Location : Lewisville Lake

Swim: Zen Fisher

Species Targeted:

Common Carp

 

Bait: Flavored Maize, Immitation Corn, Oats Pack (Oats, Cream Corn, Whole Kernel Sweet Corn).   Also used pinapple soaked immitation eternal pop-up.

Method: Running rig w/ hair. 5" hooklink.

The Log:

I named this swim "Zen Fisher" cause there was an Asian gentleman fishing next to me who did so with the stylized grace of a zen archerer.

9:30am - In the water, baited and set to catch

9:45am - slow beeper, I struck and missed (probably a turtle)

9:50am - saw turtle signs,  turtle heads play peek-a-boo, about three in my swim.

10:08am - 6 lbs Common Carp

10:10am - carp are crashing in my swim

The Zen Fisher calls it day. Not sure why, but I was fascinated by this old fisherman.

10:25am - 6lbs Common Carp

10:27am - short run, didn't strike

10:30am - met fisherman Eric and Gus. They were curious what I was catching and why I wasn't keeping them.  They asked if they could keep what I caught.  Both knew how to cook buffalo and carp.  The way they described it, it sounded pretty good.

Recent research about Buffalo taught me that Buffalo are actually good to eat -- Carp..less so.

10:45am - 10 lbs Smallmouth Buffalo

10: 56am - 8 lbs Smallmouth Buffalo

11:12am - 8 lbs Smallmouth Buffalo, 4 lbs Common Carp (DOUBLE)

Eric came over with a handset on speaker phone. His son was interested in how I was catching so I directed him to this site (www.claytonhq.com).  Normally I have the pleasure of sharing my technique with other bank fisherman -- first time I took a phone call. 

11:24am - 8 lbs Common Carp

Pay not attention to the ridiculous floppy hat or bloody finger.

12: 16am - 3 lbs Common Carp, 

gave this to a Vietnamese gentleman who saw me playing this one and stopped to ask if he could have it. 

Eric and Gus called it day and came by to shake my hand.  Nice guys.

12:37am - 7 lbs Smallmouth Buffalo

12:45am - 6 lbs Common Carp

A family moved in a setup camp behind me.  There 3 children came up to check me out.  They litterally began picking up my gear and looking at / in it.  One took my rock that was holding down my landing mat.  Inquisitive little cusses.

One, Paul, told me his mother wouldn't let him go swimming until I finished fishing and that it was his birthday.  There was about 2 miles of empty bank to my north, but so the birthday boy could go swimming, I called it day.

66 lbs of fish on the bank, not a bad sunday.

OH! - I had a close call when packing up to go home.  I reached down to put my camo gear bag into the back of my truck and there was an Asp on the handle.  Good thing I saw the darn thing before I closed my hand around the handle.

 

Good Stuff,

Papa Whiskey.

 

 

What you call the dance you do when a fish is camera shy....

FLIP!

 

 

FLOP!

FLIP!

FLOP!

 

Location : Grapevine Lake

Swim: Aurora

Species Targeted:

Common Carp

 

Bait: Flavored Maize, Immitation Corn, Oats Pack (Oats, Cream Corn, Whole Kernel Sweet Corn).   Also used pinapple soaked immitation eternal pop-up.

Method: Running rig w/ hair. 5" hooklink.

 

The Story:

Had the opportunity to share the bank with my twin brother, Coy.  He wanted to come to North Texas and get some fish slime on his hands, and I knew just the spot.  I took him out to "Aurora".  This swim has been producing well for me and I couldn't think of a better location to get a few notches in Coy's belt.

When we pulled up to the gate of Meadowmere Park, the attendant came right out with, "Nobody's been catching today."  I looked her dead in the eye and said, "They aren't me."  Of course she gaffawed with disbelief.  101 lbs of fish later, I really wanted to go back by the booth and show her the pictures, but my better angels told me not to.

10 lbs - Smallmouth Buffalo

 

14 lbs - Smallmouth Buffalo

15 lbs - Smallmouth Buffalo (Named him Casper)

12 lbs - Smallmouth Buffalo

5 lbs - Common Carp (Coy's new PB)

9 lbs - Smallmouth Buffalo

8 lbs - Smallmouth Buffalo

7 lbs - Common Carp (Coy's new PB)

 

We were rockstars on the bank and I got to teach a couple inquisitive fisherman what carp fishing is about.

 

Good Stuff,

Papa Whiskey

Location : Martin Creek State Park

Swim: The Curve

Species Targeted:

Common Carp

 

Bait: Sweet Corn, Immitation Corn, Oats Pack (Oats, Cream Corn, Whole Kernel Sweet Corn).   Also used pinapple soaked immitation eternal pop-up.

Method: Running rig w/ hair. 5" hooklink.

 

The Story:

I went back to East Texas to see my big brother on his birthday and took some time sit on the bank of Martin Creek Lake with my twin brother.  The day was beautiful and I had high hopes of landing a carp. 

If I hadn't mentioned it before, Martin Creek has a carper's curse -- catfish.  The lake is absolutely teaming with little "Turd Burglars".   Its disconcerting to be fishing with 50-pound fish gear and catching 4oz fish.

Unfortunately for me and my twin, we were struck by the curse....hard.  

We fished the spot for about 6 hours and all we had to show for it were pint-size catfish. Coy did get one good run that appeared to be hooked-up with a carp.  We never got to see the fish because it threw the hook about 6ft off the bank, but from the way it was cutting back and forth as it came in, I'd wager it was a grass carp.

It was a fairly dismal session redeemed only by good conversation with Coy and dinner at Tumbleweed (A steakhouse in Gladewater, TX) with my older brother, Bo.

"Carpageddon!" is an exclamation that a fisherman can holler when they catch more than 10 Common Carp in a single session.

Location : Meadowmere Park - Grapevine Lake

Swim: Aurora

Species Targeted:

Common Carp

Smallmouth Buffalo

Bait: Sweet Corn, Immitation Corn, Oats Pack (Oats, Cream Corn, Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, Tuna)

Method: Running rig w/ hair. 5" hooklink.

 

The Story:

There are a few days in every man's life that he remembers without fail.  His first car, his first "woman", his weeding day, and his best fishing day.  Today was one of my best fishing days. Not since I was 15 years old fishing for bass in an old stock pond have I caught so many fish in a single session.

I decided to try a new swim ("Swim" is carp-fisherman lingo for a fishing spot) today.  I've begun to get tired of fishing the "Cliffs" and "Scott's Landing".  Besides, I think the fish know my methods there and have wisened up.  It has become increasingly difficult to trick them in to taking my hook-bait. 

If you didn't know, carp are very smart fish. Once they figure out they are being fished for, they move off to another area....and more importantly, they remember.

My search for a new spot started with Meadowmere Park at Grapevine Lake. I had heard stories of guys catching here and thought I'd try my luck at the place.  It has a $5 entrance fee which would keep out some of the riff-raff I'm used to running in to on the free spots.  It's also a beautiful area, with a lot of life and activity.  I'll have to bring the family out next time.

I started my scouting trip by checking the deepwater access of the meadowmere bank. It's important to find locations that have quick access to deep water. Carp and Buffalo like to use these locations to feed confdently. They can move in shallow, feed and sun-bathe and if they get startled they like to run for deep water.  I found a few hopeful locations using the iPhone App - Navionics  <-- Clicky for website

My choice spot was at the northern most tip of the park, but there was an old gentleman named James fishing for catfish on the spot.  I spent about 20 minutes talking with the old-timer. He hadn't caught all morning, but said he normally does pretty good there.  He told me about another spot nearby that he had seen large buffalo caught. I noted it for future reference.  It's always good to talk to these older locals.  They fish all the time, and have a good lay of the land.

Ok, he wasn't actually a Troll, but I didn't take a picture of him and this is a pretty close representation.

I was setup and in the water by 11am.  I found a choice spot, with open bank, minimal snags and a covered bench if I wanted to sit back from my gear.  The bank was a bit muddy, but that's nothing new (I'd change my mind about this later). 

My first beeping run came after about 30 minutes.  Didn't hook-up.  Another run...no-hook-up, and another with no hook-up.  I began to worry I was getting picked clean by a team of small catfish who were too small to take the hook. Turns out I was wrong.

Shortly there after, I started getting fish. I could see them rolling out in the water over my baited area. They were feeding and appeared enthusastic.  The crashes were small, and I saw some catfish in the mix. 

8 lbs, Smallmouth Buffalo

My cathces were single digit, 6 to 9 lbs, Carp and Buffalo, which is great cause I was in to what I was targeting. Normally I have to catch a dozen catfish before the larger carp and buff run them off of the baited area.

A family moved in to the swim with the tackle to do some fishing. A mix of catfishing and bobber fishing. The mother, Leeha (like Pricess Leia, but Lee-ah) was fun and we swapped fishing stories. The dad, Philip was eager to get on some fish and set about fishing.  Daughters, Shelby and Aurora moved about entertaining themselves. A teenage son, Austin, stayed in the van -- he warmed up later and asked a few fishing questions.

I take alot of joy in explaining what I do to people -- anything to advance the sport of Rough Fishing.

10 lbs, Smallmouth Buffalo

The fish kept coming, one after another, after another.  Early on, there was a point where I was catching some really good fish that looked big, but they kept weighing in at 4lb, 5lb and 6lbs. I would hold the fish out, look at it, and think....this looks alot bigger than 5 lbs.  Would you believe I was reading the scale wrong?!?

The darn thing had weights in Pounds and Kilograms.  I had been reading the Kilogram weights. Pounds is roughly double.  NO WONDER!

I had a few other clumsy moments this trip as well.  I fell in the water chasing my pole.  The mud had gummed up the bait feeder switch causing it not to release the spool. One good tug and the rod went plunging toward the lake.  I saved it, but took a bath doing it -- it was refreshing in this spring sun.

12 lbs, Smallmouth Buffalo

I also kicked over my tackle box at one point, throwing all my bits (hooks, swivles, baitstops, immitation corn kernels, batteries, etc...) into the mud. I recovered most it, but it still sucked.  To add insult to injury, my rod pod got pulled over at one point (same gummy bait runner switch) and water got into one of my alarms, ruining it.  I thought I lost the battery door on another, but found it later amongst my stuff.

10 lbs, Common Carp (biggest of the carp this trip)

I caught a crap-ton of carp. Leeha has a friend who liked to eat carp so we stringgered them. Shelby, walked up and down the bank with them similar to walking a dog.  She also named them.

* Damien

* Stefan

* Claus

Vampire Carp (carp do suck there food so it worked)...we had 8 on the stringer and stopped saving them after that.

15 lbs. Smallmouth Buffalo

Eventually Leeha and family left and I was checked out by a couple of other fisherman curious at what I was doing.  One acted like I was crazy for fishing for Carp, another wanted all the websites I use and a run down of my technique -- I do enjoy teaching it.

18 lbs. Smallmouth Buffalo (biggest of the session)

I fished and caught until I could just not physically continue.  My back was aching and it was getting harder to work the net by myself.  I was just exhausted.  I had reduced my setup to one rod so I wouldn't have to deal with doubles or tripples.  Even then, I had a fish on before I could tighten down the line.

It was hard to walk away from such a good session, but I didn't have equipment for an overnight stay and the sun was setting.  I packed up my stuff and drove home with a goofy grin on my face.

 

Fisherman name their swims after things they see or expereince while they're fishing it. I named the swim after the precious little girl that I shared the bank with, Aurora.

 

It's impossible to calculate how many fish I caught or the total weight of the session, I simply lost count and didn't have time to record the catches cause I was catching so quickly.

I think 200 lbs of fish on the bank is a fair estimate, but it was probably more.

Good Stuff,

 

Papa Whiskey

 

 

So you drop by a nearby lake, pond or creek and what do you do?  Some anglers might just tie on their favorite lure and start casting to see what's bitting.  The smart fisherman looks for signs of fish. Taking a few moments to just look out over the water can save you alot time.  Even a modest pond can have a lot of water to cover, so looking for surface hits, schooling bait fish or waterfowl is a good way to get on to some fish quickly.

If you're like me, you're looking for a specific species and that changes the game a bit.  This weekend I was back in East Texas so I thought I'd make a trip down to the lake and terrorize the bluegill.  Now, nothing beats a cup of worms and a bobber, but I enjoy the activity of fishing. I like walking the bank and casting in to likely spots.

For this trip I used my personal favorite, the Rebel Crickhopper. I can't praise this lure enough. Its a floating popper that can also be retrieved quickly like a shallow crankbait. This versatility allows me to fish a spot in multiple ways without having to change lures.

So what did I do to locate the fish?

Surface Bites:

Like I mentioned early, one of the fastest ways is to look for topwater strikes. This could be the fish warming up in the sun or feeding. Unfortunately, most of these are out in the middle of the lake and if you're on the bank, they don't do you much good.

Roots:

One thing I look for that never disappoints are Tree Roots. Sunfish are small and they need all the protection they can get from Bass and other larger predators. A root system like this offers a ton of hidding places and Sunfish love it. Run a bait slowly past and if there's a fish in there, he'll come out for a quick meal.

Submerged Tree:

 

The holy grail of fishing structure if you ask me. Not only do Sunfish love this kind of structure, but most other fish do to. While walking the bank, I saw the tail end of a fallen tree at the bank, and could see that it extended into the water a good 20 meters.  With a quick retrieve, I dove my Crickhopper a few feet over the top of this tree and on 4 casts, produced 3 fish (Bluegill, Black Bass and a Stripped Bass). Pretty neat that three species of fish were hanging out in the same tree.

The only draw back to this type of structure is hang-ups. A lot of anglers can lose some tackle on these lake features if you fish them wrong.

Christmas Tree:

No, not an actual christmas tree. I call it a christmas tree cause the bobbers and line strung up in the branches with care, looks like ornaments and tensil. If you see a Christmas Tree while walking the bank, well you just found a fishing hole.  You can thank the fisherman before you for marking the spot well.  You can bet a shiny nickle that there are fish in the area, just be mindful you don't deposit your own ornament.

Other things you might look for:

* Slow moving water pools, where fast moving water is present.

* The high side of  creek beds where the water has carved out the side.

* Boat Houses / Dock Pilings

* Submerged, standing timber.

She'd fit in a skillet!

Good Stuff,

Papa Whiskey

I got a ton of these this last weekend and I know you old salt fishermen will agree, wind bites can be annoying.

Anglers who fish on the bottom, meaning you're targeting species like catfish, carp, buffalo and the like, need a tight line for good bite detection.  Bottom rigs are generally heavy leads with hook and leader.  After it's cast, you tighten all the slack out of the line so you can see any activity at the bait in your rod tip.  Can you see where I'm headed yet?

This type of fishing becomes problematic when there's a good stiff wind. Anything over about 12mph and your rod tip will do alot jumping.  I call these wind bites.  You get the tip action, but not the fish.

I use bite alarms specifically so I don't have to watch a rod tip, but I'm still subject to the wind bite.  A stiff enough wind will pull enough line that the bite alarm's roller will move and give an audible "Beep".  I know to expect it on windy days, but I still jump for the rod everytime I hear it.

On the positive side, if you're not catching a wind bite can give you just enough stimulation to make the fishing trip not a total bummer, eventhough a big catch would make it dandy.

See you on the bank,

Papa Whiskey

Did you Know?

There are a number of reasons fish bite. They could be feeding, it could be a reactive bite, anger, protective instinct, curiosity, competition, territorial instinct, killer instinct or even ignorance.

FEEDING

Most novice fisherman think feeding is why fish bite. If they ain’t feedin’ they ain’t bitin’..right?  Wrong.  Fish do bite because their feeding, but this kind of bite is actually hard to get. You have no your target fish’s pattern.  Fish will feed at certain times of the day, under certain conditions, or when there is ample opportunity (such as a school of bait fish in the area). If know these factors you can take advantage of the Feeding bite.

REACTIVE

This is a fairly common bite motivation. It occurs when you first cast out and you get that immediate pop on the bobber or tug on the line. Thats because the fish is reacting to the sudden introduction to your lure or bait. It’s a clear sign your in the right spot because your casting on top of where they are holding. If you can find a reactive bite, keep hitting the spot till you land the fish or the reaction stops. I experienced this today fishing a shallow creek draining out of the main pond. There  was a cut in, where I could see a space under the visibile bank.  I dropped my lure right against the bank, over this cut-in and POP.  I pulled three bass out of this pocket.

Cut-ins are a great place to fish on a moving water creek because fish will hold in these pockets to relax, but that’s another post…we’re talking about bites.

ANGER

Yeah, fish get pissed off too. “If that blue worm comes through one more time I’m gonna…” the black bass thought to himself.

PROTECTIVE INSTINCT

This is the bite I was looking for. During a spawn, fish are very very protective. They will protect their eggs from any invasive predators, even an innocent lure. You can practically drop an empty hook into a spawn bed and get a bite. The catch is they will only bite in a certain radius. Draw the lure out too far, and they’ll turn back. Protective Bite is probably the best bite you can hope for. It’s quick, it’s aggressive and predictable.  You can cast twenty times and get twenty bites.

CURIOSITY

Sometimes a fish just wants to know what the hell just floated past them. Some lure are pretty creative, designed to catch a fisherman’s eye more than the fish it’s targeting. A fish doesn’t have hands to manipulate a strange lure so the take a nip. If the hook placements are good, and more importantly sharp, you just might hook-up to the fish.

COMPETITION

In carp fishing this is what you’re aiming for. You want to develop a competitive situation where fish are gobbling up food quickly..carelessly.. before another in their school can get it. It’s very similar to feeding ducks. Ducks are cutthroat eaters and will go to great lengths to short the buddy on their left and right.

TERRITORIAL AND KILLER INSTINCT

Some fish have locations they claim as their own. Spawning beds could fall into this category. Anything, including other fish of the same speices aren’t welcome so anything entering the area, including your lure, will get a bite from the landowner. Some fish are more aggressive than others.

IGNORANCE

This doen’t need an explination does it?  In some cases, fish have never seen a plastic worm or a crankbait. They bite it because the simply just don’t know any better. I’ll promise you one thing though,  fish are quick learners and if they survive the interaction with the plastic worm, they’ll remember it next time.

The Location: Martin Creek Lake

The Stats:

Temp –67 degrees

Weather – Partly Cloudy, Windy (10 mph S)

Water – Muddy

Bait: Big Bob's Crab Flavor

Technique: Method Cage, calf manna, quick oats and corn mix.

Rig: Hair Rig w/ #6 octopus hook and 1.5oz method cage set 7" above hook.

The Story:

I had heard tales of Martin Creek holding big carp due to its year round warm water. The coal plant uses the water to cool its systems and warn water is turned back into the resevoir. I stuck a hand in the water when I arrive at the swim with my twin brother, Coy, and the water was luke warm.

Coy had a swim picked out before we arrived.  It sat on a boat lane and promised access to deep water. The spot had a wide sandy beach and was practically devoid of vegitation. We could see deer tracks up and down the bar and it made us wonder about the night time activity of the location.  I also spoted some dog tracks which left me cringing.  I would like to get through one session without having to fend off a wild dog.

We setup, mixed our method and put our lines in the water.  Coy had warned me that Martin Creek was a mecca for the "turd burglar".  A turd burglar is small catfish that steals your bait and sits on your hook, too small to pull line out.  These little guys were a tooootal nusance.

Catfish plagued our lines for most of the session. You litterally could not sit down before another cat was on the hook.  Expereince tells me however, you have to go through a few cats to get to the carp so we persavered.

It worth mentioning that we were using flavored corn. Corn is a small particle bait that is easy for the catfish to take. We both made mental notes to change up our bait options next time we visted this lake.  Tiger Nuts or large diameter boilies might do the trick.

Time wore on and patience won the day.  I finally had a nice run on my left-most rod and picked-up to feel a hefty weight.  I could feel the fish run and new I likely had a carp on the line.  The water was muddy and I had the fish in shallow before I got a good look.  This large head emerged from the murk and it didn't look like a common.  I thought it was a another catfish till it turned profile and I saw the scales.  It was a White Amur, aka Grass Carp.

Grass Carp on Martin Creek are protected fish, but I was still pleased as punch that I had caught one.  This was my first White Amur and subsequently a new Personal Best!

She weighed in at 14lbs. 12oz and measured 34.5 inches in length.  I took a photo with her briefly and returned her to the water alive.  I held her for a few moments to make sure she had her strength, and when she was ready, she gave a good shake and cruised back into the depths.

Despite the dozen tiny cats, it was a trip to remember. 

Good Stuff,

Papa Whiskey