WI Carp Championship Pics

At long last, I've managed to get my hard drive issues resolved. Here's a batch of pics from the 2007 WI Carp Championship; enjoy!

Halloween Horrors on the Fox!

While the slow-rolling (and frankly, rather muddy) Fox River looks like a typical upper Midwest flatland river, it does hold more than it's fair share of surprises. I suppose it's because the Fox is a little weirder than the average river:

1. It flows North (yes Paris, that's the direction from Texas to Canada)

2. It's generally full of PCB's, cow-farm effluent and diesel run-off, all mixed up with a goodly measure of mercury and topped off with a dash of battery acid

3. It's frequented by some of the strangest fishing creatures in the world (it's a positive haven for Plaid-Bellied Fish-Balancers; for an explanation of this rare & mythical beast, please see: http://newfishing.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html)


Some say because of (but it may be in spite of) the above, it's full to the brim with Walleye most of the year. Now, these poor things lead a somewhat perilous existence, assaulted from all sides by bigger, meaner and smellier (Fish-Balancers) things that like to eat them. One would think that they suffer enough during their short and dangerous lives; but now a new and horrific monster has arisen to wreak devilish destruction upon them!


Yes folks, I'm here to tell you of a creature that will make your blood run cold. It's been no more than a whispered rumor for many years, a tale of cryptozoological mayhem and ghoulish glee; fit for camp-fire parties at lonely lakes, late in October and close to the witching hour.

I can now bring you proof-positive of the monster's existence! This ferocious denizen of the depths has been quite literally eating it's way through the local Walleye population; like a Chupacabra let loose in a New Mexican Petting Zoo...


At this point, I should warn children, Walleye anglers and all other adults of a nervous disposition to look away now; these are not pictures for the faint-hearted. I should also point out that everything I am about to tell is the complete truth; this is way too weird to make up.


I had wandered down to the Fox at Voyageur Park on Saturday afternoon, to try out my new camera with a couple of sunset shots of Walleye anglers slumbering peacefully aboard their Deep-V's. As I looked around for a photo opportunity, I was approached by a family who had just dragged a dead fish from the river, and were somewhat worried about what it could possibly be. Just another Gizzard Shad I thought as I strolled over to take a look at the body. How wrong could I be?


Take a look for yourselves, and tell me what you think this is? For comparison purposes, the fish is approx. 15 inches long, and appears to have been dead for about a day. It has an adipose fin, has a pronounced keel to the belly, and a set of teeth that would make mincemeat out of an unwary anglers fingers. As I recall my fish identification guide; "all piranhas have a single row of sharp teeth in both jaws; the teeth are tightly packed, interlocking, and used for rapid puncture and shearing. Individual teeth are typically broadly triangular, pointed, and blade-like (flat in profile)".

Is it a Piranha? Was it dumped in the Fox as a hoax? Or... has it been eating it's way through the local fishy population; only to die a horrible death after biting my mother-in-law during an unfortunate family shoreline-wading incident?

You decide, and drop me a line with your thoughts. The body is at this moment on it's way to the DNR biologists; I'll issue an update as soon as I receive one. In the meanwhile, don't let your dogs swim in the Fox. Oh, and it might be a good idea to warn your children too? I'd suggest that you let your mothers-in-law take their chances, but it might be more sporting to mention this article first?

Fat & Feisty

I spent a little time Carp fishing on Sunday. I managed to find 11 hungry fish, topped by this Fat & Feisty 26lb 9oz Beauty.

Not much more to be said; another day in the life of a Happy Carp Angler!

Butterfly Net?

I spent a few hours fishing the other day. The sun was warm and the sky was blue; it was a day for being lazy; waiting for the fish to come, rather than getting all hot and bothered chasing them around.

I caught a couple of reasonable fish early, and was sitting back resting in the sunshine, with my net starting to dry out... when I realized that I was not alone.

A large Butterfly settled on my landing net and decided to make it home. I carried on catching fish, and he moved off whenever I picked up the net... only to come back a little while later when everything had settled down again. I took a pic of my little pal, and looked him up later on the web. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but he looks like an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (or, Papilio Glaucus, to the edumified amongst my readership).

So, here's my two questions:

1. I thought butterflies were scared of nets? After all, what's the traditional way to catch butterflies? Yep, in a net... vastly more difficult to chase them armed only with a pin and a square of cork-board. So, is my little pal the Charles Bronson of his clan; is he truly a Deathwish fan? Or, is he more like a winged Forrest Gump, just sitting there hoping that "stupid is as stupid does"? Either way, he picked the right guy when he landed on my landing net; when I left he returned to the wild.

2. What was he doing on my net? As far as I could tell, he appeared to be licking the mesh, and as he spent a couple of hours there in total, he seemed to have done a whole lot of licking.

Now, anyone who knows me also knows a little about my fishing gear. Like good old Queen Bess, my gear generally gets a bath once a year, whether it needs it or not. What's worse, I not only know what's been in my net; I also know what some of my "net tenants" left behind them. Carp and Northern Pike are fairly British and tend to "keep a stiff upper lip"; I always get the impression that they're doing their best not to let you know they're scared when you net 'em.

Not so the Walleye; they seem to lose all control of their bodily functions, rather like a frenchman threatened with sentry duty in Baghdad on a dark Friday night after the Jihadists have hit town. Yes, that's right folks, they have made the phrase S**t-Scared well and truly their own. I do have some sympathy for the Walleye however. Considering it's the WI State Fish, the poor beast runs a terrible risk of grievous bodily harm every time if finds itself hooked. Not to put too fine a point on it (pun intended), 90% of Walleye hooked in WI tend to end up beer-battered... probably explains their loose bowels doesn't it?

Now all of you are intimately aware of the history of my net (and I confess that I have used this equipment to scare dogs and small children on hot days), be honest now; would you lick the mesh? No, I thought not. So, any ideas on what the butterfly found so delicious? Answers on a reply-paid postcard please to:

Lee Young

C/o The Sunny-Side Home for the Mentally Confused

Old-Timers Boulevard, Green Bay, WI

I'll stick all the postcards in a big sack (my landing net!); first one drawn will win a great prize. Yes, you guessed it, they'll get a jam-jar of the squeezings from my landing net next time I get it wet & fishy. It should be a magnet for butterflies of all descriptions... well flies, anyway?

Work is the Curse of the Fishing Classes...

Wow, I've been really busy for the last few months; and both fishing and blogging have had to take a back seat. The good news is that all the hard work has paid off, and hopefully I'll be able to relax and take a few days fishing during the weekends of this fall!

I have the worlds best job, so it's not too much of a hardship to give some fishing time up occasionally. And I've still managed to grab an hour or two here or there to visit some of my favorite river stretches, even though I've not had the time to fish them.

Actually, visiting your favorite stretches of rivers during the low-water summer period can be really informative. With the water at a low summer level, you can see a lot more of the features that you'll be aiming for when the fall rains arrive, or when you are fishing for spring steelhead in a snow-melt spring flow. All you need is a large-scale map of your chosen river, a digital camera, sketch-pad and your hand-held GPS. An hour's prospecting likely holes, vertical features on bends, etc. can give you all sorts of clues where the fish will be lying once a few million gallons of H2O arrive.

You can sketch the best spots, record them in your GPS, mark them on your map, and take a quick pic to refresh your memory later in the year... although remember that you'll probably have to mentally swap sunshine and low water for snow and high water when comparing pic with reality on a cold day in November.

Remember, the best anglers spend a lot of time looking for where and how they'll catch the biggest fish... rather than spending a lot of time "fishing blind and hoping"!

Thanks American Carp Society!

Wow, my blogsite has won an award! I'm shocked, surprised... and deeply honored. Here it is, thanks to all of you who read my blogs.

Thanks, American Carp Society!

A Tale of Fish-Balancers...

The weather changes in Spring bring about the emergence of many strange and unusual creatures. In May, you can often find snapping turtles the size of truck wheels, or hear the deafening chorus of a million sexually aroused amphibians at your local frog-bog.

However, it is not of the native wildlife of which I speak. No, the weirdest creatures that crawl forth every Spring are of the human kind. While I fear that the world is not yet ready for my tale of the "fish-balancers", take heart brave reader, and all shall be revealed.

This curious monstrosity can be found clustered on the shores of many a Walleye or Smallmouth water at this time of the year; yes that's right, they fish in packs. There are several varieties, ranging from the small and insignificant Lesser-Spotted Fish-Balancer, right up to the 400-500 pound majestic "king of the lake", the Plaid-Bellied Fish-Balancer.

These giants of the waterways can be found, gurgling, belching and farting in unison, at most waters bearing the tag of "Trophy Walleye Spot". If you are lucky enough, you will also at this time of the year witness them shedding their winter plumage, a truly awesome sight that few are privileged to behold first-hand. In a remarkable and speedy metamorphosis the Plaid-Bellied Fish-Balancer is quickly transmogrified from what appears to be a smelly, drunken fat man into a proto-larval stage closely resembling a pink, sweaty, beached whale. So, if you happen to spy what appears to be a vast mound of sunburnt blubber, approach carefully down-wind; if you catch the exotic scent of worms, Lienie's Red and week-old sweat you are definitely in luck... you have found a Plaid-Bellied Fish-Balancer in his mating plumage!

At this time, a small amount of patience will reward the observer; you will soon see the mating dance of this curious Wisconsin native species. The display starts with either an extra-loud snore, belch or flatulent attack (depending upon the time of day, although scientists are divided on this point), which appears to wake the dominant male from his normal pose of inebriated relaxation. He then gives vent to an inarticulate yell (sounding something like "Fak-me-bubbers-gorn", repeated quickly three or four times), while simultaneously (ah, the raw beauty of these instinctually-choreographed motions) pulling back hard on his short fishing rod, three or four times, as if he were a mighty samurai attempting the Kea-Wan-Huh, or up-stroke evisceration technique; a method normally found most efficacious when faced with a charging elephant.

Generally the display ends at this point with a high-pitched scream of either pain or anger (hard to prove as scientific opinion is still in doubt on whether this species can actually feel pain), as the offending bobber and terminal tackle exits the water at twice the speed of a Polaris missile, and impales itself either in the voluminous folds of the Plaid-Bellied Fish-Balancers beergut, or into the bank side herbage.

Very occasionally, you will be privileged to witness a truly unique event... with a ferocious winding a miniscule walleye or micro-bass will be hauled to the shore and dumped unceremoniously on the concrete. I was once blessed with seeing the ultimate ending display. The fish in question was somewhat smaller than average; the Plaid-Bellied Fish-Balancer was a huge creature, the sun glinting alarmingly off his polished red head. With a ferocious yell that would have reflected great credit on Attila the Hun, he ripped his "whuppin' stik" back with the sound of a rifle shot... the small fish ricocheted off his bald pate and flew into the road some fifty paces behind him, where it was promptly run over by a Hummer.

If you are not as lucky as myself, you should still get to witness the more-normal courtship ritual. With the fish wriggling on the concrete the "lucky angler' will shamble over to his catch and proceed to "balance" on one end of it (generally the tail end) while attempting to extricate the hook from the mouth end using the sort of equipment generally reserved for replacing the drive sprockets on Abrams M1A1 tanks. Yes that's right folks, that's how the Fish-Balancer gets it's name; it really does attempt to balance itself on every fish it catches!

Once (or maybe if?) the hook is removed, the same utensil is then used to pick the fish up by a lip or fin (assuming the afore-mentioned creature can still lay claim to such an appendage?), whence the final part of the ritual is played out. With a mighty heave and dexterous back-hand flip, the fish is launched in the air, high above the head of its happy captor, and generally back into the water. Sometimes the Fish-Balancer miscalculates this last and final art, with the unfortunate result that the fish ends up in a lady's hat, a passer-by's back-pocket or maybe on the roof of a nearby building. Generally however, the fish is returned safely (sic) to the watery depths... possibly wiser but definitely somewhat flatter from it's impromptu part in the whole strange, unscripted play.

Now, I know that some of you out there will doubt the veracity of my statement... but I swear every word of this strange, exotic ritual is true. Away with you, doubter's! Go out into the WI country-side with your camera, and try to get close to these wonderful, wild creatures; I promise that you will see the Fish-Balancers proudly displaying on any given weekend in May and June!

Nasty Weather, Nice Fish...

... and there's really not much more to be said! I sneaked away from the household chores for a few hours yesterday evening. After a fair amount of rain had fallen I had high hopes of what the Irish would call "a fine, moist evening".

A bunch of high singles and low teens weren't quite what I expected, but I did connect with the "8.20pm Amtrak from Two Rivers to Houston"! Eventually I slid a long and beautifully-conditioned fish into the landing net. 33lb 2oz; always a good feeling to land the first 30-pounder of the season, even if the weather wasn't perfect!

Twenty Five Pounds of Trivers Treasure

I seem to be slowly progressing through my ACL campaign... one good fish at a time. Of course, my efforts have not been helped by the weather; another very cold fishing Sunday made me wish that I could have been out chasing Carp on Saturday instead.

However, here I was at a new town and carp-hunting area, Two Rivers. Or, as the local residents call it, Trivers! I was here to meet two new carpfishing buddies, Wayne Boon and Tommy Riley, from California and Chicago respectively. They enjoy fishing Trivers every spring, and this was my first visit, the aim was to meet up and catch some good fish. However, the guys were still on their way up from Tommy's house, as they'd been fishing the ACS NE Regional Tournament the previous week.

I arrived at Trivers at about 12 Noon, only to discover that the guys wouldn't be arriving until 4ish at the earliest; so the obvious thing to do was to find some fish. With a cold breeze blowing in however, location was going to be a problem. I drove around the town, stopping at a number of possible places; with a couple of needs on my mind. If I was a Carp just in from Lake Michigan I'd be wanting somewhere as warm as possible, so I looked for an area with some shallows (to warm fast in whatever sunshine came along), but with a relatively deep channel or area for the fish to hole up in. Lastly I wanted somewhere sheltered from the worst of the cold wind. I eventually found somewhere warm and sheltered on the West Twin River, with a deep channel and a large shallow area just beyond it.... perfect!

I caught a couple of cats & bullheads early; enough action to give me a feeling that the carp would feed, and to force me to leave the worms alone! An older guy was out trying his new rod, and he hooked a fat Smallie, so it seemed that my warm spot was appreciated by most of the local fishy species! After he had left, I had 4 small Carp in 4 casts, on a chick pea/corn cocktail, down in the deeper channel. I'd also seen a few fish roll nearby, and one good fish rolled right over my right-hand rig, which I'd positioned about 25 feet out from the bank, on a gentle slope about 7 feet deep, leading to the deeper water.

After about 3 hours fishing, the right-hand rod indicated a powerful drop-back bite, and my resulting strike hooked a very angry fish that made a couple of short but powerful runs out into the middle of the river. I tightened up on the fish as much as I could (worried about snags and navigation buoys & anchor chains), which brought the Carp to the surface about 50 yds out, where it lashed the surface with its tail... a good fish! After a couple more powerful runs, the battle became a tug of war down the edge, with my recovering line after every lunge of the fish. Finally it rolled on the top and I could see it was lightly lip-hooked, easing up on the fish I kept it turning for another minute and it was ready to net.

Great fight, and a short but chunky fish was in the net; I was happy! After a quick weighing it checked out at 25 pounds exactly; my best fish of the year so far. Thanks to a little thought about weather and conditions, and a lot of wandering around looking for the "right place for the day", I managed to catch a good fish under bad conditions.

Eric's First Twenty Pounder!

Yes, you saw it here first folks, Eric has landed his first Twenty Pound Carp! The boy dun good, with a fit & fiesty fish caught at around 30 yds, on sweetcorn hair-rigged on a size 4 hook and Drennan open-end feeder rig. We both caught fish from our new venue in Oshkosh. We fished this area once last year, saw a lot of fish rolling, but couldn't buy a bite... this year's trip couldn't have been more different. After a slow first hour, we started catching small Carp, then managed to find some good-looking mid-doubles and three twenties.

That's enough from me, the important bit is the Apprentice has qualified as a real Carphead... and NEWFishing's first Sponsored Angler in the American Carp League; Congratulations Eric!

Getting a start on the Carp League

This is the first full year of the American Carp Society Carp League Competition; and I signed up to compete in the second and third quarters of this year. I thought it might be a bit difficult to be competitive with the typical NEWFishingland Winter and Late Fall... but currently I'm finding "Spring" enough of a challenge!

I have managed one countable fish (over 10lb); last weekend I managed to get myself tied to a short and fat 11 pounder, hooked on the float fished at 40 yds, which was fun. Most of my floatfishing for carp is at fairly close range, so it was great to find a venue where you need to cast a bit to be able to get amongst the fish. This was also my first carp from this new venue; it was "created" last year when the authorities remodeled what was a swamp into a new piece of bank. I'm hoping for great things from this piece of carping real estate in future years.

However, that's been my only bright spot so far this spring; variable temperatures, winds and general lack of rain have upset my plans so far. I'm philosophical though, when everything lines up I just know I'm gonna haul! :o)

Harlequin Egg Flies & Steelhead... and Smallies!

I've been having fun recently with small harlequin egg flies (size 12-14), fished under a float of course; given the opportunity, I always prefer to reject Wisconsin fishing reality and substitute my own version of the fishy universe!

Anyway, I picked up a few of these egg flies from Tight Lines, and although I haven't had too much chance to wear them out, I've caught Steelhead on the couple of opportunities I've had to fish them. It's impossible to be sure, but I had the impression that I was catching fish that had turned up their noses at spawn sacks and other egg imitations.

Last week, I had the opportunity to fish for Smallies in the Wisconsin River, at Mosinee, just a couple of evenings after work. Conditions on the first day were good, and I had a few small Smallies on my usual "float & jig" combinations. On the second evening conditions were ideal, heavy persistent rain! I prefer the old saying, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going", so I wasn't going to let a little moisture put me off... I'm English after all!

Anyway, I really struggled; nothing biting at all. So, always experimenting, I tried one of my harlequin eggs; first run down through a likely looking steady run and the float just disappeared down a big hole in the water. My slightly surprised strike met with stubborn resistance, and in a few minutes a large, fat and very angry Smallie came to the waiting net. Now, I'd been fishing that run for at least 30 minutes, so it's likely that fish had seen a couple of different offerings from me, so why the fascination with a size 12 egg fly? Anyway, it was the only fish that evening, but I was very happy to catch a 5 pounder while experimenting. As I was returning the fish, a guy came up and asked me how I caught it. After showing him my rig, his comment was "I've never read anything about fishing with egg flies for Smallies"; my inevitable comment was "I'm so pleased that fish can't read!"

Tight Lines, and keep on experimenting!

Rules & Entry Form for WI Carp Championship

As promised, here is the link for the 1st WI Carp Championship Rules & Entry Form. If by chance you are struggling to find the document, please respond to this blog with your email address and I'll send it to you.

I'm starting to get excited, as this is the first Tournament of this type in WI; there should be several very experienced catch-and-release Carp Anglers attending from all over the US (hopefully we'll have some International Carp Anglers too!), and the prize-money will make it well worthwhile for anyone here in NEWFishing Land who wants to try their luck at Carp-fishing! Make a note in your diary or calendar; June 16th and 17th, at Jefferson Park in Menasha. You need to register by the end of May, by mailing in your completed entry form and deposit.

If you are thinking about fishing, but not sure if you are at a "competitive catch-and-release carp-fishing level", let me know, and I'll try and offer you some tips and advice on how to catch. Don't worry about me giving any secrets away; I've been asked to help organize the event, so I can't fish anyway!

NewFishing's New Logo?

Hi Folks, I wonder what you think of the New Logo for this site? Thanks Dan, this is a great graphic, you are an artist and a gentleman, sir!

Wisconsin Carp Championship

I'm looking forward to the weather warming up and a new competition in June: This is the first year of The Wisconsin Carp Championship! I've been talking with the American Carp Society for a little while about helping to organize a catch-and-release Carp Competition; and I'm finally getting off my butt and putting it together.

It should be a really fun event, with competitors hopefully from outside the state, as well as us locals of course. I'd like to get a few entrants from outside the US too, fingers crossed that their busy schedules and the rising cost of airfares won't get in the way.

Details for your Diary are:
First Wisconsin Carp Championship - June 16th & 17th, at Jefferson Park, Menasha. Rules and Entry Form from me, just email me and I'll send you a copy. Only Carp and Rough Fish to count (Bowfin and Gar Anglers also welcome!); and we're hoping to keep the administration costs really low, so we can pay out 75%+ of the entry fees as prizes and trophies. Entry fee is $120 per Angler, or $100 if you are a current member of the American Carp Society or Carp Anglers Group; maybe now would be a good time to join? :o) More news as it happens, watch this space or respond to this blog/email me and I'll keep you up to date.

Tight Lines Fly Shop - what a great store!

I stopped by the Tight Lines Fly Shop last week after work; in hopes of some special flies for the upcoming warmer weather. Well, I wasn't out of luck; they had just what I was looking for. We also had a good chat about catch & release fishing in NEWFishing Land, and shared some fun tales about fishing for "golden bones" up in Door County (that's carping on the fly for the uninitiated).

As I left the shop, I was struck by what a great store Tight Lines is; a little piece of angling heaven that somehow still captures the essence of a traditional tackle shop. To me, a fishing store needs to offer the following attributes to be a "great store" experience:
1. Welcoming atmosphere - I want to go somewhere where I feel like a guest and a friend, as well as a customer. Too many stores these days seem like angling-themed mini-Walmarts.
2. Quality gear - these mid-western "fishin' warehouses" bore me; it's always the same cheap stuff, stacked high and low-priced to sell. When will the "buyers" for these chains realize that some of us want a specific product, the best product, AND the most knowledgeable salespeople to help us make a decision?
3. Tradition - You can't buy it, but you can't run a successful fishing business without it. Call it the "know-how" of generations, call it the smell of well-varnished split cane; whatever it is, most tackle shops don't have it in this part of the world.

I suppose that's why I like Tight Lines so much, it has all of the above 3 features and then some. Maybe it's because it also reminds me of the great tackle shops in England that I knew? I was a sponsored angler for a couple of stores during my competitive fishing career, and both of them had and still have that "come in and make yourself comfortable" feel. I still get offered a "cup of tea" whenever I can spare the time to make the trip back across the pond to visit them!

Nostalgia, fishing stories, a variety of quality tackle, great service and that wonderful "guest at the fishing club" atmosphere; yes, Tight Lines is a proper fishing tackle shop! Here's the link, go visit (mention that Lee sent you!), and enjoy the experience: http://www.tightlinesflyshop.com/

I caught... and so did the DNR!

It was a sunny and cold afternoon, with the wind blowing straight down the Fox River. Conditions didn't look good for anything other than a Northern or two, but there's always a chance of a reasonable Carp in this spot, so I spent a few minutes spodding in my "Winter Mix"!

I fished 2 rods, one with a sliding snap-tackle (otherwise known as a sliding quick-strike rig; I make my own as I can only buy fixed quick-strike rigs here, and they don't work well at anything over 30 yds range) fished at 45 yds at the bottom of the drop-off. The bait of choice was the largest fathead I could find in Green Bay; I was confident that it would attract old Esox if she was in the 'hood. The other rod was fished at 55 yds, next to what can only be described as a "Snag Pit" of wood, metal and piping. A simple hair rig on a 6 inch snell to a large Feeder. Bait was 3 sunflower seeds and a chunk of field corn for visibility, feeder was filled with Winter Mix bound with quick-dissolving flour; I had my fingers crossed for a Carp.

I expected a long wait for any action. After all of 2 or maybe 3 minutes, there was a confident, medium fast run on the Snag Pit rod; I struck and walked backwards and to my right, all in the same motion. This stopped the fish from diving straight into the snag; it's amazing what a 12 foot 2.75lb test curve rod can do! I followed this up with lots of right-hand side strain, as I hopped precariously down the riprap to my "net position"... I like to plan well in advance! Although the fish hadn't managed to run through the snag pit, it proceeded to kite to the left, where there are more snags to run around; so the fight developed into a short but hectic tug of war, with the rod continuously hooped well past it's test curve until I'd managed to drag the fish into open water.

Once in an area where it could run safely, it became obvious to both of us (me and the fish!) that matters had reached a conclusion in my favor, and within a couple of minutes a fat & healthy 8-9lb Carp rolled over the edge of my net. And that was it for the rest of the day... one bite, one fish! Oh well, it's a cold start to March, these things happen.

However, I wasn't the only one to catch. There were about 6 or 7 other guys fishing close by, as this is a park area and has a boat launch. I was waiting for my next fish (positive thinking!) when a voice behind me asked what I was fishing for; I looked round to see a DNR Warden. After checking my '06 license, and asking about the gear I was using (a constant topic with other anglers), he went over to check the other guys licenses. Apparently, he did a lot better than I did that day, as he hooked, played and landed 3 Guys, whereas I only banked the 1 Carp! When I saw his bag, I felt a little sorry for the them; it was obvious that he wasn't interested in catch & release... However, to his credit, they were dispatched cleanly and compassionately.

Which brings me to my question; was I wrong to feel a little sorry for them? After all, if you fish in WI, you need to carry a valid license with you. If you don't buy a license and don't get caught, then I suppose the rest of us who have bought licenses are subsidizing your fishing? I was just relieved that I hadn't somehow left my license at home. Make sure you always take your license with you when out fishing; as it's unlikely that the DNR will practice catch & release on you!

Gone Fishin'!

The sun is shining and I'm about to go fishing... too bad the temp is only going to rise to around 40 today. So, where to go? Is it an attempt at big Browns at Kewaunee? Possibly later in the evening, but it's way too bright right now. How about a big Walleye at De Pere? Again, the sunlight thing is a factor for me; I will fish for big Walleye under a bright sun if I don't have any other options... but I bitch and moan all the time I'm doing it!

Am I the only one facing this problem this time of year? It often seems that March and April are either perfect fishing weather (if you don't mind being half-drowned and blown inside out at the same time), or we have a series of sunny, low temperature days that don't make it easy to catch anything. I'm a big fan of nasty wet & windy weather for most of my favorite fish at this time of the year; it always seems to me that when it's hard to actually fish properly, that's just when the fish are most obliging!

So, I have to make the best of what I've got, and a couple of options spring to mind. There may be a chance at a fat & lazy big old hen Pike at this time of the year, particularly if I can find some sunny, mud-bottomed bay without any cold breezes blowing across it. The other option is fishing for Panfish and/or Carp, somewhere near a warm-water outlet. Of course, the ideal would be a warm-water outlet into a sunny, mud-bottomed bay! Wait a minute, I can think of a couple of places that might fit that category, I'll let you know how I do...

Steelhead Spring?

It's mid-March, and I'm wondering; are we looking at a Steelhead Spring this year? I'd be the first to admit that we probably need a little more rain... but try telling that to the Manitowoc River-bank residents after last weeks ice-melt! I didn't hear too much in the local press, but I'm guessing that as the water was only 6 inches below the bank, that someone was flooded out?

In the streams and rivers I like to fish, plenty of March and early April rain is very welcome. I'm not one of those guys who cluster shoulder-to-shoulder in a few well-known spots on our Lake Michigan streams; for me that is more social experiment than fishing! No, I'm to be found up in the wilder, streamier places, even though I'm probably trading numbers of fish I'd like to believe that I'm receiving a better quality experience? That definitely means I need more water in Spring, to maximise my chances of Steelhead running through my chosen stream.

I'm not difficult to spot when I'm out; I'll be the guy with the 13 foot or 20 foot UK-style river float-fishing rods, coupled with either my beloved Young's Centerpin reel or a medium-size spinning reel, depending on the flow and volume of water on the day. I find the combination of a well-balanced float & jig/float & fly outfit, together with a rod, reel & line specially developed for river fishing, gives me maximum chance of catching whatever fish make it past the horde of anglers downstream, to the more peaceful stretches I wander. That's also one of the reasons why I need the extra space, my techniques are designed for drifting float & jig/fly down the fast water/slow water "crease" in the flow... sometimes I'll hook a Steelhead within 5 or 6 feet of the drift, sometimes I'll be hooking my fish 50 or more yards downstream!

If anyone is interested about this method of catching lots of Steelhead, without continual retying bottom-bouncer rigs (our freestone streams hereabouts can be tough on rigs!), then let me know, as I have several articles and can give you the skinny on the tackle you will need to be successful. Only one problem... you may turn into a lone Steelheader, rather than just one of the crowd? You have been warned!

In-Fisherman Editor Matt Straw is impressed!

I haven't met Matt yet, but it sounds like he might be a convert to Carpfishing! Here's his trailer from a recent In-Fisherman article on Carpfishing:

Editor Matt Straw has caught giant steelhead and salmon and most everything else that swims in freshwater. "An absolute blast," he says of his experience with carp in clear water. "The fish are absolutely mombos. It's like nothing else I ever experienced in freshwater fishing."

Thanks Matt, and here's a link to that series of articles.

In-Fisherman Article on Spring Carpfishing

Here's a good article from In-Fisherman; it's just detailed enough to get you thinking, without giving you all the answers! Check it out here.

Now, if you are interested, let me know and I'll give you the skinny on how to tune those basic methods to get you catching big fish right here in NEWFishing land! :o)

Good Websites for US Carpfishing

With humble apologies to anyone I may have missed, here's my shortlist of good websites for Carpfishing in the US. My classification of "good" means that there's plenty of information for the beginner and experienced angler alike. Here they are:

American Carp Society: www.americancarpsociety.com
Membership-based society, with a good forum, great competitions, bait & tackle webstore, what more could a serious carp-head want? :o)

The Carp Anglers Group: www.carpanglersgroup.com
Membership-based society, some good information, local chapters in most states.

Carp.com Website: www.carp.com
An extensive forum on all things carp, tackle webstore, and a truly international flavor... you can hang out with the English Carpers and learn what the European Carp Scene is all about!