Carp On The Float

[iCarp]

I love fly fishing for carp. I love float fishing for carp. Heck, I love fishing, plain and simple. But there's been too much work and very little play this year. Yesterday I realised that I've only fished one match this year and have had my float rod out exactly once. So, last evening I spent a couple of hours float fishing for carp here in scenic Hamilton-on-the-Lake.

There were strong winds blowing from the west. At times there were whitecaps crashing around my knees and throwing spray over my head. Just what I needed to blow the heat, work, and cobwebs out of my head. But not ideal weather for fishing the float. In just over two hours I landed 6 out of 9. A hookpull caused by an overly tight drag cost me the first fish. Rusty reflexes lost my second one. And that was in the first 10 minutes...

Things got better from there. Five in a row kissed the net. Here are the first three, the last weighing in at just under 15lb:

Here are Number 4 and Number 5. Note how wet my shorts are. As I said, there was serious wave action last evening.

Number 6 though, after rolling over the line a couple of minutes into the fight and wrapping it across her back, broke me off on the boulders. I watched one of my last and very precious Asian floats buffeted by the waves and slowly drifting along the shore. Just out of reach. Of course.

The timer on my camera has a mind of its own:

All of the fish were caught on Cranberry Monster Maize, likely my favourite summertime big carp bait. Good tasting and good for you, too! My float was rigged for lift bites, with all of the weight on the bottom- 5g on a 3g float. This way the float would shoot up out of the water if there was bite- very handy when there are waves. All in all, it was a fun and refreshing evening scrambling over the slippery boulders with scrappy carp on the end of my line. I really need to do it more often.

[Guest Rockfish]

Nice catches and I think I know that spot since it's not far from my place. Can u explain how u set up the float and bait? Thx.

[iCarp]

Thanks Shawn. A good time was definitely had.

Rockfish, I use fairly long and slender floats (check NWC or Bill's for floats). All of the weight is put at the bottom of my line, usually 3-5g. I then attach a swivel and a very short hooklink, maybe 3". Usually I use a hairrig with Monster Maize. Some guys just tie on a size 6 short shank hook and hook the bait directly on to it. After casting, retrieve until the float is almost totally submerged and under firm tension (like drawing back a bowstring).

This sort of set up is know as a lift bite rig (or lift up bite). It's probably the simplest way to set up a float and very deadly. As soon as the carp takes your bait, even just mouthing it for a quick taste before deciding to spit it out, the weight is moved and the float shoots up. The carp is usually hooked in the upper lip as a result with little or no effort on my part required. I only have to put down my breakfast pizza in order to reach for the net.

There are a good number of spots that are producing carp around the Hamilton Harbour these days, including Pier 4 and Pier 8. Lots to choose from.

[Guest Rockfish]

Thanks for the info iCarp, I was also finding in some spots that my hair rig would get covered in algae or other bottom debris.

[iCarp]

A lot of carpers will use pop up baits to avoid getting fouled by algae and such. Since I only have 3-5g of weight at the bottom, though, I find that my hairrig or hooklink simply settles lightly on top of any algae or other nuisance.

Dropped by EP again today and got a nice bunch of healthy and scrappy carp on the float.