Road Trip Carping - Aug 14-17

[MJL]

It was last week my dad and I confirmed our camping trip to the Long Sault parkway for Aug 14-17. Neither of us had ever fished that particular stretch of the St. Lawrence before. We read great things about that location from other people and the fact that both of us were free this week we were up for trying it out.

 

July/August usually is a hit or miss time of the year for carp and some of the locals had mentioned that the fishing was on/off with little in the way of big fish being caught (30-40lb). The few reports that we managed to find on the net weren’t overly positive…Then again…You can’t catch fish sitting on a lazy boy in front of the TV.

 

Sunday/Monday

I prepped the bait, spooled the reels with 50lb Power Pro, organized various rig components into small plastic boxes for convenience and portability, etc. I had reels, swingers, hook packs, tubing packs, swivels and various leads ranging from 1/2oz to 4oz laid out on the treadmill (my makeshift table).

 

Maize soaking in buckets… Not knowing how many spots we needed to try before we hit fish or the number and size of fish currently in the system, I had 40lbs of maize soaked for 48hrs and boiled for 20min…Needless to say it was a late night for me.

 

A few of the leads we brought with us

 

The baiting tools of choice.

 

Spods

 

Sling shot with 10lbs of boillies

 

Baiting needles and drills

 

My dad made the menu and took care of the other non-fishing related things associated with camping.

 

Tuesday

 

Woke up at 4:45am and left the house at 6:15am with a fully packed car - Probably over packed by most standards.

 

We arrived at the Long Sault parkway at 10:15am and scouted the park by driving around the various islands. Looking at our campsite we found out that it was unsuitable for fishing…There was a massive expanse of weeds as far as the eye could see in very shallow water. I took the canoe out + fish finder and couldn’t find water that was more than 3ft deep. Fish at this time of year usually retreat to deeper waters. There was also very little in the way of a bank we could set up our gear or safely land fish (For both us and the fish)…Back to scouting.

 

We finally found 1 vacant campsite that looked promising. I took the canoe out and turned on the fish-finder. The water looked great on the screen and so we booked the site…BIG MISTAKE…The bottom was quite level however it was thick very dense weeds that covered it – I should’ve plumbed around with a marker float first (I jumped the gun on that one). I spent an hour trying to find the open 4ft by 4ft patch which I managed to hit once in every 30 casts (50 yards out from shore) …I walked over to another site down the road and saw another angler fishing for carp. He was getting a few fish and invited us to fish in the neighbouring campsite – We booked it fast and so we were set.

 

We set up our gear. The angler that tipped us on the site happened to be none other than Lakeview carping regular, Denis. He was doing alright hooking into fish but he was losing quite a lot of them to the zebra mussels with 50 and 100lb test PowerPro…I wondered how we would fare during the trip with only 50lb PowerPro – We had a spare spool of 65lb if need be.

 

The view from our campsite

 

I baited up the swim with maize and method mix and within 10 minutes I got my first fish of the trip. Not very big but the fight was unbelievable for a fish that size.

 

Through the rest of the remaining afternoon and early evening I managed to bank a total of 9 fish from 13lbs and under (losing only 1 to a hook pull) and my dad landed 4 about the same size (losing 1 fish to a very sharp zebra mussel which sliced through the hair rig – also 50lb PowerPro).

 

Then night came…While my dad and Denis opted for sleep, I chose to fish through the night…Glad I did

 

One comes to net

 

Final result is a tiddler but you wouldn’t know it judging by the great tussle it put up.

 

During the night I managed to hook onto something different. Very strong with very sharp head shakes. Also short blistering runs with a lot of rolling…I knew I didn’t hook into a carp. It turns out to be my PB channel cat which fell for 5 pieces of maize on a hair.

 

Conditions weren't the greatest to be fishing in...I spent the night in cool gusting winds (to about 40km) and on/off rain while sitting on my bait-bucket - I was worried that my lawn chair would've blown into the river (which it has in the past)…Doing an all nighter sitting on a bucket is probably something I won’t be doing again for a while – my back is still a little sore. All I can say is Gore-tex kept my @$$ dry

 

My final tally for the night between 11pm and 4am was 10 carp, 3 bullheads and 1 channel cat. I didn’t feel tired at all…Coffee puts me to sleep so it was pure adrenaline and concentration keeping me up. The raccoons kept me occupied with their attempts at getting into my bait buckets…Sneaky devils they are.

 

Wednesday

 

Dawn breaks and sunlight pops through the clouds. At 6:30am after a short 2hr lull in the action, I’m back into a fish (Donning waders, the air temperature was too chilly for shorts and sandals)

 

 

During the night the winds pushed a floating mass of weeds by shore and I had to change my pod setup with the rod tips pointing skywards to get over them. We weren’t having problems with the zebra mussels but that setup also helped to avoid the problem of cutoffs – You can keep much of your line off the bottom away from the zebra mussels. For the euro-tackle techies, I swapped the front legs for long banksticks.

 

 

We also had our share of furry visitors

 

This one eating our maize

 

This one making love to our water bottle

 

A non-furry visitor (well mostly)…This chap swung by our campsite. He and his father were day-tripping around the park looking for carp without much luck. My rod went off and I let him at it. A nice clean fish that took him down river before it was banked.

 

 

The action died around 9pm and being more than satisfied with the fishing I opted to retire to the tent. My dad and Dennis did the same (they are old and tired anyway)

 

Thursday

 

Glint of sunlight through the clouds

 

Woke up at 6am and casted my line in. Within minutes my alarm indicates that I have a super charged carp at the end of my line. Notice the size of the tail in proportion to the rest of its body. It’s not hard to see where they get all of their power from.

 

My dad with his biggest of the trip at around 17lbs – He hates touching carp

 

Our lunch for the day – To think like a carp, you must eat like a carp

 

The action died down mid-morning and after lunch my dad and I left to check out the carp shop at the Long Sault motel. Jeff Vaughn is the owner and has setup a great operation, The Canadian Carp Club. If you’re into carp and need specialty tackle, he is one great source. You can visit his web-site at:

http://www.canadiancarpclub.on.ca/

and

http://www.longsaultmotel.com/

 

His carp shop is about the size of a small motel room but as Dennis put it, “it is an Aladdin’s cave of carp goodies.” I picked up a few hard to get items like marker floats, jumbo corn, tubing threaders, rubber corn + other bits and bobs of stuff.

 

In the afternoon, the skies turned dark with the ominous signs of a stormy hell approaching. We took cover in our car from the lightning, torrential downpour and the hail.

 

The ground was literally covered in hail the size of golf balls and smaller. At times the rain was coming down so hard we couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of us. We were lucky to have stashed all of our gear in the trunk before the onslaught hit us. It was the worst storm I have ever been in…There are a few small dents on our car. A small tree branch also fell on our car but luckily there was no damage.

 

 

But as soon as the storm passed…

 

We were greeted by a beautiful sky

 

A beautiful moment

 

A beautiful fish

 

Although the fishing was slow most of the day, it challenged us to switch up our tactics and try new things. We noticed that fish were rolling 80 to 90 yards from shore. While the tackle that I brought with me wasn’t designed to throw long distances (2.5 and 2.75lb test curve rods) I did manage to hit those distances after a few minutes of practice and trying out a few techniques like pendulum casting. I was able to hit the sweet spot 1 out of every 3 attempts. I must say, I am a perfectionist when it comes to presentation and each cast that didn’t hit the mark was quickly re-casted, sometimes with the result of fish taking the bait even before it hit bottom. My dad with a bad shoulder couldn’t hit close to those distances so I did the casting and spodding…Needless to say spodding and distance casting takes a lot out of you and my shoulder is now feeling it.

 

Spodding equipment used

- Greys spod rod

- Daiwa Emcast 5000 Big-pit

- 50lb Tuffline XP

- FOX big spod

I wouldn’t recommend using a large spod with anything under a 2.75lb test curve (3 is better, 3.5 even better, specialty spod rod is best)

 

After all the hard work of baiting at 70-80 yards out, I was rewarded with the biggest fish of the trip. It was the only fish in the 20lb range we managed to land. It took 2 grains of maize with 1 piece of rubber corn.

 

 

Fish continued to hit through the night and I was treated with a few dozen brilliant shooting stars but fatigue started to catch up with me and I went to sleep satisfied.

 

Friday

 

We had to leave for home at 7am due to another engagement. I had a blast and my dad (who has never been camping in Canada for the 35+ years he’s been here) also had a great time camping and fishing. We must have landed around 40 fish in total between the 2 of us (I did manage to be the luckier one though ) but the numbers never really mattered. I enjoyed the experience of battling the hardest fighting carp that I have ever come across in Ontario. I also had much fun fishing with Denis and his wife Marian both of whom are wonderful people. I must say if it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have had the results that I did this week. All in all it was a fun trip.

[007]

Wow - MJL. Now that's what you call a thorough report - what a way to make your 500th post on OFC. Thanks for sharing.

 

You're one serious carper with that kit. Looks like you caught some good fighters if not the big one you were after.

 

Congrats on the PB Channel Cat - What did it weigh?

 

007

[BFSC Kevin]

geez, from the beginning of your report, i would've thought that you getting ready for a war or something..

great report!!

 

kevin

[SlowPoke]

Great report and pictures! Thanks for taking the time to share.

-Brian

[redx]

WOW lot of cool stuff! You even have a spod rod? WOW! i only seen that on a fox carp dvd! Now I must build my carp fishing items! ;;

 

Very nice fish! Must of been a blast!

[Gerritt]

Who would have thought... that a coarse fish would deserve that sort of report.... Man your hardcore! While I dont understand some peoples obsession with carp fishing... (No really I dont) I was a wicked report all the same!.. thanks for sharing it with us man...

 

Gerritt.

[fatherof3]

well writen report and pics,thanks for sharing

[sharper]

Amazing report MJL! very detail and exciting to read. I too enjoy carp fishing but have almost no idea where to start besides the fact that they like canned corn lol. We must go fishing sometime, I'm in the gta area as well. I never knew there were so many things needed for serious carp fishing.

[wolfville]

I could write a review as long as your report. but instead, I'll just sa -- two thumbs way up !!

[Victor]

that's totally sick man ... 3 straight days of carping. man i need to hit the lake sometime soon before i forget how to fish.

 

how's the new spod rod?

[Photoz]

WOW!! THAT is the best carping report I've seen yet . . . . ALMOST as good as actually being there. I was wondering where Dennis was fishing . . . . with Lakeview gone, and most other spots in the GTA & area hit & miss, I KNEW he'd have to get his 'fix' somewhere! I haven't been able to get out as much this year, other than a few REALLY good days up on the Otonabee & in Port Hope (18 & 10 fish respectively) I've had one here, a couple there, and a QUITE a few skunks! Some day I'd like to try the St. Lawrence . . . . . maybe NEXT YEAR? Amazing that the zebra mussels will cut THAT kinda line . . . . wouldn't be a good idea to wade in, barefoot to land a fish!!

[Greencoachdog]

Excellent report and pics!!!

[English]

As the others say MJL great report, last time I saw gear like that was from a group of Germans that did everything immaculately as you might expect. They turned up one day when we were fishing the river Lot in France and introduced themselves, seemed nice lads. I am sure they must have been military types as the way they did everything was awesome, the 5 of us could not believe how much gear they had and it was all in immaculate condition, seemed like they had 4 of everything.

 

Heres one to think about, you might like to consider using slightly different tactics, 50lb line will certainly put off a lot of fish and after all action is what it is all about. Even on the snaggiest waters 12lb was my max, not saying I am any good but I certainly hooked more fish than the others who were using thicker lines.

 

When we fish in France for some of the monsters that have seen a lot of pressure even taking into account you can loose lots of tackle to the rocks and mussels I used to let the fish run for a bit, sometimes they head for a snag and sometimes I believe they just sit there not sure what to do next?? after all they are hooked but may not know it as you arent trying to pull their head off yet. Then get into a dinghy, great fun with a mate rowing until you can get near it and then wind down on it and let it tow you round the lake for a bit, only another slightly different angle on an excellent hobby.

 

Not trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs like as you certainly know what you are doing.

 

Regards Clive

[mikeh]

Great report MJL. Nice of you to let the young lad reel the fish in , I bet he was really excited reeling it in.

[lazybum]

Sure was an enjoyable trip. There weren't much mosquitoes and flies but gees there were lots of spiders and they go everywhere. I'm sure they are crawling around in my garage now. The webs are so sturdy they could not be destroyed when I used the pressure washer to clean my car this morning.

 

While there I thought that Victor and Wolfville should have come along with us. You guys would have really enjoyed it too. There's always the next year.

[Beans]

AWesome report MJL...feels like I was right there with you...

 

Gerritt...if you get the chance to do some carp fishing do so...nothing like 20 lbs of angry carp pulling on your string...especially that first 100 ft plus run with your drag screaming...sure gets the old adreneline flowing...

Edited August 18, 2007 by Beans

[Golfisher]

Best carping report, ever!

[Moosebunk]

Super report dude. The only carp I ever caught came from the same area. Great fishing for you and your pops.

[canadianguy33]

HA! great report! I'm learning so much.

 

I just did some searching and found out what the spods were for, and now I'm wondering what the slingshot and syringes do? I'd love it if you or someone else wouldn't mind explaining carp fishing a little as I've never caught one before, but I'd like to try.

[MJL]

Congrats on the PB Channel Cat - What did it weigh?

 

007

 

I didn’t put it on a set of scales but it felt like it was around the 10lb neighbourhood (at least compared to the 10lb dumbbell I have in my room). It was surprisingly dense for a fish that fat. It loved the maize so much, I could barely open its mouth to get the hook out. My former PB was a 2lber caught last year at Hamilton harbour.

 

Heres one to think about, you might like to consider using slightly different tactics, 50lb line will certainly put off a lot of fish and after all action is what it is all about. Even on the snaggiest waters 12lb was my max, not saying I am any good but I certainly hooked more fish than the others who were using thicker lines.

 

When we fish in France for some of the monsters that have seen a lot of pressure even taking into account you can loose lots of tackle to the rocks and mussels I used to let the fish run for a bit, sometimes they head for a snag and sometimes I believe they just sit there not sure what to do next?? after all they are hooked but may not know it as you arent trying to pull their head off yet. Then get into a dinghy, great fun with a mate rowing until you can get near it and then wind down on it and let it tow you round the lake for a bit, only another slightly different angle on an excellent hobby.

 

Not trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs like as you certainly know what you are doing.

 

Regards Clive

 

That’s some good advice Clive. I firmly believe that carp can become educated quickly and can spot rigs if they aren’t presented well. I do a lot of stalking and see carp do things that most wouldn’t believe. I personally use 12lb mono/copolymer/hybrid lines for about 90% of my carp fishing. I usually bump up to 15lb if I’m having slight problems with zebra mussels. It was on the recommendation from most the carp guides that work the St. Lawrence (like Jeff Vaughn, Paul Hunt, Tessa Bowling, Bernie Haines + a few others) to use braid/superlines in the 50+lb range (some recommended snag leaders up to 120+lb braid). Jeff Vaughn uses 80lb PowerPro throughout. The 50lb PowerPro that I was using has the same diameter as 12lb mono. I did get cut-off twice during the trip and lost everything, but it was most likely my fault for not checking the line before casting out.

 

The tip about letting them run was spot on. Dennis who firmly believed in the lock and hold method got cut-off more often than the number he landed. I let my fish run till they stopped or at least till they slowed down and I applied enough pressure to turn them. The thing about fishing the St. Lawrence was locating the underwater shelves and plateaus and making sure you knew where each was so that you could steer the fish (hopefully) away from the steep zebra mussel covered ledges – The area we were fishing at distance dropped from 35ft to 77ft in a matter of just a few feet.

 

 

how's the new spod rod?

 

Slim, sexy and very powerful...Sort of reminds me of myself

 

 

Who would have thought... that a coarse fish would deserve that sort of report.... Man your hardcore! While I dont understand some peoples obsession with carp fishing... (No really I dont) I was a wicked report all the same!.. thanks for sharing it with us man...

 

Gerritt.

 

As far as fishing for carp over “gamefish”, it’s what I’ve been doing most of my life (I do fish for steelhead the rest of the year). I got bit by the carp bug as a 5yr old at the local m.a.r.s.h and never looked back to panfish and bass (though once in a while I do put on a worm and fish for them). The fact that they can be caught using various techniques is the reason why I like them so much. You can be stalking around the margins, fly fishing on shallow flats, using float and match tackle, top water fishing with floating dog food and bread, plunking down and sitting in the shade when it gets hot, etc. For shore anglers, they provide an excellent opportunity to catch big fish throughout the spring/summer/fall without requiring a boat + motor + trailer. For kids (And basically anyone in general), they are an easily accessible species to catch because of their widespread nature across the province – There’s no need to drive 2+hrs from the city to catch fish as large as 60lbs in some areas (Yes 60+lbers have been recorded in this province). You can make carp fishing as easy or as complicated as you want although a snoopy rod might only be suitable for smaller fish (There are a few Snoopy rod junkies out there that would disagree).

 

As far as being a Carp junky goes…Don’t worry, most of my friends still don’t understand – Then again they have yet to catch a big carp…We all have different things we live for in life. Different strokes for different folks…I always thought the people who fished for bass were a little strange, passing on the chance to catch a 30lb fish.

Edited August 18, 2007 by MJL

[MJL]

HA! great report! I'm learning so much.

 

I just did some searching and found out what the spods were for, and now I'm wondering what the slingshot and syringes do? I'd love it if you or someone else wouldn't mind explaining carp fishing a little as I've never caught one before, but I'd like to try.

 

The sling shot is used for getting bait (like corn, boillies, carp pellets, etc) into the water.

 

As far as the baiting needle goes, I just googled up the term "hair rig" and found this link:

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/Rig-Section/Ca...tless_Knot.html

[canadianguy33]

Thanks for the info MJL. I'm definitely going to give carp fishing a serious go. Last year I went out and got some Berkley carp bait, put it on the hook and threw my line in with no luck. Surprise, surprise lol

[Mike the Pike]

Way to go MJL I wish I had of known you were going there I would have given you 2 of Long-Saults finest shore carp fishing spots.from the looks of your pics you were camping at millroches campground.I frequently camp in Long-Sault although I don't target carp I have caught some decent ones while fishing for walleye.Next time you go let me know.I know some real hot spots.MTP

[ccmtcanada]

ACK!!! How did I miss this report???

 

First, let me say, when you go on a trip like this, at least put a little effort into the report....geez!!! LOL

 

Wow...what an amazing account of your trip! The effort you put into everything from the prep, the scouting of locations and your perseverence through weather and lack of sleep certainly pays off with your results! Some awesome pictures and good on you letting the little guy reel a carp in. Great pictures to go with the report as well! I haven't gone out targeting carp in a while, but once they come back in, I'll give it another try.

 

Thanks for the effort of this report....it was AMAZING!

[tonyb]

Here is another report from the exact same site a week earlier

 

Finally! After a couple of months of tracking down and purchasing my own modern Carp gear I was able to put it all to the test at the World famous Carp grounds of Long Sault. You won't see too many signs like this around here, out east in the Long Sault region, Carp anglers are....well...

 

 

A BIG! Thanks to Phil (Big-o) for taking the bull by the horns and organizing this weekend, I had an awesome time and managed to catch a few fish and even less sleep over the weekend. Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye on Saturday night...and you can pick up your bait needle and giant corn from Jeff at the motel...

 

Anyway...back to the report...

 

I had a brutal day on Friday and after spending about 10hrs in the car we arrived at the campground around 1am Saturday. When Jonny (my buddy) and I got to the site Phil and Goran (Uncle Buck) were already set-up and had managed a couple of fish. Time to get set-up and settle in for the evening...err morning fish

 

It wasn't long after the introductions and a cold beer that the first was landed, weighed, documented and photo'd

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the night was fairly slow and by early morning Phil had decided to pack up and head across to fish from the causeway...He's way over there in the middle of the picture...

 

 

The sunrise came sooner than expected and fortunately I had the swim all to myself.

 

 

The other 'pups' had decided to get some beauty rest and unfortunately they missed a pretty hot morning of fishing...ouch

 

"Sleep when you're dead!" right Phil?

 

Quick Tip #1 - When using Baitrunner reels - ALWAYS check the correct position of the baitrunner switch, and make sure it is ON when you walk away from the rod!

 

Incorrect

 

 

Vs.

 

Correct

 

 

So here is the morning summary, I should have tried the self-timer as Phil reminded me later...Some small ones I just unhooked at the shore with the forceps, but I think I was 6/8 by the time the ladies awoke.

 

My new Pod, Rod, Reel and Alarms in action...

 

 

Fish!

 

 

 

 

Free Willy! This was my biggest of the weekend, 22.2lb

 

 

 

 

After taking a break I come back to the site to witness something strange occurring down by the water...here are the pictures, you can form your own conclusions...

 

 

 

Is he pulling up his pants? I knew I saw Jonny's eyes light up after Goran informed us that he enjoys the odd pedicure!

 

Back to fishing...

 

 

And lots of relaxing...Carp fishing has got to be the most relaxing form of fishing. Cold beer, food, and the odd fish to add to a great social style of fishing, you gotta love it!

 

 

Uncle Buck doing the honours...

 

 

 

Some battle shots...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continued...