Carp fishing

[Mike Pike]

....and caught 5 but lost at least 12 due to poor hookups. We had many hits only to see them steal my bait which was evident by the bare hook when I reeled in.

I have a new idea on baiting my hook and am looking forward to trying it out in a few weeks to see if I can get a better hook up percentage.

Hey Wantabigone, I'm wondering if you've tried using the famous 'hair rig' for carp. It's a staple for many situations. Look it up on-line. It's pretty simple to tie and might help you with your hook up percentage.

[Beans]

Hey Wantabigone, I'm wondering if you've tried using the famous 'hair rig' for carp. It's a staple for many situations. Look it up on-line. It's pretty simple to tie and might help you with your hook up percentage.

 

A straightened out jig makes an ok baiting needle to put the bait on the "hair" and a bit of a blade of grass can be a "stopper"...

 

 

 

[Beans]

And another fishing report gets ruined.

 

So sad.

 

Amen Lew !!!

 

 

 

[wantabigone]

I tried the hair rig with little success. I am guessing my bait was not being held securely below the hook. After my 3 boys with me caught 5 fish I switched over to my treble hook. Now that I have thought more about my experience I have a new idea to attach the bait below the single hook. I am thinking of tieing a small amount of styrofoam below the hook and to use that to anchor and float the bait off the ground. I may try this on the weekend. My boys are already asking when we can go again. Now to decide do we go back to the place in London for the numbers or do we try other areas for bigger carp? decisions decisions.

 

Oh, I need to find out where to buy real grits (not cornmeal)

[Warthaug]

Finally wet a line this warm season with my 2 boys. We fished for carp in London and had a blast. We caught dozens in the 5-12 pound range. My youngest son (age 7) and I stayed upriver and caught 5 but lost at least 12 due to poor hookups. We had many hits only to see them steal my bait which was evident by the bare hook when I reeled in.

 

Sounds awesome - SWMBO'd and I were hoping to do a bit of fishing on Monday (the holiday) in London. We're new (to London), so we're not 100% what to try. I don't suppose you' care to share what you use to catch carp? I've never tried before, and have no clue as how to do it...I was planning on just dragging some spinners through the water, but considering pickerel are off-season (and apparently in the Thames - I never would have expected that), I'm thinking that may not be such a good idea...

 

Bryan

[wildeye rainbow]

Hey Warthaug,

 

the pickeral and pike season opens up again on the London Thames on the second Saturday in May - that was last Saturday. There are resident walleye and pike throughout this part of the Thames. There should be silver bass coming up the Thames soon - you can nail them with silver Mepps.

 

WR

[Warthaug]

Hey Warthaug,

 

the pickeral and pike season opens up again on the London Thames on the second Saturday in May - that was last Saturday. There are resident walleye and pike throughout this part of the Thames. There should be silver bass coming up the Thames soon - you can nail them with silver Mepps.

 

WR

Oops, mis-read the regs; its bass that are still off-limits. I've got a few mepps-style spinners in my kit; we'll definitely give them a go. I'd still like to try carp though; sounds like they're a good fight..

 

Bryan

[jigsnreels]

Sounds awesome - SWMBO'd and I were hoping to do a bit of fishing on Monday (the holiday) in London. We're new (to London), so we're not 100% what to try. I don't suppose you' care to share what you use to catch carp?

 

A bit of bread on a hook works fine for me. Throw on a split shot for weight and a bobber and you're good to go.

[Warthaug]

A bit of bread on a hook works fine for me. Throw on a split shot for weight and a bobber and you're good to go.

That sounds easy - I'll give it a go. I've been reading some older posts here and it sounds like a lot of people throw some corn onto the water around their line - corn + bread...if I don't catch fish, at least I'l have lunch!

 

Bryan

[Dontcryformejanhrdina]

I saw lots of carp swimming around while fishing mon and yesterday, very spooky fish, would like to give them a try eventually for the fight.

 

 

 

I was throwing a husky jerk for pike, and I caught a few pike (and a tiny tiger musky), a walleye, and quite a few bass, both LM and SM. I caught more bass than pike because, well, there's more of them. Does that mean I can't be throwing baits shallow among rocks/weeds because I could very likely catch a bass too?

 

 

Before monday I caught all of my pike on a musky rod. I fished zone 17 for pike earlier this year while bass, musky and walleye were closed, so I used small musky baits that have done well for me in the past for pike, not wanting to catch walleye or bass plus I have confidence in catching pike on musky gear. I had 2 pike follow but caught a musky instead, so I stopped using musky gear until June, especially since the lake I just fished in has a large population of musky. But now using smaller "bass" lures, I caught many bass and even a tiger musky, in the same areas I caught pike and walleye. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, I guess.

[wantabigone]

waurthog- I sent you a PM.

[Warthaug]

I was throwing a husky jerk for pike, and I caught a few pike (and a tiny tiger musky), a walleye, and quite a few bass, both LM and SM. I caught more bass than pike because, well, there's more of them. Does that mean I can't be throwing baits shallow among rocks/weeds because I could very likely catch a bass too?

This is one part of the regs I've never been clear on - I know you're not allowed to target out-of-season fish, but quite often methods for targeting one species of fish are identical to that for another (i.e. bass & pike). Assuming one species is in season, would MNR still nail me for "targeting" the off-season species? Hell, up at the in-laws cottage you'll catch pickerel, pike, smallies, lakers (if you're lucky) and even whitefish dragging a worm through the same damned channel...

 

Bryan

 

PS: thanx everyone who PM'd me about the carp. I'm super-excited now!

Edited May 17, 2012 by Warthaug

[Beans]

 

 

Bryan

 

PS: thanx everyone who PM'd me about the carp. I'm super-excited now!

 

 

If you think you are excited now, just wait until you hook-up with 20 lbs of angry carp on the end of your line !!!

 

I still shake like a leaf afterwards...

 

One of the reasons I usually have half a dozen hair rigs tied in advance in case I break the hair during the unhooking procedure...

 

 

[jigsnreels]

This is one part of the regs I've never been clear on - I know you're not allowed to target out-of-season fish, but quite often methods for targeting one species of fish are identical to that for another (i.e. bass & pike). Assuming one species is in season, would MNR still nail me for "targeting" the off-season species? Hell, up at the in-laws cottage you'll catch pickerel, pike, smallies, lakers (if you're lucky) and even whitefish dragging a worm through the same damned channel...

 

Bryan

 

PS: thanx everyone who PM'd me about the carp. I'm super-excited now!

 

I haven't spoken to many MNR officers (never even seen one in the London area, although I have heard of them doing checks up at Fanshawe occasionally), but the few I have chatted with seemed pretty reasonable - and also very knowledgable about their "beats." I'm sure they'll have a pretty good idea about what you're going for just by the location you're fishing in and the setup you're using. For example, if you're fishing Pond Mills for "crappie" and you just happen to pull out a fat bucketmouth on a 7" plastic worm, you might get a talking-to...