Back to Blogging

I have given Facebook a good try. After nearly 6 years of trying to use Facebook to provide regular updates of my fishing escapades, I've come to the conclusion that I still need my old favorite, the Blog.

Don't get me wrong, Facebook is good for a quick check-in or mid-tournament update. However, I regularly have people ask me about fishing methods; either new techniques and tackle items, or a tweak or tune on an old favorite method.

And here's where the Blog shines. I can string together a couple hundred words on a particular technique, or just a couple of paragraphs and some pics to explain the idea. Once I've produced it, I can link it to Facebook, without fear of it getting buried so I can't find it when I get another question on the subject. I can tag it and make it searchable. I can even add new tags or update content, or link new information to an older Blog. I have realized that I just miss that flexibility.

So, I'm back, with new content and some updates on what I've been doing with fishing over the last 6 years. Maybe I should start with an update of the record since 2010, with a few highlights:

FIPSed World Fishing Championships - I've been feeling very honored and privileged, having been selected by the USF3/USAC as Captain for 4 U.S. Teams:
2011 - World Nations (Match Fishing) Championship, Ostellato, Italy
2014 - World Carp Fishing Championship, Pietrafitta, Italy
2015 - World Carp Fishing Championship, Caspe, Spain
2016 - World Carp Fishing Championship, Saint Fargeau, France

At St. Croix, I've been busy, helping the guys design the very first Carp Rods 100% manufactured (hand-crafted!) in the U.S. We have 3 rods in the Avid Carp range:
ACS96MMF2 - my favorite close to medium range (0-75+ yards), a light but through actioned Rod that will beat anything that swims in Wisconsin.
ACS120MHMF2 - A finesse tournament 12 footer, that will beat angry Carp quickly, and is a great performer on those bigger fish (over 30 pounds) hooked at ranges up to 100+ yards, on hooks down to size 12 when necessary... Now that's finesse fishing! Also my favorite Zig Rig Rod, a method that comes into its own when the bigger Carp are up in the water.
ACS120HMF2 - The Big Brother in the range, a 12 footer that's comfortable launching specialist carp leads up to 6 ounces over 150 yards, while still retaining the shock absorbing capability to beat good fish quickly on hooks down to size 8.

It's great to be Back in the Blog!

Madison Fishing Expo

I spent last Saturday on the St. Croix Stand at the Madison Fishing Expo, and I had a great time. I met lots of loyal and happy St. Croix Customers, and had the chance to chat about their favorite rods, as well as show off the 2010 range.

Popular rods on the stand were the Legend Tournament Musky Rods; it's good to see that longer rods are in vogue with Musky Anglers, and I'm sure they will find these rods easier and less stressful for a solid days casting after Old Toothy. I also did some "show and tell" on several of the St. Croix fly rods, and I think the 13 foot and 15 foot Avid Centerpin Steelhead & Salmon rods caused quite a stir; these were certainly the longest rods on display at the Expo. Lastly, it was fun to show off the new Avid Pearl range to the Lady Anglers; all agreed that these are a much-needed and colorful addition to the St. Croix range. The pic above shows me with the 13 foot Avid Centerpin Rod, complete with my favorite Centerpin Reel. I have a couple of these rods arriving shortly, and I'm really looking forward to some "big fish on the float" trips this Spring. To my left is the Avid Pearl range; the Fuchsia Metallic finish and Abalone reel seats are quite striking!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said Hi, or swapped stories about big fish; for me this was the very next best thing to going fishing with you all! Here's wishing all the Madison area St. Croix Anglers a wonderful Fishing Spring, and hoping that you all catch the Fish of your Dreams!

City of Oconto to Host WI CC Qualifier!

Great News from the City of Oconto; they have agreed to host a WI Carp Championship Qualifier in their fair City this year! The Oconto River is a classic Big Carp water, with large fish running up the river each Spring. The Oconto WI CC Qualifier will be held on Saturday May 8th, which should give all anglers competing a chance at a really Big Carp... or three!

Please contact me if you'd like to fish this Tournament; the Entry Fee of $25 is payable on the day, and (as always with WI CC Qualifiers) there will be a 100% payout of the Entry Fees. The rules are simple; catch & release Carp Fishing from the Shore in the Tournament Area only, weight of the best 5 Carp will count (just like a Bass Tournament), fish-friendly rigs and equipment to be used, fish will be weighed by "buddy system" (you weigh your neighbor's fish, they weigh yours), etc. For more details on the WI Carp Championship, please check out this link.

If you're interested, but not sure if you can catch Carp in a tournament setting, please feel free to check out the action on the day; I'm sure all the anglers will be happy to share their knowledge and show off the big fish they are catching!

Bays & Flats Panfish

I've been out recently, trying to catch a few Panfish from some of our more pressured areas during the annual "hard, white water" season. One of the special techniques I've been experimenting with this year is the use of attractors and appetite stimulants to:

1) Attract Panfish into your area, when the fishing is hard and the fish aren't too frisky, and;

2) Get them to bite on your bait or lure, particularly when they've apparently seen it all before, and developed what appears to be a permanent case of lock-jaw.

I've been lucky enough this year to be involved in a couple of new developments in the "ice fishing attractors & feeding stimulator's" scene. Since January I've been helping Larry Kirchner test his new Bait Flare attractor, and I've been working with Attila Agh of TopMix USA, on a complete line of feeding stimulant groundbaits. It's been interesting and fun to work through all the various combinations and options, and although I feel like I've a long way to go, I've already experienced som interesting results to share with you.

One of the toughest bites at this time of the year is when you are chasing pressured Panfish across relatively featureless bays or flats. We've got to that time of the year when the weed is generally breaking down, and thus pulling oxygen out of the water, making extensive weedbeds an unhealthy option for Panfish to hole up in. So, we are reduced to tracking Panfish across the less weeded areas of bays and flats, but these are also relatively featureless and difficult to hold fish in your fishing area. Once you've found them, you not only have to hold them of course, you also have to convince them to bite!

Eric and I were out experimenting today. We fished a fairly large bay, with a constant depth of around 3 feet under the ice, small lumps of rotting weed, and a reputation for being a tough bite during the middle of the day. What seems to happen here is what I've found happening on a lot of similar flat, featureless areas; the fish are moving relatively fast, very hard to hold, and almost impossible sometimes to hook!

What worked for us today was one of Larry's Bait Flares; this turned a fishless wasteland (according to my underwater camera when we started) into the fishy equivalent of a fast-food restaurant; we definitely had some "drive-by" action within a few minutes of the Bait Flare going in! Of course, such a shallow area (3 feet isn't exactly a deep spot) wasn't ideal for Larry's Bait Flares, which I think need around 6-10 feet of water to really do their thing (they are quite explosive, and will pull fish from some distance), so I wasn't exactly sure what to do after the first fish were caught and their buddies dropped back away from us. Quite clearly the Bait Flare had done it's work, and we'd attracted some fish; what we now needed was something that would really stimulate their appetites?

Time to turn to Attila's latest "prototype" stimulants. Sure enough, one of the lightest, most active of these (added to the water via a mini-Tiger Feeder) seemed to turn the Panfish into eating mode. Instead of small Perch, we started intercepting some good-sized Bluegills; the biggest one even tried to pull a rod off its rest! Small mainly Pink jigs worked, with surprisingly large waxies and spikes; it seemed that the combination of Bait Flare (attractor) to start, and then a regular but small amount of Top Mix feeding stimulant was just the ticket for curing the lock-jaw problem. Instead of struggling just to get a bite from a tiny Perch by careful jigging with ultra-small jigs and a single spike or piece of micro-plastic, we were able to keep triggering bites from good Panfish with sensible sized jigs and baits. Every time the fish backed off from under our holes, a small application of stimulant inside a mini-Tiger Feeder down the target hole was enough to bring them back to us... with a healthy appetite in each case!

To sum up, I really think it's worth trying these new approaches, particularly if you are struggling to keep feeding fish under your holes, and not wandering off under the ice to your neighbors. If you need more information, please contact me about Attila's Top Mix feeding stimulants (here's his current website, and he has a new e-commerce website coming soon), and here's the link to Larry's YouTube video on the Bait Flare. Please ask me if you want more information on the "how to" of fishing with attractors and stimulants; this is a tricky subject, and there's not a lot of information out there at the moment... maybe I should write a detailed article on the subject! :o)

Tight Lines!

Tournament Trail Tales: The 2009 WI Carp Championship

Hi Folks, welcome back to my Blog. It's been a while since I last wrote; have I been busy this spring and summer! The tournament trail has been mostly kind to me so far this year, as both a competitor and organizer, so I thought I'd bring you up to date with what's been going on.


Of the tournaments I've been involved in, by far the most important (in my view, but I'm probably biased!) this year was the 2009 WI Carp Championship. The Anglers and Stewards had a great time, with friendly competition, big fish caught and lots of interest from the spectators. For all the details on every angler, don't forget that the WI CC Website is still up and running; expect to see new details on the 2010 WI CC on this site soon!


For me, the WI CC is all about individual memories, moments that flash into focus during the "organized chaos" that is what the WI Carp Championship seems to be all about... it doesn't matter how much I try to keep everything organized, there are always a few "interesting happenings" both before, during, and after the Tournament Weekend. Here are a few of my WI CC memories.


First, of course, was the look on Josef's face when he realized just how far ahead of the rest of the anglers he was, at the end of Day 1. A little bit of pride, and lots of relief, that all the hard work had payed off, and I'm sure a realization that he'd been lucky enough to draw a peg in the best section on Day 1. It was good to see some other great anglers put a little pressure on that lead over Day 2, but Josef stuck to his task and pulled a solid result out of a so-so peg, to pick up his second successive WI Carp Champion Trophy; well done Josef!


From one angler who had done very well indeed, I was also struck by how well another good angler, Tom Brooks, never gave up on Day 1. I'd stopped by Tom's peg with about 15 minutes to go, to see how the guy was taking the very weird happenings in Section B on Day 1; we'd seen a lot of fish rolling through most of the day, but the strong wind combined with all those baits and lines had seemed to make those carpies skittish as a basement full of kittens. I was impressed that Tom was still fishing, and was happy to see a smallish fish roll right over one of his baits with less than 10 minutes to go; I think I uttered the words, "don't worry Tom, you'll catch before the end". Just sometimes the Carp take pity on me for my stupidity, or maybe they thought Tom deserved it, but it happened; with less than a minute on the clock Tom's buzzer sounded and he landed his first and only Carp of the day. It was also great to see Tom turn around his bad luck on Day 1, and put plenty of good fish on the scales on Day 2. Well done Tom, and congratulations on that 27 pounder; that was a good 'un!

Some of my other Day 1 memories are of the Stewards; and the different "challenges" each section gave them. Watching Eric organize the "Drive to the River" was a treat; it reminded me of my history lessons about General Patton's "Drive to the Rhine"! Eric, that was some organization you put together in Section D! Then there was Tom's unique "relationship" with the Eagles Club Bar Staff; I was surprised to find a shot waiting at the end of the bar for him, every time I visited the Club at Section C. I wasn't too surprised to hear that Tom had "got the hang of Section C" on Day 1, and thought it best if he was assigned there again for Day 2!

Lastly, and my best memories, are of the people of Two Rivers. I've always enjoyed chatting with the folks whenever I visited, but this time was something special. I really felt that the WI CC was welcome, and that the people were happy to see us, doing something different on the local fishing scene, and hopefully, putting Carptown on the US Carp Fishing Map.

One thing is for certain. Larry Kirchner interviewed many of the anglers after the event, and they all echoed what I felt; it was a fun event because of the people of Carptown, as well as the fish. Thanks Two Rivers, for your support of the WI Carp Championships. We'll be back in 2010!

Only 4 Days to the 2009 WI CC

The last few days leading up to a Tournament are always a little stressful, no matter how prepared you are as an organizer. There's always a last-minute hitch or unforseen crisis that occurs.

This year, the trophies are built, the anglers are signed up, the after-hours dining is lined up... I even have some of the media coverage organized! So, I'm thinking that something is bound to go wrong, and it will almost certainly be something I haven't anticipated. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to react quickly and do the best I can.

The weather and the fish seem to be cooperating this year, and hopefully there will be no major changes over the next 4 days. We are due a little rain, but this won't do any harm to the West & East Twin Rivers. They are both well up to usual level, but it would have to rain a heck of a lot more to get either of them to flood! The forecast gives around an inch or so of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, then fine weather with low 70's during the daytime and 50's at night... perfect for the Thursday and Friday. Forecast currently is some light showers on Saturday and cloudy on Sunday.

The carp have certainly been active for Paul Sander and Andy Burnagiel, two of the Polish Carp Stars from the Chicago area. They caught a lot of fish in the high teens to just over 30lb this weekend, while practising for the Tournament. Here's a few pics of some of their fish; I'll leave it to the guys to post the pics of their biggest fish on the Carp Anglers Group Forum.

If you are in the Two Rivers area on Saturday or Sunday, come on down to Vet's Park, Washington Park and Paddlers Park and meet the Anglers; the 2009 Wisconsin Carp Championship should be one of the most interesting tournaments you will ever see. Here's wishing the Anglers lots of fish and hopefully some of them will break their big fish records. For more information on the Tournament, please check out this link.

Introducing the Wisconsin Carp Championship Website!

In response to popular demand, I have created a website for the upcoming Wisconsin Carp Championship. So, here's the link: http://sites.google.com/site/wicarpchamps/

I've tried to include everything that a visiting angler will need to know, to get prepared for the Big Event; there's information on the various sections, and local sponsor details for lodging and food, etc. Of course, I keep thinking of ideas I've missed (e.g. how to get a WI fishing license?), so expect the site to keep growing over the next few weeks!

If you want to stop by at Two Rivers to see the action, please just come on down! Most of the sections will be based in the Vet's Park, Washington Park, and Paddlers Park, so there's parking available and spectators can get to see all the action for free. Whether you are an experienced angler who wants to see what all the catch & release carp fishing stars can show you, or you're just looking for an unusual day out for the family, the 2009 WI Carp Championship is an event worth visiting. The fans in the know from the '07 and '08 Championships will arrive with a lawn chair and set up behind their favorite anglers; watching lots of big fish being caught can be a little addictive!

There will be a Carp and Bank Fishing Gear Swap Meet on Friday 29th in the afternoon at Vet's Park, followed by the Championships fishing throughout both days on the 30th and 31st. The Two Rivers Parks & Rec Department is also working with a local charity to organize some food and drink for the spectators, so everything is set for a great weekend for anyone watching. Finally, some of the local businesses and the Sponsors are working on some family-friendly carp trivia events, complete with a few prizes for the kids.

All we need now is some good weather for the spectators and plenty of fish for the anglers!

Sponsor Spotlight - Village Inn on the Lake, Two Rivers

The Village Inn on the Lake has kindly agreed to offer a discount on both their Rooms and their RV Park, for all WI Carp Championship attendees. They have 28 Rooms and 28 RV Sites (all with full hook-ups), and I expect these will fill up fast for the May 30-31 weekend, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Call the Village Inn on (001 for International callers) 920-794-8818, and please be sure to ask for the "Wisconsin Carp Championships Discount". Here's the link to their website.

Carptown To Host 2009 WI Carp Championship!

The 2009 Wisconsin Carp Championships will be held on May 30 & 31, at the most exciting carp fishing venue in the US; "Carptown, USA"! Also known as the City of Two Rivers, WI, this sleepy Lake Michigan shoreline community has been known as "Carptown" for more years than anyone there cares to remember; but now they are dusting off the name and wearing it with pride, as the rising sport of catch & release Carp Fishing comes to their town.

Two Rivers really does sit on... two rivers; with the West Twin and the East Twin rivers running through the center of town. The rivers provide easy marina access into the vastness of Lake Michigan, allowing a thriving charter industry to store their Salmon, Lake Trout and Brown Trout record-catching boats snugly away from the storms that occasionally blow across this inland sea.

But there's one fish that runs up these rivers every April, May and June that the charter skippers don't fish for, but see every year... totally wild, monster-sized Carp. That's the big draw for the 2009 WI Carp Championships; the chance to tangle with a WI-record sized fish (current record is 57lb 2oz), or catch enough fish to break the championship record; that's currently over 483lb. Will you be that lucky angler? With thousands of dollars in cash prizes up for grabs, what do you have to lose?

I am quietly confident of both the quantity and quality of the Carp that the 100 anglers will be fishing for. Two Rivers is the true "Carptown" in the US; it's carp soup here in late spring. Last year three of us fished in the Two Rivers area and caught more than twenty 20 pounders in a single day. There are also a lot of 30+ pound fish in the mix; I'd consider Two Rivers as the best choice for someone wanting to catch a 40 or 50 pound fish in May.

Interested? Excited by the prospect of being well paid to fish for big, hard-fighting carp? Check out the 2009 WI Carp Championship Entry Form and Rules at: http://acsdatacenter.com/index.php?act=ST&f=56&t=1169&st=0#entry9360

Any questions? Please reply to this blog post and I'll do my best to get you all the answers you need to be successful... and catch the big one!

Tiger and Panther Feeders

Hi Folks,

I've been asked to write a short piece about fishing the Tiger and Panther Feeders; so here's the skinny on how to get the best out of them. But first, a shameless plug!

Both Tiger and Panther Feeders retail at $4 apiece, including postage & packing; please ask me if you want a dozen or more, as bulk order discounts are always given! The feeders are the result of two years design and trial, with several anglers fishing a wide variety of venues; here's a few of the highlights:

1. I just had my best season ever in terms of the percentage of 20 pound plus fish to total carp caught. I ended up with a Twenty Plus percentage of 23%... and I had over 500 fish again this year! During that time, I lost, trashed or otherwise demolished just 11 feeders, all in the rocks on rivers... these puppies are TOUGH!

2. Larry Kirchner caught his personal best carp on his first Tiger Feeder session... nuff said.

3. Eric and I fished Tiger and Panther feeders exclusively on our first ever Hoosier Carp Tournament, on the St. Joe River in Elkhart, IN. I had the third biggest fish, and Eric was unlucky to lose a fish that would probably have won the big fish of the year award, and would definitely have won the tournament... all this on a day when only 6 carp were caught.

The feeders come in three standard weights; light at 1.7oz (good for method mixes and pay-laking), medium at 2.9oz (all-rounder, for heavy method mixes, lake and river fishing), and heavy at 5.8oz (deep, fast-flowing rivers).


So, what's the best way to fish them? At close to medium range (0 - 75 yards), I recommend a standard Safety Lead Clip & Tail Rubber rig (Tiger Feeder in the pic), as this ensures a great bolt effect with a standard hair-rig, using both soft and stiff links.

If you are going for distance (75 yards+), I prefer to set up the Helicopter rig (Panther Feeder in the pic), as this is totally tangle-free and allows you to really punch the feeder out. It's also creates a fairly good bolt effect, whichever direction the carp moves after it takes your bait!

For either basic rig, you can fill the feeder in a variety of ways. If you want to mix up a specialist groundbait, or one of your own secret concoctions, you can fill the feeder completely, or plug one end of the feeder with groundbait, fill the remainder of the feeder with some samples of your hookbait, then plug the open end. This works really well for bigger, hungry fish, here's a video of me showing this method of fishing. And here's a link to a great groundbait that works really well with the Tiger and Panther Feeders, this stuff is awesome!

You can also fish either Feeder "method style"; although I recommend a twist on the usual procedure! I make up two mixes, one very dry and highly flavored mix; this goes inside the feeder, with a wet, sticky mix squeezed over the top and outside of the feeder, make sure you have plenty covering the lead "ears" of the feeder on either side!

The method mix is most effective in relatively shallow water; once you are fishing more than about 8-12 feet deep, it's probably best to go to a stickier groundbait mix, inside the feeder. Otherwise you will either lose too much method mix on the way down, or if you mix it really hard, you'll be playing fish with lumps of method still attached to the feeder... not good for collecting fish in one place! An alternative, and something that works well even in shallow water, is to use a pay-laker style pack-bait; grits mixes are especially popular in the springtime.

Finally, both feeders are very effective when used with a PVA bag; simply stick a bag inside a dry feeder, fill it with your chosen dry ingredients and attractors, seal the bag and cast it out! The Safety Clips really come into their own here, as you can make up a batch of PVA bags in dry feeders, and just swap feeders each cast. Of course, you will probably want to have about a dozen feeder if fishing three rods... so you can have three feeders out in the water, and three drying off, while you are re-bagging the other six! Here's a link for PVA bags, Safety Clips and Helicopter Rig bits; here's another link for PVA bags, and Safety Clips.

If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask! I'll be publishing more information on Tiger and Panther Feeders in the near future, including links to shops that stock them. I'm also working on a variety of new colors and sizes of Feeder... so if you just have to have a Camouflaged Feeder that weighs 6 ounces, won't bounce in the flow of a fast-running river AND is snag resistant, then let me know and I'll be happy to give you a cost-effective quote!

Larry & Josef Win Third Place!

Congratulations to Larry & Josef, who battled through the 72-hour Tournament of Champions (Hartford, CT), to win a hard-earned 3rd Place. All the competitors had a tough time, with colder temperatures and the fish not willing to feed much during the day-time; this certainly was an endurance event!

Here's the link to the competition page, with articles and video clips.

Way to go guys, this was a great result!

ACS Tournament of Champions; October 14-18

The ACS Tournament of Champions is just about to start; and I'm going to be following it closely this year. This is one of the major catch-and-release carp-fishing events of the year; the 2008 competition is being held on the Connecticut River, at East Hartford, CT.

Yep, it's a long way away, but I just wish I was there, and I hope everyone catches a few good Carp. Entrants this year include my buddies and the 2007 & 2008 WI Carp Championship "spectators favorites", fishing as pair teams:

Josef Settele ('08 WI Carp Champ & '07 WI CC 3rd Place) & Larry Kirchner ('08 WI CC 3rd Place)

Ernest Kolodziejczk ('07 WI Carp Champion) & Chris Motwicki ('07 WI CC Mirror Carp Winner)

Andrzej Burnagiel ('08 WI CC Mirror Carp Winner) & Michal Brada ('07 WI CC Tony Safranski Award Winner).

Best of luck Guys, I hope you claim the top 3 places! Here's an article on the event.

YouTube Video on Fishing the Tiger Feeder

Hi Folks!

A number of people have asked me about where they can see Tiger Feeders in action. Well... Eric has worked an awesome job on the video footage he took earlier in the year, while we were field-testing the prototype Tiger Feeders.

This was a short session at Two Rivers, WI; on a new stretch that we hadn't fished or pre-baited before. It was a really cold and very windy day; so windy in fact that this was one of the few areas we could find where it was possible to film without our gear being blown away!

The video is split into two parts, here's part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOLt3I0tuYc
This puts you straight into the action, with a couple of twenties and a big teen, then there's part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMQwG61tjm8
In part 2, I try to show the Tiger Feeder and rig, but am very nicely interrupted by a near-thirty. I do finally get the message across... the Tiger Feeder works with most standard carp rigs AND it helps you catch the bigger ones.

Let me know what you think; feedback is welcome!

Larry and the Twenties

Larry (2008 WI Carp Championship 3rd place) and I fished one of my favorite venue's recently. We were using the new Tiger Feeders and an attractor that Larry's been perfecting, and the fishing gods smiled upon us. Larry had four twenties during the day, topped with a Personal Best fish of just over 29 pounds.

Way to go Larry, looks like my Tiger Feeders helped with the bigger fish!

2008 WI Carp Championship Results

Well Folks, I've been really busy at work, trying to catch up from the few days I took off to run the Championship. However, Tony Safranski has kindly come to the rescue; here's his report, thanks Tony!

The 2008 Wisconsin Carp Championship is in the books. After two weeks of cold, windy and unsettled weather this year’s competitors arrived in Menasha on Friday, May 30, just in time to enjoy a weekend of sunshine and mild temperatures. Steady incoming winds brought in the carp and kept them within casting distance all along the Jefferson Park seawall both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday morning started with competitors drawing their day’s pegs. Fishing began at 10:00 a.m. Within five minutes we heard the first “fish on” and the weigh stewards quickly got into the action. Three competitors took the early lead, Bobby Chokdee, Josef Settele and Larry Kirchner. Each found their individual rhythm and caught fish after fish all day long.

Every angler relied upon his own ‘Super Secret, No Peeking, Don’t Even Ask for the Recipe,’ ground bait mix to attract carp to their peg. And the carp came to the pegs all day long. Despite an apparent need to feed, upon feeling a sharp metal object in their mouths, the carp proved less than willing to give themselves up without trying all means of possible escape. Many fish found their sanctuary in the Fox River’s multiple weed beds and used the weeds as a great source of leverage. Much to the chagrin of various competitors the carp proved that it’s not just fishing but catching that counts in the end.
Bobby got into the lead early Saturday and held it all day long. We are not sure if his unique fish-fighting dance gave him some mystical edge over the fish or his competition, but it drew a spectator crowd most of the day. Even the girl’s softball team stopped to watch Bobby go through his gyrations. We will assess the possible need for a carp angler ‘Entertainer of the Year,” award.

When competition ended at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, Bobby held the lead with a catch of 26 fish and a total weight of 233 pounds. Larry finished in second place with 22 fish for a total weight of 180 pounds. Josef came in third with 24 fish for a total weight of 156 pounds. Overall, the three leaders and the remaining 11 anglers caught 96 fish for a total weight of 914 pounds. The average fish weighed 9.5 pounds.

Sunday morning competition started at 9:00 a.m. The three leaders immediately picked up where they left off on Saturday. Bobby started the day’s entertainment with a full-blown carp dance while Weigh Stewards Eric Glazewski and Ulee Vang responded to the ‘fish-on’ call. Both Josef and Larry quickly found hungry carp in their swims.

In a fishing sense of ‘what a difference a day makes,’ competitors all along the seawall found hungry and cooperative carp and started to cash in soon after the start. Pegs that produced few willing carp on Saturday kept their anglers busy all day Sunday. Tommy Riley, Paul Pezalla and Wayne Boon all added nicely to their Saturday totals. Wayne Boon hooked and landed the match’s biggest fish. His carp pulled the scale down until the arrow showed it weighed 29 pounds 9 ounces. Tommy Riley landed two 21 pound fish one after the other.

Questions of who held the lead started early in the afternoon. Bobby still held the lead but Josef found his rhythm with a few hours to go and started to catch more fish than Bobby. We didn’t know it at first but around 4 in the afternoon Bobby started running short of bait. This forced him to change tactics. The carp didn’t like the new presentation and his peg grew quiet. Josef kept landing carp right up to the final minute. He managed a come from behind win with 13 more pounds than Bobby. Larry finished in third place.

The final standings for the two days competition are:

2008 Wisconsin Carp Champion:
Josef Settele, with 65 fish for 483 pounds 3 ounces

Runner-up: Bobby Chokdee, 48 fish, 470 pounds 9 ounces

Third: Larry Kirchner, 45 fish, 394 pounds 8 ounces

Largest Carp: Wayne Boon, 29 pounds 9 ounces

Totals for the competition: 272 fish, 2,656 pounds 7 ounces

2008 WI Carp Championship!

2008 WI Carp Championship - May 31/June 1

Jefferson Park, Kargus Drive, Menasha, WI

Yes Folks, we are only a few days away from the 2008 Wisconsin Carp Championship! This is THE WI-based catch-and-release competition of the year, with internationally-known carp anglers fighting it out for a big cash payout, ultra-modern carp gear prizes, trophies and the prestige of winning the title: Wisconsin Carp Champion for 2008!

Last year was an awesome event, with plenty of large, hard-fighting fish caught right in front of the spectators, throughout both days. This year the Championship is back at the same venue; Jefferson Park in Menasha, where the spectators can see all the action as the competitors are fishing from the shore. The fishing starts at 10.00am on Saturday May 31st, and everyone will be back for more carp-catching fun on Sunday June 1st. All fishing is from the shoreline at the park, so spectators get a ring-side view of one of the most exciting angling events in the calendar; those Big Carp really do fight!

I'm hopeful that the 2007 records will be blown away this year:
Top Weight (both days): 450lb
Top Weight (1 day): 329lb
Biggest Carp: 25lb 10 oz

Competitors for this years Championship include:
Ernest Kolodziejczk (2007 WI Carp Champion), Event Sponsorship by WorldClassicBaits
Josef Settele (3rd in the 2007 WI Carp Championship & Largest Carp)
Wayne Boon (English Carp Angling Guru, now residing in California), representing American Carp Society
Paul Pezalla (American Carp Scientist), Event Sponsorship by Wacker Bait & Tackle

Come and see the competitors and their ultra-modern European Carp-Fishing gear, their different methods of bank fishing, and let's not forget the fish themselves! Last year, over 2,200 pounds of Carp were caught, weighed and safely released; this year's event promises to be even better!

For more details, or if you'd like to help by being a weigh steward at this event, please post a comment on this blog, with you contact information.

Trivers Twenties Trio

The Trivers ABC (Two Rivers All Big Carp) Friendly Fish-in produced some small fish, but enough good carp were also caught to make it interesting.

Eric and I fished the West Twin both days; for some reason Eric believed me when I told him I could smell fish! Anyway, I must have been right, because I managed to hook and land the biggest three; with all my fish coming on a new home-made boiled bait and my new Tiger Feeders. We both caught on the Tiger Feeders, with me just fishing boilies (boiled baits, it was the Big Fish challenge, after all!), and Eric fishing with Delmonte's finest and some commercial boilies.

On Day 2, I had a number of visitors stop by, and heard tell of some high singles being caught on the East Twin, but apparently no-one made it into double figures there. I met some new Carping buddies on the West Twin, and I think they will be coming to the 2008 WI Carp Championships, to watch and pick the brains of the Carping stars!

I had a fun day, watched some other folks catch a few fish, and finally "sorted out" my peg. I didn't break my Day 1 biggest fish catch, but managed a couple more twenties, five doubles, and the rest of the 13 fish total for the day were just under the 10lb barrier.

When I fished the peg on Day 1, I caught 2 good fish early on both sides of the channel, then one smaller fish late on the 90 yd mark. Day 2 couldn't have been more different, with a fresh breeze blowing almost behind me and across the river, I felt that it was just possible that the bigger fish could move up into the very shallow water on the far side (Eric and I had seen the occasional fish roll over there, the day before, but my casts there hadn't led to bites). After catching one good double in the deeper water, I started to get bites from smaller fish.

After a few of these smaller fish, I decided to wind up some big casts and started fishing at about 110 yds, in less than 2 foot of water. The water on my shoreline still felt cold to me, but the wind must have been warming it up over there, as it was like turning on the Carp Tap... one fish after the other.

It just goes to show, it's worth taking a risk sometimes and being prepared to change things around a little. Although I was still getting bites from small fish, by fishing over into the shallower water, I improved both my catch rate and size of the fish being caught.

A couple of firsts for me:
1. First time I haven't opened a can of Delmonte in 8 years fishing in WI
2. First time I've fished just boilies for a whole day in WI
3. First time I've fished and caught on the Tiger Feeders at 100 yds+

All in all, a fun two days, met some good new friends, and there were some priceless quotes from the locals, as ever... it must be something they put in the beer there. A favorite was from an old guy who snuck up behind Eric on Day 1 and asked him if he'd "caught any crabs?" Fortunately, we were able to clarify that he meant crayfish; kinda worried about what he was referring to for a moment there!

Lastly, an old guy on a bike stopped behind me to watch me hook and land a couple of fish, including the 25 pounder. He then asked me "Why do you cast so far, why don't you just go and fish from the public park opposite?" Truth to tell, he had a point there... sometimes, I'm not too bright!

Here are pics of the three biggest fish, 27lb 8oz, 25lb 14oz, and 21lb 15oz. The 25 pounder was a fantastic looking fish, like a golden Mahseer; a good example of the famous Trivers Golden Trout!

Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo - Chicago Feb 8 - 10

This years Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo looks like it's going to be a really interesting event; it's being hosted by the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, February 8th to the 10th.

I wish I could get there, but it looks unlikely at the moment. The guys from Tight Lines Fly Shop in De Pere will be there, and I believe Tim is presenting on Sunday; his topic is NEW Smallmouth!

Here's the link to the Expo Website (also includes details on the Minneapolis Expo in March), and here's the link to the presentations.

Check it out, it should be fun and informative.

Get Ready for the 2008 WI Carp Championship!

Yes Folks, it's official, there will be a 2008 WI Carp Championship. We are just starting to work out the details, but the venue is likely to be the same as last year; Jefferson Park in Menasha. Date is likely to be one of the weekends between mid-May and mid-June, which should catch the Carp in feeding mode!

Anyone who wants to help with weighing steward duties is welcome; this is a great opportunity to learn more about catch and release Carp-fishing; and I'm planning on small prizes for the Weigh Teams this year! For details on duties, and all anglers interested in competing, please let me know by adding a comment to this blog.

Pics on last years exciting 2007 event can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wi_carp_champs/?saved=1

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!