north american
CARP ANGLER
2019 Q4
IN THIS ISSUE: L AT E S T C A G N E W S TOURNAMENTS AND COMPETITIONS REVIEWS AND WRITE-UPS; I N C L U D I N G C C C , FA L L B I G 4 AND DISCOVERY MONTH F E AT U R E A RT I C L E FROM WORLD RENOWNED CARP ANGLER STEVE BRIGGS
www.joincag.com
As always we rely on our members contri-
butions and I want to thank everyone; both
past and present who has contributed to
this magazine over the years. Without your input the magazine would cease to exist.
The last online NACA of 2019 sees a
bumper edition with a number of tourna-
ment reviews, several articles and a few
events to look forward to in the new-year. This year saw the CCC return to the Chi-
Hope you all enjoy this edition and as al-
ways, if anyone would like to contribute; please send any communications or materials to naca@carpanglersgroup.com
Dean Brookes
Editor in Chief
cago area and although the weather and conditions did not cooperate the attendees
had a great time. The always popular Big 4
saw some excellent fish captured through-
out the country and once again the competition was fierce. A couple of highlights in this issue include a wonderful Discovery
article from Jerome Moisand who travels
each year and captures it for us to all enjoy. We also have Part 2 of my own Italian
adventure with ‘Place of Dreams’. Finally
we feature the famous globetrotting carper, Steve Briggs who has kindly allowed us to re-publish his Dale Hollow success.
One area we would like to highlight is our
ongoing search for volunteers within CAG. Our current President, Iain Sorrell has reached the end of his term and we also
have spots available on the Board of Directors. Anyone who would like to be involved
or has interest, please reach out as CAG only runs due to the generous amount of time our volunteers donate.
On the cover: Blake Carlson with a 32lb 8oz fantail carp from the CT River. Photo credit: Edwin Stackhouse
Letter from CAG president Winter seems to have come early to many areas this year! While most folk have already packed away their carp gear there are still a few hardy souls who will brave freezing conditions to continue fishing throughout the winter. In other areas, where the summer months are unbearably hot, fishing for carp and buffalo in the coming months is often at its best. The past couple of weeks have seen some unseasonably artic conditions that sealed the lid on many waters here in New England and sadly stalled my own late Fall fishing. I’m still hoping for the occasional warm day to get me out on the water to try some feeder fishing in a couple of rivers. 2019 has been another busy year for CAG. Our membership growth continues to be positive together with over 4,000 people on our Facebook page. Traditional events like the First Fishing Folly along with the Spring & Fall Big 4 Events were all well subscribed and we had another successful North American Carp Conference featuring top line US vendors and a ‘live link’ with carp legend Steve Briggs. In July CAG supported the 17th St Lawrence Junior Tournament & in September we saw a return to Chicago for the 2019 CCC and the start of Discovery Month. My term as President is now complete and we continue to look for someone to take over the helm. As a not-for-profit organization CAG remains, as it has done over its 26 year history, dedicated to introducing people to catch & release carp fishing throughout North America and spearheading efforts to protect trophy carp. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to fish over the winter months I’d encourage everyone to get together to share the memories and experiences from the past season or why not try set up clinics to teach rig tying & other skills to newcomers? My thanks to all our Members, State Chairs, fellow Directors and everyone who has helped CAG over the past year. Wishing you all Peace & Happiness for the Holidays and tight lines in 2020 Tight Lines!
Iain Sorrell
President
North American Carp Angler
3
Conte n ts
CAG big 4 Results
PLACE OF DREAMS PART II
CCC 2019
Discovery Month winners
Page 6 Page 12 Page 34 Page 41 Page 44
Remote Blackstone River The American Dream
Page 57 Page 63
CAG Membership drive 2019
Page 75
Feder fishing in the US
Page 76
Rigs: Basics Georgia Fish inp CT Carp Open Tournament review
Page 81 Page 86 Page 90
BLAZE FEEDERS
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Results This year the Fall Big 4 returned and once again we had great participation throughout many states. Below are the results and pictures. Well done to everyone who participated and logged fish. The Big 4 Winners:
CAG BIG 4 TOP 10 Kody Clayton – 139lb 1oz
Jerome Moisand – 141lb
Sean Clayton – 137lb 6oz
Chris Colemenero – 112lb North American Carp Angler
7
Blayne Beeler – 107lb 15oz
Todd Richer – 106lb 11oz
Tom Schulten – 98lb 2oz
Dave Pickering – 97lb 14oz
Iain Sorrell – 94lb 13oz
Michael Chancer – 94lb 4oz
BIG FISH WINNERS Big Common Big Mirror
Kody Clayton
43lb 8oz
Sean Clayton
30lb 12oz
REGIONAL WINNERS Region 1
Jerome Moisand
Region 2
David Simacek
Region 3
Chris Colemenero North American Carp Angler
9
Regions
R1 ME, NH, VT, CT, RI, NY, NJ, WV, VA, DC, DE, PA R2 ND, SD, NB, KS, MN, IA, MO, WI, IL, MI, IN, KY, OH R3 TN, NC, SC, GA, TX, MS, OK, LA, FL, AR, AL R4 WA, OR, CA, NV, NM, CO, WY, ID, AZ, MT, UT R5 Canada, Mexico
Featuring ‘The Big Plated’
© 2016 Dovetail Games, a trading name of RailSimulator.com Limited (“DTG”). All rights reserved. “Dovetail Games” is a registered trademark of Dovetail Games Limited. Unreal® Engine, copyright 1998-2016 Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Unreal® is a registered trademark of Epic Games. All other copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Developed and published by DTG
North American Carp Angler
11
PLACE OF DREAMS PART TWO – Return to paradise
SEPTEMBER 2019 RETURN – STICKING TO YOUR GUNS
By Dean Brookes
Plans were made, flights, hotels and rental cars were booked and myself and Iain Sorrell were looking forward to a return to Parco. I’d had a very busy year with work and hardly fished so I was most certainly looking forward to a week of Italian sun and hopefully a few fish.
Having fished many times with Iain we had similar ideas as to bait and once again we ordered a host of Spotted Fin products. This time we went with a fishmeal boilie (Smokey Jack Tuna) as the water was much warmer and again we went with a few liquids (tuna and a particle syrup) along with some stick mixes and a few bags of hemp. To this we would also purchase a couple of sacks of fish-
Flying from Boston to Venice, via Madrid
meal pellet (2mm and 6mm) from Parco directly as well as getting several cans of tuna fish and sweetcorn to add to the mix. Bait choice was easy with a range of Spotted Fin products and also liberal use of the pellets
The bait was mailed directly to the lake this time, making it easier and we also visited a local tackle shop prior to the first day which was well stocked and in future will make things easier in terms of what we bring across on the plane. At Parco, you can also purchase food, drinks and some basic tackle items but having a rental car was a massive improvement on the previous year.
North American Carp Angler
13
We arrived a day early and once through customs and in our rental car we made straight for the lake. The lake is fished all year and this week was no exception. A good walk around the lake chatting to the anglers was a couple of hours well spent as not only did we discover what had been caught it also gave us the chance to see several signs of fish. From our discussions the lake was fishing relatively slow as a few weeks previously a large number of fish had been caught. However, even though the numbers were low, as is the case with Parco, some massive fish had been banked; including several 50lb fish, a few 60’s and a massive 83lb common. We headed from the lake a short distance to the bed and breakfast we had booked and met up with several of the guys fishing with us on the same trip. Beers were drunk, food was eaten and many stories shared. It was a great start and exactly what these trips should be about. I have to say, all of the people on this particular trip were a pleasure to fish with and socialize.
Everyone wanted to help each other and celebrate each other’s success. I really look forward to seeing many of them again.
PEG DRAW AND FIRST PLANS MADE Knowing my own luck in peg draws I was not looking forward to this event. As Frank was arriving late and a couple of the anglers were stuck in traffic, Iain was tasked with the job of organizing everything. I mapped out a lake diagram and we put the pairs’ names into the hat. In all we had 18 anglers (9 pairs) and with 9 double swims available and well as several single swims there was plenty of scope for everyone. Myself and Iain had a least one preference in each area of the lake but if I’m being honest my heart was set on Peg 1. This area is a point and has lots of areas to fish to, as well as a sunken road. While I was sure there were more fish in front of west bank (Pegs 3-7) which would prove to be the case, I knew that Peg 1 was a big fish area. It also was next to Peg 22, which I wanted another crack at as well as the added benefit of being close to the club house, bathrooms, showers and WiFi. I was fairly certain I would stand ZERO chance of getting into the peg.
First
out
was
Shannon and Tel, who straight away went into a favorite area; Peg 17. Next out was Kilo and Chris who surprisingly
went
into Peg 7. Frank came out next and as he had both sons with him (Jamie and Guy) chose
a
couple
of double swims next to each other;
A map of the lake with Peg 1 being top of my list
Pegs 13 and 14. Adam and his dad were next out and as they were still travelling Frank would pick for them. Peg 1 was mentioned and I thought that was that, but as Adam’s first choice was Peg 16 that’s where they opted for. As we came out next I had no hesitations and Peg 1 was duly picked. To be fair I would have been happy in 3 or 4 of the remaining areas but I now had no one to blame it Peg 1 didn’t produce for Peg 1 sticks out into the lake and has an old sunken road
us.
as the main feature North American Carp Angler
15
The rest of the draw was a blur as I just wanted to get the gear down to the swim, decide on areas and then get some bait out into the water. As we were the first drop off with the gear we also got the pick of the crop,
with
new
bivvy’s, bed chairs and sleeping bags. Iain, starting the process of unpacking and getting the rods out I was also pleased that several of the items had been upgraded since November, with net nets, slings and decent chairs. We also received a bag of the onsite pellet which was a definite requirement as the fish absolutely love it.
PREPARATION AND DECISIONS
bance to the fish. In fact it’s a similar sound to the spomb hitting the water.
It’s very easy to rush around when fishing a lake like Parco Del Brenta. With numbers of big fish, you just want to get the rods in the water and fishing. Myself and Iain, being more seasoned (or older) restrained ourselves and the first thing we set up was the Deeper Pro. This is connected straight onto a spod rod and acts as a sonar with the phone being the receiver. Rather than casting a marker float through the water layers, the Deeper stay’s on the surface and in 14-24 feet of water (that’s the depth we had in front of us) was absolutely no distur-
An important modern aid which really does help to quickly map out a swim
We worked as a team and it took us about an hour or so to get a rough idea as to the depths and features we had in front of us. Basically, the point we were on was the end of an old road, which ran straight into the lake across to the opposite bank. The road itself created a plateau with the shallowest The Deeper Pro gives good depth images, shows week and also pings fish!
area being 6 feet deep and going down to around 10 ft at its deepest.
To the right of the road was Peg 20 and 21’s water and the left it dropped down to 14 f, before coming back up to 12 ft almost forming a second plateau. Straight off this 12 ft the lake dropped very steeply into 23 ft of water and stayed at that depth for the next 100 yards or so. Our margins were around 14 ft deep and dropped off again to the deeper areas. Iain was keen to fish on the left of the swim as he had several spots that he had discussed with other anglers and also had a bay to his left. On my own side I was happy to fish to the right as I had several depths to choose from. We would fish this way until Wednesday and then decide whether to swap sides or stay in position. We both agreed to bait up an area between us at around 50 yards as this was where the water reached the bottom of the drop-off. We didn’t put a ton of bait in to start, but over the next hour we spombed a bucket or so (around 5kg of bait) at the same distance over a 20 yard section. We’d also seen some fish on the sonar at this distance so it was a good starting point.
A mixture of boilies, pellets and corn to start off North American Carp Angler
17
FIRST BLOOD
although it appeared to have gone through a
them going into the middle of the bay to my
also found refuge there). I bought the fish back
I grabbed the rod and a fish was attached,
As we’d been spombing I’d lobbed a couple of rods out to likely looking areas, with one of right. I hadn’t put the rod on an alarm and after an hour or so I heard a rustle in the reeds and saw the rod hooped over.
snag (I later discovered this was most likely a large boulder on the lake bed as a large carp to the obstacle and after a couple of angle changes the line pinged free and shortly after I had a fish in the net. Not a carp, but a fish none the less and a species that was new to me, being a long nosed sturgeon.
Not the intended species but a lovely fish and a new species
Iain struck next with a couple of large channel cats (17lb and 19lb) which gave a good account of themselves. No one really knows how these fish got into Parco, as they are indigenous to America, but they are now there in numbers and go up to a fairly big size. Iain would only catch a couple more of these ‘nuisance’ fish, whereas I would go onto to catch over a dozen, with nearly all of them being between 20-29lb’s.
Nearly 30lb’s but definitely not happy catching catfish
It wasn’t until the next morning that Iain had
Typically, after a few minutes you know that
the first carp with a lovely looking upper 30lb
you are playing a catfish as they make quick
mirror on a pellet method ball. I proceeded to
runs and shake their head non-stop.
land a few more catfish, which kept the heart
Shortly before the evening drew in I was
rate high as they really do take off like a carp
happy enough with my first carp and although
and have some weight to them.
small by Parco standards it gave me the confidence I needed that at least one of the spots would be productive. On any trip, whether a few hours or several days long my primary goal is to land the first fish. Once this is done you can start to piece things together, but for the most part I try to work out what the fish are doing before I make any decisions that could negatively affect the session.
A small Parco mirror but my first of the trip
North American Carp Angler
19
GOAL ACHIEVED
was fishing and where we had baited. I mulled
a big Italian mirror, which I was lucky enough to
sunken road as this is where I thought the fish
On my first visit I had the main goal of catching achieve and although there are some monster carp in Parco my goal for this trip was not too ridiculous; mainly a 50lb + common. A second goal would be to up my overall PB and maybe even break the 60lb barrier but the common was a good aim and more than realistic as the lake help many in excess of this size. You can’t always determine what fish pick up your hook baits but you can try and stack the odds in your favor.
On the first night I was uneasy with where I things over in my mind and had a hunch that I needed to be 30 yards further out along the may be traveling across our area. As we hadn’t committed too much bait to the first area (maybe 8-10kg’s) I had a few casts with a lead and then went about the process of resetting all of my rods to the new distance and baiting with around 5kg of mixed boilies, pellets and corn on the new spots. This was all done between the hours of 12.00am and 4.00am and I’m sure Iain must have wondered what I was doing, but I knew I wouldn’t be happy until I was fishing effectively.
Regular baiting is a very effective method at Parco
I can never be unhappy catching the wrong species when they are stunning, like this short nosed sturgeon During the next morning after I’d caught my
After a few more catfish I kept the bait going in
first carp I re-baited all my spots and also bait-
and was rewarded by a nice upper 30lb mirror
ed up the adjacent Peg 22 which is a nice quiet
and then shortly into the night I hooked a much
bay that myself and Iain were planning to fish
better fish.
for a few hours each evening, but were leaving for at least the first few days to encourage the fish to feed confidently. At Parco, one method that is very effective is regular baiting and even when not catching it’s
In Peg 1, the most prominent feature is a sunken road, which runs almost across the entire lake. It averages 12-14 feet deep and is mainly a gravel surface.
a method that pays off if you put the work in. North American Carp Angler
21
As I know almost all anglers who fish in this
Back to the better fish that was now attempt-
swim favor the top of the road I decided to in-
ing to find the same sunken feature as the long
stead fish in the deeper water to the side, which
nosed sturgeon.
was in 17 feet of water and also consisted of a
As I knew this was at the mouth of the bay I
silt sub strata. My thought was that this was
was able to apply more pressure to the fish and
where much of the bait would go and the fish
it gradually came up through the layers. One
would not be wary of feeding on these spots. I
thing to mention is that Parco fish fight very
fished one rod in this spot and then staggered
hard!! The water is deep and they use all of it
another rod to the left, approximately 15 yards
to their advantage. This fish gave me another
away and in slightly deeper water of 21 feet.
10 minutes of work and finally I coaxed it to the
I also was aware of a much shallower spot
net, where Iain did the honors.
on the road which was only 6 feet deep but I
Peering in with the head torch it was a real-
decided to leave this for several days and just
ly lightly colored common and a chunk. Had I
keep bait going in on it; more of this spot later.
broken the 50lb barrier? On the scales the fish went over 54lb and I was one happy angler.
EFFORT = REWARD
As I’ve already mentioned, it really does pay off when you keep working your swim at Parco Del Brenta. One area that I pay particular attention to is accurate baiting. It’s very easy to move rods about and before you know it you have bait all over the area. When this happens it’s much harder to concentrate the fish in one area and also to know what is working. Tools of the trade that are important include the Deeper Pro to work out the swim initially, a good spod rod and supply of spombs, marker sticks so you can bait and fish at the exact range desired and a good supply of bait that the fish want to eat. Baiting wise over the first few days I used more boilies (mainly chopped and crumbed) and pellets, but as the week went on I increased my use of sweet corn, attractor liquids and also more whole boilies. Topping up the areas eve-
When picking up the rod, as the method ball was fairly large it would not be completely in the carps’ mouth and thus pulled out when any resistance was added.
ry 30 to 60 minutes with 20-30 boilies from a throwing stick was another method that worked well. Rig wise, things were kept very simple with strong end tackle and hooks. One change I did make was in my approach to fishing pellet method. The previous trip I had been using Fox Tri-Lobe feeders which presented a good ball of bait. However, I had had a couple of missed takes and coupled with Iain also having a few missed runs with this method I started to think that the carp were picking up the whole method ball and moving off.
Fox Tri-lobe method leads were effective but resulted in a few missed takes North American Carp Angler
23
For this trip I had bought several paste bombs instead as when pellet method was molded around it, the resulting ball was much smaller. Over the course of the week I did not miss one fish and all of the takes on this lead set-up were slow rises with virtually no line bites, which are usually typical when fishing this way.
A unique fish with no wrist to its tail, taken on method wrapped around a paste bomb
BACK TO BACK
ute fight I had an upper 30lb common in the
the choice of areas as we were only planning
the top. About another 45 minutes passed and
Approaching the third night, myself and Iain decided to try a few hours in Peg 22. I gave Iain on fishing one rod each. Iain chose the right had side and I decided on the same spot I had fished the previous November, at the bottom of the shelf on the far side of the bay. This was only a 50 yard distance and the plan was to get the rod in position first time, slacked off the main line and keep disturbance at a minimum. It was now an hour or two into dark and we had enjoyed a fantastic steak dinner and were now sampling a local red wine.
My rod burst into life and after a short 5 minnet; happy days. The rod was repositioned and another 4 spombs of bait were quickly put over the bobbin slowly rose to the top again. Lifting into the fish it felt decent and the fish didn’t really do much apart from use its weight. The fight wasn’t particularly savage and although I though the fish was decent I wasn’t expecting it to be approaching 60lb!! As there is a no sacking rule on Parco and as it was still relatively early in the night we rattled off some night shots which came out fine.
A cracking lightly scaled mirror and at over 57lb’s a real chunck
North American Carp Angler
25
A few rum and cokes were dispatched as a
I crawled into my sleeping bag a very happy
celebration and then we reeled in and retreated
carper and fell into a slumber with dreams of
back to Peg 1.
monster carp swimming around in my head. A one tone warble from the delkim awoke me
It’s important to note that while
around 4.00am and I quickly exited the bivvy
we did have a few drinks, we
This fish had once again come from the deep-
were by no means incapaci-
and picked up the rod. er gully area of the sunken road and again it made a beeline for the bay and the sunken
tated. I’d definitely not recom-
snag.
mend drinking heavily while
fight took much, much longer. The carp made
near water, but a few social
the bay before it eventually gave up. This time
The same procedure was repeated but this several trips up and down the near margin of
drinks are part of what these
I netted the fish on my own as Iain was still
holiday trips are about.
net I grabbed the sling, sorted out the scales
It took me around 20 minutes to reposition the rods, and put 2-3 spombs of bait over each area.
snoring and I had the net handy. Once in the and then tried to pick up the net!! It was a little bit heavier than I first thought, so I slid the sling underneath the net which made the fish much easier to carry.
On the matt I unhooked the
24mm
snowman
from its bottom lip and pondered that it looked bigger than the 57lb fish and the scales swung round to just over 59lb!! As we were now only around 60 minutes from first light I secured the fish in the margins and then made myself a coffee to celebrate. Another big fish that picked up a Smokey Jack boilie
STICKING WITH YOUR AREAS
2000 carp in the lake it’s almost impossible that
made. I was hoping it continued, but I was also
certainly help your chances of catching more
It’s safe to say that although we were only three days into the trip my session was already hoping Iain would be able to share in the big fish action.
A week is a long time to fish, but with over they won’t come through your swim at some point. Having a concentrated area of bait will than the odd carp. Tuesday and Wednesday saw me continuing
We had informally agreed that we would switch the sides we were fishing on Wednesday if it was clear that one side was better. However, Iain had three cracking upper 40lb fish on Tuesday night from his margin spot, which ultimately resulted in him sticking with the left hand side of the swim. Interestingly, most people we had spoken to actually preferred the left hand side which has
to bait regularly and although I wasn’t catching a lot of fish I was picking off 3 or 4 carp each night. I was convinced that as long as I was consistent I would see the action increase. So far all of the carp I had caught were in the night, but as this is usually the way I fish in the US I was quite happy with this situation.
access to deeper water and also covers a travel area the carp use.
Not a monster but a near leather and a stunning fish
The right hand sides’ main feature is the sunken road, but with no change I was able to keep bait going onto
the
same
spots regularly. Once you have decided on the spots you want to fish, it really does pay to stick with them for the whole session. North American Carp Angler 27
THE ACTION PICKS UP
As the week had progressed it seemed as though most of the fish were spending time in other areas and our swim was more of a travel zone. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it often gives you a better chance of big fish which may be travelling in smaller groups. Thursday saw me catch my first few fish in the day. After three fish in the morning and a nice breakfast I decided it would be a good time to grab a shower and change of clothes. Typically the time between 12.00pm and 3.00pm would be fairly quiet on the whole lake so I felt this was a decent time to leave the swim.
Not so little and a deep bodied common that picked up a bait in 21 feet of water
As I only planned to be gone for 10-15 minutes I left Iain to look after the rods. Swim 1, is only a few hundred yards from the club house so I planned to be back in quick time. As I approached I saw one of the other anglers celebrating as he’s just caught a cracking 60lb+ mirror. He offered me a cold beer and we were chatting for 5 minutes when I happened to glance back to the swim and could see Iain on the far right with a rod in his hand. A quick sprint back and it was my left hand rod, in the deeper water. Iain did the decent thing and handed me the rod, noting that it was only a small fish!! Five minutes later it was in the net and not that small. A few ounces over 50lb I was happy to have my picture taken with it.
This time I wound the other rods in and went back to finish my beer and my shower. I also bought a few cold beers back for Iain as I was very appreciating of his gillie work.
Another cracking upper 50lb Italian Mirror
PREPARING A SPOT
As Thursday evening approached I decided I would reposition a rod (this was my third rod that was being used to cast to showing fish and not on a baited area) on the shallow area of the sunken road. This was only a 30 yard cast but it was a really small spot and dropped off steeply either side of the spot. Accuracy with the bait and the cast was important. As the spot was much shallower I also used a lot more sweet corn as I wanted it to be very visual and obvious for any fish swimming over the area. The first night this area produced a couple of
As we approached the final night on Friday, the last hour of light saw the shallow area rod absolutely thunder off. I very spirited fight over 20 minutes saw another really big fish in the net. However, before I could sort it out, Iain had an absolute beast on the end of one of his rods. It was obvious after about 10 minutes it was not a carp as it plowed across the lake picking up around 6 to 8 lines on the opposite bank!! It took some doing but we eventually got the fish in the margins and I secured a big sturgeon half way in the net. I helped Iain with a few pictures and then just into dusk we got some nice pictures of my carp, which swung the scales around to over 58lb’s.
dreaded catfish and a small carp, but the next day I re-baited regularly and stuck to my guns. North American Carp Angler
29
FINAL NIGHT SUCCESS
After releasing the 58lb mirror I re-baited all of the rods again, settled down to eat dinner which had been temporarily put on hold and grab a relaxing glass of wine. I sat up for a few hours with Iain and we both hoped for a last
With thoughts of a carp no out of my mind I picked up the pressure and really tried to show the fish who was boss!!
night beast to finish the trip. The next 5 minutes I bullied the fish back up After settling into my sleeping bag I got to
the near margins and seemingly out of no-
sleep in the early hours and at some point a
where the fish popped up to the surface‌..it
few hours later the shallow spot once again
was not a sturgeon after all. Instead, it was a
produced a bite.
massive common carp which was wallowing on the surface.
This fish was a whole different ball of wax!! It tore off on a 50 yards run and then kited hard
I pulled myself together and grabbed the net
into the bay. Once again I worked hard to get
and proceeded to bundle it into the safety of
it off the bottom layers and into mid water to
the mesh. I stood there in disbelief and placed
hopefully avoid any snags.
the net securely in the margins and went back to my bivvy to sit down and compose myself.
The fish felt very powerful and decided that the far side of the bay and the overhanging
Again, a strong coffee was needed and af-
trees were where it wanted to find sanctuary. It
ter regaining my senses I unhooked the fish,
took the rod in full battle mode to slow the fish
quickly weighed it and secured it in the retain-
down but it was only the start of the fight as the
ing sling as daylight was now close by.
fish plowed back and forth across the bay and at one point was a good 50-60 yards into the bay, nearly directly in front of Peg 22. After about 30 minutes I was convinced that this was no carp and was in fact a big sturgeon. It fought very similar to the near 60lb sturgeon I had caught in November and as I had not seen the fish or even been close to getting it near the surface I made my mind up.
In the morning I sheepishly informed Iain,
he’d
need to take a few pictures for me. My trip had been
more
than
made
with a few decent fish, but this was the cherry on top. A beast of a common that put up the hardest fight I’ve ever experienced On the scales the fish registered
over
61lb and was all muscle. The wrist of the tale was massive and it was no surprise that it fought
so
hard.
Such a solid fish that made my year 31 North American Carp Angler
WHAT’S NEXT?
The trip had been a success for me for a number of reasons. Firstly I got to fish with a good friend who I always’ enjoy spending time with. We shared stories, laughs and plenty of good food and drink. I also got to fish one of the areas I’d wanted to experience and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The fish definitely made the trip worthwhile and although in terms of numbers I hadn’t blitzed it with around 25 fish, I had managed a good
The Parco Del Brenta owners also play a big part as they are very welcoming and helpful. The trips which are run by Frank Warwick, also have a great group of guys on them which makes the fishing much easier. With that said, it’s no surprise that I went back again in September in 2019. I’ll detail that trip and the change of tactics I had to adopt in the next issue of NACA. Until then, be lucky.
amount of bigger fish with five 50lb+ carp and one 60lb+ fish.
The last fish of my 2018 trip, 30 minutes before we had to leave the lake
North American Carp Angler
33
CCC 2019
Chad Bettisch 2019 CCC host
Wayne Boone proudly displays the CCC trophy as the 2019 winner The day started just before daylight driving
The weather forecast was looking nasty as a
thru the beautiful skyline of Chicago on our
major storm system was rolling into northern
way to the pre fish at Montrose harbor. We had
Illinois and was slated to hit Chicago at just be-
started the morning with 5 anglers hitting the
fore noon.
banks of the inner harbor early.
The only lucky angler to land a carp was Chris
Chris Mathews from Illinois had a screaming
Reitan. He managed to land a couple of carp
run in the first 30 minutes that eventually was
in the mid teens, one before the storm and an-
lost in a snag. Hope was in the air at least. We
other one decided to strike as it was pouring
had four more anglers join us in the next few
rain. Needless to say, the storms were enough
hours to seek a Lake Michigan carp.
to call it a day earlier than expected.
The rain had been pounding down all day at this point however, it was now time for the meet and greet at the Clarion hotel Friday evening. The turnout was great with anglers enjoying good food and drinks. As the night went on and the drinks were flowing the fishing stories began to be the topic of many anglers. It’s nice to not only see other anglers that you have not seen in a long time but, it’s great to meet new ones as well. The evening was winding down as we had peg draw at 6:30 a.m. the next morning. The rain was still coming down.
Conditions required extreme solutions
As the 43 registered anglers entered Billie Li-
We were also lucky enough to have Steve and
macher Bicentennial Park for check in on Sat-
Joan Briggs all the way from the U.K. The cou-
urday morning, the Des Plaines river was flow-
ple happened to be in the states on holiday and
ing at a rate of over 18,000 CFPS.
decided to enter the CCC on the last leg of their
This is the result of the massive storms that had dumped over 5” of rain the night before. At this point we proceeded with the peg draw starting with pairs and then on to the single angler. We had eight states and two countries being represented for this year’s event. The states were Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and California.
U.S. excursion. As we approached 8a.m. the horn sounded. The 2019 CCC was underway. Anglers were quick to realize that the fishing was pretty much limited to staying near that wall. If you wanted to fish a bit out and try and fight the weed mats you would have to put up to 12oz. of lead just to be able to hold bottom… this was a crazy fast current. North American Carp Angler
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The only carp that was caught before noon
The only other carp would be caught in the last
was in section “C” by Indiana native Destinie
hour in section “B” by Wayne Boone weighing
Vaughn. She managed to capture an 8lb 2oz
in at 8lb 15oz. At 4p.m. the horn once again
common.
sounded to close the 2019 CCC.
Only two carp were caught on a very challenging day
The winning carp The awards banquet was held a couple of
The grand prize winner was Wayne Boone
hours after the CCC had ended at the Rock-
with his only catch of an 8lb 15oz carp landing
dale Athletic Club.
him not only the North American Carp Champi-
Anglers were welcomed to a large selection
onship but, Carp King and section winner.
of food and drinks, enough to satisfy anyone’s appetite.
Wayne received a Dale Hollow Rx certificate,
As everyone was eating and drinking the al-
a tracker weigh sling, a Carp King belt buckle,
lure of the two pool tables worth of prizes were
North American Carp trophy, section trophy
memorizing. After dinner we promptly went on
and a one of a kind Gyotaku fish print by re-
with the awards ceremony first.
nowned artist Jeff Conroy. North American Carp Angler
37
The only other carp caught by Destinie Vaughn
nearly an hour a half to raffle off the two tables
landed her a section trophy as well as a few
full of over 200 prizes. We had an outstanding
choice table prizes. We then started to get to
amount of tickets sold.
the prize tables starting with auctioning off a set of Delkim alarms with swingers donated by BCT and then a bank chair donated by CAG.
As the drinks were flowing and the good times going the crowd began to thin out and at just after 10:30 p.m. the last of us had called it a
The tables full of prizes were next. It took
night.
Artist Jeff Conroy presenting his carp print to Wayne Boone
As I look back at the planning, preparation,
I would like to thank everyone that donated, at-
and execution of the 2019 CCC I am happy to
tended, and helped out with this event. Without
say it was a great time despite the poor condi-
everyone’s help this would not of happened. It
tions that mother-nature served us.
was an honor to be able to host this event.
I was able to see a lot of old friends as well as make some new ones. I hope that everyone that attended went home with a new memory or story to tell at the next CCC. North American Carp Angler
39
Baits for Anglers By Anglers
Discovery Month
2019
Prize Winners
Dave Pickering won Best Picture with some great action shots In past years I’ve always enjoyed reading CAG Members Discovery Month stories. In essence Discovery Month is about exploring new spots and fishing them, however, most times our CAG Members write wonderful reviews of their discoveries which makes choosing a winner a hard task. This is why we open up the voting to ALL CAG members as it truly is a subjective process.
This year we had the categories of: Best story Best picture And the new, best video North American Carp Angler
41
The results were voted on and here’s who won what:
First Place: Adult CAG Member Prize
Jerome Moisand Wicked Carp Company Baits Value: $50
Tied in second: Adult CAG Member Prize
Dave Pickering & Kirk Suedmeyer Each receive:
Story Published in NACA (priceless!!)
Wicked Carp Company Baits Value: $25
A choice of CAG Merchandise ($50 value)
Story Published in NACA (priceless!!)
Free 1 year CAG membership extension ($20 value)
A choice of CAG Merchandise ($25 value)
Dave Pickering Best Photo Prize
Wicked Carp Company Baits Value: $50 Picture to feature in NACA A choice of CAG Merchandise ($25 value) 1 year CAG membership extension ($20 value)
Kirk Suedmeyer Best Video Prize
Wicked Carp Company Baits Value: $50 Picture to feature in NACA A choice of CAG Merchandise ($25 value) 1 year CAG membership extension ($20 value)
Check video HERE! https://youtu.be/C5U7tkwySNs
Our sincere thanks to Neville Bebbington at the Wicked Carp Company in Austin Texas for generously donating a selection of hook baits and glugs for the winners!
www.wickedcarpcompany.com
North American Carp Angler
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Discovery Month
WINNING ARTICLE
Jerome Moisand A few years ago, Olivier Gandzadi (aka The Sniper, aka the Pacific Northwest discoverer) started to post pictures of beautiful carp caught in stunning desertic and mountainous environments, from Oregon and Washington states. I received excited phone calls about the wonders of the Columbia river and the Snake river, if one were to drive a few hours east of Portland (where I fished for white sturgeons with Olivier quite a few times). I started to play with the idea of going there or further upstream. Then last year, my wife wanted to give me a nice Christmas gift and totally independently suggested a fishing trip to Coeur d’Alene, a large scenic lake close to the border of Idaho and Washington states. Both inputs triggered this discovery trip.
I landed in Spokane on Sep 8th, rented a car and went to buy essentials (a few buckets, a big cooking pot, two bags of dried maize and some cracked corn).
Later in the day, I walked around the river near the (quite pretty) center of the city and discovered that my cursory Internet investigation wasn’t quite right. Lots of waterfalls, brackish shallow water and steep shores.
I drove out of town along the Spokane river for a little while only to find the same pattern. Google Maps and Google Earth aren’t too good at showing depth and water movement! Back to the drawing board, I checked the Internet again while boiling my maize in the evening. I figured out that the river does widen and spotted what seemed to be a great spot near the mouth of the river, half a mile before it flows in the Columbia. I drove there in the morning, crossing beautiful wheat fields, and this time, I loved the spot! The river was bending under a bridge, with a nice bay of sorts along a pleasant park (dubbed Fort Spokane). Plenty of rocks on the shore were indicative of crayfish under water. I unpacked and dragged my gear out there (a bit of a walk) and set up close to a young fisherman. He confirmed that carp swim around (he caught a couple on worms), that crayfish are abundant and that carp actively jump early in the morning. ALL GOOD. Except that I couldn’t get a bite, plus we got drenched twice in a row (it didn’t cross my mind to take a raincoat for my trip in the desert!). I threw a good deal of bait and came back the day after, fairly early. Two hours later, I was developing serious doubts, which evaporated when I got the run that changed everything… I started with a big bang, a really nice fish. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a good pic of this one, except of the release. An hour later, I got another solid fish, very cool. I had to move on though, my plan didn’t allow a lot of time in Spokane, so I drove away early afternoon, quite pumped.
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I was aiming at Wenatchee on the Columbia, but I wanted to take time to go check Grand Coulee and its dam. I spent a couple of hours there, even wet a line just for the sake of it and was duly impressed by the desert scenery. Then I drove along the ‘coulee’ on route 155, a meandering road on the side of a string of lakes called Banks Lake. The road follows the base of steep cliffs, giant rocks lay in the water, this is absolutely SPECTACULAR, I was stopping every few minutes to take pictures… I found out while writing this story that a CAGI event was organized at Banks Lake in 2007 and some local CAG members did well fishing on the fly. Unfortunately, my schedule didn’t allow fishing time in this incredible venue.
I reached Wenatchee at the end of the day
The Wanatchee river flows in the Columbia
and took a good walk at dusk along at the park
half a mile upstream, creating a large bay that
nearby. Two spots seemed promising. The day
just screamed for carp. One of my spots was
after, seeing the area in bright light, I loved it.
right at the end of the bay, with some depth,
some weeds but not a lot, the wind blowing towards a rocky shore. I set up my rods, threw a few method balls and waited for the inevitable sign of carp to come. Half a day later, I was none the wiser. I could see some occasional rolls close to where the main river was flowing, but I wasn’t too sure those were carp. For the sake of it, I tried to move there for a couple of hours, but nothing moved. Hm. Late afternoon, quite bored, I drove around,
The day after, same scenario and same out-
but didn’t find any other suitable spot. I paid
come, very frustrating. It was clear by then that
a quick visit to the dam a few miles upstream
the rolling fish were salmons. I kept trying, to
and was mesmerized by the fish ladder and
no avail.
the windows allowing to get a quick glimpse of
Late afternoon, I visited the dam’s museum,
numerous sizable salmons passing by. I went
which was surprisingly large and enlightening.
back to the park at dusk, chummed heavily and
I checked the fish ladder again and recorded
hoped for the best.
a short video!
North American Carp Angler
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I relented. I started to give phone calls to salmon fishing guides and finally succeeded to schedule something very early the following morning mid-way to Kennewick. I had to wake up before 4am (yawn) and leave quickly to be there on time. An overly excited fishing guide made another client and myself land salmons in no time, reaching our quota and going back to shore in less than 90 minutes. Beautiful fish (~20 pounders), but… this wasn’t quite satisfying. Except for my next Airbnb host who saw me arrive mid-morning with pounds and pounds of salmon fillets for her!
I had plenty of time left that day, I drove towards a nice spot on the Columbia in Kennewick that Olivier told me about, and spent most of the day landing one carp after another. It was fun to begin with, but I started cringing, as few fish were above 10 or 12 pounds.
Plus it wasn’t the desert scenery I was looking for. So I quickly fell back to discovery mode. Late afternoon, I found lots of access to the Columbia, but the ecosystem was obviously the same. In the evening, I pondered if there was a dam nearby that could create a change of ecosystem? Ah yes, the last dam on the Snake river before it flows in the Columbia!
The day after, I was at the dam and it looked
I drove back, checked a couple of other spots
great, beautiful scenery, plenty of space to fish
closer to the Columbia, but really the dam was
from shore, a local angler told me carp were
where I wanted to fish. As a side note, Olivi-
jumping at times.
er told me later he never fished there. I came
Two spots seemed especially promising. I
back the next day, was very lucky to have a
fished one of them all morning and saw exactly
steelhead angler vacate the exact swim I want-
nothing. Steelhead anglers weren’t successful
ed to fish (near overhanging trees), set up and
either, mind you.
waited for hours.
Early afternoon, I drove along the river up-
And I finally got a run and a nice mid teen. RE-
stream, found a nice park, wasn’t too excited
LIEF. Then another run. Darn it, a catfish. I tried
about it (although I noticed plenty of small shells
again, to no avail. I tried a couple of other things
on the shore), drove further to an area tantaliz-
downstream of the dam, nada. Hmpf. Discov-
ingly named “Fishhook park” which turned out
ery is hard, it is one thing to find nice-looking
to be closed for the season, grrr.
spots and quite another to actually catch.
North American Carp Angler
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on both sides by steep rocky slopes for miles I drove towards Lewiston by the end of the afternoon, over the plateau. I finally took a turn towards the Snake river, ended up at a small park with a not-so-exciting backwater. Then I drove along the main river, which flows in some sort of lengthy canyon, surrounded
and miles. Another section of the river nearby is dubbed “Hell’s Canyon”! Another truly spectacular drive, I have never seen anything like that. Where to fish though? Plenty of access along the road, amazing views, but very little structure.
I drove along, observing the other shore and I
ramp and the town park along the river. It didn’t
noticed a large bay and what seemed to be an
take long. Jump. Jump. Jump. Ok, ok, all right,
island. Later this evening, Google Maps con-
I’m setting up here to begin with. Sure enough,
firmed my perception and lucky me, the island
once they found my bait, I caught one fish after
was a camping/recreation area reachable via a
another. None of them larger than 10 pounds.
small bridge. Now that is structure!
What is (missing) in the water around here?
In the morning, I crossed the Lewiston/Clarkson bridge and stopped to check the local boat
Early afternoon, I had enough, drove towards the island and explored.
Some areas displayed ‘rattle snake’ warning signs, ah, er, maybe not. Two spots seemed especially convenient, scenic and promising. I fished one of them for a couple of hours, saw a few jumps farther away, got one single run at the end of the day. I made a plan. I would heavily chum this spot tonight, come early in the morning, lightly chum the other spot, back to spot #1, fish there for a few hours, then switch to spot#2. A pattern I often used while exploring Quebec when I was a bit younger and more energetic! Luckily enough, this worked to perfection. In the morning, I got one run after another at spot#1 and had good fun. Once I landed (and sacked) a mid teen, I bugged the ranger at the park booth nearby to come and take some scenic pictures. As luck would have it, I got another run right then and she was happy to take many pictures while I played and landed the fish. Then I moved to spot#2, it took longer to work, but they started to bite as well and I got a decent enough fish for more scenic pictures. Now that was a good plan! North American Carp Angler
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At the end of the day, I drove back to the canyon area, getting more ambitious about my plans for the next day. I struggled to find a spot that seemed promising, finally located a nice point of rock with a slack area behind it, a fish jumped in front of me, this day was just perfect. SO FAR. I drove a quarter of a mile downstream, took a look at another apparently nice opening and… stumbled on a carp cemetery. Dozens of mid teen carp (including a rare mirror) were lying there, rotting in the sun, recently killed by what can barely qualify as human beings. So utterly disgusting and idiotic. Bow fishing as a form of hunting, I can somewhat understand, my dad liked to hunt. But dropping fish carcasses on the shore to rot, that is completely beyond me. I fumed for a while, vented during a phone call to my patient wife, then decided “screw them, I’ll fish my newly discovered spot, damn it”. And I did come back the day after. And I caught carp, nice healthy fish, mid teens. Got a hard time to land them due to floating logs, but I did, all of them. And I finished with a 20 pounder. And I took great scenic pictures. And I released all fish in good health.
And this was very satisfying in more than one way. Take that, stupid carp killers!
At the end of my stay in Kennewick, I decided to tweak my plans and carve out some time to go back to Fort Spokane. Fortunately, my Airbnb hosts were flexible enough to let me do so and I booked a nice B&B in Davenport for a couple of nights. I drove across the plateau, crossing quaint small towns and a lot of scenic wheat fields (check some great pics and a nice video of ‘The Palouse’ area by clicking here) and I arrived early afternoon. I fished, caught nothing, saw nothing, but that was ok, I mostly wanted to heavily chum at the end of the day.
North American Carp Angler
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I came back in the morning, kept blanking, seeing no sign of fish and started developing all sorts of doubts. At 2pm, I was shaking my head, ready to go explore somewhere else when I finally got a run. And landed a beautiful upper teen. A Fish and Wildlife Department rep came to chat right then and told me I was the 3rd angler he ever saw fish for carp in this state in 25 years of service (he was quite open minded, asking plenty of questions). The afternoon brought me six fish total, 3 of them low twenties, one of them a muscular 25 pounder, which dragged me all over the place. Big runs, big fights, beautiful sunset, I was happy. I chummed heavily again, hoping to attract a bigger school the day after. And this was probably (in hindsight) a big mistake.
Back in the morning, at the crack of dawn. Carp jumped all over the place for an hour while I was bringing my gear and setting up, nice. Then it all got quiet. Awfully quiet. For hours. And I started to speculate that maybe fish move here in small groups (while congregating close to the marina on the other shore).
And I got a run within minutes. And it was a stunning 29 pounder. RELIEF. I landed two more fish before lunch time, all at the same distance. Then nothing all afternoon, sigh, plenty of time to finish my book. I was wrapping up, procrastinating as usual, went to dump the rest of my bait farther away, cleaned up and packed my stuff, finally started
That maybe they didn’t come overnight and had a hard time going though my heavy chum
to reluctantly walk towards my rods to reel in and… I got a run!
in the morning. And they couldn’t find my hook in the middle of such a pile of bait. Doubts,
A low twenty to finish my day (and my fishing
doubts, doubts. I finally cast a rod farther away
time) on a high note. Life was good, all waiting
in rather deep water.
hours quickly forgotten.
I hesitated, but I didn’t fish in Idaho. Lewiston is there, but I only fished the Clarkson side, which is in WA. I did spend a full day at Coeur d’Alene, but only to do some pleasant and relaxing sightseeing and hiking, then celebrated my successful trip in an amazingly good small Italian restaurant. Apparently, there are no carp in this large lake anyway. WA was the 30th state where I caught fish in the US and the 29th state where I caught carp. Idaho’s turn will come, in due time.
Remember that I said I started ‘with a bang’. The first fish I landed in Fort Spokane, the first fish of my trip, the first fish I hooked and landed in WA, was 31 pounds, no less. The average size at Fort Spokane was easily 20 pounds, I believe. Nice spot for quality fish. I might go back. ☺ When flying back from Seattle (two weeks after I started), I had a window seat and stunning views of the Columbia river, Wenatchee, Grand Coulee, the Spokane river, Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. It was fascinating to have a good look from above (the picture is taken while flying above Wenatchee). Did I use the word ‘spectacular’ a few times? Truly so. North American Carp Angler
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Remote Blackstone River By Dave Pickering
I’ve fished just about every place in the Blackstone River in my home state of RI, but the river in nearby Massachusetts is a different story. In RI, you can see much of it. It’s also quite accessible as it moves through urban areas of the state. In MA, the river takes on a different look. There it meanders through rural, dense, wooded and swampy areas with little access in a lot of locations. I’ve always wanted to explore one of these areas in particular. I knew if I could find my way along the river and find a suitable location to fish, I would find carp that have never seen a bait in their lives. My goal on this discovery adventure would be twofold. First off, find a spot to fish off the beaten path in this section of the river. Secondly, explore some create ideas of taking photos. This would include action shots, still life shots, scale patterns, etc.
North American Carp Angler
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Initially, I found a place to park my car and proceeded to walk through some rough terrain of rocks and woods that sort of followed the river. I carried very little with me….two rods, my rucksack, bait bucket and camera gear. You could not take a cart or barrow where I was going. I could barely see the river on the path I walked, but I had some idea of what it looked like as I saw glimpses through the trees. Along my walk, the river was shallow, fast moving and had a lot of debris. No good. I was looking for places that had slow moving, wider and deeper water, so I kept walking.
Almost a mile from where I started I found a suitable location to fish where the river widened and the current slowed, just the type of spot I was looking for. But, the problem was that the whole bank was overgrown with high grass, so I had to cut a spot out to fish.
While clearing a spot to fish, I noticed a small disturbance in the water right near shore. I peeked over the grass and saw what I was looking for. It turned out to be a mirror carp of about 10+ lbs., feeding on the bottom. Eureka, I found a spot to fish and I found at least one fish! After baiting up the spot with maize and putting out my two rods which were baited with a kernel of maize and a white, pop-up artificial corn, I waited about half an hour and one alarm suddenly went off. It proved to be a good size mirror of about 12 lbs.. Maybe it was the one I saw earlier. I got nothing more on the initial first outing, but it perked my interest and I returned in the coming days and weeks for more. To make a long story short, I ended up with 15 carp in six outings in my newly found remote spot. I caught a mix of mirrors and commons, something that happens in the Blackstone River. Of those six trips here, my best day saw 5 fish on the bank. My worst day was a blank. My biggest fish in this spot proved to be a 17 lb. fully scaled mirror, a beautiful Blackstone River fish. North American Carp Angler
59
My second goal was to take a good amount of creative photos. I did that using three different cameras. I used my cell phone camera to take a lot of the shots of me holding fish using the “voice shutter” setting. This is when you simply say “cheese” and the camera clicks. It’s a feature few people know they have in their camera settings. I also used a Canon compact camera to take a lot of the close up fish shots of carp in the water, in the net, and with the bait in their mouths. Finally, I used my Canon DSLR camera with an EFS 55-250 mm lens to take some action shots. I set the shutter to continuous shooting. This feature allows me to lock on and focus on a moving fish. When I click on the shutter and hold it down, the camera takes many shots. Out of ten shots, I might have one winner!
Discovery 2019 was a success for me as it opened up a new spot for me in my repertoire of places to fish in the Blackstone River in MA. I also found some new camera tricks. I’ll be back for more in this spot in the future.
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m a e r d n
The erica Am Dale Hollow By Steve Briggs It was a trip that nearly never happened for so many reasons. Organizing and preparing for this was more stressful and more problematic than any of the previous trips we’ve ever been on, even at the airport when we finally thought it was all sorted and we had an hour until boarding, we found out that we needed esta’s to travel – we’d never even heard of them before but the Delta/Virgin staff at Heathrow were amazing and although it shouldn’t have been possible, Mohammed and the girl who’s boyfriend is actually a carp angler, somehow sorted it in time for us to board the plane heading for Atlanta and the USA!
Vulture Island looked the right place to start from North American Carp Angler
63
Once on the plane we could at last breathe a
David Moore of Big Carp Tackle was a huge
big sigh of relief and look forward to what was
help and we were able to send bait in advance
ahead. We were heading for Dale Hollow lake,
to them in the shape of Candy Nut Crush boil-
an amazing venue in the south of North Amer-
ies as well as a few leads and an unhooking
ica spanning the Tennessee/Kentucky border,
mat.
which covers and incredible 27,700 acres – but
Bivvies and beds were going to be more diffi-
best of all, it contains loads of carp and even
cult but Dave then told us that houseboats were
better than that, probably half of the carp stock
available for rent and that might be a better op-
is made up of fully-scaled mirrors!
tion. As soon as he mentioned houseboats our minds were made up and that’s what we were
People have been there and fished and I fol-
going to do! Even that proved to be a big stum-
lowed closely the fortunes of Alex Smith and
bling block as most were either booked out al-
Paul Hunt on their trips. But in relative terms
ready or one that I paid for turned out to be a
the surface hasn’t even been scratched yet
static mooring, which was no good to us.
on what this lake has to offer, but we’d seen
With only days to spare we came across East
enough to know that we wanted get ourselves
Port Marina and they had one that we could
out there on those wild banks. Of course flying
rent. Dream Cruzin was 60ft long with four bed-
presents its own problems of what tackle we
rooms and two bathrooms but it was ours if we
can take etc.
wanted – and we wanted!
Having the house boat really made all the difference
We found a grain store to buy maize and eve-
With the sun disappearing I just needed a cup
rything else came from Walmart, which turned
of tea and so I shut the door behind me to avoid
out to be not as cheap as I remembered, in fact
the flies getting in. It was a warm sticky evening
nothing about this trip was cheap, well, apart
after a hot day and having air conditioning was
from the maize and the fuel but we’d given up
a real luxury, but something made me walk out
worrying about it by then!
to the back and just out in the darkness I was
Once loaded up on the houseboat we were
sure that I heard a carp jump! Minutes later the
given expert instructions by Fred at East Port
sounder box was in meltdown and tea was fly-
and then we were on our way with me learning
ing everywhere!
how to steer a 60ft craft as we went.
Unfortunately it had already gone around a snag and after taking to the canoe I got my rig
The marina is situated down a long, narrow
back but that was all. But I didn’t have time to
creek and I really wanted to fish the main body
feel down as that was just the start of a very
of water, which I reckoned was around 22 miles
eventful night! Everyone had told me that I’d
away! Of course it took several hours but the
have to bait up and maybe wait a day or two for
lake and the scenery looked better with every
the fish to move in and start feeding and yet by
passing mile, until we came to a couple of small
the following morning I’d received six runs, an-
islands in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t really
other fish was lost unfortunately but four were
know anything about the lake but here looked
landed and only one of those was a common –
good, there was some weed around the mar-
the other three were all scaly mirrors!
gins and the depths looked okay and we had
They weren’t big but it was never about the
to start somewhere and this looked as good as
size it was about those mirrors and I’d seen
anywhere.
some already!
Time was also pushing on so we tied the boat up on the island margins and quickly got the rods assembled. I planned to fish straight off the back of the houseboat and the Scope 9ft rods were made for situations like this. The houseboat came with two canoes so I used one to get some bait out at close range and then just flicked the baits out from the boat.
First morning and our first sight of the Dale Hollow mirrors North American Carp Angler 65
All of the initial action had come from the closest rod just over the weed and I wondered about my judgment on putting a couple of rods deeper but as the sun started to rise the deeper rod went off and it was the closer rods that went quiet, typical wild carp really, coming to the margins to find food under the cover of darkness and retreating to the safety of deeper water in the day. The day was a lot quieter than the night had been but late in the afternoon I did latch in to a jetpropelled long common of 34lb 8oz that nearly pulled my arms off!
A big angry common from the end of the first day It had been far hotter than I was expecting with
I thought I’d get away with 20lb mono but 60lb
temperatures reaching close to 40 degrees and
mono leaders were added to the last ten yards
too hot to venture out on the bank much but the
and that definitely made a big difference.
fish seemed to like it. Other than that the set up was a basic one The last run of the day was cut off, there were
with 4oz inline leads, a longish hook length
some really sharp rocks around and looking
of 25lb coated braid and a size 4 Nash Brute
around the bank also told the story of what was
hook, these were naĂŻve fish so it was all about
beneath the surface.
landing them once they were hooked.
The first fish were amongst the best fish I’ve caught anywhere
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67
It was early in the trip but after all the stress leading up to this it was now about as close to paradise as we could hope for. Our little island was deserted apart from us and actually seemed devoid of life entirely, apart from when a flock of vultures descended one day and stayed for a while. I’d only ever seen these in cowboy films and to see them so close was just one highlight of Dale Hollow.
Strength and attraction were the key factors
We actually christened it Vulture Island after
such a vast piece of water but we certainly nev-
that as it didn’t seem to be called anything else.
er saw any. There were bass anglers as always
The great thing was that it was either a good
and they were well kitted out with fast, shiny
holding area for the fish or more likely a good
boats and several rods at the ready.
passing through area – maybe there were fish everywhere or maybe we’d just got lucky.
It always amazes me how close they have to come considering how much water is out there
The refreshing thing was that we just didn’t
but they were all friendly people and skillfully
know enough about the lake to know any more.
avoided the lines while giving us a wave - so
It appeared that we were the only carp anglers
unlike their French counterparts who seem to
on the lake, there may have been others on
enjoy picking our lines up at times!
The fish just kept coming! It could happen day
He caught carp and the rest as they say is his-
or night and they would come in waves and one
tory. Carp fishing is still very much a minority
run would often bring two or three. The second
sport in the USA but is what makes it so ap-
day produced a further seven runs while third
pealing for us; a seemingly endless supply of
day went crazy with fourteen runs!
carp and only a handful of anglers fishing for
The great thing was that there were about two mirrors to every common and every mirror was absolutely stunning. As nice as they were I did start unhooking fully scaled mirrors and just tipping them out of the net as there were so many. Having said that, though, the bigger ones al-
them. The spots I’d started off with were still working fine and I hadn’t had to change much really. It was all settling in to a nice routine, I’d bait up every evening with a bucket full of maize, sweetcorn and Candy Nut Crush boilies, splitting it between the two markers and the action would vary between the two spots, invariably the close rods would be better at night and the longer spots during the day.
ways tended to be the commons. I didn’t know if they were older fish or had just grown better?
In the mornings I’d generally top the spots up
Very little is known about the carp as the locals
with a few boilies but no more than that. I felt
don’t really take carp seriously. In a brochure
like the fish were coming to the area anyway
we were given on arrival there was a list of the
and not necessarily for the bait I was putting in
fish in the lake and the record for each species,
and so using more didn’t seem to be the way
but guess what – carp weren’t even mentioned!
forward. I had the maize soaking in a big plastic box and Joan would cook a pot or two up every
I don’t know how they came to be in the lake
day on the cooker.
in the first place or why there are so many fully scaled mirrors in there? Perhaps we don’t need
The houseboat was turning out to be the best
to know, perhaps we should just be grateful
decision we could have made. It was so com-
such a lake exists.
fortable and spacious – mind you it was meant for a maximum of twelve people so for just two
Later I did get to meet a guy, who is regarded
of us it should have been spacious! The back
by just about everyone as the first man to catch
platform was a perfect fishing station, although
carp by design at Dale Hollow and his name is
I did have to change from a rod pod to separate
Gilbert Huxley, a really nice guy who just went
buzzer bars as they gave more space in the
up to the lake for a holiday and thought he’d put
confined area and left more room to net and
the carp rods out to see what happened.
photograph the fish. North American Carp Angler
69
All was going great but on the
fifth day the action did drop a little and only four fish came our
way, two mirrors and two commons. It was still action that I would have pulled anyone’s arm
off for before the trip but it was a definite dip. It could be just a
slow day or perhaps they were
giving me a wider berth? Time would tell but I did start to have a think about other possible areas to move to.
As it turned out the next day
brought one less again, just three fish and now I was getting itchy feet.
Lips that were made for grabbing crayfish and swan mussels
Of course it could be a big mistake to move, we could end up on nothing and regret moving out of
a swim that was still producing. In reality we were already happy with what we’d caught and more fish would just be a nice bonus but it would also just be good to see and fish another area of the lake.
As the action started to dwindle we thought about a move
Rods were reeled in, the boat was untied and
The beauty of 620 miles of bank and a boat
reversed away from Vulture Island. I’d looked
to check it all out is that we could just take our
at a few spots with either binoculars or the
time until we found something that we liked.
drone and although I did see fish showing in
In the end we tracked back on ourselves and
different spots, for whatever reason they just
crossed to the other side of the lake where we
didn’t look quite right and off we went in search
found another island.
of somewhere that looked the part.
It was a little different in size and shape to the
We traveled a few miles back in the direction
first one but still had the important details, the
we’d originally come from but nothing looked
right depths, weedy margins and some nice
right. Some parts shelved off too steeply or
features either side, so it was just a matter of if
some were too shallow.
the carp would come or not.
Nearly 28,000 acres and possibly the only carp anglers there I baited in a similar way to the first swim, short
and that was noticeable by the wind and also
range to the right just beyond the weed and
by the extra boat traffic coming past, although
longer to theleft where a spit of land formed a
it was Sunday and the day when everyone
nice plateau going out in to the lake.
seemed to come out and enjoy Dale Hollow –
It was more in the open than the other area
apart from carp anglers of course! North American Carp Angler
71
Birds eye view of our second swim That evening was strangely quiet for the first
I needn’t have worried at all and the nomad-
time. The boats gradually dwindled away un-
ic fish were obviously covering distances in
til it was just us out there, but the surface re-
search of food and once they found it they got
mained quiet, as did the alarms – had I made
their heads down!
a big mistake? For the first time I drifted off to
But what I caught were different, they were all
sleep without being disturbed, it was a relief in
commons for the first time and were of a higher
one way but of course I still had that desire to
average weight than those from the first swim,
catch. Even at that early stage of the move I did
mainly up around high twenties.
consider maybe moving back to Vulture Island.
So it was a totally different group of fish and another interesting part of the conundrum of
I needn’t have worried at 4am the sounder
Dale Hollow.
box came back to life again and as I went out to grab the rod I could hear fish jumping out there
There were probably more snags than
– they were back! By the morning I’d landed
the first area and besides the sharp rocks there
four fish out of five runs.
were plenty of branches and tree stumps down
there - I did bring one huge branch in that still had an angry common attached too and that certainly tested everything to the limit. Also for the first time I found crayfish, the first one saw actually crawled out from the big branch I’d brought in but I did find my baits disappearing from the hair and so this area was a lot different to the first one after looking fairly similar. All along the bank there were empty shells from a smaller type of shellfish as well as some more normal swan mussels and they undoubtedly form much of the natural food for the carp
– their thick rubber lips are a giveaway for that. When we got fish out of the sack to photograph them there was plenty of evidence of the crushed shells as well as the bait I’d been putting out.
but of course crayfish are on their menu too
After a quiet start it was business as usual
North American Carp Angler
73
If we thought that the first swim was hectic then this one was even busier! As usual there were quiet times but when they moved in we certainly knew all about it and I did notice that when they were showing I could see fish jumping three or four hundred yards away too and I couldn’t even hazard a guess at how many fish were out there. Sleep was hard to come by but what can you do when there’s so many nice fish to be caught. On the second island the commons just outnumbered the mirrors although as a rule they were bigger. I couldn’t get through to anything really big, although the biggest caught so far from Dale Hollow is 46lb so if monsters are there they have yet to be caught, but that’s generally how it goes on those big, wild waters in the height of summer – I know it wasn’t the height of summer but with temperatures in to the high thirties it’s close enough. In the last three nights that we had in the second swim we had a further thirty one runs! There was one fish I lost that I felt was a good one – you could tell just by the initial run and the power. This fish ripped maybe seventy yards of line from the spool before I could stop it and then just as I was gaining control the line just cut unexpectedly on something sharp and I did have the hump about that one! On the final morning after another sleepless night of action I did bank another mid thirty common, which was the best of ten fish that night. Interestingly the baited spots didn’t work and one rod that I dropped really short just on its own produced nine of the ten runs. I think that the crayfish had taken over the other spots as the baits were gone when I checked those rods. Over the nine days we had banked sixty six fish from seventy five runs, crazy action from start to finish.
Our last Dale Hollow beauty on the last morning
In the end our time had just run out and nei-
ther of us wanted to leave. It reminded us of Cassien on a big scale and just the fact that we could do our own thing without having to see or rely on other people made more special. Dale Hollow had been amazing and we’d love to go back again – albeit with a bit better planning next time. But this one trip opened up so many possibilities and we found out about other stunning lakes; some that hold big fish and some that only hold mirrors! The possibilities out there are almost endless and we might never know the full potential of American carp fishing, but that mystery is what makes it so exciting. The lakes and the fish are amazing and wherever we went the people were among the friendliest we’ve ever come across – put all of these things together and it looks like we’ll be having more trips across the pond in years to come!
CAG
Membership
drive 2019
This Summer CAG, in appreciation of our loyal members ran its first ever membership drive! Any fully paid member as of August 31st 2019 (excluding CAG Directors) was automatically entered in a random draw with an opportunity to win some great prizes. The list of winners is shown below and all have been sent their prizes. Our sincere thanks to our key sponsors Deeper, Linear Baits, RidgeMonkey and Top Baiter for donating such great prizes!
Tim Marshall
Deeper Pro + Package
Joel Harber
Linear Bait Package
Paul Russell
RidgeMonkey Headlamp
Chris Hall
RidgeMonkey Headlamp
John Finney
RidgeMonkey Headlamp
Fran Slasinski
Top Baiter Package
Joseph Venable
CAG Mirror Mug
John Torchick
CAG Common Mug
Kirk Suedmeyer
CAG Mirror Mug
Travis Carr
CAG Common Mug North American Carp Angler
75
By Bojan Blazeski
Moving from Europe to the USA didn’t stop
It is one of the most effective techniques in
me from fishing, but I needed to adjust to these
fishing because you are not searching for fish,
new conditions.
but instead luring them to you with precision
Georgia has a mild climate - soft winters and long hot summers, with lots of rain. The land-
casting and attractive feed placed in a small area.
scape is very fascinating too, with lots of ponds,
Feeder fishing is all about precise finesse,
lakes, rivers, and various attractive types of
constant casting and adding feed to the fishing
fish. All in all, I had discovered a wonderful
spot. There is a big variety of feeders that you
place to fish.
can use depending on what kind of water you
One of my favorite techniques is Feeder fishing, which comes in very handy in Georgia.
are fishing in:
-
Grip and square feeders that are usually used in moving waters like rivers, creeks or streams.
-
Round feeders which are better when fishing in lakes and slow moving bodies of water.
-
Long distance and bullet feeders that are optimal for lakes where you fish very far, so distance is essential.
In Georgia, I really enjoy the experience and thrill of catching large fish like carp, buffalo, trout or white sucker. While they may not be the most popular, they are strong, hard to catch and a true test of my fishing skills. The average weight of a caught carp is about 10lb, but you can easily find some fish that are over 20 lb. Another bonus is that due to the mild climate in Georgia, you can fish carp all year long. In this article, I am going to share how I use feeder fishing technique to catch these fish. Buffalo belongs to the family Catostomidae and can grow up to 3.5 ft long and up to 45 lb. The buffalo looks a lot like a carp because of their shared family. The main differentiating factor is the shape of their mouth. The buffalo has a similar amount of strength, fighting force as well as feeding behaviors compared to the carp. White sucker, which also belongs to the carp family, by shape of body and mouth and the way they feed, looks a lot like European barbel, but smaller. It can reach up to 20 inch and 6 lb. It is also a very strong fighter.
North American Carp Angler
77
Since the water at this time of year gets
with only a few teaspoons of powdered milk to
colder, I often choose smaller streams and
make a feeding area more visible. I add to this
creeks. They are much more challenging from
also sweet corn and guinea pig or rabbit pel-
big rivers and lakes, due to many fallen trees,
lets. Depending on the time of year I add food
branches and other obstacles that you need to
coloring to dye feed in darker color (brown or
overcome. This makes fishing much more en-
black) in fall-winter and lighter color (yellow or
tertaining and demanding. The tussle with a
red) in spring-summer.
carp in these conditions is quite thrilling.
The best late winter and spring bait for carp is
With additional pre-feeding of fishing spots,
sweet corn. Closer to the summer, when wa-
the probability to catch them increases signifi-
ters get warmer, bigger baits become more ef-
cantly. If you add to that with constant recast-
ficient like boilies and tiger nuts. My favorite are
ing, the chance rise with every next cast.
homemade sweet corn- poppy boilies. I make
There are challenges with acquiring carp fish-
them myself in different sizes - between 10 and
ing ground bait as it is generally imported and
20mm. I use the smaller ones for pre baiting
expensive.
and bigger ones as bait. Wherever the terrain
That is why, I usually make the feed on my
allows, like flat bottoms with little snags or ob-
own. My preferred combination is corn flour
stacles, I prefer to use method feeders. Fish
and cornmeal mixed with oatmeal, grits,
tend to react better to this approach and give
ground biscuits, sugar, salt, mix of bird seeds
me the best chance to catch.
Proper equipment is needed to make sure that feeder fishing works well. You need a strong rods, reels and everything else that stands between me and the fish. I mainly use feeder rods with “heavy” and “medium heavy” mark with strong tips, hooks size 4-8 and line with 0.20 mm and above. One of my favorite terrains for winter and early spring fishing is Big Creek in Roswell, GA. That is a creek 25-30 yards wide with 5 ft depth on average. The part where I especially like to fish is around 300 yards from the delta with the river Chattahoochee. Late fall carps go in to the creek to spend winter and they stay there until spring and spawn time. On a normal day, on average, you can catch 5-7 carp per person weighing from 10 to 15lb though I often catch carp over 20 lb too.
COMMON MISTAKE amongst carp anglers in U.S. is that FEEDER FISHING IS TOO “LIGHT” and that YOU CAN’T CATCH A BIG FISH with it and that is a myth. Any rod that is marked with medium-heavy, heavy or extra-heavy is strong enough to catch any size of carp. BIGGEST DIFFERENCE is that FEEDER RODS give you MORE SUBTLE APPROACH, MORE PRECISION AND BIGGER VARIETY by changing cage feeders in different situations. Feeder rods are much lighter weight then regular carp rods so they are much easier to control. They vary in length and you can find them from 6.5ft to 13 t and they can cover every possible situation you can encounter when you are out fishing. All of that being said, it’s not a surprise that from every year globally, MORE AND MORE ANGLERS ARE SWITCHING from other fishing techniques TO FEEDER FISHING. If you have not done so already - try it out! North American Carp Angler
79
RIGS: Basics
Wayne Smith
RIGS: Basics. No matter how you look at it, whether you are new to carp fishing or a seasoned angler, to consistently catch carp you need a consistently good rig. The method of presenting your chosen hook bait is probably the most important part of carp fishing.
What you will need:
UK carp anglers Len Middleton and Kevin Maddocks revolutionized modern day carp fishing when they invented the hair rig in the early 1980’s. Nearly 40 years later, there are many variants of their first rig. Not only that but advancements in hook link material, hooks, hook accessories, weights, and hook bait, to name but a few, has given us the ability to fool Mr Carp. Easy, right?
Hook link - A soft, supple braid. In this case ESP’s Sink Link 15lb. I have used this for over 15 years. It is an incredible braid, sinks to the bottom and is easy to use. Fantastic stuff.
No. Not easy at all. I have been fishing for carp for some 30 years, and while some days it seems I can’t go wrong, other days I have had to adjust my rig or change it to something completely different.
Baiting needle - The Gardner Braid Boilie Needle is my tool of choice. As shown is 20 years old!
Where do we start? Firstly, it is important that we understand how carp eat. Bottom, mid-water or surface feeding, it is all the same. They will suck in food, sift, reposition and wash it, chew it and swallow. Wait. Chew? Yes, carp have teeth in their throat. If our carp decides that the food is unsafe it will blow it out. This whole process takes seconds. The best we can do is to get a hook bait in to the carp’s mouth, then it is all down to your rig.
Rig terminal items - Gardner Tackle #8 Covert Rolling Swivel or Gardner Tackle #8 Covert Rolling Swivel and Gardner Tackle Covert Easi Clips.
Hooks - A dedicated carp pattern. I have chosen the Carp Spirit Size 6 Boilie Beak Point Micro Barb. Incredibly sharp out of the box, very strong, a PTFE finish and suitable for 14mm to 18mm baits.
Braid scissors - Or quality sharp scissors. Hook bait - For this I will be using a 14mm boilie.
Hair Stops - See notes.
I use all of these items consistently as I have full confidence in each product. There are lots of companies that offer similar products. I appreciate that finding quality carp tackle in North America is not always easy.
With the exception of a few set-ups, the best way to present your hook bait is away from the hook such that when the bait is ejected (blown out), the trailing hook pricks the mouth and you are in! Again, it’s not quite as simple as that but it is definitely a good place to start. So let’s start with the humble hair rig. I will walk you through how to tie this, what you will need, and some simple mechanics. This rig has helped catch me 100’s of carp, including my first 20lb Mirror Carp back in 1990. I wouldn’t go fishing without it.
North American Carp Angler
81
Step 1 Cut 12-14 inches of braid. Make an overhand loop in one end. You should aim for the loop to be 3/8 1/2 inch long. For reference; this is the hair. Cut the tag end of the loop.
Step 2 Pass the baiting needle through the boilie. Step 3 Put the boilie needle through the loop of the braid.
Step 4 Pull the loop through the boilie. Step 5 Insert a hair stop through the loop and gently pull the boilie up to the hair stop.
Step 6 Take the tag end of the braid and pass it through the eye of the hook, as shown.
Step 7 Position the boilie approximately 1/2 inch above the curve of the hook. See closing notes. Step 8 Wrap the braid AWAY from the closure of the hook eye. This is vitally important. If you wrap the braid against the closure you will compromise the braid leading to it, essentially, cutting.
Step 9 Wrap, in tight loops, up the shank of the hook 7 or 8 times
Step 10 Moisten the loops with a little saliva and pass the tag end of the braid through the back side of the hook. Wrap the tag end around your finger, grip the hook in your other hand (or use a pull tool) and tighten.
You have just made the Knotless Knot! This knot is paramount for most rigs that you will make from here on in.
North American Carp Angler
83
Step 11 At the tag end of the braid, form a Figure 8 Knot. Aim for the loop to be about 3/4 inch long.
Step 14 Tie the swivel to your mainline (using a 4 turn Grinner Knot) and attached the Easi Clip. This allows for changing your rig quickly.
FINISHED! With the exception on the next few steps Attaching the rig to your mainline.
You have tied your first hair rig! Before we continue, let us consider the length of the rig. If you are fishing over a gravel patch or a hard bed your rig length should be 6 - 10 inches. If you are fishing over silt or weed, you need to allow for the lead to sink in to the silt or weed. In this case the rig length should be anywhere from 12 - 18 inches. The set length of the hair can also vary. As noted earlier, I have set this at 1/2 inch from the top of the hook. These lengths, from experience, are a good place to start. How the hair rig works. A carp will suck the hook bait in and, maybe not immediately, feel that something is not right and eject it (spit it out). Where the hair joins the knotless knot it acts as a hinge. The bait passes the hinge, pulling the hook behind it. Thus pricking the carp’s mouth, causing it to bolt (move away from the feeding area), further setting the hook with the weight of the lead. I will expand on this subject in later articles. Tight lines!
Attach the rig to the clip and you are all set.
North America’s Longest Running Carp Organisation with a Dedicated Mission: • To gain acceptance of the carp as an exciting and challenging sport-fish. • To become better carp anglers, assist others and encourage them to join us. • To treat the carp with respect, promote the release of trophy-size carp & encourage others to do the same. • Most of all: Go fishing, Share with others, and have Fun. As a member you will also be adding your voice & support to help CAG continue its efforts to work with State & other organizations to increase the recognition for carp as a sport fish to benefit the angling community
Member Benefits Include: • Full CAG Forum Community Access
• CAG Apparel & Merchandise
• Member Benefits
• New Member Tackle Pack
• Quartely NACA Magazine*
• Fish-Ins, Events & Competitions
*inc Printed Full Color Special Edition Membership is only $20 / Year (+ a one time $5 joining fee) which includes you, your spouse & any children under 18 living in the same household
www.joincag.com North American Carp Angler The Carp Anglers Group is a non-profit organisation
75
Georgia Fish-In By Barry Shildneck GA Fall Fish-in, held Sat., Oct 5th at West Point Lake. Not many carp were caught, probably because of a long drought and low water conditions, plus an extremely long stretch of unseasonably hot weather (90+ degrees, into October). We had more than a dozen attendees, but fewer than a dozen carp on the bank, and no big ones. We ate well (hot dogs for everybody, with some left over), and enjoyed a lot of bank talk. Hope to do better fish-wise, next outing.
North American Carp Angler
87
18th Annual Junior Carp Tournament July 30 - August 1, 2020
Along 37 miles of the St. Lawrence River St. Lawrence County, in Upstate New York, USA Fun Facts … • Open to Juniors aged 11 - 18 • Fish as an Individual or as a Team of 2—4 anglers • Four categories: Boys and Girls each in Ages 11-14 & 15-18 • Trophies & Cash Prizes & Medals • Individual, Team & Grand Champion • 1st day — Registration, Opening Ceremonies & Carp School • 2nd day — Fishing, fishing, fishing • 3rd day — Fishing, Pizza Party, Closing Awards Ceremony • Over a ton of carp caught and released each year!
Come Join in the Fun… You’ll be glad you did!
For Details & Registration Packets email: Jo Ann Roberts at jo@slcchamber.org
CT Carp Open Tournament Review – 2019
The 2019 CT Open Carp Tournament in October provided another challenging and exciting event with anglers enduring a second year of wild weather! The Big 4 tournament, sponsored by the Fishin’ Factory in Middletown, attracts anglers from near and far to fish the tidal sections between Hartford and Haddam Connecticut.
After the peg draw on Monday evening the 19 one and two person teams would fish for 76 hours from 8 am on Tuesday until noon on the Friday. 5 teams took advantage of the option to move to another open swim on the second morning.
Wednesday night saw a change in the weather with a high wind advisory promising 50 mph plus
gusts,
1-2
inches of rain and possible storms
thundersweeping
through the region. Instead of the tide going out as normal the wind held it back resulting in several swims being flooded. Fortunately
eve-
ryone survived the wild and
conditions some
even
benefited from the carp deciding to go on the feed in the midst of the storm! There were plenty of fish caught during the tournament but only those over 22lb qualified to be weighed in for the Big 4 which resulted in some anglers not making it on to the leaderboard. North American Carp Angler
91
In the end no one managed to break the CT State Carp record
to
land
themselves
the
$25,000
bonus
but the winners managed to net themselves
over
$10,000 in prizes for their efforts!
1st Place: Blake Carlson & John Norton 118lb 9oz Peg 29
North American Carp Angler
93
2nd Place: Marcin Targonski 116lb 8oz Peg 12
3rd Place: Radoslaw Kula 110lb 14oz Peg 35
Big Common: Marcin Targonski 36lb 2oz
North American Carp Angler
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Big Mirror: Jimmy Sneed & Chad Harper 18lb 2oz
Big Fantail: John McGreevy & Bob Harnish 23lb 4oz
If you want to find out more about the 2020 CT Open Tournament be sure to follow t he Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/313001709231412/
North American Carp Angler
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