Christmastime is just one of the times I usually don't think about fishing. This time I won't make an exception. Have a good time, all of you, and take care of the ones close to you!
I didn't send any x-mas cards this year. I targeted the card money to a project that restores spawning areas for trout.
Morning mist on a Finnish lake. Also you can find my current setup in the picture (PL Fastwater 9'6", Okuma Trio BF 55, Prologic Senzora 13 bite alarms+snag bars, Prologic Hangers and Prologic Tripod).
Hi all. It's been a while since my last blog entry. Nonetheless, the season is over here and it's time for some reflection on my doings. When I started carping, I got off to a flying start. I think in no less than 15 minutes I had hooked my first carp. It was more than easy, as were my following catches. I hardly knew the meaning of word "blanking". Luckily, years have taught me better. In every form of fishing, you get better by doing it more and more. This is true no matter if we are talking about match angling, fly fishing, etc. I remember my first time tench angling. I was struggling just to get one, and this went on for a few trips. Two years spent entirely on tench fishing on the pole taught me a trick or two. If I remember correctly, one of my last trips was when I caught 25 tench in a five hour session. The catch in total was like 40 kg+. At that point I knew tench angling quite well (at least the pole techniques). I knew if I wanted to catch tench, I would. Some part of me just loves the effort of trying to catch and learn. The way of becoming an angler. At the same time, I love the things I don't know. They truly are the reason why I return to the bank every time. Casting for the mystery. Luckily, carp fishing has still remained quite mysterious to me. And I think I want to keep it that way. Some things are clearer to me now, and some not. I am a biologist, so the nature around me hardly has any mystical or magical essence, as from my point of view, it's just genes and evolution. Spruce = genes (and it's fenotype), birch = genes (-..-), carp = genes (-..-). So yes, carp fishing is an action where a monkey (Homo sapiens) uses a lot of time and absurdly expensive and elaborate tackle (made of carbon, plastic and metals) just to see a fish (Cyprinus carpio). So where's the magic then? The "magic" is just a product of our own imagination and our want to make things meaningful. Life itself, possibly has no bigger meaning, so fishing might be as important as anything. From this perspective, I find carp and fish in general, as magical creatures capable of possessing my mind. It's a way better story than the monkey-version!
Yes! It's a monkey (Homo sapiens) ALMOST kissing a member of the Cyprinidae-family (Barbus barbus).
Usually I spend my time in solitude. At least that's the case when it comes to fishing. Now you have the opportunity to see me and talk about carp angling. Maybe not the best way of spending a day, but still, a way of spending time.
The place is: Raision Meri & Metsä, Tasalanaukio 1, Raisio
Time: Thursday 10.10.2013 (The shop is open from 10-18)
And below you see a picture of one of my carp catches from this year (this was from a double run)
It's been a while since I last wrote. Sometimes it's quite hard to get your ideas together to write about something new or even remotely interesting. This blog has been running now for about 3 years now if I remember correctly. Sometimes it is just normal to have a small pause in writing.
I was fishing my new spot, and was happy to get a run in the middle of the night. I took my right hand rod and I played the fish closer to the net. What surprised me was that my left hand rod alarm started to go off like crazy. I thought for a second that I somehow got this fish tangled into the other line. After that one short second, I realized that I had another fish on the other rod.
So I netted the first carp quickly and took the left-hand rod and started playing the second fish. Luckily, I managed to land the carp into the same landing net, where the first carp was waiting for company :) I can honestly say that the situation was really much easier to handle with my Fastwater 9'6" rods, which are powerful, but really easy to use in tight natural swims.
After some trickery, I managed to take photographs and release the carp back into their watery haunt. Didn't get any more runs that night. I guess sometimes the feeding periods can be very short and savage.
I suddenly remembered that this SHOULD be a blog about carp fishing. So, here is a picture of a carp for you. This was the first time my new Prologic Fastwater 9'6" 3.5 lbs rods were out there. I love them. A lot.
So why the short rods? In most cases, our natural lakes have only tight swims where it's almost impossible to cast properly with a 12' rod. Also, the fish are so much more fun to land with these shorter rods... Combined with Okuma Trio 55 Baitfeeder reels, my combination is really lightweight and still packs a lot of power.
A nice wild mirror carp. Wasn't held in a sack, but photographed just after the capture.
Writing a blog about carp fishing in Finland is somewhat of a masochistic task. Most Finnish fishermen are not interested in carp or coarse fishing in general, so writing in Finnish wasn't what I wanted to do. The interested few ones are the reason for writing. Getting new anglers to adopt right fish handling techniques and ethos in carp fishing is something I am happy doing.
I have been asking myself once in a while, why should I encourage more people fishing for carp. Eventually I am just ruining my own happiness of fishing alone on these lakes. So why all the noise and hype of something that would be best kept as a secret?
I started fishing exclusively for coarse fish because a lot of fish species are endangered and some close to extinction. For example, there WERE about 30 salmon rivers in Finnish coastline of The Baltic Sea, now the number is 2 or 3 (based on opinion). Only one of these rivers has a decent population of its genetically original salmon. The situation is really grim. The same goes with sea trout and our inland trout stocks. It is just horrible, so I decided not to take part in fishing these species until the stocks are healthy.
Why should I be a part of the horde of Finnish fishermen who think salmonids are the ultimate catch? Afterall, a lot of the salmon-related fish also end up in the fry pan after the fishing trips... My personal choice was to start fishing specimen-sized coarse fish, which ended up as a carp madness. So when someone chuckles about my catches of "overgrown roach", I raise an eyebrow and know better. The best way of protecting salmon and trout can be diversifying the Finnish fishing culture and getting people to spend more time chasing carp rather than trout or salmon.
And yes, now some trout-fanatic says that if no one fishes for trout, there will be no people fighting for the species survival. In my honest opinion, you can fish for coarse fish and still be a spokesman for trout and salmon. That is what I have been doing.
An unlucky salmon. I caught her with my excellent fly fishing skills (hooked from her tail). While unhooking her, we discovered she had a commercial fishing hook in her mouth... Of course we removed the commercial hook and released her. Maybe, just maybe salmon are being fished a bit too much.
Carp Fishing is not from the cheapest side of different fishing styles. To be more precise, you at least have to invest some of your hard earned money just for carp mats etc. So if you don't want to spend 100-200 euros for fish welfare, please don't start carping. Catch and Release is not a religion, it's about treating the fish right and fishing in a sustainable and ethical way.
But yes, now to the budget side of fishing... The easiest way to break this down is probably making a small list of where the money goes:
Carp fishing essentials (carp care) cost from 100 to 400 euros.
Carp fishing essentials 2 (fishing tackle) cost from 400 to xxx euros. You can spend a fortune on these, but you can manage with a 30 euro reel and a 30 euro rod. My choice would be a 100 euro rod and a 100 euro reel.
Bivvie+bedchair+sleeping bag. Cost from 250 euros.
The previous investments are the stuff that you can use year after year, and then there are the real money eaters...
Where did my money go?! Carp fishing is really good for the oil companies!
Bait is something where you should invest some money. I normally use bait for two prebaitings and during my fishing. For a normal campaign, I usually spend about 50-75 euros for bait.
Gasoline/Diesel... I probably would have bought my fishing kit five times with the money I have spent on fuel. One year I drove about 4000 km in the search for good fishing spots and prebaiting. It cost me about 600 euros for the gasoline alone.
The last two things are the ones you have to invest finding the lakes and the fish. And considering all the hard work and money I have put into finding suitable carp fishing spots, I find it a bit funny that people ask me where to fish for carp. Please do use the same 2000 euros and 1000 hours and ask me after that :) When you have done the same what I have done, you really understand that there is nothing to win in sharing the fishing spots.
Fiddling through the Internet, I stumbled upon a video teaser called "Metropolis Carp". I was hooked from the first second. At last I could watch 2 minutes of carp angling without any product placement! Whoa! The teaser was über-cool and you can watch it here...
The DVD itself is made with professional attitude for bigger audience, as you can also choose English subtitles on the DVD menu. It's super cool, as my German is a bit rusty, and Austrian German is way too hard for me. On the cover of the DVD is a text saying "No tackle, No Tips, No Tricks - Promised". I really like that, as considering my fishing, tips&tactics from other countries are as useful as a bucketful of snow to me. And we have more than plenty of snow here in Finland.
The film starts with nice scenic videos from Vienna, and it really gets you into the urban attitude. Later on Sebastian and Nick go fishing on the Danube. The guys really know what they are doing, and they catch some really nice fish. But the film itself is not about the fish or the techniques used. It is about fishing your OWN way, and finding your own paths. I hope this will inspire some carpers to abandon the commercial lakes and finding true carp angling somewhere else.
I really liked the juxtaposition of the film. I mean there were parts of fishing, and just before you were getting a bit tired of seeing the fish/fishing, the film took you somewhere else. The editing on this film is really good. Thumbs up!
The soundtrack and all the audio work is done really well. Seriously, I could never imagine drum and bass going along so well with carp fishing... From what I saw, the film had its soundtrack from Vienna artists, which gives the film a more local feeling to it. The video material and the soundtrack go absolutely hand in hand. Besides, the music is actually really good. You don't get the "porn video" music which is very common in fishing films.
The dialogue and the monologues are really funny, and I can agree on many statements the guys said about urban angling. I won't spoil anything, but at least I can say the "problems" are so similar in Finland and Austria.
The Metropolis Carp - Urban Fishing Documentary really is a documentary. It is a documentary of a shared passion for angling in urban Vienna. For the first time, I have seen it - fishing has finally been portrayed in street credible way.
Don't miss it. Go and order the DVD now!
One happy camper with the Metropolis Carp DVD. Winter is still quite strong here as you can see from the snowy background...
The upcoming season has got the grip on me. No hope of going ice-fishing, as I think only carp. A sad story, yes, but still it's nice to be obsessed. Obsession is way better than depression. A summer person can't be too happy in Finland, so just thinking of summer gets me going.
Anyways, I have something to say. Every now and then someone catches a carp by accident. I mean here in Finland, almost all of the carp are caught without intention. Sometimes by foul-hooking on lures, on gill-nets, etc. Way too many of these carp are killed, usually just to be photographed for a local newspaper. And that is a pity, as people should know better. Carp is not the best fish for consumption anyway. We have zander and perch for that.
My message is actually a competition. Carp Of The Thousand Lakes will give (to be precise, I will) a prize for the best Catch&Release Finnish carp for 2013. The best C&R is not determined merely by the carps weight. The "competition" will be called "COTTL Let It Go".
The rate of blog entries seems amazing now! Three within a week!
I would like you to go and check out a new carp magazine "Carp Core", which is completely free and you don't even need to register to read it. Oh- pay special attention to MY article "To Blank Or Not To Blank". I hope it will be a good read.
I am now trying to make up for some times when I haven't been that active on writing. So, for the first time in COTTL history, a new blog entry on two successive days!
Spring is coming and I am getting anxious. There is nothing better than getting out fishing when the long winter is over. I just love the feeling when the world is coming to life. All the rivers flowing free and lakes glimmering with sunlight...
My fishing history is quite diverse, as I have been fishing with many techniques for a lot of species. At this moment I am going through the carp-crazy -phase. I have been fishing exclusively for carp for five years now (Yay!). Before carp my mind was on tench, which is a species that still haunts my mind. It is not as big as carp, but somehow it's more delicate and in some ways, even more mysterious than carp.
The body shape of tench has real stopping power. The fish hasn't got any sharp edges. Its small red eyes and round fins totally complete the design. The fish is a work of art. Tench is probably the most beautiful fish I know, despite its humble coloring.
I used to fish tench on the pole, which in my opinion, is the best method. The presentation of the float is very delicate, and sometimes you can fool the tench to bite just playing your float. Considering all the methods where the bait is laying on the bottom, pole fishing is just über. It takes a lot more skill to handle a float and a pole than just using bolt-rigs. Besides playing a tench on the pole is a lot more fun than using rod and a reel. With strong pole elastics and a balanced rig, there is no problem in playing a 2-3 kg fish. That is the maximum size that tench grow here in Finland.
I promise myself to go fishing for tench with the pole (yes, the full monty, including a match angling seat). And at last, a picture of a fish! Here's a photo of my PB tench. It never went to the scales. Anyone having an idea about the weight of this fish?
Me and my PB tench. Don't know the numbers though...
I just received my new bite alarm system, Prologic Senzora 13 with 4 alarms + 1 remote alarm (wireless). I can't field test it yet (because of winter), and one time field-tests are useless anyway.
What are the most important things in alarm systems (reliability, endurance) usually can't be tested on a few trips. To say anything that could be considered as a fact, I must fish at least a one full season with these alarms. Anyway, I would like to review these on my dinner table, talking about the facts that can be said about the product at this time (ease of use, settings, etc).
The Prologic Senzora 13 alarm set.
The alarm system comes in a plastic case, which is foam-padded from the inside. Opening the box you can see 4 alarms + 1 remote with an attachable belt-clip. The overall construction of the alarms seems to be good, and the carbon-effect look on these is actually nice. The alarms itself are lightweight and you can attach the 9V batteries easily within seconds. Each alarm runs on a regular 9 V battery, which is quite nice as these batteries can be found on every retailer. Usually the 9V battery easily lasts for an entire season, so I guess I don't have to keep any spare batteries with me. The remote alarm works with 3 x AAA batteries. I use rechargeable ones, so I always have my batteries fully loaded on the remote alarm.
The volume can be set really loud on the alarms, so you won't miss a bite. There's also a silent mode for the remote.
The sensitivity setting seems to be working perfect, one adjustment beep counts for about 1 cm, and the alarms have 5 sensitivity levels. So the alarm sensitivity can be set to beep from approximately 1 cm to 5 cm of line. That's enough adjustability for me.
There's nothing fancy about the tone settings. You can select from five different pitches, and the tones are quite different. You shouldn't have any problems distinguishing alarm sounds from each other.
There is a feature in this system which cannot be found on every alarm set out there. You can test the range of you remote alarm by pressing some buttons. It's nice to test the range if your tent is quite far away or there are some obstacles between your tent and the rods.
Oh, the best part is that the set is all ready to go. No hassle with programming the alarms. I will write a more comprehensive review after the carp season 2013.
As the great thinker H.P. Baxxter once put it - "The chase...is better than the catch." For some people out there, it seems that the catch is all there is to carp fishing. I find this philosophy quite blasé. As I said in my earlier blog, the fish after all, are just fish.
I think we all enjoy hearing good stories. That's why we watch movies and read books. Even our lives can be seen as a story, a lifelong journey that could be written as a book (or several). Anyway, there's little point in measuring life by numbers, like annual income, weight, height or number of children. The only people interested in those facts are statisticians.
I am quite sad to see that carp fishing is heading strongly to plain statistics. I prefer stories to numbers. So if I hear a fishes weight before hearing the story behind it, I am not impressed at all. And if you catch the monster of the day-ticket lake, make sure you can tell a story about it. It's sad if the only thing worth mentioning about catching a monster fish is that last time "Betty" (the fat lady carp) was caught, she weighted 2 kilos less. It's not a story, or at least a story to be told to future generations of angling.
Be nice, and catch experiences rather than PBs. If you have a good story, you can always write a nice article or even a book someday!
Oh, and here's an old picture, a real blast from the past. My biggest carp caught on sweetcorn. Too bad I had to stop fishing for carp that autumn, I had a MSc thesis to write... And yes, there's a story behind that carp. Someday hopefully, I can find the time to tell the story.
A nice common caught from a lake somewhere quite close to the arctic circle...
I have been a bit lazy writing, but there's absolutely nothing to say about carping. There's a lot of snow and ice outside. So just planning and dreaming.
Talking about dreaming, I saw a carp fishing video that was something I haven't seen in a while. The atmosphere, sounds, everything were just perfect. I just watched the video in awe. It has all the things I love in carp fishing. Can't even describe it....
The name of the video is "Une voix au-dessus des roseaux" and you can watch it on Vimeo:
