New lake

[1an]

I fished a new venue to me, here in San Antonio last Tuesday. I have already posted my tale of woe on the BankfishingUSA sight, I lost 5 very good carp on my woefully inadequate pole set up. My groundbait was mixed using winter strength B solution and my corn was soaked in the same. Would have been a brilliant day if I had got one out. I will be ready next time, I have an 8m margin pole rated at 20 elastic on its way from the UK and will be obtaining a baitrunner reel for my under used carp rod.
I will take any advice on handling BIG carp on the pole and any recommendations for paste mixes.

Ian

[Patrick Mills]

Hi Ian

BIG carp on the pole can be tricky - best bet is 20 elastic through a power kit or top 3 w/ power kit, size 12 or better hook and 8 - 10 lb test line. Oh, one more thing - HOLD ON!!

Pat

[1an]

Pat,
Thanks, I have already discovered the HOLD ON bit ! Wifey, who witnessed the last fish thought I was having a heart attack I was shaking so mutch, I haven,t had such a rush fishing for quite some time. The only carp I have previously caught on the pole was 26 years ago on the Oxford canal near banbury. I had five for about 16 # and a win ! This ain't the oxford canal !

Ian

[trevor]

Hi Ian.

I love catching carp on the pole. Even after some 20 odd years of owning a pole, I still get a rush from it.

I have found over the years to use heavy elastic, but do not put it in to tight. Have it so that the elastic just returns into th pole.

When playing carp while the pole is at length keep it close to the water, and it if runs too hard dip the pole under the water. This increases the power of the pole, the fish is not only then fighting the pole but the water Resistance also as the pole tries to move through the water. (Hope that makes sense). Only raise the pole up when finishing off the fight and the pole is broken down to 2 or 3 sections.

Trev.

[1an]

Trevor,
Thanks for the advice. We use to bury our rod tips under the water when waggler fishing for carp and bream on the GUC around Leighton buzzard, the fish made less commotion on the far shelf and did not seem to fight with the same urgency, as a posed to when the rod tip was above the water. I would not have thought to do that with the pole though !

Ian

[tarps]

Daiwa hydrolastic is brilliant elastic for big fish on the pole. I use purple rated 14-18 for most of my summer fishing and red rated to 20+ for margin fishing in the summer. very forgiving and strong lasts years too.
It costs around £15 but lasts years over here in the UK, not sure if u can get it in the US??

[trevor]

Hi Jamie

I have seen it on the Internet but have not used it. I used this year the fox hollow elastic, which I have found to be pretty good,
I can buy that over here in one of the very few tackle shops that stock pole gear. Wacker Baits being the only that is within driving distance from my house, and that is nearly 70 miles away.

Next time I place an order in the UK for stuff I'll look out for some and give it a try.

Mind you I probably landed 40-50 doubles on the fox this year, so it cannot be too bad.

The carp over here are all wild carp (no stockies) and most have never been caught before, and really fight hard.

Hi Ian.

I have never fished the GUC at Leighton buzzard. I have fish many a stretch of it. One of my favourite places when out on our narrowboat was on the Leicester section just before the junction with the Welford arm. nice reed bank full of carp tench and some huge rudd and roach. My mate Bill and myself had many a good bag from there, and it was where Bill caught his first ever double on the pole

Trev.

[1an]

Tarps,
I have read about the hydro in APF and match fishing mags. Souns like excellent stuff.

Trev,
Never fished that far up, my dad did as a kid during ww2 while visiting familly. I have to agree with you about the carp here in the U.S. I was told they are not native to north america but were brought over by spanish monks as a food source, is that right?

Ian

[trevor]

this is straight from the internet.

After their introduction in the late 1800's as part of a federal stocking programme, Carp were the largest source of "farmed" food fish for many years.
The logic behind stocking Carp was basically to take pressure off Native fish, as their stocks were at best -- depleted, due to the sheer volume being taken for food purposes.
The Carp was an ideal choice, as it was able to comfortably live and thrive in a variety of water conditions, some of which would not support Native fish. Along with the facts that they were also considered superior table fare to many of the the Native species, and their growth rate was considerably greater, they were indeed considered a very welcome arrival to these shores !!

Here in California, the first Carp were introduced to ponds in Sonoma County in 1872.

This is the link for whole story
www.cal-carp.com/index.cgi?page=carpusa

And here is the story for the UK

Contrary to popular belief carp are not native to the United Kingdom or continental Europe either. They are an introduced species. Carp originated in central Asia from the Caspian Sea about 10,000 years ago. During the ending of the last ice age carp migrated into the Black sea area and colonised the Aral system and eastern Asia including China, thus giving some the impression that they originated in China and the Far East. 8,000 years ago carp began to be found in The Danube and quickly spread through that system to many rivers and lakes in continental Europe. The Romans were responsible for the introduction of carp into Italy and many other colonies from the Danube area. The United Kingdom was not included this initial expansion of the carps territory. Following the decline of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Monastic life of the early Christians the carp became a domesticated food fish of the monks. Indeed during this period the first selective breeding took place to try and improve the carp’s growth rate.


The actual date of the introduction of carp into the UK is in some doubt, The Complete Angler written by Izaak Walton in 1653 states “Hops and Turkies, Carps and Beer Came into England all in a year” Hops were introduced into England in approx 1428 but carp may have been introduced as early as the 1300’s the early writings are unclear and even the authorships are in dispute so we can only say that the carp was established in the UK by the end of the 1600’s

Link for full story
www.resistancetackle.com/tackle/75/History-of-Carp-Fishing/

Trev.

[Patrick Mills]

Nice post Trev

I recall reading that carp were brought over to the US from Germany many, many years ago, with just a handful of fingerlings burgeoning into the populations we see today.

BTW - the Starved Rock area of the Illinois River (were we fish) was a carp fishery (for food) during the Great Depression - that explains why there are so many carp there now...

Pat

[trevor]

Thanks Pat.

No harm in a little background info.

[1an]

Trev,
Thanks, I really enjoyed reading the post. The stuff was great. It is amazing how the carp have spread and thrived over here. I have told some of my old mates back home about the carping over here and they treat me with a little skepticism.I sent one of them a link to the CAG website so he could see the results from the competition they had on town lake in Austin, he had a hard time getting his head around the quantity ahd size of the fish caught. May be I should start a carp fishing holiday business down here ?

Ian

[trevor]

Hi Ian.

Glad you enjoyed the posts.

I must admit it had crossed my mind to start up a carping holiday package over here a couple of years ago. The main thing that put me off is the fact that the season is too short up here, in Chicagoland.

I know some of the rivers here will fish all year, but like the weather today, below zero F snowing and a 40-50 mile an hour wind blowing. Who the hell would want to go out in this.

You know what the carp heads are like back home, they will travel all most anywhere for a good fish.

Trev.

[1an]

Trev,
Been watching that storm on the news, I hope you and Pat and everyone up there a saying safe and warm. I sometimes wish I lived up there as you have some match fishing, then I see this kind of weather and I change my mind.

Ian

[trevor]

Hi Ian.

Yes keeping safe thank you.

I still have not got use to the extremes in the weather yet. Too hot and sticky in the summer and darn too cold in the winter. A nice brisk big fat zero on my outdoor thermometer this morning.

Trev.