St.Lawrence River Carp(pictures)

[big-o]

NOT A PAN FISH REPORT BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO PUT IT!!!

I had three friends join me on the bank Saturday,On your side of the river(U.S.A.) for Carp fishing you are allowed 2 rods per person, on the Canadian side we are still in the middle ages and are allotted only one rod...we had heard from the owner of the Canadian Carp Club,Jeff that the fish were starting to turn on, so with the high wind forecast ,a day on the bank would fill our need for reel peel and and some social action.

I was there first, I set up my one rod on the pod and the waiting game was on

while waiting fro my buddies to arrive with the bait(Hydrated corn) I took a a few shots of a blue Heron that was also fishing in the same area

shortly after 7:00 am the rest of the crew arrived and and we were set up by 8:00 am

The boys relaxing

Around 8:25 the bite alarm went off and the bait runner reel was screaming Drew(Bunk) was the first up and the fight was on

Drew on the rod

we knew this was a good fish,it gave a great straight and steady drag screaming run and stayed deep,all the indications of a good fish

after a long battle Drew let the fish into the net

Our first Carp of the year tipped the Scales at a even 29 pounds, a good early season Carp and I do believe an new personal best for Drew

the next up was Markus, who was down from Nova Scotia for a month working in the Toronto area

after an hour or so my bite alarm went off, I picked up the rod flipped off the bait runner and started to crank down on the fish... there was very little fight and no drag being taken, yet the end of the 12 foot Grays rod was pumping ,so I knew I had a fish on.... turns out to be about a 14 inch Bull head

.Next up was my fishing partner RJ(Rob) this fish gave RJ a good fight, lots of rod tip pumps, lots of drag... but then it headed straight to shore trying to shake the hook, by doing this we new it would be a teenager.

RJ on the rod

Into the net

A typical St.Lawrence Carp

So it was back to the beginning of the rotation

Drew with his second check out the size of the fins on this fish... they were enormous

Carp have a enormous tail and fins, the large tails give these fish bullet like speed and unbelievable power, the huge fins give carp great agility and they can turn on a dime at high speeds, making them a premier fighting fish.

I was busy reiteing from a break off and I missed Markus next fish,Drew has some pictures of it so when i get them I will insert them into this report

I was up next ,this time I knew I was into my first Carp of 2010 another teenager, but it put up one heck of a battle

I also missed the pictures of the next 2 fish... I'm sure some one as them.

So with a big dinner waiting for RJ and Mark at RJ place we called it a day around 4:30. A slow day for Carp,but as we found out later, the other guys only managed to land 2 or 3 fish all day, so by those numbers we had a great day

I know I have said this before,but I'll say it again,Carp fishing is a Blast, the fish put up a great battles, Long drag screaming runs, they roll they shake those monster heads... and fight you every inch of they way to the net,but it not just about the fish... it's time spent on the bank with good friends, truly one of the best social sports there is.I bring my Grandson out, his personal best fish is 30 pounds,his very first fish was 25 ponds,Give this type of fishing a whirl, I'll guarantee you will love it,if you have any questions on how to set up ,what equipment needed ,how to bait, set up your rigs, just ask I'll do my best to answer all your questions

Thanks for Looking

Phil

[EllisOnCayuga]

Those fish are seriously insane!! I live in the heart of the Fingerlakes and I thought we had big carp in the canals and so on.. But I've never seen something like that! Thats whats fishing is all about, havin a good time and the fight of the fish. Just a couple questions, what were you guys were using for bait? And what is the best way to set up your pole? (Sinkers, Bobbers?)

[big-o]

Those fish are seriously insane!! I live in the heart of the Fingerlakes and I thought we had big carp in the canals and so on.. But I've never seen something like that! Thats whats fishing is all about, havin a good time and the fight of the fish. Just a couple questions, what were you guys were using for bait? And what is the best way to set up your pole? (Sinkers, Bobbers?)

Heres how i would start,once you have found your spot I would prebait with hydated corn(I buy 50 pound bags of corn from our local feed mill,I pour the corn into a 20 liter pail till about 3/4 full I boil water and pour over the corn until the pail is full,put the lid on and let sit for 24 hours,you may have to add more water so keep checking. ) now the your ready to prebait,if you are fishing saturday I would start to prebait Wed. take a gallon or so of corn and spread it out where you are going to be fishing,do this wed thrus.and friday,what this does it will attarct and hold the fish in the area. when you arrive to fish put out a another gallon of corn. then thread about 3 to 4 kernals on a hair rig(do you know how to tie a hair rig??)if you do I won't bother with pictures then I'll continue

[motocross]

I do that almost evey day on my lunch hour...they put up a heck of a fight.

[EllisOnCayuga]

Wow thanks for all the great advice, I learned how to tie a hair rig today also. I'm going to enter the local carp derby and kill it this year! Just two more questions, do I necessarily have to buy that hair rig material or can I use my 12 lb monofilament line to tie the rig and such? and is sweet canned corn good enough? Can't wait to catch some fat carp!

[GAMBLER]

Ellis,

I use canned sweet corn and it works good. You will have to find a good brand. Some brands are not as firm and come off (even on the hair rig). I use Wegmans sweet corn in the can.

[big-o]

Wow thanks for all the great advice, I learned how to tie a hair rig today also. I'm going to enter the local carp derby and kill it this year! Just two more questions, do I necessarily have to buy that hair rig material or can I use my 12 lb monofilament line to tie the rig and such? and is sweet canned corn good enough? Can't wait to catch some fat carp!

for a hair rig I would use braid,(10 to 15 pound) it softer and not easy for the fish to detect when sucking up the corn.if you are fishing fast water make sure you use a flat style weight to stop it from rolling with the current,if you are fishing slack water a smaller wieght will do,and of course depending on how far you are casting,to the size of weight needed.

Can corn works fine... it soft and won't be as durable as field corn.and if you are prebaiting an area, it cost a lot more. Field Corn I pay about $12.00 for a 50 pound bag.REMEMBER if you are not using a bait runner reel make sure you back off the drag... or in a blink of an eye your rig will be gone!!!!Baiting is realy the key to carp fishing,I throw out a few scoops every 1/2 hour or after every fish caught, you don't want to bait to much to fill the fish up just enough to keep them in the area and still hungry. let me know if there is any thing eles you need to know good luck... take some pics of your set up once your fishing,and of course the fish

Phil