Mike Pike Posted April 14, 2019 Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 Why is it when our lakes are frozen over, you have all kinds of time on your hands. But, as soon as the ice is gone and you're chomping at the bit to get out, you're beset by chores. That's what I find, anyways, and although the ice has been gone for a couple of weeks, yesterday was my first chance to get out after some carp. I thought the best thing to try was shallow water that would warm up earlier than the harbour would, so I packed my stalking rod and traveled light down the fisherman's path. The margins were a carp's dream with lots of roots and branches to take refuge in and to use to their advantage during a fight. It was neat to see all the wildlife waking up, too. Lots of finches and nuthatches flittering about the trees. Ducks and geese all paired up. And here's Momma, blending in with her surroundings, quietly sitting on her eggs. Anyhoo, I kept the presentation small using only a couple of pieces of corn on the hair, along with a small PVA bag of particles hooked on to help the fish zero in on my offering. It was pretty quiet early on, so I chummed out a small handful of corn hoping that would create a wider zone of attraction and it wasn't before I noticed some bubbling around my bait. This went on and off for quite a while but with no result, impatiently, I went to my rod to check my bait. Just before touching the rod, off it went( Isn't that always the way? )! Fortunately, other then running my line under a nasty old floating branch, most of the fight was in the open, and I brought this spring fatty into the net. Just a gorgeously proportioned fish with a little yellow and red around the anal and caudal fin. Shortly after releasing her and re-baiting I heard a splash and saw the rings in the water on the opposite bank. As well, there was bubbling everywhere and I thought; "Now they're having it!" But things quieted down after a while and I had no other action. Once the sun disappeared behind the trees, the chill reminded me it was still April, and I packed up, pretty happy with my first outing of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwl1 Posted April 14, 2019 Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 Thanks for sharing....goid early spring report for sure. .and fish on the bank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler0420 Posted April 14, 2019 Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 Nice looking carp forsure. I think it’s bigger then all the carp I’ve caught this year put together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted April 14, 2019 Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 Good belly on that carp so early in the season Mike......have you been chumming all winter ? How do you manage to whip a 12' rod in all that brush ? Nice to see a nice early carp ....thanks for the photo . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Pike Posted April 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 Ya, I know about the belly, eh! I think I underestimated their appetite. With it being just a few weeks after ice out and the water still pretty cold, I thought they'd just be nibbling. I definitely didn't do any chumming this winter. That gut is o' natural! lol An no, that is definitely not the spot for a 12ft rod, Smerch. I packed my little 9ft Grey's "Stalker." It's great for overgrown places like that where your doing more underhand flipping than overhand casting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNorton Posted April 14, 2019 Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 Awesome report thanks so much! And I’m going to have to agree with you about the whole shortage of time once the weather is nice. I’ve been itiching to get out and life seems to find a way to stop me. Soon though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted April 14, 2019 Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 1 hour ago, Mike Pike said: I packed my little 9ft Grey's "Stalker." It's great for overgrown places like that where your doing more underhand flipping than overhand casting. I should have remembered you used that rod previously Mike . I have been using other rods so far this year . One is a custom 8' rod (Fenwick blank) a guy made for me in the 80's for salmon ....good for casting from piers etc. It has a lively action near the tip and has caught some nice carp , perfect for tight spots . Also been using an Okuma 10' 6" rod (6-12lb) for some shallow spots ...same rod I use for walleye at Port Dal.harbour. They don't have as much "P"&"V" in cold water so the lighter rod makes them feel bigger ! 🐳 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verado Posted April 15, 2019 Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 Beautiful pictures. Thanks for the post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.