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I went a stalkin'


Mike Pike

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Well, I thought it was time to dust off the ol' stalking rod today, dodge the rain showers, and get a little fishing in. 

The confined, intimate little water was a nice change from the open expanse of the Hammy Harbour and I was pretty excited at the prospect of battling fish at such close quarters.

Stalking 3.jpg

 

I haven't done the stalking thing in some time, and my little 9-foot Greys was probably feeling a little neglected.  

Stalking 1.jpg

 

I downsized my hooks, line, etc, as I knew the carp here would be on the smaller size, then sent out my hook bait of maize and a floater kernel onto a tight little chum bed of maize.  Surprising, I began to get line bumps right away, but unfortunately no runs.

Then, down came the rain, but I packed my umbrella for just such an emergency.  Here is the view from my little shelter.

Rain.jpg

 

The line bumps stopped and things became quiet, so it was time to move in search of the nomadic fellows.  I moved further down the bank, once the rain showers allowed, and noticed a nice splash not 10 feet away in the margins.  That 'll do!   I set up and once again, line bumps told me fish were honing in on my bait.  But still no runs.

I considered my hookbait and thought that maybe I should downsize some more, and so I removed the floater and kept only 2 small kernels of maize on the hair. 

Dang!  The next 'line bump' was a take and a real belter of a run!  Off it went straight into the marginal snags and I held my breath.  I coax him away and back out into the main channel.  Whew!!!  

Netting the fish proved to be a problem as I brought a smaller net with me thinking the carp here would be nowhere near doubles.  But this was a good 'un and after a little drama, I finally brought it onto the bank.

I was immediately struck by the bright yellow on the lower flanks near the tail.

Carp 1.jpg

 

The rain kept up and, despite my shelter, I was pretty soaked through by this point so I packed up with a big smile on my face and headed home to dry off and type this report. 

A most awesome time on golden pond.

  Stalking 4.jpg

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Nice going Mike !  That fish looks like it was a strong contender .

Looking through the photos ,  it looks like a tricky spot to use a long rod ....the catapult looks like it could handle a pound of maize (lol) ....I don't see an alarm on your prop :dunno: .....how did you get wet with that big umbrella shelter ? .....Judging by the size of your fishing reel that big shouldered carp looks to be over 15 lbs.

I went to Ft.Erie today ( son Dan is 50 ).. checked the River for minnows ...lots of 3" perch & gobies but no minnows . Had a better day at Gibby a few days ago ...one small carp and a bag of shrooms that ended up being tossed as they were too wet & became soggy .  Looking at catching some perch very soon . Good catchin Mike !  :Gonefishing:

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Thanks Guys.

Ya, the 9 foot rod is perfect for a spot like that, Smerch.  Just just long enough to reach into the margins to plop baits, and make underhand casts between branches, etc.  And although it may look big in the pic, the catapult is just standard size, perfect for a pouch full of maize.  I've seen those huge ones, though, that fire out method balls and such.  

An no, no bite alarm as the stick I found never came with one.  lol

Ya, the umbrella kept me covered quite nicely but I got wet moving through the bushes.  The fisherman's path was pretty over-grown and all the bushes were so wet, just moving from spot to spot would soak you through.   

I don't know the weight of the fish, Smerch, cuz I didn't pack my scale.  I don't think it made 15lbs, though, but I'd bet it was double figures anyway.

And happy half century to your son Smerch!

   

    

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Thanks for the replies Mike . I have used my 8' custom salmon spinning rod with my Stradic 4000 reel & it worked fine . I noticed you use mono line which I prefer after trying braid ....those hard head shakes can rip the hook from a carps mouth . I like the braids on ultra light rods , especially the long rods with lots of flex.

Mike ....pack a light rain suit before getting drenched in those bushes . ?️  That reminds me to pack one in my van for those wet occasions .

Thank you for the birthday wish Mike .  It was a good time at Dan's birthday party and great to see Dr.Feelgood (Paul) & wife there !  

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The 12 is wayyyy way down , also no current at Port Dal. , so I loaded up my bike in the van & went to one of my better carp spots at the 12 (should have put the boots on...)  Water viz. was good with no current , but the carp were not there or not biting . I hauled a kids "ski-mobile" out of the drink and tried to remove a shopping cart but it was embedded into the muck & my nice white shoes were now brown mukluks !  And my pants were splattered with muck . I noticed some line hanging from a tree with about 15' into the shrubs . I always collect line I find , and low & behold I saw a nice lure hanging about 15' from a tree branch above . I gave it a good tug * the limb broke the lure came tumbling down ....don't know what it's worth but looks brand new & has a couple of bearings inside (rattle) . No bites today ,,,very hot ,humid & windy  & I was soaked from sweating  ! Just cleaned up my white shoes with the garden hose & waiting patiently for the cooler days ahead !

lure is as new ....couldn't find it on Google...had to resize it 4 times to get under 40 k

 

found lure.jpg

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26 minutes ago, ghosthorse said:

Smerchly, I believe that's the Yozuri Crystal Minnow you have there.

Yepper ....that's what it looks like , thanks for the info .

Mike ...Walleye Chaser ....there's so many lures and copies these days !  Looks like a good lure to use at the 12 ! ( but so easy to lose there) !

And yes Mike , I  came home with SOMEthing which is better than bring home a few bugs. 

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