content.html

Hm m m m m m ?? The one I missed Saturday musta been about that size?

Yeah h h h . . . . I THINK I know most of the rules . . . . . but those dopey carp just won't follow 'em! P. S. I got a 7'+ / 80 to 90 pounder that it took THREE of us to get out of the water today though!! Unfortunately it was an ol' deadhead log, didn't fight much!

Has Crappy tire still got those $29.95 rod & reel combo 'SPECIALS' on? When a little kid hooks onto a big carp using a 5' panfish rod, 6 pound line & a worm (the hook pulled out after about 10 minutes) and I can't even get a nudge, on all the best gear & a groundbait (chum) recipe it takes an hour to mix, I think it's time to take up fishing sunfish & rock bass! I've been out 7 times on the 'carp trail,', had ONE fish on, and countless line 'twitches' & 'bumps,' and had people on BOTH sides of me catchin,' but for me . . . .. NOODNIK! I'm just on my way back to the Credit this mornin' (the 'regulars' report NO fish caught fron Wednesday on last week,) where MikeH & I showed up about 10:30 yesterday, NOT A CARP ANGLER IN SIGHT!? (Anybody else want drop over & outfish me too?) Eventually a few showed up, and landed 3 fish . . . . a far cry from previous years where it seemed there was always somebody yelling "FISH ON!" It would seem many of the members here, whether targeting carp or not, are catchin' 'em? How's the catchin' on ALL species in general this year so far? Anybody else gettin' shut right out?