Carp fishing heats up as the weather cooled off

My first carp in five outings was a seventeen pounder

We had some really hot weather the last couple weeks in southern New England. Most of the days this month were over ninety degrees, with half those teetering around 100. I swam a lot, but the ponds were like bath water. There was no shock at all walking or diving in.

Yes I did go fishing. I have had terrible luck. I have been fishing mostly in the evening either under bridges or in thick shade. Lady luck has not been on my side. With the warm water, the carp had been sluggish also. Early last week I caught three small carp one evening. They were all under five pounds. Certainly nothing to brag about but I’ll take it during one hundred degree heat. From there things got worse. I had four or five outings in a row. It was bad

Finally the weather broke Wednesday. The temperature that evening was comfortably in the low seventies. I landed my first carp in a week of trying. It was a nice 17 pounder mirror. It was the only fish I caught that night, but I felt the monkey was off my back. With one under my belt and cool rain forecast, things were looking up.

Yesterday I baited up a pond known for big carp. It was drizzly and rainy all day. The temperature was in the sixties. Just the kind of weather that could trigger a feeding frenzy (or at least get them active). I threw in at least 10 pounds of field corn and a loaf of bread. I planned on fishing most of Friday and I wanted to give myself the best chance at some fish.

About 6 pm, I got the urge to fish. The weather hadn’t improved so I thought I’d give the spot a

This is my new personal best common carp. Twenty six
pounds

shot. I used one rod with corn and a method ball. The other I baited with hot dogs hoping to induce catfish into biting. I caught all the hornpout I could ever want on the hot dogs, but did not catch anything that resembled a trophy catfish.

On the corn rod I had six hits. I missed the first three, all before dark. After dark I caught three carp. One was small, maybe six pounds. I also caught a 17 pounder. My last carp of the night that I caught about 9:30 was a 26 pounder. This ties my personal best carp, but beats my common carp personal best by two pounds. I fished another hour without a hit.

The next morning after sleeping later than I should have, I started fishing about 9:15am. The beautiful, long awaited northeast wind was bringing drizzle and rain. My spot that I baited up was empty of other fisherman. Dave showed up about 10am. At that time I already had a runner, but nothing to show for it.

Over the next five hours I landed six carp. They varied in size. There sizes in pounds were; 6,5,10,17,18,19. I was extremely happy to catch the three big ones. Dave also ended up with a few.

17 pounder

Two of his carp were also in the high teens. Around four pm I had to leave to run some errands. It was a terrific day of carp fishing.

All fish were caught on unflavored field corn fished behind an oatmeal/bread/cornmeal method ball. I did bait the hell out of the spot before we fished it. I do think the main reason the fish were there and active was the cool wet weather. The prebaiting may have been key to getting fish to feed near our rods, but the weather got them on the feed in the first place. What a memorable day.

 

How to make a baiting needle



Besides a saw, this is everything needed to
make a baiting needle

How to Make a Baiting Needle

One of the things those new to carp fishing find surprising is that we do not put the corn on the hook. We put the corn on a “hair rig” leaving the hook completely exposed. You can, and many people do, put corn directly on a hook, but everyone that carp fishes regularly use hair rigs



The problem is, how does one gets the corn on the hair? We use what is called a baiting needle. There are two types of baiting needles. One has a crochet needle. It has a small hook at the end to hold the line. The other is a simple barb to hold on the line.



Cut the dowel into two and a half to three inch pieces

Baiting needles are very inexpensive. The ones I use are only about $1.29. I think the expensive ones are about four dollars. The problem is for most of us, baiting needles are only available online. I have never seen one at a tackle shop. I usually pick up a couple every time I buy carp gear. Unfortunately, just buying baiting needles is expensive because of shipping. Since most online stores charge a minimum $6 shipping cost, it is financially unsound to buy a couple baiting needles and pay the shipping.



The other day I broke my last baiting needle. There was no way I was going to buy five baiting needles and spend just as much in shipping. So I decided to make my own. It was very simple to make some. I made four in about a ten minute period. I’ve tested them out. So far I find them to be very functional working just as well as the store bought ones.



 



Materials needed

A dowel with a hole drilled into it

3/8 inch dowel

Some sort of epoxy or glue

Size 2 long shank (Aberdeen hooks)

Drill

 file or sandpaper (optional)

pliers

 1.      Cut the dowel into as many three inch pieces as you plan on making. I make four at a time

2.      Once cut, I file the ends to make them nice and smooth

3.      Drill a hole in one end with a very small drill bit. I drill a hole about ½ inch

4.      With pliers straighten out the hook as best you can. I put the pliers as close to the barb as I can and straighten the long end.  Be careful not to crush the barb because the barb is the most important piece of the finished product.

5.      Put a small amount of glue on the eye end of the hook, Get some in the eye and the first half inch.

6.      Put the eye in the hole of the dowel and push down as far as you can. Let dry.



These are the hooks I used to make the baiting
needles

I use Gorilla Glue. The reason is, Gorilla glue expands as it dries. While its drying in the dowel it expands so much it locks the hook in place.

 



















Put a hook in the pliers as close to the barb as you can
With your other hand straighten the shank















The hook won't be perfectly straight, just do your best















Use some epoxy or glue. Put it on about a half inch
of the eye end of the hook.
Then stick the eye into the hole of your dowel


















The finished product

Packing Tips

My packing list

When I first started camping a few years ago, it took me forever to pack for a weekend camping trip. It was to the point where I would spend the afternoon the day before a trip getting ready. It drove me nuts. Of course twenty five miles from home a light bulb would go off above my head that I forgot something. It’s not a big deal when that something is sandals or a tooth brush (you can always buy a toothbrush), but it sucks if you leave your bank card or camera on the counter

I have cut this time down to about an hour. It would be less if I wasn’t meticulous about my fishing gear. I hope I can give you some tips to cut down or your time also.

A couple years ago I wrote a list of everything I would ever need camping. It is a master list that includes everything I need. Of course what I would take is different than what a family of four would take. Looking over the list a few times while packing reminds me I may have forgotten my raincoat or knee brace. It would be a good idea to write this list at your leisure. Writing it the morning of a trip is no different than packing without a list. You’re bound to forget something. Making a list a week in advance will give you time to remember stuff you didn’t think about at first.

Another way I save time on packing day is to grocery shop before that day. We used to make a special trip to buy our camping food while we pack. Now if I’m leaving on a Wednesday and I need house groceries on Monday I will pick up my camping food then. That way I’m not wasting forty five minutes doing something I could have done days earlier. Again, groceries will be different for you than me. They are different for me when I go alone or with DJ or Laurie. Alone I don’t cook at all. I usually eat a cold can of Ravioli and cookies. For breakfast I eat a banana or can of pineapple. With DJ and Laurie we usually cook at least supper. So I have to plan accordingly.

When I pack I try to break up my gear into categories Of course I have big camping supplies. These would include tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad and backpack(s). I almost always have fishing gear for whatever species I am after. I will get it ready all at once. Assuming I am taking canoe or kayak I get those accessories (paddles, life jackets, back rests). Food goes into its own box as does clothes. I almost never take a cooler but I am sure most people would.

I will pack all my electronics that I am taking at the same time. This includes my camera, batteries, battery charger and phone charger. This is also when I make sure I have my money, bank card and driver’s license in the car (I don’t have a wallet)

Another way to keep time down is to keep some of the stuff already packed. I have a cardboard box packed with all my small camping supplies so I never need to pack them. In the box I have:

Lantern

Camping Stove/Fuel/ Lighter/ Dryer Lint (an excellent fire starter)

Toilet Paper and Shovel

Pans/Dishware/Forks, knives, spoons

Water filter

Plastic bags and ziplocks

Of course the water filter is only needed on a long hike, but I leave it in the box so I won’t have to find it when I need it. I bought dollar store dishware and silverware so I just leave that packed.  I have a set of light weight pans made for camping.

In my car at all times I have what I call a “go everywhere box” I have a five dollar bill, quarters, extra pair of socks, some fishing gear and a few other odds and ends. It is very handy and has bailed me out of minor emergencies more than once. In the box I always keep sunscreen, pliers, bug spray, head lamp, my hygiene bag (for those times I forgot to put on deodorant) and my first aid kit. Since this stuff is already in the car I never forget to bring them. However I always double check to make sure the bug spray isn’t empty or that I didn’t lose my toothbrush.

Recently I have started keeping a set of clothes already packed and almost ready to go. Already packed are a couple pairs of boxers and socks, bathing suit, hiking socks, sweatshirt and hiking t shirts. I keep a towel packed. The towel serves double duty as my pillow in the tent. All I have to add is shorts maybe a t shirt and my raincoat. My raincoat is usually in the car anyway.

Having the box of camping gear altogether and ready to go is a huge time saver. One time I spent an hour looking for my lantern in the shed. I finally had enough of that. If I didn’t already keep the first aid kit, compass, hygiene bag, sunscreen, head lamps and bug spray in the car I would keep it in this box. Having all this stuff is so much easier than having to pack every time. Having the hygiene bag is especially nice. It beats having to remember your deodorant or packing the toothpaste after the last person brushed their teeth at six am. Well worth the ten bucks to have this stuff ready to go.

Another tip I can give some of you. My lantern uses AA batteries. So does my camera. I bought rechargeable batteries and a charger. Every night we take the batteries from the camera and use them in the lantern. In the morning we charge the batteries while driving to our first destination. They only take about 10 minutes to recharge. I just bought new batteries because the old ones wouldn’t charge any more. I had them THREE FULL YEARS. I think I got my monies worth out of them.

All my pans, bowls, and forks stay in this bag year round. This bag
stays in the above camping box, so I never forget it.

Many people take a cooler and or a grill camping with them. These are obviously important items. Since I spend most of my time fishing or hiking I don’t want to spend much time cooking. However I know a lot of people enjoy making an outdoors supper. I can’t argue with cheese burgers on the grill. On second thought maybe I will bring a grill next time… to be continued

Carping in the Heat

Carping in the Heat

Finally did some carp fishing today. It was only the second time I’ve gone carp fishing in at least a month. The weather in Southern New England has been ridiculously hot the last few days. For 4^th of July, we spent time at movies and swimming. There was no way I planned on doing any fishing in the sun. Dave called me because I told him I had today off. He proposed we fish a spot completely covered from the sun.

We set up our rods about 9:30. We didn’t get any fish in the first spot so we moved to another protected area. We didn’t get anything there for at least 90 minutes. Then all of the sudden during the hottest part of the day carp started jumping. We were happy to at least see some fish. Then they started hitting. Each caught a couple fish. They were all between 13-15 pounds. They were river fish so they fought like hell.

A weird thing happened while we were fishing. When I was reeling in my corn to put on a method ball, I felt a tug. Next thing I know a small fish jumped out of the water three feet. Dave asked me what I had on. I told him I didn’t know but I thought it was a smallmouth bass. Sure enough when I reeled it in, it was a 9 inch smallie. First off I had no idea smallies were in the river then to catch it on corn was equally surprising.

So I can only tell you that if you can stand the heat, there are fish around. I mean if you fish freshwater whether for bass or carp, where are they going to go? They are kind of a captive audience. Getting them to hit is the trick in this hot weather.