2024 Q1 North American Carp Angler Magazine

As we reach the end of the winter and the warmer nights start to return, it marks many anglers return to the banks. I only got one opportunity to fish in the winter as every time I look to get out we had rain and while I don’t mind the cold, rain or snow going into the rivers in winter is the kiss of death!! I did manage to get out for a few hours in Florida to catch a few other ‘invasive’ species and I’m eagerly looking at the upcoming weather patterns to find a suitable time to start the spring carping.

In this edition we have CAG news and tournament updates including the Fall Big 4 results of last year, Essence of Carping, new State Chair appointees and the St Lawrence Junior event. We wish everyone out there fishing in the upcoming events the best of luck.

EDITOR IN-CHIEF ADDRESS

Dean Brookes

We also have a few guest articles including an interesting look at carp bait companies from Craig Buddo, Jerome Moisand’s continuing adventures to tick off catching carp in ALL 50 States and Ryan Munn, detailing a recent campaign. We were also saddened at the passing of one of the USA Carping legends, Paul Pezalla and we pay tribute to all of his contributions.

As always we rely on our members contributions 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.

Hope you all enjoy this edition and as always, if anyone would like to contribute; please send any communications or materials to naca@carpanglersgroup.com

Dean Brookes

A well documented mirror that was likely several decades old. It was caught several times over a twenty year period.

Over the past 30 years CAG has been instrumental in growing the sport of carp angling and demonstrating the importance of catch and release to protect trophy carp. Trophy carp of 20, 30, 40lb and bigger can be several decades old so losing these fish to the impact of bowfishing can be devastating to our sport.

The movement of trophy sized fish from wild waters to commercial ‘paylakes’ also adds to the problem. In many cases the transporting or ‘tanking’ of fish is taking place across state borders and often directly following wild water tournaments when anglers stay on or arrive specifically to take advantage of baited swims.

These movements not only impact trophy carp but also specimen catfish and buffalo. It also greatly increases the risk for transferring disease and spreading unwanted invasive organisms such as Zebra Mussels, Asian Clams, Didymo, Hydrilla and Water Chestnut.

At CAG, and as highlighted in our mission statement, we are committed to protecting trophy carp. We have been working, often behind the scenes, to introduce legislation or reinforce existing regulations to protect trophy fish and regulate fish movement.

We also encourage the owners of paylakes to implement improved fish care programs to greatly reduce the need for restocking as well as advocate the creation of stock ponds to raise fish locally

Please remember that CAG is a not-for-profit organization run by volunteers. Your memberships and any funds we generate are used only in support of our mission.

My sincere thanks go to all our proactive members, state chairs & board members who are instrumental in supporting the Carp Anglers Group.

Iain Sorrell CAG President email: iain@carpanglersgroup.com

A VICTORY FROM DEFEATS

By Ryan Munn

I’ve entered many CAG Big 4 competitions since the spring of 2018, and in all of them, it seemed as though the universe was doing everything in its power to stop my victory. At first, I had severely limited fishing time based on my parents’ schedule. Then I got my driver’s license at 17, and this changed the game. I nearly won in fall 2020 with a then-best event finish of 132lb, if not for some smug French guy beating me while I was down after my spots had gone quiet (you know who you are!) In spring 2021, I got an explosive start in a new swim by landing my old PB carp of 43lb 12oz, securing the Big Common award. But just as I started to gain momentum, the fish began to spawn, and the spring season was over before I could secure the overall Big 4 win. I then took off from the contest for a while, but my return in the spring of 2023 was met with more of the same: record flooding and an extremely early and prolonged spawn made catching the biggest fish a near impossibility.

This fall, it finally seemed as though the universe might cut me a break. My schedule was unusually open and available after August. I also had a reliable swim that had done phenomenally well since my last Big 4 competition, accounting for both my PB 44lb common and my 31lb ghost fantail.

I planned to fish it HARD, harder than ever before. The path to the swim gets ridiculously overgrown with vegetation in the summer, so I spent the entire month of September by the bank with a hatchet and saw clearing room for me and my rods.

As the start date neared, I had everything: good weather forecasts, a phenomenal location, and lots of time to fish. Might everything go according to plan, at long last?

Of course not! That would be too simple. My first three 12-hour sessions resulted in only two carp, both under 20lb.

Over the next week, I kept trying, prebaiting harder and harder, but the fishing only got slower and eventually turned into blanks.

All that unpaid landscaping throughout September was for nothing. I was utterly lost and hopeless. There were other local swims that I knew held fish at this time of year, but none of them had given up big ones in the past. I tried them and began catching again, but nothing I landed broke the 25lb mark.

I even tried massive 50mm boilies in an attempt to avoid the smaller carp, but with nothing to show for my efforts, I nearly gave up. What else could I possibly do now?

Then it hit me. Perhaps it was boredom, spontaneity, or sheer curiosity that motivated me to try an area of the river that I’d had my eye on for years but never actually fished. On paper, the swim seemed horrible. All my other best fall/winter swims share common patterns in terms of depths, current, bottom makeup, structure, etc, and it went completely against almost all of these. And it was already late October. Nonetheless, something about it spoke to me, and I had to try.

Unfortunately, the swim wouldn’t give up its secrets easily. Without carp gear, it was a 20+ minute walk through thick vegetation and spiky thornbushes from the nearest possible parking spot.

Carrying three rods, bank sticks, a weigh sling, an unhooking mat, a scale, a net, a backpack with rig components, and a 40-pound bucket of boiled feed corn through the “Jersey jungle” was unimaginably difficult.

Whatever expectations I had were immediately shattered when I got a run after only three hours. I could hardly believe it - not only might this swim hold fish, but the first one in my net was a MIRROR! On most of the Delaware River where I fish, mirrors are rarer than 1 in 200 carp. I would have been less lucky to land a 40-pounder!

The session continued spectacularly. In only two hours I landed 7 carp, 5 of which were over the 25lb mark up to 28lb. I also lost two fish to a snag which felt MUCH heavier than the others. The short tidal bite window came to a close, so I reeled in and wrapped up. I hid my gear deep in the bushes and cleared a small path to make the walk more manageable next time.

I returned the following day at the same point in the incoming tide. I crawled into the bushes, retrieved my gear, and it wasn’t long until my first run. This fish felt heavy, like the two I had lost the day prior, but I was able to negotiate it away from the vicious snag on the side of the swim that had stolen the two others. It tipped the scales just shy of 35 pounds! I sacked the beast up and kept fishing.

Though I only landed two more, the quality was unbelievable - both were also over 30 pounds!

With three 30lb+ commons sacked up in my floating weigh sling, I got ready for the pictures. Then I realized… my phone had died. I normally bring a portable charging brick with me on my sessions, but of course, I’d forgotten it this time. I grabbed my phone and backpack and ran through the jungle back to my car, where I could use the cigarette charging port to revive my phone.

I sat there for no more than 15 minutes, my battery recharging to only 10%, and I ran back, leaving my backpack behind. I returned and lifted the biggest of the 30s out of the water for its picture. I put my phone in the tripod and went to reach into my backpack for my printed Big 4 logo.

Oh wait… I LEFT IT IN THE BACKPACK!

I furiously put the carp back in the sling and ran, once again, allllllll the way back to my car. I lifted the trunk, opened the backpack, and - WHAT?!? The logo isn’t in there either! I ran the long path

yet again back to the swim, only to discover that my logo was underneath my carp cradle the entire time. SERIOUSLY?!? I finally took my pictures with a bright red face thanks to the mini-marathon I just endured!

The following few days were pure bliss. The average carp I landed was just shy of 29lb, with 30s outnumbering teens by a good margin. I upgraded my Big 4 total multiple times. My friend Keith Jackson came to fish with me one day, and we had a very memorable session with 9 carp landed,

including a double up of 30s and several others just ounces short.

This swim really was beginning to feel like paradise, with its huge fish and relative convenience (since I left my equipment fully assembled hidden in the thick brush, setup was always super quick)!

So, did things keep going to plan then? Not exactly. In early November the swim began to slow down, with two or three blanks in a row prompting me to bait the area a bit harder. It paid off slightly, as I landed 5 fish with one just barely scratching the 30lb mark, but the following day it was back to blanking, it seemed.

I sat the entire incoming tide without a nibble from even a catfish. But just as the tide flipped and began going out, I got a surprise run. It felt HUGE, nearly immovable, a slow pull that I couldn’t halt. 20 minutes later, after quite possibly the toughest battle with a carp that I have ever experienced, I lifted a thick 40-pound brute into the net!

Unfortunately, this was just a lucky last-minute fish. The swim produced a total of zero carp over the next three sessions. While I was certainly grateful for the 40-pounder and many other 30s, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t also disappointed. I was confident that this swim had winter potential, but I was wrong. The fish had moved - although probably not too far - but where? I decided to try near a marina, 500 yards further from the main river.

No luck; just lots of small, stupid catfish. After these grueling blanks in the cold weather, calling it quits seemed like a reasonable option. I had already done fairly well! But there was one accessible, open casting point in this area, only 100 yards away from the original swim.

Why not try it? I carried my equipment back through the maze of thorns, reeds, and brush, enduring several nasty cuts and scrapes in the process. The tidal bite window had just passed, so I hid the gear deep in the brush once again.

I returned the following day. As I cast out the first rod, I could hardly believe my eyes - a carp crashed on the far left side of this new swim. I cast the second rod, and the first was instantly away with a carp. I fought the fish for several minutes, but before I could even see it the second alarm was screaming! In the two hours of utter chaos that followed, I landed seven carp. Three of these were small by the standards of this area, under 25lb.

Three of them were 30s which were too small to count toward my Big 4 total - a great problem to have! But the last one truly blew me away before it even entered my landing net.

It felt heavy throughout the fight, but when it surfaced several yards in front of me, I noticed the telltale patchy scales of a massive mirror carp! I must admit, my legs have never wobbled nor my arms shaken as much as those last 15 seconds of the fight - even for my previous 40s. It tipped the scales at 33lb 8oz, besting my old mirror PB by nearly 10 pounds!

- Though it’s far from the biggest fish I’ve ever landed, I’d certainly say it’s the rarest for this body of water - by a LOT.

I never, ever thought I’d win the Big Mirror award, but this fish had done it for me! -

So, would things continue going to plan this time? Water temperatures had dived to well below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, so it was unlikely that the carp would move very much as they settled into their wintering grounds. I could keep fishing this swim hard for the next two weeks, upgrade my total even further, and perhaps even win the Big Common award if I managed one over 42lb!

I began the walk back with Keith the next day, hoping he could join in on some of the otherworldly action. We turned a corner in the path I had cut through the bushes and froze in terrified disbelief.

Right next to the swim was a giant black tarp suspended teepee-style by rotting wooden beams, graffiti sprayed all over the front, used needles scattered outside on the ground, and a freshly extinguished campfire beside it.

This wasn’t a carp angler by any means - and being possibly the closest thing to a horror movie scene I’d ever witnessed, I didn’t want to stick around to find out who might be inside the tied-up entrance. But I had to retrieve my gear, still buried deep in the bushes from the session prior.

I held my breath and tip-toed past the shelter, hoping to remain unnoticed. As I crawled through the brush, my heart sank. All of my gear - all $1500 of it - was gone. And I wasn’t going in this creepy drug tent in the middle of the woods to ask for it back - if it was even still inside!

but the last few weeks had taught me that continuing when you don’t feel like it can be the key to tremendous success. So I did. For the remaining two weeks of the contest, I borrowed Keith’s equipment and tried several other new areas of the river, hoping to replicate the miracle I had discovered and then lost.

The temperatures turned bitterly cold, but I still sat long hours bankside with bright pink hands and cheeks hoping for a last-minute miracle. It never happened.

Thankfully, my total was already enough to claim victory at long last: 141 pounds and 8 ounces, plus the big mirror! Although to this day I wonder what I could have achieved with two full months at these swims instead of only two weeks…

We as carp anglers spend a lot of money and time on the baits we use, the rods and reels we use to cast them, as well as where and when to do so. Though these are all valuable things to consider,

I think we often forget the importance of mindset. Things will almost never go exactly to plan, no matter how skilled of an angler you are, and that’s entirely out of your control. But what you can control is how you respond. Do you give up, or try again? Do you complain about failures, or choose to learn from them? Incorporating these into your angling will do far more for your results than any rig or bait ever will.

This is the point at which any average person would have certainly given up. I was definitely close - I’d just experienced the biggest, costliest defeat of my carp angling career -

A VICTORY FROM DEFEATS

Baits for Anglers

Paul Pezalla – Obituary

Renaissance man Paul Pezalla left his mark on carp fishing and life in Chicago

Renaissance man Paul Pezalla died on Wednesday January 17th after leading a full life and leaving his mark on Chicago life and carp fishing, especially with the Chicago Carp Classic.

Our sincere thanks to Dale Bowman and the Chicago Sunday Times for allowing us to run his tribute to Paul in the NACA magazine

Paul Pezalla setting up gear for carp fishing at a Chicago Harbor in 2015,Dale Bowman

The sight of Paul Pezalla prayerfully releasing a carp halted world-renowned wildlife photographer Jim Brandenburg as we walked in 1998 along the Chicago River. Pezalla had that effect.

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, Mr. Pezalla, 76, died at home in Port Barrington after a short battle with cancer.

“The level of talent and skill he applied to his endeavors was unmatched: Carp fisherman, family man, inventor, computer wizard, builder,

photographer, stoic scientist, gardener, marketer, master woodworker, businessman, environmental activist, sports car enthusiast and music lover,” emailed Todd Carlander, long-time friend and fellow angler.

Mr. Pezalla was the steadying force behind the Chicago Carp Classic, which drew top international anglers in the 1990s. He also held the record for a long time on the Chicago River with a 38-pound, 2-ounce carp.

When he started his 17th consecutive years of catching a carp every month, I did a column.

Paul Pezalla with a 27-pound carp from the Chicago River in 2010.

He understood the oddity, saying, “It is crazy, no question about that. My daughters are amused by it. But one of them runs marathons and one is taking up boxing.”

Different fit Mr. Pezalla.

As Carlander described it, “Last summer I went to visit him, and he was casually designing and building a houseboat on the Fox River backwater where he lived. Chickens were running around the yard while he worked.”

Mr. Pezalla earned his undergrad degree and doctorate from the University of Minnesota, then did his post doctorate at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal before becoming a biology professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, according to his son-in-law Ronnie Marlin.

An early 90’s Chicago Carp Classic on the Chicago River.

rie Woodworking shop in Oak Park are the stuff of legend today,” Carlander said.

Mr. Pezalla switched to crafting covers for home radiators at his Prairie Woodworking shop.

“His CCC pre-fishing gatherings at the Prai-

My favorite memory of Mr. Pezalla was at one of those gatherings, a communal effort to make boilies (a carp bait).

He eventually founded Wacker Bait & Tackle LLC, an international carp-fishing business based in the Chicago area.

“In summary, I think it’s safe to say that Paul brought a new intellectualism to the sport of carp fishing in America,” Carlander emailed. “People were naturally drawn to it and the sport’s popularity today is his legacy.”

No public services are planned.

A TRIBUTE TO PAUL PEZALLA BY THE CARP ANGLERS GROUP.

It was with very great sadness that we heard in January of the passing of Paul Pezalla. Paul was at the forefront in the growth of modern carp fishing here in the USA. He started Wacker Bait and Tackle in Chicago in 1999 and was well known for creating the first brick and mortar carp & european tackle store in North America.

The Wacker website spread the message further afield and many of Paul’s flavors and baits became renowned for some impressive catches by specimen carp anglers everywhere. Who could forget his mulberry or scopex flavors or the WBT corn pips.

Paul was very much a leading light, supporter and member of the Carp Anglers Group from its earliest days. He served as Vice President and also as an interim President. He always supported CAG events both as a participant and generous sponsor and he was of course instrumental in the running of the Chicago Carp Classic. In 2005 Paul was honored with the Champion of the Queen Award for his outstanding service to carp fishing and the Carp Anglers Group. Our condolences go to Paul’s family, friends and the very many who knew him in the carp fishing fraternity. He will be very much missed by all.

Fall TheWinners!

FOUR BIG

23 20

Results:

As always there were some great catches. Well done to Ryan Munn for his Big 4 catches, including a 40lb common, that earned him first place together with the award for Big Mirror.

Sean Clayton won the Big Common with a 41lb 7oz beast.

Regional awards went to Ryan Munn, Chris Matthews and Colin Peters.

Our thanks go to CarpAngler.com for providing the prizes which are given as vouchers to spend on their choice of tackle or bait on the website.

1st Place & Region 1 Winner – Ryan Munn

2nd Place – Brian

Lee

3rd Place

4th Place

– Blayne Beeler

– Sean Clayton

5th Place –

6th Place & Region 2 Winner – Chris Mathews

Jay Smithers

7th Place

8th Place

– Tyler Cross

– Jerome Moisand

9th Place

Region 3 Winner –

10th Place –

– Ian Tallack

Robert Michalik

Colin Peters

Big Mirror – Ryan Munn

Big Common – Sean Clayton

IN THE NEWS! STATE CHAIRS

WE ARE DELIGHTED TO WELCOME FOUR (4) NEW STATE CHAIRS!

Brian Santos has joined to become the State Chair for New York Central

Jami Selvidge has joined to become the State Chair for Oklahoma

Steve Pflugradt has joined to become the State Chair for Missouri

State Chair Responsibilities

1. Organize a minimum of 2 socials a year (e.g. Spring & Fall Fish-Ins).

2. Consider ‘Out of Season Socials’ (Rig tying, Pizza nights, Screening Carp Videos etc).

3. Support the CAG Mission and help newcomers become better carp anglers.

4. Liaise with CAG Regional Directors to communicate with State DNR about carp fishing.

5. Post updates on events you run to CAG Forum, CAG Facebook & NACA magazine.

The not-for-profit organization registered as ‘Carp Anglers Group Ltd’ (also referred to as CAG) was established in 1993 to pursue the following objectives:

A) To gain acceptance of the carp as an exciting and challenging sport-fish.

B) To become better carp anglers, assist others and encourage them to join us.

C) To treat the carp with respect, promote the release of trophy-size carp and encourage others to do the same.

D) Most of all: go fishing, share with others, and have fun.

If you would like to become a State Chair and represent carp fishing in your area please reach out by email to: iain@carpanglersgroup.com

Check the Event Page Links for Upcoming Events in your Area!

CAG Facebook Page: https://www.facebook. com/groups/carpanglersgroup/events

CAG Forum Page: https://www.carpanglersgroup.com/forum/ index.php?/events/

Jeff Bourns has joined to become the State Chair for Arkansas

Colorado and New Mexico

By Jerome Moisand

In the Denver area in Colorado, there are two nice folks named John ‘Carp Quest’ Finney and Amy Demrovsky, so I had received plenty of tips on where to go! I started by the famous Chatfield Reservoir, I was there before dawn, a little too eager. Once I could see what I was doing, I walked around, noticed fish jumping, I cast and it took me less than 10 minutes to land my first carp from Colorado! Then I proceeded to get one fish after another, even a small fully-scaled mirror. It was almost too easy! In the following few days, I tried to find spots to fish the Platte river (flow was too strong),

After fishing in Nevada and Arizona (see the article in the Q3’23 NACA), I had caught carp in 39 states in the US.

The next destination was in the West again, Colorado and New Mexico. I’ll cover this fall 2023 trip briefly before we get to my more recent trip in Arkansas and Oklahoma early spring 2024.

then decided to explore another reservoir, this time without any local hint. I drove all around and settled for the most obvious spot, a small pier near the local marina. I came back early the day after, fish were jumping but not biting for a while. Not being able to chum in this state was quite annoying, but... I recast quite often with a new method ball, trying to stay consistent with my casting spots. Carp finally found my bait and I landed half a dozen in a couple of hours, making quite an impression on local kids.

Finally, I spent some time exploring a smaller lake (I’ll come back to this)

It was time to go to New Mexico, where I was going blind, with no local advice. First, I drove and explored Lake Trinidad, close to the NM border. And I worked hard. And I got nothing to show for it, except a dumb trout. No clue if carp even exist in this lake.

Then I drove to Albuquerque, stopping for a coffee in a small town, and being rewarded with a stupid speeding ticket while exiting the town.

The overzealous cop also meant to nail me for drinking alcohol in the car, but he had to concede that my fermented maize wouldn’t count as alcoholic beverage...

My primary plan was to explore the shore of the Rio Grande and find places to fish. Well, easier said than done. The Rio Grande was not so ‘Grande’, actually quite dry at this time of the year, and suitable shore access proved hard to find.

Neither Google Maps nor Google Earth really show the huge changes in such a river system and its current reality, I just had to drive and walk around a good deal. Such variations are fascinating when you’re a local, your favorite big river is never the same and this keeps the excitement up, but when you have just a few days to make it work without prior experience, it gets a tad challenging.

I finally landed my first carp from New Mexico behind a dam, in a rather small puddle of water! A very attractive bend of the river, with a nice deep pocket, didn’t deliver anything and I have yet to understand why. Later on, I caught a couple more fish upstream of the next dam, in Native American territory (locals proved much more accepting than in Quebec where I got booted out twice! Admittedly, I can’t pass for a native!). I also had in mind to catch small carp from the ditches, the big irrigation system around the main river, as I saw videos of a local guy pulling this off in several places.

Alas, most of those ditches were dry and the rest just didn’t seem worth a try.

Overall, Albuquerque was rather dreary and sad, to be honest. My last attempt was an enticing reservoir upstream of the city, which was so flooded I just couldn’t fish. Why was the reservoir left so full while the main river downstream was left so dry, I am not quite sure. I ended up switching to sightseeing to keep myself busy (the Meow Wolf immersive art museum in Santa Fe was fascinating).

Finally, I drove back to Colorado, while stopping to check the Garden of Gods weird rocky formations. I had a couple of days left, Amy had given me a really nice hint of where I’d have a chance to catch a bigger fish (the somewhat secretive lake I looked at before going to NM) After a long trek dragging my gear and a few hours waiting, I was rewarded with a beautiful 22 pounder! Made my day! And that was it for NM and CO. States #40 and #41, done!

Arkansas

Winter time. Cabin fever. What to do? Ah yes, plan an early spring trip in two Southern states! Arkansas and Oklahoma, here we come. After getting ripped off by Spirit Airlines with my oversized ski tube (where I put my rods, baiting spoon and net), the only airline NOT making an exception for sporting equipment (as I learned a tad too late), I made it to Dallas, TX. After the mandatory visit to Tractor Supply, I started by spending a few days at Lake Fork, where I did ok with commons (average size around 20lb, nice!) after locating a nice patch of nutritive mud. I also caught a pretty mirror, which are apparently quite rare out there. I lost a really massive fish (probably a big buff) though, on a line break in a snag. URG.

My first stop in Arkansas was Lake Millwood, which is supposed to hold buffs, grassies and commons. My morale went down a notch when hearing from my Airbnb host that her nice lake-facing property had no shore access due to a recent neighbor dispute. I could see the tantalizing shore from my window! She redirected me to an old boat ramp nearby with a small cove where local panfish anglers looked at this new guy using long rods with suspicious eyes. Usually, I take more time to explore and make a plan, but the cove looked good, I noticed the skeleton of a buff on the shore, so I set up a bit away from the wary characters and waited a couple of hours.

Well, nothing moved and the local guys were noisily recasting too often for my taste, so I finally got wiser and started to truly explore. Three areas looked interesting. The usual dam trick (with an eddy area behind the local dam)

A backwater of the river starting from the dam, which looked oh-so-carpy (signs warning you about alligators were less inspiring)

And then the local state park with a few so-so spots. I spent a couple of days chumming and trying everything and all I got for my efforts were a couple of small buffs behind the dam (and getting drenched twice). Not even an alligator showed up!

My next stop, which I was more excited about, was the Arkansas river (of course!) and Lake Dardanelle. Again, some disappointment with my Airbnb, a beautiful cabin on the shore of the river, but a bunch of trees fell in the water after a recent storm and it was unfishable. Very scenic though.

A local park nearby with a somewhat weedy backwater really turned me on and I chummed a good deal before going to explore further.

Lake Dardanelle is pretty big and I could only explore part of it. I was intrigued by the local nuclear plant, I found the warm water going out of it, but alas, no way to fish in this area (full of evacuation signs, by the way, unnerving!).

I made a plan, try behind the dam’s sizable lock, try the other side of the river behind the dam, try a local state park, maybe try a couple of coves further. I hesitated to drive to an area strangely named “Illinois Bayou” (in Arkansas?), but I was tired and came back to the local park I had chummed. I fished there at dusk, didn’t work besides a pesky catfish, I chummed again. I spent the next day trying most of those spots (driving around to chum one step ahead before fishing the N-1th spot) and all I got was another annoying catfish. Several locals told me carp were actually not that widespread in the river and rarely found where I fished. Fact is I now had spent 5 days in Arkansas without catching a common and I had plenty of doubts in my mind and I was running out of time.

In the evening, I was running more Internet searches and came up with a solid backup option of fishing a lake close to Oklahoma border the day I’d drive there, a lake where carp were often caught. Then it finally crossed my mind to look at the CAG Forum and search for ‘Arkansas’. For whatever reason, I thought we never had a CAG member in this state. I was a little stunned to discover that somebody named Jeff Bourns had posted on the forum in the fall 2022, and that I had answered and suggested we connect whenever I’d go try this state.

And Jeff happened to be located close to where I was staying.

MAJOR SENIOR MOMENT, I had totally forgotten about that. I started to send frantic e-mails and Facebook messages to Jeff, praying that he’d notice in the morning. He actually did, around 5am! He couldn’t fish with me, but suggested I go fish a lake an hour away. So I went. The lake was quite flooded, I only had one primary access spot, I stayed there for part of the day, got a half-baked run which got nowhere, and started to lose hope. Jeff was working, but he came up with another idea.

Remember the Illinois Bayou? He had access to a private property where big buffs and carp roam around, so why not meet there at the end of the day? Well, YES!! When I arrived, it looked great and fish were clearly around and active, nice!

We chummed lightly, I set up my rods, we had a good chat (smart and very nice guy), then he had to leave. A buddy of him showed up, started to ask many questions and... one of my reels started to sing! And I landed a great-looking mid-20 after a spirited fight.

YES. First carp from Arkansas, pfff, it was time! A bit later, as the local landlady came to chat (thank you, Barbara), I landed another muscular mid-20. Funny how my mood had greatly improved by then, all thanks to the local CAG member! State #42, done!

Oklahoma

The day after, I decided to go straight to Oklahoma. I was amused by the fact that Arkansas was by then the only state where all I caught were 20 pounders and I didn’t want to break this pattern!

I had made plans to meet with a very nice fellow named Jeff Olinger (another Jeff!) and fish with him in the Tulsa area. After all this heavy exploring in AR, I was happy to just let a local guy take charge.

He told me to meet at a local reservoir, a rather windy place and we decided to fish a cove. An hour later, I had a BIG fish dragging me all over the place! After few heart pounding minutes, I had a 40lb black buffalo on my mat, impressive! It was quickly followed by my first common from Oklahoma (state #43). Now that’s a nice start for a new state. Believe it or not, we had a plan to catch much, much bigger fish the morning after!

Enough with carp fishing, let’s go with a guide and try to catch some of those prehistoric beasts named paddlefish.

The guide proved excellent and Jeff got one that the guide weighed at 99lb. Yup, no typo, 99lb (the picture doesn’t it justice, it was massive!). And I got one which was easily 80lb. Not the biggest fish of my life (this would be a six feet sturgeon caught with Olivier Gandzadi a while ago), but close! Let’s recap. Two mid-20s from AR. A 40lb buff from OK. And a 80lb paddlefish from OK. All in 3 days. Not too shabby.

After celebrating (and recuperating!) at a local restaurant, joined by Jeff’s bubbly wife, we spent a few hours at a completely different venue, a small pond designed as a stormwater outflow. Surprisingly, kois, mirrors and fantails, plus commons and grass carp roam in this small venue. Jeff quickly started to show me how it’s done, landing several kois and a grasser while I painfully caught two commons. One of those commons had a small orange dot on its body, so we called it the “1% koi”.

The day after, Jeff had to go to work, I had originally planned to return to the big buff venue, but then decided that I really wanted to catch a koi, which I never did during a trip to a new state! Well, it turned out to be harder that I expected, but I did get two at the end of the day (after getting drenched again and seeking refuge -unwisely?- in the storm overflow tunnel).

After thanking Jeff for a great time, it was time to go to my last stop of the trip. Back to going blind to a sizable venue, pure discovery, namely Lake Murray in OK.

I arrived early afternoon and immediately proceeded to drive around the lake. It was very scenic, quite some shore access, except that most of it was reserved for campers and boaters.

I did like two spots, conveniently close to each other, nice coves with reeds, but it wasn’t obvious to me that carp would be around, it’s a big lake. I went to take a look at another lake (Jean Neustadt), rumored to host really big grassies, and quickly found a great cove.

So I chummed it heavily, drove back to Lake Murray, chummed heavily too and finally went to get dinner, cook more maize and get some sleep. It was a lot of driving today (the two lakes were 40 minutes from each other, plus I drove from Tulsa in the morning!).

Next morning, I chummed Jean Neustadt, chummed the second spot at Lake Murray and went to fish the first spot. Some pesky catfish quickly honed on my bait, I wasn’t too sure anything else was around.

Then a small carp took off and I was absolutely stunned to land a beautiful butterfly! No way!! Here is the release video, it was swimming so gracefully! This incredible catch was followed by a couple of small (regular) commons and a small buff. I switched to the other spot nearby, saw some activity, but then it started to rain, most of the afternoon.

I was only able to resume fishing around 6pm (and did well, with a handful of fish before it got dark). Then I chummed again, everywhere, and called it a day.

On my last day, my heavy chumming paid off at Lake Jean Neustadt. I landed 13 carp and lost a couple in just a few hours. All small ones, I was hoping for a mirror or a grassie, but I had exhausted my luck, I guess. In the afternoon, after some light rain, I fished the second spot at Lake Murray, struggled more (besides a stupid catfish), and finally got a couple of commons, including a fairly decent one. Which means that the three spots I had identified during my discovery process all delivered. After my frustrations in Arkansas, this gave me a nice confidence boost before packing up my gear, quite satisfied with my trip.

I went to a local grill with fun decorum to celebrate and took my revenge on pesky pests by eating some catfish fillets! CO, NM, AR, OK, all done. 43 states so far! I’ll stay local for the rest of 2024, but then in 2025, I think I’ll try to tackle Louisiana and Mississippi.

Bait Business USA

Domestic Carp Bait Industry on the Rise

By Craig Buddo

Bait is probably the most fascinating and talked about aspect of carp fishing. It’s always been this way, going back to the sport’s roots in 1950’s England. Dick Walker tempted Clarissa, the 44 lb common that obliterated the British record and ignited the modern Euro approach, on a piece of balanced bread crust (balanced between buoyant crust and denser compressed bread, so it wafted down and settled nicely on top of the silty bed of Redmire Pool).

hough it sounds like a very simple approach, this really set the standard for modern carp baits: a bait highly attractive to carp specifically (in taste, texture, and visibility), that was bulky enough to deter nuisance fish, developed to fish over specific lake bottom conditions. Interestingly, it hasn’t always been a one-way street between the UK and US in terms of bait development. The carp-attracting powers of maple and maize were both American discoveries that were incorporated into very early UK baits.

The modern day results of the UK and European bait industry, in the form of highly effective boilies, flavors, mixes, and particles, are available to us thanks to the established carp tackle importersBig Carp Tackle, Carp Angler, and CarpKit, and they provide a great service. But for carp angling to really thrive here, we should be encouraging our domestic bait and tackle industry.

Over and above making gear tailored to American and Canadian fisheries, domestic carp businesses will be the ones sponsoring tournaments and pro-anglers, producing quality North American content, and advocating for carp to state agencies and policymakers.

In that spirit, I checked in with many of the established domestic carp bait companies to see how business was going, what their plans were for 2024, and anything else on their mind. Bait suppliers are probably better positioned than anyone to gauge the health of the domestic carp market and everyone I reached out to was optimistic about the sport, and several have plans to expand their ranges and update their e-commerce capabilities in the near future. Making and selling bait is a tough game, and these small companies have only survived by selling a good product. They deserve our support. Some quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

World Classic Baits (worldclassicbaits.com) is less active (and vocal) on social media than some other companies, but they’ve found a business formula that works exceptionally well for them.

Founders Magdalena Ludwinska and Ernest Kolodziejczyk began carp fishing together and making bait as a couple in Poland - Magdalena recalls with a laugh, some of their first dates involved

making strawberry boilies and testing groundbait mixes - before emigrating to the US and founding WCB in 2008. “Ernie’s baits, boilies, and groundbaits quickly started to be noticed by fellow anglers around the area [Chicagoland] and that was the start of our journey as WCB. We are now sold in every bait shop in the Chicago area and several stores in other states, as well as our online store.”

“We have a few team members who get our baits first for testing and represent us online and in tournaments. I couldn’t imagine WCB without Rick Slinker, Gilbert Huxley, Ed Wagner, Mike Dragone, Chris Motwicki, Thomas Falaszewski, and other great anglers who through the years have contributed their time and knowledge to our success.”

As the longest running carp bait company in the US, WCB has successfully ridden a steady rise in the popularity of the sport, but they aren’t resting on their laurels.

“We’re working now on one or two new flavors for 2024, all of which have shown great results in field tests,” Magdalena says. “They should fit nicely in our range alongside such long-time favorites as 4Season boilies and Hemp Madness groundbait.”

Perhaps it’s because of their roots in the Northeast where those cold waters just seem to conjureup spectacular looking carp, but Lorenzo Rosaci’s Carp Bait USA (carpbaitusa.com) and Tamas Vegvari’s Carp Maxx Baits (facebook.com, then search for “Carp Maxx Baits”) often seem to be the boilies tempting those really exceptional captures, the kind that stop you in your tracks on instagram or facebook.

It’s probably not a coincidence that both companies have a focus on fresh, high-quality, high-nutritional value ingredients, and a long list of talented anglers who swear by their offerings.

Carp Maxx sells through its facebook page in increment sizes of 10 lb packs and currently offers 20 mm and 24 mm bottom baits and pop-ups in 14 mm and 16 mm. Baits are made-to-order to ensure freshness and can be customized by reaching out to Tamas. Just a few of its better known signature flavors are Sea & Fruit, Coconut Cream, PB Mussel, Honey Crunch, and Vanilla Crunch.

They update their product offerings each season on social media and fans of the brand should stay tuned as they have some exciting plans for new releases and expanded offerings in 2024.

I reached Tamas in the middle of a house move and he offered as a worthy substitute his longtime field tester and friend Jake Ayotte, who should need no introduction to CAG members as often as he graces the CAG facebook page and magazine clutching big beautiful carp.

Jake has a long history with the company. “I have been formally associated with Carp Maxx Baits for six years now. I take a few trips per season up to the shop to help Tamas roll and package bait with teammate Kevin Murphy. I chat with Tamas often over the phone about bait design and future team fishing endeavors and we also tinker with new ideas and develop new baits and flavors.

Most recently Kevin, Tamas and I created a bait we call ‘The Test’, which has produced numerous large fish straight out of production for myself and others.”

Jake offered a few tips on his approach for anyone hesitant about committing to boilie fishing due to expense or lack of confidence. “While it can be expensive, I have mostly gone with a boilie only approach for the last five years and it has paid off with numerous very large fish. I will typically bait anywhere from five to 25 pounds at a time depending on the size and stock of fish in the water I’m fishing and I always prebait two to three days in advance at all costs.”

“I like to fish with three flavors of bait to give them options but not overstimulate them, usually one fishy, one fruity, and one nut/cream.

This covers a vast flavor profile without needing tons of different boilies. While prebaiting, I will chop and dust around half of what I’m baiting at the beginning and as I get closer to fishing I’ll lessen the amount of chops until I’m only using whole boilies.

I do this for three reasons: One, the fish have already begun to consume the boilie so chopping isn’t necessary to keep them feeding; two, it’s much easier, faster, and cleaner to put out a boilie with a throwing stick versus a spomb or bait boat; and, three, I believe full boilies do a better job at holding large fish.”

This was exactly the tactic he used to catch his recent pb mirror, a stunning fish of 56 lb 8 oz, which fell appropriately to a 24 mm Carp Maxx PB Mussel boilie, fished over a bed of PB Mussel, Sea & Fruit, and Coconut Cream.

Lorenzo Rosaci, owner of Carp Bait USA, reports healthy business in 2023 and plans for expansion in 2024 on the back of increasing awareness of both carp as a worthy quarry, and boilie fishing as the way to target bigger fish. Sales of unflavored bulk boilies in either fish mix or bird food mix to tournament anglers and those undertaking baiting campaigns was a strong trend in the last year. These baits can be boosted with any flavor or liquid you choose, but perhaps surprisingly Lorenzo has “flavor” third on the list of important considerations for a good boilie.

“In places where the fish have never seen a boilie, a flavored bait can even delay the bite. I trust what is in my bait (the food signal) more than what flavor it has. For years before starting Carp Bait USA I fished flavorless boilies very successfully.”

You can only do this if you have a lot of trust in the quality of the component ingredients and you know the bait is as fresh as possible.

All Lorenzo’s bait is made to order. “I decided to provide my customers with bait that was as fresh as it can be,” he says. “As orders come in, batches are made. Leftovers are for my personal use and for field testers. I do use human-grade preservatives so it will stay fresh for at least six months to a year.”

Or longer. Lorenzo’s friend and customer David Mitchell reported some 2023 catches on a bag of TAC boilies purchased in … 2016.

Field tester and Carp Bait USA team member Yuriy Nesterov has complete faith in the brand and in Lorenzo’s talents as a baitmaker, perhaps because he sees the background work that goes into creating a good bait before it ever hits the shelves.

“Some people do say that boilies are expensive,” he says, “but if they knew the entire science behind making them and they applied the correct approach to using them, they’d never say anything like that.

Back in the day when I switched to boilies, even though I wasn’t using the best tactics, the difference was immediate in terms of quantity and size of fish.”

As a field tester, Yuriy is obliged to keep trying different baits through the year rather than settling on one or two favorites. He says, “I just keep testing, sending in reports, and adjustments are made to the bait if necessary.

In cold conditions, I usually try to avoid boilies with a high oil content as oil tends to stiffen up in cold temperatures, but even these are tested in the winter. Every venue is different and requires a different approach throughout the year. Good anglers have to be adaptable.”

ProLine Baits (prolinebaits.com), out of Spartanburg, South Carolina, is a rare company that began supplying the carp market and has successfully expanded into bass, catfish, crappie, and other species.

Their carp offerings include liquid flavors, sprays, flavored corn, tiger nuts, and their own range of premium boilies in six flavors.

Despite their turn towards the all-consuming bass market, these guys are serious about carp bait.

They have the manufacturing equipment and facilities to make a high volume of bait, allied to decades of experience formulating attractive flavors and hookbaits.

ProLine is run by husband and wife team Keith and Rhonda Cisney. Rhonda points out that the success of the company in the bass and general freshwater markets has had a knock-on effect for their carp products.

“The breakthrough into the multi-species market has definitely helped with trust in our carp products,” she says.

“We are the first carp attractants to sit on the shelves in Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s and we also sell through Tackle Warehouse, among other places. We believe the hard work we put into getting on those shelves helps boost the sales of carp products everywhere. Fishermen who have never fished for carp reach out to us to get more information, and we work with the staff at these stores to educate them about carp.”

“We have seen a huge increase in the demand for carp baits. Our boilies and hook baits have been our hottest items. Our best sellers are seasonal for sure, but Coconut Cream and Pineapple Butternut in the Premium boilie range and Monster Crab, European Butternut, and Reel Hemp in Premium flavors are consistently popular.”

Rafal Wlazlo, the owner of Carp Angler (carpangler.com), imports a full range of carp bait from Europe, but has also developed a homegrown boilie range in conjunction with ProLine. Currently there are four boilie flavors - Mega Spice, Scopex Premier, Pineapple Fusion, and Coco Berry Pink Diamond, available in 20 mm and 24 mm sizes with matching pva-friendly sprays. For particles, Carp Angler offers their own brand tiger nuts and a selection of flavored tigers, maize, and sweetcorn from Trilogy Carp Baits

Carp Angler isn’t shy about proclaiming their ProLine boilies the most expensive you can buy in the USA, at just shy of $30 for 2.2 lbs or 1 kg, but Rafal states the top shelf nature of the ingredients that goes into them justifies the price. He also emphasizes that Carp Angler offers a wide price spectrum of boilies and many anglers combine the two: “Our premium boilies are often used as hookbait offerings while cheaper options can be used for prebaiting.”

They also collaborate with DT Baits in the UK. Currently there are three classic boilie flavors in

the line: tutti frutti, banana, and sweetcorn. Rafal doesn’t necessarily believe that US carp have different taste preferences than carp in other countries, he puts his faith in common flavors that have been proven to work everywhere.

What does make a difference he believes is the full-time professional approach to bait manufacture he and ProLine and DT Baits are able to bring to the table. “We do this for a living,” he says. “Being able to spend 40 hours a week multiplied by many employees, developing carp bait and listening to feedback, allows us to make better products.”

The American Carp Society (americancarpsociety.com/store) has steadily upped its commitment to making and selling carp bait. Their Barnaby’s Revenge range was conceived, field tested, sourced, and produced in the US.

Though ACS restricts some releases to members of the group, they have a growing online bait and tackle store open to all. You’ll find premium boilies in 1 kg and 5 kg bags, pop-ups, tiger nuts, groundbait, pellets, sprays, and flavors.

I asked founder Sean Manning about developing the year-round Barnaby range. He said: “We won’t use lower quality ingredients to cut costs in our bait products as we have found that a really high quality bait will catch carp consistently, any month and in any season, regardless of flavor and color. The base mix is really the key … It took years of experimentation by some of the most experienced carp anglers in the USA and some lucky mistakes to finalize the Barnaby’s Revenge base mix, which we very much view as a tailor made American bait.”

He cautions that what might smell and look attractive to you isn’t necessarily going to consistently appeal to a carp, with its abundance of natural food to choose from: “It takes some key triggers and ingredients within a bait for them to view it as a legitimate food source and not just a passing snack or one-time thing. To hold their interest, especially in large bodies of water where they tend to travel in big shoals, the bait must have a high nutritional value.”

Manufacturing and selling boilies on a large scale is challenging for a variety of reasons, from sourcing ingredients to buying industrial-grade boilie rollers, to dealing with regulations, but there are a handful of small domestic companies that have sidestepped these hurdles and found a workable niche selling small-batch hookbaits and particles.

Texas-based Wicked Carp Company (wickedcarpcompany. com) is perhaps best known for their high-quality flavored tigernuts, but owner Neville Bebbington has been making boilies for his own use and for sale to other carp and buff anglers for over a decade.

The initial motivation was just to have full confidence in the effectiveness and freshness of the bait he was using. “I started testing my bait against some of the big brands and when they were generally doing better, I realized I might be on to something.”

He now offers a range of 15 mm hookbaits and dumbbells in seven flavors, including Blue Raspberry, Pineapple Ice Cream, and Tutti Frutti, with matching liquid flavors or glugs.

Pots of flavored tigernuts and corn come in a thick pva-friendly liquid and are ready to use without any further prep. “Carp simply love tigernuts,” he says.

“They are our best selling product and we enhance them with a preparation process that makes them unique in the market.”

Neville has plans to expand Wicked next year after riding out some supply chain issues in 2023 (such as the loss of the supplier he used for the popular catalpa worm flavor), and headaches dealing with amazon as an e-commerce partner. “There is certainly more work to running a bait business than you can anticipate until you’re actually doing it, but in 2024 I hope to take things to the next level with a wider range of products and greater stock on hand. I’m always happy to serve CAG members because it’s really thanks to them that carp fishing in the USA is becoming ever more popular.”

Trilogy Carp Baits (trilogycarpbaits.com) formed when father and sons Robert, Brendan, and Austin Pass discovered that Andy Sprinkle was about to cease production of their favorite corn products. They approached him with an offer to continue production based on his recipes and input behind the scenes. Robert now does the unglamorous bits of the business such as stocking supplies, filing orders, maintaining the website, and customer service.

Brendan and Austin’s role is field testing, product development and social media, being the “face” of the business.

Something they’ve achieved most notably through their friendship and appearances alongside massively popular English fishing Youtubers Carl and Alex. Carl’s films about his US carping adventures are a must see: beautifully filmed and full of insight on what it takes to track down big wildwater carp.

Trilogy will be hitting their ten year anniversary in 2024 selling flavored particles, groundbait, method mixes, and a range of leads and accessories. They’ve noticed increased domestic competition over the years but also a steady rise in the popularity of the sport and greater attention to bait in all its possible permutations.

When asked how the average carper can improve their results, Richard is quick to say: “Preparation. It’s scouting lakes/ponds and their topography. Are there signs of fish in the area? What’s the depth of the water? What are the food sources? What kind of pre-baiting are you able to do? Austin and Brendan will literally research a swim for a week before they even put a line in.”

Their best selling product is King Korn by a wide margin. Robert says, “It’s about twice the size of a regular kernel of corn, but also not too big. It gives a bigger, more visible presentation. It’s a bit tougher than regular corn so it stays on the hook or hair better.

People loved it so much we discontinued the original corn we started off with. It’s a premium bait but offers great value for money because our products don’t need refrigeration after opening - they will literally last for years if kept out of extreme temps.”

Plans for 2024 include more flavors, more end tackle, and a greater emphasis on promotions and special sales, along with continued regular donations to fish-ins and tournaments.

Fred Powers of New England Carp Connections or NECC (facebook.com and then search for either Fred Powers or New England Carp Connections), specializes in premium pop-ups and imitation corn. He’s taking the winter to create a new website, and expand offerings after selling via facebook, instagram and youtube since 2019.

He’s drawn down his stock but is still taking orders while he rebuilds.

2023 was the first year he ran the business as a solo operator and he definitely noticed an increase in sales. He says,

“My three best selling products sell at about the same rate. They are Yellow Pineapple, White Coconut, and Pink Fruity Squid. Next year we’ll have an expanded selection of colors and flavors and a few other new products.”

About Craig Buddo, Craig began his outdoor communications career as an editor at Frank Amato Publications, a leading independent publisher of fly-fishing books and magazines.

A successful freelance writer and author, his articles have been published in many US and UK fishing publications including In-Fisherman, Game & Fish, B.A.S.S. Times, Bass Anglers Magazine, Sea Angler, Angling Times, and USA Today - College.

Craig is the author of “Fishing Online: Best 1,000 Web Sites” (Stoeger Publishing),

a 400-page reference guide to online fishing resources, which was positively reviewed by publications across the sport.

Outside of fishing, Craig has worked as a technical editor for clients such as Intel, HP, and adidas, and in the fields of commercial banking and intellectual property law. Craig has a degree in American and English Literature from the University of East Anglia in England and attended the University of Texas at Austin as a Fulbright Exchange student.

The St Lawrence Junior International Carp Tournament takes place July 18-20 2024.

Kids aged 11-14 and 15-18 can compete as individuals or teams for two days along the banks of the mighty St Lawrence River.

There are Cash and Other Prizes together with Special Awards for Sportsmanship etc.

This is a great family event and last year we had over 80 kids taking part including

For More Details and Registration please follow this link:

https://www.carpanglersgroup.com/forum/ index.php?/topic/68906-21st-st-lawrencejunior-international-carp-tournament-july-18-20-2024/

Connor Wright - overall winner for 2023

30 newcomers!

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

• Quartely NACA Magazine*

• Member Benefits

• CAG Apparel & Merchandise

• Fish-Ins, Events & Competitions

• New Member Tackle Pack

*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

The Carp Anglers Group is a non-profit organisation